Potpourri CXL

Science, Technology, and Space



Buy James Bond’s car…with gizmos! http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/autos/1006/gallery.james_bond_car/index.html

Down in a hole in Guatemala: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/01/storm-agatha-hole-guatemala

Intriguing question: what will you say if SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch fails? http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1636/1

Interesting NASA spinoff…long-duration underwear: http://online.wsj.com/video/not-quite-rocket-science-2-week-underwear/E670662E-7041-42D3-8FE1-549FFB808FC2.html


Effects of oil spill on wetlands: http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2010/05/brief-review-effects-of-oil-on-wetlands/

Web 2.0 at the Department of Defense: http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2010/05/gov-2-0-emerges-at-the-department-of-defense/




Real-life version of Minority Report’s user interface: http://www.boingboing.net/2010/06/01/real-life-version-of.html


Sony has developed a device that sends Twitter postings for cats by monitoring their activities…at least until the cats figure out a way to remove the things (my guess): http://www.boingboing.net/2010/06/01/sony-makes-tweeting.html


Mega projects under consideration in Japan. There was a time Americans thought ambitiously in this manner: http://pinktentacle.com/2010/06/futuristic-mega-projects-by-shimizu/


The Navy is testing a laser weapon: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/05/31/navy.death.ray.wired/


The Sunlight Foundation has announced the winners of the “Design for America” competition, which was developed to suggest cool things to do with the U.S. Government’s new “open data” feeds: http://sunlightlabs.com/blog/2010/design-america-winners/


There’s a new line of robot vacuum cleaners out there—I really need one of these! http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/01/msi-robot-vacuums-invade-computex-set-sights-on-roomba/

EA has come out with a hockey stick for the Wii: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/01/eas-nhl-slapshot-packs-gretzky-approved-wiimote-hockey-stick/


What sorts of space missions could we do if we had unlimited funding? Try this: http://gizmodo.com/5552488/we-could-get-to-neptune-and-back-in-5-years-for-a-mere-4-trillion


The 747-mounted SOFIA telescope has taken its first infrared pictures of Jupiter: http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/flying-telescope-sofia-nasa-photos-100601.html




The U.S. Air Force had the first flight test of the X-51 Waverider aerospace craft, which is powered by a scramjet, flying up to Mach 5: http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/awst/2010/05/31/AW_05_31_2010_p27-230271.xml&headline=X-51A%20Team%20Eyes%20Results%20Of%20Scramjet%20Flight&channel=awst


Domestic Politics



Peggy Noonan, Mark Steyn, and Jerry Pournelle on Obama’s handling of the oil gusher: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704269204575270950789108846.html, http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/05/27/were-too-broke-to-be-this-stupid/, and http://www.jerrypournelle.com/view/2010/Q2/view624.html#Friday

The Dow dropped 112 points on word that Attorney General Holder is going to start criminal investigations into the BP oil gusher in the Gulf: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9G2N1M00&show_article=1


Foreign Affairs


Iran has enough fissionable material to make two nuclear weapons: http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=177064


Euro hits a new low: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100601/D9G2FC8O4.html


Canada is reassessing its healthcare model: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100531/hl_nm/us_health_3

So while I was out of town for the weekend, the Israeli Defense Forces intercepted aid ships heading for the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip because they were bringing in weapons. The activists who weren’t killed in the raid are to be deported. http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=177178

Culture


A stop-motion animation video game. Cool! http://www.boingboing.net/2010/06/01/video-alex-varaneses.html

A man repeatedly called 911 after his mother took his beer. Brilliant. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/01/1657707/pasco-man-charged-after-911-call.html

A psychology professor has written a paper on why “self-experimentation” is unusually effective. Uh, yeah, BUT… http://sethroberts.net/articles/2010%2520The%2520unreasonable%2520effectiveness%2520of%2520my%2520self-experimentation.pdf

So we’ve had it wrong all these years: they’re not mad scientists, they’re mad engineers! http://www.boingboing.net/2010/06/01/the-dark-side-of-eng.html

For Doc: a Lovecraftian art exhibition… http://observatoryroom.org/2010/05/26/exhibition-opening-a-love-craft/

SpongeBob Square Pants at age 50: http://www.boingboing.net/2010/05/31/spongebob-age-50.html

Was there really a need for this? Ewok karaoke: http://www.swtorstrategies.com/2010/05/may-schwartz-be-with-you-ewok-karaoke.html

Here’s something for aspiring SF writers to try: a virtual “write-a-thon.” http://www.theclarionfoundation.org/writeathon/wrtn-home.htm

Actually sorry to hear this: Al and Tipper Gore are separating after 40 years of marriage. Tipper made Gore a nice contrast to Bill Clinton. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-gore-separation,0,2616256.story

Potpourri LXIX

My friends have been productive with providing links, some useful, some moderately so. Let's just reach into the inbox grab bag and see what magic emerges, eh?

Stuff re: Europe from Melissa:

• http://www.exofficio.com/product_results.aspx?page=LIST&free_textdirect=underwear
• http://www.reidsguides.com/t_pa/t_pa_packing_list.html
• http://www.exofficio.com/default.aspx?cm_mmc=Google-_-Travel%20Terms-_-Travel%20Clothing-_-clothes%20for%20travel&gclid=CODittSIxJsCFRJexwodOkCj_w
• http://www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/chap06/packing.htm
• http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/subindex_pants_shorts.shtml
• http://www.travelsmith.com/jump.jsp?itemType=CATEGORY&itemID=251&path=1%2C2%2C251
• http://europeforvisitors.com/europe/articles/mens-travel-clothing.htm
• http://travelpete.com/lifestyle/bathrooms/
• http://www.irradiation.info/
• http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/efsa_locale-1178620753812_home.htm
• http://www.eufic.org/
• http://books.google.com/books?=id=J1uwezgwuFQC&pg=PA25&lpg=PA25&dq=if+you+get+sick+in+europe&source=bl&ots=GMXVuesrsp&sig=4eKYIkp6NPLsWPHiYADwPA4_g0&hl=en&ei=ue9TSviNFaPKtgeTkZykCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2
• http://www.hthworldwide.com/corp_news/NYTimes_07_17_07.pdf

And this one's also from Melissa. It's both practical and frickin' hilarious, which is utterly appropriate if you know Melissa. Here's a link to tell you when there are good times in movies to go take a pee if you're afraid you might miss something. Especially helpful for folks who have a lot of beer before entering the theater.

From Yohon, an excellent example of a well-written complaint letter. Alas, most complaints during my tenure at Walt Disney World were not nearly so entertaining or coherent.

This comes by way of the mystic gnomes at NeedCoffee.com: A movie made by Walt Disney and Salvador Dalí? Yes! This is just beautiful...from around 1946. I'd heard about this when I worked for the Maus, but never seen it until now. It's just...wow. Imagine combining Dalí's paintings, putting them into motion with an almost Beauty and the Beast visual sensibility, and combining music from a sad Paris café and maybe the background music from The Wizard of Oz or Cinderella, and you'll have some idea of the visual and audio ingredients intermixed here. Watch this, before the Disney lawyers take it away.

From Lin:

• A congressman says unpleasant things about Michael Jackson and tries to put him and the media in their place. No doubt the celebrity-worshipping media and the public will turn against him, come the next election.
• "More from the O-bots on climate change." http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,529953,00.html
• "Third World health care here we come."
  http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/ci.Obama%27s+5+Health+Care+Myths.opinionPrint

From my Google news feed, some more news about the alleged troubles facing the Constellation Program: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2009/07/constellation-top-risks-orion-loses-unmanned-capability/

New from Hu:

• Alabama Senator Shelby, concerned that support for the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program could hurt Ares jobs in Huntsville, is doing his best to divert funds from other centers. This is remarkably short-sighted, as there's still a chance SpaceX might get something up to the International Space Station before Constellation. And America needs redundant/backup capability to ISS. If you're an Alabama voter, call Shelby's office and 'splain it to him. Not that it'll change much, but it couldn't hurt.
• A report from India on why the next Moon walker will be Chinese.
• Obama seeks closer ties to Russia. You know: because they're so democratic and all.
• Huntsville is the fastest-growing city in Alabama.
• Would the Obama administration stop Israel from bombing Iran's nuclear facilities? VP Biden leaves the question open, but most likely any air strike would have to fly over Iraq, which still has a strong U.S. military presence. And Obama doesn't seem happy with Iran having nukes. Going to be an interesting term for Obama.
• Computers reading your thoughts? Maybe.

From Gwen, with the comment, "This man is bulletproof." Politically, at least, she might have a point. Marion Barry has been arrested again.

That's all for now. My Hotmail access appears to worsen as more neighbors use the internet. Stupid supply and demand...

Potpourri XXXV

You know there used to be this old-fashioned concept called "class." Class is a state of mind, more than anything else. It's the sort of attitude that says you're a person of standards, of some standing. It's the unspoken thing that tells you not to tell particular jokes in mixed company or not make a professional or political fight personal. Why? Because it's just the sort of thing that a gentleman or lady would not do. Never mind, we're a classless society now--in more ways than one--which is how a reporter can make a crack about hoping Rush Limbaugh's kidneys fail, and President Obama laughs! Really now, Mr. Obama. We expected better of you.

The Times of London has an interview with King Abdullah of Jordan. Among other bits of good news: he expects Israel to negotiate with all 57 states of the Arab League, and if there aren't negotiations, then there is going to be another Arab-Israeli next year. On the plus side, the Pope's visit is going well. Thank Heaven for small favors.

Also from the UK: The Daily Mail is reporting on the upcoming Shuttle mission as its "most dangerous" to Hubble.

Star Trek is looking at a $75 million weekend. Not a record-breaker, but it's been a long time since a Trek film made that kind of money on opening weekend. Another thought on why I liked the new movie: the lack of condescension. Some of the Next Generation movies suffered from that. Want an example? Here's Jean-Luc Picard talking to a 21st-century primitive about his (liberal) future superiority:

"No money? You mean you don't get paid?"
"Acquisition of wealth is no longer a driving force in our lives. We wish to better ourselves & the rest of humanity."

Barf. Anyhow, I hold with Malcolm Reynolds in Serenity:

"Sure as I know anything, I know this - they will try again. Maybe on another world, maybe on this very ground swept clean. A year from now, ten? They'll swing back to the belief that they can make people... better. And I do not hold to that."

The reason I like the cast and acting of the new Star Trek is that they're recognizably human. The "We're better in the future" attitude is gone. They're still people, and I can relate to them. Just sayin'.

Jerry Pournelle always has interesting things to say about politics, and his take on the departure of Arlen Specter from the Republican Party deserves consideration if conservatives hope for their party to gain a governing majority again.

Also from Pournelle...recommend reading: The Lays of Rome, including Horatius at the Gate. Once considered part of our normal education, 60-odd years ago.

Just off the wall, but funny: The Onion has a story on Touchstone Pictures threatening to make a sequel to Coyote Ugly if box office receipts don't improve. Memorable (bowlderized) quote: "We are dead serious, you a$$#oles," Zaiff said. "You're going to like what we tell you to like, end-of-f@#$ing-story. Now fill up those seats, or so help me God, it's Coyote Ugly II: Get Uglier."

Joanne Manaster is conducting an online poll on which celebrity she looks like. She is then going to up the ante by having a computer analyze her facial features and compare them with said celebrities and see if "the wisdom of crowds" actually matches reality. My vote still goes to Lynda Carter. We'll see what the computer says.

Jeff Foust has some good stuff "from the archives" on Norm Augustine, who is chairing President Obama's panel/review of the Constellation Program and has had numerous dealings with NASA before this.

A fellow space blogger, Douglas Mallette, has some good thoughts on extending Shuttle. One must, indeed, wonder what the future of America's human space flight program is to be. I'd like to think that Augustine and his panel would keep things moving on plan, but while I do have a dog in that fight (writing for Ares), it's not my place to tell the judge that a friend's dog is better than someone else's...or do I? Here's one of those situations where Dar's hopes for a collaborative Office of Technology Assessment might come in handy.

The War is Boring blog on the U.S. Navy's concerns about China's new "carrier-killer" missiles.

I suppose I should quit there. Monday is bound to be a busy news day, and I'll be under the radar, watching it all. Peace.