1989 On the twentieth anniversary of the first Apollo moon landing, speaking at the National Air and Space Museum, President George H. W. Bush said: Today we don’t have a crisis; we have an opportunity. … I’m proposing a long-range, continuing commitment. … Back to the Moon; back to the future … And then a […]
Yearly Archives: 2010
40 Minutes
Sun, 18 Apr 2010, 08:59 PM (-06:00)
“Forty minutes minimum wait,” the woman behind the shuttle van counter said. “No matter where I’m going?” “Forty minutes minimum wait.” I stood there as she watched me and the lady behind me waited. “Ok,” I said. “I guess I’ll take the taxi.” She waved outside and to the left. The automatic doors opened for […]
Calculus Problems
Fri, 16 Apr 2010, 07:32 AM (-06:00)
“Hi Dad.” “Ben!” “Are you busy?” “No. I’m at a conference, but we just took a break.” “Should I call back later?” “No, no. Now is fine. What’s up?” “Well,” he said, “I have some calculus questions.” I thought to myself, well it this really is a call I needed to take! He explained how […]
Freezing in the Dark
Fri, 9 Apr 2010, 11:54 PM (-06:00)
I saw a bumper sticker in a parking lot a few weeks ago. It was black with plain white letters: Let Them Freeze in the Dark. I stood there for a moment trying to figure it out. Then I noticed the vehicle: a large, black Cadillac Escalade hanging over both sides of the parking space […]
Greenspan 70/30
Thu, 8 Apr 2010, 08:10 PM (-06:00)
George Greenspan. Wait, is that his name? No. Alan Greenspan, that’s it. Oh, how soon they (want to) forget. Alan Greenspan testified the other day before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission — that august congressional panel that is even now vectoring in on the causes of the financial crisis that brought the nation and the […]
Multiple Numbers
Wed, 7 Apr 2010, 07:37 PM (-06:00)
When I was walking out, I said something to the receptionist about checking my phone number in their database. I was puzzled why I never got a reminder call for the appointment. “You had my home number,” I said. “Let me give you my cell number, too.” “Oh we just call one number,” she started […]
Skyward
Wed, 7 Apr 2010, 08:39 AM (-06:00)
1. At the campground We were celebrating my birthday. Camping at Pedernales Falls. The days were warm and sunny. The evenings were cool. And there was no burn ban, so we were able to sit late into the night staring into the glowing embers of a campfire. One night as we were watching Orion and […]
Shake Your Booty
Tue, 6 Apr 2010, 09:47 PM (-06:00)
The window’s open. The front door’s open. And the back patio, too. A CD’s spinning in my computer. The volume on the stereo is turned way up. Oh everybody, get on the floor, let’s dance. Don’t fight the feeling, give yourself a chance. I’m on my feet. I’m singing. I’m dancing. Trudy’s not so into […]
BBQ in the Afternoon
Tue, 6 Apr 2010, 05:56 PM (-06:00)
It was lunch time, and my stomach was reminding me that I only had a protein shake for breakfast, and it complained about the smell of BBQ that was coming in thru the open window on the breeze. BBQ in the afternoon? Whatever. Ron is at home on Tuesdays; maybe it’s him. He likes to […]
Sunrise on Titan
Mon, 5 Apr 2010, 10:12 PM (-06:00)
I’ve been to see the class this year three times, now. The last two times, I talked about rockets and planets and moons. I showed them movies and pictures. We talked about science and engineering and space. This time I started with Earth’s mid-ocean ridges. They already knew about plate tectonics, and some of them […]