I, for one, am glad to see that the launch of Discovery went well this morning. I can't remember the last time I was so nervous in front of the television. (And considering that strong thunderstorms knocked my sattelite dish out of alignment last night [no CNN], I was happy to be watching it live at all!) It was amazing to watch the shuttle separate from the external fuel tank -- especially since I went to a talk given by the engineering research firm that helped re-design the tank's support structures (the triangle-shaped mount) which attach the tank to the shuttle.
Here's hoping to a successful mission and safe re-entry. It'll be good to have construction work on the ISS continue. Maybe we'll even get some science out of the thing!
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Monday, July 25, 2005
News from 'Down Periscope'
I'm now a little over two weeks into Qualifier-preparation mode, and feel like poking my head up above the water to both take a break and let my friends know what's going on!
The days are starting to blend together as I continue my preparation. I've gone through my entire modern physics text form college, and am in the middle of a more meaty nuclear physics one for the moment. Still on the docket: classical physics, electrodynamics, differential equations, linear algebra, and quantum mechanics -- oh my! ;) I still have a little over a month to get those topics all in my head, so it's not quite time to push the big red panic button. After reading all that physics I get to solve really tough problems from the past 10 years of qualifiers as a break. (Or better -- something else, like writing up a little thing on the blog.)
Madison, like many other cities around the nation, has been the unlucky recipient of 100+ degree weather recently. In an attempt to combat this, a group of my fellow researchers and friends decided that it would be a good idea to have a BBQ featuring a Batman Slip-n-Slide. (Recommended users: children ages 5-10, height less than 5', weight less than 110 lb; average grad student: nowhere near that!) A good time was had by all -- even those of us like me who got a fast trip over a cement sidewalk.
I'm also considering some technical revamping of Kravlor.com. Specifically, after the ancient P-II 300 MHz machine running in my parent's closet needed a reboot today, knocking out my email, etc. for several hours while I thought about the problem off and on, I decided to make a more robust system by shelling out some cash to Dyndns.org and use their redundant networks to host my DNS resolution and provide email backup service. The upside: no lost emails, and the ability to use my faster, dynamic-IP DSL link as the primary host.
That means I can use a more up-to-date machine with actual amounts of RAM and hard disk space (and a current Linux distro) to do things like host a shared photo gallery, as well as migrate my blog there. (While I like the aggregator features of Livejournal, I'd rather run the server myself; I'm a Linux dork.) I'm taking a look at using Drupal as the main CMS.
And, for the usual interesting/funny/concerning news story I post occasionally, try this one that demonstrates the US Army propaganda machine being a bit too careless with the quotes they're manufacturing.
The days are starting to blend together as I continue my preparation. I've gone through my entire modern physics text form college, and am in the middle of a more meaty nuclear physics one for the moment. Still on the docket: classical physics, electrodynamics, differential equations, linear algebra, and quantum mechanics -- oh my! ;) I still have a little over a month to get those topics all in my head, so it's not quite time to push the big red panic button. After reading all that physics I get to solve really tough problems from the past 10 years of qualifiers as a break. (Or better -- something else, like writing up a little thing on the blog.)
Madison, like many other cities around the nation, has been the unlucky recipient of 100+ degree weather recently. In an attempt to combat this, a group of my fellow researchers and friends decided that it would be a good idea to have a BBQ featuring a Batman Slip-n-Slide. (Recommended users: children ages 5-10, height less than 5', weight less than 110 lb; average grad student: nowhere near that!) A good time was had by all -- even those of us like me who got a fast trip over a cement sidewalk.
I'm also considering some technical revamping of Kravlor.com. Specifically, after the ancient P-II 300 MHz machine running in my parent's closet needed a reboot today, knocking out my email, etc. for several hours while I thought about the problem off and on, I decided to make a more robust system by shelling out some cash to Dyndns.org and use their redundant networks to host my DNS resolution and provide email backup service. The upside: no lost emails, and the ability to use my faster, dynamic-IP DSL link as the primary host.
That means I can use a more up-to-date machine with actual amounts of RAM and hard disk space (and a current Linux distro) to do things like host a shared photo gallery, as well as migrate my blog there. (While I like the aggregator features of Livejournal, I'd rather run the server myself; I'm a Linux dork.) I'm taking a look at using Drupal as the main CMS.
And, for the usual interesting/funny/concerning news story I post occasionally, try this one that demonstrates the US Army propaganda machine being a bit too careless with the quotes they're manufacturing.
Friday, July 1, 2005
Just Desserts
While I may be a plasma physicist, I also enjoy playing armchair lawyer from time to time. :) In that spirit, I was unsettled by the recent Supreme Court decision that would effectively allow local governments to exercise their powers of eminent domain to take land from private owners not just for public projects like roads, but also private venues, based on things like increased tax revenue for the municipality. (Madison, for instance, is looking to bulldoze several homes near the State Street area in order to expand a parking lot (public) and establish a new condominium unit (private).) After all, what's the point of owning private property if you can be kicked out of your home in order for McDonalds to erect yet another set of the Golden Arches?
Well, in a supreme fit of irony, it seems like Justice Souter, who was a supporting member of the 5-4 decision, may be getting a taste of his own medicine. A private developer has started "the application process to build a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road. This is the present location of Mr. Souter's home."
I, for one, hope that "The Lost Liberty Hotel," "Just Desserts Cafe," and museum dedicated to the loss of freedoms in America is successfully built. After all, the developer just needs to convince three of the five local board members to go forward!
Well, in a supreme fit of irony, it seems like Justice Souter, who was a supporting member of the 5-4 decision, may be getting a taste of his own medicine. A private developer has started "the application process to build a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road. This is the present location of Mr. Souter's home."
I, for one, hope that "The Lost Liberty Hotel," "Just Desserts Cafe," and museum dedicated to the loss of freedoms in America is successfully built. After all, the developer just needs to convince three of the five local board members to go forward!
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