Short Takes – 5-30-23

4 Mind-Boggling Technology Advances In Store For 2023. Forbes.com article. Pull quote: “While there are many impactful tech topics such as the Internet of Things, 5G, Space, Genomics, Synthetic Biology, Automation, Augmented Reality, and others, there are four tech areas to keep a keen watch on this coming year as they have promising and near-term capabilities to transform lives. They include: 1) artificial intelligence, 2) computing technologies, 3) robotics, and 4) materials science.”

Lawmakers Want DHS to Assess National Security Risks of Doxing. NextGov.com article. Pull quote: ““This legislation would direct the development and dissemination of a threat assessment of cyber harassment tactics, to both inform future policymaking and law enforcement, as well as prevent targeted attacks on community institutions and persecuted groups,” the lawmakers said in a press release.”

McCarthy rallies support for debt deal amid hints of mutiny. Politico.com article. Pull quote: “The White House scored some good news over the weekend after the leadership team for the New Democratic Coalition — a 98-member voting bloc of centrists who are among the most likely to back the bill — released a statement announcing the group’s support for the bipartisan agreement. The Congressional Black Caucus was also doing its own whip Monday afternoon, according to a Democratic aide who asked to remain anonymous to speak freely about the discussions.”

Spin Cycle. StatusKuo.Substack.com blog post. Pull quote: “But things in Washington are almost never as they seem. The gleeful jabs and boasts from Republican leadership were actually a huge tell, as was the relatively muted response from top Democrats. Let’s walk through what they initially said, and then examine what’s really going on. Bear with me, because it will exemplify why average citizens are both bewildered and highly frustrated by political leaders on both sides, but this is just how politics has always worked.”

First Republican publicly supports ousting McCarthy as Speaker. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “At a House Freedom Caucus press conference Tuesday, members vented their frustration with the agreement and urged their colleagues to vote against it, but Bishop [(R,NC)] was the sole Republican to raise his hand signifying he would support a motion to oust McCarthy over the bill.”

G.O.P. Revolts Over Debt Limit Deal as Bill Moves Toward a House Vote. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: “In the legislation’s first test, the House Rules Committee voted to clear the way for debate on the plan to be held Wednesday. Seven Republicans voted to send the measure on, while two others joined with Democrats to oppose doing so.”

Attrition: Inmun Gun is Wasting Away. StrategyPage.com article. Pull quote: “The North Korean Army currently has about 800,000 troops, over 3,000 tanks, 3,000 other AFV and nearly 8,000 artillery pieces, including 2,000 rocket launchers. Most of these weapons are pointed south and stationed on or near the DMZ. North Korea has the means to be dangerous, for a little while anyway. Fuel shortages, elderly equipment and lack of maintenance means that a lot of this gear would not stay operational for long. As an example, the past 25 years or so of deferred maintenance (as in none) on tube artillery pieces, including the guns on tanks, means almost all of those can only fire one round because their recuperator seals have deteriorated so much.”

The United Arab Emirates Is Heading for the Asteroid Belt. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: “But much more will be manufactured in the Emirates this time. Fifty percent of the money spent on the mission must be spent within the country.” Expanding Emirati space program.

Elon Musk Shares Starship Flight Test 2 Timeline. WCCFTech.com article. Pull quote: “The extent of the damage and the chunks of concrete blasted off from the pad created speculation that perhaps SpaceX would take a considerable amount of time to rebuild it. However, Mr. Musk was quick to state that the next launch attempt would take place in just a couple of months. He seems to be standing by his words, as the current timeline for the Starship test 2 will see SpaceX build the launch pad in a month and then test its rockets on the pad for a similar time period before attempting to reach orbit.”

NASA, Boeing Provide Update on Starliner Flight Test Readiness. NASA.gov article. Pull quote: “As part of the ongoing effort, 95% of the Crew Flight Test certification products are complete. This includes approval of Starliner’s crew module batteries, based on additional testing and analysis, along with post-certification flight mitigations and a proposed battery upgrade for future missions. Teams are conducting final spacecraft closeouts and preparing for upcoming hardware milestones, including spacecraft fueling, spacecraft rollout to the launch site, and integration with the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.”

Surprise mass drone strike spells trouble in the air for Vladimir Putin. The Telegraph via News.Yahoo.com article. Pull quote: “For the Ukrainians, any redeployment of Russian air defence systems away from the front line brings obvious benefits for the Ukrainian air force at a potentially crucial time in the war, just before the launch of their long-awaited counteroffensive.”