Jupiter Got Whacked by Yet Another Asteroid/Comet!
March 17, a telescope in Austria caught this:
And as seen from Ireland:
Mar 292016
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Mar 292016
… the man knew how to decorate an office.
Early 60’s:
Later 60’s:
Does anyone know of a good, clear color version of just the painting from the first photo? That’s the lunar lander from the “Project Horizon” days, when the Saturn was an Army project.
Mar 292016
Some photos (from ebay) of a NASA PR glossy from December, 1961, showing the then-current Saturn C-5 configuration. Note the fairly obvious signs of some retouching of the engines on the first stage… either the engines were originally larger, or they were larger in number. Note the lack of the small but distinctive stabilizing fins on the first stage.
Mar 292016
Arglebargle!
Remember That Time Emma Watson Was the Face of a Skin-Lightening Product?
Where we are told in no uncertain terms that products that lighten your skin are supporting white supremacy, are a form of colonialism, etc.
Oddly no mention of skin *darkening* products or treatments. You know, like tanning beds. Or spray-on tans. Or tanning creams. Or promoting natural tanning via damaging your skin with UV exposure from excessive sunlight, ramping up your cancer risk.
Mar 282016
Is there a scanner doctor in the house? So, my nice large-format scanner has developed a quirk. As you can see, there are now lines running through the scans (most prominently through the “N” but also further off to the right). Any idea what’s causing this and what’ll fix it? Watching a scan in progress, the light bar seems to be good and uniform; but perhaps there’s something (dust?) on the scan head? I couldn’t see anything, but the light was of course pretty blinding. Opening the scanner to get at the innards seems non-trivial, but this sort of issue kinda ruins the utility of the device.
For APR Patreon patrons, in one of the forthcoming documents you will see the exactly moment when this started… one page it’s not there, the next, and all subsequent, there it is. I didn’t notice it until I’d already processed everything.
Mar 272016
A piece of art shown in a 1966 issue of “Interavia” magazine showing the Saturn V in all its glory. Click to embiggen.
Mar 272016
I’ve just released Part Two (of two) of “The Blast from Jackass Flats,” describing the maiden voyage of the USSC Columbia. This was the first manned Orion vehicle in the Pax Orionis universe… the alternate history that starts with the Cuban Missile Crisis gone wrong and results in America conquering the solar system in ships powered by atom bombs. Included in this issue is a Technical Data Sheet describing the Columbia, including modifications needed for atmospheric flight. This and other Pax Orionis tales are available at the Pax Orionis Patreon.
Mar 262016
If you’re into such things, some entertainment is to be found at this Tumblr blog:
The Setup Wizard
It tells the ongoing tale of a muggle at Hogwarts… the schools first IT guy, making sure the servers and WiFi keep running at a facility populated by people who are stumped by power cords. *This* is a Potterverse movie I’d actually be excited for.
Mar 262016
It has been a while since I’ve put out a new piece of Pax Orionis; since the last one, other obligations have jumped up and down on me. But in the next day or two Part 2 of “The Blast From Jackass Flats” will come out. If you’re on the Pax Orionis Patreon, the story will be only a buck; for two bucks you get the story and some extras, including a technical diagram, this time showing the USSC Columbia.
So, sign up now so you don’t miss each new installment. Because your Arch Nemesis just might be signed up, and you don;t want *that* dirtbag to get the jump on you here!
Pax Orionis
Mar 262016
The N.R.A. Reimagines Classic Fairy Tales, With Guns
This being a New York Times piece, go on and take a guess whether or not wilting violet hoplophobes get a lot of space in the article.
Here are the new and improved fairy tales:
Hansel and Gretel (Have Guns)
and
Little Red Riding Hood (Has a Gun)
Along with the basic improvement that simply adding guns obviously adds, something I quite like is that the characters are converted from the victims they were in the original stories into, well, non-victims. Instead of just being dead or needing to be rescued by others, here the characters display a bit of self reliance. Compare that to the gormless chickenshittery married to belligerent dumbassery described here: