Amnesia

Wow. Just wow.

A while back, I was quite skeptical that we would ever be able to safely grant Stephen Hawking a trip into space. Peter Diamandis founder of the X Prize, retells the story below and I for one was grateful that Dr. Hawking’s dream was realized.

Thanks, Gary for sending me the link to this site. There are wonderful videos on this site as well, so make sure you take a look.

…but reptiles?

If you’ve got two minutes, watch that video above. It’s very touching and I would think provides insight into the many things we still don’t know about the animals that roam this planet.

Another space documentary that will hit Discovery HD in June, this looks to be a very promising look into the inner workings of NASA in the 1960’s - 1970’s. If you are at all familiar with “In the Shadow of the Moon” a documentary of our first manned missions to Luna, you will probably love what Discovery has in store.

The archive includes dramatic shots of the first American spacewalk, conducted in 1965 by Gemini 4 astronaut Ed White. If White’s spacesuit failed, there were few options available for rescuing him, Gemini 4 commander James McDivitt recalled.

Among the other highlights are rocket launches, moonshots, the Apollo-Soyuz linkup in 1975 and rarely seen footage from early astronaut training.

I know what I’ll be watching in June!

I absolutely love this. I would rank it as one of my favorite commercials. I don’t know if it’s because I remember singing this song in elementary school, or the fact that Discovery is right, the world is an awesome place! If you haven’t seen it, watch this. You won’t be disappointed, even if you aren’t a DC addict as I so happen to claim.

The best part, is that it’s really a ‘thank you’ to both Momma Terra and the channel’s viewers without being pretentious.

Oh, and Mike Rowe. Mmmmm.

Yummy.

I am only getting worse, health wise, so my promise of original content has to wait hopefully just one more day. Instead, read this piece I wrote for Pete.

Don’t Get in the Choppah!

I really don’t like to complain. I really don’t. I slept a total of 18 hours last night into today. I am pretty sure I either have the flu or the beginnings of bronchitis/pneumonia. Brain isn’t working and neither is the cough syrup.

Anyone got any good chicken soup recipes? You are up against my own terrific Polish recipe, so beware, I will be judging with quite the skeptic eye. Don’t you just love challenges in which you are up against horrible odds?

So what do I have for you today?

How about the $2 billion helicopter order that the US Government revealed has one teenie, weenie and minor flaw. It can’t fly in weather above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m not kidding you. Military vehicles are often made without air conditioning to improve on performance, cut down on weight and to save on fuel, so they’re going to have to go back and retrofit these choppers with some cooling. If the outside temperature is above the 80 degree threshold, the cockpit temps soar to 104, both dangerous for the pilots and soldiers riding along and possibly shutting down the vital instruments to keep the thing in the air.

One senator suggested we scrap the entire order at tax payer expense and just order Blackhawks instead.

Why aren’t we going back to the manufacturer and demanding they fix this stuff for free? The designs should have been a red flag to any experienced engineer and frankly if the helo can’t operate in temperatures found almost anywhere on the globe except maybe Antarctica, it should be their issue to fix them at their expense.

It’s time to hold military contractors responsible for their own mistakes instead of passing the cost of repairs or retrofits to the taxpayers. God help them if I were a contract consultant in Washington, half of the companies who do business with the US would be blacklisted.

Here’s hoping they do the right thing for once.

Although, I’d love for you to go over to Pete’s page, I’m going to just copy the post I have over there, on to here, because I know we don’t share all of the same audience, plus, I’m horribly ill with a chest cold and fever. So I’m tired and I’m going to go to bed. I will try to get normal and original posting back tomorrow. For now, enjoy my copycattery.

Oh My God, What did you eat???

A history lesson is always fun, but here’s something I bet you didn’t know.  

Aside from the tiny, irrelevant fact that Hitler, by society’s definition was insane, there are some other interesting things for which to laugh at him as he rolls around in that early grave. He apparently had a horrible flatulence issue. The problems started for Adolf when he was just a boy, but only grew worse as he reached adulthood. Scientists attributed it to both a nervous condition and a diet that consisted of mostly raw and uncooked vegetables and oats. For some odd reason, Dolfie got it in his head that all cooked foods were carcinogenic.

See! See! More reason to eat meat with Pete.

Regardless, I don’t know how anyone would have taken him seriously at any sort of sit down negotiation or meeting when suddenly the room was filled with the scent of au de la sewage facility. Ava must have wiped petroleum jelly under nose to stifle the stench, because if Hitler’s problem was as bad as this article makes it out to be, I would have been in that bunker with a gun to my head long before overly evil husband/dictator joined me.

Ava (holding her nose): “Holy Shizzer! Did you eat dead skunks drenched in vomit covered garbage last night?”

I guess we can all thank Dr. Morell for giving him ‘gas remedy’ pills consisting of large quantities of strychnine. Nothing like abit of poison to tame those fumes. Another interesting fact: Some attribute Morell’s quackery as possibly but arguably debated as intentional, in helping to destroy Hilter’s reign of terror a lot earlier than anticipated.

 Source: Scent of a Führer

A week later than I wanted to, I was finally able to make it to the artsy theatre two towns away to see ‘In the Shadow of the Moon’. Desperately in need of upgrades, it was the only location in the greater Hartford area that is showing the movie. The seats are torn and stained, the screen has seen better days and I don’t know what to make of the amazing mass of bacteria that call the floor their home.

At $10.00 a ticket, which is more than the local up-to-date cineplex just down the road, I was disappointed as I took my extremely worn place in the middle of the theater. Yet, when the lights went down, I could have been viewing this flick from the seventh level of hell and wouldn’t have cared.

I don’t think there has been a movie in which my jaw has remained plastered to the ground for the duration. This documentary was probably the best I’ve seen on any subject, period. You would think that showing video footage from the 1960’s would be a liability in these days of CGI and other special effects, but it was this original NASA footage that moved me more than any movie I have ever seen.

I can’t explain to you, the emotions that ran through my body as Apollo 11 lifted from the ground. From someone who would make her appearance on this heavenly body almost 8 years later, this film made it feel like I was transported back into a time where people actually cared about the space program. Through conception of the plan during the cold war with Russia, to the anticipated launch of the three astronauts; Collins, Armstrong and Aldrin, you can’t help but sit and stare at the screen with amazement.

In one scene taken purely from the NASA archives, the engines roar to life and liftoff is declared. Yet somehow, even almost 40 years later, the still cameras at the launch pad give you an amazing look into the beauty and sheer power of the spacecraft. Amidst the clouds of smoke, there is a swirling dance of fire and ice that your mind registers as impossible and yet completely enthralling. It’s the stuff made out of fantasy and science fiction novels and it takes a moment to register as ‘real’ in the back of your head.

It was truly a time when this nation, check that; when this world rallied behind this powerful symbol of bold moves and exploration of a completely alien world. It’s a shame that even after the 9 missions to the moon, that we have not had the courage (or budget) to return and continue to traverse the mineral rich lunar soil which still hold Neil Armstrong’s first steps.

If you can drag yourself to the movie theater to see one film this year, make it this one. I feel its power will be lost if you wait for DVD. Likewise, I hope this film is released to the better theaters in the future, including IMAX. If that happens, I will be in line to see it again, in all its proper glory.

This documentary has the right stuff to re-ignite our passion for a program that is not only a modern marvel full of rich history, but a necessity for the human race to survive in the turbulent times to come. I just pray this amazing piece of celluloid is not lost in the tide of Hollywood blockbusters, because frankly, its better than most everything you’ll see this year.

Here is a list of show times in your area.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLjj3FcTElo]

What girl doesn’t like a major explosion during her day? Okay, well maybe not all women enjoy that unless they’re talking about the bedroom (and still, there are women who fake headaches). However, since I actually enjoy watching the Mythbuster’s blow shit up, here is a site you might find interesting and the best part is, you get to choose which videos to watch!

I must warn you though, there are a lot of rednecks with tannerite,  bad videos of scantily clad hot chicks randomly shooting guns to the chagrin of every teenage/young adult male in teh universe, and random videos of people who should be considered for Darwin Awards.

Despite the rampant idiocy you will find,( i.e. shoving a fire cracker up your toosh and wondering why you are rushed to the hospital with third degree burns on your nether-regions), there are some good vids up there especially dealing with the military. It’s always scary fun to see the benefits our 6 percent GNP investments…

Like, this one for example. Nothing like seeing the terrifying ability of our great nation to blow up random islands with 500 tons of tnt.

You must excuse me now, while I go build a bomb shelter.

NASA has decided against repairing the space shuttle for it’s return to earth. What I find the most interesting bit of information in the entire article is that they aren’t even worried that gases will find their way into the crack and breach the ship, causing the same horrific explosion seen with Columbia.

I don’t understand why they aren’t even concerned! The article mentions that the lack of fixing the ship with a space walk will open NASA up to longer repairs once the shuttle hits dirt (in a million pieces?).

Looking at this logically, they had no idea the size of the hole or the location on the failed Columbia landing. They concluded the cause after picking up small pieces of the shuttle in Texan’s backyards. It was the only scientific explanation at the time.

Trying desperately not to go into conspiracy theory here, but was NASA lying to us just to appease the conscience of the American public? If they weren’t, wouldn’t you be sending those astronauts out there, risking further damage to the ship if you’re going to have to repair it when it lands anyway?

Do they want the shuttle to explode? Will it give them enough clout to clean house and beg the government for the funding for a better and more reliable ship?

I do believe if this is the case, the mob will have lost all interest in the United States Space Program.

Whatever the cause, I do hope God watches these men and women as they descend through the atmosphere. I for one will be waiting with baited breath to see they land in one piece.

After initial inspection it looks as if the gouge in the heat shield actually did penetrate all the way through. It happens to be on the underside of the wing which is reinforced by aluminium, so NASA is debating whether or not to risk the space walk to fix it as they believe the shuttle will be okay for safe retrieval.

 Uh.

What is to debate here? I mean come on! Draw straws or something to fix it, but do it! Fix the rest while you’re out there. I hate to be a bean counter and figure out the calculated risk, but in this case there is no other space shuttle that can just scurry along side and grab these guys while the other one goes into the shop. There is an actual requirement not just a  need to eventually get these astronauts back.

NASA wouldn’t even be in this position had they had a better shuttle. They shouldn’t even be flying missions until the new tank without the foam is installed! We avid space advocates hold our breath every time the shuttle goes up and then comes down when these cracks and holes are present and the sad part is that it doesn’t even have to be an issue anymore.

This is careless administration on the part of NASA. Sorry for the insult, Dr. Michael Griffin. The team at Canaveral can risk the lives of 7 astronauts every time they launch with such faulty equipment, I don’t understand why fixing the shuttle to bring them safely home would even be under consideration and/or debate.

While our drive for space exploration is at an all time low, if another shuttle falls out of the sky and lands in pieces in people’s back yards again, NASA will crumble under public scrutiny and outcry.