Host of the Seldon Crisis podcast, a hybrid summary/dramatization of Isaac Asimov's Foundation. #possibilitarianist
#SciFi, #STEM, #Climate, #Astro, #Optimism, #Futurism, #Onward, #Thrive
Slava Ukraini!
| Seldon Crisis Podcast | https://seldoncrisis.net/about/ |
| Planet and Sky Podcast | https://planetandsky.com |
| Max Wyvern Band | https://maxwyvernband.bandcamp.com/releases |
| Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/seldoncrisis |
A long delayed message to my dear supporters of #SeldonCrisis on Patreon.
I just uploaded a new episode of #SeldonCrisis featuring an interview with the voice actor behind the character Bayta Darell and several others on the podcast. Amanda provides a lot of great insight into voice acting and some of the challenges it presents.
It's also a nice retrospective on a particularly exciting section of the #Foundation story by Isaac #Asimov, wherein Bayta bravely faces off with the Mule, bent on conquering the entire galaxy.
https://www.seldoncrisis.net/being-bayta-with-amanda-kreitler/
New episode on Seldon Crisis podcast - first in well over a year. My guest is Jamie Woodhouse, exploring the ethical worldview of Sentientism, characterized by concern for evidence, reason, and compassion for all sentient beings.
https://www.seldoncrisis.net/beyond-asimovs-humanism-with-jamie-woodhouse/
For all you cis folks. Feel free to boost.
In this 20 minute short film "I’m Not a Robot" by Victoria Warmerdam, a series of failed Captcha tests plunges a woman into a strange new reality.
In Victoria Warmerdam’s short film, a series of failed Captcha tests plunges a woman into a strange new reality. Still haven’t subscribed to The New Yorker o...
For anyone in need of a break from the insanity, I come bearing some exceptionally soft mosses and a veritable rainforest of lichen for your viewing pleasure 
I was out yesterday for the kickoff and just got to watch the speeches. I swear this is the best I've felt about any pair of candidates in my adult lifetime. These two are genuinely good people and I think they'll make a great team in the white house.
https://www.youtube.com/live/wP5qOjgY88M?si=WaH8m4REGA2mby88&t=1766
NASA recently cancelled the VIPER moon rover project after spending $450 million on it and was estimated to cost an additional $80 million.
The goal of the mission was to search for water ice at the moon's south pole. It's critical to understand how much water there might be there to potentially support future human missions.
Please sign this petition to congress to revive this critical project!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeIUzsdEiT8cbt7YqYE1RdctvtMaflyh3bc2M9HnH0C0Wpzww/viewform
On July 17, NASA announced the cancellation of the VIPER lunar rover after many years and nearly $500M of development. We, as the wider scientific community and members of the public, have organized this open letter to relevant US Representatives and Senators to ask them to oppose NASA's cancellation of the mission. The text of the letter is below. By signing, you agree that your name, affiliation (optional), and district will be shared with the recipients of the letter. We may contact you via email with updates about the campaign. Your email address will not be shared with anyone. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the letter's organizers, Dr Benjamin Fernando ([email protected]) or Dr Parvathy Prem ([email protected]) who have organized this letter in a personal capacity. ---------- Request to refuse NASA’s cancellation of the VIPER Moon mission Dear Members of the United States House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology; Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; House and Senate Appropriations Committees; and the Congressional Planetary Science Caucus, We write to you as members of the public with an interest in lunar science and exploration, many of whom are from your district or state. We are deeply concerned by NASA’s shocking announcement on July 17 that it intends to discontinue the VIPER lunar rover mission. VIPER was to be a groundbreaking American project and the first NASA mission to characterize the origin and distribution of water ice on and below the surface of the Moon, a key step in enabling human exploration and addressing high priority science objectives identified in the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey. The capabilities of the VIPER rover to map ice under the surface are unmatched and cannot be replicated by uncoordinated flights of individual instruments on small landers. Further, the mission is a key component of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, and would be a compelling demonstration of partnership between NASA and the growing US commercial space sector. The VIPER rover itself is already fully built and was scheduled to undergo final testing in the coming months prior to launch in 2024/5. The decision to cancel the project at this stage, after spending $450 million, is both unprecedented and indefensible. We are incredulous that NASA’s new plan is to spend $323 million (the value of NASA’s contract with lander provider Astrobotic) to launch a non-functioning “mass simulator” to the Moon in place of the rover. VIPER remains a key part of the United States’ roadmap for a return to the Moon. Without it, the United States risks losing its leading position in lunar exploration. The risks to other NASA missions, including the return of astronauts to the Moon as part of the Artemis program, are also heightened because of the loss of knowledge about the lunar South Pole terrain and properties. This decision is also likely to lead to the loss of valuable talent and knowledge at NASA, with members of the team spread across centers and universities in nearly a dozen states and territories. The decision to cancel the mission was taken by NASA without giving the wider VIPER team or lunar exploration community an opportunity to propose cost-saving solutions or alternatives to the dismemberment or scrapping of the rover. We are therefore writing to you and your congressional colleagues to urge NASA to reconsider this decision, including taking steps to ensure VIPER remains as an item within the Agency’s budget. Yours sincerely, The undersigned
Sentientism
Janet Logan (she/her) 🏳️⚧️
i am root
Ashe🐈⬛🍄
David Penfold 
