More fallout for SpaceX this week after their Starship launch attempt, but of the legal kind rather than concrete and rebar. A handful of environmental groups filed the suit, alleging that the launch generated “intense heat, noise, and light that adversely affects surrounding habitat areas and communities, which included designated critical habitat for federally protected species as well as National Wildlife Refuge and State Park lands,” in addition to “scatter[ing] debris and ash over a large area.”
Specifics of this energetic launch aside, we always wondered about the choice of Boca Chica for a launch facility. Yes, it has all the obvious advantages, like a large body of water directly to the east and being at a relatively low latitude. But the whole area is a wildlife sanctuary, and from what we understand there are still people living pretty close to the launch facility. Then again, you could pretty much say the same thing about the Cape Canaveral and Cape Kennedy complex, which probably couldn’t be built today. Amazing how a Space Race will grease the wheels of progress.
From the Dystopia du Jour Department, new this week from the University of Texas of a “brain activity decoder” that can read people’s thoughts using AI. Lest anyone panic about having your thoughts read covertly, relax — the technique requires a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. So it’s not likely that anyone will be hacking your head anytime soon. But the method is still interesting.
Models are built from extensive training sessions that involve volunteers listening to hours of podcasts while in the fMRI machine. Later on, when the volunteers liste ..
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