Coolest thing ever

Curiosity rover: Martian solar day 2 in New Mexico

To get a good view, make it go full screen.   The cool thing, besides the view of the martian landscape,  is that you can "point" the view downward and see the rover itself.  This is just too much.

Touchdown confirmed

"Touchdown confirmed," said engineer Allen Chen. "We're safe on Mars."

Sleepless night ahead for NASA

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57486873-76/curiosity-closes-in-on-mars-for-high-stakes-descent/

Here is an excerpt from the above link:

...Tipping the scales at 1 ton, Curiosity is the largest rover ever sent to Mars and it will hit the upper atmosphere at a blistering 13,200 mph. Protected by a massive insulating heat shield, the spacecraft and its computer will fire rocket thrusters to adjust the craft's lift during the hypersonic phase of the descent, dipping or climbing as required and flying through broad S-turns to bleed off speed while keeping the craft on course for a pinpoint landing.
After slowing to around 1,000 mph, the craft will deploy a huge supersonic parachute, the heat shield will be jettisoned, and a sophisticated radar altimeter will begin sounding the surface. After the craft slows to less than 200 mph, the parachute will be jettisoned and Curiosity, bolted to the belly of a rocket-powered descent stage, will fall free for the final drop to the surface.
Unlike past landers, Curiosity's jet pack doesn't have legs. Instead, it will act like a flying crane, lowering the rover directly to the surface on the end of a 25-foot-long bridle as the "sky crane" slowly descends. When the flight computer senses "weight on wheels," the bridle will be cut and Curiosity will be ready for initial tests and checkout.
Touchdown is expected at 10:17 p.m. PDT Sunday, but it will take radio signals confirming the event 13.8 minutes to cross the 154-million-mile gulf between Earth and Mars. That translates to 10:31 p.m. "Earth-received time."
Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., will be relying on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter to relay entry, descent, and landing telemetry back to Earth and to confirm a successful touchdown. If Odyssey has problems, or if any issues crop up with Curiosity's transmitter, it could take several hours for that long-awaited confirmation to arrive.
Given the complexity of the entry, descent, and landing sequence -- and the mission's $2.5 billion price tag -- NASA managers and engineers are understandably anxious...

the better Sherlock

A couple of years back, Guy Richie directed a Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downy Jr. playing the lead characater.  I looking forward to seeing it but when I did it was hugely disapointing.  It may be a good movie but I didn't care for it at all.  They seemed to miss the essense of Sherlock Holmes altogeather.

The PBS version called "Sherlock" which has just recieved 13 Emmy nominations is another story altogether.   This is a good one.  It is a modern sherlock who has the resources of the internet at his fingertips via his i-phone.  The Dr. Watson character is played by a guy who was the "Jim Halpurn" in the origional English version of "The Office".

Now this here is some good tv.

"A man can't just sit around."

Here is a copy-and-paste from wikipedia about "Lawn Chair Larry":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Walters

Lawrence Richard Walters, nicknamed "Lawnchair Larry" or the "Lawn Chair Pilot", (April 19, 1949 – October 6, 1993) was an American truck driver^[1] who took flight on July 2, 1982, in a homemade airship. Dubbed Inspiration I, the "flying machine" consisted of an ordinary patio chair with 45 helium-filled weather balloons attached to it. Walters rose to an altitude of over 15,000 feet (4,600 m) and floated from his point of origin in San Pedro, California, into controlled airspace near Los Angeles International Airport. His flight was widely reported in many newspapers.

Origin of his plan
Walters had always dreamed of flying, but was unable to become a pilot in the United States Air Force because of his poor eyesight. Walters had first thought of using weather balloons to fly at age 13 and 14, after seeing them hanging from the ceiling of a military surplus store. Twenty years later he decided to do so. His intention was to attach a few helium-filled weather balloons to his lawnchair, cut the anchor, and then float above his backyard at a height of about 30 feet (9.1 m) for several hours. He planned to use a pellet gun to burst balloons to float gently to the ground.

Preparation and launch

In mid-1982, Walters and his girlfriend, Carol Van Deusen, purchased 45 eight-foot weather balloons and obtained helium tanks from California Toy Time Balloons. They used a forged requisition from his employer, FilmFair Studios, saying the balloons were for a television commercial. Walters attached the balloons to his lawn chair, filled them with helium, put on a parachute, and strapped himself into the chair in the backyard of a home at 1633 W. 7th St. in San Pedro.^[2] He took his pellet gun, a CB radio, sandwiches, cold beer, and a camera. When his friends cut the cord that tied his lawn chair to his Jeep, Walters' lawn chair rose rapidly to a height of about 15,000 feet (4,600 m). At first, he did not dare shoot any balloons, fearing that he might unbalance the load and cause himself to spill out. He slowly drifted over Long Beach and crossed the primary approach corridor of Long Beach Airport.
He was in contact with REACT, a CB monitoring organization, who recorded their conversation:

REACT: What information do you wish me to tell [the airport] at this time as to your location and your difficulty?

Larry: Ah, the difficulty is, ah, this was an unauthorized balloon launch, and, uh, I know I'm in a federal airspace, and, uh, I'm sure my ground crew has alerted the proper authority. But, uh, just call them and tell them I'm okay.

After 45 minutes in the sky, he shot several balloons, and then accidentally dropped his pellet gun overboard. He descended slowly, until the balloons' dangling cables got caught in a power line, causing a 20-minute blackout in a Long Beach neighborhood. Walters was able to climb to the ground.

Arrest and notoriety

He was immediately arrested by waiting members of the Long Beach Police Department; when asked by a reporter why he had done it, Walters replied, "A man can't just sit around."
Regional safety inspector Neal Savoy was reported to have said, "We know he broke some part of the Federal Aviation Act, and as soon as we decide which part it is, some type of charge will be filed. If he had a pilot's license, we'd suspend that. But he doesn't." Walters initially was fined US$4,000 for violations under U. S. Federal Aviation Regulations, including operating an aircraft within an airport traffic area "without establishing and maintaining two-way communications with the control tower." Walters appealed, and the fine was reduced to US$1,500.^[3] A charge of operating a "civil aircraft for which there is not currently in effect an airworthiness certificate" was dropped, as it was not applicable to this class of aircraft. Walters commented, "If the FAA was around when the Wright Brothers were testing their aircraft, they would never have been able to make their first flight at Kitty Hawk."
Walters received the top prize from the Bonehead Club of Dallas for his adventure, as well as invitations from The Tonight Show and Late Night with David Letterman.
Walters' flight was replicated (though tethered) on one of the pilot episodes of the TV show MythBusters, in which Adam Savage was lifted to a height just under 30 m (100 ft) and gradually reduced his altitude by shooting balloons with a pellet gun.

Larry took his famed flight when he was 33 and the sad end is is that when he was 44 years old he killed himself on purpose by shooting himself in the heart.

Chief Justice John Roberts

When it comes to court rulings, all you can ask from a Judge is that they rule with complete respect for the constitution and the law.   If you believe that the Judicial system was fair and impartial, even though they may have got it wrong, then you got a fair shake and you have to accept the decision and move on.  

One judge that comes to mind is Sanders Sauls.  He was the Democrat who ruled against Al Gore in Florida.  He was somewhat of a conservative Democrat but there is little qestion that he ruled based on how he interpreted the law.

When I watched the confirmation hearings for John Roberts, I thought he seemed like a good guy and somebody who would be a good member of the SCOTUS.  

There has been alot of political talk about the ruling on Obamacare but when it comes down to it, it shouldn't be purely a political discussion.  It is about the law. 

I still feel like the Supreme Court is holding up its end of the bargain and we need to focus on the ;egislative and executive branches to do the same.  Particularly Congress.  The partisan devision is bad for the country.  There is nothing wrong with compromise.  We must all be Americans fisrt and partisans somewhere on down the list.

Rock On America.  The knuckeheads may be parading thier ignorance and small mindedness on a daily basis like our Sentor from Texas, John Cornyn, but there is hope. 

Thats right, John Cornyn is acting like an idiot.  Whenever there is an attack on the President of the United States, he always has to open his mouth.  Somebody needs to tell him that he seems a lot smarter when he doesn't speak.

Ima Hogg House

Today we visited the Ima Hogg House which was donated to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts.  The Home/Museum contains one of the greatest collections of antiques you will ever see.  Ima lived there with her collection of fine furniture, artwork, and other things until she made a decision to donate it all to the people of Texas.  It is one thing to see some of the best examples of early american furniture in a museum but at Ima's house you can see the furniture in a propper setting.  I could go on about how nice the stuff is but if you have any appreciation for antiques whatsoever then you gotta check it out for your own self.  Also, I have to say the lady who presented our guided tour was a real gem.  Her name is Margaret and she is a volenteer.   I have to say I truly appreciate her service and I was happy to tell her that at the end of the tour.  After hearing Margerat talk and answer questions, it was clear that Ima Hogg was truly a remarkable human being.   She did fall into a great deal of money but what she chose to do with it as well as her time sets her apart.

Here is a link to the website:   http://www.mfah.org/visit/bayou-bend-collection-and-gardens/bayou-bend-visitor-info/

Jack Twyman, an NBA saint

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/remembering-jack-twyman-nba-saint-173912178.html

Jack Twyman with the Rochester Royals, in 1958 (Getty Images)
Jack Twyman passed away on Wednesday, at the age of 78. The former Rochester and Cincinnati Royal enjoyed an 11-year NBA career that included six trips to the All-Star game, and two Eastern Conference finals losses to the then-champion Boston Celtics. When Twyman retired at age 31, with his final year per-minute numbers nearly as stout then as they were in his prime, he was the NBA's second-leading scorer behind the mighty Wilt Chamberlain.
And this remains the secondary story behind Twyman's life and career, in a move no journalist should feel bad about. Because as you've no doubt heard by now, Twyman acted as former teammate Maurice Stokes' caretaker for the last 12 years of Stokes' life, after the former Royals forward suffered significant brain damage during an injury sustained in the final game of the 1957-58 season, cutting short a promising career (to say the absolute least) that saw Stokes average a combined 33.7 points/rebounds a contest for the Royals.
Worse, with Stokes' family hundreds of miles away and workers compensation failing to cover the costs of his care in the years before the NBA developed a strong union and significant pension plan, Stokes was just about left to his own devices as he grew more and more destitute. This is where Twyman came in, organizing fundraisers for his former teammate, visiting him weekly, and essentially acting as his caretaker (while working as an NBA All-Star, while running his own insurance company in the NBA's offseason, and while working as ABC's lead color analyst) until Stokes' passing in 1970.

Because our words pale in comparison to theirs, here are two remembrances. One, from the New York Times' Douglas Martin:

Twyman sometimes worried that his wife and family might become upset over the amount of time he devoted to Stokes over 12 years, but his daughter said in an interview that they had come to look forward to Stokes's Sunday visits from the hospital. Twyman's wife of 57 years, the former Carole Frey, became, with her husband, a co-trustee of the Maurice Stokes Foundation, which was set up to defray Stokes's hospital costs but grew to help other needy N.B.A. veterans as well.
The charity basketball tournament they began at Kutsher's Hotel in the Catskills drew stars like Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson and, of course, Chamberlain.
Years after his accident, when Stokes had recovered enough finger flexibility to type, his first message was: "Dear Jack, How can I ever thank you?"

From the Cincinnati Enquirer's Bill Koch:

I asked him one day what Wilt Chamberlain was like and he told me about the time Chamberlain flew back from Paris for Twyman's annual fundraiser for Maurice Stokes, paying for the flight himself and never making a big deal out of it.

From the New York Post's Peter Vecsey:

"Mo was stranded in Cincinnati and I lived there," Twyman told me when we last spoke three or four years ago, utterly downplaying the sacrifice of his family and the enormity of the undertaking. "I did what anyone would have done for a friend.''
A year older than Stokes, they had competed against each other and played alongside one another in the Pittsburgh area. In 1955, they became teammates before the Royals moved from Rochester to Cincy.
As great a scorer as Twyman was (31.2 ppg in '59-60; 19.2 overall), his 11-season Hall of Fame career was shaded by his compassion for Stokes, whom he cared for until his death from a heart attack at 36.
I still can see Jack's right hand in the air as he turned downcourt after nailing another jumper. And I still can see that ever-present arm around Mo.

And the Associated Press' Paul Newberry:

"Maybe this is a little learning opportunity for everyone who plays professional sports," said John Doleva, president and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. "Jack didn't look for accolades. It was just the right thing to do. That's what made him a very, very special man."

Here's a clip of Jack helping to announce the arrival of Willis Reed, before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals.
And here is Jack's Basketball Hall of Fame induction, helped in by fellow University of Cincinnati alum Oscar Robertson:

If you took the time to wait through the introduction and listen to Jack speak, then you probably noticed the overwhelming humility that Jack Twyman displayed in his demeanor and words.

This guy is a true hero.

If the River was Whiskey...

Here is a video of Jeff Beck with Imogen Heap performing the Muddy Waters classic "Rollin & Tumbling"

War

Last night I started watching the PBS Ken Burns documentary titled "The War".  You can read about it here:  http://www.pbs.org/thewar/



Tonight I watched "Hell and Back Again" which is another fine documentary that you can read about here:  http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hell-and-back-again/film.html

 

Sobering stuff.  

Supreme Court issues a liberal ruling on double jeopardy

Today's news reports a 6/3 US Supreme Court ruling and I agree with the minority on this one.

Here is the link to the news story:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-says-double-jeopardy-does-not-protect-against-murder-retrial/2012/05/24/gJQAnXlznU_story.html


Here is a link to the text of the ruling itself:

http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/10-1320.pdf


Basically, a guy in Arkansas was accused of Murder and the Jury Forewoman announced in open court that the Jury was unanimous against a capital or first degree murder verdict.  They then went back in and deliberated for 31 minutes and could not agree on manslaughter so the judge declared a mistrial.   

This is the most unconservative iterpretation of the constitution ever by a US Supreme Court. 

Up until this point, I had always felt good about this particular panel of judges but now I am not so sure.   How they could collectively get something this wrong is beyond me.

Crescent Sun

I was on the sixth floor of the building where I work and had a great view of the solar eclipse which was only visible in Houston right before sunset.   As I said, I had a great vantage point and I even clicked off a picture on my cell phone.  The only problem was that it wasn't until the part of the Sun that was being eclipsed had already dropped out of view that I realized that I had failed to click the "Save" option and I no longer had the picture.

Basically it looked like a large crescent and I couldn't keep looking at it because I didn't want to hurt my eyes.

Facebook; an investment opportunity for zuckers

I don't get the idea of connecting back with people who I never really connected with in the first place.  If we wern't friends in High School then why would we want to be friends now?  I don't give a damn about an official friends list and if I had two hundred or more people on it then it would be a lie.  I simply don't have that many friends and don't want to pretend like I do.

Here is my stock tip:  If you think Facebook is a good investment, then just buy stock in Myspace instead.  It will be much cheaper and you won't lose as much money.  Of course Myspace is not a public company but if it had gone public, it still would have flopped. 

Also,  if the CEO of Facebook wants to drop his citizenship to get out of paying taxes then he needs to go on over to whatever country it is that he likes better.   If you want to know what I really think, Mark Zuckerberg can kiss my American ass.



UPDATE 12/27/13

http://www.minyanville.com/trading-and-investing/stocks/articles/In-Insider-Trading-Mark-Zuckerberg-Dumps/12/27/2013/id/53170

http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2013/12/27/facebook-is-dead-and-buried-argues-eu-study-lead/

The stock is still selling for top dollar but it seems like Mark Zuckerberg knows it has crested.

Chen Guangcheng arrives in the USA

This is some good news. 

Strike that. 

This is some most excellent news and an aswer to prayers:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/20/us-china-dissident-idUSBRE84I04V20120520


"I am very gratified to see that the Chinese government has been dealing with the situation with restraint and calm and I hope to see that they continue to open discourse and earn the respect and trust of the people," Chen, speaking through a translator, told reporters outside a New York University housing building in Manhattan's Greenwich Village neighborhood.

Tenacious D

"Tenacious D" was on the Jimmy Fallon Show the other night promoting thier new album.  This time they hired some good musicians to back them up.  The drummer is from the band Bad Religion and he is definitely good.  If you don't know quite what to think about "Tenacious D", that may be the general Idea.  The video above might help explain it a little better.

Whooping Cranes Hatch Chick Without Biologists’ Help In Wisconsin

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/05/03/whooping-cranes-hatch-chick-without-biologists-help-in-wisconsin/

Top movie list

I generally don't like "best of" lists but so what?

Here are some of my best of all time movies according to me.  I am not including Gone With the Wind because it didn't have an big impact on me. 

I am however including:

The Wizard of OZ

Star Wars, the first three but not the newer ones.

Jaws

Pulp Fiction

Goodfellas

Terminator

The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  This one was a good book, or 3 books, first but the movies are quite exceptional also. 

To Kill a Mockingbird.  Another good book but the move was great also.

The first Two Godfather movies.

Blair Witch Project.  I am including this because it is a well known low buget movie they got me to shout at the screen.  I couldn't understand why they kept going back to sleep in the tent when that was when bad things would happen.

Hoop Dreams.  I agree with Roger Ebert on this one.  It is a great documentary.


There are quite a few other good movies but these are the ones that come to mind.  I am not including foreign movies but only well known movies that I think top off the list.

I may update this post later and not admit to it but for now it is done.  That is it.

Live and let live

If you pay attention to the news and politics, then you have probably heard that Joe Biden first made a comment about Gay Marriage and now Obama has clarified his official position somewhat.  Here is a story about it from today's internet news:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/obamas-declaration-on-gay-marriage-welcomed-by-friends-foes/2012/05/10/gIQA1p9sFU_story.html


I have to wonder if Joe Biden's comments were not part of a carefully calculated administration strategy much the way the controversy about women's birth control costs in association with Obamacare were  purposely interjected to create a predicitable reaction from the opposing party.

You have to figure that the folks that feel strongly that gay marriage should be outlawed would never have voted for Obama anyway.  Obama had kind of gone to mush as far as his liberal convictions so maybe he is trying to shore up his base a little bit.

It does seem like a chess move that did force Romney to respond.  

Believe in somebody

Here is a short article from today's internet news:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hXJ3QFCmR8BFZxND2gjdu3jF3H9A?docId=N0152701336465918258A

Johnny Depp is talking about how he loves Tim Burton "like a brother".

I have to agree that Tim Burton was right to beleive in Johnny Depp and it may be true that Depp would could have ended up as a minor leage actor if it wasn't for Edward Scissorhands but nobody could ever know that for sure.

Johnny Depp does seem to have a unique acting ability that made him perfect for the Edward Scissorhands and Maddhatter (Alice in Wonderland) roles.   Personally, I never bought  into the Pirates of the Caribbean as much as the general public and I thought the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was already magical enough that it couldn't be outdone.

Regardless of all that, the news story reminds me how important it is to believe in  the people that you are supposed to and also be loyal.

I remember a science teacher I had in 7th Grade named Mrs Willis.   For some strange reason she believed in me even when I wasn't participating or engaging in her class at all.  Somehow she turned me from a disinterested knucklehead 13 year into a kid who believed he was capable of making an A in her class.  I don't know why she did it but it still brings a tear to my eye to think about her. She is a ture hero.  Another guy I wish I could go back and thank was Mr Martinson who was the junior high school orchestra teacher who didn't pay attention to how I potrayed myself at the time and instead was extremely patient.  Looking back, I wish I could have appreciated him at the time the way I do now.  He was an older guy and I am sure he has passed on now but I can only imagine how many people's lives he touched.

So the lesson for today is to appreciate and believe.  I hope I pay attention and get it right.

Render unto Texas...

A few months back or so I got the notice to replace the license sticker that goes on the inside of the windshield on the car.   I forgot about it and when I remembered, I realized I had been driving around for about a month with expired plates.

Today I went over to the Clay Road Courthouse Annex and stood in line.  They have the little poles with the ribbon shaped ropes that form a the meandering line deviders so everybody can work thier way through when it is crowded.  It was crowded today but the line moved pretty well so I have to say that they are doing thier job over there.

When I got there, there was an Asian fellow getting out of a car as I walked in.  He came in and got in line right behind me.   He appeared to be in a hurry becuase he kept standing right behind me.  Litterally about 2 inches away.   I tried doing a sidestep to the other side and then he just moved up right next to me and I looked at him and told him to go ahead if he was in a hurrry.  He just grinned and stepped right in front of me.  This was in the first section of the line and I didn't want him breathing on my neck the whole way through.  It may have seemed like an act of kindness but it was actually pretty rude that I put him behind the next guy.  The guy who was now in front of him was a white guy that looked like he probably drove a pick-up truck and isn't ever going to vote for Obama.  The asian dude, who was probably about 55 or 60 just stepped right up and started tailgating the white guy who was about a foot and a half taller.   I could tell pretty quickly that it was getting on his nerves because he tried the same thing I did which was to look back at the guy and see if he could stare him off a little.  It didn't work.  The white dude apparantly then just decided not to react any more but when we got to the final section of the line, he finally couldn't stand it anymore and told the guy not to stand so close to him. 

The funny thing was that when we got to the front, a lady called out for the next person doing a renewal to come on up.  There were about 7 people in front of me and all of them, including the close standing asian guy,  must of had some other sort of business because I was able to go on ahead and get processed while they waited for a window to open up that could help them.

Like many of the previous stories here on the one man web log I don't know the moral of this particular story but it sure was nice not to have they guy standing so close to me the whole way through the line.  I was really surprised by how eager he was just to step right in front of me when I offered.   I doubt he even gave it  as second thought.