The High Castle, just like the Grasshopper, was an experimental novel. It was written with plot choices determined by the I Ching. It less trippy than Phil’s usual idiosyncratic plots because he actually thought about how to fit the plot together, rather than finishing before the deadline so he could get paid and eat…

Remember who built Redstone and Saturn, spent the 50’s publishing magazine stories promoting space travel, etc. Remember Von Braun ? Willy Ley ? Operation Paperclip ? The core of the US and Soviet rocket programs were Penemunde refugees. Same for jet airplanes.

Don’t wish for it. It would get him elected, if he survived.

The “Dragon Core” ended its life at Bikini, where it powered the Able shot, in 1947.

CanIhava Book please ?

I think this gadget was the astrogation display in “Forbidden Planet”.

A shrubbery !

Excuse me for being realistic. The function is not a proper model. Therefore the problem is about an abstract equation, not the story. The story is irrelevant, and serves to confuse.

The problem is insoluble as stated because the current in the river is not known. It is impossible to answer the part of the question about shortest distance without knowing the current, or assuming the water is not flowing.

The problem with driverless metro trains is the automatic door system. As one operator trains have shown, passengers are regularly injured by trains taking off with passengers with bags and purses stuck in a closed door. The best safety system is a conductor with his/her head out a window.

How about the actor Kevin McCarthy, star of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” ? After all, it is his fault the Republican party has been replaced by conservative pod people.

I also remember his backpack, with the video camera and recorder. Harrison Ford had a later version of it in “Blade Runner”.

I am going for the Oldest Geek award on this one. See comment in the story about Musk wanting to Nuke Mars.

Am I the only Geek old enough to remember “Robinson Crusoe on Mars ?”.

Any process that produced Neptunium in significant amounts would also produce other nasty crap that will be detected, like Plutonium. I think Np is also an Alpha emitter, so the initial screening tests will immediately indicate something Actinic is present.

What on earth gave you the impression they could read ? This is Eastern Kentucky.

Excuse please, any loudspeaker can also be used as a microphone. So BigBrother google can listen to you with this gadget.

The building in the first picture became a Chinese Restaurant in the Chicago suburb of Glenview. It was destroyed in a fire in the late 1990’s, I think.

Looks very much like the early “Amazing Stories” covers, from the 1920’s.

So we have to load it into a marginally reliable rocket, hope for a successful launch, and wish for a successful transfer to lunar orbit, land the stuff near an automated base (I would not work in a reprocessing plant, even on Earth) ? Don’t even think about returning and re-entering the atmosphere. Just leave the…