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I generally like Zack's stuff, but this is just unpalatably smarmy. And yeah, space tourists are going to be rich. That might have something to do with space travel being really really really goddamn expensive. Sham bam bamina! fucked around with this message at 13:22 on Oct 10, 2014 |
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Oct 10, 2014 13:18
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 17:57 |
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I, for one, am very excited about the prospect of rich people doing expensive things. We did it, America!
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Oct 11, 2014 00:23
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Zack seems to have finally gone from "enjoyably frustrated caustic commentator" to "impotently angry manifesto writer" recently and it worries me. Someone should give him some chamomile tea and a hug.
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Oct 11, 2014 01:18
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I share the resignation that mankind's venture into space was a childhood dream of mine that has been shattered, and I too am of average enough intelligence to recognize that commercial spaceflight is just playtime for the rich. Therefore, I relate to this article and the person that wrote it, and enjoyed reading it. In acknowledging reality, optimism must always be balanced by pessimism to see what's really there. Commercial spaceflight is a profit-driven enterprise, so it's no wonder it has evolved into what it is. Genuine mankind-leaving-his-cradle stuff would be very unprofitable for a long time and would require the cooperation of world governments. It is what it is - that old somehow meaningful tautology. Cynicism is feeling bitter about it, optimism is finding the silver lining in it, and realism is just pointing it out. And some people may find that of all the things this world needs, more playtime for the rich is not one of them, and may be dismayed to see their walk-on-the-moon dreams come to this because we as a species are too weak to conceive of anything grander. Thanks, Zack!
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Oct 11, 2014 02:10
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Did Zak also write that really bitter thing about 'refrigerated dog food' that said if you buy anything but lovely horse meat for your dog you probably abuse your wait staff and vote republican because nya nya nya? The front page has been kinda drowning in impotent rage very weakly hidden under an attempt at left wing socioeconomic rage.
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Oct 11, 2014 03:01
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The dog food article was amazing but this one was reaching a bit too much. Westerners who spend more on dog food than 3rd worlders spend on their entire lives deserve ridicule but the space spending is historically neglected and I'm glad to see it being rectified. Also, Zack Parsons writes funny jokes.
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Oct 11, 2014 19:48
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gently caress the rich, to be fair
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Oct 11, 2014 23:28
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The space situation kinda sucks, but really, think about the context in which all the moon missions were launched and when all that technology was developed. Reasonably, the best we can hope for nowadays is for someone like IS to win their current land battles and start making rockets to send jihadists to the moon to plant the Islamic State flag, or send a jihadist robot to Mars to plant a flag there. Only something like that will get space exploration going again. It's all about political will, and beating someone we're determined to hate. You don't get that kind of political will if it's just the Chinese or Indians, we don't hate them enough. Though realistically, if IS did develop or buy a space vehicle with the capability of getting a few hundred kilos into orbit they'd simply load up a basic baby fission bomb and wrap it in cobalt-59. Doesn't even need the uranium to be refined enough to explode properly, just get enough neutrons into that cobalt and drop it on somewhere. At least the soviets had vision. So now it's just bored rich people interested in doing space travel.
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Oct 13, 2014 13:25
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ALL-PRO SEXMAN posted:Zack seems to have finally gone from "enjoyably frustrated caustic commentator" to "impotently angry manifesto writer" recently and it worries me. I agree. It's like the old GBS showed up and is now trying to be taken seriously.
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Oct 14, 2014 22:59
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If you aren't going to be funny maybe you should write something informative instead?
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Oct 15, 2014 00:20
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 17:57 |
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he makes good points and always picks the best most infuriating pictures for his articles if I had to criticize zack, I'm just tired at his countless rehashes of "surreal take on the creepiness of nostalgia"
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Oct 26, 2014 16:54
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