Rocket Jones

May 13, 2005

Beautiful flowers

Photographed in a way you may have never seen before, by x-ray. Thanks to Lynn S for pointing this one out.

Posted by: Ted at 04:16 AM | category: Links
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May 12, 2005

Somebody's momma hated them

From Not Exactly Rocket Science, this Amazon list of unfortunately named authors. Funny stuff!

Posted by: Ted at 07:09 PM | category: Links
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Adjust your links

Who Tends the Fires has moved.

Posted by: Ted at 06:27 PM | category: Links
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Estupido!

Nothing in particular, I just love the way that sounds when you say it loudly.

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Rocket Jones Blog Banner Contest - Time to Vote!

Stuck up top for a week, scroll down for new posts.

A month ago I wrote this:

Here's your chance to be creative. Design a banner for Rocket Jones. Drawing, painting, photography, simple, complex, I don't care. Enter as many as you'd like.

Then I mentioned voting for favorites and actual prizes and what not. Banners were thunked up, creativity was exercised, and links were tossed about with abandon.

They're all gathered in the extended entry (in no particular order) for your perusal. Some you've seen before, some were last minute arrivals, all are super-neato-keen. Check 'em out and vote for your favorite by leaving a comment.

Thank you. more...

Posted by: Ted at 02:28 PM | category: Links
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1 Oh, this is hard. I like a bunch of them. The rocket in the pocket is hilarious but I'm also very keen on the 50's retro sign. I like the medieval one too.

Drat.

Okay, if I have to pick only one I'll cast my vote for the 50's retro sign.

Posted by: Jim at May 05, 2005 08:57 AM (tyQ8y)

2 I gotta go with the Rocketeer Extraordinaire banner. My second choice would be the Rocket Jones .mu.nu banner with the lady and the kid riding the rocket. It reminds me of the old Golden Age pulp covers, like something you would have seen on a van Vogt book or Astounding Tales.

Posted by: eric at May 05, 2005 10:03 AM (ZUryZ)

3 The 1950's banner caught my eye, but I gotta go with the Bayeux Tapestry version. Nobody else has anything like it!

Plus, the "Rocket in your Pocket" one misspells "Jonesin'" - and uses an open single quotation mark instead of an apostrophe. Yeah, call me Mr. Grammar-Pants.

Posted by: Elisson at May 05, 2005 10:37 AM (6RZ2o)

4 50's Retro!

Posted by: Pixy Misa at May 05, 2005 11:38 AM (+S1Ft)

5 woot!

The tapestry design is truly inspired, but since nobody is voting for the Werner Von Braun design (I can vote for my own, right? I can't? oh.)

tapestry.

Posted by: Derek at May 05, 2005 12:08 PM (wEVXE)

6 I like the pocket, the medievil one and the one with the lady and kid on the rocket. Also the road sign one. Just put 'em in rotation, Ted!

Posted by: Susie at May 05, 2005 01:27 PM (IPJ6q)

7 They're all going into the rotation, we're just choosing up who gets the secret prize.

Posted by: Ted at May 05, 2005 02:33 PM (blNMI)

8 It's hard to pick just one. I like the "Rocketeer Extraordinaire" a lot...but I gotta go with the tapestry.

Posted by: Victor at May 05, 2005 03:12 PM (L3qPK)

9 numbero seis! or as you darn gringitos would say, ::counts fingers:: "this many!"

(number six!)

Posted by: kyer at May 05, 2005 03:38 PM (oY0vI)

10 Wow, those are cool.

The '50's one is the coolest of the cool, I think.

Posted by: nic at May 05, 2005 04:50 PM (Sx8zO)

11 How about just rotating the lot of them?

Posted by: ethne at May 05, 2005 09:34 PM (jBfSi)

12 '50's retro rocket! Luv it!

2nd choice would prolly be the medievel one, followed closely by the rocket in the pocket.

I also like the simplicity and color of numero seis.

And my German isn't just a little rusty, it's dust. But, I think that reads "This can not BE! Oh, well! It IS... Rocket Jones!" Is that right, Beuller?

Beuller...?

Posted by: Tuning Spork at May 05, 2005 10:10 PM (g5pve)

13 Ooops! I meant numero cinco! Damn dusty Spanish...

Posted by: Tuning Spork at May 05, 2005 10:21 PM (g5pve)

14 Wow!They're all so cool.If I gotta choose I choose the retro.My grandma had one of those wild designs on her kitchen table.Red counter tops with the gold metal flakes,the drinking bird,the string art and the bullfighter on black velvet hanging on the wall,the drinking glass from a bottle cutter,rabbit ears,Speed Racer and Ultraman with Captain Chesapeake in the afternoon on UHF 45,the huge strawberry cookie jar..........oh,man I'm really flashin'!!!!!

Posted by: Russ at May 06, 2005 12:23 AM (ObxzR)

15 Spork, you're *almost* right. It's not "oh well!", it's "oh shit!"

LOL I knows me German swear words.

Posted by: Ted at May 06, 2005 07:55 AM (blNMI)

16 I like the 6th one down best.

Posted by: Maelstrom at May 06, 2005 01:14 PM (GzvlQ)

17 I like the fifth one down the best, although I like the second and third ones too.

Posted by: Donna at May 06, 2005 01:38 PM (zBzvc)

18 I like the midevil one myself. They're all top notch, though.

Posted by: Paul at May 06, 2005 03:04 PM (vbP6L)

19 The tapestry one.

Posted by: LeeAnn at May 06, 2005 03:51 PM (vqSdN)

20 I too...have to say 1950's inspired design. Why? I think Rocket Jones sounds like some sort of 1950's TV show.....

Posted by: ArmyWifeToddlerMom at May 06, 2005 03:54 PM (pN/vX)

21 1950's

Posted by: pam at May 07, 2005 08:21 AM (l6NIn)

22 Even though I have several up there, I have to say I like the 50's retro is great! Even if I did not do it!!!

Posted by: Amy at May 07, 2005 09:08 AM (tPzR0)

23 I like the pocket one, only the "jonesin'" part needs to be fixed, and that bottom line should be knocked down a point size or two.

I am an editor who works with designers all day -- can you tell? I drive them nuts.

Posted by: dawn at May 07, 2005 10:24 AM (Dh1V0)

24 I like the Rocket in the Pocket, the second one, and the 6th.

Posted by: Rachel Ann at May 07, 2005 01:53 PM (eI45D)

25 I vote for the tapestry banner. Somehow I can you see totally on board with sending a rocket back in time.

Second up is A Rocketeer Extraordinaire.

But hey, no hockey-themed logo? I'm crushed.

Posted by: Debbye at May 08, 2005 05:32 AM (ckJ/X)

26 It is a real toss up for me. My natural inclination is to vote for the Bayeux Tapestry one. It is really inspired.

But the Tom Lerher fan in me screams out to vote for Werner Von Braun.

I am torn. We can't split our vote can we?

Posted by: The Maximum Leader at May 09, 2005 11:23 AM (jiSuM)

27 I vote for the most excellent 50's retro banner!

Posted by: michele at May 10, 2005 10:04 PM (ht2RK)

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Gettin' My Groove On

One of the best things about my iPaq PDA is that I can use it as an MP3 player, and storage cards are coming down in price all the time, which means I can carry more music with me.

The frustrating part is that since it's not a dedicated music player, it only accepts the MP3 format. Now that wouldn't be a problem except that Windows Media Player - and most other equivalent apps - don't save CD's in MP3 format. So even though I've got hundreds of legally purchased CD's full of music, I couldn't download them to take with me.

Enter Quintessential Player. This is a completely free music player that does so much more, including ripping my music collection into the MP3 format that I must use. Lots of add-ons and extensions over and above the already impressive list of standard features. If you're tired of dealing with Windows Media Player (eh) or Real Player (barf), give this one a try. So far I'm loving it!

Now I need more (and bigger) storage cards.

Posted by: Ted at 11:34 AM | category: Links
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Scale (updated)

Here's a group of illustrations that show the myriad types of Star Trek spacecraft together, showing relative size.

Update: I missed this before, but if you scroll down, there are 3-view silhouette recognition charts and more.

Posted by: Ted at 11:25 AM | category: Links
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Vroooom

Vespa returns! Tres cool!

Posted by: Ted at 05:57 AM | category: SciTech
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Rainmakers

I've mentioned before how much I like the Rainmakers, especially their lyrics. Here's a great example of packing a lot of story and meaning into a few words. From their album The Good News and the Bad News.

We Walk The Levee
In the '51 flood the river got mean
The levee broke at a town downstream
Up on our levee where the county lines meet
Caught a couple of their boys with some TNT
Something had to give and it gave down there
My thoughts are with you but my family's here
It was you this time it was us before
Nothing's fair in flood and war
(chorus)
And blood's thicker than water
But thin and cold in the flood
The mud and the guilt and the gun get heavy
We do what we gotta
We walk the levee
My sisters married brothers from the neighboring town
My cousin and his boy farm his father's ground
I'm a Christian man with a bible and a gun
Just praying to God ain't gotta shoot no one
And blood's thicker than water
But thin and cold in the flood
The mud and the guilt and the gun get heavy
We do what we gotta
We walk the levee
Now I'm just a man protecting his home
Why do I feel like a dog out killin' his own
Itchy on the trigger, quick on the draw
Shined the flashlight in the face of a twelve year old kid
Who started cryin' for his ma
(spoken) I told him to get on home

I saw him in church on Sunday, heard the minister speak
About Noah and the ark and the other cheek
And Jesus' love and Judas' kiss
I'll think of that tonight on the graveyard shift

And blood's thicker than water
But thin and cold in the flood
The mud and the guilt and the gun get heavy
We do what we gotta
We walk the levee

And blood's thicker than water
But thin and cold in the flood
The mud and the guilt and the gun get heavy
We do what we gotta
We walk the levee
Yes we do what we gotta
We walk the levee

Damn good albums if you can find 'em.

Posted by: Ted at 05:54 AM | category: Waxing Lyrical
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May 11, 2005

How to recognize me at Saturday Night's ballgame

I'll be wearing a cap and holding a pennant.

Posted by: Ted at 08:56 PM | category: Square Pegs
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Alien Worlds through Artists' Eyes

A wickedcool look at other planets, courtesy of Space.com.

Posted by: Ted at 11:51 AM | category: Space Program
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Sears Resolution

Sears is dead to me. After being bumped up the chain of command at least three times, the latest drone dealt with the pissed-off customer by sending a check. It wasn't for the full amount from our list of damages, but it was close.

It was a shut-them-the-hell-up check, because there was no phone call and no apology. I meant an apology for having to go through this mess in the first place. For all the people I wound up talking to about this situation, only two even bothered to say "I'm sorry", from the rest it was "prove that it's our fault". When I wasn't being patronized I was being treated like a liar and a thief.

Sears will be gone soon. Their corporate attitude has gone to hell and their customer service is a joke. You cannot stay in business with that mindset. I was a longtime customer, my workshop is full of Craftsman tools, my appliances were almost all purchased through Sears. If I needed paint, I'd wait for a sale at Sears.

Never again. Ever.

Posted by: Ted at 05:51 AM | category: Seriously
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1 Yes, Sears will be gone soon. The writing was on the wall when low-life KMART bought them out.

God, how I miss Montgomery Wards (which, by the way, has returned as an internet only vendor at wards dot com)

Posted by: John at May 11, 2005 09:50 AM (GuDvW)

2 I had my own Waterloo with Wards many years ago, which is one reason I was such a loyal Sears customer. You can destroy a lifetime of trust with one stupid action.

Posted by: Ted at May 11, 2005 09:53 AM (blNMI)

3 Like I said,you should try being their assembly tech.Despite many minor confrontations I never had a reason to really despise Sears until I worked for the one in Arlington.What a bunch of assholes!Just like shit it started at the top and went straight to the bottom.Our experiences with them is what led our company to drop Sears completly.Since they don't sell bikes anymore it wasn't that much skin off anyways.Don't ya just love it when people think they're that important to you?
Anyhow if it wasn't for Craftsman tools I would never have a reason to go there anyhow.I wish I could remember exactly where it was up there that I saw that exclusivly Craftsman tool store at.Now THAT'S a good idea!

Posted by: Russ at May 11, 2005 11:13 AM (ObxzR)

4 I worked for a delivery contractor of Sears a number of years ago. I never really had a problem with them until last year when I had to cancel a purchase (a sizeable one, literally and figuratively - a refrigerator). Man, all of a sudden I was a leper to them. They could've handled things differently and (possibly) salvaged future purchases, but they did not. As such, I'm looking to Lowe's and Home Depot for my appliances now.

Too bad about your "resolution." Fuck Sears!

Posted by: Derek at May 11, 2005 04:01 PM (wEVXE)

5 Derek's comment reminded me that I had a problem with Sears and a refrigerator too (problem in that they didn't deliver it). I had forgotten that I too hate Sears!
I'm doing most of my kitchen through Home Depot now...I've had some Major Attitude from a few "customer service" people (as I'm trying to give them thousands of dollars...you'd think they could be bothered for that)...but reasonable service from the more technical guys so far.

Posted by: nic at May 11, 2005 05:31 PM (Sx8zO)

6 I am having a big-ass beef with UPS myself. Their corporate color is brown for a reason. I have a vibrator shipment that never arrived and they are telling me it is MY fault that they redirected it to Las Vegas. HUH?!?! F'ers.

Posted by: dawn at May 12, 2005 07:33 AM (Dh1V0)

7 You have a vibrator shipment!?!?!? How many vibrators do you go thru!?!?!?

Posted by: Victor at May 12, 2005 07:51 AM (L3qPK)

8 Sears is going down the tubes faster than they even know. I had two bad experiences at Sears within the last month and both times customer service (HA HA) just blew me off. Well Sears can kiss my ass because I am done with them forever.

Posted by: frank at July 29, 2005 03:11 PM (s85pb)

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May 10, 2005

There's a fine line between screwed and staying screwed

Derby bettor loses, finds ticket worth $864,253.50

Spokane, Oregon Mayor Taking Leave Amid Allegations

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Tech Savvy Needed

My wife's PC finally gave up the ghost. The message we're getting is "Operating System Not Found" at startup, so I'm guessing something on the motherboard is kaput.

Fortunately we have most of it backed up, and what isn't we can easily recreate.

This PC has a new hard drive in it, which I'd like to remove and put into my PC. It's configured as the C: drive, and what I need to know is if I need to reformat it when I install or can I just rename it (D ? It'd be great if I could get the rest of the data off of it.

Any help?

Posted by: Ted at 07:30 AM | category: SciTech
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1 No need to re-format unless you want a clean drive.

Hooking up a 2nd drive to anywhere but the Master slot on the Primary IDE controller will keep it from being assigned drive C.

Once the new drive is installed, boot to the BIOS settings to make sure the BIOS sees the new drive.

I think WinXP might let you use any drive for the boot drive & will recognize where the OS is located. I think WinXP might even let you change drive C to another letter and it should still boot. I don't see any reason why you would want to do this, but XP lets you do it. XP won't complain, but I'm sure any application you've installed to drive C will complain.

In WinXP, to change the drive letters go to Control Panel -> Admin Tools -> Computer Management -> Disk Management (on the left). Right-click on any partitioned drive (in the top or bottom window on the right) and it will give you the option of changing drive letters.

The added drive will still have the OS on it, which is safe to delete and anything in the Program Files folder will be useless unless you re-install the application onto the new drive.

Posted by: Rob@L&R at May 10, 2005 09:29 AM (B0wmd)

2 You should be able to plug it in as D: and go--I did that with mine and Nic's computers. There are a few things you have to look out for, though.

In standard IDE/parallel ATA configurations, the boot drive is designated the "master" while the secondary is designated "slave," except in California, and you can probably figure out *that* Charlie Foxtrot. It's usually just a jumper setting, and most drives have the appropriate settings documented on the drive label itself. In other words, you might have to change jumpers on the secondary drive (Mrs. Ted's drive). Sometimes the cable does the selecting for you.

Take a look at the primary drive (yours) and the jumper settings and compare them to what the label says: If it looks like it's set for Computer Select (AKA "CS") set Mrs. Ted's drive for CS. If yours is set for Master, set hers for Slave, and I don't need to know what you're thinking.

Also, some computers have a data cable that only accepts one drive, and that's a whole other headache in that you have to get a new cable. The chipset should not be a problem, though.

New computers (last nine months or so) might use a new technology called Serial ATA, which uses different signal/data cables completely, and usually a different power supply connector as well. The data cable is narrower than the current 36-pin cable; the drives are not compatible. Some computers allow both types of drives, though.

Posted by: Victor at May 10, 2005 07:31 PM (Sx8zO)

3 Thanks guys. I've installed a hard drive or three over the years and knew about the master/slave thing, or at least enough to look for it. Mookie has a bud who's one of Best Buy's Geek Squad and he's volunteered to check the drive and retrieve the data from it. He thinks Liz caught a virus way back and it finally overwrote the backup cache or something. This problem with her PC has been intermittent for almost a year.

Posted by: Ted at May 10, 2005 08:04 PM (+OVgL)

4 I doubt it is the motherboard. I think your geek friend is right. Or perhaps a sector opened on that new drive or the read/write head is crapped out. Generally when I get an "Operating system not found" it means the bios is doing it's thing but the hard drive is not spinning (ie no lookie for OS). Verify that the drive is actually spooling up and spinning plates before you go to a bunch of trouble, or that it is not making an obviously wrong noise. Retrieve the data if you can by terminating it or slaving it as D in another machine, then you can shove it back in Liz's computer and do a clean reformat. Blow all the partitions and data off and you shouldn't have a problem.

It's the way of the windows brah. Reformat once a year or so. You can set your watch by it.

Posted by: bitterman at May 10, 2005 09:36 PM (94VhM)

5 I'm with bitterman on the reformatting once a year thing. Instructions always warn you that it's an all-day affair, but whenever I reformat, I'm usually back online and have my favorite programs installed within about two hours or so, start to finish. Then again, I only have a 7 gig harddrive. Don't know if that matters or not.

Posted by: Tuning Spork at May 10, 2005 10:39 PM (5Q/QD)

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Yeah, kinda like that!

You've got this mental picture of all these different bloggers you read every day, and then you get a chance to meet them face to face, and they look totally different than what you've imagined, but they're still wonderful anyway and you have a great time and can't wait for the next chance to get together again...

Mookie and I went to see Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy last night.

Posted by: Ted at 06:12 AM | category: Links
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Shaving Ryan's Privates

This one *is* naughty enough to go into the extended entry, but I just couldn't pass up on the title.

(not even remotely safe for work) more...

Posted by: Ted at 04:29 AM | category: Square Pegs
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May 09, 2005

Swiss Army Knife

Handy in so many ways, I can't understand how people have gotten away from carrying a knife. I have a Swiss Army, the Fisherman model, that goes with me everywhere, and I've given smaller versions to the girls as gifts.

Here's a dandy guide to "The Care and Feeding of the Swiss Army Knife". Good information here, whether you're looking to buy or already have one.

Posted by: Ted at 12:10 PM | category: Links
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1 I suspect many people have stopped carrying them because they have to go through security checkpoints. I had a tiny penkniife (keyring size)confiscated at the courthouse, I had trouble getting into the Reagan building once, and IIRC, Victor had trouble getting into MCI Arena with his.

Posted by: nic at May 09, 2005 12:28 PM (JijW0)

2 In the words of Ted Nuggent;"You don't carry a pocketknife and you call yourself a real American?" Mine goes everywhere with me.I've even carried mine into concerts.The second I have trouble is the second I stop going.That includes everywhere else that might have a problem with it.
Another must have of mine is a lighter.Even when i didn't smoke I still carried one.What kind of a man would go somewhere without some fire?
In case you're wondering yes,I was a Boy Scout.
BTW,my Swiss knife is in my tackle box,soon to be moved to my range box if I remember to.

Posted by: Russ at May 09, 2005 01:10 PM (ObxzR)

3 I've never had a problem because I carry a pocketknife, including some places that rather surprised me. I'm aware enough to put it into checked baggage when I fly and such, but other than that it's *always* in my pocket.

Posted by: Ted at May 10, 2005 06:03 AM (blNMI)

4 My SAK has been around the world with me. Once in France I left it behind; I never checked the initials, I just grabbed it threw it in my bag. Turns out I had a friends instead. Several years later the friend showed up at my house with MY original knife and we switched back. During that time he had also traveled much of the world with my knife.

That thing has seen more of the world than most people ever will. I love my SAK.

Posted by: Paul at May 10, 2005 08:57 AM (vbP6L)

5 Just like Nic, I've stopped carrying mine because I regularly have to go through security with it and the security people hate it when you try to bring a knife in. Even a little knife.

Posted by: RP at May 10, 2005 10:10 AM (LlPKh)

6 I carry an SAK with me as often as I can...but I had to leave it at work when I went to a hockey game straight from work. Once I forgot, and they held it for me until the end of the game.

If I should ever lose my knife, I panic and I buy a new one as quickly as I can. OF course, I've since found some of them...but those are just backups now.

Posted by: Victor at May 10, 2005 07:33 PM (Sx8zO)

7 At the last rocket launch I was using my knife while building a motor, and got called away to help someone. When I returned I couldn't find my knife and was pretty upset about it. I hated to think that someone had stolen it. I found it a couple of hours later tucked into a binder where I'd laid it to hold the pages down in the breeze, and didn't notice when I closed it up again.

*whew!*

Posted by: Ted at May 10, 2005 08:08 PM (+OVgL)

8 Would you say that having a pocket knife is a southern thang? We have a guy at work who is from up north and FREAKED out when one of the guys pulled out a pocket knife and used it to open a box. He mumbled something about policy said you can't have a weapon on company property.

Posted by: Amy at May 10, 2005 10:54 PM (tPzR0)

9 I don't think it's a southern thing so much as an generational thing or maybe urban vs rural (I was born and raised in Northern California). Mr Freakout would get a pissed-off lecture from me about the difference between tools and weapons. A pocket knife is a tool that can be misused as a weapon. So's a pair of scissors, or better yet, needle-nose pliers. Needle-nose pliers make an excellent stabbing weapon, but you'll never find someone muttering bullshit about carrying a dangerous weapon because you whip out your pliers. He's an idiot.

Posted by: Ted at May 11, 2005 07:05 AM (blNMI)

10 The first person who told me "You should always carry a pocket knife" was my grandfather, raised in Brooklyn. The sentiment was echoed by my other grandfather (lifelong Washingtonian) who promptly gave me my first knife. Definitely not rural guys.

Some people (Mr. Freakout, perhaps) are just nuts regardless of age or origin.

Posted by: nic at May 11, 2005 07:29 AM (JijW0)

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Fractured Fairy and other Tales

I found this incredible tribute to Stan Freberg (thanks Ti!). Some of you may be asking yourself, "who?" Go read, because you know him, you just might not realize that you know him.

A brief bio and more can be found here.

Oh my darlin'. Oh my darlin'. Oh my daaaaaaarlin' Clementine...

Posted by: Ted at 05:42 AM | category: Links
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