I Saw The Light

Across The Evening Sky

ISS from a German telescope. (Flicker)

I Watched The Space Station

I remembered to read Thursday's blog, and went outside to look WNW. The space station came flying up from the mountains as a pink glowing object that changed to a red-orange color. When it was at the proper angle, it became a silver white flying star that seemed brighter than Venus. I watched until it dimmed in the shadow of the Earths atmosphere and faded off into the eastern horizon.

Fountain Of Information

Fountain on N. Market Street. 11/28/09

I tried to buy something this black Friday weekend. It seemed like the patriotic thing to do. I even drove by Best Buy on actual Black Friday, but no amount of savings on something I probably don't need, was a great enough incentive to plunge into that stormy sea of shoppers, I saw surging in and out of the store.

I had read some comments, on line, from people in other states, that said things were slow at their local Best Buy, so I went to see if it would be easy to get a wireless router that was on sale for $19.99. I have been thinking about getting a wireless router to take with me when I visit non-wireless places. That way I wouldn't have to stay in the computer room when I use my laptop. Twenty dollars for something I would only use a few times a year seemed like a reasonable price, so I made up my mind to get one.

I went back today and, though it was still pretty crowded, I went in. Dodging determined shoppers and moving away from diseased coughing flu sufferers, I negotiated the maze of merchandise until I came to the computer accessory section. A guy in a blue Best Buy shirt led me to the routers and I asked for the $19.95 wireless router. He went off to check on it. While he was gone, another employee inquired if I had been helped. I explained that I had.

He asked,"What did he look like?"

I replied, "He was wearing a blue shirt."

We scanned the store for awhile.

Eventually, the new guy exclaimed, "We're all wearing blue shirts!"

The first blue shirt guy returned to say he could only find a Belkin router for $25.99. We went to a nearby, sales computer to look up the cheaper one. They didn't have any in stock, but they were available on line. I guess all the shopping activity must have addled my brain, because I said thanks, I guess I will go home and order it on line.

If I had been thinking, I would have bought the Belkin right then and there for $25.99. A more motivated salesperson would have seen the light and pointed out that I would be spending $6.95 for shipping when I ordered the $19.95 W-link router on line, and that I could have a Belkin router, in my hand, right then, for about the same cost.

Maybe I will go there next week, after the black Friday shopping frenzy has ceased, and see what they have got in an inexpensive wireless router that I might use 3 or 4 times a year.

Dust Speck In Space

The box shows an enlargement of the earth speck.

Nope, thats not a speck of dust between Saturn's rings.
That's planet Earth.
There are 7 billion people living on that speck.

Earth and moon from MRO telescopic images.

Blue skies in the rain. 11/27/09

Today's Relatively Appropriate Song;
Black Friday - Steely Dan


Take A Deep Breath

(Away from the coughing guy)

Thanks 4

Giant Roses

Meditation fountain behind City Hall. 11/24/09

It was a beautiful morning last Tuesday.
A great time for pictures.

Biofuels' Hidden Downside
Biofuels typically burn cleaner than fossil fuels and therefore emit less carbon dioxide into the air. But plant-power sucks up ridiculously large quantities of water compared with oil and natural gas production. A study (pdf) presented at an American Society of Mechanical Engineers conference in 2007 offers some alarming estimates: Producing a gallon (3.79 liters) of corn ethanol, for example, consumes 170 gallons (644 liters) of water in total, from irrigation to final processing. Soybean biodiesel manufacture needs some 900 gallons of water (3,400 liters) per gallon of fuel. On the other hand, the water requirement to make a gallon of regular gasoline is just five gallons (19 liters).

Scientific American article, HERE.

McIntosh MXA60 Stereo

A bookshelf sound system I would listen to.
Santa could put this in my stocking for a mere $7,500.

Smokers inhaling live bacteria

"We thought it was a crazy idea to look at commercially available cigarettes to understand bacterial diversity," said Amy Sapkota, an epidemiologist at the University of Maryland, who led the research. "We were surprised to find that within a broad array of bacterial species that we found human pathogens were present as well."

Researchers are grappling with the public health implications of the findings.

Smoking cigarettes harms almost every organ system in the human body. The chemicals and heavy metals found in cigarettes--there are nearly 3,000 of them—and the particulates get most of the blame for the harmful effects of cigarettes, such as lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, emerging research points to smoking as a risk factor for respiratory illnesses such as the common cold, influenza, asthma, bacterial pneumonia and interstitial lung disease.

I am so glad I quit last Thanksgiving,
(Cold turkey).

Mono Rocks

The best way to hear the magic that was the Beatles. The 10 original mono mixed albums. $299.

I have heard what the new modern stereo re-mastered songs sound like, and they don't have the sound that made the Beatles great. This collection claims to have maintained the power of the George Martin mixes.

Santa, I can think of other things to spend 300 clams on, but I bet these would sound awesome on the McIntosh MXA60 Stereo.

Watch The Shuttle
Thanksgiving Evening

ISS-Atlantis

Look NNW at 5:08 PM it will transit for about 2 1/2 minutes at a maximum elevation of 51°.

On the 27th it will be near the same spot at 5:31:02 pm.

You can go HERE to find out what is flying by, and when.

Problemo Peppers?

I got these shrimp stuffed peppers at Trader Joe's.

I nuked them as directed. They were delicious until....

...I saw writing on the corn.

I wasn't wearing my glasses, and it looked like letters and numbers on the corn. I took a picture and blew it up. Not writing. I still didn't eat those kernels.

Only one thing left to do...

Dessert

Cherry ice cream, triple berry muffin, and whipped cream.

Today's Relatively Appropriate Song;
Thanksgiving - Stop Motion Video

Happy Thanksgiving

Nature Gave Me This

Colorful Day

I couldn't pass up this lone rosebud. 11/23/09

These trees are just above the rose bushes. 11/23/09

I just happened to be outside mailing a letter today, when I noticed Nature's colors were in perfect harmony. The sky was just the right shade of blue to accompany the brilliant fall colors. I went and got my camera. It's a good thing I did. I went out an hour later and conditions were not the same. I am glad I listened to my little, inner voice, and took pictures while nature was ready for her close ups.

How To Clean A
Microwave Oven

My lab assistant, Sandi, does the work. 11/23/09

I re-heated some leftover lasagna the other night. It was from Trader Joe's, so it was too good to throw away. I tried just putting some on a plate and nuking it for 2:33 min. I know now why some people, like Garie, have a cover for plates of food warmed in the microwave. Last night, I Googled, "how to clean a microwave", and got plenty of instructions, videos, and clever techniques to try. I read and viewed until I had a good idea of how to do it.

When Sandi came by today, I shared what I had learned, and came to the conclusion that one only needs to place a bowl of water in the microwave and heat it for 3 min., let it sit for a few more, and it cleans up easily with a damp sponge, followed by a dry cloth. The process worked, and, according to Sandi, it was easy. Of course, had I covered the plate of lasagna, an occasional wipe with a damp cloth is all one needs to keep the thing clean.

See-through Sea Cucumber

This little creature lives 1.7 miles deep in the Gulf of Mexico.

This sea cucumber and more, HERE.

Ants Can Talk

Hello? Can you hear me now?

Dr. Robert Hickling found a way to record the sounds of ants communicating with each other. His recordings reveal that there are different languages and "words", that are specific to different ants. READ STORY

A Female shouts a warning to other ants, Click here

This is one of those wonderful serendipitous moments. I was looking at images of ants to accompany a vinegar tip, and found the story of ants talking to Solomon and a guy who found out that ants do talk. Fascinating. However, I wonder how many of you have tried the following method to discourage these chatty visitors from your kitchen?

A Vinegar Tip

Discourage ants by spraying undiluted white distilled vinegar outside doorways and windowsills, around appliances and wherever you find the pests coming in.

I found this, and 1,000 other uses for vinegar, HERE.

This Just In...

A geyser on Saturn's moon, Enceladus.

More raw images of Enceladus from the Cassini flyby, HERE.

Today's Relatively Appropriate Song;
High Hopes - Frank Sinatra & Kids


Listening

When The Spirit Moves

Rocking Out

Mars rover, Spirit rocking out of sand trap.

That's the Spirit. The rover is performing the same maneuver one would use to get a stuck car out of snow, sand or mud. It's a slower process when the driver is on Earth and the vehicle is on Mars, but they think it could be out of the rut in as little as a few months time. ARTICLE.

Salmon Embryo's

I have been helping my friend Mark with research into the fate of Salmon in the Sacramento river. It is turning out to be a very complicated issue. As a result of human activity, the survival of Sacramento river Salmon has become completely dependent on human intervention. Stay tuned for updates and more information.

Rock On

"Even educated fleas do it."

Illusion

It's hard to see reality sometimes. It's even harder if one is ignorant. It may be hard to see 4 separate circles in the illusion above, but once you have traced them, you know that under the illusion, it's really 4 circles. If we didn't know better, we might believe that we are really looking at spirals.

I think a lot of people skipped civics class in school, or maybe a lot of schools don't teach civics. Every time I see people with signs protesting, "Obamacare", I am appalled by the numbers of ignorant people who don't know how our government works. The president asked congress to produce a plan to improve American health care, when they have completed and passed the bill, it is his job to sign it.

I think we may need to improve our education system, soon.

Just a happy thought.

Today's Relatively Appropriate Song;
For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield

Education

When The Spirit Moves

Rocking Out

Mars rover, Spirit rocking out of sand trap.

That's the Spirit. The rover is performing the same maneuver one would use to get a stuck car out of snow, sand or mud. It's a slower process when the driver is on Earth and the vehicle is on Mars, but they think it could be out of the rut in as little as a few months time. ARTICLE.

Salmon Embryo's

I have been helping my friend Mark with research into the fate of Salmon in the Sacramento river. It is turning out to be a very complicated issue. As a result of human activity, the survival of Sacramento river Salmon has become completely dependent on human intervention. Stay tuned for updates and more information.

Rock On

"Even educated fleas do it."

Illusion

It's hard to see reality sometimes. It's even harder if one is ignorant. It may be hard to see 4 separate circles in the illusion above, but once you have traced them, you know that under the illusion, it's really 4 circles. If we didn't know better, we might believe that we are really looking at spirals.

I think a lot of people skipped civics class in school, or maybe a lot of schools don't teach civics. Every time I see people with signs protesting, "Obamacare", I am appalled by the numbers of ignorant people who don't know how our government works. The president asked congress to produce a plan to improve American health care, when they have completed and passed the bill, it is his job to sign it.

I think we may need to improve our education system, soon.

Just a happy thought.

Today's Relatively Appropriate Song;
For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield

Education

The Center

Performing Arts

Old City Hall Performing Arts Center

I went to see a violinist perform on Friday night. It was the first time I had gone to the Old City Hall. The auditorium is on the second floor. I took the elevator. The place was packed. It was standing room only, so I got a program and went home. Who knew there were so many Mozart, Brahms, and Mendelssohn fans in Redding?

I was glad I went. I have since learned a lot about the Performing Arts Society. I believe I will enjoy getting involved.

When I looked up the Old City Hall on the internet, they had a sub standard picture of the place, so I went out Saturday afternoon and took a few pictures to see if I could do better. While I was out with the camera, I got a couple of other pictures you might enjoy seeing as well.

Sundown

I took these two pictures from one of my favorite vantage points on the bluffs along Hilltop, while on my way to Trader Joe's. I got grilled vegetable lasagna. It is a large entree'. I will be eating it for 3 dinners. It's good, so I don't mind.

This Bee Today

Bee on a rosebud along State Street. 11/15/09

Curve Ball Illusion
What you see depends on where you look.

Dead Zone Robot

Robot VIDEO

Today's Relatively Appropriate Song;
How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees


Connected

It's Friday The Thirteenth, Baby....Oh Yeah.

Bluesman

I have got to get me a bluesman suit of clothes like this.

Robert Johnson is considered to be the original bluesman, as we define one, today.
He wrote and recorded the bulk of most any blues guitar player's repertoire.
He was born to a wealthy furniture maker in Hazelhurst, Mississippi.
Johnson died on August 16, 1938, at the age of 27.
He never got to be an old bluesman.
Read the Wikipedia history of Robert Johnson, HERE.

Waffle Iron Cookies

Also known as, "Boot Tracks", this is a way to make cookies with a waffle iron in 90 seconds. Recipe HERE.

The End Of Poverty?

VIDEO


Clocky

Runaway alarm clock. HERE

Smart, simple little robot clock rolls off your nightstand and runs away until you get up and turn it off.

I saw this clock while reading an article about Google making E-books available to anyone with a browser.

I know some people who's lives would improve if they had to chase their alarm clock around the room.

Florida 1888

Is that great, great, grandma Palin, shooting manatees?

Todays Relatively Appropriate Video;
A Hunting We Will Go - Betty Boop


Naturally

Making Music

In Richmond

With Leona and Marian, at the piano. 11/7/09

I went to Richmond, CA, last weekend, to do some recording with Marian and Leona. It has been awhile since we made a new CD, so we carved out some time to put a few more tunes on record, (or should I say, "On file"?), and gathered by the piano in Marian's living room.

We set up in different spots than usual, but after a little mental adjustment, we sounded different, but alright. When we record again, I think we will go back to the guitar being on the left hand with the bass and chords, and the sax on the right hand with the melody.

We recorded 40 songs that I will edit and mix over the next week or so. I think I can make the appropriate adjustments and repairs to bring the recordings into compliance with our high standards, then pare down the list to the best 20 to put on a CD.

Possible New CD Cover

The Red Oak

We visited the Red Oak Victory Ship 11/08/09

I took some more pictures of the SS Red Oak Victory. Through donations to the Richmond Museum of History, our CD's help raise money for the restoration of this last victory class ship, built at the Kaiser Shipyards during WWII.

Breakfast On The Hill

Marian at the golf course. 11/8/09

I usually have my good camera with me wherever I roam, but I had no idea that we would be going to such a picturesque place for breakfast. At least I could test out my new cell phone camera to see what it can do...(Note to self; Always bring your good camera.).

S.F. Bay

View of San Francisco from Mira Vista CC 11/8/09

The Huey White Show Band

Marian playing with the Huey White Show Band. 11/9/09

I recorded the Huey White band on Monday afternoon. They were playing in San Pablo. The quality of the recording is lively and each instrument is clear and distinct. I used 2 condenser microphones to record the group. The only editing I need to do is cutting out bloopers and, where I can, replacing them with the same notes from another part of the songs. Luckily they took a lot of solos on each song.

It was fun to see and hear the band. They are very entertaining and they have a good time playing the good old songs of yesteryear. A couple of the guys have been playing together since grade school. The bass player, Bud, also plays guitar with the LMP Trio, in my absence. (They call it the LMB Trio when Bud plays.)

Today's Relatively Appropriate Song;

Any Time by The LMP Trio

Harmony

Whether Vein, Vane, or Vain?

Seed Close Up

Bird of paradise seed - Annie Cavanagh and Dave McCarthy

M83 Close Up

Southern Pinwheel Galaxy detail from the Hubble

The spectacular new camera installed on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope during Servicing Mission 4 in May has delivered the most detailed view of star birth in the graceful, curving arms of the nearby spiral galaxy M83. You can see this in greater detail HERE

Dust Devil Art

Tattoo on the skin of Mars. Image - MRO/NASA

See this image and more, HERE.

Those tricky devils on Mars not only stir up the red dust, but they leave the dark surface exposed where they have spun.

NASA reports the Martian Dust Devils have been cleaning the solar panels on the rovers.

Latest Rover Image

Surface Close Up

Ha ha, it's the crook of my arm. (Image-my cell phone cam)

I had some blood drawn this morning for some tests. That tiny red dot in the picture is the needle site. I am always happy when someone is good at what they do. Especially if they are doing it to me. Some people can draw blood and you will hardly notice, while others can make the same procedure a painful, wounding ordeal. I guess some people have a knack for sticking us with needles, while others give us the karaoke version.

Space Station

Space station as seen from approaching shuttle 8/30/09.

Here in Redding, we are enjoying a little welcome rain.

Today's Relatively Appropriate Song;
Rain - Beatles

Life Is Good