When Rocket Science Isn’t Enough

July 4, 2012

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A rendering from the LHC that might represent a decaying Higgs boson. (Image: CERN)

WARNING:  This is so far above both our heads, that we’ll probably get cramps in our necks trying to see it.

Scientists at The Large Hadron Collider, in Geneva, Switzerland, are announcing the discovery of what appears to be the Higgs Boson.  They’re claiming “Sigma 5” confidence, which means they’re 99.9999% sure they’ve discovered evidence of a particle that behaves exactly as predicted for the Higgs Boson.  Apparently they didn’t find the particle itself, but have detected the expected decay energy of a Higgs Boson.

I’m not even going to try to explain any of it, I’d probably just get it wrong, anyway.  Go first to this site, Phil Plait’s Bad Astronomy, then to this site, The Mother Nature Network, for much better explanations than I could ever come up with.

You’ve heard of this particle before.  Sure you have.  This is “The God Particle“.  See, I knew you’d heard of it.  I don’t know if this is 42 or not, or the grand unifier, but it is a huge leap forward for particle and quantum physics.

It’s also an important indicator of something else.

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Enterprise vs. Death Star – Star Trek/Star Wars Trailer

June 30, 2012

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Perhaps the most well-done video mash-up I’ve ever seen. Engage.

Shock and Awe

June 24, 2012

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My chin hurts.

It hurts because it hit the floor a few minutes ago, when my jaw dropped.

As I was logging on to WordPress today to check my “dashboard”, as they call the administration pages for the blog, I noticed something that surprised me to no end.  I clicked on the little icon that indicates administrative messages waiting to be read.  Those messages indicate when someone “liked” your blog, reblogged one of your posts, or signed up to receive email notices when a new post goes up.  I’ve got 161 followers as of this writing.  It was # 161 that gave me a sore chin.

Adam Bouska is now following my blog!  (insert Snoopy dance here. In a dignified, appropriate for a 54 year old gentleman sort of way, of course. Oh, hell, never mind dignity…  full on Snoopy dance.)

Adam is the photographer behind the NOH8 Campaign, who has taken literally tens of thousands of NOH8 photos, the ones you see on websites, Facebook profiles, Tweets, and almost anywhere you see people working against discrimination.  From everyday people like you and me, to movie stars, musicians, politicians, and simply the “stars” of our society, people line up at the frequent NOH8 Campaign photo shoots that Adam and his team do across the country.

One such open shoot is coming to Fresno on July 13, and I’m going to have to finagle a way to be there, because I have to work that night.  I’ll figure out something, though.

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Something’s changed

June 20, 2012

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Monday June 18th, 2012 Visalia City Hall

If anyone had told me, oh, say back when I was in high school, or even for a decade or two after that, that I would end up as some kind of “community leader”, standing at the public’s podium at the City Hall, and accepting a proclamation for that community, I’d have thought they were simply nuts.

Something’s changed.

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Sometimes, all you have to do is ask

June 16, 2012

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It’s weird, every now and then, how things work out.

For years, various political figures have issued proclamations honoring June as LGBT Pride Month.  Whether a Mayor of a major city, or the President of the United States, the whereas‘s and the therefore‘s have highlighted the triumphs and tragedies of the gay pride movement across the United States, and marked the month in remembrance.  Some cities do it every year, Presidents (who are Democrats) issue one annually, and other government bodies sometimes do and sometimes don’t.

This is the story of Visalia’s LGBT Pride Month proclamation.

It was all quite accidental.

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Videos taken on the Ensenada cruise

June 14, 2012

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In several of these clips, I sound like an illiterate DBO.  It’s a bit embarrassing.  My only defense is these are all spur-of-the-moment videos, and I wasn’t thinking about presentation.

You can check the entire series of videos at my YouTube channel, here.

Back home, tired, and a picture to hold you over:

June 11, 2012

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I’ll post more about the cruise, later.  Right now, I need a nap!

The Lady and the Enterprise

June 6, 2012

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The Space Shuttle Enterprise is on it’s way to New York’s Intrepid museum by barge.  It has been lifted onto the flight deck of the U.S.S. Intrepid, the retired aircraft carrier now permanently on display in New York Harbor.  The Enterprise was the first Shuttle built, and used for flight and landing tests in the late 1970’s.  It was originally planned to be retro-fitted for spaceflight, and be the second orbiter, but structural refitting to bring the Enterprise to acceptable specifications became to expensive.  The decision was made that it would be cheaper to build a new orbiter (Challenger) than to disassemble and rebuild Enterprise.  Enterprise has been on display at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport since 2003.

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From the Archives, August 10, 2008 – “Stupid Drunk Human Tricks”

June 3, 2012

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I almost titled this one “stupid criminal tricks” but until someone actually gets convicted, I suppose criminal is a bit judgmental….

Here’s the latest story that has us shaking our heads at what people will try to do to get out of trouble. The place and time – State Route 99, south of Pixley, California (in California’s great Central Valley) – about 3am. One of our south county patrol units is driving up 99 towards Pixley, heading back to the Substation. He sees a vehicle displaying all the signs of an intoxicated driver, so he makes a traffic stop. After the normal “license, registration, and insurance” interaction, the deputy gets on the radio and asks to have the CHP dispatched for a drunk driver. I get on the phone and place that call to get them started, when I hear my supervisor pick up a 9-1-1 line, and things start getting interesting…….

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Space Geek: Another private spaceship begins testing

May 31, 2012

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Dream Chaser took to the air for the first time, in what is called a “captive carry” test.  Designed to test hardware, facilities, and ground operations, the test was conducted at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Jefferson County, Colorado.  A heavy-lift helicopter…  lifted it.  Eventually, they’ll let it go, and see if it can fly!

This one sure looks more like a spaceship than the Dragon, which just successfully docked with the International Space Station, and splashed down today in the Pacific Ocean.  Of course, the Dragon is a working system, based on tried and true technology.  The Dream Chaser is following in the footsteps of the Shuttle, a very much more complex design.  I’m crossing my fingers.

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