Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Thinking.........
I saw that a few years ago on an industrial computer I was using. Really startled me.
I quit buying name brand computers long time ago, after the last one fried a mother board 1 month after the warrantee ran out. That enraged me so much that since then, I've bought my own components and built my last 3. (1 for me, and 2 for my sons.) from scratch. In doing so, I've learned one thing for certain:
Computers are sentient beings, with dreams, hopes, and fears, just like the rest of us. And yes, they can indeed be offended.
But I believe the reason I've had good luck with mine, is that they also know I'm quite capable of mercilessly ripping their guts out, and that I have done so on occasion. That knowledge tends to dampen their arrogance quite a bit.
Try it sometime.
"Let's face it, the average computer user has the brain of a Spider Monkey. "
Bill Gates
I quit buying name brand computers long time ago, after the last one fried a mother board 1 month after the warrantee ran out. That enraged me so much that since then, I've bought my own components and built my last 3. (1 for me, and 2 for my sons.) from scratch. In doing so, I've learned one thing for certain:
Computers are sentient beings, with dreams, hopes, and fears, just like the rest of us. And yes, they can indeed be offended.
But I believe the reason I've had good luck with mine, is that they also know I'm quite capable of mercilessly ripping their guts out, and that I have done so on occasion. That knowledge tends to dampen their arrogance quite a bit.
Try it sometime.
"Let's face it, the average computer user has the brain of a Spider Monkey. "
Bill Gates
Thursday, September 21, 2006
STS-115, Atlantis
STS-115 landed in Florida this morning. Another mission successfully completed, with very little in the way of trouble. Much was made, of course, about the debris encountered after separation from the ISS. I say it's no big deal. The Atlantis had been on the ground for about 4 years, and has had quite a bit of work done on it over that time. There's bound to be bits and pieces loose on it. They did another inspection of the thermal tile system before re-entry, and found little or no damage. It arrived in Florida, safe and sound this morning.
This mission changed the appearance of the ISS quite a bit from the one I have as wallpaper on my computer. They added another truss, and attached a new solar array. This is what it looks like now, after they attached the new sections. The new solar panels are functioning and generating power. They've tested the mechanisms that will be used to position the panels to track the sun. However, they haven't been hooked into the power grid of the station yet. That remains to be done by the STS-116 crew.
This is what it's going to look like after STS-116. As you can see, one half of the upper solar array will be rolled back up giving the newer panels unobstructed exposure to the sun. The newer panels will then be connected to the station's power grid and will start supplying almost double the amount of electricity currently available to the complex. This upper location of the origianl panels was only temporary. During the STS-117 mission, crews will add another truss section and solar array to the starboard section, and the remaining solar panel will be retracted. It will look like this afterwards. The by-now fully retracted top array will eventually be relocated to the end of the just installed port truss section and unfurled. That will be one of the last operations as station construction is completed by 2010.
This all assumes, of course, there will be no more shuttle accidents.
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but 'That's funny ..."
Isaac Asimov
This mission changed the appearance of the ISS quite a bit from the one I have as wallpaper on my computer. They added another truss, and attached a new solar array. This is what it looks like now, after they attached the new sections. The new solar panels are functioning and generating power. They've tested the mechanisms that will be used to position the panels to track the sun. However, they haven't been hooked into the power grid of the station yet. That remains to be done by the STS-116 crew.
This is what it's going to look like after STS-116. As you can see, one half of the upper solar array will be rolled back up giving the newer panels unobstructed exposure to the sun. The newer panels will then be connected to the station's power grid and will start supplying almost double the amount of electricity currently available to the complex. This upper location of the origianl panels was only temporary. During the STS-117 mission, crews will add another truss section and solar array to the starboard section, and the remaining solar panel will be retracted. It will look like this afterwards. The by-now fully retracted top array will eventually be relocated to the end of the just installed port truss section and unfurled. That will be one of the last operations as station construction is completed by 2010.
This all assumes, of course, there will be no more shuttle accidents.
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but 'That's funny ..."
Isaac Asimov
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Personal Responsibility
We had a tornado come through our northern suburbs this weekend. Tragically, a 10 year old girl was killed when a section of the house she was at collapsed. But now, all hell is breaking loose. Right away, the finger pointing started, accusing the authorities, both local, and the National Weather Service, of not sounding the sirens soon enough. What idiocy. First off, what ever happened to the quant notion of being responsible for your own safety? Second, those sirens are under the control of local authorities, and are designed to warn people who are OUTSIDE, either in parks, or in their yards, that something is happening, and they'd best get INSIDE and get information. They ARE NOT designed to warn people inside buildings. The better thing to do, is to buy a weather alarm radio, and USE IT!! They're anywhere from 50 to 100 dollars, but are worth it. They automatically come on when threatening weather approaches your area, and gives you updates as to what's happening. People think nothing of buying smoke alarms for their houses, yet balk at the idea of buying one of these things. But think about it. How many times a year would you use a smoke alarm? Now, how many times a year would you use a radio like this? Especially here in the Midwest. A lot more, I'll wager.
I think a bigger issue here is the desire of people to blame something, or someone when a tragedy like this happens. We seem to need to finger someone for screwing up when things like this happen, and thing string the poor bastard/bastardess up from a local tree. (After suing the crap out of them first, of course.) But this is life, folks. People die, and lives are changed. Every once in a while Nature decides to show us who holds the trump cards. (She does, by the way, in case you hadn't figured that out by now.) There are no pat answers sometimes. You can wail "why, why???" all you want but that's life folks. Sometimes good people die during bad storms.
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but 'That's funny ..."
Isaac Asimov
I think a bigger issue here is the desire of people to blame something, or someone when a tragedy like this happens. We seem to need to finger someone for screwing up when things like this happen, and thing string the poor bastard/bastardess up from a local tree. (After suing the crap out of them first, of course.) But this is life, folks. People die, and lives are changed. Every once in a while Nature decides to show us who holds the trump cards. (She does, by the way, in case you hadn't figured that out by now.) There are no pat answers sometimes. You can wail "why, why???" all you want but that's life folks. Sometimes good people die during bad storms.
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but 'That's funny ..."
Isaac Asimov
Monday, September 11, 2006
Five Years Later...........
It was a true fall morning here in Minnesota. The sky was somewhat overcast , the air was crisp, cool (50 degrees.) and refreshing to breath in. I had thought that because the summer vacation and cabin season is pretty much over, and with school here in full swing that there'd be more traffic this morning than I'd seen earlier during the summer, and I wasn't disappointed. But it was manageable, and I arrived at work at my usual time. I parked the car, switched it off, and took a moment to reflect on life in general, and this day in particular. I rolled the window down and sat, and listened to the sounds of nature. The sounds of birds in the trees. The sound of air moving through the trees. After meditating for a few more minutes, I started my walk to the front door, but, not quite ready to begin the day yet, my pace was slower than usual, so I could pull more of the fresh, crisp air into my lungs, look at the trees and plants swaying in the light breeze, and enjoy being outside. A few of the trees are beginning to show the early signs of getting ready to go into their winter hibernation, with slightly browned edges on the leaves.
What got me to slow down was my reflection on events this day 5 years ago. I'll avoid politics here, as everyone's mind is pretty much made up, and nothing I could say would change things. But people do need to remember, and reflect upon the lives that were snuffed out 5 years ago today. We also need to reflect and remember all the fine brave people who've given their lives in the time since. None of them will ever have another chance to enjoy the morning asI did today.
I implore you to do just that, every chance you get. Many of the people that morning on the East coast probably rushed into work as usual, thinking about a million different things. That's the way we are in this society. Always rushing around, trying to get to the next meeting, or destination or whatever the hell we're trying to get to, never stopping for a minute to pause, take in our beautiful world and enjoy it. And we don't appreciate it until it's too late, and we're either dead, or deathly ill, and rue the days we rushed about and didn't enjoy any of these simple things.
I propose that instead of using this day, September 11th as a day to fume, fulminate, and nurture feelings of frustration anger and profound sadness, we honor the dead by taking this day to reflect on our gift of life. To take a few minutes and enjoy the beauty and peace in nature. To look at the face of a loved one and enoy the time spent with that loved one. To enjoy, and utilize to the fullest those things that we other wise daily take for granted. If the ones lost on that day, and lost since then are looking down at us now, I've a feeling that's what they'd want to say to us. "Use your time wisely. Don't waste it!"
What got me to slow down was my reflection on events this day 5 years ago. I'll avoid politics here, as everyone's mind is pretty much made up, and nothing I could say would change things. But people do need to remember, and reflect upon the lives that were snuffed out 5 years ago today. We also need to reflect and remember all the fine brave people who've given their lives in the time since. None of them will ever have another chance to enjoy the morning asI did today.
I implore you to do just that, every chance you get. Many of the people that morning on the East coast probably rushed into work as usual, thinking about a million different things. That's the way we are in this society. Always rushing around, trying to get to the next meeting, or destination or whatever the hell we're trying to get to, never stopping for a minute to pause, take in our beautiful world and enjoy it. And we don't appreciate it until it's too late, and we're either dead, or deathly ill, and rue the days we rushed about and didn't enjoy any of these simple things.
I propose that instead of using this day, September 11th as a day to fume, fulminate, and nurture feelings of frustration anger and profound sadness, we honor the dead by taking this day to reflect on our gift of life. To take a few minutes and enjoy the beauty and peace in nature. To look at the face of a loved one and enoy the time spent with that loved one. To enjoy, and utilize to the fullest those things that we other wise daily take for granted. If the ones lost on that day, and lost since then are looking down at us now, I've a feeling that's what they'd want to say to us. "Use your time wisely. Don't waste it!"
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Hollywood And Reality
I now believe that it's much harder to hijack an aircraft (in the air) than it used to be. Why? Because passengers, unlike before 9/11, are no longer willing to go like sheep to the slaughter. It's been proven several time since that they'll fight back. To the death if necessary. Passengers have come to realize that the hijackers are no longer releasing anyone unharmed, and will fight them with whatever means is at their disposal. That trend started with American flight 93. In one case recently, a misbehaving miscreant was killed by the people who subdued him. They didn't mean to, but they obviously erred on the side of caution. (Let god sort it out, as it were.) My point is that passengers have moved past the idea of cowering in their seats, hoping there's an air marshal aboard, and will take matters into their own hands. Potential hijackers know this. The hijackers now know they'll have a fight on their hands, a fight they'd rather not engage in, because they'll be outnumbered. That's why the recent attempt in England (Not a very good one, I might add.) involved blowing planes up in mid-air without any planned attempt to take physical control of the aircraft before hand. That's assuming of course, that it would have worked as we've been told it would.
On the subject of bringing down an aircraft down with a small amount of explosive, modern aircraft are MUCH stronger and robust than many people give them credit for. A couple of good examples. In 1988 Aloha Airline flight 243 lost an entire section of the roof that collapsed and came off at flight level 24 (That's 24 thousand feet.) yet only one flight attendant died. This aircraft survived an explosive decompression, losing HALF its upper cross section over the first class area, yet still survived an emergency descent and landed safely with all but one person still aboard. Another example is the United Air flight 811. On February 24, 1989 a Boeing 747-122 lost a cargo door at around 23,000 feet, and lost a major portion of the starboard side of the fuselage. Now of course, luck of the draw has a lot to do with some of this, but it's also true that aircraft can withstand a lot of damage and still stay airborne. If you watch a lot of Hollywood movies, you're probably convinced a simple bullet hole through a window is enough to suck a person through to his/her death. The famous Goldfinger scene is what a lot of people think about, but that's a product of the fevered imagination of Hollywood producers, eager to show off their special effects skills. The truth is, that while most certainly making passengers uncomfortable and probably rendering them unconscious if they can’t manage to get emergency air, you're not likely to get sucked out a window to a certain death. In terms of mechanical systems, the more recent generation of aircraft, such at the Boeing 767 and 777 family, and the more recent Airbus family of aircraft have benefitted from the hard lessons learned from crashes of jetliners in the seventies. Duplicate backup and redundant hydraulic and electrical systems are no longer all routed through the same area as they once were, providing a better chance that at least one system will survive a structural failure and continue to function.
One thing I AM certain of, and something any terrorism expert, if they're being honest, will agree with, is that airport and aircraft ground security in this country is a joke. Period. This is all under the purview of the administration, via the FAA and the TSA, both organizations controlled by said administration. (Via the cabinet.) Congress in NOT in the business of day-to-day oversight and management of either agency. This admin. IS.
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but 'That's funny ..."
Isaac Asimov
On the subject of bringing down an aircraft down with a small amount of explosive, modern aircraft are MUCH stronger and robust than many people give them credit for. A couple of good examples. In 1988 Aloha Airline flight 243 lost an entire section of the roof that collapsed and came off at flight level 24 (That's 24 thousand feet.) yet only one flight attendant died. This aircraft survived an explosive decompression, losing HALF its upper cross section over the first class area, yet still survived an emergency descent and landed safely with all but one person still aboard. Another example is the United Air flight 811. On February 24, 1989 a Boeing 747-122 lost a cargo door at around 23,000 feet, and lost a major portion of the starboard side of the fuselage. Now of course, luck of the draw has a lot to do with some of this, but it's also true that aircraft can withstand a lot of damage and still stay airborne. If you watch a lot of Hollywood movies, you're probably convinced a simple bullet hole through a window is enough to suck a person through to his/her death. The famous Goldfinger scene is what a lot of people think about, but that's a product of the fevered imagination of Hollywood producers, eager to show off their special effects skills. The truth is, that while most certainly making passengers uncomfortable and probably rendering them unconscious if they can’t manage to get emergency air, you're not likely to get sucked out a window to a certain death. In terms of mechanical systems, the more recent generation of aircraft, such at the Boeing 767 and 777 family, and the more recent Airbus family of aircraft have benefitted from the hard lessons learned from crashes of jetliners in the seventies. Duplicate backup and redundant hydraulic and electrical systems are no longer all routed through the same area as they once were, providing a better chance that at least one system will survive a structural failure and continue to function.
One thing I AM certain of, and something any terrorism expert, if they're being honest, will agree with, is that airport and aircraft ground security in this country is a joke. Period. This is all under the purview of the administration, via the FAA and the TSA, both organizations controlled by said administration. (Via the cabinet.) Congress in NOT in the business of day-to-day oversight and management of either agency. This admin. IS.
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but 'That's funny ..."
Isaac Asimov
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
AND THAT'S ANOTHER DAMN THING!
Why do people at work decide that the best place to hold an impromptu meeting is almost always the major intersection of two hallways, or the doorway into an important room, or another major choke point. They always stop RIGHT THERE and start a mojor discussion about some damn thing. And then they give YOU a crappy look when you want to get through! MOVE IT people!!! Get a motel room!
"Get yer fat ass outa my way!!!"
Me
"Get yer fat ass outa my way!!!"
Me
A Rant For You!
A few things that have annoyed the heck outa me lately:
They're having an audition session in the Twin Cities today for the American Idle TV show. How do I know this? Because all the local news outlets are leading their newscasts with on-location crews, live reports and updates. What idiocy. I have not watched so much as one single second of this stupid, vapid, idiotic TV show, and I am proud of that fact. The Fox Channel is really putting one over the public on this one I think. Compared to drama, or comedy shows this fluff costs them next to nothing to make, yet they're raking in the cash with it. The Fox execs are laughing at us all the way to the bank.
In the same vein:
CBS has a new prime time news anchor, (A former morning fluff show host.) a new format, heck even a new theme song for the newscast. We've got one of the most important elections in this nation's history coming up, are involved in a war that is resulting in the maiming deaths of some of our finest young people, and what is one of the features of that newscast??? The baby pictures of a has-been-Hollywood-wacko's new kid!! WHO FRIGGIN' CARES?!?!?!?
MORE:
What in heck does that say about our priorities???? To listen to our government spokespeople, we're supposedly in a war for our very way of life and existence against the forces of terrorism, yet the American public seems captivated by news about these absolutely clueless, talent-less empty-headed Hollywood IDIOTS! Walk up to the ever-present magazine racks at the supermarket checkout lanes, and all you'll now see are fashion and celebrity magazines, scandal sheets, and tabloids. (IS JESSICA GETTING TOO FAT? ARE THE OLSEN TWINS TOO SKINNY? DOES TOM'S KID HAVE THREE EYES???) You used to see issues of Newsweek and Time and such, but no more. I asked, and was told by management "Oh, they're gone because the Average American has gotten tired of reading about all that depressing stuff. They want to be entertained and distracted." I'm beginning to think my fellow blogger, The Unhappy American is right about us. There are days when, after reading the newspaper, I'm actually ashamed of being an American, with our consumer, celebrity driven mentality and culture. It's assinine. And if we don't change our attitude, and soon, we can kiss our way of life goodbye, as we'll merely be another third world country compared to the 2000 lb economic gorilla that China and India are becoming. But, as I'm slowly becoming convinced, the average American won't give a shit, as long as they don't cancel American Idol.
"War against terrorism?? No prob, got my "Support The Troops" magnetic ribbon right there on the ass of my car! I've done my part for them! Honey?!?!? Is Dance with the Stars on yet????"
"We have met the enemy, and he is us!"
Pogo
They're having an audition session in the Twin Cities today for the American Idle TV show. How do I know this? Because all the local news outlets are leading their newscasts with on-location crews, live reports and updates. What idiocy. I have not watched so much as one single second of this stupid, vapid, idiotic TV show, and I am proud of that fact. The Fox Channel is really putting one over the public on this one I think. Compared to drama, or comedy shows this fluff costs them next to nothing to make, yet they're raking in the cash with it. The Fox execs are laughing at us all the way to the bank.
In the same vein:
CBS has a new prime time news anchor, (A former morning fluff show host.) a new format, heck even a new theme song for the newscast. We've got one of the most important elections in this nation's history coming up, are involved in a war that is resulting in the maiming deaths of some of our finest young people, and what is one of the features of that newscast??? The baby pictures of a has-been-Hollywood-wacko's new kid!! WHO FRIGGIN' CARES?!?!?!?
MORE:
What in heck does that say about our priorities???? To listen to our government spokespeople, we're supposedly in a war for our very way of life and existence against the forces of terrorism, yet the American public seems captivated by news about these absolutely clueless, talent-less empty-headed Hollywood IDIOTS! Walk up to the ever-present magazine racks at the supermarket checkout lanes, and all you'll now see are fashion and celebrity magazines, scandal sheets, and tabloids. (IS JESSICA GETTING TOO FAT? ARE THE OLSEN TWINS TOO SKINNY? DOES TOM'S KID HAVE THREE EYES???) You used to see issues of Newsweek and Time and such, but no more. I asked, and was told by management "Oh, they're gone because the Average American
"War against terrorism?? No prob, got my "Support The Troops" magnetic ribbon right there on the ass of my car! I've done my part for them! Honey?!?!? Is Dance with the Stars on yet????"
"We have met the enemy, and he is us!"
Pogo
