Max Fagin

Pro bono too, right?

Obviouslly. But that should be an "obviously" based on a expert considered and well calculated risk posture, not because many many many many many many many many scifi authors realized "Rouge AI nukes the world" is a really compelling story hook.

This article takes a descriptive view that I think few would disagree with.

But would you also agree with the *prescriptive* view that people's reference point for new tech (not just AI) shouldn't be science fiction? We value scifi stories based on their narrative quality. Accuracy isn't a factor.

Yes indeed! The gotcha to look out for though is that you cannot recover your position if you lose count of the pulses. Once you have a fix, your system must remain powered and counting pulses continuously. A lost lock is unrevocable without some other external source of position.

Good design is redesign.

That said, if this design could hurry up and converge already, my scrap part bin would really appreciate it.

Poster by erica_makes_art
www.instagram.com/erica_makes_...

YouTube video by Max Fagin Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 20th Anniversary Full Resolution Livestream

My high school friends in 2005: "You know what would be fun? Let's spend a year remaking #MontyPython and the Holy Grail and uploading it to this new website called uh... UTube?"

Same friends in 2025: "Hey! Let's relive the time we did that!"

Tonight at 6PM PT:
youtu.be/0YjQArPxL5I

You gave me a start there, since I have a mathematician relative named Ron FagIn who was the right age to write this, but no, different Fagen. Thanks for sharing this! I had no idea.

Tom Lehrer, Musical Satirist With a Dark Streak, Dies at 97

Most of what I know about mid 20th century pop culture, I learned from either Monty Python, or Tom Lehrer. Truly and unparalleled legend in the world of musical satire (and math, and science, and and and and and)

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/a...

When I was a kid, my jazz pianist / computer scientist Dad gave me a book on the physics of music. I ate that kind of stuff up.

Now ~20 years later, Minute Physics drops this banger of a video that covers the same material, but unlike a book, you can actually *hear* the physics being talked about 🤩

Space folks: You should see #Elio! The world needs more movies that teach good lessons about friendship, family, and the importance of redundant distributed Space Domain Awareness capabilities for orbital debris mitigation.

Ever-changing Universe Revealed in First Imagery From NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory | Rubin Observatory From distant stars and galaxies to asteroids whizzing through the Solar System, this next-generation facility unveils its first imagery and brings the night sky to life like never before

Whew, what a day!

Today we revealed the preview of NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's epic cosmic movie🎬 #RubinFirstLook

From wide-field and deep views of the Universe, to the dynamic and changing sky, Rubin is already bringing the night sky to life! 🔭🧪

rubinobservatory.org/news/first-i...

In Southern California, and the heat has reached Flat Squirrel levels.

Unless these decisions are reversed, this will be remembered as a disastrous week for @NASA. First, I am not optimistic that whomever this administration nominates next for NASA Administrator will be nearly as qualified or enthusiastic about the agency’s mission as Jared.
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Blue Origin succeeded in reaching orbit on the first orbital attempt.

3D Printable Coordinate Axes. For when you need to illustrate spacecraft dynamics and sever the limbs of your enemies.

www.printables.com/model/131135...

Now, behold, I am become Max: Router of my foes, and also 4' x 4' plastic sheets for a project I can't wait to share with everyone.

3D printed dinosaur parts for a friend. Actual dinosaur for scale.

I take back 85% of the jokes I have ever told about Harvard lawyers.

Passover is a joyus celebration of freedom and family coupled with terrible food. I'm glad that my juidaism permits a family brunch of bacon, steak, egg and toast skillets before we "enjoy" the gafilta fish and dry matzah.

Growing up in Colorado Springs, I didn't consider this kind of weather shift to be weird at all.

But now that I'm back... yeah. This is weird and fascinating.

(Photos taken 24 hours apart)

"I can flyyyyyy... Oh wait"

If there is microbial life on Mars, it evolved when Mars was warmer, wetter, and more Earth like. In as much as such microbes could have preferences, they would almost certainly "prefer" Mars to be closer to those conditions. Terraforming Mars would be an act of environmental restoration.

YouTube video by Breakthrough James Corden Opening Monologue and Song: 2025 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony

The Breakthrough Awards + songs about science + Gilbert & Sullivan is striking a lot of my Venn Diagram. This is a *very* good parody of one of the hardest songs to parody well. Transcribed lyrics included next for greater appreciation:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG02...

Hello NASA JSC! I am at you for the next 3 days. Anyone I know here want to grab lunch?

SciFi authors: If you are looking for a convenient but also semi-realistic reason for why humans play a pivotal role in your galactic federation of dozens of alien species; this can be it: Because Earth's heavy gravity forced humans to develop an overpowered spaceflight capability as a baseline.

I derive some measurable wonder from the fact that we inhabit a world where part of a pre-travel checklist can be "Make sure the robots are set up to keep building things and cleaning the home until you get back"

I won the pi day pi recitation contest at work today, and for reasons that I will leave it to future historians to puzzle out, it's thanks to @tylerboschert.bsky.social