Category: Stuff I Like
If the World is Devoured By A Giant Space Squid on Saturday, Blame NASA
We sent a squid into space today. Let me say that again. We sent a squid into space today. Now, when I say “squid”, I don’t mean an old sailor or some sort of WWII vintage weapon. I mean we sent a ten-armed marine cephalopod into space. Oh, and it’s not just any squid. It’s [...]
A Little Monday Music, Russian-Style
Once upon a time, I did a occasional post on Monday nights called, appropriately enough, Monday Night Music. I never made a regular feature of it (though I did consider doing so, briefly) but I do like to return to it once in a while. And so I shall today! Over the weekend, while looking [...]
Naval…Lasers? Yes, Please and On A Battleship!
Oh, United States Navy, you had me at “lasers” and “pirates”. The US Navy’s MLD system, designed and built by defense contractor Northrop Grumman, is a bit different in nature. The MLD is a 15 kilowatt laser specifically designed to handle the pitch and roll of a ship deck without losing track of its target. [...]
Fifty Years in Space, But Will We See More?
I find it amazing that the entire history of manned spaceflight can very nearly fit within my own lifetime. Today marks two important anniversaries in mankind’s attempt to explore the vast universe outside our own world. Rand Simberg gives us the details. Tomorrow will be the fiftieth anniversary of the first time a human orbited the [...]
Happy Pi Day, 2011!
Looking back at my archives, I’ve found that I have celebrated every Pi Day since 2008. I’m not sure what that says about me, save that there can be no doubt that I am a ginormous geek. Still, if you have to celebrate a silly holiday, why not celebrate the one that comes with a [...]
I Still Believe in Miracles: 31 Years Ago
On February 22, 1980 — 31 years ago yesterday — this happened. I still get goosebumps and choke up just a little bit every time I year Al Michaels exclaim, “Do you believe in miracles?? YES!” What I did now know was that the only reason Michaels was there was because he was the only [...]
Yes, I Would Like Free Streaming Video with My Amazon Prime!
One of the best deals on the web just got one heck of a lot better today. Amazon has just turned on its Prime Instant Video service, letting paid Prime subscribers (sorry, students) in the US (sorry, foreigners) stream any of 5,000 movies and TV shows directly to their machines free of charge — well, free [...]
NASA’s Idea of Winning the Future is Less than Inspiring
Remember when the people who ran NASA aspired to great things, like putting men on the moon and exploring the vasty blackness of our final frontier? These days, it takes much less to get then excited. Witness the headline of today’s big press release: NASA Announces Plan To Win The Future With Fiscal Year 2012 [...]
That’s What You Said