Image credit: NASA/JPL/Infrared Telescope Facility - This image shows the heat signature from the impact point, glowing against the cooler background.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Jupiter Impact Update
A follow-up observation with an infrared telescope on Mauna Kea confirms that the dark mark(s) discovered near Jupiter's south pole by Australian amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley were caused by an impact of a comet or asteroid. The "hole" in Jupiter's upper atmosphere is now Earth-size or larger.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Jupiter Impact?
Around 1330 UT (0830 Eastern) yesterday (19 July 2009), an Australian amateur astronomer named Anthony Wesley noticed a previously unseen dark spot on Jupiter. Further observations by Mr. Wesley and other observers show several more spots in the vicinity, indicating that this is likely the result of a sizable asteroid or cometary impact on Jupiter.
If this was indeed a comet or asteroid impact, it would be much like Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, fragments of which which hit Jupiter in July 1994.
The Spaceguard project is still cataloguing large objects in orbits which might be in a position to hit Earth. However, no one noticed the Jupiter impactor prior to Sunday. Jupiter's larger size and greater gravity causes it to sweep up a lot of material, which is a good thing for us -- every large object swept up by Jupiter is one less to fall out of the sky without warning on us.
If this was indeed a comet or asteroid impact, it would be much like Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, fragments of which which hit Jupiter in July 1994.
The Spaceguard project is still cataloguing large objects in orbits which might be in a position to hit Earth. However, no one noticed the Jupiter impactor prior to Sunday. Jupiter's larger size and greater gravity causes it to sweep up a lot of material, which is a good thing for us -- every large object swept up by Jupiter is one less to fall out of the sky without warning on us.
One Giant Leap For Mankind - 40 Years Later
Today is the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing carried out by the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped out of the lunar module Eagle onto the Moon's Sea of Tranquility. While they took photographs, set up experimental equipment, and gathered rock and soil samples, their fellow astronaut Michael Collins orbited overhead in the command module Columbia.
Forty years later, there is an "Apollo 11" greasy spoon resturant here in Toronto at the corner of Bathurst and Dupont. This leads me to wonder whether the "Obama Cafe" on the Danforth will still be here by the middle of this century. The juxtaposition of restaurant names here in Toronto will be matched by a meeting of the actual people in Washington, where President Obama is scheduled to meet with Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins later today.
Today, there are 13 astronauts on the International Space Station -- a record setting number of people in one place in space, and incidentally, one more person than the twelve men who to this point have walked on the moon. Two of those thirteen people currently in space -- Robert Thirst and Julie Payette -- are Canadians. But there are no people in high orbit, or the moon, or interplanetary space.
After 1972, the Apollo 18 spacecraft was redesignated for use on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. Apollo 19 through 21, which included the setup for a rudimentary moonbase, were cancelled by the Nixon administration and never flown.
There are strong indications that the NASA Constellation program has fundamental design complexities and problems that may make it difficult or even impossible for NASA and its international partners to implement and use as the platform for the return to the moon, and beyond. Also, the Constellation vision is an enormous step backward in terms of technology concept. The decisions that are made now matter, and will affect whether or not there continues to be a viable human presence in space.
In the meantime, there has been a lot of 40th anniversary coverage over the last few days (click on individual links to open):
Apollo 11 mission recreated on web -- report and mission site
The debate about whether it was all worth it began even before the moon landings. Perhaps the major problem with space exploration to date is that there has been no true viable long term purpose. John F. Kennedy provided the lunar landing objectiveb when he stated in a speech that he elieved
But even Kennedy did not look beyond the need in the 1960s to "beat" the Russians. Elsewhere, he is on record saying to then-NASA Administrator James Webb
Buzz Aldrin's rap video, intended to make space travel sexy for a new generation.
Sadly there are conspiracy theorists who believe that the landing never happened, prompting a lot of effort to demonstrate otherwise (also here and here and here). Proving a negative is hard to do, and there are always people (see also evolution debaters and 911 conspiracy theories) who choose belief over evidence.
The mission was a success from launch to lunar module liftoff to landing because many people worked on it, including small but critical contributions from unlikely people.
NASA has been working on cleaning up the Apollo 11 television footage. Here is a sample:
Finally, here is a montage video of highlights from the entire mission -- Armstrong's first words from the moon occur around 1:02. It should also be noted that Walter Cronkite, the iconic newscaster for CBS, passed away earlier last week.
Happy Neilsday 2009...
Forty years later, there is an "Apollo 11" greasy spoon resturant here in Toronto at the corner of Bathurst and Dupont. This leads me to wonder whether the "Obama Cafe" on the Danforth will still be here by the middle of this century. The juxtaposition of restaurant names here in Toronto will be matched by a meeting of the actual people in Washington, where President Obama is scheduled to meet with Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins later today.
Today, there are 13 astronauts on the International Space Station -- a record setting number of people in one place in space, and incidentally, one more person than the twelve men who to this point have walked on the moon. Two of those thirteen people currently in space -- Robert Thirst and Julie Payette -- are Canadians. But there are no people in high orbit, or the moon, or interplanetary space.
Photo credit NASA - Endeavour approaches the ISS on Friday, July 17. Photo taken by an Expedition 20 astronaut during the approach phase to check for possible heat shield damage.
After 1972, the Apollo 18 spacecraft was redesignated for use on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. Apollo 19 through 21, which included the setup for a rudimentary moonbase, were cancelled by the Nixon administration and never flown.
There are strong indications that the NASA Constellation program has fundamental design complexities and problems that may make it difficult or even impossible for NASA and its international partners to implement and use as the platform for the return to the moon, and beyond. Also, the Constellation vision is an enormous step backward in terms of technology concept. The decisions that are made now matter, and will affect whether or not there continues to be a viable human presence in space.
In the meantime, there has been a lot of 40th anniversary coverage over the last few days (click on individual links to open):
Apollo 11 mission recreated on web -- report and mission site
The debate about whether it was all worth it began even before the moon landings. Perhaps the major problem with space exploration to date is that there has been no true viable long term purpose. John F. Kennedy provided the lunar landing objectiveb when he stated in a speech that he elieved
"that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth."
But even Kennedy did not look beyond the need in the 1960s to "beat" the Russians. Elsewhere, he is on record saying to then-NASA Administrator James Webb
"This is important for political reasons, international political reasons, and this is, whether we like it or not, an intensive race. Otherwise, we shouldn't be spending this kind of money, because I'm not that interested in space."
Buzz Aldrin's rap video, intended to make space travel sexy for a new generation.
Sadly there are conspiracy theorists who believe that the landing never happened, prompting a lot of effort to demonstrate otherwise (also here and here and here). Proving a negative is hard to do, and there are always people (see also evolution debaters and 911 conspiracy theories) who choose belief over evidence.
The mission was a success from launch to lunar module liftoff to landing because many people worked on it, including small but critical contributions from unlikely people.
NASA has been working on cleaning up the Apollo 11 television footage. Here is a sample:
Finally, here is a montage video of highlights from the entire mission -- Armstrong's first words from the moon occur around 1:02. It should also be noted that Walter Cronkite, the iconic newscaster for CBS, passed away earlier last week.
Happy Neilsday 2009...
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Alien encounter - the Chmido
At yesterday's Chandra event, in the Alien By Design workshop that Julie Czerneda ran, I worked with Chris and Michael to construct an alien that would live in an environment specified by Julie.
These were Julie's conditions:
- Daytime temperatures up to +50C, nighttime down to -10C
- Strong and gusty winds up to 100 kn/hr
- extreme dryness for months at a time, followed by a brief interval of heavy rain and flooding
- gravity about 0.75 Earth normal
And, with a table filled with goodies that Julie supplied, the additional requirement was that we had to build a model of the creature as well. This is what we came up with:
The Chmido (first two letters of each of our three names) has a vaguely manta-ray shaped body plan. They are omnivorous aerial predators, hunting in small packs during the day. At night, Chmido family groups and individuals seek shelter in caves on high cliff faces close to the ocean. Chmido wings are integrated, manta-like, into their body. They have a total of 8 limbs. They can stand upright on two rear appendages. The next set of two appendages have a cluster of fleshy manipulator digits at the end. There are two pairs of appendages with an attached web like structure next to the sharklike mouth, allowing a chmido to capture prey (or aerial plant life) in flight.
Chmido have four eyes, which point groundward and ahead while they are in flight, and which point forward when they stand on the ground. They also have two photosensitive spots on their back which allow them to react to predators behind or above them. They breathe through gill slits on their back, moving air through a pumping action. They breathe out through orifices along the trailing edge of their wings. There are specialized organs that produce sound for communication.
Because they are flying creatures, Chmido are quite light for their size, but they are very strong.
Chmido mating rituals involve 3 sexes participating in a complex aerial dance. The three particpants have specialized functions - one to produce sperm, one to produce ova, and one optimized to gestate the fertilized ovum. They bear live young.
Culturally, the Chmido are at a mid-industrial tech level, so no spaceships yet. They understand machines, but have religious objections against building machines that fly. However, their culture is based on striving to be higher than the rest of the pack -- an urge that will eventually drive them into space, once they get over their religion-imposed limits.
The most desirable caves are the ones on the leeward side of cliffs. Because these are rare, the first Chmido forays into technology involved channeling the flood waters during the wet season to use in carving out additional habitats. Through the generations, they have become accomplished hydraulic engineers.
For the model that we built, much of the allotted time was spent discussing the basic creature and agreeing on details. Michael constructed the outer layer, I carved the internal sponge that gave the body shape, Chris did the finicky job of making and attaching the limbs.
Having designed the alien, Julie threw a curve at us. Matching up two groups at random, we were to come up with a First Contact scnario. Michael, Chris, and I were paired up with Lindsay, one of Lorna's staff members, and her partner for this exercise.
In our scenario, the Chmido, in the course of exploring another continent on the same planet, encounter a sentient species which moves through several different forms during its life cycle. A flying form is a juvenile stage which the Chmido initially encounter. Because the Chmido are pack hunters, this probably doesn't end well for the peaceful, telepathic, solitary flying creature. It is likely that the initial Chmido response is "lunch". However, the subterranean-dwelling elders with their enhanced telepathy will allow both species to eventually communicate and reach an understanding. The ability of the others to tunnel deeply into the ground and extract metals is something the Chmido are not well suited for -- this is a partnership which will act to drive both species' technological capability.
And of course, in the process of working through their interspecies cooperation issues over generations, the Chmido and their partners achieve something which could be described as a culturally hard-wrired propensity toward diversity. It is this which allow the Chmido and their partners to get past the serious errors made by human merchants 200 years later when a Chmido starship is mistakenly attacked.
These were Julie's conditions:
- Daytime temperatures up to +50C, nighttime down to -10C
- Strong and gusty winds up to 100 kn/hr
- extreme dryness for months at a time, followed by a brief interval of heavy rain and flooding
- gravity about 0.75 Earth normal
And, with a table filled with goodies that Julie supplied, the additional requirement was that we had to build a model of the creature as well. This is what we came up with:
The Chmido (first two letters of each of our three names) has a vaguely manta-ray shaped body plan. They are omnivorous aerial predators, hunting in small packs during the day. At night, Chmido family groups and individuals seek shelter in caves on high cliff faces close to the ocean. Chmido wings are integrated, manta-like, into their body. They have a total of 8 limbs. They can stand upright on two rear appendages. The next set of two appendages have a cluster of fleshy manipulator digits at the end. There are two pairs of appendages with an attached web like structure next to the sharklike mouth, allowing a chmido to capture prey (or aerial plant life) in flight.
Chmido have four eyes, which point groundward and ahead while they are in flight, and which point forward when they stand on the ground. They also have two photosensitive spots on their back which allow them to react to predators behind or above them. They breathe through gill slits on their back, moving air through a pumping action. They breathe out through orifices along the trailing edge of their wings. There are specialized organs that produce sound for communication.
Because they are flying creatures, Chmido are quite light for their size, but they are very strong.
Chmido mating rituals involve 3 sexes participating in a complex aerial dance. The three particpants have specialized functions - one to produce sperm, one to produce ova, and one optimized to gestate the fertilized ovum. They bear live young.
Culturally, the Chmido are at a mid-industrial tech level, so no spaceships yet. They understand machines, but have religious objections against building machines that fly. However, their culture is based on striving to be higher than the rest of the pack -- an urge that will eventually drive them into space, once they get over their religion-imposed limits.
The most desirable caves are the ones on the leeward side of cliffs. Because these are rare, the first Chmido forays into technology involved channeling the flood waters during the wet season to use in carving out additional habitats. Through the generations, they have become accomplished hydraulic engineers.
For the model that we built, much of the allotted time was spent discussing the basic creature and agreeing on details. Michael constructed the outer layer, I carved the internal sponge that gave the body shape, Chris did the finicky job of making and attaching the limbs.
Having designed the alien, Julie threw a curve at us. Matching up two groups at random, we were to come up with a First Contact scnario. Michael, Chris, and I were paired up with Lindsay, one of Lorna's staff members, and her partner for this exercise.
In our scenario, the Chmido, in the course of exploring another continent on the same planet, encounter a sentient species which moves through several different forms during its life cycle. A flying form is a juvenile stage which the Chmido initially encounter. Because the Chmido are pack hunters, this probably doesn't end well for the peaceful, telepathic, solitary flying creature. It is likely that the initial Chmido response is "lunch". However, the subterranean-dwelling elders with their enhanced telepathy will allow both species to eventually communicate and reach an understanding. The ability of the others to tunnel deeply into the ground and extract metals is something the Chmido are not well suited for -- this is a partnership which will act to drive both species' technological capability.
And of course, in the process of working through their interspecies cooperation issues over generations, the Chmido and their partners achieve something which could be described as a culturally hard-wrired propensity toward diversity. It is this which allow the Chmido and their partners to get past the serious errors made by human merchants 200 years later when a Chmido starship is mistakenly attacked.
Chandra X-Ray Observatory event at Merril
The Merril Collection hosted a triple barrelled event on Friday evening and Saturday involving a presentation from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, a book launch for Julie Czerneda, and a space art retrospective by Jean-Pierre Normand.
Friday's science summary of the work done by Chandra for the last ten years was presented by the Observatory's Lead Education Officer, Donna L. Young, an enthusiastic and knowledgeable speaker. One of the hightlights for me was the composite photo of M101 in Ursa Major -- a giant spiral galaxy seen nearly head-on from our vantage point, and historically used as a marker for establishing the cosmic distance scale.
Photo credit -- X-ray: NASA/CXC/JHU/K.Kuntz et al.; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI/JHU/K. Kuntz et al; IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI/K. Gordon. Image Scale -- Image is 18 arcmin (114,000 light years) across
The second half of Friday was a book launch and book signing, with a reading from Julie Czerneda, for her novel Rift In The Sky, the third book in a three book series written as a prequel to her Trade Pact Chronicles. Julie had some insightful things to say about the difficulties and pitfalls in writing a prequel trilogy for a trilogy that had already been written and published. I wish Geotge Lucas had considered these things with the same degree of care.
Saturday morning's activities started shortly after 9:30 with some introductory remarks by Professor John R. Percy of U of T and the RASC. Donna spoke some more, and then turned things over to Jean-Pierre for a space art retrospective.
Shortly after this began, Corwin experienced severe stomach cramping and vomiting, and had to be taken home by Jill. I carried him out of the building and across the street, until my arms gave out. Jill took over, while I tried to retrieve the car, from its parking spot underneath the Addiction Research Foundation north across College Street. What I discovered was that there were no regular entrances that allowed one back down to the parking garage, so I circled the building and walked down using the vehicle ramp. Jill and Corwin headed home, and I went back to the library.
Whatever Norwalk-like stomach bug had gotten Corwin continued to make him periodically sick over the next four or five hours until it subsided in the afternoon. By evening he was keeping down liquids and able to eat the official Lum family sick rations of macaroni and soy sauce.
Back at the library, Jean-Pierre concluded his space art slide show, and Donna ran a Stellar Evolution workshop, highlighting the various pathways along which stars could be born and evolve and end.
In the afternoon, Julie ran an Alien By Design workshop session. The lesson of evolution is that life adapts to its environment, and adapts again when things change. The physiological features that we see in life forms are there for valid environment-related reasons. For purposes of the workshop, Julie specified some environmental conditions, and our task was to design an alien being that could plausibly live in that environment and develop intelligence. I did this in conjunction with Michael and Chris, two of the Usual Suspects who also attended this event.
After the Alien By Design workshop, Jean-Pierre did a truly amazing retrospective of his cover and illustration art over nearly thirty years.
In the course of the afternoon, I got Corwin's copy of Orbiter signed by Julie, by Jean-Pierre, and by Eric Choi, author of one of the stories in the collection. I also got a couple of copies of Jean-Pierre's book of artwork, Science Fiction Illustrations, again signed, one of which will go to our friend Hicaru in Japan.
At the end of the day, Julie sent a package of alien-making materials for Corwin. By the time I got home, Corwin was well enough to appreciate it. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with when we (or he by himself) does this exercise.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Phyllis Gotlieb - 1926 to 2009
Phyllis Gotlieb, noted Canadian poet and science fiction author passed away earlier this week on July 15. She was 82 years old. We last saw Phyllis the previous year on June 5th 2008 at the Merril Collection, at a special event where she was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement award by SF Canada.
Phyllis' novel O Master Caliban had been published shortly before I began participating in organized science fiction related activities. In all of our encounters, I remember her as unfailingly warm and gracious.
Monday, July 13, 2009
How Cats Manipulate Humans
Researchers have determined that there is an audible component to the exercise of the feline mind control field on the Afflicted. The article is here.
The following result is possibly significant:
If the Afflicted could somehow be shielded from the audio emanations, it is possible that the mind control field might be less effective, and an Afflicted person might be broken free. Obviously, more research is necessary. But it is in such small breakthroughs that the hope continues to be maintained that the possibility of throwing off the feline yoke on humanity's Afficted might be achievable.
The following result is possibly significant:
In a series of playback experiments with those calls, they found that humans judged the purrs recorded while cats were actively seeking food as more urgent and less pleasant than those made in other contexts, even if they had never had a cat themselves.
If the Afflicted could somehow be shielded from the audio emanations, it is possible that the mind control field might be less effective, and an Afflicted person might be broken free. Obviously, more research is necessary. But it is in such small breakthroughs that the hope continues to be maintained that the possibility of throwing off the feline yoke on humanity's Afficted might be achievable.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
AS YOU PUPPET is Best of the Fringe!
I am shilling for my cousin, who sez
They deserved to be selected as Best of the Fringe!
Last performance of AS YOU PUPPET is on Sunday @ 7:05pm at the Palmerston Library.
"*****"UTTERLY DELIGHTFUL...this is a show for EVERYBODY" -
Eye Weekly, NNNN
Critic's Pick, Now Magazine
If you miss this performance, you can catch us at THE BEST OF FRINGE: July 23, 24 & 25, 7pm at the Berkeley Street Theatre!
They deserved to be selected as Best of the Fringe!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Search and Rescue from the Toy Eating Tree
Our Tuesday evening get-together earlier this week at Chris and Liza's house ran unexpectedly late.
While the adults ate the excellent chicken salad provided by Lorna and Michael, and talked about boring stuff like job hunting, or writing, or music suitable for a drive to Temagami, or organ transplantation, or the economics and strategies behind the current city workers' strike, the kids were busy doing doing much more important things. Recognizing the Megaforce motto of "Deeds, Not Words", the boys went off to the park to try out Cameron's new radio controlled airplane, and therein lies the story.
By the time everyone was gone, and we went to retrieve the children, we discovered the aftermath of an airplane disaster.
The airplane was a model of an F18 fighter, perhaps 20 or 25 cm long, made of molded styrofoam, with control circuitry, a battery, and motors embedded in the body. The motors turned two propellers on the trailing edge of the wings, and the battery was charged by attaching the aircraft's charging port to a cable on the remote control device. The aircraft was light, and reasonably fragile. It was much more interesting than any toy I ever had as a kid (isn't that always the way?), and more importantly, was totally unsuited for the nefarious purposes of the boys, which would undoubtedly have involved mounting a wireless webcam and at least one nerf dart launcher.
In the course of their flight trials, another little boy from the neighbourhood had inadvertently steered the airplane into the high branches of a tree. As Corwin pointed out later on the drive home, out of all possible directions that he could have flown the plane, he picked the worst one.
As the sun set, Chris and I, along with a couple of other guys from the neighbourhood tried to retrieve the airplane by trying to knock it loose. Prior to our arrival, these attempts had been made with a rubber ball, a tennis ball, and a football -- now all stuck in the tree as well. Chris and I added to the Buster Keatonesque air of these proceedings. A hockey stick, tossed into the branches to shake things loose also got stuck and had to be knocked loose by a rope. The rope on a subsequent attempt got stuck and had to be retrieved with the hockey stick. We ultimately made repeated attempts with the rope being tossed into the branches while the other end was tied to the hockey stick -- anchoring the rope and solving our alternating loss of tools problem.
Our innovations failed to loosen the airplane, but provided much amusement for Jill, Liza and the mother of the little boy whose directional malfunction had treed the plane. Liza was heard to suggest tossing a bicycle which had been left on the playground. Eventually, we did manage to knock loose all the stuck balls, including the football. Deepening twilight caused us to suspend the search and rescue operation for the airplane.
The story ends well. Late next day, we got the following e-mail from Chris:
While the adults ate the excellent chicken salad provided by Lorna and Michael, and talked about boring stuff like job hunting, or writing, or music suitable for a drive to Temagami, or organ transplantation, or the economics and strategies behind the current city workers' strike, the kids were busy doing doing much more important things. Recognizing the Megaforce motto of "Deeds, Not Words", the boys went off to the park to try out Cameron's new radio controlled airplane, and therein lies the story.
By the time everyone was gone, and we went to retrieve the children, we discovered the aftermath of an airplane disaster.
The airplane was a model of an F18 fighter, perhaps 20 or 25 cm long, made of molded styrofoam, with control circuitry, a battery, and motors embedded in the body. The motors turned two propellers on the trailing edge of the wings, and the battery was charged by attaching the aircraft's charging port to a cable on the remote control device. The aircraft was light, and reasonably fragile. It was much more interesting than any toy I ever had as a kid (isn't that always the way?), and more importantly, was totally unsuited for the nefarious purposes of the boys, which would undoubtedly have involved mounting a wireless webcam and at least one nerf dart launcher.
In the course of their flight trials, another little boy from the neighbourhood had inadvertently steered the airplane into the high branches of a tree. As Corwin pointed out later on the drive home, out of all possible directions that he could have flown the plane, he picked the worst one.
As the sun set, Chris and I, along with a couple of other guys from the neighbourhood tried to retrieve the airplane by trying to knock it loose. Prior to our arrival, these attempts had been made with a rubber ball, a tennis ball, and a football -- now all stuck in the tree as well. Chris and I added to the Buster Keatonesque air of these proceedings. A hockey stick, tossed into the branches to shake things loose also got stuck and had to be knocked loose by a rope. The rope on a subsequent attempt got stuck and had to be retrieved with the hockey stick. We ultimately made repeated attempts with the rope being tossed into the branches while the other end was tied to the hockey stick -- anchoring the rope and solving our alternating loss of tools problem.
Our innovations failed to loosen the airplane, but provided much amusement for Jill, Liza and the mother of the little boy whose directional malfunction had treed the plane. Liza was heard to suggest tossing a bicycle which had been left on the playground. Eventually, we did manage to knock loose all the stuck balls, including the football. Deepening twilight caused us to suspend the search and rescue operation for the airplane.
The story ends well. Late next day, we got the following e-mail from Chris:
Search and rescue efforts were suspended July 7th after 10PM EDT when low light levels made attempts to even locate the downed aircraft difficult.
On July 8th, at 7:30 AM crews returned to the incident site. The aircraft was located, but it was determined that it was inaccessible given the resource constraints on crews at that point. However, it was determined that the aircraft was unlikely to shift to be in further jeopardy, as the surrounding foliage was acting to secure the aircraft against shifts due to any inclement weather.
On July 8th at 8:15PM, crews established that the aircraft was unmoved from its morning position, and returned to the site with elevation enhancement equipment [1], as well as reach extensors [2]. Careful movement of the aircraft using both pieces of gear resulted in the aircraft being freed of the entrapment of the foliage. Further movements caused the aircraft to come free and shift to a point [3] where recovery of the vehicle intact was possible, with only minor cosmetic damage.
Recovery equipment and the vehicle were returned to storage and maintenance, respectively. The vehicle was inspected and refueled, and engine run up tests were done. All systems appear to be fully functional. A flight test and return to service is expected after the flight crew returns to duty tomorrow from an off-site mission.
[1: wooden step ladder]
[2: twelve foot fly pole from tent]
[3: drop from the tree to the ground]
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
More about As You Puppet
Corwin and I went to see As You Puppet, a production in the Toronto Fringe Festival, on Monday. It wasn't what I expected, but it was still a most enjoyable show.
The Spring Gala on the second last day at Corwin's school was to have been Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, as adapted by Jill. Corwin was to have played Bottom. However, the play at school failed to happen - the day before the performance, five or six children came down with flu symptoms, and in light of the current pandemic concerns about H1N1, the decision was made to cancel the performance.
Unlike Corwin's heavily adapted school play, in As You Puppet, the actual dialogue and scenes from As You Like It were used. This was Corwin's first introduction to the actual language of Shakespeare, and despite my concerns, he had no trouble following the story.
In my earlier post, I noted that both Eye and Now had given this play very good reviews. Having actually seen the play, I can see why. What struck me was the tremendous energy and intelligence in this production. Other than abridgment for length to make the entire production an hour long, it made no other concession in terms of the dialogue. I was gratified that Corwin followed it, despite the use of the archaic original Shakespearian language, but also, apparently all or most of the other children in the audience did so as well.
Both the principal performers -- Jane McClelland and Mike Petersen -- were obviously putting a lot of energy, thought, and effort into their performances. It was clear that they both knew this play cold, but also that they had real Shakespearian experience as well. My cousin Wayne Sujo, who was (among other things) the stage manager for this production, told me that they had spent two months rehearsing. The rehearsal time definitely showed. Despite the minimalist sets, and the stuffed animal actor surrogates, the story moved along briskly, with no hesitations or visible problems.
There aren't many performances left, but this play is highly recommended by both Corwin and myself.
THUR JULY 9, 3:45PM
SAT JULY 11, 12:25PM
SUN JULY 12, 7:05PM
(at the Palmerston Library -- further details on Facebook here and on the Toronto Fringe Festival website here)
A final thought - it would be great if this production went on tour in Toronto's (or other jurisdiction's) elementary schools. This would be a great way to introduce younger childern to Shakespeare, and to do it well before high school.
The Spring Gala on the second last day at Corwin's school was to have been Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, as adapted by Jill. Corwin was to have played Bottom. However, the play at school failed to happen - the day before the performance, five or six children came down with flu symptoms, and in light of the current pandemic concerns about H1N1, the decision was made to cancel the performance.
Unlike Corwin's heavily adapted school play, in As You Puppet, the actual dialogue and scenes from As You Like It were used. This was Corwin's first introduction to the actual language of Shakespeare, and despite my concerns, he had no trouble following the story.
In my earlier post, I noted that both Eye and Now had given this play very good reviews. Having actually seen the play, I can see why. What struck me was the tremendous energy and intelligence in this production. Other than abridgment for length to make the entire production an hour long, it made no other concession in terms of the dialogue. I was gratified that Corwin followed it, despite the use of the archaic original Shakespearian language, but also, apparently all or most of the other children in the audience did so as well.
Both the principal performers -- Jane McClelland and Mike Petersen -- were obviously putting a lot of energy, thought, and effort into their performances. It was clear that they both knew this play cold, but also that they had real Shakespearian experience as well. My cousin Wayne Sujo, who was (among other things) the stage manager for this production, told me that they had spent two months rehearsing. The rehearsal time definitely showed. Despite the minimalist sets, and the stuffed animal actor surrogates, the story moved along briskly, with no hesitations or visible problems.
There aren't many performances left, but this play is highly recommended by both Corwin and myself.
THUR JULY 9, 3:45PM
SAT JULY 11, 12:25PM
SUN JULY 12, 7:05PM
(at the Palmerston Library -- further details on Facebook here and on the Toronto Fringe Festival website here)
A final thought - it would be great if this production went on tour in Toronto's (or other jurisdiction's) elementary schools. This would be a great way to introduce younger childern to Shakespeare, and to do it well before high school.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
As You Puppet
My cousin Wayne is stage manager on a production of Shakespeare's As You Like It, done with puppets and stuffed animals. The production is called As You Puppet, part of this year's Toronto Fringe Festival, and Corwin and I are going to see it tomorrow.
It opened last week, and Eye Weekly gave them a five star review. Now Magazine was stingier, giving them only 4 N's out of a possible 5 (NNNN=Sustained Applause as opposed to NNNNN=Standing Ovation).
Here is the press release for As You Puppet:
It opened last week, and Eye Weekly gave them a five star review. Now Magazine was stingier, giving them only 4 N's out of a possible 5 (NNNN=Sustained Applause as opposed to NNNNN=Standing Ovation).
Here is the press release for As You Puppet:
Hear ye, hear ye!! Hank's Toybox Theatre is at the Kids' Fringe Festival in Toronto this summer!
Come and marvel at AS YOU PUPPET - an abridged version of Shakespeare's As You Like It, as told by stuffed animals.
A technique known as “table top puppetry” brings the plush toys to life, wherein the performers remain fully visible while the puppets flop and frolic on table-high settings.
Shakespeare’s language has been carefully preserved, and puppeteers Jane McClelland and Mike Petersen create lush settings by transforming ordinary boxes, blankets and tables into everything from royal palace courtyards to sun-dappled meadows.
They are directed by Ken MacDougall and Tom McHale, with lighting designed by Michael Kruse, sound design by Saul Pincus, and stage management by Wayne Sujo.
***CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP!
HANK'S TOYBOX THEATRE presents
AS YOU PUPPET
(WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S AS YOU LIKE IT with Puppets!)
adapted & performed by
JANE McCLELLAND & MIKE PETERSEN
directed by KEN MacDOUGALL & TOM McHALE
lighting design MICHAEL KRUSE sound design SAUL PINCUS
stage manager WAYNE SUJO
SHAKESPEARE FOR KIDS AGED 5-105!
PALMERSTON LIBRARY THEATRE
560 Palmerston Ave (2 blks W of Bathurst/Bloor)
THUR JULY 2, 4:50PM
FRI JULY 3, 8:05PM
SAT JULY 4, 2:20PM
MON JULY 6, 12:40PM
WED JULY 8, 5:40PM
THUR JULY 9, 3:45PM
SAT JULY 11, 12:25PM
SUN JULY 12, 7:05PM
$10 adults / $5 kids
fringe hotline: 416-966-1062
www.fringetoronto.com
NO LATECOMERS ADMITTED
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Reflections on David
Yesterday was the visitation for David and today was the funeral. David was 15 years younger than me -- nothing like an untimely death to bring home a sense of one's own mortality. I dislike funerals, but the experience is particularly awful when it is someone I know and care about.
My cousin Linda asked for people to write down their stories and memories of David, so that she could give them to Nicole and Matthew when they are older. That is a great idea - the only truly meaningful way in which we live on is through the effect that we have had on others, and the memories that we have created. David was one of those people who had an enormous positive effect on everyone around him.
My cousin Linda asked for people to write down their stories and memories of David, so that she could give them to Nicole and Matthew when they are older. That is a great idea - the only truly meaningful way in which we live on is through the effect that we have had on others, and the memories that we have created. David was one of those people who had an enormous positive effect on everyone around him.
Monday, June 29, 2009
RIP David Chow
Sad news -- a great tragedy in our family this past week.
From my cousin Linda:
I was on the way to a Flex user group meeting last week on June 26 when I heard about this from my cousin Wayne (Linda's brother). I have been in shock and running on autopilot ever since. Clearly, there are worse things than to be out of work.
This is so unfair -- David was so much younger than me. And he was such a great person.
From my cousin Linda:
Dear Friends and Family,
It is with great regret that I inform you that my husband, David Chow, passed away on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at the Toronto General Hospital. He was a wonderful man, a loving husband and an amazing father to our two beautiful children, Nicole and Matthew.
The Visitation and Service will be held at The Simple Alternative – Pickering Chapel, 1057 Brock Road, Pickering, Ontario, L1W 3T7
Visitation: Friday, July 3rd, 2009, 5pm-9pm
Service: Saturday, July 4th, 2009, 11am
In lieu of flowers, a donation box will be set up at the funeral home for either:
1) Peter Munk Cardiac Centre
2) Toronto Sick Kids Hospital
For further information, please contact David’s brother, Gary.
Thank you for being a part of David’s life.
Linda
I was on the way to a Flex user group meeting last week on June 26 when I heard about this from my cousin Wayne (Linda's brother). I have been in shock and running on autopilot ever since. Clearly, there are worse things than to be out of work.
This is so unfair -- David was so much younger than me. And he was such a great person.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
On The Beach
SF readers will recognize "On The Beach" as the title of a Neville Shute novel from the 1960s about the bleak aftermath of a nuclear war. To be "on the beach" is also a euphemism used by contractors and consultants to describe being between assignments, which is my current situation. My client, a company operating in the automotive finance industry, chose not to extend my contract past May 29.
The analogy between Shute's landscape of nuclear devastation and the current economic environment is uncomfortably close. However, I have prospects -- I have had talks with potential clients that have been maddeningly elusive in terms of materializing into anything solid. Note to self - need to work on closing deals. Also a reminder -- change is good. And things could be worse -- I could have been an auto worker.
So, time to clear up and organize some things, and think about what to do next. In the meantime, find doors, and push on them.
The analogy between Shute's landscape of nuclear devastation and the current economic environment is uncomfortably close. However, I have prospects -- I have had talks with potential clients that have been maddeningly elusive in terms of materializing into anything solid. Note to self - need to work on closing deals. Also a reminder -- change is good. And things could be worse -- I could have been an auto worker.
So, time to clear up and organize some things, and think about what to do next. In the meantime, find doors, and push on them.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Another Tesseracts Twelve Review
From Claude Lalumiere, a link to a new review of T12 by Michael Mirella on the Rover Montreal website.
Bottom line? he likes 5 out of the 7 stories in the collection, and concludes
Bottom line? he likes 5 out of the 7 stories in the collection, and concludes
Overall, Lalumière does a good job of presenting a set of stories that represent various aspects of what has come to be called “fantastic fiction.” Perhaps not to the taste of those who prefer a clearer strain of SF, but definitely a way to break open the ghetto [of science fiction].
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Twins!
Big congratulations to my cousin Amy and her husband Jeff -- twin boys born on June 1!
Dylan was born around 0315 EDT and weighed in at 4.2 lbs.
Adrian was born 12 minutes later at 0327 EDT and weighed in at 4.6 lbs.
As a point of comparison, Corwin (who was a premature birth) was 4.5 lbs, and just long enough to fit on my forearm.
I had gotten the news on Monday afternoon (from Mom) via the intra-familial packet-switched occasional-sneaker net. Thanks to my cousin Cindy (Amy's sister) for providing photos and details.
Amy and Jeff don't look nearly gobsmacked enough :-) Good job, guys! And of course, a rousing welcome to Dylan and Adrian!
Dylan was born around 0315 EDT and weighed in at 4.2 lbs.
Adrian was born 12 minutes later at 0327 EDT and weighed in at 4.6 lbs.
As a point of comparison, Corwin (who was a premature birth) was 4.5 lbs, and just long enough to fit on my forearm.
I had gotten the news on Monday afternoon (from Mom) via the intra-familial packet-switched occasional-sneaker net. Thanks to my cousin Cindy (Amy's sister) for providing photos and details.
Amy and Jeff don't look nearly gobsmacked enough :-) Good job, guys! And of course, a rousing welcome to Dylan and Adrian!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Cables Make All The Difference
Recently, I had to buy a length of network cable for $22 from Staples. I resented the price, until I saw this offering:
For *only* $500 you can buy a cable made by Denon, composed of "pure copper". Presumably that price is in US dollars so all us Canuckie types will need to add roughly 20 percent - call it $600 loonies for discussion purposes.
And why would anyone pay $600 for a cable?
Well -- this product will allow you to "Get the purest signal from multi-channel DVD and CD playback through Denon receiver". One way that it achieves this is that the "Connector and cable structure designed to thoroughly eliminate adverse effects from vibration". Because, ya know, vibration causes all those little electrons to jostle together and not get to where they are supposed to go. Clearly, a product designed for audiophiles who operate at a level that I can barely imagine.
But don't take my word for this -- read the reviews. There are others, who like me, stand in awe and amazement at this product, and anyone who would buy it.
UPDATE - Audioquest make an ultra-deluxe speaker cable for $6800. This relegates the Denon offering to the little leagues. The $22 network cable I was bitching about doesn't even register. People who use this product probably aren't even in the same species as those of us who meet our cabling needs from the Dollar Store.
For *only* $500 you can buy a cable made by Denon, composed of "pure copper". Presumably that price is in US dollars so all us Canuckie types will need to add roughly 20 percent - call it $600 loonies for discussion purposes.
And why would anyone pay $600 for a cable?
Well -- this product will allow you to "Get the purest signal from multi-channel DVD and CD playback through Denon receiver". One way that it achieves this is that the "Connector and cable structure designed to thoroughly eliminate adverse effects from vibration". Because, ya know, vibration causes all those little electrons to jostle together and not get to where they are supposed to go. Clearly, a product designed for audiophiles who operate at a level that I can barely imagine.
But don't take my word for this -- read the reviews. There are others, who like me, stand in awe and amazement at this product, and anyone who would buy it.
UPDATE - Audioquest make an ultra-deluxe speaker cable for $6800. This relegates the Denon offering to the little leagues. The $22 network cable I was bitching about doesn't even register. People who use this product probably aren't even in the same species as those of us who meet our cabling needs from the Dollar Store.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The Dangers of Re-use
In complete contravention of what the bottled water people say is safe usage, I re-use my plastic water bottle many times before it usually ends up being thrown out, typically by someone else. Of course, bottlers of water have no vested interest in making sure that you buy more bottles instead of using the one you have, nosirree.
The latest study from the plastics industry (news article here) showing health problems with re-usable bags strikes me the same way. No bias from this source, either.
On the other hand, I am probably not going to be incredibly sympathetic to someone who got sick because because they brought vegetables home in a bag that they had previously used to transport used diapers. Those cloth bags are in fact washable as well as re-usable.
The latest study from the plastics industry (news article here) showing health problems with re-usable bags strikes me the same way. No bias from this source, either.
On the other hand, I am probably not going to be incredibly sympathetic to someone who got sick because because they brought vegetables home in a bag that they had previously used to transport used diapers. Those cloth bags are in fact washable as well as re-usable.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Finally, the Star Trek movie!
This movie is worth seeing, and probably more than once. We watched this down at the Beaches Cinema yesterday. All three of us thought this was a good movie, although (as usual) I have issues. I had vague thoughts about taking the day off to line up and watch the first showing on Friday, but those never got past the vague thoughts stage. If this were 20 years ago, I would have done it, no question.
The review in the Toronto Star is generally positive.
Here are some of the issues (possible spoiler warnings) --
Delta Vega is fairly close to the energy barrier at the galaxy's edge, not between Earth and Vulcan.
"Red Matter"? WTF? This substance is used to initiate a black hole collapse. It should have been straightforward to insert a reference to dark matter here.
Replacing a planet with an equivalent mass black hole doesn't create an instant "vacuum cleaner" effect.
Most serious - a supernova explosion won't destroy a planet in the way that it is shown to occur.
However, the rationale behind the "reboot" is well done -- it allows therm to acknowledge all of the existing history without necessarily being tied to it.
After the disasters of Star Trek Insurrection and Star Trek Nemesis, this movie franchise needed a good entry to lift it back up - and this movie is it. Star Trek nerds can rejoice.
The review in the Toronto Star is generally positive.
Here are some of the issues (possible spoiler warnings) --
Delta Vega is fairly close to the energy barrier at the galaxy's edge, not between Earth and Vulcan.
"Red Matter"? WTF? This substance is used to initiate a black hole collapse. It should have been straightforward to insert a reference to dark matter here.
Replacing a planet with an equivalent mass black hole doesn't create an instant "vacuum cleaner" effect.
Most serious - a supernova explosion won't destroy a planet in the way that it is shown to occur.
However, the rationale behind the "reboot" is well done -- it allows therm to acknowledge all of the existing history without necessarily being tied to it.
After the disasters of Star Trek Insurrection and Star Trek Nemesis, this movie franchise needed a good entry to lift it back up - and this movie is it. Star Trek nerds can rejoice.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Cinco de Mayo, times ten
Today is Cinco de Mayo, a holiday held in high regard by our friends Angel and Bill on account of Angel's Mexican roots and Bill's many years of traveling there. But today is also Corwin's tenth birthday, which will occur at 8:26AM, about half an hour from when I am writing this.
Ten years ago at this moment, Jill was having the worst part of her labour, having already gone through more than twelve hours of it. To get to the hospital in time to be part of my son's birth, I had left my project in Detroit, and had traveled back by car overnight.
From those first moments of that small, helpless baby, it is amazing to think that ten years have gone by, and the wisecracking boy of today is the same child.
Ten years ago at this moment, Jill was having the worst part of her labour, having already gone through more than twelve hours of it. To get to the hospital in time to be part of my son's birth, I had left my project in Detroit, and had traveled back by car overnight.
From those first moments of that small, helpless baby, it is amazing to think that ten years have gone by, and the wisecracking boy of today is the same child.
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