Osaka defeated Serena Williams in two sets, but her victory over her idol is marred by controversy. Williams was flagged with conduct violations due to alleged coaching signals, which Williams vehemently denied and was voicing her displeasure with Ramos, the chair umpire. A warning was followed by a point penalty, followed by...a game penalty. Which is indescribably huge in a match on this big a stage.

It's unfortunate for Osaka, she played incredibly and deserved the win. Williams had to console her during the award ceremony as the crowd booed in protest of the interesting official decisions. I can't imagine a "worse" way to win your first Championship.

I've never seen anything like this in the sport. It was really jarring honestly. Hopefully both competitors move on and things are sorted out.

Article: https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/japan-starts-space-elevator-experiments-2018-08/

HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17898152

I know some people here have strong opinions about space travel, which came up during the Elon Musk topics on Tildes. I wonder if, based on the limited information we have, people think Japan is taking the right approach with the space elevator; whether the cost estimate ($9 billion) sounds reasonable; and if you think they can succeed?