Some people have too much time on their hands. Thank goodness for them, because the rest of us would have to come up with our own entertainment.
To whit:
Netspeak War
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Friday, January 14, 2005
Happy Landings
I love it when science fiction spills over into real life.
Today, the $3billion Cassini space probe successfully landed the Huygens lander on the surface of Saturn's moon, Titan.
One of the very first photos returned, a shot from 10 miles above the surface, shows what looks like a shoreline and lots of drainage canals, not unlike California's coastal mountains. (Although, from 10 miles up, it does lack details, and remember, the surface temperature is somewhere around -200 degrees Fahrenheit, so it's likely there's no Caribbean tropicana down there.)
One of the first photos from the surface shows an unexpected rocky looking terrain, not unlike that of Mars.
Apparently this is not exactly what scientists were expecting. But then, nothing about exploring the out solar system has gone the way scientists expected. Every mission has completely re-written the books about planetary science. I think this one will too. I'm excited to see what else they find.
Oh, and Battlestar Galactica starts in 1 hour and 50 mins!
Today, the $3billion Cassini space probe successfully landed the Huygens lander on the surface of Saturn's moon, Titan.
One of the very first photos returned, a shot from 10 miles above the surface, shows what looks like a shoreline and lots of drainage canals, not unlike California's coastal mountains. (Although, from 10 miles up, it does lack details, and remember, the surface temperature is somewhere around -200 degrees Fahrenheit, so it's likely there's no Caribbean tropicana down there.)
One of the first photos from the surface shows an unexpected rocky looking terrain, not unlike that of Mars.
Apparently this is not exactly what scientists were expecting. But then, nothing about exploring the out solar system has gone the way scientists expected. Every mission has completely re-written the books about planetary science. I think this one will too. I'm excited to see what else they find.
Oh, and Battlestar Galactica starts in 1 hour and 50 mins!
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Incessant Rambling
Greetings. I've revamped the look of the blog a little bit. It's not really changed all that much. I've kept all the same links and stuff. It's mainly just a cosmetic make-over. Sometimes ya just need a new hair-do, ya know?
I haven't posted in a while, obviously. It's kinda ironic... the greeting on the Blogger.com dashboard, where you log into your account, sez "A blog is your easy-to-use web site, where you can quickly post thoughts, interact with people, and more..."
It IS easy to use. Piece of cake. The problem is, one needs to have some thoughts to post in order to interact with anyone. I don't always have thoughts that I feel like posting.
I guess I could do the gruesome thing, and tell everyone about my thoughts of suicide and mass murder, but that would be both sensationalistic and ingenuine. I could share my revolutionary ideas on money-making get rich schemes, but I have none (at least none I'm going to tell you people). I could wax poetic about the depths and heights of my love life, but I'm not one to kiss and tell (and I guess one has to do some kissing in order to do any telling.... lol).
There's so much I could talk about, if I ever did anything worthy of talking about!
(As I write this, Katie Couric of Today Show is droning on in the background about something I truly don't care about, BUT.... Katie obviously has a cold, and there's something sultry about a woman's voice when they have a cold. Not a snot dripping cold, just that slightly plugged up nasal cold. Come on, you all know what I mean...that changed voice... maybe less annoying than usual? I dunno... just something....)
My nephew, Tony, is in the Air Force, and is currently stationed at the Baghdad airport. He's a civil engineer (heavy machine operator). I really havn't been that worried about him. Even with all the danger in Iraq, the odds are still overwhelmingly in favor of soldiers serving their time and coming out of Iraq just fine. Excellent odds, really. I'm still acutely aware of the possibility my nephew might be hurt or killed, but it's not something I chose to fret over. He sent his dad an e-mail recently, saying his unit was leaving the airport on a mission and he would be out of contact for a while. That does make the heart leap just a little bit. I'll update when I hear something more.
I've watched the "re-imagined" (better, in my opinion) Battlestar Galactica mini-series twice this week. All part of the run-up to the series premier on Sci-Fi this Friday night. I was surprised to see it run on NBC on Monday night. I guess NBC is part of the ginormous company that owns Sci-Fi, too. Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis premier in the coming weeks, too. Finally, something worth watching on TV again!
I know, I know: my TV interests are a bit narrow. I mainly stick with the Sci-Fi Channel, and occasionally ABC Family Channel or FX.
I have seen 2 whole episodes of Lost, and was not impressed at all. In fact, I was kinda bored. Gilligans Island with phantoms, if you asked me.
I have never watched an episode of 24.
I've seen Alias maybe 5 times. I even watched the Alias season premier this year, and although Jennifer Garner is a pleasure to look at (can't wait to see "Elektra"), unless there's a good story, even watching her pout gets old.
Same goes for Survivor, The Great Race, Fear Factor, and the like. "Reality" programming is an absolute abomination in my opinion: nothing more that purient voyeurism - satisfying some odd craving we have to see people embarrassed, shamed, hurt, ridiculed, and frightened. I guess I despise and detest "reality programming" so much because I have enough "reality" in my own life. I work in one of the most "real" places a person can. I talk to people on a daily basis who's actual lives would put the most interesting "reality show" plot line to shame. I don't want to take it home and live with it there, too. I can go to bed without griping about what a bitch Amarosa is, or how Kelly is an ass and didn't deserve to win. I talk to Amarosa's and Kelly's on a daily basis, and they ARE bitches and asses. I see no point to inviting them into my home at night.
So I watch Sci-Fi shows. I love the escapist fantasy it provides. It's light. It's fun. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it IS my cup. But, like all good shows, Sci-Fi understands the importance of making their shows easy on the eyes. So, in anticipation of my sci-fi shows and their imminent re-start...
From Battlestar Galactica: Lt. Valerii (Boomer) - Grace Park
Cylon Number Six - Tricia Helfer
Lt. Thrace (Starbuck) - Katee Sackhoff
From Stargate SG-1: Col Carter - Amanda Tapping
From Stargate Atlantis: Teyla Emmagan - Rachel Lutrell
And just to prove it's not just the pretty faces that compell me to watch these shows, Elisha Cuthbert stared on "24" and I've never watched a single scene.
Honest.
I haven't posted in a while, obviously. It's kinda ironic... the greeting on the Blogger.com dashboard, where you log into your account, sez "A blog is your easy-to-use web site, where you can quickly post thoughts, interact with people, and more..."
It IS easy to use. Piece of cake. The problem is, one needs to have some thoughts to post in order to interact with anyone. I don't always have thoughts that I feel like posting.
I guess I could do the gruesome thing, and tell everyone about my thoughts of suicide and mass murder, but that would be both sensationalistic and ingenuine. I could share my revolutionary ideas on money-making get rich schemes, but I have none (at least none I'm going to tell you people). I could wax poetic about the depths and heights of my love life, but I'm not one to kiss and tell (and I guess one has to do some kissing in order to do any telling.... lol).
There's so much I could talk about, if I ever did anything worthy of talking about!
(As I write this, Katie Couric of Today Show is droning on in the background about something I truly don't care about, BUT.... Katie obviously has a cold, and there's something sultry about a woman's voice when they have a cold. Not a snot dripping cold, just that slightly plugged up nasal cold. Come on, you all know what I mean...that changed voice... maybe less annoying than usual? I dunno... just something....)
My nephew, Tony, is in the Air Force, and is currently stationed at the Baghdad airport. He's a civil engineer (heavy machine operator). I really havn't been that worried about him. Even with all the danger in Iraq, the odds are still overwhelmingly in favor of soldiers serving their time and coming out of Iraq just fine. Excellent odds, really. I'm still acutely aware of the possibility my nephew might be hurt or killed, but it's not something I chose to fret over. He sent his dad an e-mail recently, saying his unit was leaving the airport on a mission and he would be out of contact for a while. That does make the heart leap just a little bit. I'll update when I hear something more.
I've watched the "re-imagined" (better, in my opinion) Battlestar Galactica mini-series twice this week. All part of the run-up to the series premier on Sci-Fi this Friday night. I was surprised to see it run on NBC on Monday night. I guess NBC is part of the ginormous company that owns Sci-Fi, too. Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis premier in the coming weeks, too. Finally, something worth watching on TV again!
I know, I know: my TV interests are a bit narrow. I mainly stick with the Sci-Fi Channel, and occasionally ABC Family Channel or FX.
I have seen 2 whole episodes of Lost, and was not impressed at all. In fact, I was kinda bored. Gilligans Island with phantoms, if you asked me.
I have never watched an episode of 24.
I've seen Alias maybe 5 times. I even watched the Alias season premier this year, and although Jennifer Garner is a pleasure to look at (can't wait to see "Elektra"), unless there's a good story, even watching her pout gets old.
Same goes for Survivor, The Great Race, Fear Factor, and the like. "Reality" programming is an absolute abomination in my opinion: nothing more that purient voyeurism - satisfying some odd craving we have to see people embarrassed, shamed, hurt, ridiculed, and frightened. I guess I despise and detest "reality programming" so much because I have enough "reality" in my own life. I work in one of the most "real" places a person can. I talk to people on a daily basis who's actual lives would put the most interesting "reality show" plot line to shame. I don't want to take it home and live with it there, too. I can go to bed without griping about what a bitch Amarosa is, or how Kelly is an ass and didn't deserve to win. I talk to Amarosa's and Kelly's on a daily basis, and they ARE bitches and asses. I see no point to inviting them into my home at night.
So I watch Sci-Fi shows. I love the escapist fantasy it provides. It's light. It's fun. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it IS my cup. But, like all good shows, Sci-Fi understands the importance of making their shows easy on the eyes. So, in anticipation of my sci-fi shows and their imminent re-start...
From Battlestar Galactica: Lt. Valerii (Boomer) - Grace Park
Cylon Number Six - Tricia Helfer
Lt. Thrace (Starbuck) - Katee Sackhoff
From Stargate SG-1: Col Carter - Amanda Tapping
From Stargate Atlantis: Teyla Emmagan - Rachel Lutrell
And just to prove it's not just the pretty faces that compell me to watch these shows, Elisha Cuthbert stared on "24" and I've never watched a single scene.
Honest.
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