Final Launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery

This is the last time you will see Discovery rise for the stars and this is how it does it:
44,000,000 Horsepower
12,500,000 newtons produced and for 124 seconds
2,800,000 pounds of force per rocket booster

Another view:  http://gizmodo.com/#!5769527/this-is-the-last-launch-of-the-space-shuttle-discovery

Windows 7 God Mode

Interested in having every Windows 7 operating system control at your fingertips in one folder?  I am and this is a great tweak for Windows 7.  It is called God Mode.  It was discovered a while ago and is a cool option to have.  By creating a folder on your desktop (or anywhere for that matter) and renaming with a certain text string, you can have a single point of contact to change anything and everything on your computer.  Here is how to do it:

• Create a folder on your desktop (or wherever).
• right click, choose New, choose Folder
• When available to name it, put the following string in:
• GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
• When you hit Enter it will name the folder God Mode and change the icon to a Control Panel icon.
• Done.  Open it up and every Control Panel option for Windows 7 is at your fingertips.

Enjoy.

Shuttle Challenger - 25 Years Ago Today

President Ronald Regan's Memorable Speech

Text of President Ronald Reagan's address to the nation after the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, which killed seven astronauts. It was delivered from the Oval Office of the White House at 5 p.m. EST on Jan. 28, 1986.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss. Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But we've never lost an astronaut in flight; we've never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle. But they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together.

For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, "Give me a challenge, and I'll meet it with joy." They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us. We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for 25 years the United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.

And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them.

I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don't hide our space program. We don't keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That's the way freedom is, and we wouldn't change it for a minute. We'll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue. I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA or who worked on this mission and tell them: "Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it."

There's a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and an historian later said, "He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it." Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete.

The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."

Darkest Day in 372 Years

The lunar eclipse will happen Tuesday morning at 12:33am Central Time (tomorrow). The full process will take about 4 hours and should end around 4am Central Time.  So why is this the Darkest Day in 372 Years?  The last eclipse to fall on the Winter Solstice (which this is and which is also the shortest day of the year) was in 1638.  I am not sure but I doubt many of you were around to see that one so this is a bit of history for us all.

Things to accomplish during this time:

1. Locate the moon (hint: it's in the sky above you)
2. Around 1:41am the whole moon should be covered.
3. Now is the time to start your freakish rituals and consume...well...what you need to consume.
4. Dress like Barney the dinosaur and call yourself pretty in purple.
5. Violent rituals have also taken place during lunar eclipses.  Do what you will but I do not recommend it.

So around 4am you should be completely spent after all the fun you have had torturing small animals or dressing as your favorite cartoon character to appease the gods (gods of what I am not quite sure).

Enjoy.

Body Browser by Google

Google has release Body Browser. Sounds a little dirty but it is really a cool application. You will need Google's new Chrome Beta installed to use it but I think it is worth it. You can view the skeletal, endocrine, cardiovascular and other systems of the body with this tool. Below is an image of the skeletal system.

Along with this you can move the image, resize it  and phase in different systems all at the same time.  Clicking on a bone or a system part will bring up a tool tip showing what that system part is called.

At this time I cannot seem to find any detailed information about each body part but I think it is pretty new so I am sure that will come with time.

Have fun and enjoy this application by Google.

Link:  Body Browser

A drop of water at 10,000 frames per second

Humpty Dome Collapses

As most of you have surely heard by now the roof of the Metrodome collapsed from snow on Saturday night.  I even got a chance to drive by it and see it on the way to the U of M Gopher hockey game (a venue whose roof was safe and sound).

If you have not seen the video, click on the link:  http://gizmodo.com/5712693/watch-the-metrodome-collapse-from-the-inside.  What is almost better than the video though is the comments from loving fans all across our nation.

My favorite quote:  "The roof collapse had nothing to do with the snow. It happened because the Vikings suck so hard."

iPad Generation 2?

It is an early rumor but the iPad 2 looks like it is on the horizon.

From Gizmodo:

We've heard these rumors in bits and pieces before, but today Reuters reports with conviction that the next will have front and rear-facing cameras, a higher res display, and will start production in the early months of next year.

Reuters cites multiple supplier sources, two of whom said that production would begin soon for iPad 2. The next generation of Apple's tablet is expected to be thinner and lighter, with an improved screen resolution that will can hopefully keep up with the iPhone 4's retina display. Most importantly, it will add a front-facing camera to allow for video chat.

It's everything you would expect, given Apple's track record of yearly product updates. But the more confirmation I get about an iPad 2 FaceTime camera, the more I start saving up my pennies. [Reuters]

The Hunger Games Trilogy

The Hunger Games Trilogy includes The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay (of which was released in August of 2010).  All three books come in right at 400 pages and are well written.

These are the first books I have read by Suzanne Collins and I did enjoy them.  I think I read all three in under a weeks time.  There are a lot of reviews out there about the under development of the characters but I think, based on the audience intended, that under development of characters and a better storyline are OK.

Breakdown of the story:

• Post apocalyptic America called Panem
• An over reaching government that controls 13 districts, all which cater to a different "profession" (mining, tailoring, farming and so on).
• 70+ years ago the districts stood up to the government and were pushed back and nearly wiped out.
• The Hunger Games is the punishment for this quell.  Every year a child is picked to represent each district in a fight to the death in the main capital.  The survivor and the survivors district reap the benefits of the win for one year (extra food, fuel, etc).   The survivor must then go on to train next years pick for the Hunger Games from his/her district.
• Katniss is the main character who stands up and takes the place of her younger sister when she is picked to be in the Hunger Games.

And this is where the fun starts.  As a reader you side with Katniss immediately and want her to succeed while always thinking there is no way out of this alive for any of them.  There are some quirky teen issues thrown in but for the most part the book is paced well and the story is well told.  This goes for all three books. 

 

The bad (but good) part is Collins gets you sucked into liking some of the other contestants.  As a reader you identify with them, get to know them, get to like them and all the time knowing...they are more than likely going to die.

The books are well worth the read and won't take up much of your time.  Yes there are other books out there with the same precedence such as The Running Man but I think I like the characters and the idea in these books much better.  Pick them up or get them at the library (if you can tear them from the tween who currently has it in his/her hand).

US National Debt

Democrat or Republican you have to understand how fast our debt as a nation is mounting. With the Presidents new budget being released with another $1.4 Trillion over the next decade we cannot afford to continue this destructive behavior.

US National Debt Clock

See the link above and watch the numbers in real time. You will be amazed.

One more note: Please look at the specific number for Debt per Citizen and Debt per Taxpayer.

A Successful Car Company...

That did not take a government bailout? Is that possible? No...couldn't be. Well, actually it looks like Ford is making $$ in 2009. Jump to the link here!

Pelosi, Reid and Obama (not necessarily in that order)must be licking their chops. This means more taxes for them! It must be time to level another tax on a successful company so as to "drive" them straight into the ground.

In response to the tax hike that is inevitable in Ford's future, Ford's spokesperson Mike Rowe (of Dirty Jobs fame) should go go to Washington and play Senator or Speaker for a day. If that job does not make him feel dirty, I don't know what else will. He might even clean "house".

iPad

It looks like the new iPad is on it's way from Apple. To me it looks like a big iPhone (as well as to others). I wish I had more thoughts on it than that. A comment was made on The Independents web site (and I quote): "Apple could sell a turd on a stick and the trendy folks would be killing each other in the streets to be the 1st to get it."

That may be but I do think Apple has had some ingenious products. I think this may just be the first of new things to come from Apple in this genre.

Apple's pricing can be seen here on the left. A bit expensive and makes me wonder if people will leave their laptops just to pick this up as a replacement. I am not so sure.

If you would like to see the new iPad you can make the jump here.

New Baby Name on the Popularity Rise?

I realize I have not blogged in a while and then all of a sudden I do twice in the same day. There are some things I just cannot pass up though.

The first part of this article feigns at the amazement that more babies are not being born now because of the euphoria that was the BO win 40 weeks or so ago.

The last paragraph really amazes me how fast the baby name Barack is moving up the charts. Hmmm...Barack Johnson, Barack Smith, Barack Olson, Barack Larson, Barack Kindseth....oh...maybe not.

Jump Here

FANGles Clinton...bitter?

Bitter might be a word quite undervalued in this situation. Fangles (AKA Hillary) Clinton might be a bit on edge after her husbands trip to North Korea...maybe? Check out the video link where she snaps at a bad translation from a student asking a question at a Congo Q & A session. HA!

'I'm Not Going To Be Channeling My...

Barbara Boxer - Call me Senator

Barbara, you are an over inflated bag of poo. Get over yourself and stop disrespecting the military. It is what these people do that allow you to work hard to be a "Senator". If it was not for our military men and women throughout the years, you would be picking weeds in a back alley in some communist run country praying for a quick demise. Give them the respect they deserve.

Here is the video:

Saving their life wasn't enough...

I need to understand how people think.

A US Airways flight takes off and hits a flock of birds.  The flight crashes into the Hudson river and, because the pilot did everything right, no one was killed.  A miracle! Everyone is happy, the pilot is revered as a hero and all the passengers are saved (save bumps and bruises).

Having my life after an ordeal like that would be something I would be more than exstatic about.  I would hope the people on this flight would be to.  Yes, they lost personal belonings, yes they lost their Blackberry's and iPhones but they have the most important thing...their life.

Obviously that is not good enough.  Some on this flight want more than the $5000 compensation that the airline is offering.  I have a hard time believing I would take any money from the airline.  The crew saved my life in a situation no one on earth could control.  I get to see my wife, my kids, my parents and the rest of my family again.  I have been given another chance...

Sounds like their personal effects are what they are worried about.  Some talk about emotional distress but why should the airline pay for that?  It wasn't like they released a flock of doves in a peace rally at the end of the runway as the plane was taking off.  Nature brought the plane down.

They interviewed one lady on the plane and she says it how I hope to God I would:  

Amber Wells of Charlotte says she's so thankful to have survived and to be with her 9-month-old daughter, Rayley, that she hasn't had time to think about her belongings.

She says she lost $2,000 of nursing equipment and a laptop computer, as well as a checked bag and a carry-on bag.

"Everything that's gone can be replaced," says Wells, 34, a senior manager for NASCAR. "My life cannot be replaced."

Well...read the article.  Hopefully you find it as pathetic as I do.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-01-26-us-airways-river-crash_N.htm

Blagojevich...it's not only his hair that is crazy...

So is the rest of him.  Blago actually considered Oprah to fill Obama's U.S. Senate seat.   He is quoted in the Fox News article as saying "She seemed to be someone who would help Barack Obama in a significant way become president," he said. "She was obviously someone with a much broader bully pulpit than other senators".

She is A TALK SHOW HOST!  Although she does have as much experience as Obama in the Senate.  That would be...none.

There is also this from the article:  "The governor worried, though, that the appointment of Winfrey might come across as a gimmick and that the talk show host was unlikely to accept."  Gimmick?  Nah...couldn't be a gimmick.  Not for a straight shooter like Blago.

One more hint Mr. Blago might be nuts...he was voted 114-1 to be impeached by lawmakers from Illinois.  These are people on his side of the political fence.

OMG...October 31st...For Real?

I will have to come up with something new for my blog. I am embarrassed how long it has been. Not that anyone reads it but I think it is good for my mental health.

I'm Voting Democrat....

http://www.verticalblu.com/

Norm Coleman, Al Franken and CREW...oh my...

Al Frankens newest ad has really gotten the dander up of the Coleman campaign and from what I have read they have good reason to be upset. Here is why:

The ad says that a bi-partisan watchdog group has named Coleman the 4th most corrupt politician in Washington. The "bi-partisan" group is C.R.E.W. or Citizens for Responsibilty and Ethics in Washington. The term "bi-partisan" is used rather loosely.

The board members at CREW are as follows:

• Daniel Berger - Senior Partner, Berger and Montague - Donated $44,500 to Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee since July 3rd, 2007
• John Luongo - Lightspeed Venture Partners - Donated $2000 in May of 2007
• Melanie Sloan - Current Executive Director of CREW - Sloan has served under Charles Schumer and Joe Biden in the past.
• Louis M. Mayberg - President and Co-Founder of ProFund Advisors LLC. Has not done any recent contributing lately but check out his past contributions. Almost (D) including Biden for President in 1987: http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=DC&last=Mayberg&first=Louis. He is a big supporter of Joe Lieberman and even contributed $2000 on November 21, 2003 to George Bush: http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=MD&last=Mayberg&first=Louis. Also in this link is a contribution to the RNC for $2000 in 2006. He goes both ways...I wonder what he is after?
• Craig Kaplan - Rabinowitz, Boudin, Standard Krinsky and Lieberman. This one speaks for itself. Check out the link for all the contributions to (D)'s including more than $30,000 in July of 2008 to Obama: http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=NY&last=kaplan&first=craig
• Erwin Chermerinsky - Professor of Constitutional Law. More of the same. Contributes to (D)'s: http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=CA&last=chemerinsky&first=erwin

All six board members at CREW contribute regularly to the (D)'s. This is not bi-partisan in any way, shape or form.

Melanie Sloan (in an interview on the CREW website) states: "We have no ties to the Franken campaign," she said. "When Franken was on Air America, I did appear on his program as did other people." This is true. Many people did go on Frankens program. She was on there more than 50 times (Minnesota Democrats Exposed website).

Now, yes, MDE obviously has their own agenda and it is not pro Democrat. Why I mentioned this is because on MDE's site, they list out all 50 links to the radio shows Sloan and Frankin had together. When you click on them...the CREW website locks you out. Someone trying to hide something?

Check out the site listing all the radio appearances: http://www.minnesotademocratsexposed.com/2008/07/01/mn-gop-press-release-crew-a-partner-in-the-franken-campaign-front-group-board-member-contributes-to-franken-as-organization-attacks-senator-coleman/. These appearances are from October 2005 through February 2007. Almost once a week. The "I did appear on his program" statment seems a bit understated.

Read this blog that focuses on Sloan's response to Norm Colemans lawsuit: http://citizensforethics.org/node/35239

So...if "fourth most corrupt" is, as Sloan puts it, "isn't exactly accurate", then who here is lying?

Norm Coleman has filed a defamation suit at this time. I should say so. I just hope he sticks with the suit whether he wins or loses on Tuesday.