The End of Innovation?

As I'm sure you know by now, President Obama intends to END the Constellation Program at NASA. No Space Shuttle replacement. No moon missions. No mission to Mars. All sorts of jobs, construction (e.g., the new Engine Test Stands at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi), etc. lost or put on hold or whatever. But, most importantly, innovation, lost.

Back in the great space race, NASA developed all sorts of technology. From commercial airliners to schoolbuses to the computer on which you're reading this, even little things you may not have even guessed. And, of course, Tang*. Who could imagine a world without Tang? And this is what Obama wants for our world. No NASA, no Tang, no innovation.

But, on the other hand, check out this Zemanta linked article (noted below) regarding the decision. Personally, I'd like to see NASA continue with a Space Shuttle replacement (I always wanted to be a shuttle pilot, even went to Space Camp in 8th grade - but, alas, I only got to be the mission medical chief, imaginarily left on planet earth as several of my Space Camp buddies got to imaginarily go out on the shuttle - I did get a Space Shuttle Operator's Manual in the gift shop before leaving, though!). As always, DO SOME RESEARCH and MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND! I have little knowledge, really, of Obama's plans regarding the future of NASA and the American space program (other than an acquaintance or two in Huntsville whose livelihood has depended on the now-cancelled Constellation program and the development of launch vehicle rockets to replace the shuttle fleet).

Related articles by Zemanta

• Buzz Aldrin: President Obama's JFK Moment (huffingtonpost.com)

Speaking of Zemanta, I'm still not totally convinced, but it seems like a pretty neat thing: it offers suggestions for related content (articles, images) for whatever you're typing into your blog post. It's an extension for Google's Chrome browser (meaning it'll likely find its way into Google's Chrome OS). While it's not perfect (e.g., it really messes with the formatting, and it takes some patience to get things "right" at times), it does offer some interesting content (such as the Buzz Aldrin article linked in this post). And, like most software and fine wines, I expect that it will improve as it ages (and goes through revisions; it's in a very early state right now).

* OK, so Tang wasn't really "invented" by NASA - but were it not for NASA's use of Tang during the Gemini flights, it never would have received the publicity and acceptance and worldwide fame and recognition that it has achieved.

Lexus

Image by Tony Kingdad via Flickr

I have a love/hate relationship with my Lexus. I love to hate it. :)

Don't get me wrong, it's generally a very reliable car; it's also relatively easy to take apart (as long as you're not replacing the alternator or power steering pump reservoir O-ring). Powerful, comfortable, deceptively fast... however, the door handle has broken. The driver's side, exterior door handle (see picture, to the right). Oh, it's still usable: you just have to pull the little corner above the split in the photo, next to the lock cylinder.

I spent yesterday afternoon disassembling the driver's door: interior panel, all the interior door handle connections, and then removing the handle itself. Put some JB Weld on it, clamped it together with a vice grip while using a portion of a wooden #2 pencil to hold it in the open position (I'm creative), and let it set overnight in the house where it was nice & warm.

This morning, I put the door handle back on the car, and first attempt at pulling the handle - yes, it broke again. Frustrated, extremely tired (will explain shortly), sore (helped my brother pack up the remainder of his house Saturday), and cold, I reassembled the inner door panel, as obviously the JB Weld is not a solution, not for this particular mode of stress, and I'll have to get a new handle somewhere. Get to the last trim piece, the one behind the inner door handle, and it won't quite pop back into place, so I give it a (pretty forceful) pop with my palm... and it shatters. I recommend NOT smacking cold, brittle plastic after a night where ice forms on your car windows. It cut my palm in multiple places. (Out of respect for my friend Dean, I won't post a picture in this blog entry, but if for some weird reason you really want to see, drop me an e-mail and I'll forward it to you.)

Why so tired? Well, after going to bed late, the smoke alarms all started going off around 2 am. No smoke, no fire, just lots of incessant, extremely loud noise. They've done this before, but usually quit after 30 seconds or so. Not this time. No, we ended up starting to pull the detectors from their mounts, removing batteries. After the first one, the alarms stopped (they're all interconnected, so one going off triggers them all). Back to bed.

Five minutes later, alarms again. I'd looked at the one I pulled, and it says, "If interconnected, the one triggering the alarm will have a flashing red LED." Nope, don't see any. We pull two more (one of which was conveniently mounted on a built-in ceiling shelf in the living room: my oldest son climbed up, shimmied along, and pulled that one), and it stops again. I put them (after removing batteries) in my bedroom, and they continue to beep once a minute ("replace battery" warning) until their internally stored (capacitive) power runs out.

Get to bed, can't get to sleep, hear some sort of siren-like noise outside (not a siren, but two different frequencies of "pulsing" whining sound). Go outside to check on the source, and it's our neighbor's (across the street) AC/heat pump unit. Notice the lights on in the Lexus: apparently the door "closed" switch wasn't being pushed with the interior panel removed, so I (cold, barefoot, in my PJs) pop the hood and disconnect the battery (so hopefully it'll still start in the morning, which thankfully it did).

Back to bed, can't quite get to sleep... 2:45, the smoke alarms go off AGAIN. Notice the one I failed to notice the last two times, right outside my bedroom (that is, there is a smoke detector - literally - on each side of my bedroom door), which has the tell-tale blinking red LED, indicting it as the culprit for all the alarms. Pull it, and its battery, and the alarms stop.

At this point, attempting to get back to sleep is useless, so I have a Facebook conversation with my wife (on her computer on the other side of the room) and cousin, and look through Craigslist ads for vehicles to replace my Lexus.

Anyway, as you can see: very little sleep, and was was gotten was badly interrupted. And the door handle fix didn't work, either. At least the fuel gauge now works (I also pulled the dash yesterday and replaced two capacitors on one of the dash circuit boards so that the fuel gauge will read properly when it's cold).

So... anyone want to buy a 1994 Lexus LS400? It's a reliable car, has had lots of stuff fixed on it, just needs a driver-side outer door handle...

McNutrition and Facebook Privacy

No, the two things in the title of this post are not related, and Facebook is not going to suddenly tell the world how much you had for lunch (although you can certainly do that yourself using the two things!).

So, I went to McDonald's today. Did you know you can get a McDouble and a Spicy McChicken sandwich for $2.00 ($2.20 after tax in Mobile)? After ingesting said sandwiches, I went to McDonald's.Com (ok, there's really no "'" in the URL) and found this little nugget (pun intended):

http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/bagMeal.do

It's kind of neat. It'll let you put in your desired lunch/dinner/whatever, customized the way you want it (like my McDouble: no cheese, no pickles), and give you the nutritional info for your specific meal. (That's when I realized those two sandwiches - without the cheese & pickles on the McDouble - total a nice 700 calories. Wii Fit, here I come!) Granted, you have to click "Get Nutrition Facts" and then the little "+" sign next to the thing you want to customize, uncheck what you didn't get on it, and then click "Recalculate" - but it takes all the math out of it - just gives you the answer on how many calories and grams of this and that you're taking in. Cool (and the sandwiches - especially the SPICY McChicken - were warm/hot). But now you can know at a glance how many calories you need to burn on your Wii Fit when you get home (or, better yet, back to work, assuming you've managed to put a Wii, Wii Fit, and TV in your micro-sized cubicle).

On another note, check out this article about Facebook privacy (the first link is the article; the second is a link to the Privacy Info Page on Facebook). As I've long said, BE CAREFUL WHAT INFO YOU PUT ON FACEBOOK (or any other public site). And, more than ever, PAY ATTENTION to the little notes that pop up here and there before you click "OK" and possibly open your account up for all the world to see.

Ahh... it's good to be back. Sorry for the lack of blog-tivity over the past few months. But here you go, second post not-so-long-apart days. Woohoo!

Until next time... a topato!

When nature calls...

From the Bumper Dumper web site:

Have you ever been stuck in the middle of nowhere with no place to go?

The Bumper Dumper® is not just an accessory, it's a necessity.

That's right: you can put a toilet right on your trailer hitch!

When privacy is no issue, you can inhale your car's exhaust while you... you know. And only $69.95! (toilet seat included! although you can use your own favorite porcelain, plastic, cushioned, wood, or perhaps wicker toilet seat, too; here are some possibilities at Lowe's)

There's no privacy screen, but you can add something of your own concoction if you have privacy issues. One option would be to just hold a large garbage bag around you, I suppose. If you get really ingenious, you might build a portable, folding "outhouse" to surround your Bumper Dumper!

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Bumper Dumper or Uncle Booger's, and really would prefer to NOT see you making use of this fine product.