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Geek Gods

06 Aug 2012 by KRAG

I’m usually quite on top of events in space exploration; I followed the Spirit and Opportunity landings with verve, and was obsessed with the daily feeds that came back from Cassini. Somehow, this one just slipped under my radar, but thankfully, someone over at Xbox decided it would be cool to make a big deal out of it, and Friday, two days before the landing of the new Curiosity rover, I got wind of the whole thing.

Then I saw the video (below) that described the “7 minutes of terror” of landing, and saw the Rube Goldberg style method of getting this rover from orbit to the surface. My first reaction—the reaction of many and, reportedly, the reaction of some of the scientists on the team—was “That’s crazy!” Orbit, entry, heat shield, parachute, pop the shield, dump the contents, balance on rockets, and then a skycrane to lower the rover to the surface? Could the possibly have put in more moving parts? Why didn’t they just pack it in balloon-wrap and drop it like they did before? Why was this devilishly hard collection of contraptions necessary?

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The Saddest Story

04 Aug 2012 by KRAG

Kurt R.A. GiambastianiIt’s making the rounds. You’ve seen it. The blogs are afire with rants about how American TV sat on “the saddest story” of this Olympiad, wherein due to a timekeeping error a South Korean athlete lost to a German competitor in the Epee medal round.

First, “The Saddest Story”? Seriously. You mean that, only two days into competition, we already have the story of greatest heartbreak? Or was it plus triste because the South Korean competitor remained on the piste, weeping, in protest of the decision? Hyperbole aside, while worthy of all the protests filed by the South Korean team, I don’t know that this is what I’d even call “sad.” It’s unfortunate, but it’s hardly the first time such an error has been made.

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Infantilize Me

04 Aug 2012 by KRAG

Obey the Kitty!I’m going to say it. Kids today…

When I began working in IT, men wore ties to work. This wasn’t back in the Don Draper Days…this was only a couple of decades ago. The corporate culture was professional, dignified, and respectful. Not that I’m a fan of neckties—far from it—but they were an indicator of how we treated one another, and how we thought about ourselves. We were professionals, and we were adults.

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A Moveable Feast

03 Aug 2012 by KRAG

FYI, I’m moving my recipes over here, from their less friendly location in GoogleDocs. Go to the Sustenance page for links.

k

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Olympics and NBC

03 Aug 2012 by KRAG

Obey the Kitty!Once again, it’s time for one of America’s favorite biennial sports: Dog-pile on NBC for their coverage/lack of coverage of the Olympiad.

This year, I’m not participating.

Usually—and especially since our cable provider dumped the CBC/CBUT feed from Canada and we became even more dependent on NBC’s coverage—I’m a big participant in this sport.  What would you expect from someone who’s favorite sports are fencing, curling, and equestrian? These sports never get full coverage on American TV; often an entire fencing tournament will be reduced to a one-minute recap during primetime—I mean, fencing fast but it’s not that fast. Curling has been getting a better shake in recent Olympiads, but only if the Americans have a fighting chance.

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Perchance to Dream

03 Aug 2012 by KRAG

Kurt R.A. GiambastianiEver have one of those dreams that is has a really great storyline? I don’t mean a cool (but wacko) storyline where you turn into a dolphin and swim to the Peloponnese where you meet Marisa Tomei and—damn, I love that dream…

No, I’m talking about a dream that has a cogent but wild plot, a good theme, and strong structure with rising action and conflict. Ever have one of those? Am I the only one who does a literary post-mortem on his dreams?

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Hornets in Seattle

02 Aug 2012 by KRAG

It’s that time of year again. It’s time for the caverns of downtown Seattle to rumble with the reverberated roar of afterburners.

Yep, Seafair 2012 is almost here, and the Blue Angels are practicing over Seattle. I know there are some people who complain, but frankly, I haven’t met any of them. Everyone I know finds any inconvenience created by the quintet of F/A-18 Hornets buzzing through our skies to be minor and totally, totally worth it.

Every year, during the break in Seafair’s hydro-races, there’s a air show and, for most of those years, the USN Blue Angels have been the headliner. But, like any good performing troupe, they have to rehearse, and that happens on the Thursday prior, so today, it’s like we’re at DefCon4. The skies are filled with contrails and the streets echo with the sound of sheer, unadulterated power.

If you’ve never been near one of these stupendous machines, here’s an example of what I mean.

A couple of years ago I left work and headed home at my regular time, 2:30pm (hey, I get in really early!). I got the bus stop just as the Blue Angels began their afternoon rehearsal. I saw one as it peeled off and zipped uptown. The jet was probably a mile away when the pilot turned away from me and hit the afterburner.

I felt it. I saw the fire of his exhaust and in my chest, I literally felt the power of that engine.

Sound and fury.

k

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