Francesco Nicoli 🇪🇺 🎓
@francesconicoli
All things Europe, in all things European. Neofunctionalist-in-chief, trilemmer, sci-fi & fantasy nerd. Political economist, associate professor at Politecnico of Turin, former fellow at Bruegel. VOLT member. " Europe will be made through crises.."
The supreme irony of Tenet Media sniffing that the boat is sinking.
besides compiling the most complete dataset on space launches to date, we also demonstrate that space access costs are falling at a faster space than many other technologies, comparable to solar panels or steam shipping in its best days.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar... This article has a really long history. I began collecting data on space launch & costs more than 10 years ago (forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?to...). Over the years, we refined the dataset through many iterations.
It is not just Putin. It was never just Putin. It is Russia. www.archives.gov/files/declas...
"The satellite economics is changing." NO SHIT SHERLOCK. Mass deployment, standardization and serial production. & who pioneered it? That's right, spacex. You know what closes the circle? Reusable rockets, without which LEO constellations are too expensive. www.fondazionecsf.it/it/attivita/...
Off to a classic start: "just pretend spaceX is not there". That's basically what he did in the past 10 years.
In different times, this would have been enough to call for a crusade.
Starship costed, so far, about 15 billion in private money. it is a larger rocket. It will be eventually fully reusable, sooner or later. The launch cost will be in the tens of millions per launch, not in the billions. 8/9
Moreover, this version of starship nailed the landing, and did so with a seemingly intact heat shield. it is worth reminding that 99% of the worries about this rocket programme pertained (1) payload capacity, and (2) heat shield performance. yesterday's launch addressed both. 6/9
The actual mission, performed by the second stage, went (almost) as planned. It delivered the largest payload to orbit since, I think, 1981 (45 tons). It managed to do so despite a vacuum engine shutting down. the others balanced it out, delivered the payload in the correct orbit, & proceeded.5/9
Europe's day has come and gone, Europe's year has just begun.
Today was a good day. Today we marched for Europe. It was many of us. And many more came by to me later, as I was biking home, with words of support aplenty. Europe is awake. And one day, (after coffee) will realise it is strong. We just need to be brave, too, at last. #FederalizeOrDie
I spent some time creating 20 'types' of reviewers, with different epysthemic and theoretical backgrounds, different methods, different interests (e.g. "the gatekeeper", "the junior scholar", etc). The algo varies the personality, the seniority, and the 'conviction'. 2/3
one of the steps I love the most when it comes to integrating AIs in the research workflow is to reviewer-proof your work. OR if not really "proofing" it, at least fending off some criticisms. 1/3
The afternoon will see a march in the centre of Torino, from Ponte Europa to Piazza Castello. Do join!!
We begin with a major event at Politecnico di Torino (free lunch if you attend!) With former commissioner and italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni and former Estonian President @ilvestoomas.bsky.social . Event will be held in English!
The answer to this question always was, and always will be, HOUSING @financialtimes.com I earn 3 times my mother. Yet I live in a place about half hers, and paid rent for 15 years the get there.
Is Bluesky doing alright? I get this on my own profile.
Considering how the US ultimatum to Iran went, If the EU does not respond we might get Alaska in the following negotiations. www.spiegel.de/ausland/iran...
A little personal achievement. It took 6 years from PhD to reach 1000, and 2.5 years to double it.