Good catch. Looks like in the district court Geertson sued federal officials as per usual but Monsanto filed a motion to intervene and join the case.

The latter, although sometimes they overlap with academia. For example, CGO and Mercatus publish a lot of academics and are situated within universities.

Yes, sounds plausible to me.

It looks like certain wellness programs that are allowed, but there are limits on what you can do if you make it outcome-contingent. https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ebsa/about-ebsa/our-activities/resource-center/publications/caghipaaandaca.pdf

Yes, from what I hear, it seems very hard. I'd point you to some recent pieces:

• https://www.statnews.com/2022/11/03/why-were-not-prepared-for-next-wave-of-biotech-innovation/
• https://milkyeggs.com/biology/why-are-clinical-trials-so-expensive-tales-from-the-beasts-belly/
• https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/27/business/paradigm-startup-clinical-trials.html

The NEPA lawsuit is brought by an environmental org against an agency. I could be wrong but I don't think a different party can appeal the decision.

I think airships could in principle approach rail costs but it would add a lot of complexity relative to just running another train on the same track. Big container ships are always going to be cheaper, I think.

FAA and pilots get mad about people pointing laser pointers into the sky.

I agree winds are super important and must be designed for and planned for in routing. Using them for sailing (added propulsion) is also promising.

The ability to charge people more and less based on observed (but not demographic) characteristics got pretty limited by the Affordable Care Act. I'm not sure of the details, however.

The party of record is a federal agency, though. I'm not sure IJ can defend them.

I like this Alan Watts quote:

“Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.”

And Nietzsche's new year's resolution is words to live by:

“I want to learn to see more and more as beautiful what is necessary in things; then I shall be one of those who makes things beautiful. Amor fati: let that be my love henceforth! I do not want to wage war against what is ugly. I do not want to accuse. Looking away shall be my only negation. And all and all and on the whole: someday I wish to be only a Yes-sayer.”

I'm amazed that existence exists at all. Every moment is a gift.