Patrick Chiles's Blog, page 6
February 3, 2017
A Modest Proposal
This headline is just begging to have a list of names appended to it: Put People on Mars by 2033 – For the Good of the Nation I agree with the sentiment, but that’s as far as it goes. Not to take away from the achievements of the authors, but this is just pablum: Third … Continue reading A Modest Proposal
January 19, 2017
Waiting to Exhale
Holding my breath describes how I’ve felt for the last decade or so, for reasons both obvious and not-so. Col. Schlichter explains: Then came 9/11 followed by 15-plus years of botched wars and economic decline, along with an unprecedented cultural offensive against normal Americans. Once the only place you heard that average Americans were racist … Continue reading Waiting to Exhale
December 9, 2016
Godspeed
When it comes to aerospace, Ohio has enjoyed an embarrassment of riches. There is very little I can say that you don’t already know about the Wright Brothers, Neil Armstrong, and John Glenn; there’s even less I could say that would do justice to their exploits. Since he lived here in Columbus, Mr. Glenn’s legacy … Continue reading Godspeed
November 7, 2016
A Republic, If You Can Keep It
Of the many memorablequotes from old Ben Franklin, his observation on the type of government established by the Constitutional Convention may be the most prescient: “A republic, if you can keep it.” Keeping our Republic is entirely up to us, because if enough of us desire tyranny (or can be fooled into voting for it), … Continue reading A Republic, If You Can KeepIt
September 27, 2016
SpaceX: Going Big or Going Home
If you’re a space nerd, I don’t have to tell you how big a deal today is.SpaceX just dropped this concept video for a taste of what they’re up to before the main event: Yeah, it’s big. It’ll be interesting to hear how they planto put all those windows up in the pointy end. Watch … Continue reading SpaceX: Going Big or GoingHome
September 12, 2016
New From Blue
Just breaking via Twitter: Blue Origin’s next step…meet New Glenn #NewGlenn #GradatimFerociter pic.twitter.com/p4gICKZRfi — Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) September 12, 2016 I must admit to a little bit of hero-worship for this guy: he made his fortune by giving people what they want via Amazon, and is using that fortune to build what he really wants. … Continue reading New From Blue
September 6, 2016
Change I Can Believe In
My political leanings should be obvious to anyone who even casually reads this blog (and really, can it be anything more than “casual” considering how spasmodically I update the thing?), so you can imagine my joy when I learned the form of our destructor: Sweet Meteor of Death 2016: Just Get It Over With Alreadyis … Continue reading Change I Can BelieveIn
Obligatory Horn-Tooting
The online magazine Science Fiction & Fantasy World ran a nice little interview with yours truly, which I almost missed thanks to the holiday weekend. Makes me feel like a real author. Probably need to change my photo to something more erudite and writer-ly, like maybe a smoking jacket in a leather armchair in front … Continue reading Obligatory Horn-Tooting
July 20, 2016
Happy Moon Day
Forty-seven years ago today, Americans landed on the moon. I was five years old and still remember every bit of it, including my parents letting me stay up way past my bedtime to watch an unassuming man from Wapokoneta, OH, step out and take a stroll. For the closest thing you may ever have to […]
Decline of the West
Thispiece in PJ Media set my blood boiling. Read at your own risk, but here’s the takeaway: …the Islamic Republic of Iran: Helped design the 9/11 plot Provided intelligence support to identify and train the operatives who carried it out Allowed the future hijackers to evade U.S. and Pakistani surveillance on key trips to Afghanistan […]
