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The Far Call: A Glorious Dawn
Sep. 24th, 2009 09:07 amThis is making the rounds of my Friends List; for those who haven't seen it yet, it's my turn to share.
I always said that Unca Carl was a poet.
I always said that Unca Carl was a poet.
Meme: My Desktop
Sep. 23rd, 2009 09:40 amFrom a significant fraction of my f-list, including ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
the_gneech, pyat, and leonard_arlotte:
This is an image from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day site, which I read every evening.
I regret to say that I can't remember just what this image is. I know that it's a false-color image of... something. I do remember that I chose it because a) it's wide enough to extend across two wide-screen monitors (which I am not currently using), and b) because it's orange and purple, and vaguely, sinuously dragon-like in the way that clouds and fractals can be.
(If anyone recognizes this image, or has better search-fu on APOD than Your Obedient Serpent, please let me know and put a link to the appropriate APOD page in the comments!)
the_gneech, pyat, and leonard_arlotte:- If you like, post this meme and your current wallpaper.
- Explain in no more than five sentences why you're using that wallpaper!
- Don't change your wallpaper before doing this! The point is to see what you had on!
This is an image from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day site, which I read every evening.
I regret to say that I can't remember just what this image is. I know that it's a false-color image of... something. I do remember that I chose it because a) it's wide enough to extend across two wide-screen monitors (which I am not currently using), and b) because it's orange and purple, and vaguely, sinuously dragon-like in the way that clouds and fractals can be.
(If anyone recognizes this image, or has better search-fu on APOD than Your Obedient Serpent, please let me know and put a link to the appropriate APOD page in the comments!)
Meme: My Desktop
Sep. 23rd, 2009 09:40 amFrom a significant fraction of my f-list, including the_gneech, pyat, and leonard_arlotte:
This is an image from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day site, which I read every evening.
I regret to say that I can't remember just what this image is. I know that it's a false-color image of... something. I do remember that I chose it because a) it's wide enough to extend across two wide-screen monitors (which I am not currently using), and b) because it's orange and purple, and vaguely, sinuously dragon-like in the way that clouds and fractals can be.
(If anyone recognizes this image, or has better search-fu on APOD than Your Obedient Serpent, please let me know and put a link to the appropriate APOD page in the comments!)
the_gneech, pyat, and leonard_arlotte:- If you like, post this meme and your current wallpaper.
- Explain in no more than five sentences why you're using that wallpaper!
- Don't change your wallpaper before doing this! The point is to see what you had on!
This is an image from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day site, which I read every evening.
I regret to say that I can't remember just what this image is. I know that it's a false-color image of... something. I do remember that I chose it because a) it's wide enough to extend across two wide-screen monitors (which I am not currently using), and b) because it's orange and purple, and vaguely, sinuously dragon-like in the way that clouds and fractals can be.
(If anyone recognizes this image, or has better search-fu on APOD than Your Obedient Serpent, please let me know and put a link to the appropriate APOD page in the comments!)
Writer's Block: Unlikely Benefactor
Aug. 9th, 2009 09:30 am[Error: unknown template qotd]
Oh, this one's easy; it's already part of my Lottery List.
I'd either set up science scholarships, or dump it all into one fusion project or another.
Probably not the Atmospheric Vortex Engine, though.
Oh, this one's easy; it's already part of my Lottery List.
I'd either set up science scholarships, or dump it all into one fusion project or another.
Probably not the Atmospheric Vortex Engine, though.
Writer's Block: Unlikely Benefactor
Aug. 9th, 2009 09:30 am[Error: unknown template qotd]
Oh, this one's easy; it's already part of my Lottery List.
I'd either set up science scholarships, or dump it all into one fusion project or another.
Probably not the Atmospheric Vortex Engine, though.
Oh, this one's easy; it's already part of my Lottery List.
I'd either set up science scholarships, or dump it all into one fusion project or another.
Probably not the Atmospheric Vortex Engine, though.
So, the family that runs that Creationist theme park are a bunch of frauds and liars.
Who'da thunk it?
Who'da thunk it?
The Far Call: 40 Years Ago Today
Jul. 16th, 2009 10:52 amIt was a Wednesday. I was 5.
This was thefourth fifth time I'd watched one of those impossibly immense Saturn Vs lift off from Cape Kennedy. My mother insisted on watching every televised moment she could of those flights, and I was right there beside her, as much as I could. During 9 and 10, the school was dutifully notified that I was staying home, sick; I suspect that "Moon Flu" was a common strain in 1969.
I remember -- or I think I remember -- Walter Cronkite's deep, reassuring voice; I've heard it so many times since that I can't really be sure if I remember it from the broadcast, or from the LP record that CBS released and I played regularly through the '70s. I do remember, vividly, the NASA animations that played over his descriptions of the various stages of the launch and the space flight, precise and technically detailed cut-outs that would nonetheless seem crude by today's standards.
I remember the official NASA release images my father, a newspaperman, brought home, the flimsy thermal paper just off the facsimile machine, already browning. Somewhere, I may still have a notebook full of them, mostly from Apollo 13's ill-fated flight; they were in my possession as recently as my days at Cal State Monterey Bay.
I remember the excitement, the tension. I knew, even at the age of 5, that I was witnessing the single most important event of the century, the single most important event of human history.
Forty years ago today, three men leapt off the edge of the world into the Black.
I was watching.
This was the
I remember -- or I think I remember -- Walter Cronkite's deep, reassuring voice; I've heard it so many times since that I can't really be sure if I remember it from the broadcast, or from the LP record that CBS released and I played regularly through the '70s. I do remember, vividly, the NASA animations that played over his descriptions of the various stages of the launch and the space flight, precise and technically detailed cut-outs that would nonetheless seem crude by today's standards.
I remember the official NASA release images my father, a newspaperman, brought home, the flimsy thermal paper just off the facsimile machine, already browning. Somewhere, I may still have a notebook full of them, mostly from Apollo 13's ill-fated flight; they were in my possession as recently as my days at Cal State Monterey Bay.
I remember the excitement, the tension. I knew, even at the age of 5, that I was witnessing the single most important event of the century, the single most important event of human history.
Forty years ago today, three men leapt off the edge of the world into the Black.
I was watching.
The Far Call: 40 Years Ago Today
Jul. 16th, 2009 10:52 amIt was a Wednesday. I was 5.
This was the fourth time I'd watched one of those impossibly immense Saturn Vs lift off from Cape Kennedy. My mother insisted on watching every televised moment she could of those flights, and I was right there beside her, as much as I could. During 9 and 10, the school was dutifully notified that I was staying home, sick; I suspect that "Moon Flu" was a common strain in 1969.
I remember -- or I think I remember -- Walter Cronkite's deep, reassuring voice; I've heard it so many times since that I can't really be sure if I remember it from the broadcast, or from the LP record that CBS released and I played regularly through the '70s. I do remember, vividly, the NASA animations that played over his descriptions of the various stages of the launch and the space flight, precise and technically detailed cut-outs that would nonetheless seem crude by today's standards.
I remember the official NASA release images my father, a newspaperman, brought home, the flimsy thermal paper just off the facsimile machine, already browning. Somewhere, I may still have a notebook full of them, mostly from Apollo 13's ill-fated flight; they were in my possession as recently as my days at Cal State Monterey Bay.
I remember the excitement, the tension. I knew, even at the age of 5, that I was witnessing the single most important event of the century, the single most important event of human history.
Forty years ago today, three men leapt off the edge of the world into the Black.
I was watching.
This was the fourth time I'd watched one of those impossibly immense Saturn Vs lift off from Cape Kennedy. My mother insisted on watching every televised moment she could of those flights, and I was right there beside her, as much as I could. During 9 and 10, the school was dutifully notified that I was staying home, sick; I suspect that "Moon Flu" was a common strain in 1969.
I remember -- or I think I remember -- Walter Cronkite's deep, reassuring voice; I've heard it so many times since that I can't really be sure if I remember it from the broadcast, or from the LP record that CBS released and I played regularly through the '70s. I do remember, vividly, the NASA animations that played over his descriptions of the various stages of the launch and the space flight, precise and technically detailed cut-outs that would nonetheless seem crude by today's standards.
I remember the official NASA release images my father, a newspaperman, brought home, the flimsy thermal paper just off the facsimile machine, already browning. Somewhere, I may still have a notebook full of them, mostly from Apollo 13's ill-fated flight; they were in my possession as recently as my days at Cal State Monterey Bay.
I remember the excitement, the tension. I knew, even at the age of 5, that I was witnessing the single most important event of the century, the single most important event of human history.
Forty years ago today, three men leapt off the edge of the world into the Black.
I was watching.
Mad Science: The Vortex Engine, Revisited
May. 5th, 2009 12:30 pmA couple of years back, I made a few posts about Louis Michard's Atmospheric Vortex Engine, a plan to use the waste heat from nuclear power plants and other industrial heat sources to produce artificial tornadoes and harness them for energy.
(I'm sorry. That's just so over-the-top that I can't type it without italics.)
Today, I found an article on Inhabitat from about the same time period. It's the only one that points out the possible flaw in this system that pushes it into True Mad Science territory:
And remember, the optimal place for an AVE is right next to a nuclear reactor.
Wheeeeeeee!
The hallmark of the best mad science is when making a disaster movie about it becomes redundant, because the whole thing plays out in everyone's mind as soon as they hear about it:
(I'm sorry. That's just so over-the-top that I can't type it without italics.)
Today, I found an article on Inhabitat from about the same time period. It's the only one that points out the possible flaw in this system that pushes it into True Mad Science territory:
A 200-meter wide tornado might just have enough power to start absorbing heat from the surrounding area all by itself (something which would be a problem if one is hoping to keep it contained, as once the tornado achieves enough energy, there would be very little to stop it from escaping, so says Nilton Renno a professor at the department of atmospheric, ocean and spaces sciences at the University of Michigan).
And remember, the optimal place for an AVE is right next to a nuclear reactor.
Wheeeeeeee!
The hallmark of the best mad science is when making a disaster movie about it becomes redundant, because the whole thing plays out in everyone's mind as soon as they hear about it:
Dr. Renno: "You've got to stop this project! My calculations indicate that the vortex could become self-sustaining and break free of its confinement!"
Dr. Michard: "Nonsense! You're just one man flying in the face of progress! Increase the power!!"
(Indicator lights rise on the status board. Howling winds increase outside. The technicians spout technobabble. And then... red lights flash and klaxons sound.)
Mad Science: The Vortex Engine, Revisited
May. 5th, 2009 12:30 pmA couple of years back, I made a few posts about Louis Michard's Atmospheric Vortex Engine, a plan to use the waste heat from nuclear power plants and other industrial heat sources to produce artificial tornadoes and harness them for energy.
(I'm sorry. That's just so over-the-top that I can't type it without italics.)
Today, I found an article on Inhabitat from about the same time period. It's the only one that points out the possible flaw in this system that pushes it into True Mad Science territory:
And remember, the optimal place for an AVE is right next to a nuclear reactor.
Wheeeeeeee!
The hallmark of the best mad science is when making a disaster movie about it becomes redundant, because the whole thing plays out in everyone's mind as soon as they hear about it:
(I'm sorry. That's just so over-the-top that I can't type it without italics.)
Today, I found an article on Inhabitat from about the same time period. It's the only one that points out the possible flaw in this system that pushes it into True Mad Science territory:
A 200-meter wide tornado might just have enough power to start absorbing heat from the surrounding area all by itself (something which would be a problem if one is hoping to keep it contained, as once the tornado achieves enough energy, there would be very little to stop it from escaping, so says Nilton Renno a professor at the department of atmospheric, ocean and spaces sciences at the University of Michigan).
And remember, the optimal place for an AVE is right next to a nuclear reactor.
Wheeeeeeee!
The hallmark of the best mad science is when making a disaster movie about it becomes redundant, because the whole thing plays out in everyone's mind as soon as they hear about it:
Dr. Renno: "You've got to stop this project! My calculations indicate that the vortex could become self-sustaining and break free of its confinement!"
Dr. Michard: "Nonsense! You're just one man flying in the face of progress! Increase the power!!"
(Indicator lights rise on the status board. Howling winds increase outside. The technicians spout technobabble. And then... red lights flash and klaxons sound.)
Earth Day: The Pale Blue Dot
Apr. 22nd, 2009 12:41 pmUnca Carl said it so well, there's very little I can add.
"Look again at that dot.
That's here. That's home. That's us."
"Look again at that dot.
That's here. That's home. That's us."
Earth Day: The Pale Blue Dot
Apr. 22nd, 2009 12:41 pmUnca Carl said it so well, there's very little I can add.
"Look again at that dot.
That's here. That's home. That's us."
"Look again at that dot.
That's here. That's home. That's us."
quelonzia and I just watched the first 45 minutes of Dollhouse.We didn't bother with the last 15.
The MacGuffin for the pilot episode was a hostage negotiation. If they'd done the same "engagement" on Burn Notice or Leverage, there would have been a lot less twiddling, and a lot more Smart People Doing Smart Things, quite possibly punctuated by explosions. Even a fairly mundane police procedural like Law & Order would have mustered more tension.
Sure, this was a pilot, and had to spend some time to establish the premise -- but My Own Worst Enemy hit the ground running in its opener, while presenting an equally-complex, somewhat less "arty" premise in a way that should be the textbook chapter of "show, don't tell".
Our combined assessment: Joss is too in love with his Brilliant Idea to actually tell a story with it.
I, on the other claw, have been "meh" about that premise since I first heard about it months ago.
I keep thinking that maybe I'm just disappointed because it was so hyped up, and didn't measure up to the hype -- but, frankly, if Joss Whedon's name hadn't been attached to it, I wouldn't have bothered to tune in in the first place.
And now I won't.
Oh, and I'm sorry if I was too busy being bored to notice if Dollhouse was "sexist".
By the way, you can watch all 9 episodes of My Own Worst Enemy at NBC's web site. Ding DING ding.
quelonzia and I just watched the first 45 minutes of Dollhouse.We didn't bother with the last 15.
The MacGuffin for the pilot episode was a hostage negotiation. If they'd done the same "engagement" on Burn Notice or Leverage, there would have been a lot less twiddling, and a lot more Smart People Doing Smart Things, quite possibly punctuated by explosions. Even a fairly mundane police procedural like Law & Order would have mustered more tension.
Sure, this was a pilot, and had to spend some time to establish the premise -- but My Own Worst Enemy hit the ground running in its opener, while presenting an equally-complex, somewhat less "arty" premise in a way that should be the textbook chapter of "show, don't tell".
Our combined assessment: Joss is too in love with his Brilliant Idea to actually tell a story with it.
I, on the other claw, have been "meh" about that premise since I first heard about it months ago.
I keep thinking that maybe I'm just disappointed because it was so hyped up, and didn't measure up to the hype -- but, frankly, if Joss Whedon's name hadn't been attached to it, I wouldn't have bothered to tune in in the first place.
And now I won't.
Oh, and I'm sorry if I was too busy being bored to notice if Dollhouse was "sexist".
By the way, you can watch all 9 episodes of My Own Worst Enemy at NBC's web site. Ding DING ding.
I need more data points.
Jan. 13th, 2009 08:13 amBased on empirical evidence, it seems that 355 ml of Guinness Extra Stout is a better cough suppressant than the combination of 10 mg Dextromethophan Hydrobromide and 200 mg Benzonatate (generic for "Tessalon").
Further research is required.
On a related note, has anyone else ever noticed that many pharmaceutical names sound like characters from fantasy or science fiction? Didn't the 6th Doctor fight the "Lovaza" on the planet "Tessalon"? Wasn't "Fioranol" the cousin of Legolas?
Further research is required.
On a related note, has anyone else ever noticed that many pharmaceutical names sound like characters from fantasy or science fiction? Didn't the 6th Doctor fight the "Lovaza" on the planet "Tessalon"? Wasn't "Fioranol" the cousin of Legolas?
I need more data points.
Jan. 13th, 2009 08:13 amBased on empirical evidence, it seems that 355 ml of Guinness Extra Stout is a better cough suppressant than the combination of 10 mg Dextromethophan Hydrobromide and 200 mg Benzonatate (generic for "Tessalon").
Further research is required.
On a related note, has anyone else ever noticed that many pharmaceutical names sound like characters from fantasy or science fiction? Didn't the 6th Doctor fight the "Lovaza" on the planet "Tessalon"? Wasn't "Fioranol" the cousin of Legolas?
Further research is required.
On a related note, has anyone else ever noticed that many pharmaceutical names sound like characters from fantasy or science fiction? Didn't the 6th Doctor fight the "Lovaza" on the planet "Tessalon"? Wasn't "Fioranol" the cousin of Legolas?
araquan pointed out this 2003 article in Nature that I hadn't seen before.I'm bookmarking it for discussion and future reference, since (as my last post should suggest) I am in no condition to peruse a lengthy formal paper at the moment.
The opening of the abstract immediately intrigues me, however (and not just because I've been reading too much Gamma World material):
An evolutionary capacitor buffers genotypic variation under normal conditions, thereby promoting the accumulation of hidden polymorphism. But it occasionally fails, thereby revealing this variation phenotypically.
If I'm interpreting this correctly, this suggests a physical mechanism for punctuated equilibrium, as well as suggesting how the usual wisdom that "random mutations should be automatically lethal 99% of the time".
I don't know how the biochemists and geneticists in the audience will react to this, but as a systems scientist, it makes perfect sense to me. Complex systems often develop regulator mechanisms as an emergent behavior.
araquan pointed out this 2003 article in Nature that I hadn't seen before.I'm bookmarking it for discussion and future reference, since (as my last post should suggest) I am in no condition to peruse a lengthy formal paper at the moment.
The opening of the abstract immediately intrigues me, however (and not just because I've been reading too much Gamma World material):
An evolutionary capacitor buffers genotypic variation under normal conditions, thereby promoting the accumulation of hidden polymorphism. But it occasionally fails, thereby revealing this variation phenotypically.
If I'm interpreting this correctly, this suggests a physical mechanism for punctuated equilibrium, as well as suggesting how the usual wisdom that "random mutations should be automatically lethal 99% of the time".
I don't know how the biochemists and geneticists in the audience will react to this, but as a systems scientist, it makes perfect sense to me. Complex systems often develop regulator mechanisms as an emergent behavior.
The Best Christmas Ever
Dec. 24th, 2008 06:58 am
Forty years ago, I was bundled in front of the television, the excitement of Christmas almost forgotten as I watched the grainy footage being transmitted from more than two hundred thousand miles away -- the farthest any human being had ever been from our world.
Though only three men were there to see that Earthrise with human eyes, on that Christmas Eve so long ago, all of us, every one, touched the sky.
Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, raise a toast this e'en to Apollo 8 and her crew, Borman, Lovell and Anders.
To boldly go.
The Best Christmas Ever
Dec. 24th, 2008 06:58 am
Forty years ago, I was bundled in front of the television, the excitement of Christmas almost forgotten as I watched the grainy footage being transmitted from more than two hundred thousand miles away -- the farthest any human being had ever been from our world.
Though only three men were there to see that Earthrise with human eyes, on that Christmas Eve so long ago, all of us, every one, touched the sky.
Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, raise a toast this e'en to Apollo 8 and her crew, Borman, Lovell and Anders.
To boldly go.
Film at 11: Virus Infects Other Viruses
Aug. 7th, 2008 09:38 amAnd little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum.
-- Augustus DeMorgan, 1872
Thanks to
returntonull.Film at 11: Virus Infects Other Viruses
Aug. 7th, 2008 09:38 amAnd little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum.
-- Augustus DeMorgan, 1872
Thanks to
returntonull.(Alas, this poor post, wonderful as it is, will forever be forgotten, overwhelmed by the events immediately following it.)
The Earth and Moon -- as seen from Mars.
Out ride the sons of Terra,
Far drives the thundering jet,
Up leaps the race of Earthmen,
Out, far, and onward yet...
Out ride the sons of Terra,
Far drives the thundering jet,
Up leaps the race of Earthmen,
Out, far, and onward yet...
(Alas, this poor post, wonderful as it is, will forever be forgotten, overwhelmed by the events immediately following it.)
The Earth and Moon -- as seen from Mars.
Out ride the sons of Terra,
Far drives the thundering jet,
Up leaps the race of Earthmen,
Out, far, and onward yet...
Out ride the sons of Terra,
Far drives the thundering jet,
Up leaps the race of Earthmen,
Out, far, and onward yet...
