One of my takeaways from the book Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance, is Musk’s ability to stay focused on his long-term goal of putting humans on Mars. At his rocket company, SpaceX, there was some grumbling from employees about when the company would file for an IPO enabling them to cash in on their rigorous years of work for the task master Musk. Here’s his email to employees (my emphasis in bold): Per my recent comments, I am increasingly concerned about SpaceX going public before the Mars transport system is in place. Creating the technology … [Read more...]
Is There a “Ghost Gun” in Your Safe?
Untraceable rifles called "ghost guns" are appearing as a black market must have according to The Wall Street Journal's Zusha Elinson. Guns with no serial numbers and no chain of ownership are turning up more and more. The guns are most prevalent in California, where firearms restrictions are some of the strictest in the country. Elinson writes: Graham Barlowe, resident agent in charge at the Sacramento, Calif., ATF field office, said the weapons are “a huge problem in my area.” About 250 ghost guns were seized or purchased in undercover buys by his Sacramento agents in 2017, he said. … [Read more...]
World’s First Long-Range Rifle Capable of Eliminating Targets 2.4 Miles Away
Russian company, Lobaev Arms has created a long-range rifle capable of eliminating targets at distances of up to four kilometers. The rifle, built like a Ferrari or Porsche, was made piece by piece, with a focus on the firearm’s power and precision. The SVLK-14 Twilight is a carbon fiber-reinforced “sandwich” of plastic, fiberglass and Kevlar that is specifically made to handle the powerful .408 Cheytac round. SVLK-14S is a unique sniper rifle showing outstanding performance for more than 6 years at ranges well exceeding 2000 meters. It's power, accuracy and extreme range in your … [Read more...]
The ‘Hated’ Stock Market Rally
Do investors even believe this stock market? Despite reaping the benefits of the second longest bull market on record, investors seem to hate the rally. Wall Street Journal reporters Akane Otani and Chris Dieterich report: Rather than celebrating this wealth-generating machine, individual investors have expressed in multiple surveys just how little enthusiasm they have for this stock market. For years, analysts have described an “unloved” or even “hated” stock rally, where prices defiantly rise despite one of the weakest U.S. economic recoveries on record, Washington’s policy sclerosis and … [Read more...]
U.S. Air Force Wants Cruise Missile Swarms
The Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman contracts for the development of a new low-cost cruise missiles capable of flying in swarms. The new missiles will be designed for compatibility with F-35, F-16, F-15, F-18, B-1, B-2 and B-52 aircraft and will wreak havoc on enemy air defenses. The “Grey Wolf” cruise missiles will have improved fuel-efficient engines and more lethal warheads. The Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. contracts to develop new, lower-cost cruise missiles capable of flying in … [Read more...]
Will France Succeed in Privatization Drive?
The next time you fly into Paris, you may be landing at a privatized airport. That's the plan of the administration of President Emmanuel Macron. The new president and his allies want to privatize a large chunk of the 81 companies in which the government has ownership stakes. They appear to be focused on Aéroports de Paris (ADP), operator of Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports as a starting place. David Keohane reports in FT: France owns 50.6 per cent of ADP, which has a market capitalisation of €15.6bn. The next largest shareholder is Vinci, the French construction and infrastructure … [Read more...]
The Quiet Military Might of Finland
I like the Finnish self-reliance described in this Outside article "Red Dawn in Lapland”: The Finns are loathe to reveal much about their arsenal but happy to discuss their successful conscription program, large reserve force (900,000 strong), and national will to fight, which surveys suggest is second only to Israel’s. Finland has some of the most sophisticated rocket systems in the world, it recently purchased 120 new tactical drones, and it’s set to buy 60 new warplanes this year. It also has a $1.4 billion upgrade planned for select warships in the coming years. Last year, Finland … [Read more...]
Can Faux Food Match the Real Thing? Should it even Try?
In WIRED, Ali Bouzari makes a great case that food should be allowed to stand on its own merits, not forced into an imitation game it cannot win. He writes: Food analogue companies have made some staggeringly impressive leaps. But with a long, arduous road to perfection still ahead, it’s worth considering the option of avoiding Mori’s valley altogether through the creativity of chefs. Chefs are opportunistic creators: Without a set target to imitate, they are free to explore infinite variations on a flavor theme. They can nimbly veer away from potential hurdles in pursuit of freeform … [Read more...]
The Emotional Toll of the Great Recession
Despite years of distance between today and the depths of the Great Recession, many retirees and savers are still feeling the pain. Lydia Depillis, writing for CNNMoney details the despair some Americans are still in. A business lost, a life reinvented Landscape architect Dan Donohue and his wife, who ran marketing and accounting for their small firm in Batavia, Illinois, had been through downturns before in his 25 years of experience. But the Great Recession, which brought to a halt the real estate development they counted on, knocked them out. With no business and four young kids to … [Read more...]
What Will Pensions Buy in 2018?
Securities valuations are at the highest levels they've ever been. You can see on my price-to-sales ratio chart of the S&P 500 that valuations are higher today than they were during even the dotcom era. While stocks are valued at record levels, the situation in fixed income markets isn't any better. With such high valuations for stocks and bonds, there is nowhere to go for pension funds looking for bargains. Despite the expensive markets, pension funds are still buying assets. Heather Gillers reports in The Wall Street Journal: In the public pension world, the willingness to chase … [Read more...]
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