Polar Express.

Here’s your first look at the new B-21 Raider stealth bomber - Task & Purpose

When the Air Force pulled the curtain on its new B-21 Raider stealth bomber on Friday, it became the first new bomber revealed since the B-2 Spirit was rolled out in 1988. 

The B-21 has essentially the same design as the B-2.

It’s unreal how wasteful the Department of Defense & Congress is in the world of procurement. We spend billions on these weapons programs, cut them short because they’re “too expensive,” then end up with not enough.

So we start another program, 34 years later, with essentially the same design. And we spend billions to develop that all-new platform instead of just tooling upgrades and reopening the assembly line with the proven design that already works!

Meanwhile, the B-52, many airframes that rolled off the assembly line in the 1950s, are scheduled to remain in service until 2050. A ONE HUNDRED YEAR OLD AIRFRAME!!

Freedom is not free, and maintaining a favorable world order cannot be done on the cheap. Invest in the program, see it through, and have a military equipped to do all of the jobs you ask them to do.

I think its incredible that no one on YouTube has ever paid interest on their credit cards.

Boeing Races to Win Congressional Reprieve for New 737 MAX Models - WSJ

Without a deadline reprieve, Boeing said in a securities filing that it might cancel both planes, resulting in further financial hits. Airlines have said they prefer common cockpit types for their 737 fleets. Carriers could instead buy already-approved MAX jets or planes from Boeing’s European rival, Airbus SE.

Failure to grant this waiver would have serious consequences for American workers and shareholders in one of our largest corporations. Boeing would lose market share and value that would take decades to recover.

We can always do more to improve safety, but the idea of having substantially different cockpit designs within the same family of aircraft is potentially a more dangerous proposition. The 737 is a safe, proven airframe.

End Vanguard’s ESG Meddling With Utilities - WSJ Opinion

Asset managers like Vanguard then use their clients’ assets—not their own—to “accelerate the transition.”

This is the real problem.

My son, on his own, decided to make a contribution to our Christmas decor.

🎄

All of the erasers on my children’s pencils are almost 100% used.

I guess that makes them good students; willing to swing for the fences and try, then fixing their mistakes.

✏️

Rising Tether Loans Add Risk to Stablecoin, Crypto World - WSJ

Tether has also left it unclear whether any of its loans are to related parties, which can be a red flag for investors. Tether’s reports used to say that none of the loans were to affiliated entities. However, it dropped that language starting with its report for the second quarter of 2022. Ms. Welch wouldn’t say why Tether dropped the language and declined to say how much, if any, of Tether’s loans were to related parties as of Sept. 30.

This whole article is like this. Murkiness, lack of routine disclosure, smoke and mirrors.

After FTX, I’m astonished that people are still dealing with crypto exchanges. But hey, everyone wants to get rich quick.

Tweetbot Maker Tapbots Working on ‘Ivory’ Mastodon App - MacRumors

Ivory has a design that is quite similar to Tweetbot at the current time, offering access to a timeline, @ mentions, search, profile, and other options.

These guys are really great at making apps, but their development process is glacial and their business planning is almost non-existent.

They got burned on App.net, so they decided to go all in on Twitter. Then Twitter went to war on third-party apps and they just… stayed?

Now Twitter is in chaos, so they go with another single-source solution? Why not build their app to interact with many services using open standards? Harder to maintain, but that’s business.

Ten (2022)

Vatican Says China Broke Agreement on Bishops - WSJ

Since 2018, neither Beijing nor the Vatican has ordained bishops without the consent of the other side. Only six bishops have been ordained in the same period, while some 40 dioceses in China still have no bishop.

Job well done.