October 14, 2003
Common knowledge holds that the druids were the builders of Stonehenge, who held blood soaked rituals involving human sacrifice on the site. As usual, common knowledge has it completely wrong.
Stonehenge as we know it is merely the remnants of a construction that evolved over a long period of time, and was added to, subtracted from, and heavily modified by various peoples along the way. Although the best known of the features in that region today, the entire Salisbury plain is positively littered with archeological treasures and mysteries.
As for the druids, they werenÂ’t so much a civilization as a sort of combination civil service and learned class, performing functions as healers, spiritual guides, accountants and judges. There is absolutely no evidence that they performed human sacrifice. Stonehenge also predates the druids by several centuries.
My long interest in Stonehenge led to my ‘fifteen minutes of fame’, and since the story also involves Halloween, it seems a good time to tell the tale. It requires some setup and meanders a little along the way, so bear with me.
In the late seventies, I was stationed in Grand Forks, North Dakota, serving as an Air Force Security Policeman. The Soviet Union had just invaded Afghanistan, and rumors were running wild that Uncle Sam was going to get involved. After work one day a clipboard was handed around and we were told to list our personal information for dog tags. Name, serial number, date of birth, blood type, and the last column listed “BAP” by the first several guys to fill out the roster. Thinking it meant ‘baptized’, I just put the little ditto marks under the ones above and forgot about it.
When the dog tags arrived, I learned that my religion was listed as Baptist (you saw that coming, didn’t you?). Any inaccuracies were to be reported, so I told my Sergeant that they had the religion wrong. I didn’t tell him that I was an idiot. When he asked what religion I wanted listed, I told him ‘nothing’. He asked me to reconsider, his reasoning being that having a religion listed could conceivably be a good thing if worse came to worse. I didn’t agree, but not wanting to argue the point I told the sergeant to put down the first thing that came to my mind - druid.
It became a pretty good conversation starter, being an official druid. Official, as far as Uncle Sam was concerned. Over the next several years, I would get the occasional survey form (this was the early days of ‘diversity awareness’), apparently looking for the druid viewpoint on issues. I assume Devil worshippers, Wiccans, animists and other pagans all got the same mailings. Since I wore the tag, I did some reading and learned a bit about what druidry was and is.
My next assignment was Montgomery, Alabama – heart of the Bible (thumping) Belt. I’d since acquired cross-training into the computer career field and a wife (I still have both as a matter of fact). Working at my desk one October morning, I was listening to a local radio station where the DJ was taking callers, most of who were rabidly anti-Halloween because of its ‘devil worshipping’ connotations.
Finally one caller managed to push my buttons. Among the yadda yadda about paganism and Halloween, he claimed that Great Britain was collectively going to hell because they weren’t Christian (read ‘Baptist’) and that Druids sacrificed humans at Stonehenge.
I called the radio station and talked to the DJ. Not a local boy, he was loving the nuts calling in for their comedic value. I gave him my rebuttal about druids and Stonehenge, and he asked me if I would go on air with it. I agreed and did my thing, staying on the line afterwards at the request of the DJ. Talk about stuff hitting the fan! For the next two hours, I became a most inexpert on-air expert, arguing my points after every four of five callers screaming for my sacrilegious hide. Eventually word got around at work that I was on the radio, and people started coming by to see me. When my commander dropped in, I wrapped it up and got back to work.
I consider myself a lapsed druid nowadays.
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05:35 AM | category: Boring Stories
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I'd love to spend a night there.October 13, 2003
Vandenberg AFB News Release
(Vandenberg AFB, OCT 10) The era of Titan II space boosters comes to a close Wednesday as the last Titan II blasts off of Space Launch Complex-4 West here. The launch window is from 9:17 to 9:28* a.m. The rocket will carry a 4,200-pound Defense Meteorological Satellite Program payload into low Earth orbit approximately 458 nautical miles above the Earth. This is the first DMSP launch in four years. The DMSP satellite constellation monitors the Earth's atmosphere and oceans providing nearly complete coverage of global cloud distribution every six hours.
This final launch is a joint effort between the men and women of the 30th Space Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center, Lockheed Martin, and Aerojet. The Titan program is being phased out as the Air Force moves toward the more cost-effective, efficient Evolved Expendable launch vehicle program.
The first Titan II rocket took off from Vandenberg AFB Sept. 5, 1988. There have been 70 Titan II missile and rocket launches from Vandenberg AFB, according to the 30th Space Wing historian.
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04:05 PM | category: Space Program
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The back row, from left to right:
Quest MicroMaxx, about 1"x.25" diameter.
Estes mini-engine, 13mm diameter.
Estes standard engine, 18mm diameter.
Estes "D" engine, 24mm diameter. These first four can be purchased in a lot of Wal-Mart type stores, as well as some craft stores. They all use a kind of black powder for propellant.
AeroTech "E" engine, 24mm diameter.
AeroTech "F" engine, 29mm diameter.
AeroTech "G" engine, 29mm diameter. These three all use Ammonium Perchlorate based propellant. In general, each 'letter' is twice as powerful as the one before.
Second row:
Two Dr. Rocket Reloadable Motor Casings for "H" motors. For these, you buy reload kits that provide solid slugs of Ammonium Perchlorate propellant and all of the necessary parts to assemble the motor. The casing on the left holds one more slug than the one on the right, so it's the more powerful motor. The casing on the right is a fully assembled motor. There's no danger here, because the motors need to be electrically ignited to fire. These are both 29mm in diameter.
Front row:
This is the motor for the Air Munuviana. It's a RATT-works "H", again in 29mm diameter. The reason for the length is that this is a hybrid motor, and a tank for nitrous oxide is incorporated into the design. The fuel is a slug of PVC plastic. I've designed the Air Munuviana to handle up to "J" motors and the motor mount will accept motors up to 38mm in diameter.
A little about the diameters. Standard diameters for rocket motors are 10.5mm, 13mm, 18mm, 24mm, 29mm, 38mm, 54mm, 75mm, 98mm, 3 inch, 4 inch and 6 inch. As you can see, I still fly at the smaller end of the range, but I'm slowly working my way up. [insert Tim Allen grunting noises here] more...
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01:48 PM | category: Rocketry Resources
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01:38 PM | category: Boring Stories
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She's a sleek little sweetie, there's a picture in the extended entry. That's a 3.5" diskette on the ground next to her for scale. more...
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01:34 PM | category: Munuvian Daily Tattler
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Today, Paul was right, and Stevie is happy. But sweetie (Stevie, not Paul), the Cowboys will never be cool.
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12:14 AM | category: Square Pegs
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October 12, 2003
Of course, not every crayon rocket has to be tiny either.
Now these guys are building tiny motors, both rotary and rocket. They talk a little bit about why to miniaturize this much (more here). Not too shabby for Berkely boys.
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09:44 PM | category: SciTech
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07:21 PM | category: Links
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This morning we did fall cleaning on the bedrooms, and all the pillows and bed linens and rugs were hauled downstairs for washing, which is my job.
Mookie came upstairs at one point and mentioned a "big ol' giant" spider hanging from the ceiling in the basement. I was busy doing something at the time and it didn't really register.
I made a couple of trips downstairs to rotate the washer and dryer without even thinking about the "big ol' giant" spider. Then, coming out of the basement with a stack of folded blankets, I finally saw Mookie's spider. I almost swallowed my tongue and dropped the laundry when I noticed it, because it was indeed hanging from the ceiling. Specifically, it was sitting in the middle of a web about two feet across stretched between a chair and the ceiling, about four feet off the floor.
I've admitted that I'm extremely arachnophobic, and Mookie is probably almost as bad. That's why I'm impressed with her description of "big ol' giant" spider, which showed great restraint and maturity. In contrast, my description was loud, obscene, contained many more words (several which rhymed somewhat with 'truck') and was accompanied by a cry of fright. Yeah, I screamed like a girl.
Let me describe the spider. This wasn't one of those bulky hairy things that look like an overdeveloped weightlifter denizen of spider-hell. Nope, this was one of those alien hard-shelled beasties with little a huge bloated abdomen and long slender legs. Did I mention that this paook's body was an inch across, and the legs added another inch all around. This was one huge freaking spider!
Ok, now I'm bigger, smarter, and in my instant adrenalin rush (flee or fight) I realize that I have access to a basement full of household chemicals. After making sure that the spider wasn't going anywhere, I retreated to find something that the military would describe as 'nerve-agent, aerosol'.
Selecting a nice spray can of gloss-coat (he died, but had a beautiful finish - old joke) and a piece of cardboard to catch the overspray, I sealed that paook with a nice long burst. Then I reversed the cardboard and spraycan and did his other side, just for good measure. The spider curled up a little bit and tried to retreat but was rather quickly overcome. Because of the glossy spray, I could see just how extensive (and beautiful) the web really was. I went for a broom and swept up the web and spider, and took it out back to get rid of it.
I wasn't ready for the little ReAnimator moment that came next. This spider came back to life and scrambled up the fence, startling me all over again. Then it crawled into a crack and disappeared. I gave the crack a shot of clearcoat, more for myself than for him.
Update: The extended entry now has two pictures of the paook taken before I sprayed it. I wasn't sure if they would come out, so I didn't mention them before. The first is a closeup, the second is farther away to give some context to the size of it and its web (the paooki is just low right of center, the web stretches beyond the top of the picture if you look closely). more...
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05:12 PM | category: Boring Stories
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My oldest daughter used to be my taste tester on these recipes, especially the Mexican ones. Wife and Mookie, being extremely picky eaters, want nothing to do with most of the food I like, and oldest daughter is away at college, so I recruited a neighbor and her daughters to help. I didn’t tell them anything beyond ‘enchilada’ when I took a tray full over to them. I’ll give you their (and my) reactions about these after the recipes.
Note: The first recipe calls for a simple Tomatillo sauce. My store didnÂ’t have any tomatillos, so I settled for a bottled Chile Verde (green chile sauce). If at all possible make the homemade stuff because it puts the bottled sauce to shame.
Tater Enchiladas
2 cups diced cooked potatoes
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
2 Tbsp lime juice
3 green onions, chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
½ tsp salt
¾ cup sour cream
8 corn tortillas
3 cups Tomatillo sauce (recipe below) or chile verde
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 small can of sliced black olives
directions
Combine the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl.
Soften the tortillas in heated tomatillo sauce.
Spoon equal amounts of potato mixture onto tortillas and roll up.
Place enchiladas seam-side down in a shallow baking dish.
Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Garnish with olives.
Bake in a 325 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
Tomatillo Sauce
1 pound tomatillos
8 fresh New Mexico green chilies, roasted and peeled *
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp oregano
Husk and wash tomatillos. Slice into wedges. In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Pour into a blender and pulse to desired consistency. (Makes about 4 cups sauce).
* Try to get New Mexico chilies instead of the ubiquitous Anaheim variety. Different chile, different flavor.
Zucchini Enchiladas
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
2 tsp chili powder
2 cups milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated monterey jack cheese
2 cups zucchini, diced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup onion, chopped
2 green chilies, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
16 corn tortillas
2 cups tomatoes, diced
directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and set aside.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the flour and chili powder to make a roux (thick paste). Gradually add the milk a little at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add both cheeses and heat gently until melted.
Steam the zucchini until just tender (about 10 minutes).
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat and cook onion, green chilies and garlic until limp – about 3-5 minutes. Don’t let the garlic burn, add it at the very end or stir constantly.
Add zucchini and 2/3 of the sauce. Toss gently to coat.
Spoon filling into each tortilla and roll, placing seam side down in baking pan.
Spoon remaining sauce over all and sprinkle with tomatoes.
Bake for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.
I made a third type of enchilada with the leftover ingredients of these two, using my homemade enchilada sauce.
Reactions:
My taste testers said they really liked these, even after I told them to be honest (it is a test recipe after all). Their favorite was the potato kind. Myself, I didn’t care for the potato enchiladas at all, but I have some ideas about that and I’ll try it again. First, I’ll have to make the homemade sauce instead of that lousy jar stuff. Second, dice the potatoes into smaller chunks and don’t use as much lime juice, it really overpowered the mixture instead of adding that ‘hint of lime’ you expect. Now I loved the zucchini enchiladas and will definitely be making them again. One of my taste testers hates zucchini but loved these.
I don't see why you couldn't add yellow squash to the mix for a nice change, and probably grill it with the onion and garlic instead of steaming.
These were fun to make and tasty. Making enchiladas isnÂ’t particularly difficult, and itÂ’s pretty impressive to set out dishes of several varieties of these at a party. Chicken, cheese, beef, and now two kinds of veggie, I loooooove Mexican food!
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09:28 AM | category: Recipes
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This is cool - Extreme Pumpkins. Thanks to TwoDragons for the link posted at Suburban Blight.
Q: How do West Virginians celebrate Halloween?
A: They pumpkin.
(Every state has a neighboring state that they make fun of. Washington has Idaho, North Carolina has South Carolina, Virginia has West Virginia, and everybody has California.)
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01:49 AM | category: Links
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12:13 AM | category: Square Pegs
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October 11, 2003
(in no particular order)
Spacecraft
Rocket Forge
Backstage
JimiLove, Inc.
Madfish Willie's Cyber Saloon
Say Uncle
Sophont
If you haven't seen them yet, drop in and check 'em out, you might find something you like.
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09:29 PM | category: Links
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According to Sports Illustrated, at the world championships some of the targets had tiny cameras in the dead center of the bullseye. From 70 yards away, she shot an arrow directly into the lens and exploded the camera. Twice. An official gave her one of the cameras as a souvenier and the shots were replayed constantly during the matches.
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03:14 PM | category: Square Pegs
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02:46 PM | category: Square Pegs
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A while back I spent a week thrashed by an infection that started with a broken molar. Well, today I'm starting the sequel. I've been trying to wait until after the new year to get some dental work taken care of, but it looks like I'm going to need another tooth pulled and another round of heavy-duty antibiotics ASAP. This time it's on the other side of my mouth, and it's a tooth that hasn't bothered me before, although the dentist agreed that it needs to come out. It started to hurt pretty good yesterday, and this morning the swelling has started. I'll be calling the dentist in a little bit for an appointment and (most importantly) drugs.
This is two three-day weekends in a row that this has happened. I'm a creature of habit, but this is getting ridiculous.
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08:24 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Thanks to Kelley for the link.
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08:11 AM | category: Square Pegs
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October 10, 2003
Tonight’s Final Jeopardy answer was about someone being killed by a spear (1700’s I believe), and the price said spear fetched in auction. The correct question – which I didn’t know – was Captain Cook, who was skewered in the Sandwich Islands, now known as Hawaii. The host of the show tossed in another little tidbit. The spear was recovered from Captain Cook’s body by his navigator, a man named Bligh who later became a captain of his own ship – the Bounty.
This kind of historical trivia floats my boat, so off I went into the realm of Google to see what more I might find.
HereÂ’s a site maintained by a distant ancestor of Captain Cook with some nice background information about the man and his voyages. I especially like this part:
What he had bequeathed to future generations was at once grand and simple: a coherent map of the Pacific.
Helluva legacy.
After reading this stuff for a while, I became curious about historic maps in general. Back to Google.
The very first site I found was this nifty online collection of historical maps. I love maps, especially old ones. They just fascinate me. In fact, when I worked at the US Department of State in Washington D.C., I went to a special seminar once in their research library that was totally devoted to the maps in their collection. So I went looking for a link to that.
What I came across instead was this extensive link list to online cartography resources, which includes the above link, the Library of Congress archives, and much more both modern and historic.
Back to Google, and looking for ‘antique map’ brings up a long list of map auction houses and retailers. This non-commercial site jumped out at me, it lists antique maps of Iceland. Their home page displays a map from 1547, and there are many more to view.
Frozen rocky bits of land in the middle of nowhere made me think about maps of the planets in our solar system. This link, from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is pretty cool. The maps are stitched together from satellite images and such.
Further Googling led to this page containing a map that many scientists believe shows positive evidence of the asteroid strike that ended the reign of the dinosaurs. You can read more about it here.
From NASA to Vasa. Why? Because I knew a little about the Vasa already, and was curious about the progress. You see, the Vasa was a Swedish vessel that was designed to be the most powerful warship afloat. Unfortunately, she capsized and sank on her maiden voyage in 1628 – within a mile of her starting point and in sight of throngs of people gathered to watch her launch. After more than 300 years on the bottom, she was salvaged and raised, and a museum built to display her and tell her story. There’s another nice site about her here, which includes detailed lists of the items salvaged from the wreck.
The Vasa wasnÂ’t the first ship to sink in such a manner. The British ship Mary Rose had suffered a similar fate about 80 years before. This site gives a little history, as well as a look at underwater archeological techniques.
Unlike James Burke, who manages to neatly wrap everything up at the end of his columns (no longer in Scientific American – drat) or shows on the Learning Channel, I’m going to take the easy way out here. By the way, if you’ve never had the chance to read or watch his Connections, you should. It’s a fun look at history, in ways you’ve never dreamed of.
Anyway, back to my copout... The Mary Rose was a British ship, and Captain Cook was the leader of a British exploration voyage. All wrapped up into one neat little package, right back where we started from. C'mon, if I was any good at this, I'd get paid for it!
Here's a little personal map story. When we first got married my wife could not read a map. One long weekend we travelled to a nearby city to shop and just get away for a few days. When we got inside the city limits I handed my wife a street map and told her that she had to navigate every bit of the way around town. We spent most of that weekend lost, but by the end of it my wife could read a map and get us to where we wanted to go. To this day she keeps an accordian folder full of maps in her trunk, and she knows how to use them when she travels.
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09:27 PM | category: Links
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What caught my eye though was a little farther down the page, the listing for Dean Guitars. Way back when, I wanted one of these in the worst way. Not that I was hurting for a quality instrument, because at the time I was playing an Ibanez (the one on the right).
Then I got married and did some serious growing up and re-prioritizing in my life. (I'm going to bookend this whole post with another) Dammit!
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10:42 AM | category: Links
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I've got the goods on you, pal. You're living a lie and I have proof that you're not the wild-assed party animal you pretend to be on the internet. Photographic evidence exists in the extended entry. more...
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09:05 AM | category: Square Pegs
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