Wit, Wisdom, and Whimsy. (your mileage may vary)
February 28, 2011
geek astrophotography, Discovery, ISS, space geek, Space Staion Leave a comment
Photo Credit: Rob Bullen
Another incredible Space Geek photo from Bad Astronomer Phil Plait. This photo taken in the United Kingdom, from the ground! The telescope is an 8.5 inch model, which is not all that big as far as telescopes go. This image captured Saturday February 26, 2011.
February 28, 2011
geek, Pictures Cassini, Dione, JPL, NASA, Rhea, Saturn Leave a comment
From the space probe Cassini, in orbit around Saturn:
Image credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Bad Astronomer Phil Plait says:
The moon at the top is Rhea, which is about 1500 km (950 miles) across. We’re looking past its south pole here. The moon farther away is Dione, which is 1100 km (700 miles) in size. And since Cassini was very nearly in the plane of Saturn’s equator, the rings are nearly edge-on. Note that Dione is on the other side of the rings as seen by Cassini, so the bottom of the moon is obscured by the rings. We can’t see Saturn itself, but it’s off to the left in this shot.
Rhea is only a little bigger than Dione, but is a lot closer in this shot: 61,000 km versus 924,000 for Dione! That’s why Dione looks so much smaller. As seen by Cassini in this shot, it’s actually more than twice as far as our Moon is from the Earth. Both moons are composed of mostly water ice, with some rock. Both have been heavily battered by impacts, as you can see.
February 27, 2011
commentary, News Bobby Franklin, Georgia, HB 1, Republican insanity 1 Comment
The place: Georgia (the State, not the European country)
The evidence: HB 1
The author: Rep Bobby Franklin (R)
What he’s done: has introduced a 10-page bill that would criminalize miscarriages and make abortion in Georgia completely illegal. Both miscarriages and abortions would be potentially punishable by death: any “prenatal murder” in the words of the bill, including “human involvement” in a miscarriage, would be a felony and carry a penalty of life in prison or death.
The result: Under Rep. Franklin’s bill, HB 1, women who miscarry could become felons if they cannot prove that there was “no human involvement whatsoever in the causation” of their miscarriage.
See the Mother Jones article, here.
First it was redefining rape. Then changing the designation of domestic-abuse victims to “accusers”. Now if you can’t prove your miscarriage was natural, they want to charge you with murder.
Insane. Completely, totally, over-the-edge, insane. Anyone who can in good conscious be a Republican must simply not understand what their party stands for these days. The elephant has lost it’s mind.
February 26, 2011
via Queer Landia
February 26, 2011
geek, Pictures NASA robot, R2A, R2D2, Shuttle Discovery.International Space Station, Space Shuttle launch with robot 1 Comment
R2A waves as twin is launched into space on mission to ISS
Robot R2A “waves” to the Space Shuttle Discovery as it lifts off on it’s journey to the International Space Station. On board is a twin unit to be installed aboard ISS for testing and maintenance. R2A is mounted on the Centaur mobile platform. Photo credit: NASA.
February 25, 2011
The weekly roundtable, where I get all Glenn Beck-y on the guys about the vast right wing conspiracy, God hating on lesbians, and we chat about whether the Republicans are creating jobs, jobs, jobs.
via Queer Landia
test of remixed audio blog:
February 24, 2011
commentary, Gay, Personal atheist, being out, coming out, Gay, gays in visalia, Jim Reeves 3 Comments
That’s me, back in 1969 or so. Twelve years old. One important thing in my life happened right about then, and a second important thing didn’t. I wrote about the first thing in a blog posted to Tulare County Atheists some time ago. This blog is about the second thing, the one that didn’t happen. At least not for another 25 years.
I had a “girlfriend” when I was 5 years old. We attended the same kindergarten class in Tacoma. I remember calling her my girlfriend, and I think she called me her boyfriend, but I’m not sure either of us really thought much of the designation. For me, it might have been more something my father suggested. She and I only interacted in school, since we didn’t live close to each other. We didn’t really play that much together, and other than the status of “girlfriend”, I really don’t recall much about her. I think her name was the same as my sister’s, Sherry, but I could be mis-remembering that. We moved after the end of the school year, and I never saw her again. I don’t recall being upset about that. Maybe that was the first clue?
That was it for girlfriends up until my senior year in high school. Second clue? Perhaps.
I should have figured out the second thing right about the same time I figured out the first. But there was a big difference between being OK about being an atheist, and being OK about being gay.
February 24, 2011
geek, Pictures Discovery, last launch, NASA Leave a comment
Photo: NASA
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JimmieJoe 
Mother Nature Attempts Revenge for Dandelion Massacre
February 28, 2011
Jim Reeves commentary, Humor gravity, homocide, ladder, mother nature, rain gutter Leave a comment
Scene of the attempted homocide.
Visalia, CA – Mother Nature, in a blatant act of revenge, attempted to commit homocide* this afternoon. Using one of the most pervasive tools at her disposal, gravity, the suspect, generally considered a loving, benign caretaker of all things natural, tried to revenge herself for the recent actions of a local resident, Jim Reeves, 53.
On March 19, 2010, this website published an expose, written by Reeves, about Mother Nature, revealing a heretofore secret about the favoritism shown by her towards one particular member of her menagerie.
*yes, we know that’s not the correct spelling of homicide. Reeves’ insisted on this spelling. He’s also aware what speaking in the third person means.
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