My blood moon photography didn’t turn out because I didn’t. Come midnight fatigue, familiarity and spotty weather conspired to send this exhausted W2 drone1 to bed. It’s just as well; if you’re not doing consider sleeping. In six months I’ll get another shot at photographing a blood moon. For the nonce, I’ll muse on menstrual … Continue reading Pussydent Hildabeast
Blood Morons
Here we go again; literal lunatics are, for the zillionth time, announcing the end of the world. What’s going to do us in this time? Would you believe the next four lunar eclipses? Starting tonight, an unusual, but not rare, sequence of four lunar eclipses begins. Some religious loons are claiming this so-called eclipse tetrad … Continue reading Blood Morons
Cosmos Reboot
I am enjoying Neil deGrasse Tyson’s reboot of Cosmos. So far it’s as good as the early 1980's Sagan original. Popularizing science is a thankless task. Successful stars like Tyson and Sagan will earn nothing but envy and scorn from their peers. They’ll be derided as dilettantes and panderers whoring out science for demeaning public fame and … Continue reading Cosmos Reboot
Review: Into the Wild
Anyone contemplating a “return to nature” would be well advised to read Into the Wild first. This gripping little book investigates the last journey of Christopher McCandless: a young man who walked into the Alaskan wilds north of Denali in the early 1990’s with the intention of living off the land. He was woefully under-equipped, … Continue reading Review: Into the Wild
Review: The Creature from Jekyll Island
In 2008 whatever residual trust I had in American democratic institutions was irrevocably shattered by the larcenous and criminal bank bailout. If you recall the bailout, the infamous “crap sandwich”, was overwhelmingly opposed by the public, initially rejected by Congress, but stuffed down our throats anyway. The sky was falling! The banks had to be … Continue reading Review: The Creature from Jekyll Island
The Singularity is Not Near Enough
Here’s a little Google project. Search for life extension technologies and start reading comments about what people think about living five hundred or a thousand years? Some are completely in favor of the idea but you’ll find legions of naysayers that are deeply disturbed that the “natural order” of things will soon radically change. Objections … Continue reading The Singularity is Not Near Enough
Bitcoin is a Perfect Protest
The most intelligent comment I have read about Bitcoin is that it’s a perfect protest. Bitcoin went live in 2009 shortly after the 2008 financial crisis. The 2008 crisis was a defining moment. Prior to that date I believed that the US government, despite its obvious warts, short comings and long checkered history was still … Continue reading Bitcoin is a Perfect Protest
John L. Dobson R.I.P.
At tonight’s meeting of the St. Louis Astronomical Society I learned of John Dobson’s recent death. John Dobson was widely known as the inventor of the homemade “Dobsonian” telescope and the co-founder of the Sidewalk Astronomers: perhaps the most famous and effective amateur astronomy outreach group in modern times. “Big Dob” light buckets are a … Continue reading John L. Dobson R.I.P.
The Great Verizon Data Famine
The other day I visited my local Verizon store for the fourth freaking time! My mission was simple: upgrade my goddamn phone and change our account from my wife’s name to mine. In sane retail environments long-standing customers with impeccable payment histories get treated like royalty. I know it will come as a shock to … Continue reading The Great Verizon Data Famine
Blogging Bad 2013
Another year of blogging bad. My mother's death and work were major distractions this year; I fell way short of my post goals but still managed to exceed the previous year's hit count and set a new high. To show their appreciation the good algorithms at WordPress.com sent us an annual report. Mine follows: The … Continue reading Blogging Bad 2013
Analyze the Data not the Drivel 