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This week, a discussion of the many wonders of the universe, from Donald Trump’s candidacy, to AEI president Arthur Brook’s vision for the conservative heart (buy his book, The Conservative Heart: How to Build a Fairer, Happier, and More Prosperous America), and of course, Pluto. On that topic, let’s just say that Rob and James have a more romantic outlook than Peter.
Music from this week’s episode:
Space Cowboy by Steve Miller Band
The opening sequence for the Ricochet Podcast was composed and produced by James Lileks.
To infinity and beyond, EJHill.
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I haven’t gotten to listen yet but surely you addressed this…
Rob and James, I am moved….Peter, eh….
not so much.
Sheer genius.
I’m with Peter on this one. The celebration for the Pluto pictures seems plastic. I guess for those who have a shockingly inappropriate affection for science, this is enrapturing and glorious. As good as it gets, as it were.
Me? Meh.
A man after my heart! I’m not alone!
simply put: If a probe can be put out into space to take a picture of Pluto with all of the technological innovation and collaboration between countries required, why can’t we solve the much simpler problems at home?
Yup, we have a problem and it ain’t technology. Technology is the easy bit.
additional: per James’ comments. what an achievement! if we can do that! what about everything else?
(well perhaps we are just doomed, of course)
In Peter’s defense, ok, we took a picture. Grandma took lots of pictures, too.
Landing on another planet and getting back, much more impressive.
(Imagine me saying the following in a non-confrontational, interview-guy sense, not a hectoring scold who wants to pick a fight.) How can you tell who those people are? Would it be better if the number of people who found the mission fascinating and inspirational were insignificant, but appreciated it for the right reasons?
It’s a mission with a specific set of technical problems, defined and solved in advance, and then put into action. Fixing Social Security is a bit harder. ;)
Every 12 months or so Peter does / says something that makes me want quit Ricochet entirely (I’ve actually pulled the trigger twice, though I quite obviously always end up coming back). This would be one of those times.
All the same, excellent episode of the best podcast running.
Arthur Brooks says that if we can only persuade voters that conservatives are equally compassionate people, that will swing the vote by 10 points the other way.
Wow, what a dream world! Mitt Romney was the kindest person ever — and he won the ever-valued independents. He donated his entire inheritance to — higher education!
I may not be as smart as Arthur Brooks, but at least I have essentially always been a lifelong conservative. Too much optimism in this party. And Israel isn’t going to be saved by unicorns and rainbows either.
Some people actually are “takers and moochers”. Somebody has to break out of the bubble and tell the truth.
James, the actual hard problem is to generate political consensus around the definition of “fixing” – the actual fixing will be, I suspect, quite simple (far more so than, say, flying, or leaving the planet, or the solar system, or…&c.).
I agree! But it’s easier to agree how to send a rocket to Pluto, because the conversation doesn’t start with six ways to get out of earth orbit. It’s not whether you use a rocket over a can lifted by birds and helium, but how big, and when you launch, etc. For most of our domestic problems, we’re still arguing about whether to use boosters or slingshots or trebuchets.
Intercepting Pluto is pretty darned cool, but what’s striking about Pluto, the moon, Venus, and the other heavenly bodies is how unheavenly they all end up looking.
The only heavenly spot is right here.
Mr. Lileks:
(Imagine me saying the following in a non-confrontational, interview-guy sense, not a hectoring scold who wants to pick a fight.) How can you tell who those people are? Would it be better if the number of people who found the mission fascinating and inspirational were insignificant, but appreciated it for the right reasons?
Me:
The source of my consternation rarely originates with the Ricochet community. Rather, it is the Facebook that vexes and depresses me. I have a some acquaintances (and a few relatives) who are champions for the atheist cause and wield the “I {—}ing love science” website and its knowledgable gems of wisdom sort of as a cudgel against decent traditional thought. Events like the Pluto drive-by are less a time of unity, reflection and awe, but are a celebration of SCIENCE, or else. It’s the acolytes that get me.
I think The Grateful Dead are a fine band. I can’t stand Deadheads. Their particular style of dance has ruined many a concert for me. I don’t have a reason for them to annoy me but they do. In time, I have grown to dislike the band, too.
I doubt begrudge a persons genuine appreciation of the effort. I just find the spirit has been driven from me.
I suspected that was the case. They are a tiresome lot. The “I effing love science” is a tribal signifier to other sophomores.
Paul: There is an irony too in that the Pluto probe has no more to do with proving theism wrong, than the Grateful Dead is a band whose music is meant for dancing to.
James: what actually for the Greek government is the point of tax-exempting concrete and rebar?? I can think of nothing. Does that have some sort of practical purpose?
I can’t help but think that much of the excitement over Pluto, especially for conservatives, comes from it being the one thing in the news that isn’t terribly depressing.
Pray, tell. What has our beloved Peter said in the past to make you quit? I’m honestly very curious.
To the extent that exploration need be publicly funded, NASA should be working on mass producing (well let’s say hundreds) of unmanned ATVs with Hi-Def GoPro like cameras.
Send them in a hundred different directions.
The ISS and manned exploration are just huge money sinks.
Hey that was my first Ricochet podcast. It was enjoyable. I’ll have to do it more often. I have to say though that I had a hard time distinguishing whose voice was who. Whichever one made the point that Pluto is only there to be appreciated is wrong. The solar system stays in balance because each element contributes its gravitational pull. So God has a reason for Pluto to be there.
I also realized I don’t have Space Cowboy on my ipod. It’s not on Steve Miller Band’s Greatest Hits. I’ll have to pick it up.
Rob should make an article out of his “smart people do stupid things” analysis of the Iran deal.
The only point I would add is that American diplomats often seem to be obsessed with getting some signed paper as if their career legacy requires it. It becomes more important than the substance of the deal itself. One we telegraph that we want a bad deal rather than no deal, doesn’t that guarantee a bad outcome? That tendency has to be amplified with pathological narcissists like Obama and Kerry at the top.
I am still trying to figure out what we got from the deal. Not even a token good will gesture of releasing four political prisoners. Robert E. Lee had a worse bargaining position at Appomattox and still got all his prisoners released.
Welcome Manny. Check out some of our other shows too!.
Snowy day here in Pittsburgh. Wind kicking up. Ben Roethlisberger takes the snap… back to pass… lets a long one fly. Antonio Brown on the move… in stride… between 3 defenders… MAKES THE CATCH!
If you think that’s something, Peter…
Roethlisberger back to pass… on the move… lets one fly 4 1/2 billion miles… through 8 defenders… Antonio Brown on the move for 9 years… in stride… MAKES THE CATCH!
Oh, and Ben Roethlisberger strapped a camera on the football and delivered it in the proper direction to take live video of the catch from the perspective of the football.
But in Peter’s defense, Pluto is very cold. Because of science.
Indeed, James – although it’s worth bearing in mind that, much as the physical phenomenon we describe using the rocket equation (itself the result of a certain kind of a discussion) essentially mandates staged booster configurations in order get off of this rock (at least with current tech), the underlying reality / arithmetic of the Social Security issue will invariably leave the portion of the population that is arguing for the use of slingshots and trebuchets (or for nothing at all) in the less-than-comfortable position of being proven, well, wrong.
Reality has a way of imposing itself upon us in the least convenient ways when our perceptions drift so far afield from it – epistemological humility should be the rule of so many more days…
I assume it’s to indicate that the structure is under construction, and the law exempts such structures from taxation.
We still need to get close looks at Eris, Haumea, and Makemake.
We need to do more to communicate that we are the good guys. There’s a whole lot of people who just want to be good and nice, and whichever party persuades them they are good and nice will win. I’m intrigued by Brooks’ point that actually getting people to agree with our policies isn’t the most important thing. That actually makes sense, although it’s a little depressing. The people that vote Democrat because they think they’re nicer aren’t interested in technical arguments. Understanding why, for example, a minimum wage is a bad idea requires thinking about it for more then five seconds, and some of the voters just aren’t going to do that. If voters get the message the Democrats drive low skilled workers out of the workforce, even if they don’t understand why, that might swing some votes.