Took some shots of a cropduster buzzing around western Iowa yesterday. That seems like an entertaining job; at the very least a job where you’d best stay on your toes.
Aug 052008
Aug 052008
Similar to, but somewhat less enthusiastic than, the large Nexus + gas core nukes launch vehicle described earlier was this Convair concept for an all-chemical Nexus SSTO launch vehicle with a second stage using gas core nuclear thermal rockets. Payload to Earth orbit = 3.2 million pounds. Dates to about 1964.
Aug 052008
While driving along, I noticed a large number of high-end RV’s. And a lot of them were towing smaller vehicles. And a lot of the smaller vehicles were in fact fairly large vehicles… SUVs and sizable trucks. Clearly the high gas prices aren’t slowing everybody down.
Some of the photos are kinda crappy… blurry, tilted, badly framed. Still, with a closing speed of 160 miles per hour, most aren’t too bad. I can’t say that trying to photograph oncoming traffic is a particularly wise thing to do.
If I had a setup like these, a lot of the “how do I deal with the cats/motels/apartment” issues would go away.
Aug 052008
Dragged into Illinois late last night. About 1300 miles down, 900 or so to go. Stopped at the Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles and the Strategic Air Command Museum (both in Nebraska) yesterday and took a bunch of photos, some of which I’ll post eventually. Going to stay here for a day or three visiting with family and friends before moving on.
Aug 052008
A question that has puzzled theologists and laymen for millenia. Fortunately, there is a man alive today who can tell you exactly what it is:
GG:Do you believe in sin?
OBAMA:Yes.
GG:What is sin?
OBAMA:Being out of alignment with my values.
So now you know.
Aug 042008
Anyone who has ever driven across Wyoming knows that the wind there can blow like mad. Fortunately, wind turbines dot the Wyoming landscape.
It’s hard to judge scale from these photos. However, a few trucks on the road give an indication that these aren’t exactly backyard wind turbines, but some seriously badass power generators.
Now all Wyoming needs is a few gigawatt-class nuclear powerplants (preferably breeder reactors), and it’ll be on the way to wiping out the usefulness of Hugo Chavez and the Wahabbis.
Aug 032008
660 miles down.
Koshka got to ride up front, but she spent most of the time hiding. She’s not a fan of travel.
Crossing into Wyoming.
Koshka eventually got slightly more adventurous from time to time.
Raedthinn and Tak, on the other hand, were stuck in a big folding “kennel” in the back of the car.
Crossing into Nebraska.
Got slammed by a very impressive storm.
Aug 022008
Mostly packed, though I’m still at a bit of a loss as to how exactly I’ll deal with the cats. The sun is about to go down; some car packing, and then I’ll go out and look at the Milky Way for a while. Assuming I don’t get canned right off the bat (you never know), I suspect it’ll be a good long while before I see the night sky again. That close to primary targets like Baltimore and D.C., the night sky is more of a “theory” than a “fact.”
Sigh.
Oh, well, maybe one of these days a platinum meteorite the size of a grapefruit will hit my house and I’ll be able to afford an old missile complex somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. Admit it… you’d want one of these too.
Aug 022008
Barring some screwup, I leave tomorrow AM for the drive to Maryland. I plan on kinda taking my time… accordign to Mapquest it’s a 31 hour drive which could in principle be done in three good days of driving, but I’m scheduling myself to arrive Saturday or so.
If you don’t see updates from me, that’s because somethign unfortunate has happened to my net access, my laptop or my person.
Aug 012008
Surprisingly good and surprisingly powerful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nVQaHpOnO8
Unfortunately I don’t seem to be able to get embedded Youtube files to work. Ah, well. Just click on the link above.
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