There's an idea, just throw rocks at it until it goes away

Spain is proposing an interesting concept that could possibly provide Earth with some protection from those 'killer' rocks that's floating around up there (Bruce Willis ain't gonna live forever, ya know).

According to their plan, a pair of spacecraft will be launched together to intercept a selected asteroid. One will orbit the rock and take measurements and pictures, while the other slams into the asteroid in an attempt to alter its trajectory. The idea being if you do it far enough away, a smaller nudge is needed to make it miss Mother Earth.

Posted by: Ted at 06:42 AM | category: Space Program
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So much for *that* nap

So I'm in the recliner after dinner, having told my wife that I'm going to close my eyes for an hour, when the Martha Stewart news comes on the TV.

I startled the wife and both dogs as I came flying out of my chair when Martha Stewart actually compared herself to Nelson Mandella.

I'm trying to maintain some perspective, but it's hard when that condescending and sanctimonious bitch whines about how she's being treated.

Posted by: Ted at 11:18 PM | category: Square Pegs
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Mmmmmm

Dinner tonight was a beautiful steak, accompanied by a thick slab of onion (drizzled with olive oil and a little salt and pepper), and a fresh pear, quartered and cored. All grilled to perfection.

Try it sometime.

Posted by: Ted at 05:54 PM | category: Recipes
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Funeral

For my friend and co-worker will be this afternoon. To be buried with full military honors (retired Air Force) at Quantico National Cemetary.

Posted by: Ted at 06:54 AM | category: Seriously
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Stage right

There've been some new MuNuvians added (there are getting to be quite a lot of us too), and some others added to the blogroll farther down. I recommend finding one you've never visited and give a read. If you like it, tell 'em Rocket Jones sent you. If you don't, well, life is full of little disappointments, isn't it?

Posted by: Ted at 06:51 AM | category: Links
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Wake

I missed work Tuesday and Wednesday with a stomach bug, and when I got to the office this morning, an email was waiting, informing me that a close co-worker at my last project had passed away Saturday evening.

This friend was about my age, and found out about three months ago that he had an agressive form of cancer. The last time I talked to his wife, just before I started this new job (what, three weeks?), she said he was fighting hard and doing fine.

I've been distracted all day, and just got home a little while ago from the viewing. I'm not very good at dealing with these kinds of situations.

Posted by: Ted at 07:53 PM | category: Seriously
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*retch*

Not only are they remaking the classic House of Wax (and destroying the original storyline in the process), but word is out that Paris Hilton is co-starring.

Hopefully she's the first to go.

Posted by: Ted at 08:04 AM | category: Cult Flicks
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Tip #1, Never ever forget to invite Bubba

Martha Stewart appears in court tomorrow for sentencing, complete with her friends, family, legal team and a "sentencing consultant".

"A federal prosecution is incredibly adversarial. You can come out of it feeling victimized, saying 'They were mean to me, or they didn't have to go that far,'" says [consultant] Novak. But he emphasizes to them: "Your choices and the consequences for those choices are truly what put you in this position."

Pruno. It's time to pull out the good crystal!

Posted by: Ted at 06:02 AM | category: Links
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Happy Birthday Mookie!

Go on over to her place and wish her a happy 16th! And while you're there, remind her to clean her room.

And Mookie, I found this for you. You're welcome sweetie.

Posted by: Ted at 04:41 AM | category: Links
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For no particular reason

George "Machine Gun" Kelly (he's the guy wearing the bracelets).

(in the extended entry) more...

Posted by: Ted at 05:27 PM | category: History
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Holding Pattern stuff

One of my favorite features of Movable Type is 'draft mode'. I'll find stuff out on the net, then throw together notes and links and such into a drafted article until I can get around to polishing it until I get bored, then it goes out as is.

Once in a while, when the muse is silent, and I'm too lazy or busy to nudge her the hell up, I'll pull out one of my "Holding Pattern" posts and there you go - instant content.

For instance, here's two that I've been sitting on for a while now, both courtesy of Alan E. Brain.

The CSS Zen Garden . Site design ideas and inspiration.

And for those more inclined to the arts, presented here are Earth songs in Klingon - funny funny stuff!

Enjoy!

Posted by: Ted at 10:35 AM | category: Links
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Found her!

A while back I wrote about a rocket I fly called Ain't Misbehavin', and posted a picture of the decal for it. I'd mentioned that the pinup-style lady on the decal was from an artist named Shannanigan, but that I'd lost the link. Well, I found it again, and her site is well worth a visit.

Psst. She does Sims stuff too.

Oh yeah, Yahoo has taken down all my old photo pages, so I've included the decal for Ain't Misbehavin' in the extended entry. more...

Posted by: Ted at 08:57 PM | category: Links
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iPods A Security Threat

This isn't a surprise, and it's not BS either.

Some time ago the US Government banned the little thumb drives from the workplace, and I'm not allowed to connect my iPAQ to any government computers for the exact same reason.

Once again, technology outpaces security.

Posted by: Ted at 10:47 AM | category:
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Viagramyacin

Now you can get and cure the clap, all in one easy pill.

Just don't take it with beer (in the extended entry - safe for work). more...

Posted by: Ted at 04:55 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Baseball factoids

(courtesy of Sporting News)

This season, Barry Bonds has more intentional walks (67) than any hitter in the AL has total walks.

Back in 1934, NY Giants southpaw Carl Hubbell struck out five straight batters in the All-Star game. Those five were Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin. All five were easily elected to the Hall of Fame upon retirement.

The starting NL outfield (Bonds, Griffey [doh!] and Sosa), has combined for 1,735 career home runs. The entire AL starting lineup has a total of 1,799 career homers.

Posted by: Ted at 06:51 PM | category: History
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It is a silly place

Major thanks to Lawren for pointing out that next year the Broadway musical version of Monty Python & the Holy Grail premiers.

Let the spankings commence!

Posted by: Ted at 11:19 AM | category: Links
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Burial in Space

Space Services Inc. is poised to resume service in September launching containers full of people's ashes into space, where they will circle the Earth for years to come.

$1,000 for a gram's worth of you, or you can super-size it to seven grams for $5,300.

The company also offers a video of the launch and provides software that allows families to track the orbital location of their loved ones' remains in real time.

The last funeral flight, in September 2001, failed to reach orbit, but three prior launches did.

The company pledges a free relaunch if the first attempt fails. Chafer said the families of 48 of the 50 people whose remains were on the last flight had opted for another attempt.

"The key to the business is the routine access to space," Chafer said, adding the company planned to make three to four launches a year if the Falcon program proves successful.

As much as this appeals to me, I have a couple of problems with the concept. Right up front, let me state that I have no knowledge of exactly what kind of containers they're using, how they're being orbited, nor what kind of orbit they're using. If they're keeping everything together in one larger piece holding all the smaller containers, then that's good. If they're in an orbit that's not useful for any other purpose, then that's good. But this is basically littering in orbit, and someone is making money to do it. It sounds like the orbit will decay in a few years, so the problem takes care of itself eventually. But I don't want to fall into the trap of "there's plenty of room up there" because that kind of thinking led to problems with Earth's oceans. "Plenty of room" implies big, not infinite, and you'd be amazed at how much crap humanity has already left floating around over our heads.

Posted by: Ted at 09:44 AM | category: Space Program
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I'll take 'ass whooping' for $1000, Alex

Have you been watching Jeopardy lately?

Jennings is making the most of a change in "Jeopardy!" rules. To mark the start of its 20th season last September, the quiz show lifted its five-game limit for winners and allowed them to keep going until they lose.

He's won 28 nights in a row, and has over $900,000 in winnings so far. The article talks about how self-deprecating he is, and it's true. This guy has had the opportunity to really run it up and hasn't done so. He makes modest, non-greedy Final Jeopardy wagers - which he almost always wins - and just destroys the competition by being faster on the button and giving the right answers. I've also never seen him buzz in just to guess at an answer, the guy has his act together.

By the way, my wife reminded me that we'd seen the longest contestant appearance streak ever on a show called Tic Tac Dough, hosted by Wink Martindale. On that show, a Naval officer named Thom McKee stayed on the show for 45 straight games.

Posted by: Ted at 05:58 AM | category: Links
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Thanks

Thanks for all the good wishes yesterday. The three of us went to a local dinner theater, Mookie was along as part of her (upcoming) birthday present. Like most places of the sort it's small, dark and intimate, and the actors and technical crew double as wait staff.

Our waitress was a nice lady who was only an understudy for this show, she told us her primary job was "chief electrician". Reading the actors bio's in the program, we found out that she'd appeared several times on the television series M*A*S*H as Nurse Able and also (more memorable to me) as Frank Burn's wife - remember the "home movie" where she wouldn't let him drive?

I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The food was fair (advertised as "Pennsylvania Dutch" style buffet - lots of dumplings and casseroles and such). The show was excellent: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. This particular theater seems to specialize in musicals, and they have a pretty good cast for singing and dancing.

All in all, a nice day.

Posted by: Ted at 05:18 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Happy Anniversary to my Love

Twenty-three years, and I'm ready for fifty more, because I feel exactly like this:

I'm no poet and I know it
I don't use five dollar words
This might not sound like much compared to all the pretty things you've heard
But here's how I'd explain it
Since you brought it up
It won't sound like anybody else's version of love

ItÂ’s like just before dark
Jump in the car
Buy an ice cream and see how far we can drive before it melts kinda feelinÂ’
ThatÂ’s how your love makes me feel inside
ThereÂ’s a cow in the road and you swerve to the left
Fate skips a beat and it scares you to death and you laugh until you cry
ThatÂ’s how your love makes me feel inside

It might not be more suitable for greeting cards and such
But itÂ’s a true and honest feeling and if you feel it half as much
We could go through life together without a worry or a care
Knowing deep down in our hearts that weÂ’ve got something special here

ItÂ’s like just before dark
Jump in the car
Buy an ice cream and see how far we can drive before it melts kinda feelinÂ’
ThatÂ’s how your love makes me feel inside
ThereÂ’s a cow in the road and you swerve to the left
Fate skips a beat and it scares you to death and you laugh until you cry
ThatÂ’s how your love makes me feel inside
ThatÂ’s how your love makes me feel

I have always heard you canÂ’t put love into words

ItÂ’s like just before dark
Jump in the car
Buy an ice cream and see how far we can drive before it melts kinda feelinÂ’
ThatÂ’s how your love makes me feel inside
ThereÂ’s a cow in the road and you swerve to the left
Fate skips a beat and it scares you to death and you laugh until you cry
ThatÂ’s how your love makes me feel inside
ThatÂ’s how your love makes me feel inside
ThatÂ’s how your love makes me feel inside
ThatÂ’s how I feel
ThatÂ’s how your love makes me feel

-- Max Barnes & Trey Bruce (Diamond Rio)

Posted by: Ted at 11:59 AM | category: Waxing Lyrical
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