The Comet went well past the prototype stage. Later generation Comets served as passenger planes through the 1970s and the military version, the Nimrod (not the best name), wasn’t retired until 2011.

Wouldn’t you be totally screwed if you lost an engine?

I think you’re overstating the problem here. A huge chunk of Nevada may be owned by the federal government, but then again a huge chunk of Nevada is uninhabited desert so no one’s really loosing out on anything. As for control, of course people feel like the federal government has more control than local elected…

No problem, I’m happy to educate. Mathews v. Eldridge stands for the general proposition that one must have a hearing before a government benefit is cut-off, and attending a public college would qualify under that rubric. My aside about contracts was merely to say that the colleges are bound by contract to hold a…

Procedural due process protections are not limited to criminal proceedings, they apply to all legal rights. First, for both private and public schools, the student-school relationship is fundamentally contractual, and those contracts provide for a hearing process before any expulsion. Secondly, for public schools the…

It’s not awful, it’s a legal defense.

The bigger principle at stake is due process. Colleges have demonstrated that they are completely incapable of dealing with accusations of sexual assault and rape. They either ignore the accusation and drag their feet in investigating, or they conduct ‘hearings’ where the result is predetermined (can’t review the…

I think you’re interpreting the phrase ‘fixed income’ too literally. It’s referring to living off a finite amount of savings with no new income and much less ability to weather inflation.

True, but this was in 2002.

I once had a Hyundai salesman try to explain the lack of ABS as being a safety feature.

The FCC wants to regulate internet providers as providers of public utilities. This has nothing to do with content providers on the internet, which are neither utilities nor broadcasters.

It's the equivalent of getting a ticket from a cop on a segway.

I don't remember a lot of the content that I learned for my AP tests, but 'DBQ' gave me flashbacks.

Counter argument:

I think that line of argument (no problems with homosexuals, problem with homosexuality), is that it springs from wanting to follow what your religion tells you is correct while simultaneously trying not to sound like an asshole. It's not meant to be a sensible argument - it's trying to rationalize a position that…

The best story about the 314 was what happened to the Pacific Clipper. It was supposed to fly from California to New Zealand, with stops in between. As it flew between New Caledonia and Auckland, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Pan Am headquarters radioed the captain, telling him to strip the plane of markings and…

The B-36 also wins for the most ironic name for a piece of military equipment.

The best things about the Trimotor is that the engine gauges were mounted on the engines. Outside.

NASA is not gutted, they are just shifting some of their obligations to private contractors, such as Space-X (so I wouldn't call them 'non-governmental'). And Virgin Galactic will never be more than a pipe dream. First, they have nothing to do with space (they never get high enough), and secondly, it'll be a cold day…

No one is offended by the concept but, speaking for myself, I'm offended that anyone is taking this 'plan' seriously. Mars One is an attempt to get a reality TV show deal - they do not have the money, resources, money, know-how, money, willingness, or money to launch anyone towards Mars.