I’ve been thinking about a manual grinder for grains, that if it can handle more (nuts, spices, etc.) great. Real key is to have something that is easy to use, adjustable, and can handle a variety of grains. So, I’m asking you what you think of the following, or if you have a better suggestion based on experience. If it is something that can be added to the wish list, so much the better.
This grinder seems to get a lot of praise, and can even be motorized with an accessory kit. Pricey, but if it works and lasts…
This hand grinder and its electric sibling also get good reviews. I like the idea of stone or ceramic grinders for a lot of reasons.
This one looks to be identical to the very first one, though less expensive. Anyone have any experience with it?
This one is very inexpensive, but tin plating worries me. Anyone try it?
Feel free to list others that work for you in the comments. For a number of reasons, want to stay manual though being able to motorize is a big plus for me. What are your thoughts?
UPDATE: Thanks to a comment by RCPete, I’m adding this, which is the first referenced grinder in cast iron. Will last decades longer than the aluminum, and should withstand any emergency. Much higher cost, but is effectively multi-generational. Sounds like a plan to me. Thoughts?
Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.
By now, you’ve probably seen this story or similar about the missing NYPD uniforms, car markings, and other delights. Not sure about you, but I’m hearing from sources that NYPD is not alone. In fact, it sounds like this is far more widespread that anyone sane should like.
One of the things that I’m finding interesting is that not all the missing uniforms and such are in major cities. That said, the areas where they are missing seem to be in areas with interesting (and critical) infrastructure, military, industrial, or other. Worrisome that is, at least for me. That this is traveling via LE-member and related circuits, and is NOT being discussed by politicians or political leadership military, LE, etc. could well be speaking volumes.
What just happened in Russia could be the opening bell as it were. Given the large numbers of military aged Chinese, Muslims, and others from a variety of countries inimicable to the United States and the tenets of Western Civilization… Well, if you were the Chinese and wanted to prevent a U.S. response to an invasion of Taiwan or annexation of portions of the Philipines; if you were Iran and wanted to cripple the United States while setting yourself up as a significant/major nuclear power (not just regional); or if you were one of several others: what would you be doing different via our open Southern Border?
Even if the tsunami of military aged males (and tens of thousands of children being trafficked too) weren’t a real threat, look at what is happening with our economy. Look at the debt, look at the loss of the petrodollar, and more. There’s more beyond that, lots more, and the new Kristallnacht that is underway here and abroad is but one sign . None of the things is good of itself, and offers much worse in synergistic terms.
Stock up. Keep your eyes open, head on a swivel, and your things where you can find them in the dark. It’s not the end, but I doubt it is going to be fun. Keep your family and true friends close, and be careful out there. If you care to help me with some food and preparation, feel free to hit the tip jar.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.
And laundry day. And cleaning day. And the day I put Zombie Car up for sale. Also the day I am experimenting with mustache wax.
Had another brain fart while baking this morning, but this one is (I think/hope) recoverable. Doing one loaf of rye and one loaf of regular. My godmother wants me to bake her some rye to her recipe, and started that process this morning by creating a rye starter with dark rye flour. The loaf I did today is so I can get a better feel for the rye flour and proportions. One or two more feedings of the new rye starter, and we should be good to go later this next week.
I ordered a pizza stone for cooking bread (and pizza) but had another brain fart and instead of arriving Monday it is arriving on 1 July. Not what I wanted, but will live with it. Need a good stone no matter what.
At least five years ago, I bought mustache wax and wasn’t thrilled with it. That said, they sent two tins and one has sat in a drawer as I slowly worked through the other one. About out on the first, so pulled the other one out and it was a hockey puck. So, the tin is currently in some water on the stove getting melted, and I’ve added a small bit of avocado oil, olive oil, and scented beard oil. Mixing it up good and once uniform will let it cool and see if it will actually work. I am cheap, and refused to give up without trying. If it works, should hold as well as it ever did (not great, but good enough) and have a very light bit of scent to it.
Haven’t done as much cleaning as I should, but have gotten a good bit done otherwise. Special services tomorrow at Church as we pray for the departed, but hoping to get to the barber (long overdue) so I can stop looking like a long-haired hippie freak. (smile). Also hoping to set up some regular guitar lessons while there.
Bed is changed, laundry done and put away, and bread should be about doubled here in just a few. After doing final work, hope to get it into the baskets and in the refrigerator soon. Have to bake super early tomorrow because of the special services.
By the way, here’s the text of the sale ad for ZC. Figure even money odds it triggers someone:
For Sale: 2004 Ford Taurus L(X), 3.0L engine, 235,685 miles
Like many a tale of an ex, this one is sad. When I got hit by lightning three years ago, she apparently did as well, but unlike me she kept running. I replaced the radio that died then with a Kenwood, and she kept plugging along. Alas, this year she started drinking heavily, and has quite the anti-freeze habit now though she still only sips oil. She has arthritis (rust), and needs work. Sold as is, no warranty expressed, implied, or hinted. She runs, but would probably appreciate a ride to her new home.
Landlord laughed and liked it, so… More soon.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.
Going back to a previous post, I want to continue my thought experiment on building underground. There were a number of good comments on the previous post, which serve as a good jumping off point.
Re-purposing old silos is a tried and true thing, and there are some very nice ones out there. The problem on water is well taken, as I know one around Abilene, TX where the silo is/was actually used for swimming and scuba instruction last I heard. In pretty much all cases, silos can become cisterns, though the living quarters usually stay dry. Good planning is required if you want a dry silo.
The take on them still being targeted is quite valid. For all that our bureaucrats are horrible at getting things done, Russian bureaucracy is worse IMO and there is no guarantee that Russia has updated its targeting — though I hope it has. As noted before, if they have not, I am going to be (very briefly) amused and annoyed given proximity to former targets. Though I admit the strip mall now in one location is somewhat hideous in architectural terms…
The one I know of that was just left “as is” not for sale and buried quite deep. So much so I could do an underground house on top of it and a house up above that. If I had millions to acquire, renovate, build, etc. would be tempting.
As for former mines being converted into homes, that remains a very good option if one has the funds. Keep in mind that not all mines are pits (literally or figuratively). Many hard (or semi-hard) rock mines and such are actually up local mountains/hills. The ones I saw out in West Texas are literally carved into mountains, and are up above a canyon system. This simplifies water/sewage/other runoff issues and offers good opportunities for water mitigation.
One of the things I had looked at with shipping containers was going on top of a hill or into a good hillside, doing all the digging and such required for household and rain runoff, then putting down a concrete pad and going from there. The key point there are to involve a special type of geological engineer both to guide with where to put a well (and what depth and other considerations are needed) as well as dealing with normal and emergency runoff (any number of disasters will change rain/water patterns temporarily or permanently). Once structures complete, backfill and be good to go.
Problem is, as several noted before, shipping containers can make decent housing in certain circumstances. Sadly, underground is not one of them. The real problem is the need to put about a foot of reinforced concrete around them. By the time you do all the bracing and such just to pour the concrete, it is not worth it. You would be far better off just doing regular temporary construction bracing for such.
Another option that sorta combines both concepts is to do like Cheyenne Mountain: dig big “cave” and put up buildings in it. Works, but a bit expensive for the average homeowner. Smaller scale, however, is not impractical.
I really like Old Paratrooper’s idea from a personal standpoint. Again, my thought is to go into a hillside or take off the top of a hill. Though, to put in a decent small library may have to use two quonset huts with one dedicated to being a library (smile). Gives you more than enough volume for a home, the opportunity to build and even change the interior at need, and works on several levels. Again, get good geological/hydro advice (as well as structural engineering involvement), dig out gravel drain fields (and put in diversion walls and such if/as needed), then put down the pad, the hut, and upper concrete. With the right planning, you have water/air/other issues worked out well in advance.
For a limited budget, the above works. If you win the lottery, look at converting a mine or mining out “caves” for use a la West Texas. If you win insane amounts of money, there are other options.
Just a few thoughts on what I may make a continuing discussion/thought experiment. Keep those good comments coming!
Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.
I hate giving them any business, but… Some have asked about donating things rather than funds, and I like that idea. So, I have created a new Amazon Wish List that if I’ve done everything right should allow people to send things rather than money. It should be showing up in the top right under The Bard’s Jar but I’ve been having some weirdness where it shows up, then is gone, then shows back up.
On a few of the things on the list, I’ve noted things I think you may be needing in the days to come. With the loss of the petro-dollar and other systems dropping the dollar, on top of the hordes of military-aged males from so many countries coming across the border (and missing police uniforms, complete vehicle markings/wraps, etc. in NYC), now is a good time to stock up. If you can help me do so, much (MUCH) appreciated too.
More soon, been a busy day already dealing with lawyers, government, and more. Hoping to get to a real post up in a bit, but no guarantees as the infernal ones (lawyers and govt) get first dibs on attention today. 🙂
UPDATE: Think I noted on the list, but stock up on supplements now. Not only do disasters not wait, but keep in mind all the attempts to control food production and distribution. Also keep in mind that if they go after that, the previous war on supplements will be nothing compared to what comes next. Paranoid? Perhaps, but keep in mind the “conspiracy theorists” are batting about a thousand and the so-called experts about zero. I’m opting for the CTs on that basis alone.
UPDATE II: Getting Zombie Car ready to sell, but am calling off further work on that due to rain and the possibility of thunderstorms. Oddly enough, I’m quite content to come inside and hunker down in the basement where it is cool and at least semi-safe. 🙂 Really do want to get back to building underground, both as a thought experiment and to respond to the excellent comments. Think Old Paratrooper hit on something that may well work for me in reality rather than in thought experiment.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.
Okay, I am back (sorta) and hope to be back to regular posting this week. As noted in earlier posts, I was not feeling good most of last week. This didn’t keep me from visiting a new dentist, and doing some things down at the Church. Almost recovered from those activities…
Saturday saw the one-day-only opening of Brother Juniper’s at the Church as part of the Talbot Street Art Fair. See previous post for links. I had been told that it would be busy, and they were not joking or understating at all. There were people that drove in from all over the state to get the sandwiches, and I’ve heard that some may have even driven in from out-of-state. I didn’t get to talk to the customers at all, and frankly was too busy to do so anyway.
As for me, I have no idea how many sandwiches I made on Saturday (having volunteered to be a sandwich maker trainee), but would not be surprised if it were about a hundred — and I was the slow one. The man working next to me used to manage of the of the two Brother Juniper’s here in Indy, and he was doing four to my one, easily. Most orders were multiple sandwiches, quite a few to go. I was at least smart enough to toss some of the training and start following the lead of the man next to me, and both speed and accuracy (and sandwich “fluffiness”) improved as a result. Accuracy being consistency in both presentation and weight of measure of meats. Got where I could tell how much meat I had in my hand even before I weighed it.
It was a long, long day but a very good one. I only heard (of) one real complaint out of the hundreds of orders, so I’d say we did pretty good. Those that did this, then made it to Church yesterday, may have been moving a little slower than normal, but we were all bouncing back. Almost recovered, though I think I may can make a “Happy Hermit” sandwich (seemed to be the hands-down favorite from the number ordered) in my sleep at this point. Given that I screwed up the bread making last Friday, had been a bit concerned about how I would do. Told I did okay, will take their word for it. Also thankful the edema med really didn’t kick in too bad, though it has been making up for it yesterday and today.
So, more soon. FYI, did get the latch on the freezer door, and while I think I’ve found a replacement freezer for far less than previous prices, going to be a while as I need to get some other things (pizza stone, latching-lid slow cookers, food processor and/or blender — in that order more or less). Oh, and a wire-rack shelf unit along with some more dutch ovens. The latter are not an immediate, but… Really hoping to cook a lunch again soon for the Church if funds allow. Want to do one hearty meal (corned beef and cabbage or Moroccan-style chicken) and one light (salad nicoise variant). Hits last month prevented doing much beyond bread as I hit effectively zero funds about three weeks ago. Really looking forward to getting my stipend this week. Onwards!
Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.
It’s been a week. Have not felt good, which may or may not be tied to switching out a medicine. The new med was working on the odd edema (which is not a sign of congestive heart issues per tests), but is sort of in a holding pattern right now IMO. Only issue is that the edema is having a small but negative effect on mobility. Grrr.
Yesterday, I visited a new dentist since it’s been a year or more since my last visit to such. My former dentist was always about the upsell: this test while you are here ($25/$50), this extra treatment ($25/$50), you need this ($5k), you need that (again $5k), you absolutely must do X (again $$$), etc. Dentist I visited yesterday was aghast at a couple of the things, basically ‘you don’t need that and they wanted to charge you how much???’ as we discussed things. She and her staff did a good job, and she talked WITH me and treated me as a patient who needs to be involved in treatments and planning, and not a mark. Even had some great suggestions on what I need to do in a year for Medicaid (I’m currently on Medicane: here’s a cane, good luck). If some work she wants to do next week goes well, thinking she will become my new dentist.
Despite all, managed to get in a mile or three of walking. I also helped with some of the preparations for something very special as part of the Talbot Street Art Fair. If you are a long-time Indy resident, be advised Brother Juniper’s will be open for a limited time SATURDAY ONLY. This only happens once a year for the fair, and I may have spent an hour or two yesterday helping with some of the preparations for that.
Trying to get my regular Friday baking done today, but it is off to an odd start. Left out half the water from the bread at first, now trying to recover. Should be doable, but not an auspicious start to the day especially since I am very much feeling yesterday. That said, plan to push on. I haven’t needed my walking stick since my Baptism and hope that continues. Looking forward to getting the rest of the testing done in early July, and having data even if it only leads to better questions. Nice to be dealing with proactive medical types, cardio and dental.
So, dragging but still here and still moving. Heck, might even be able to manage a kick or two. More soon I hope!
UPDATE: Was not able to salvage the bread from the brain fart. Even if I had a commercial mixer, don’t think I could have salvaged it. Doing everything by hand (Church bread is a labor of love)… Months without a real issue on baking, so can’t kick too much, but still not happy.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.
Sorry, dragging a bit and hoping to avoid getting what the landlord had last week. Lots of good comments on the underground post, thought experiment to continue soon. Short version is there are at least two good ways to go, neither of which I can afford but may be options for others. Right now, I would be happy with about anything, but at least want a basement.
Having some apparent network issues as well, which is not making it easy to do anything right now. Taking that as a hint and hoping to rest and get back to what passes for normal tomorrow. More soon.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.
If this seems a bit disjointed, blame it on this being baking day. I’m working on this between all the do-and-waits on the bread. Which means I write a bit, dash back upstairs to do-whatever to the dough, then come back and try to pick up my train of thought.
I’ve mentioned a time or two my desire to build a home underground wherever I end up. That desire remains, though I have worked it down to two basic concepts that might be within reach of my finances, particularly if I win the lottery.
Now, one option that I’ve had to toss as it truly is not possible absent a massive influx of cash is to find an old missile silo and turn it into a home. I actually know where one is out in Arizona, though it is not currently for sale. Given circumstances, and it being well buried at this point, I would not only refurbish and re-do the silo and control center, I would build a somewhat underground house above it, and a humble abode on the surface to mask what lies beneath. That’s a post in and of itself one day, but it would ride out most disasters quite nicely.
Which leaves the other two options. One is building into an existing mine. The second is to build a structure out of shipping containers and bury it.
Now the first has a lot of potential, if you can find the right type of mine. Most of the mines I found out in Arizona were not what you see in Hollywierd. Rather, they are excavations that meander and work around some of the hard rock and are quite organic if you will. There are few straight lines and large chambers unless nature made them. You can build into them, but they will require a lot of work and you will need to build structures within them to be weather (and critter) tight.
Now, out in the Texas panhandle and elsewhere, you have mines that are more typical of Hollyweird: straight shafts in, square(ish) chambers, tunnels on multiple levels, etc. You still would need to put walls and/or structures in place for many of them, but not all of them. There was a B&B-type place I saw an ad for out in the Texas panhandle where they mostly utilized the existing walls and structures, adding glass and walls as needed to make it weather and critter tight.
I will note that caves are an option and I’ve seen more than one turned into beautiful homes. For me, however, the price of the land is a non-starter. That said, if you have the means it is something to consider though the natural ventilation of caves will be an issue to be considered for certain disasters.
Right now, what I’m looking at — being a remote possibility — is to buy some land, excavate, and go in with modified shipping containers. I did have some more elaborate plans, but have downsized those via eliminating all but minimum needs. In fact, the only two things where I want to get semi-extravagant are with the kitchen and the library. More on that in a bit.
I’m playing with some ideas, but the structure would consist of a kitchen/great room/access to a guest room; a library; a chapel; storage; and a master bed and bath. Now, if you need it you can add more bedrooms, and if worried about housing in an emergency I’ve got some ideas on double containers as bunkroom and bath. For me, as things stand now, I’m looking at the minimum and adding to it if and as needed.
Note: when doing containers like this, plan on adding arched roofs. This improves structural strength, water drainage, and more. Doesn’t need to be a huge arch, but it needs to be there and not a flat roof. There also needs to be extra preparations for drainage as well as utilities, but that may be a post of it’s own.
My basic thought is to have a single container going in, with a quarter or half container entering into it about three quarters of the way down. That entry leads into the great room/kitchen/etc. set-up.
While it is not the best way to do things on some levels, I would like to have the kitchen with some energy-efficient disaster-resistant windows (not huge) looking outside. Part of that is knowing that from a psychological standpoint having such access is a good thing. Part goes back to childhood and the window in our kitchen as well as the windows in the kitchen of an aunt’s house where that side of the family often gathered. I should note that both sides of the family have always tended to gather in the kitchen rather than anywhere else.
The kitchen I want to do right. As in Viking double range if insurance won’t let me do commercial; extra oven or baking set-up; two refrigerators; meat aging and brining refrigerator set-up; large freezer (or two); commercial sink arrangement; lots of counter space. If I thought I could get away with it, wood-burning pizza/baking oven. No saintly moderation in setting this up I’m afraid.
The great-room would be a place to relax, entertain, and should include a fireplace or wood stove. A bathroom and guest room/bath should be just off it.
The chapel could be two half- or quarter-containers, and you should be able to get there from the master bedroom and the kitchen/great room area.
The master bedroom is not intended to be huge, but more functional. In some ways thinking more European on the bathroom (tile, etc.) and if needed you could use a quarter-container as a walk-in closet.
Now, the library is where I would like to go hog wild. Here are a few modest examples that I think have the potential to become a real library, even if only in the home:
Click To Embiggen On All
I may sketch a few things out soon, but maybe tomorrow I will get into some of the prep and what I think would need to be done for a good underground house. This is a start, and while the photos above are a bit modest, they do have the potential to become a good home library.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.
Wow. What a flight! David Strom hits things on the head here, and I very much agree with his close: Elon Musk is a figure out of Heinlein. Love him or loathe him, he is making indelible changes on the world. From my viewpoint, most of those are good. Especially when it comes to getting us off this mudball.
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to know and spend time with some interesting people, and to have done work for NASA twice. Today showed me several things I’ve been told were impossible, but I just watched them play out in realtime.
More years ago than I care to think about, Jerry and Roberta Pournelle took a callow young science writer under their wings. This led not only to interesting dinners but inclusion on several discussions of science and technology, often centering on spaceflight and heading out from Earth. Some discussions of such may have been a bit spirited, but it is interesting how they often led to investigation, experimentation, and change.
While my memory is not what I would like, I do seem to remember that Jerry was somewhat strongly of the opinion that landing rockets upright/vertical a la Golden Age science fiction was impossible. I’ve been watching SpaceX stick vertical landings on droneships for a while now and smiling. To be honest, think Jerry would be delighted at being wrong and seeing what is going on.
I’ve heard similar, but not nearly as spirited (and innovative) discussions at NASA at time or two. Then again, far too many there were wedded to the long, slow, expensive process at NASA. NASA is not only risk averse, but anything that smacked even slightly of failure was something never to be done again. NASA did not fail, it only succeeded — at great cost, lots of time, and one-off hardware. What Elon and SpaceX are doing is the best way to do real development: speculate, build, test, refine, test, refine, test, and then move out. Doing that is almost guaranteed to cut your development timeline by two thirds if not more.
Now, let’s look at all the pretty pictures, and even more importantly the massive amounts of data, that we got during reentry. Let me repeat that: DURING REENTRY. Another thing I was told at various times was impossible, beyond technical capabilities, etc. Never happen. Heh. Right. All made possible via Starlink and innovative thinking. If you think Elon’s companies aren’t meant to work together… I have suspicions about The Boring Company, which is anything but boring…
Now, when it comes to burnthrough the conventional wisdom was that pretty much any burnthrough was a catastrophic event. Even a pinprick spelled doom for a craft, and the idea that any external component or system that experienced such could function afterwards was nonsense! Nonsense I tell you Sir! Cough. Guess what I watched today? Heck, they invited some burnthrough by deliberately leaving off some tiles and putting sensors and such there because that data was needed. Not in a critical area, but still…
When the flap began to burn through, I kept expecting to see the rocket tumble and fail. Instead, I saw — even with the damage to the camera — the flap move and operate, and the ship continue to maneuver and function. That was amazing, and again I had been told impossible. I’m beginning to think Elon’s breakfast consists of multiple impossible things each morning.
Perfect mission? No, but an amazing success anyway. Right now, looks like they hit all the major goals, including getting massive amounts of data so they can improve and try again. In fact, a surface reading indicates that nothing that did go wrong requires the FAA to investigate and delay work on the next TEST flight according to the paperwork. That said, the Biden Regency hates Musk and has been trying to throw wrenches into the gears as they can, so I really do expect them to try to find a way to do so now. The offset to that is that the military and the Intelligence Community are now both having to back Elon given their dependence on SpaceX for reliable and cost-effective launches. That may reduce the interference. We can but hope.
As I’ve said before: Earth is the cradle of humanity, but crib death is still a thing and we need to be out on as many worlds — large and small — as we can as fast as we can. Even if not for survival per se, it is also a good idea for political survival. See Kotani and Robert’s Island World/Act of God series for the latter.
Right now, Elon and SpaceX are our best shot at getting that underway. We need them, so keep them in your prayers as there are a lot of people who want them to fail. Heck, need them to fail.
As far as living and working in space full time, think we still have some research to do. Some recent investigations into blood and other issues long-term for those in space raises some concerns. I’ve talked before about the issues with reproduction in space.
Which reminds me, the Chinese investigations underway with fish are a thing to watch. This could provide lots of good data not only on how they do in microgravity. This ties into issues of food in space and reproduction in space, and may be a good step towards ensuring safety on both fronts. I suspect that some gravity is going to be needed, but how much is the question. One that can be easily and fairly quickly answered at need.
That, however, is for the future. Right now, today’s test flight was amazing. Not only visually, but operationally and from the standpoint of gathering data.
Keep doing the impossible Elon and SpaceX! We need this more than most may realize.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.
