RIP JFK
I'm cranky today...reminded from midnight on that I was around to witness this sad milestone in America's history.
I wrote about it a couple of years ago. What I wrote still stands: "Living History"
I'll go be cranky somewhere else now...
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Friday, November 22, 2013
Friday, September 21, 2012
Shuttle Update
NASA TV and SpaceflightNow have LIVE video of the Endeavour and the 747 carrier aircraft taxiing towards the runway at Edwards AFB
My Avation Week
OK...I'm up...
After a week in the high desert celebrating aviation's past by watching aged warbirds push the envelope at the Reno Air Races, today I witness personally the future of American Manned Spaceflight retire with a "Victory Lap" around Northern California before the Space Shuttle Endeavour becomes a museum piece in a Los Angeles museum.
I'll keep this short because I've got some driving to do to get into my photo vantage point.
My SF Giants' magic number is 3. #GoGiants
After a week in the high desert celebrating aviation's past by watching aged warbirds push the envelope at the Reno Air Races, today I witness personally the future of American Manned Spaceflight retire with a "Victory Lap" around Northern California before the Space Shuttle Endeavour becomes a museum piece in a Los Angeles museum.
I'll keep this short because I've got some driving to do to get into my photo vantage point.
My SF Giants' magic number is 3. #GoGiants
Friday, September 14, 2012
Good Times, Bad Times
As excited as
I’ve been anticipating getting out to Stead Field for the 49th Reno
National Championship Air Races all week, I’ve also had a little pit of fear
camped in my gut, that when I crested the hill on Red Rock Road (where you turn
onto Lemmon Drive to get to “The Fenceline”) that I’d be greeted by the Washoe
County Sheriffs manning a roadblock and turning all us cheapskate race fans
away. Not an unfounded fear given last year’s tragedy and the general state of
our litigious society these days…
Well, as luck
would have it the coast was clear…Fenceliners would not be denied our week of
fun! Granted The Fenceline experience is a far cry from what it was before
9/11, when only some three strand barbed wire fencing kept those too lazy to
step over it, off the field of battle.
The 2001 Air
Races were cancelled in the wake of 9/11 and the General Aviation grounding
while the FAA and the Federal Government sussed out the new lay of the land.
When racing
returned in 2002, the dilapidated three strand was replaced by a stout,
chainlink fence with three strands of tight, serious barbed wire on top to keep
interlopers out.
Still, The
Fenceline was our little secret…all 5000 of us Fenceliners! That show is closed
now too, but that’s a story for another time. Today was a happy day at the
races.
The
weatherman didn’t lie, it was just under 90F, and for the mast part the winds
were light to moderate.
As I pulled
into “my spot” I recognized the neighbors from 2010. New pickup, same old
contractor’s trailer, same old wise guys…
I’d timed my
trip perfectly, I had just enough time to rig the new camera, deploy my camp
chair and chat up the neighbors before Unlimited Heat Medallion 1C came down
the Chute.
How nice to
hear the old warbirds flying low again! Music to my ears. These are the slowest
of the Big Unlimiteds, around 150 MPH slower than the Gold Race Contenders.
I captured it
all with the new camera, and eagerly rushed to the car to download and view the
HD video…not exactly the wow-factor images I was hoping for. All out of focus
except the occasional telephone pole and power lines…
I launched
the .pdf of the camera’s operator’s
manual and verified my settings.
Here’s the
issue. The sun really. Cameras don’t have the eyepiece that you look through
anymore, they’ve been replaced by beautiful LCD screens. Alas in the bright
high desert sun, all you see is reflections of the sky, your face, or that
blazing yellow fishing shirt you wore for sun protection.
I’ve thought
about this since last time I was out in the Valley Of Speed (2010), and every
time SturgeUrge and I go fishing. What I need is like one of those antique 3D
stereo photo viewers the Grandma used to have…like you see on Antiques Road
Show on PBS.
It’s either
that or what I call the Ansel Adams Wedding Veil, the black cloth hood that old
time photographers with their big sheet film (or glass plate) View Camera.
For now, I’ll
cobble something together out of Manila folder stock, some cardboard, duct tape
and flat black spray paint. I’ve got the pistol grip with the tripod mount.
I found that
if I find a place where the shot misses the fence and powerlines, the
auto-focus doesn’t get confused…pity, my favorite four foot ladder is
languishing a the Ancestral Digs…
Oh yeah, one
last thing…it turns out I’m eligible for the Senior Discount…I’ll be buying a
ticket for Friday’s Races…to see the lay of the land, post tragedy, and to get
a closeup look at some aviation history.
A discount is
a discount, but I’m not sure what I’m feeling about this situation…
Friday, September 7, 2012
AmazeBalls!
Readers who clicked through yesterday to the ESPN-W story on Alex Zanardi's Paralympic Gold Medal, will remember this:
"He's a lion," said his former teammate, Jimmy Vasser. "He just never gave up."
...But by Wednesday, all that was forgotten. He said Vasser had called him Tuesday night and promised him a car for the Indianapolis 500 -- if he won the gold.
"I'll have to call him back tonight and say 'Jimmy. I got the gold medal!' ... How about the car?"
Well tonight I was looking at SpeedTV's website to find out what time P1 from Monza would be streaming LIVE, and I found this headline story on Zanardi and Vasser:
IndyCar: Ganassi, Vasser Discuss Joint Zanardi Indy 500 Effort
Wow, how cool would it be to see Pineapple Head run at the Brickyard in May? Zanardi never ran the 500 because of the Split. The Indy500 was co-opted by Tony George's upstart Indy Racing League (IRL) while Zanardi raced for Ganassi Racing in CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams)
I have no doubts that Alex could have won The 500 in a Ganassi car. I have no doubts that Alex could win The 500 in a Ganassi-Vasser car next year. Sure, winning The 500 isn't easy, but Alex just might pull it off...think Dan Wheldon in 2011, when the rookie leading the race, J.R. Hildebrand Jr. hit the wall in the final turn, of the final lap, and Wheldon, in a second tier car cruised to his second Indy 500 victory (2005 was Dan's first 500 victory)
Let's face it race fans, The Indy 500 needs a "shot in the arm". It's never fully recovered from the damage inflicted on it by Tony George and his IRL scheme. Zanardi has a Worldwide Fan Base, many of whom may be unaware of the diminished stature of The 500.
The Indianapolis 500 was once the Largest Single Day Sporting Event on the planet, and the Most Famous Motor Race in the World. I miss those days when every day in May, Indy lead the sportscast on every 6 O'Clock News from coast to coast, except when an Andretti, Unser or Foyt set a new Indy Lap Record and the story lead the 6 O'Clock News, period.
Zanardi and his Cinderella-Story Quest to drink the quart of milk in Victory Lane would go a long way to mitigate the loss of IndyCar's Danica Patrick to NASCAR, and to hoist Indy back to the top of racing's Parthenon where it belongs. Redemption plays well...even on television.
This is such great, happy news that I won't dilute it with the good news from the Reno Air Races. I'll talk about that Saturday.
"He's a lion," said his former teammate, Jimmy Vasser. "He just never gave up."
...But by Wednesday, all that was forgotten. He said Vasser had called him Tuesday night and promised him a car for the Indianapolis 500 -- if he won the gold.
"I'll have to call him back tonight and say 'Jimmy. I got the gold medal!' ... How about the car?"
Well tonight I was looking at SpeedTV's website to find out what time P1 from Monza would be streaming LIVE, and I found this headline story on Zanardi and Vasser:
IndyCar: Ganassi, Vasser Discuss Joint Zanardi Indy 500 Effort
Wow, how cool would it be to see Pineapple Head run at the Brickyard in May? Zanardi never ran the 500 because of the Split. The Indy500 was co-opted by Tony George's upstart Indy Racing League (IRL) while Zanardi raced for Ganassi Racing in CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams)
I have no doubts that Alex could have won The 500 in a Ganassi car. I have no doubts that Alex could win The 500 in a Ganassi-Vasser car next year. Sure, winning The 500 isn't easy, but Alex just might pull it off...think Dan Wheldon in 2011, when the rookie leading the race, J.R. Hildebrand Jr. hit the wall in the final turn, of the final lap, and Wheldon, in a second tier car cruised to his second Indy 500 victory (2005 was Dan's first 500 victory)
Let's face it race fans, The Indy 500 needs a "shot in the arm". It's never fully recovered from the damage inflicted on it by Tony George and his IRL scheme. Zanardi has a Worldwide Fan Base, many of whom may be unaware of the diminished stature of The 500.
The Indianapolis 500 was once the Largest Single Day Sporting Event on the planet, and the Most Famous Motor Race in the World. I miss those days when every day in May, Indy lead the sportscast on every 6 O'Clock News from coast to coast, except when an Andretti, Unser or Foyt set a new Indy Lap Record and the story lead the 6 O'Clock News, period.
Zanardi and his Cinderella-Story Quest to drink the quart of milk in Victory Lane would go a long way to mitigate the loss of IndyCar's Danica Patrick to NASCAR, and to hoist Indy back to the top of racing's Parthenon where it belongs. Redemption plays well...even on television.
This is such great, happy news that I won't dilute it with the good news from the Reno Air Races. I'll talk about that Saturday.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Full
I'm sure everyone is weary of me referring to myself as "A Glass Half Full" guy. So sue me...
I saw an old favorite racecar driver's name in my Twitter timeline this morning. Then this photo appeared on my Tumblr:
Alex Zanardi won the Men's Road Handcycling Individual Time Trial Gold Medal Wednesday at the London2012 Paralympics
Zanardi is NOT a "A Glass Half Full" guy. Zanardi's glass has always been Full! Full of Sunshine...if you ask me...
Back during the 1996 American Open Wheel Racing Split, where Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Tony George "had a better idea" and carved the IndyRacingLeague out of CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams), Zanardi was the big deal in IndyCar racing.
Zanardi came to CART after four years of Formula One racing for second-tier teams. Racing for CART's Chip Ganassi Racing, Alex scored the Pole in his second race, won three races, and finished the season as CART Rookie of the Year, tied for Second Place in the Championship with Michael Andretti.
"The Pass" as it's now known, of race leader Bryan Herta, on the last lap at Laguna Seca, featured Zanardi taking to the off-track dirt apron entering the Corkscrew, blowing by Herta in a cloud of dust for the win...legendary stuff.
Zanardi originated the Post Win display of tight donuts at the Start-Finish Line in a cloud of tire smoke. He'd already been given his nickname, "Pineapple Head" for his ebullient, prickly style. I'm not positive, but I think the nickname was coined by Zanardi's Race Engineer, Mo Nunn.
In 2001, Zanardi was nearly killed in a ChampCar race at the former East Germany's Lausitzring circuit. Zanardi's legs were amputated when he spun onto the track exiting pit lane and was speared by Alex Tagliani who couldn't avoid Zanardi's car. Zanardi lost 3/4 of his blood at the track and was saved only by the grace of God (and CART's crack medical team)
I remember vividly watching the accident on TV. I was weirdly numb, to tell the truth...I only saw "highlights" of the accident on Mexican television while SturgeUrge and I were on a fishing trip to San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur. I wouldn't see the race on tape until we returned to the States a few days later.
My numbness was due to the race being run on September 15, 2001...just four days after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Throw in a close encounter with a hurricane that developed overnight, and kept us off the water, and I'd spent far too many hours watching unedited footage from Lower Manhattan via Mexican TV.
Zanardi rallied almost immediately after his hospital stay, embarking on an ambitious rehabilitation program, designing his own prosthetic legs with an eye to returning to the cockpit, and getting back in the racecar in 2003, completeing the 13 final laps he missed at the Lausitzring race in a ChampCar fitted with hand controls.
Zanardi went back to Professional Racing in the FIA Touring Car Championship racing for BMW. He tested a BMW-Sauber Formula One car at Valencia, Spain in 2006 saying: "Of course, I know that I won't get a contract with the Formula One team, however having the chance to drive an F1 racer again is just incredible."
Zanardi began handcycling in 2007, grabbing 4th place in his class at the New York City Marathon after only four weeks of training. He set his sights on making the Italian team for the 2012 Paralympics, winning the Venice Marathon in 2009, Rome City Marathon in 2010, and in his fourth attempt, the New York City Marathon in 2011.
Read about Zanardi's Gold Medal TT at ESPNW
Well done, Pineapple, well done...and thanks!
I saw an old favorite racecar driver's name in my Twitter timeline this morning. Then this photo appeared on my Tumblr:
Zanardi is NOT a "A Glass Half Full" guy. Zanardi's glass has always been Full! Full of Sunshine...if you ask me...
Back during the 1996 American Open Wheel Racing Split, where Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Tony George "had a better idea" and carved the IndyRacingLeague out of CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams), Zanardi was the big deal in IndyCar racing.
Zanardi came to CART after four years of Formula One racing for second-tier teams. Racing for CART's Chip Ganassi Racing, Alex scored the Pole in his second race, won three races, and finished the season as CART Rookie of the Year, tied for Second Place in the Championship with Michael Andretti.
"The Pass" as it's now known, of race leader Bryan Herta, on the last lap at Laguna Seca, featured Zanardi taking to the off-track dirt apron entering the Corkscrew, blowing by Herta in a cloud of dust for the win...legendary stuff.
Zanardi originated the Post Win display of tight donuts at the Start-Finish Line in a cloud of tire smoke. He'd already been given his nickname, "Pineapple Head" for his ebullient, prickly style. I'm not positive, but I think the nickname was coined by Zanardi's Race Engineer, Mo Nunn.
In 2001, Zanardi was nearly killed in a ChampCar race at the former East Germany's Lausitzring circuit. Zanardi's legs were amputated when he spun onto the track exiting pit lane and was speared by Alex Tagliani who couldn't avoid Zanardi's car. Zanardi lost 3/4 of his blood at the track and was saved only by the grace of God (and CART's crack medical team)
I remember vividly watching the accident on TV. I was weirdly numb, to tell the truth...I only saw "highlights" of the accident on Mexican television while SturgeUrge and I were on a fishing trip to San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur. I wouldn't see the race on tape until we returned to the States a few days later.
My numbness was due to the race being run on September 15, 2001...just four days after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Throw in a close encounter with a hurricane that developed overnight, and kept us off the water, and I'd spent far too many hours watching unedited footage from Lower Manhattan via Mexican TV.
Zanardi rallied almost immediately after his hospital stay, embarking on an ambitious rehabilitation program, designing his own prosthetic legs with an eye to returning to the cockpit, and getting back in the racecar in 2003, completeing the 13 final laps he missed at the Lausitzring race in a ChampCar fitted with hand controls.
Zanardi went back to Professional Racing in the FIA Touring Car Championship racing for BMW. He tested a BMW-Sauber Formula One car at Valencia, Spain in 2006 saying: "Of course, I know that I won't get a contract with the Formula One team, however having the chance to drive an F1 racer again is just incredible."
Zanardi began handcycling in 2007, grabbing 4th place in his class at the New York City Marathon after only four weeks of training. He set his sights on making the Italian team for the 2012 Paralympics, winning the Venice Marathon in 2009, Rome City Marathon in 2010, and in his fourth attempt, the New York City Marathon in 2011.
Read about Zanardi's Gold Medal TT at ESPNW
Well done, Pineapple, well done...and thanks!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Final USS Iowa Update: A Tale of Two Cities
Uh-oh someone put bees in my bonnet on my day off...come to think of it, the SF Giants have the day off too...
I happened to glance at the "dead tree edition" of the Contra Costa Times on the kitchen table this morning, and a story on the SS Red Oak Victory caught my eye.
Actually the story is more about politics than the historic Victory Ship. Though not directly laid out in the story, this looks like a hissy-fit from a Richmond City Councilman named Corky Booze (you can't make this stuff up, Folks!) who was out maneuvered by another Councilman named Butt (see what I mean?) Fellow Councilman Jeff Ritterman, quoted from the Times story:
"Corky just wants to attack (Councilman) Tom Butt."
Butt, who has a reputation for pushing for restoration and preservation of historic landmarks in the city, has been at odds with Booze over several issues, most recently Butt's successful bid to steer port security grant funds to a building near the Red Oak.
My fantasy is the "steer[ed] port security grant funds" cited are going to preserve the Streamline Moderne Style General Warehouse building that's the most architecturally significant structure near the Red Oak Victory...on a historic par with the "Whirley Crane" that stands between the ship and the warehouse.
Every time I've been down to the Rosie The Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park to see the SS Red Oak Victory, I could count the visitors to the ship on one hand...no way can the Non-Profit Organization that cares for her pay the city $10K/month!
There's a photo album of the General Warehouse on my Flickr Page.
Meanwhile in San Pedro:
Bigwigs from the city of Los Angeles will join with Iowa's Governor, Iowa's United States Senator Harkin, Representatives and USS Iowa Veterans at the USS Iowa Museum, to celebrate Independence Day on The 4th of July before the USS Iowa museum opens to the public on Saturday July 7th, 2012.
I'm thinking the City of Richmond could do a little promoting of the Red Oak Victory like LA Mayor Villagairosa gives Iowa, and maybe toot the horn for the Rosie The Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park while they're at it...say on those special holidays that honor the men and women who built those ships that helped win the War and preserved our way of life? How about honoring Memorial Day...4th of July, and Veteran's Day for starters...then maybe they'll see the wisdom and tip the city's hat to VE Day, VJ Day, D-Day...
OK, enough Politics. Forgive me...here's some little things that you can do to help both ships.
Richmond residents, please attend the Richmond City Council meeting on July 10th, and let the City Council know that the SS Red Oak Victory is a valued attraction at the Park and should enjoy continued favor from the City as a partner in Richmond's revitalization.
7PM Tuesday July 10, 2012
Council Chambers, City Hall
440 Civic Center Plaza
Richmond, CA
Visit their Websites:
USS Iowa
SS Red Oak Victory
Like Them on Facebook:
USS Iowa
SS Red Oak Victory
While you're at it, please like CorduroyPlanet on Facebook, too!
Thank you all! Happy Independence Day, and lets be careful out there...Be Fire Safe!
I happened to glance at the "dead tree edition" of the Contra Costa Times on the kitchen table this morning, and a story on the SS Red Oak Victory caught my eye.
Actually the story is more about politics than the historic Victory Ship. Though not directly laid out in the story, this looks like a hissy-fit from a Richmond City Councilman named Corky Booze (you can't make this stuff up, Folks!) who was out maneuvered by another Councilman named Butt (see what I mean?) Fellow Councilman Jeff Ritterman, quoted from the Times story:
"Corky just wants to attack (Councilman) Tom Butt."
Butt, who has a reputation for pushing for restoration and preservation of historic landmarks in the city, has been at odds with Booze over several issues, most recently Butt's successful bid to steer port security grant funds to a building near the Red Oak.
My fantasy is the "steer[ed] port security grant funds" cited are going to preserve the Streamline Moderne Style General Warehouse building that's the most architecturally significant structure near the Red Oak Victory...on a historic par with the "Whirley Crane" that stands between the ship and the warehouse.
 |
| Volunteer cars parked at the SS Red Oak Victory |
 |
| Back Side, General Warehouse, Kaiser Shipyard No. 3 |
Meanwhile in San Pedro:
Bigwigs from the city of Los Angeles will join with Iowa's Governor, Iowa's United States Senator Harkin, Representatives and USS Iowa Veterans at the USS Iowa Museum, to celebrate Independence Day on The 4th of July before the USS Iowa museum opens to the public on Saturday July 7th, 2012.
I'm thinking the City of Richmond could do a little promoting of the Red Oak Victory like LA Mayor Villagairosa gives Iowa, and maybe toot the horn for the Rosie The Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park while they're at it...say on those special holidays that honor the men and women who built those ships that helped win the War and preserved our way of life? How about honoring Memorial Day...4th of July, and Veteran's Day for starters...then maybe they'll see the wisdom and tip the city's hat to VE Day, VJ Day, D-Day...
OK, enough Politics. Forgive me...here's some little things that you can do to help both ships.
Richmond residents, please attend the Richmond City Council meeting on July 10th, and let the City Council know that the SS Red Oak Victory is a valued attraction at the Park and should enjoy continued favor from the City as a partner in Richmond's revitalization.
7PM Tuesday July 10, 2012
Council Chambers, City Hall
440 Civic Center Plaza
Richmond, CA
Visit their Websites:
USS Iowa
SS Red Oak Victory
Like Them on Facebook:
USS Iowa
SS Red Oak Victory
While you're at it, please like CorduroyPlanet on Facebook, too!
Thank you all! Happy Independence Day, and lets be careful out there...Be Fire Safe!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Maintain Radio Silence
After staying up writing most of the night, I slept through the big event on the Internet this morning...Twitter was down for more than an hour...the longest outage since November 2011.
Lots of Twitter users were freaking out because many were waiting for the Supreme Court rulings to come out. The two most anticipated rulings in several years, ObamaCare and Arizona's Immigration Law didn't debut Thursday after all.
The Twittershpere has been all wound up anyway, due to the Fast & Furious hearings in Congress, so equal parts of Snark, Seriousness, and Conspiracy Theory were on display...something for everyone...
I realized in the aftermath, just how much I've come to rely on Twitter for Real Time News. It's way faster than my beloved radio, even...
Missing in action this time around, the Twitter "Fail Whale" was nowhere to be seen during the outage.
In the days before the crash, I found a few more History Tweeters, and made a mental note to share them here.
I find it curious that we are in the midst of the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812, our second victory over the British, and yet if it weren't for Twitter, I wouldn't have known of it because of the omission of it by the Mainstream News Media.
Thanks to @warof1812online, I'm privy to an ongoing stream of history tidbits from 200 years ago. Another cool thing about this tweeter is they've alerted me to several other History Tweeters by retweeting them, so they show up in my Twitter Timeline.
One of these new-to-me accounts is really a gem. @navalhistorian has been tweeting details of The Battle of the Philippine Sea the past few days, including the story of "The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot" from 70 years ago.
Twitter being a Social Network is all about connections...think branches on a tree, and these seem to multiply if you're curious. With every new account that you follow, oftentimes they will lead you to other accounts with a similar outlook or interest, and then you can follow them too.
My new history "follows" are stacking up:
@SpitfireMuseum
devoted to the famous British Spitfire and Hurricane fighter planes
@NavyHistoryNews
The Naval History and Heritage Command is the official history program of the United States Navy
@sommecourt
Military Historian & author who works in Television: visiting & interpreting battlefields all over the world. Working on a big
@MayHillWWII
May Hill began to keep a Diary, and write poetry, not long after the outbreak of the Second World War. Son in the RAF: 'Waiting for news'
So today is "Follow Friday" on Twitter. This is a convention that organically started on Twitter where many tweeters tweet a list of accounts to follow, fronted by the hashtag: #FF
Hashtags make searching Twitter easy, and I play #FF most Fridays. I tweet my list of History Tweeters, Astronomy and Spaceflight Tweeters, San Francisco Giants Accounts, Sierra Weather Accounts and Skiing Tweeters.
Because I keep finding new History Tweeters, it's going to take more than one History #FF from here on out, and I'll probably need a fourth Giants #FF tweet...talk about Happy Warriors...
Lots of Twitter users were freaking out because many were waiting for the Supreme Court rulings to come out. The two most anticipated rulings in several years, ObamaCare and Arizona's Immigration Law didn't debut Thursday after all.
The Twittershpere has been all wound up anyway, due to the Fast & Furious hearings in Congress, so equal parts of Snark, Seriousness, and Conspiracy Theory were on display...something for everyone...
I realized in the aftermath, just how much I've come to rely on Twitter for Real Time News. It's way faster than my beloved radio, even...
 |
| Fail Whale, MIA |
In the days before the crash, I found a few more History Tweeters, and made a mental note to share them here.
I find it curious that we are in the midst of the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812, our second victory over the British, and yet if it weren't for Twitter, I wouldn't have known of it because of the omission of it by the Mainstream News Media.
Thanks to @warof1812online, I'm privy to an ongoing stream of history tidbits from 200 years ago. Another cool thing about this tweeter is they've alerted me to several other History Tweeters by retweeting them, so they show up in my Twitter Timeline.
One of these new-to-me accounts is really a gem. @navalhistorian has been tweeting details of The Battle of the Philippine Sea the past few days, including the story of "The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot" from 70 years ago.
Twitter being a Social Network is all about connections...think branches on a tree, and these seem to multiply if you're curious. With every new account that you follow, oftentimes they will lead you to other accounts with a similar outlook or interest, and then you can follow them too.
My new history "follows" are stacking up:
@SpitfireMuseum
devoted to the famous British Spitfire and Hurricane fighter planes
@NavyHistoryNews
The Naval History and Heritage Command is the official history program of the United States Navy
@sommecourt
Military Historian & author who works in Television: visiting & interpreting battlefields all over the world. Working on a big
@MayHillWWII
May Hill began to keep a Diary, and write poetry, not long after the outbreak of the Second World War. Son in the RAF: 'Waiting for news'
So today is "Follow Friday" on Twitter. This is a convention that organically started on Twitter where many tweeters tweet a list of accounts to follow, fronted by the hashtag: #FF
Hashtags make searching Twitter easy, and I play #FF most Fridays. I tweet my list of History Tweeters, Astronomy and Spaceflight Tweeters, San Francisco Giants Accounts, Sierra Weather Accounts and Skiing Tweeters.
Because I keep finding new History Tweeters, it's going to take more than one History #FF from here on out, and I'll probably need a fourth Giants #FF tweet...talk about Happy Warriors...
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Geeks Are Gonna Geek
The nexus of a real, live, historic battleship and the latest, greatest modern computer simulated war games is a hot topic this week in the online geek universe.
Gizmodo, the geek's hangout of the Gawker Empire, gave some love to the planned computer game stations to enjoy precious space aboard the USS Iowa museum in San Pedro.
I'm on thin ice here...having never played any PC-based simulated war games...in fact I never played many video games either. I can count on one hand the number of times I played Space Invaders, Asteroids, Pong, Pac-Man and Ms Pac-Man combined.
The only game I ever played enough to record a score worth displaying was called Kick. A standup video game featuring a clown riding a unicycle that catches falling balloons on his pointy hat, and kicking the balloons that aren't caught back up to be caught for a score. Oh, and every once in a while an old cartoon-style bomb falls in lieu of a balloon...these have to be avoided...or, ***GAME OVER***
But that was one ski season long ago...the season before I first climbed into a grooming machine which I found to be much more compelling than the video game machine.
Gizmodo, the geek's hangout of the Gawker Empire, gave some love to the planned computer game stations to enjoy precious space aboard the USS Iowa museum in San Pedro.
I'm on thin ice here...having never played any PC-based simulated war games...in fact I never played many video games either. I can count on one hand the number of times I played Space Invaders, Asteroids, Pong, Pac-Man and Ms Pac-Man combined.
The only game I ever played enough to record a score worth displaying was called Kick. A standup video game featuring a clown riding a unicycle that catches falling balloons on his pointy hat, and kicking the balloons that aren't caught back up to be caught for a score. Oh, and every once in a while an old cartoon-style bomb falls in lieu of a balloon...these have to be avoided...or, ***GAME OVER***
But that was one ski season long ago...the season before I first climbed into a grooming machine which I found to be much more compelling than the video game machine.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
USS Iowa, Meet Online Wargaming
Our Big Stick got some ink and electrons from Forbes Friday:
"World of Battleships Publisher Wargaming.net Blends History With Online Gaming Aboard USS Iowa"
So far in my life I've resisted computer gaming, but I may have to take a look at World of Battleships...
America's "Battleship of Presidents" can use all the love she attracts...
"World of Battleships Publisher Wargaming.net Blends History With Online Gaming Aboard USS Iowa"
So far in my life I've resisted computer gaming, but I may have to take a look at World of Battleships...
America's "Battleship of Presidents" can use all the love she attracts...
Friday, June 15, 2012
Here Comes History
My world has been heavy with history for a month. The last week of May was wall to wall battleship. The USS Iowa's transit through San Francisco Bay made for a peak experience for SturgeUrge and I as we followed the big battlewagon from Richmond to Angel Island on an uncommonly calm afternoon.
Astronomically it was a couple of good weeks with the Annular Eclipse and the Transit of Venus.
I marked the 70th anniversary of the pivotal Battle of Midway in this space.
Last week we marked the 68th year since Allied forces landed on the Normandy beaches. D-Day the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany's reign of terror.
History was made in space when private contractor SpaceX successfully sent a cargo ship named Dragon to the International Space Station, docked, and a few days later, undocked, reentered and slashed down safely in the Pacific off the Baja California coast.
The 96th Indianapolis 500 and the 70th Monaco Grand Prix marked motorsports milestones, and this week I watched Matt Cain pitch his Perfect Game.
Looking ahead, Truckee will be hosting some history the first week of July, when two of the original Tuskegee Airmen will be feted at a dinner kicking off the Truckee Tahoe AirFair & Family Festival.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black aviation unit in the Army Air Corps during WWII. The heavily decorated all black 322nd Fighter Group is told in the George Lucas 2012 film "Red Tails"
All this excitement has me plumb tuckered out...perhaps this weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans will recharge my batteries...
Astronomically it was a couple of good weeks with the Annular Eclipse and the Transit of Venus.
I marked the 70th anniversary of the pivotal Battle of Midway in this space.
Last week we marked the 68th year since Allied forces landed on the Normandy beaches. D-Day the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany's reign of terror.
History was made in space when private contractor SpaceX successfully sent a cargo ship named Dragon to the International Space Station, docked, and a few days later, undocked, reentered and slashed down safely in the Pacific off the Baja California coast.
The 96th Indianapolis 500 and the 70th Monaco Grand Prix marked motorsports milestones, and this week I watched Matt Cain pitch his Perfect Game.
Looking ahead, Truckee will be hosting some history the first week of July, when two of the original Tuskegee Airmen will be feted at a dinner kicking off the Truckee Tahoe AirFair & Family Festival.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black aviation unit in the Army Air Corps during WWII. The heavily decorated all black 322nd Fighter Group is told in the George Lucas 2012 film "Red Tails"
All this excitement has me plumb tuckered out...perhaps this weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans will recharge my batteries...
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Perfect
It's almost 2AM, and I'm wide awake...adrenaline will do that to a man. I was lucky enough to witness something very, very rare Wednesday evening.
I watched the Giants game as I do most games. The Giants are playing very enjoyable ball these past few weeks as the team's injured players return from the Disabled List, and get back into their respective grooves. The Giants outfield is as good as any in the Majors...the Giants' young infielders are getting their feet under themselves in the field, and they're starting to produce from the batter's box too.
With the exception of the Giants ace pitcher Tim Lincecum, who's been bedeviled with mysterious control problems, the Giants' starting pitchers have been shouldering the load as the team jells. Tonight it was Matt Cain on the mound against the Houston Astros.
Cain struck out the Astros' leadoff batter, and retired the side in order. Giants LF Melky Cabrera, fresh from three days off to heal a strained hamstring, knocked a two run homer into the bleachers in the 1st. Giant lead 2-0 going into the 2nd inning.
The Giants scored in each of the first five innings, Matt Cain retired the Astros in order each time the Giants took the field.
The crowd in the sold-out AT&T Park was festive to say the least, once they began to realize that Cain was well on his way to a No-Hitter, somehow they turned up the intensity a little more. It was totally a "playoff atmosphere"
It was intense at home too...the normally boisterous social networks turned it down once it looked like Cain had the No-No going...it's a thing in baseball, you don't talk about a no hitter if one is happening...don't jinx it.
In the seventh inning, Astros' Jason Schafer crushed a Matt Cain fastball into the gap in right center, coming from right field Gregor Blanco ran to the gap and made a diving catch on the warning track, and held onto the ball for the out. The catch looked impossible when the ball was hit, and still looked impossible when Blanco, in a dead run layed out to make the catch in mid air...think "The Catch", Willie Mays' famous over the shoulder basket catch in the Polo Grounds during the Game 1 of the 1954 World Series vs the Cleveland Indians...only horizontal!
That's when I knew Cain would not only get the no-hitter, but the Perfect Game as well. The crowd was off the hook from then on. The TV announcers were being swept along with the building tension. Everyone in the yard was standing from the bottom for the 7th, until the final out of Cain's masterpiece. In the 9th, the TV cameras caught Matt's wife Chelsea standing with some other Giants' wives as Matt hurled for his last three outs.
In the aftermath, the dugout reporter interviewing Cain told him he was the first pitcher in 135 years of Giants history to throw the perfect game. "Wow" Cain excitedly replied. Chelsea Cain made it down to the field as the interview was wrapping up, and a big hug and a kiss sealed the deal. The post game show ran about two hours...not the usual 20-25 minutes.
It was a big deal, I feel so lucky to have seen it! It's been four hours since the game ended and Twitter and the baseball side of Facebook are still crackling with energy. #MattCain is trending worldwide on Twitter and the baseball bloggers are all posting their stories. ESPN has a good one.
Only 22 perfect games have been pitched since baseball began in the 1870s Cain's Perfect Game featured the most pitches 125, and the highest score 10-0. The high pitch count came from Cain's 14 strikeouts, tying Sandy Koufax who did it with 113 pitches against the Chicago Cubs in 1965.
I watched the ground crew dig up Home Plate and the pitching rubber from the mound...destination Cooperstown, and the Baseball Hall of Fame.
I think this occasion will be the catalyst that sets the Giants chemistry into motion. I'm thinkin' contending come September...Go Giants, Well done Matt, and thanks a ton!
I watched the Giants game as I do most games. The Giants are playing very enjoyable ball these past few weeks as the team's injured players return from the Disabled List, and get back into their respective grooves. The Giants outfield is as good as any in the Majors...the Giants' young infielders are getting their feet under themselves in the field, and they're starting to produce from the batter's box too.
With the exception of the Giants ace pitcher Tim Lincecum, who's been bedeviled with mysterious control problems, the Giants' starting pitchers have been shouldering the load as the team jells. Tonight it was Matt Cain on the mound against the Houston Astros.
Cain struck out the Astros' leadoff batter, and retired the side in order. Giants LF Melky Cabrera, fresh from three days off to heal a strained hamstring, knocked a two run homer into the bleachers in the 1st. Giant lead 2-0 going into the 2nd inning.
The Giants scored in each of the first five innings, Matt Cain retired the Astros in order each time the Giants took the field.
The crowd in the sold-out AT&T Park was festive to say the least, once they began to realize that Cain was well on his way to a No-Hitter, somehow they turned up the intensity a little more. It was totally a "playoff atmosphere"
It was intense at home too...the normally boisterous social networks turned it down once it looked like Cain had the No-No going...it's a thing in baseball, you don't talk about a no hitter if one is happening...don't jinx it.
In the seventh inning, Astros' Jason Schafer crushed a Matt Cain fastball into the gap in right center, coming from right field Gregor Blanco ran to the gap and made a diving catch on the warning track, and held onto the ball for the out. The catch looked impossible when the ball was hit, and still looked impossible when Blanco, in a dead run layed out to make the catch in mid air...think "The Catch", Willie Mays' famous over the shoulder basket catch in the Polo Grounds during the Game 1 of the 1954 World Series vs the Cleveland Indians...only horizontal!
That's when I knew Cain would not only get the no-hitter, but the Perfect Game as well. The crowd was off the hook from then on. The TV announcers were being swept along with the building tension. Everyone in the yard was standing from the bottom for the 7th, until the final out of Cain's masterpiece. In the 9th, the TV cameras caught Matt's wife Chelsea standing with some other Giants' wives as Matt hurled for his last three outs.
In the aftermath, the dugout reporter interviewing Cain told him he was the first pitcher in 135 years of Giants history to throw the perfect game. "Wow" Cain excitedly replied. Chelsea Cain made it down to the field as the interview was wrapping up, and a big hug and a kiss sealed the deal. The post game show ran about two hours...not the usual 20-25 minutes.
It was a big deal, I feel so lucky to have seen it! It's been four hours since the game ended and Twitter and the baseball side of Facebook are still crackling with energy. #MattCain is trending worldwide on Twitter and the baseball bloggers are all posting their stories. ESPN has a good one.
Only 22 perfect games have been pitched since baseball began in the 1870s Cain's Perfect Game featured the most pitches 125, and the highest score 10-0. The high pitch count came from Cain's 14 strikeouts, tying Sandy Koufax who did it with 113 pitches against the Chicago Cubs in 1965.
I watched the ground crew dig up Home Plate and the pitching rubber from the mound...destination Cooperstown, and the Baseball Hall of Fame.
I think this occasion will be the catalyst that sets the Giants chemistry into motion. I'm thinkin' contending come September...Go Giants, Well done Matt, and thanks a ton!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
USS Iowa Veterans Information
An interesting post appeared on CorduroyPlanet's Facebook Page Friday.
A veteran named Bill Sandlin asked:
"There are a lot of us veterans that would like to be there for the Grand Opening. I would like to make this a big event for USS Iowa and veterans. Is there anything I can do to make this happen?"
I responded:
"If you're a USS Iowa vet, the USS Iowa Veterans Association is holding their 2012 Reunion in San Pedro for the Grand Opening July 2-6" http://www.ussiowa.org/
"Veterans who served on other ships or in other services could pose their questions to The Pacific Battleship Center http://
Mr Sandlin replied:
"Thanks, I will pass this information on to other veterans. I am sure some served on the USS Iowa"
"Thanks for your service Bill! God bless you and all Allied Veterans". I replied.
That happened twelve hours ago. I've spent a little time since then looking at the USS Iowa Veterans Association website, and it's a little gold mine.
History comes a-knockin':
It occurs to me that another WWII milestone needs marking. The Battle of Midway, June 4-7, 1942 was fought seventy years ago this week. This naval battle was the turning point in the Pacific Naval War, and though the USS Iowa wasn't launched until August 27, 1942, Iowa would play her part in Imperial Japan's surrender, the surrender that became a fait accompli as the result of the Battle of Midway.
Perhaps ironically, the Battle of Midway also foretold the end of the Battleship Era. Though 49 ships fought in the battle, only two were battleships, the real business end of both navies were the aircraft carriers. Japan brought four carriers to bear on Midway Atoll, the American Navy fielded three flat tops.
The USS Enterprise, USS Hornet and USS Yorktown and their combined Air Wings sank all four Japanese carriers, Kaga, Akagi, Hiryū, and Sōryū, four of the five fleet carriers that attacked Pearl Harbor just seven months earlier. The Yorktown sank after twice suffering devastating direct torpedo strikes. Japan lost 248 aircraft and 3057 men. The Americans lost around 150 aircraft and 307 men. American air crews suffered near total losses while devastating the Japanese carriers.
Japan stubbornly fought another three years and three months across the Pacific before the surrender was signed on the Iowa Class battleship USS Missouri while much of Missouri's crew was temporarily billeted aboard the USS Iowa on Tokyo Bay.
There's lots of these anniversaries coming down the pike. We all pray that there will never be a Total War like WWII again. Those of us who came after the war, and those that didn't serve can never repay our veterans for the sacrifices they made on our behalf.
If you know a veteran, thank them for their service to our country, and tip them to the upcoming Grand Opening of the USS Iowa as a floating museum on Independence Day weekend in Los Angeles Harbor. Talk up the USS Iowa Veterans Association as well, and point them to the Pacific Battleship Center's Facebook Page.
If you're going to be in LA before the 4th of July weekend, the LA Times has a guide to getting a closer look until Iowa opens for business.
USS Iowa On the Move Today:
The Pacific Battleship Center: "USS Iowa is expected to transit from Berth 51/52 to Berth 87 on Saturday, June 9. Invited guests on a pre-approved manifest will be the only people permitted onboard USS Iowa and within the secure zone established at both berths.
The transit will begin at approximately 1430, with arrival at Berth 87 at approximately 1530/1545. Access to Berth 87 prior to transit will currently be limited to those on the pre-approved manifest.
It is expected that there will be a lot of traffic within the San Pedro area. The Pacific Battleship Center Outreach Center is located at 437 6th Street for further details on USS Iowa and for purchase of hats, t-shirts, tickets, and membership."
USS Iowa veterans salute the Big Stick.
It would be awesome to volunteer on the USS Iowa don'tcha think?
A veteran named Bill Sandlin asked:
"There are a lot of us veterans that would like to be there for the Grand Opening. I would like to make this a big event for USS Iowa and veterans. Is there anything I can do to make this happen?"
I responded:
"If you're a USS Iowa vet, the USS Iowa Veterans Association is holding their 2012 Reunion in San Pedro for the Grand Opening July 2-6" http://www.ussiowa.org/
"Veterans who served on other ships or in other services could pose their questions to The Pacific Battleship Center http://
Mr Sandlin replied:
"Thanks, I will pass this information on to other veterans. I am sure some served on the USS Iowa"
"Thanks for your service Bill! God bless you and all Allied Veterans". I replied.
That happened twelve hours ago. I've spent a little time since then looking at the USS Iowa Veterans Association website, and it's a little gold mine.
History comes a-knockin':
It occurs to me that another WWII milestone needs marking. The Battle of Midway, June 4-7, 1942 was fought seventy years ago this week. This naval battle was the turning point in the Pacific Naval War, and though the USS Iowa wasn't launched until August 27, 1942, Iowa would play her part in Imperial Japan's surrender, the surrender that became a fait accompli as the result of the Battle of Midway.
Perhaps ironically, the Battle of Midway also foretold the end of the Battleship Era. Though 49 ships fought in the battle, only two were battleships, the real business end of both navies were the aircraft carriers. Japan brought four carriers to bear on Midway Atoll, the American Navy fielded three flat tops.
The USS Enterprise, USS Hornet and USS Yorktown and their combined Air Wings sank all four Japanese carriers, Kaga, Akagi, Hiryū, and Sōryū, four of the five fleet carriers that attacked Pearl Harbor just seven months earlier. The Yorktown sank after twice suffering devastating direct torpedo strikes. Japan lost 248 aircraft and 3057 men. The Americans lost around 150 aircraft and 307 men. American air crews suffered near total losses while devastating the Japanese carriers.
Japan stubbornly fought another three years and three months across the Pacific before the surrender was signed on the Iowa Class battleship USS Missouri while much of Missouri's crew was temporarily billeted aboard the USS Iowa on Tokyo Bay.
There's lots of these anniversaries coming down the pike. We all pray that there will never be a Total War like WWII again. Those of us who came after the war, and those that didn't serve can never repay our veterans for the sacrifices they made on our behalf.
If you know a veteran, thank them for their service to our country, and tip them to the upcoming Grand Opening of the USS Iowa as a floating museum on Independence Day weekend in Los Angeles Harbor. Talk up the USS Iowa Veterans Association as well, and point them to the Pacific Battleship Center's Facebook Page.
If you're going to be in LA before the 4th of July weekend, the LA Times has a guide to getting a closer look until Iowa opens for business.
USS Iowa On the Move Today:
The Pacific Battleship Center: "USS Iowa is expected to transit from Berth 51/52 to Berth 87 on Saturday, June 9. Invited guests on a pre-approved manifest will be the only people permitted onboard USS Iowa and within the secure zone established at both berths.
The transit will begin at approximately 1430, with arrival at Berth 87 at approximately 1530/1545. Access to Berth 87 prior to transit will currently be limited to those on the pre-approved manifest.
It is expected that there will be a lot of traffic within the San Pedro area. The Pacific Battleship Center Outreach Center is located at 437 6th Street for further details on USS Iowa and for purchase of hats, t-shirts, tickets, and membership."
USS Iowa veterans salute the Big Stick.
It would be awesome to volunteer on the USS Iowa don'tcha think?
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Sunday Bonus: Penultimate USS Iowa Update
Now berthed in Los Angeles Harbor, BB-61, the USS Iowa is getting good press in Hollywood. Can an agent and film deals be the next entries in the Ship's Log?
A very good USS Iowa photo album at the LA Times link, too.
As the son of a native San Franciscan, it brings my heart joy that the lead photo in the LA Times story on the USS Iowa is the battleship on San Francisco Bay!
New readers, please feel free to Like my CorduroyPlanet Facebook Page, Thank you!
I expect that the Final USS Iowa Update will be the announcement of Iowa's Grand Opening and hours of operation in July. As for the Big Stick's Hollywood updates, I think that's best left to "Her People"...Ciao, Babies!
A very good USS Iowa photo album at the LA Times link, too.
As the son of a native San Franciscan, it brings my heart joy that the lead photo in the LA Times story on the USS Iowa is the battleship on San Francisco Bay!
New readers, please feel free to Like my CorduroyPlanet Facebook Page, Thank you!
I expect that the Final USS Iowa Update will be the announcement of Iowa's Grand Opening and hours of operation in July. As for the Big Stick's Hollywood updates, I think that's best left to "Her People"...Ciao, Babies!
Past and Future
I'll just wrap up some past stories to make way for the future stuff.
San Francisco Giants:
While the Giants club dates to 1883, baseball didn't start keeping real stats until 1918. I became curious over the past weeks because so many club records were falling or in danger of falling, and usually the copy read: "...since 1918"
USS Iowa:
Smooth sailing for the big battlewagon, her hull work completed, she entered Los Angeles Harbor Saturday morning.
The photo is courtesy of Donna Littlejohn, DailyBreeze.com The Victory Ship in the foreground is the SS Lane Victory built in Los Angeles and returned from distinguished service in WWII, Korea and Vietnam, she's a museum now. The Lane Victory has been restored to seaworthy condition and offers "Victory at Sea" summer cruises.
The Lane's website features an incredible photo album from the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond that includes day by day photos of a Liberty Ship on the ways under construction. It's really worth a look.
OK, now on to the Future:
There's bunches of spaceflight news this week.
Private/Public Spaceflight tallies historic first milestone.
The SpaceX Falcon/Dragon mission to the International Space Station is a rousing success. NASA says in light of the mission's success, approval for continued resupply missions under a $1.6 billion contract would be a mere formality.
Not everything in civilian spaceflight is rosy:
Sea Launch, another commercial spaceflight contractor successfully launched an Intelsat 19 communications satellite into geosynchronous orbit. There was a problem with the satellite however when one of the spacecraft's two solar array wings failed to deploy.
X-Ray Space Telescope Nears Launch:
The NuSTAR space telescope will be launched by Orbital Sciences Corp. as early as June 13th, 2012. This satellite is launched from a converted Lockeed L-1011 airliner that launches a Pegasus rocket plane that carries the NuSTAR into orbit.
There's Military Spaceflight News...sort of:
The Air Force's XB-37B "Mini Space Shuttle" will return to Earth after it's classified 15 month mission in Low Earth Orbit sometime in the next few weeks...
Sutter's Mill Meteorites Found:
This story is getting a little long in the tooth, but I suppose it's the nature of the beast...I don't recall Mark Twain reporting on every nugget and vein discovered in the Comstock when he was a reporter for Virginia City's Territorial Enterprise
Video of the Sutter's Mill Fireball surfaced this week, and to date almost a pound of the meteorite has been found and reported. I wonder how many bits of the meteorite were found and sold on the spot to meteorite dealers at $1000/gram... At least one piece made it's way to a UC Davis geologist so far...
Don't toss those eclipse glasses just yet:
You'll need them again Tuesday June 5th to view the Transit of Venus across our Sun. Sky and Telescope have a good observation guide.
San Francisco Giants:
While the Giants club dates to 1883, baseball didn't start keeping real stats until 1918. I became curious over the past weeks because so many club records were falling or in danger of falling, and usually the copy read: "...since 1918"
USS Iowa:
Smooth sailing for the big battlewagon, her hull work completed, she entered Los Angeles Harbor Saturday morning.
The Lane's website features an incredible photo album from the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond that includes day by day photos of a Liberty Ship on the ways under construction. It's really worth a look.
OK, now on to the Future:
There's bunches of spaceflight news this week.
Private/Public Spaceflight tallies historic first milestone.
The SpaceX Falcon/Dragon mission to the International Space Station is a rousing success. NASA says in light of the mission's success, approval for continued resupply missions under a $1.6 billion contract would be a mere formality.
Not everything in civilian spaceflight is rosy:
Sea Launch, another commercial spaceflight contractor successfully launched an Intelsat 19 communications satellite into geosynchronous orbit. There was a problem with the satellite however when one of the spacecraft's two solar array wings failed to deploy.
X-Ray Space Telescope Nears Launch:
The NuSTAR space telescope will be launched by Orbital Sciences Corp. as early as June 13th, 2012. This satellite is launched from a converted Lockeed L-1011 airliner that launches a Pegasus rocket plane that carries the NuSTAR into orbit.
There's Military Spaceflight News...sort of:
The Air Force's XB-37B "Mini Space Shuttle" will return to Earth after it's classified 15 month mission in Low Earth Orbit sometime in the next few weeks...
Sutter's Mill Meteorites Found:
This story is getting a little long in the tooth, but I suppose it's the nature of the beast...I don't recall Mark Twain reporting on every nugget and vein discovered in the Comstock when he was a reporter for Virginia City's Territorial Enterprise
Video of the Sutter's Mill Fireball surfaced this week, and to date almost a pound of the meteorite has been found and reported. I wonder how many bits of the meteorite were found and sold on the spot to meteorite dealers at $1000/gram... At least one piece made it's way to a UC Davis geologist so far...
Don't toss those eclipse glasses just yet:
You'll need them again Tuesday June 5th to view the Transit of Venus across our Sun. Sky and Telescope have a good observation guide.
Friday, May 25, 2012
USS Iowa- It's On for Saturday
The Weather Gods have calmed the savage seas off Central and Southern California, so the Pacific Battleship Center will move the USS Iowa from Richmond, CA to Los Angeles beginning on Saturday May 26th, 2012
Check that date...it's one day shy of the 75th Birthday Celebration of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The San Francisco Chronicle's story has a handy schedule and tips on where to view the battleship as it's towed through San Francisco Bay, and under the birthday bridge.
It looks like the northerlies that have been blowing hard all week will abate a little Saturday allowing SturgeUrge and I to put the boat on the Bay for some history and halibut.
LIVE Webcam link of Iowa's voyage.
Check that date...it's one day shy of the 75th Birthday Celebration of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The San Francisco Chronicle's story has a handy schedule and tips on where to view the battleship as it's towed through San Francisco Bay, and under the birthday bridge.
It looks like the northerlies that have been blowing hard all week will abate a little Saturday allowing SturgeUrge and I to put the boat on the Bay for some history and halibut.
LIVE Webcam link of Iowa's voyage.
On And Off
I'm ready to nod off again...no wonder, I've been busy...and all without a nap...
I loaded the car this morning...maybe a dozen times up and down the stairs, locked up the DaveCave and headed out by 10AM.
As I was swinging through Soda Springs, I passed Jeweler's house and saw his car out front with the door open, and the front door of his place open as well...I hung a U-ey and pulled into the driveway next to the open car door...
We spent a half hour catching up before I pointed the car downhill and hit the SuperSlab.
I put it in long distance drive, and turned up the radio...road construction was much less onerous than on Monday's trip to the County Seat, and I kept it pointed west until I reached Vacaville and pulled off I-80 to hit my favorite Asian Grocery, where I picked up some baby bok choi, shitake mushrooms and some Chinese pea pods.
I arrived at the Ancestral Digs an hour before the Giants game's first pitch...the Giants were playing the Miami Marlins in the Marlin's brand new half a billion dollar stadium, resplendent with expansive views of downtown Miami thru the outfield windows, and the marine aquariums flanking home plate filled with neon colored reef fish.
The game went 1-1 into the 6th, when the Giants exploded for four runs! The Marlins answered with four in the 7th, and then the game really went off the hook! Final score Giants 14, Marlins 7! It was a wild one!
Mercifully, Mom said she'd take us out to Chinese, but I whined about spending enough time in the car today and Sister K went down to the closest Chinese joint and came back with four delicious entrees instead.
It turns out that the local joint is excellent! They gave Sister K a complimentary beer while she waited, and sent her home with dinner, plus a bonus grocery bag of fresh, local organic produce! We'll be heading down to dine at the joint soon...not only are they the nearest Chinese Restaurant, but they're all organic, don't use any MSG, and they have a Sushi Bar too!
Sometime during the afternoon, the Pacific Battleship Center announced that the USS Iowa will set sail on Saturday morning from Richmond to Los Angeles.
Oh perfect, SturgeUrge and I will be out there on the Fishing Vessel SturgeUrge Saturday halibut fishing and giving "The Big Stick" an escort of sorts as she plies the Bay out under the Golden Gate Bridge that's celebrating it's 75th Birthday Saturday...perfect indeed...let's hope the halibut are biting!
I loaded the car this morning...maybe a dozen times up and down the stairs, locked up the DaveCave and headed out by 10AM.
As I was swinging through Soda Springs, I passed Jeweler's house and saw his car out front with the door open, and the front door of his place open as well...I hung a U-ey and pulled into the driveway next to the open car door...
We spent a half hour catching up before I pointed the car downhill and hit the SuperSlab.
I put it in long distance drive, and turned up the radio...road construction was much less onerous than on Monday's trip to the County Seat, and I kept it pointed west until I reached Vacaville and pulled off I-80 to hit my favorite Asian Grocery, where I picked up some baby bok choi, shitake mushrooms and some Chinese pea pods.
I arrived at the Ancestral Digs an hour before the Giants game's first pitch...the Giants were playing the Miami Marlins in the Marlin's brand new half a billion dollar stadium, resplendent with expansive views of downtown Miami thru the outfield windows, and the marine aquariums flanking home plate filled with neon colored reef fish.
The game went 1-1 into the 6th, when the Giants exploded for four runs! The Marlins answered with four in the 7th, and then the game really went off the hook! Final score Giants 14, Marlins 7! It was a wild one!
Mercifully, Mom said she'd take us out to Chinese, but I whined about spending enough time in the car today and Sister K went down to the closest Chinese joint and came back with four delicious entrees instead.
It turns out that the local joint is excellent! They gave Sister K a complimentary beer while she waited, and sent her home with dinner, plus a bonus grocery bag of fresh, local organic produce! We'll be heading down to dine at the joint soon...not only are they the nearest Chinese Restaurant, but they're all organic, don't use any MSG, and they have a Sushi Bar too!
Sometime during the afternoon, the Pacific Battleship Center announced that the USS Iowa will set sail on Saturday morning from Richmond to Los Angeles.
Oh perfect, SturgeUrge and I will be out there on the Fishing Vessel SturgeUrge Saturday halibut fishing and giving "The Big Stick" an escort of sorts as she plies the Bay out under the Golden Gate Bridge that's celebrating it's 75th Birthday Saturday...perfect indeed...let's hope the halibut are biting!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
No Rest for the Curious
Formula One's Free Practice One LIVE from the streets of Monte Carlo begins at 1AM PDT about an hour and fifteen minutes from now.
I was starting to nod off when I saw a tweet touting LIVE coverage of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft performing some maneuvers including a "FlyUnder" of the International Space Station in preparation for Friday's berthing with the ISS.
Nothing like some untried spacefaring to juice up the ol' adrenaline levels!
Enjoy, you can all sleep after history is made!
I was starting to nod off when I saw a tweet touting LIVE coverage of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft performing some maneuvers including a "FlyUnder" of the International Space Station in preparation for Friday's berthing with the ISS.
Nothing like some untried spacefaring to juice up the ol' adrenaline levels!
Enjoy, you can all sleep after history is made!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Wednesday Battleship Update
Tuesday 2PM Facebook post from the Pacific Battleship Center:
"Tuesday Weather Update: the system has picked up a little bit with gale wind warnings on Weds/Thurs/Fri down the central and southern coasts. We are still looking late in the week for departure. As soon as we have more information we will put it out there."
I was driving west from Reno about an hour after the Facebook post...those forecast gale-force winds were howling right down the Truckee River Canyon. One unplanned almost-lane change got my attention in a New York second!
I know I promised photos, but I can't make any until Iowa is underway...and my attempt at eclipse photos yielded weak results...I need a solar filter for my 90mm telescope, or a digital point and shoot camera with a much longer lens than what I've got now.
Enjoy this awesome photo I found online:
I'm pretty sure the Milky Way was photo shopped in back here on Earth. I love the New Moon's shadow on the cloud bank...I'm sure that's a real image, but these daylight photos from ISS never show stars...the Earthshine overwhelms the starlight, and after all, the Milky Way is all stars...
In a related note, SpaceX launched the first commercial spacecraft to go to the International Space Station Monday morning. It was pretty cool watching it LIVE online.
Now I've been watching live NASA launches since I was a kid...I started watching before there were astronauts onboard. Monday morning's launch had something I've never seen
When the Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon capsule on to made it successfully into orbit, the SpaceX people jumped up and down for joy...like children their joy and relief showed like CinemaScope on my little laptop screen...it was such a genuine human moment...something I never saw before... from the buttoned-down NASA guys.
The only thing close wasn't NASA per se, but JPL scientists getting first data from their planetary probes several years after they were launched...still great happiness, but no jumping up and down like giddy children.
We'll be seeing more scientists doing the happy dance when NASA's next Mars Mission arrives at the Red Planet on August 5th, 2012. This mission includes a Mars Rover named Curiosity that's the size of a small SUV.
"Tuesday Weather Update: the system has picked up a little bit with gale wind warnings on Weds/Thurs/Fri down the central and southern coasts. We are still looking late in the week for departure. As soon as we have more information we will put it out there."
I was driving west from Reno about an hour after the Facebook post...those forecast gale-force winds were howling right down the Truckee River Canyon. One unplanned almost-lane change got my attention in a New York second!
 |
| Jeremy Bonelle Photo from The Pacific Battleship Center Facebook Album. Iowa's new paint looks great! |
 |
| At 96% exposure time is long thru the eclipse glasses...I was a little excited... |
In a related note, SpaceX launched the first commercial spacecraft to go to the International Space Station Monday morning. It was pretty cool watching it LIVE online.
Now I've been watching live NASA launches since I was a kid...I started watching before there were astronauts onboard. Monday morning's launch had something I've never seen
When the Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon capsule on to made it successfully into orbit, the SpaceX people jumped up and down for joy...like children their joy and relief showed like CinemaScope on my little laptop screen...it was such a genuine human moment...something I never saw before... from the buttoned-down NASA guys.
The only thing close wasn't NASA per se, but JPL scientists getting first data from their planetary probes several years after they were launched...still great happiness, but no jumping up and down like giddy children.
We'll be seeing more scientists doing the happy dance when NASA's next Mars Mission arrives at the Red Planet on August 5th, 2012. This mission includes a Mars Rover named Curiosity that's the size of a small SUV.
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