This Ain't Rocket Science 2004/5

Gum Returns to Singapore After 12 Years

Just when I think that OUR legislation is getting out of hand to the point of absurdity, I get a reminder that I'm glad that I live here and not somewhere else.

State Senate Expected to OK E-Mail Bill

I personally don't see what the big deal is here. If you think that Google's automated scanning of your email is an invasion of your privacy, then don't sign up for it. Don't start passing legislation trying to prevent it from happening. Though I must say, it sounds like some cooler heads in the CA Senate prevailed since the new revision of the bill sounds like it only prevents profiling customers with the data, or having people read the emails. Things that Google wasn't going to do anyway.

Solomonia on communication and the war

There is an interesting article over on Solomonia regarding communication and the war. It starts off with a reference to The Forever War and moves into topics such as media coverage, intelligence, and the reasons we go to war. It's a long read but it's worth it.

Thanks to Spot On for the link.

Diesel prices more stable?

Stopping at the gas station and filling up has become an expensive proposition with the ever increasing price of gas. It was then that I noticed that the price for diesel seemed much less susceptible to these variations in price. It's not just that the price of diesel is lower, though it is; it’s just that it doesn't seem to climb as rapidly or vary as wildly as gas prices. If the driving force in the price fluctuations that we see is the cost of crude oil, wouldn't this make diesel subject to the same sort of price movement that we see with gas? Perhaps someone more knowledgeable about diesel or the economics of the situation could shed some light on it for me.

TV Tuesday

This one looked like fun so here goes.

1. What's your favorite sitcom?

Family Guy, hands down. I don't think I've laughed so hard at a television show before or since. The fact that its coming back makes it even sweeter.

2. Is there a sitcom you really don't like?

I don't know that there is a sitcom that I really despise. I'm largely apathetic to poorly written sitcoms. I just don't watch them.

3. Which sitcom did you used to like, but now it just seems too hokey?

I used to like The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire but looking back now there are some episodes that are pretty hokey.

Another Troop Abuse Scandal

With The Independent breaking the story today, it will be interesting to see how much play this story gets in the media here and abroad, though my gut tells me it won't get much.

Zambrano gets no love

There's a nice article over at The Cub Reporter about Carlos Zambrano. The guy is fiercely competitive, entertaining to watch, flat out outstanding pitcher, and he's only 23. Sure he's been pitching in the shadow of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior but it's about time people realized just how good he is too.

Monday Madness

1. I started blogging about ___________ ago.

I started this about a week ago.

2. I try to post a new entry in my blog about every _____ days.

Every week day or so.

3. I read about _____ blogs on a regular basis.

Currently about 15 but that number changes regularly.

4. I change my layout about ______ a year.

Since I'm still trying to get my blog to look the way I want, I'll go with about a bazillion.

5. I used to _________, and now I blog instead.

I don't think that blogging has become a substitute for anything really... maybe mindless websurfing?

6. I spend more time blogging than I do __________.

Watching TV.

7. I tend to blog (and visit blogs) most in the _________.

weekday daytime.

8. The thing I enjoy most about blogging is _________.

It's just a fun activity on the whole and lets me put some thoughts down in a semi-coherent form.

Cubs take 2 of 3 against Cards

Yes, I'm a huge baseball fan and coming from the Chicago land area, I'm also a huge Cubs fan. It was nice to see the Cubs take 2 of 3 from the Cards with their 3 best players on the disabled list.

What really got me though was the horrible, horrible broadcast on ESPN. I don't think I've listened to a poorer broadcast of a major league game, and that's saying a lot since I have watched Chip Caray on a nearly daily basis. The whole game was littered with stories about the Lemons, or the Curse, or what Chicago celeb wanted to see the Cubs make it to the World Series. Never mind the fact that an excellent game was being played by both teams. It got so bad that even my wife, who only follows baseball because I do, says "Are these people like new to baseball broadcasts? They are terrible." When even the most casual of fans remarks on the quality of the broadcast, that should be saying something. Though I suppose I shouldn't really be surprised. ESPN has been heading that way more and more often, forgetting that they are a place for sports first, and irrelevant and mostly annoying human interest stories second.

The Friday Foofah!

I figured I'd give one of these a shot. Can be fun and hey, they take up space. Besides, it's Friday and I don't want to do any real thinking.

1. Out of the corner of your eye you see something crawling across the desk - something with a lot of legs and antennae. Do you calmly flick it off with your fingers, smash it to a pulp or run screaming out of the room?

I usually flick it away rather than smash.

2. Lions, barracudas, sharks, eagles and tarantulas; predators all. What predator would you be (need not be from this list)?

Being from the Chicago area originally I would have to go with Da Bears, since it covers both Cubs and Bears.

3. If you could have the attributes of one animal while retaining your human form, what would you pick? e.g. a bird's flight, a snake's venom, breathing underwater like a fish etc.

I've always thought being able to fly would be pretty cool. A lot of the other things that an animal can do are pretty limited, with flying the skies the limit.

4. If you had a choice to give up your life and its worries and responsibilities and be a bird - would you make the switch?

Nope

the wrong enemy

When I saw this over at A Small Victory, I felt like it should be something I commented on but I don't think that I can find the words. Some leeway needs to be given to people in grief, but when someone makes a statement like this in the press it just makes you wonder.

Hatrack River goes RSS

Orson Scott Card has long been one of my favorite authors. When I found that he ran a website, I naturally took a look at it. I was surprised to find that he wrote a weekly review column that reviewed everything from food to movies to gadgets. The columns were not only interesting but I found the reviews of things like books and movies to be pretty relevant to my particular tastes.

I also found that he wrote some essays both on the war on terror, and a number of other current events/news stories. While I don't always agree with what he writes, his articles are always interesting and thought provoking. Rather than trumpet the partisan party lines from either side , he gives his own thoughtful, well reasoned take on many of the issues that are making headlines today and encourages discussion and debate on the actual topics rather than the yelling back and forth that passes for 'debate' in today's politics.

Now that the site has an RSS feed for them I can happily add them to my aggregator and be on my way.

Milt has a blog!

I think I first discovered Extension 720 just keeping the radio on after listening to a Cubs game. It was a plesant change to hear things discussed intelligently on the radio and I've been a big fan of the show ever since.

Of course now that I live in Tennessee, I don't listen to it as often as I used to, but I do try to catch it on the internet when I can.

It is nice to see a blog for the show out there and even a pretty substantial blogroll/links section on the sidebar.

Team Claims Success With Rocket Launch

Just thought it would be fitting that the first real post here (and a test of PyDS Blog This! option) should be something on rockets. A nice accomplishment for some amateur rocketeers. There is a lot of interest in low cost access to space and this along with the X-prize are some pretty exciting things to see. Not to mention that a healthy thirst for space related technology is something that will be keeping me employed.

Weclome to TARS

Welcome to This Ain't Rocket Science, so titled because I am currently studying for my Master's and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering while studying rockets and various other aerospace things. Here you will find my take on all things not rocket science, and a few things that are.

This blog, even more so than most, is a work in progress. There will be many layout changes as well as the content updates as I figure out exactly what I want to do with PyDS.

Why PyDS and PyCS? There are a few reasons. I've been a casual Python user for some time and I wanted to use a program that was a little more complicated than the simple things I've written. The fact that PyDS is freely available and PyCS provides free hosting doesn't hurt either.

So pardon my dust as I learn what I can do with PyDS and as I get things to look the way I want. I hope you enjoy the ride.