Author Archive: Stephen Green

MOVING AT THE SPEED OF GOVERNMENT:

If you’re going to spend $30 million just to not open one grocery store for three years — assuming no delays! — then the money isn’t going to a grocery store.

OUCH:

THE NEW SPACE RACE: The race to Shackleton Crater is on—will Jeff Bezos or China get there first? “The two landers will arguably be the most ambitious robotic missions ever sent to the Moon. The Endurance spacecraft, built by Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin, will become the largest lunar lander in history, exceeding the size of NASA’s Apollo lunar module that ferried crews to and from the lunar surface more than 50 years ago. China’s Chang’e 7 mission will feature a smaller lander, but the project also includes an orbiter, rover, and a hopper drone to scout for hidden ice deposits.”

FACE, MEET PALM:

But other than that, how’s the security on your app, Mrs. von der Leyen?

REQUIRED READING:

Make men men again.

GAS: Sixth day with a drop in fuel costs over the last seven days. “Fuel costs were a little more than 1 cent per gallon cheaper compared to Wednesday’s price of $4.108 per gallon. Gas prices were over seven cents per gallon lower than a week ago, when regular gas cost $4.166 per gallon, according to AAA. This week marks the first time since February that the national average price for a gallon of regular gas was less expensive than the previous week.”

THE GOLDEN STATE IS A BANANA REPUBLIC:

“MEN DON’T READ!” NO, WE JUST DON’T READ WHAT PROGRESSIVE WOMEN PUBLISH:

IT CERTAINLY OUGHT TO: Vulcan woes will “absolutely” be a factor in Pentagon’s next rocket competition.

The US Space Force is still dealing with the near-term implications of the second grounding of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket in less than two years. The experience is likely to influence how the Pentagon buys launch services in the future, a three-star general said Tuesday.

The Vulcan rocket is one of the two primary launch vehicles the Space Force uses to put satellites into orbit, alongside SpaceX’s Falcon 9. Despite a backlog of nearly 70 launches, ULA’s Vulcan has flown just four times since debuting in January 2024.

On two of those flights, the Vulcan launcher suffered anomalies with one of its solid rocket boosters. One of the booster’s exhaust nozzles blew off in the first incident in October 2024. The same problem appeared to occur again during a Vulcan launch in February of this year. The rocket continued flying after both incidents, ultimately reaching each mission’s targeted orbit.

But the nozzle malfunctions suggest something is seriously amiss at ULA and its booster supplier, Northrop Grumman. The Vulcan rocket is many months from returning to flight for the US military. One industry source told Ars that the Space Force may not fly another mission on Vulcan before the end of the year.

Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, head of the Space Force’s Space Systems Command, said the Vulcan rocket’s reliability woes are top of mind among the military’s space leadership. On Tuesday, Garrant told Ars the experience with Vulcan “absolutely will shape” the military’s thinking the next time the Pentagon buys launch services.

The Pentagon shouldn’t have to lean too hard on any single supplier, but there’s also nobody delivering like SpaceX.

YES:

And here’s some additional perspective:

YEP:

WOW:

REALLY, ALL I NEED IS A CUP OF DECENT COFFEE WITH MAYBE A LITTLE CREAM: Starbucks’ ChatGPT experiment could quietly reshape how people order coffee.

Starting April 15, users will be able to turn to ChatGPT for help deciding on their next Starbucks order through a new integration with the coffee chain. To activate the feature, users simply tag @starbucks within a chat with the AI agent to trigger the new in-platform beta Starbucks app.

Users will be able to prompt ChatGPT to offer drink order advice based on mood, cravings, or even an image. For instance, a user might prompt ChatGPT with “@starbucks I’m looking for an iced pick me up,” with the LLM then suggesting an Iced Dragon Energy Drink alongside 5 additional options.

“Over the past year, one thing has become clear: customers aren’t always starting with a menu. They’re starting with a feeling,” Paul Riedel, senior vice president, digital & loyalty at Starbucks wrote in a blog post announcement.

A real boon for people who need help with this sort of thing, I suppose.

REMINDER: THE POINT OF OUR CURRENT ELECTION LAW ISN’T NECESSARILY TO STEAL EVERY ELECTION, BUT TO DISCREDIT THE SYSTEM:

MORE LIKE THIS, PLEASE: Vance-led anti-fraud panel shutters 447 hospices in LA. “The figure includes 447 hospices and 23 home health agencies. Collectively, the facilities accounted for roughly $600 million in public funds fraud.”

BIDEN FORGOT THEM WHILE THEY WERE STILL GOING ON: