Emotional Response

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Kevin
on November 20, 2008
in Personal and Politics
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After looking at the picture in the previous post, and watching Obama on 60 Minutes (hey, how about that; I actually watched something on TV that didn’t come off a DVD and wasn’t sports!), I realize I do have an emotional reaction to the next prez.

It’s always seemed intolerably stupid to vote for a candidate because he’s the kinda guy you’d want to have a beer with, but in my case it’s that he’s the kind of a guy I’d want to work for.  (Hey, come January, I will be working for him.  Modulo N levels of intervening management.)  But he seems like someone I’d want as a direct boss.  Organized, confident, intelligent, and cheerful.  Probably (hopefully!) a sonofabitch if you screw up, but that’s okay.  It’s bosses like that who can change, oh, say, the Hubble Space Telescope from a national embarrasment to the best-loved science facility ever.

Now let’s hope that reaction is correct.

A New Day in America

Published
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Kevin
on November 12, 2008
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Oh yeah, he’s one of us!!

I love this photo! Wish I knew who to credit, but I got it from <a href=

Yes, America has finally elected its first Mac-using president.  About time!

(I found the photo here. HT to PZ.)

Overhead Projector, my Ass

Published
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Kevin
on October 9, 2008
in Politics and Science
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John McCain, Mister straight talk:

While we were working to eliminate these pork barrel earmarks he [Senator Obama] voted for nearly $1 billion in pork barrel earmark projects. Including $3 million for an overhead projector at a planetarium in Chicago, Illinois. My friends, do we need to spend that kind of money?

Overhead Projector?  Overhead Projector?

This is an overhead projector, John.

An overhead projector. Not worth three million dollars

An overhead projector. Not worth three million dollars

And here’s what the planetarium needs:

The Zeiss Universarium Mark IX

The Zeiss Universarium Mark IX. Worth a lot more than three million dollars.

I don’t for a minute think John McCain believes the Adler wanted to get $3M for the upper thing, so they could get one at Office Depot and spend the rest on hookers and blow.  Surely he knows what a planetarium is, and what planetarium projectors are.  The only reason to refer to that amazing apparatus as an overhead projector is to imply (by which I mean “lie”) that Obama will spend money just for the sake of spending.

Man, I used to think Arizona had some decent senators.  I always had a soft spot for Barry Goldwater, and McCain used to at least appear honest.  Maybe he was, and running for Prez has rotted his brain.  Or maybe it was all an illusion to start with.  But this is ridiculous.

You can make the argument that planetaria ought to be funded by, say, peer review at NSF, rather than earmarks, and I’d be right there with you.  But pretending that the earmark was for an overhead projector just makes me wish Al Franken were still on the radio.

Oh, I forgot to link to Phil’s post on this, which is what got me going in the first place.

Why the ACLU Really Sucks

Published
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Kevin
on October 1, 2008
in Politics
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Much as I’d like to support the ACLU, being a fan of civil rights for all, I can’t support an organization that lies in order to get support.

I joined back in ‘01, when the current re-marking-up of the Constitution began, but after a year of multiple mailings all asking for more money, and a series of ever-more-desperate emails warning me that my membership was expiring, I decided I preferred to spend my support elsewhere.  It’s now been 6 years since I was a member, and I continue to get mail, both postal and e-, asking me to re-up.  But okay, if they find it’s worth the postage then whatever.

The problem is that these mailings have a strong tendency to state things in such a way as to imply that my membership is about to expire, and I need to send money right away to keep that from happening.  They never come right out and say it, but it’s sleazy nonetheless.

Here’s what I got today: Your ACLU Membership Has Expired

Uh, yeah. Six years ago.   Hey, Anthony Romero, wait wait, don’t lie to me.  That subject line is not what you say to someone who hasn’t been a member of your organization for six years.  It’s exactly the kind of political double-speak I’m against.  Sure, technically it’s true, but it’s meant to mislead.  It’s no better than the series of postcards I got from Petro when I moved in, addressed to me, telling me my oil contract needed to be renewed.  Well no, since I never had one before.  Which you know, since you clearly got my name from the database of existing home sales.   Mr. Romero, you are doing the same thing; trying to trick me into “renewing” my non-existent membership in your organization.  Well, keep fighting the good fight, just not with my money.

Here’s a thing:  How many letters per year do you think I get from the EFF?  Try “one”.  A nice letter thanking me for my support and letting me know how to send them more money if I want to renew.  When I stopped giving to them for a few years, for fiscal reasons, they didn’t bug me once.  How ’bout that?  Guess where my money is going now?

Launch delay

Published
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Kevin
on September 29, 2008
in Uncategorized
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Nothing official yet, but Florida Today is reporting that SM4 has been delayed until next year.  Will the flight spare C&DH unit be ready to replace the failed one by then?  Stay tuned…

Wee Thomas

Published
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Kevin
on September 28, 2008
in Personal
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And so whaddya think happens? We find a Wee Thomas, of course.

Basement cat has a fierce!

Basement cat has a fierce!

Someone had to have another kitty. And there this one was, all black and friendly-like. And so, in honor of Martin McDonagh, it’s Wee Thomas. He’s quarantined for a week or two, since he just came from the shelter. This is very troublesome to Raoul, who is sure there’s another cat behind that door. More photos below.

Continue reading ‘Wee Thomas’

You Guys Always Bring Me the Very Best Violence

Published
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Kevin
on September 27, 2008
in Signature and Theatre
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There’s a maxim in comedy, which I’m sure has a proper name, but I just call it the 9-rakes rule, based on the Cape Feare episode of The Simpsons. Stepping on a rake once is funny, the second time is less funny, the third time starts gettting repetetive and boring, but sometime between the 4th and the 9th time it gets funny again. The same principle applies with violence; too much is often better than the right amount. Quentin Tarantino understands this, as does Robert Rodriguez. And so, it turns out, does Martin McDonagh. We saw his dark comedy, his “comedy of terrors” if you will, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, last night at Signature, and it goes so far overboard on the violence that it made me wonder if I was a bad person for giggling uncontrollably at some of the scenes.

McDonagh also wrote The Cripple of Inishmaan, which we saw at Silver Spring Stage in March. Cripple was very dark, and we had heard it was one of his cheerier plays, so weren’t sure what to expect from Lieutenant. Especially considering it was billed as comedy. But it was in the smaller ARK space at Signature, so at least it wasn’t going to involve the Broadwaysturbation that’s becoming more common in the MAX space (notwithstanding the fact that this play was nominated for five Tonys in 2006). We weren’t disappointed.

More, with some spoilers, below the fold.

Continue reading ‘You Guys Always Bring Me the Very Best Violence’

Ayyy-Ceee-Esss-Arrr

Published
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Kevin
on September 13, 2008
in Uncategorized
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(See previous posting for some help if you are completely at sea here. It may or may not help, but it’s worth a shot.)

Young man, there’s no need to ask why.
I said, young man, don’t you let yourself cry.
I said, young man, launch your crew to the sky
There’s no need to be unhappy.

Young man, there’s a place you can go.
I said, young man, where your stature will grow.
You can stay there, and I’m sure you’ll achieve
Many things they did not believe

It’s fun to star on the A-C-S–R.
It’s fun to star on the A-C-S–R.

They have everything for you all to enjoy,
You can rebuild without the noise …

It’s fun to star on the A-C-S–R.
It’s fun to star on the A-C-S–R.


ACS-R is Locked and Loaded

Published
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Kevin
on September 12, 2008
in Personal and Space
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Check this out! The ACS Repair hardware is loaded into the LOPE (Large ORU (Orbital Replacement Unit) Protective Enclosure) and ready for launch. Hubble’s best camera will be working again soon!

The ACS Repair hardware in flight configuration, stowed in the LOPE

The ACS Repair hardware in flight configuration, stowed in the LOPE

You got your Low-Voltage Power Supply Replacement (LVPS-R) up at the top, and your CCD Electronics Box Replacement (CEB-R) at the bottom of the picture. The aluminum-colored plates on the top of each box swing up and out of the way by turning the T-handles, then the boxes slide out. Well actually for the CEB-R you also have to flip the green handles and move them out of the way first as well.

Once installed on Hubble, the harness you see sticking out of the LVPS-R gets connected to the CEB-R, where you see the red shorting plug on there now. There’s more info on ACS Repair at their website.

So now it’s up to the installation crew to get the carrier loaded into the payload bay, and then our astronauts to install it. And we have to not get eaten by alligators, which doesn’t seem too difficult.

In Which I Endeavour to Avoid Geek Fanboy Syndrome

Published
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Kevin
on September 11, 2008
in Personal and Space
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Here are some more shots from yesterday’s tour of Endeavour. This post really should be put into my standard slideshow format, but when my hard drive died it took my /bin folder with it. I had /Applications and the important parts of /Documents backed up, but /bin is the poor cousin in the Mac hierarchy. So I don’t currently have the script to build a slideshow page. I’m sure it’s on some hard disk somewhere, but I don’t have it now. So you get ‘em like this.

Let’s start outside the Vehicle Assembly Building. Look, it’s Cepi’s Angels!

Erin, Kathleen, and Becky in front of the VAB. We didn't go in there.

Erin, Kathleen, and Becky in front of the VAB. We didn't go in there.

But nothing was happening in there, so we didn’t go in. Later this week they’ll be stacking Endeavour in there (attaching it to the external tank, and boosters). With any luck I’ll get to see that too.

Continue reading ‘In Which I Endeavour to Avoid Geek Fanboy Syndrome’