Yesterday:

NASA announced plans on Monday for a permanent base on the Moon, to be started soon after astronauts return there around 2020.

The agency's deputy administrator, Shana Dale, said the United States would develop rockets and spacecraft to get people to the Moon and establish a rudimentary base. There, other countries and commercial enterprises could expand the outpost to develop scientific and other interests, Dale said.

Posted by: Ted at 11:17 AM | category: Space Program
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1 So NASA plans to head back there around 2020?

At least they'll have a Starbucks and a McDonalds waiting for them when they get there. And they'll be able to buy a Pepsi or a Coke and visit the "SpaceShipOne" museum.

Private enterprise, yo.

Ian

Posted by: Ian at December 05, 2006 09:19 PM (DGmNs)

2 I've gotta say, aside from the coolness factor of having a moon base....

why?

Posted by: Mad William Flint at December 06, 2006 09:05 AM (irwyS)

3 Mad William-that's actually a fair question. The answer, as given by Larry Niven in one of his stories (if I recall correctly, it was one of his Gil the ARM stories), is, "Abstract Knowledge."

In this story, a 200+ year old gentleman, a detective (I think) who's confined to a wheelchair, even on the moon (the nerves in his legs just up and died), who, upon hearing that question and gives that answer, asks the questioner why he has a restaurant on the moon.

The questioner answers, "It's obvious! Low or no gravity for physics classes! Pure vacuum for growing pure crystals! Magnetic monopoles!" and a whole list of other things that are unique to Niven's universe. In fact, the questioner wouldn't be able to walk in Earth gravity and the radiation treatments he's rec'd on the moon saved his life...or something like that. "It's obvious!" he concludes, then Niven has the questioner look at the detective's wheelchair and atrophied legs, then he remembers the old man's age.

"Wasn't it?" the questioner asks, and the story ends.

My point is--and I think this was Mr. Niven's point, too--is we won't know what we're looking for till we go there and look for it.

And personal to Ted: That banner is borderline NSFW. Heh.

Posted by: Victor at December 06, 2006 12:56 PM (WHtgF)

4 Mad William, think of the moon as dress rehearsal for Mars. It's a bleak environment and we have limited knowledge of what's really there (beyond a few acres of explored surface).

It's cheaper and easier to learn as many of the gotcha's in space exploration as you can when you're only in earth orbit as opposed to travelling all the way to Mars before discovering that you needed to bring extra socks.

I also believe that it'll ultimately be less expensive to explore the rest of our solar system from the moon. Rather than launching robot probes and expeditions from the deep gravity well of Earth, we can launch them easier from the moon. Tasks are greatly simplified by having dirt under your feet as well, which is my response to folks who want to do everything from orbit.

I think India will be the second nation to put men on the moon, but when they get there, the kebab shops will be competing with well-established McDonalds.

Victor, I very carefully selected and cropped that banner photo.

Posted by: Ted at December 06, 2006 05:40 PM (+OVgL)

5 So, the beginnings of "Space 1999" are under way.

Posted by: Maelstrom at December 07, 2006 11:19 AM (V0o94)

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Thus begins a comment to a post I made back in February of 2005, titled "WalMart is the United States of the Retail Universe".

And then, one morning, I get this:

I don't understand any good reason to defend Walmart on philosophical grounds. Maybe if you own the hacienda you have the free time to think of bogus arguments to defend your villainy. Then one day the workers find other uses for the tools.

Now, I see several ways to respond to this. But the simplest is to say, "Fuck off, commie."

(Note: this was an old post that's been sitting in my "draft" folder for a long time. This morning, I'm in the mood to finish it.)

Posted by: Ted at 05:41 AM | category: Square Pegs
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In the classic Rocket Jones style, babes dressed (more or less) in Christmassy clothing.

Not safe for work. Ho Ho Ho.

Posted by: Ted at 05:18 AM | category: Links
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List of weapons that don't exist, but should.

Ninja sheep, the Radioactive Zombie Badger Launcher, and the so-deadly-the-UN-will-shit Landmine that shoots Grenades filled with Nunchucks with Shuriken tips. Plus more. Much, much more.

Posted by: Ted at 09:05 PM | category: Links
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It's impossible to be unhappy while listening to this song.

Iko Iko

My grandma and your grandma
Sitting by the fire
My grandma says to your grandma
"I'm gonna set your flag on fire"

Talkin' 'bout
Hey now
Hey now
Iko iko an nay
Jockomo feena ah na nay
Jockomo feena nay

Look at my king all dressed in red
Iko iko an nay
I bet you five dollars he'll kill you dead
Jockomo feena nay

CHORUS:
Talkin' 'bout
Hey now (hey now)
Hey now (hey now)
Iko iko an nay (whoah-oh)
Jockomo feena ah na nay
Jockomo feena nay

My flag boy and your flag boy
Sitting by the fire
My flag boy says to your flag boy
"I'm gonna set your flag on fire"

(CHORUS)

(bridge)

(hey now)
(hey now)
(hey now)
(hey now)
Jockomo feena nay
Iko!

See that guy all dressed in green
Iko iko an nay
He's not a man, he's a loving machine
Jockomo feena nay

(4x)
Talkin' 'bout
Hey now (hey now)
Hey now (hey now)
Iko iko an nay (whoah-oh)
Jockomo feena ah na nay
Jockomo feena nay

(repeat till fading end)
Jockomo feena nay

Wikipedia has a little history about this Mardi Gras standard. For the record, I prefer the Cyndi Lauper cover, followed closely by the Grateful Dead's version.

Posted by: Ted at 05:18 AM | category: Waxing Lyrical
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There he goes again... taking a perfectly normal food and throwing fruit into it. I dunno, it's just something I do. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This time, it definitely worked.

Apple Rice

1 cup rice
1 3/4 cup apple cider
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 apple, chopped (I used a Gala)
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Combine the rice, cider and soy sauce in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

While the rice is cooking, chop the onion and start to gently saute in the olive oil.

Chop the apple, sprinkle with lemon juice to keep it from browning.

When the rice is done, turn off the heat and stir in the apple and onion. Mix well and re-cover the pot to steam for a few minutes.

We had this with a smoked pork loin. Very tasty.

Posted by: Ted at 07:25 PM | category: Recipes
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Java is an 11 month old female rabbit that we're taking care of for a while.

Beautiful, isn't she? She's a sweetheart too.

We hope that her and Fred will take a liking to each other and become a bonded pair. For now she has her own cage and they're getting used to each other gradually, through the mesh of an exercise pen. Java is a bit bigger than Fred, and almost as large as our little dog, Trix.

Once Java and Fred become buds (they're both fixed, so there will be no little surprises), then they can move in together and then we can begin to foster-care for another bunny or pair. The animal rescue group that we're working with, Bunny Lu, does outstanding work and last year placed 105 rabbits in permanent homes. Unfortunately, they've got more rescued rabbits than homes, and it's just getting worse, which is why we volunteered to temporarily keep a couple more on an as-needed basis.

So far, so good. Her appetite is definitely there (she's eats a lot more than Fred), and that's a good sign. She also plays more with toys, whereas Fred is mostly the explorer type. From what we've been told, Java is somewhat of an escape artist and a jumper, so we're keeping her in a 4 foot tall exercise pen during the day to keep her from going up and over. Her and Fred and the dogs have been checking each other out through the mesh of the pen, and there've been no problems.

A year ago I had no idea that my wife had always wanted a rabbit, and now we've got two with plans to board more. Life is strange. If you're lucky.

Posted by: Ted at 08:14 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Our rocketry club NOVAAR held its monthly launch today, and I managed to make it out there for a few hours. It was a bit windy and quite cold (or quite windy and a bit cold), so I dressed warmly and decided to help out and not worry about flying anything myself.

I'd heard that at the last launch there were mobs of cub scouts trying to fly their rockets. Today wasn't nearly that bad, but we had a small batch of cub scouts as well as an open meet contest.

The kids did great, and the contest flights were pretty interesting. The events included helicopter recovery (duration: how long can it stay up there), boost glider (duration), spot landing (how close can you drop your rocket under chute to the target), and a new event where rocket gliders carried payloads for duration.

Aside from the contest flights, the most impressive of the day were a father/daughter team who flew a 3-stage Estes Commanche *twice* fully loaded (D12-0 to C6-0 to C6-7) and got everything back both times. Excellent flights, easily topping 2000 ft.

That's the last club launch for the year, although I did learn that next weekend is Culpeper! Battlepark 2006... hmmmm, I wonder what my plans *were* for next Saturday?

Posted by: Ted at 07:49 PM | category: Rocketry
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How to Calculate Pi by Throwing Frozen Hot Dogs. Really.

Thanks to my co-worker Alan for sending me the link. He says that when he saw it, he immediately thought of me.

Posted by: Ted at 05:29 AM | category: SciTech
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November is almost over and I've accomplished not a single damn word on either of my NaNoWriMo projects. Giant Evil Space Robots remain locked inside my skull and the other story awaits some literary breathing space.

Where I work now, my normal schedule is cyclical. I have a very busy week, followed by an insanely busy week. That rhythm is broken only during the rush leading to the turnover of the fiscal year, with a lull - such as it is - until the rush at the end/beginning of the calendar year. This year there was no letup. The ramp-up started in mid-August and we haven't slowed down yet.

Professionally, it's been fun. It's certainly not been boring. Add in the many things that have been going on in our personal lives, and Rocket Jones has been neglected. At some point, things will calm down a little and I can get back to tending my little garden of inanity like I used to. Until then, this place hasn't been abandoned, even though the posting frequency is way down.

"Always leave 'em wanting more." Someone famous said that. Maybe Linda Lovelace. I forget.

Posted by: Ted at 09:44 PM | category: Square Pegs
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The semester is almost over and today I had my final critique for my drawing class, therefore I have all my drawings back and have uploaded them. Take a look if you want and leave a comment.

Drawings

Posted by: Mookie at 03:02 PM | category: Links
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WKRP.

If you know what's coming, you're welcome. If not, put down the beverage.

Thanks to Off Wing Opinion for this one.

Posted by: Ted at 10:01 AM | category: Links
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US Navy Ceremonial Guard Drill Team (YouTube video).

Thanks to Murdoc for this wonderful pointer.

Posted by: Ted at 09:52 AM | category: Military
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The world is never surreal enough to suit me.

My idea, my photoshop (neither of which is all that).

Posted by: Ted at 09:27 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Last week I was informed that Rocket Jones was a Googlewhack. I checked for myself, and sure enough, by typing two common words into Google this site was the only result returned. Pretty cool, until I noticed that one of the two words was misspelled.

Dang. So close.

Posted by: Ted at 05:20 AM | category: Links
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I laughed, but then, it's not my child.

Posted by: Ted at 04:27 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Red Skelton's classic reading of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Posted by: Ted at 03:14 PM | category: Links
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I just saw a commercial on TV for a one-message digital recorder. As usual, the entire commercial is snark-worthy, especially how everyone using the audio reminder nods and smiles as they listen to themselves.

But it dawned on me that this little wonder is the ultimate in lazy-assed remote control. Just record yourself clapping, and then you can play it when walking into a room and all your clapper-attached lights will go on. Oh, wait. They already have something like that. It's called a light switch.

Posted by: Ted at 11:48 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Liz exercised her woman's perogative (translation: she changed her mind) about the dining room set we had selected, but not yet purchased. Her reasoning was sound, and I was gracious and understanding when I found that we would need to go out for more furniture shopping (translation: "Again? Jeez, I thought we... Fine. Whatever. Get your coat. Of course I'm not mad. Am I acting mad? Well, no, I'm not mad.")

We had a good laugh at one store when the saleslady informed us that they offered "midget delivery". I cracked up, knowing that I couldn't have heard that right, and Liz translated the accent for me. "Midget delivery" equals "immediate delivery". Now you know.

Posted by: Ted at 09:39 AM | category: Square Pegs
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It struck me that I've been rather fortunate in my life when it comes to seeing legendary sports figures in action. I grew up in the San Fransisco bay area (long before it became the silly-con valley) and saw Willie Mays, Juan Marichal, Willie McCovey and others play at Candlestick. Bobby Bonds too, who was a phenominal talent in his own right, before his son became all that written in all capital letters, italicized, underscored and possibly asterisked (depending on your viewpoint).

Across the bay there were the Oakland A's of Rick Monday and Reggie Jackson, Vida Blue and Rollie Fingers. I saw them during their year of the big mustache, and they were colorful even without the kelly and gold uniforms. I saw Rod Carew, Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew when the Twins came to town.

On the lower pantheon of legends were Charlie O'Connell, Joanie Weston, Ann Calvello and Alvin Mallory of Roller Derby fame. Do a little googling, and then tell me those guys (and gals) weren't amazing.

Back in SF was Joe Montana and Jerry Rice (after a long and painful drought when the Niner's weren't very good) and Darryl Lamonica, George Blanda and Ken Stabler (to name only the QBs in silver and black) led an always entertaining cast of misfits and characters which existed as one of the most successful sports stories for almost three decades.

Now living in the Washington D.C. metro area, we've had the treat of seeing Michael Jordan in his post-Bulls days. Still legendary, and although diminished it wasn't enough to tarnish the career.

Baltimore offered us Cal Ripken and Eddie Murray, both of whom I shall tell my grandchildren about.

And now, much like those fortunate enough to live in Edmonton during Gretzgy's reign, or Pittsburgh while Mario was on the ice in his prime (or the Steelers during the *spit* "Steel Curtain" *spit* years), I have the opportunity to see a very rare talent in action. I got to see Alex Ovechkin play hockey for the Washington Capitals live last year, and countless times on local television. Folks, if he comes to town, take advantage and see this kid play. Amazing, and it's not hype to say that he belongs with the legendary names mentioned above.

I need to snag tickets for the Caps/Penguins for the chance to see Ovechkin and Semin, Crosby and Malkin playing all at once. That's one for the ages, and happens not too rarely thanks to hockey scheduling.

For the record, I dislike Sydney Crosby for no real reason other than the fact that the NHL handed him the throne before he played a single minute on the big ice. He's earning star status, but not *the* star, and I find it hilarious that he's been referred to as "Captain of the Canadian Diving Team". Hopefully, he'll be whistled for some penalties that will disabuse him of that shoddy habit, but I worry that "the star" will come to expect calls to go his way as he tries to draw penalties. Anyway, he's exciting to watch and a genuine talent and I don't like him. Maybe I'll mellow in time, but I'll for sure go to see him while I have the chance.

Posted by: Ted at 07:15 AM | category: Square Pegs
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