GreyEyedGhost

Depending on the source, I've seen a dime a dozen, a couple thousand dollars (not exactly cheap in my books) or a million (which seemed to be about another work of Weiwei's). I also saw a history site talking about Han pottery being a "minor work" with burial pieces mimicking bronze works from the time. I can't say just what this was worth before he broke it, and the art world probably inflates its value now that it's destroyed.

Pretty sure suicide bags don't have much in the way of fit tests, either, and I mentioned the comfort issue in my very first comment in this chain, no need to revisit it. An air leak into your nitrogen supply is always going to be a problem, possibly a bigger one in the reusable product than the one-off. It only has to work well enough one time.

This is a different use case, and has different limitations. One of them is portability, another is fit during activity. Neither of these apply to a nitrogen mask for assisted death. In fact, you need a means of gas to escape because CO2 buildup is the cause of discomfort from suffocation, not lack of oxygen. The homebrew device is called a suicide bag and explains in detail why positive pressure, lighter gases, and an opening are preferred.

A mask would still work fine with a reasonably good fit and positive pressure, it would just take more nitrogen. I think the stress of having a mask on would be a real problem for some people, no matter how effective.

There is a difference between me breaking something I own and you breaking something I own. Also, everything old isn't particularly valuable, or important. Apparently the vase he broke was quite cheap. If this was one of the last examples of its kind, or if it was particularly well made, but this appears to be neither of these. Still kind of an asshole move, but I wouldn't say anything of value was lost.

There were almost literally no other options. Cable ended service one mile away. Third-party cellular stations were blocked by terrain and would require a 30' mast (quotes were about $2k for the mast install), Bell wasn't offering cellular service at the time (and I don't know if they do now), geo satellite has the worst latency you can get, and caps that make it almost worthless. The only options with less than $1k upfront costs and sub-second latencies were DSL and Starlink. Trust me, I wouldn't have sat on the Starlink waiting list for 9 months if there was a better option.

"There are two states that have such shitty electricity production systems that it may take more than the lifetime of an electric car for the carbon emissions to break even. That's how terrible electric cars are!"

🙄

Some few people with a conscience might be horrified when they learn that the policies they worked so hard to get passed caused massive loss of life for mothers and infants, but many will think the price was worth it.

Fred Kwan in Galaxy Quest.

I specifically said borderline shady because I didn't think you were trying to be shady. I also tried to find a source for the cancelation of the $1.3 billion, and all I have is the single line in the posted article about it. Not surprising that neither Telesat nor the government are going out of their way to announce the deal fell through, but I'd prefer it if they did, and I imagine you would, too.

The national security angle doesn't mean you can't use foreign services, it means you don't have to use foreign services, especially when you consider a major user will be NORAD bases. This is particularly relevant given the shenanigans Musk has played in Ukraine.

While I think it's easy to argue that internet connectivity is a necessity if you want to participate in the modern world, clearly water is even more important. We have seen decades of neglect on that front.

Your Telesat review is very biased. I didn't know who they were until today, but they've been operating geo satellites for 60 years. They also don't manufacture satellites, so their track record will have less bearing on how those satellites are made. Also, it says in the current article that the previous $1.3 billion deal didn't go through. I tried to find more info, but the closest I got was Telesat's press release that mentioned it being subject to various conditions, which may not have been met. That actually increases my confidence, since before they were going to just give them some money if certain conditions were met, and not they're just getting a loan. Now, whether they actually pay it back... I'd be unsurprised to learn that part of their preparation for this was going public in 2021.

I'd be a little concerned about the manufacturer, MDA, who has gone through a number of mergers and spin-offs over the decades. I'm not certain, but it's possible that Telesat and MDA had divisions that were spun off into each other at one point. They could have a strong core, or it could have all been sold off and the key people moved on. The fact they still have the Canadarm team and were selected for the first phase of Canadarm 3 gives a little hope, but has no bearing on their capability to manufacture the satellites needed for this array. That said, they do have some history with the antennas and such required for this project.

In short, neither of the key players in this satellite project are new entries, and in fact have had many successful projects over decades. Hopefully this project takes them to new heights.

I live within 20 kilometers of a major city. My options for high-speed were 5/1 DSL for $75 or Starlink, with the costs you described. I suppose 5 megabits would be enough if I limited myself to non-streaming services or only one person using those services at a time, but anyone who thinks that was a reasonable alternative in 2023 probably isn't participating in the modern technological world, either.