The Brilliance!

HTTP://WWW.THEBRILLIANCE.COM

We’re really internet and we’re really back. A website about things Benjamin , Chuck , Virgil , and various friends & guests think are interesting. Little-to-no specific focus, a bit odd, speling errors, and incredibly culturally relevant.

PERMALINK PAGE!

Space Space Space

Space fever / the intersection of space exploration and culture.

I'm not a particularly jealous person...but whenever I hear about kids who were between the ages of 6-18 during the Apollo mission era and how incredibly inspiring it was to be around that...and how it ended up shaping their entire view of what the future could be and that anything was possible, etc, etc...I'll be honest, I get a bit jealous. I, on the other hand, am a product of the internet. Don't get me wrong, still incredibly inspired how us kids could make something out of nothing with a $200 used laptop hanging in our parents basement...it was (and continues to be) something I feel super lucky to be involved in. But man...space stuff. I feel like I've had "space fever" these past 2-3 years - for real. Its all I'm consuming with podcasts, books, audiobooks, blogs, netflix, youtube, etc, etc. Feel like its not just me...feels like its swelling in the overall zeitgeist. While there are the big guys, SpaceX, Blue Origin, etc - could call them the Space 2.0 era - there are a ton of tiny start-ups and projects in the space (ha) popping up. I call it "Space 3.0"... I'm having too much fun being active in the funding of kickstarters, being a monthly Paetron of various podcasts, paying member of Planetary Society, PayPaling independent amateur rocket projects, etc, etc. Even taking a personal trip out to InterOrbital Systems this summer. Too fun. Quick, certainly not complete, list of things/projects I'm into, have participated in, etc.

LightSail - kickstarter funded light sail satellite project with one launch under its belt and another one with SpaceX this. So well executed - truly felt like you were able to help something get into space.

Copenhagen Suborbitals - incredibly well-branded amateur, non-for-profit, rocket company doing regular ocean-based launches.

InterOrbital Systems - a rocket start up in Mojave working to get to orbit yet this year and the moon in the next few years!! I'm visiting them this summer...will post about it, ha.

LunarX Prize - incredible.

PSU Rocket Program - amazing what they've accomplished. Still waiting on my mission patch......

StarTalk - classic.

Cosmic Vertigo - podcast with such a different...feel.

Pioneer Plaque Kickstarter - intersection of art kids and space.

Crash Course Astronomy - so incredibly well done. Can't say enough. But Phil never replied to my email... :/

...sure there are some I'm forgetting.

I think we're at this fascinating intersection of culture and science right now...maybe we always were?! Just feels considerably more interesting to the creative kids, innovators, entrepreneurs, designers, etc. Teaser, I have a project coming out in mid 2018 in the space (ha, again)...had to dip my toe in. SPACE FEVER.