[ExI] fun memories of rocket stuff from a long time ago

[spike at rainier66.com]

...> On Behalf Of Adrian Tymes via extropy-chat
Subject: Re: [ExI] fun memories of rocket stuff from a long time ago

On Tue, Sep 30, 2025 at 12:57 PM <spike at rainier66.com> wrote:
>>... Adrian, looks like you have done a lotta lotta work already.  I wasn't aware your concept was this far along.  This stage of development looks like something you could pitch to the generals and get funding from DARPA.

>...We are in fact trying to pitch to DARPA.  We keep running into "That's a good idea, let me think about it..." and then utter radio silence, not even replying to any follow-ups (next week, next month, half a year later - nothing works)...

That doesn't surprise me a bit.  Understatement: I would be surprised if it had gone any other way.  I have worked with DARPA before.  They have money but flatly refuse to commit to anything, ever.  EVER!  Sheesh, even that still understates.  I shoulda said they HAD money.  I don't know if they HAVE money.  Times change.

>...Being silent, no reason for this silence is made apparent (unless I happen to hear from other channels, which usually aren't available)...

Ja I fear you have been ghosted.  Damn.

>...If it takes you a few weeks or a month to get to it, no worries.  Let it percolate in your brain until then - just so long as you do, eventually, get to it.  (See above comment about indefinite silence.)

Ja and I fear I punted on you guys at least once before.

At this time, while heaving a long broken sigh of resignation, I fear I just cannot count on being able to commit to this project.  My humble apologies.  Life's responsibilities come first, and I don't know what level of care my father in law will require, but he is a huge guy with very limited mobility (he's about two of you and about three of me) and I do not know how we are going to handle that.  Poorly I fear.

>... 1) We have no way to get a message to him that he'll read.  He has gatekeepers whose job is to keep folks like us from planting ideas in his head...

Bwaaaaahahahahahahaaaaaaa!  

That comment brought a good hearty yukkadoodle doo.  Ja, Elon is an imaginative gutsy guy with scandalous disgusting profoundly obscene piles of available cash.  What a combination!  Add to that he loves wacky edgy ideas, like catching a booster with giant chopsticks.  Whooda guessed THAT would work?  This old world needs about five or six others like that, just so they can compete with each other for imaginative engineering obscenity. 

Fun aside: I have a local hiking group.  I was talking with one of the guys about Elon's latest launch failure.  One of the ladies piped up and said: Someone needs to stop Musk from wasting all that taxpayer money!

We fellers looked at each other, silently asking: OK who gets to tell her?  

No one did.  No one said a word.  We just let it go.  Oh we feel so very charitable, so noble we are!  Sparing her feelings, tacitly letting her out of the embarrassment, oh I am such a kind soul, I aspire to be like me when I grow up.  {8^D   But... what happens later when or if she finds out?  

{8-[         {8^D

Good luck and evolution speed, me lad!

spike