June 21, 2006
Can't you see? It's all about the fish oil!!!
From California Yankee:
Fred Krupp, head of Environmental Defense, says the President's plan to designate the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve as a National Monument creates the world's largest marine protected area.
All together now: How big is it?
About the size of California, the national monument will be 38 times larger than Yellowstone, and larger even than Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. It will consist of 139,000 square miles of largely uninhabited islands, atolls, coral reef colonies and seamounts, starting 160 miles west of Kauai, the remote 1,400-mile long string of islands extends to Kure atoll, west of Midway Island.
Now if Halliburton comes through on that idea to extract oil from coral...
Posted by: Ted at 05:37 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Daydreams of Synergy
From Dustbury:
Boral Bricks' newest plant is in Union City, and when its test production run proved to be up to industry standards, Boral first thought about selling the bricks at a discount. But no, you can't buy them: instead, Boral is donating the entire run to Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity, enough to build 54 houses.
Every time I hear "Habitat for Humanity" I immediately think of Jimmy Carter, and this time, because of the brick aspect a certain Edgar Allen Poe story came to mind right after...
Posted by: Ted at 11:45 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Kicking off Summer with a contest
Since beginnings are important, I thought it would be a good idea to officially start Summer 2006 with something personally positive. Fill in the blanks:
Rocket Jones is better than _________________ because it's _______________. For instance, you might say:Rocket Jones is better than bondage because it's top-rack dishwasher safe.That example was totally random. If you want to win, you should give it some thought. That's right, I said "win"! There will be a prize awarded to the person who submits the best entry. If you've been around a while, you know that my contest prizes don't suck, although if I had a lawyer he'd tell me to reserve that right, so I do. Leave 'em in the comments.
Posted by: Ted at 05:48 AM | Comments (14) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 20, 2006
Meanwhile, back at the hanger
The European aviation consortium Airbus has hit some serious turbulance over its new A380 super-jumbo. Parent company EADS staked its future on the A380, to the tune of 11 billion Euros in development costs. Now major investors are bailing, causing the value of EADS stock to drop by a third in just one day.
What's the problem? The electrical systems are described as "a shambles" and "hundreds" of problems remain unresolved. The aircraft is so overweight that the landing gear cannot safely handle the load. To compensate, weight is being trimmed wherever possible. Embarrassingly, a wing snapped off during stress testing because of the reduced thickness of the metal. And of course, all this redesign-on-the-fly means that paying customers have to wait longer for their aircraft.Just nine of the $300m double-decker whales will be delivered next year instead of 20 to 25, with a backlog of delays and penalty clauses cascading through the decade. At a minimum, the blunder will cut profits by €2bn over four years, the company admitted yesterday.But that's not the end of their troubles. Also taking a hit is their "new" mid-range A350, which is based on an older model airframe. So far they've gotten orders for less than half needed for break-even. The head of Emeriates Airlines likes the A350, but says:
"Unfortunately for Airbus, two things happened: Boeing came up with an even better plane and the price of fuel went through the roof."Boeing's 787 Dreamliner (which I first talked about here) is higher-tech and more fuel-efficient, which has recently become a much bigger factor in purchasing decisions. The economic impact of the super-jumbo also reaches areas you wouldn't normally consider:
The wake turbulence from the A380 may be such a threat to other aircraft on take-off and landing that the International Civil Aviation Organisation is imposing a barrier of 10 nautical miles, twice the distance for a Boeing 747. The rule, temporary at first, changes the cost calculus for airports such as Heathrow, which depend on constant traffic flow for profit margin.Even the German author of a book on Airbus is down on the A380:
"The A380 may have a future as a cargo freight plane."
Ouch. Thanks to Transterrestrial Musings for the pointer, in a post on a semi-related subject.
Posted by: Ted at 11:39 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Carolina Captures Cup
Congrats, Champions.
Posted by: Ted at 05:13 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Pigeon Bukkake
Yesterday morning, while driving to work, my car was... splashed... with bird poop. I used "pigeon" in the title, but from the amount of it I'd say it was more likely a pteradactyl or a flock of golden eagles. I had to run my windshield washers for quite a while to get most of it off, and when I got to work, I could see where it started halfway up the hood and continued on across the roof almost to the back window. Definitely pteradactyl.
Last night we had a thunderstorm with a nice hard, driving rain. Car looks sparkly clean again this morning.Posted by: Ted at 05:05 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 19, 2006
Finding Fathers
Nancy Kenney was 2 years old when she last saw her father. He never returned from his final mission aboard the submarine USS Lagarto during WWII. The boat was lost with all hands in the Gulf of Thailand in May, 1945. The wreckage was rediscovered only last year.
Navy divers on Friday completed a six-day survey of the wreckage site. They took photos and video of the 311-foot, 9-inch submarine for further analysis by naval archeologists. The divers found twin 5-inch gun mounts on the forward and rear parts of the ship - a feature believed to be unique to the Lagarto. They also saw the word "Manitowoc" displayed on the submarine's propeller, providing a connection to the Manitowoc, Wis., shipyard that built the Lagarto in the 1940s. Eighty-six sailors died when the Lagarto sank in May 1945. The Japanese minelayer Hatsutaka reported dropping depth charges and sinking a U.S. sub in the area, though it was never known what ship it destroyed.Ms. Kenney is relieved and at peace, because after 60 years she now knows where her father rests. The Navy considers the sea to be a proper final resting place for "our people who are killed in action," according to a Navy spokesman. The wreck will not be disturbed. That's one heck of a Father's Day present.
Posted by: Ted at 04:22 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Rabid, mouth-frothing, spittle-dripping hatred in every word
Yep, it's another hockey post.
Tonight is the last game of the NHL season. Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. I'll be watching, but I could really care less who wins because I hate both teams. That's not quite accurate, for although I hate the Carolina Hurricanes in their entirety, the only Edmonton Oiler that I really hate is Chris Pronger. I absolutely understand that my feelings toward Chris Pronger are a manifestation of BDS. No, not that one, the other one: Bonds Derangement Syndrome. Chris Pronger is and has always been a great player, but in his youth he was a dirty player. This opinion is offered up as viewed through my visceral dislike of him, so don't be emailing me facts and opinions. They mean nothing. Nature is balance. Just like when Florence Nightengale was alive the Brooklyn Dodgers were created. Her goodness shone so brightly that an entire *team* of evil had to exist as a counterbalance. Wayne Gretzky is another example. Multiple winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player "who displays the best sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct in addition to playing ability", Gretzky was so good that nature created the Philadelphia Flyers. Even that crew of goons wasn't enough, and players like Tie Domi, Eric Lindros and Todd Bertuzzi were caused to exist. And yes, Chris Pronger. Chris Pronger played for years for the St. Louis Blues, which until recently meant automatic playoffs and then a quiet exit in one of the early rounds. It's a good thing that he's gone deeper into the playoffs in his first year with Edmonton than he ever got with the Blues. He's matured, he's not the big-mouth hothead that he was in his youth, he's a team leader in Edmonton. And yes, I can admit that he's still a very very talented player. But he's still Chris Pronger, and I hate him. So tonight I'll be watching game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, but no matter who wins, it's going to be bittersweet for me. I actually am rooting for Edmonton, because Chris Pronger deserves to carry that Cup around the ice. Whoa, did I just say that? Must be the guilt talking.Posted by: Ted at 05:11 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 16, 2006
Mocking the random commuter
To the elderly gentleman seen on my drive home,
Sir, you are a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma (to paraphrase Churchill). Your hair is white. Not gray. Not silver, but that dingy white that makes one think of yellowed old bone. Despite the color, you have that odd youthful haircut that no one can miss. Maybe you think it reminds people of the Beatles. It made me think of Moe Howard of the Three Stooges. You drove for most of ten miles with your right blinker on. Yet you drove like a young bobsledder, seemingly immortal as you were weaving in and out of traffic, going so far as to straddle two lanes for long stretches as you decided which side would give you an advantage measured in seconds. Bonus points for using your turn signal, even though it was only correct half the time. Finally, a word about your car. The Scion isn't cool. It looks like the box a Mini-Cooper came in.Posted by: Ted at 04:19 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 15, 2006
New Feature!
This is the premier episode of the Rocket Jones Podcast for the Hearing Impaired.
(hum your favorite song as the lead-in) Yes, I know this is kind of a niche market that I'm aiming towards, but I figure that by being first, I can at least be known as a pioneer. I'm still working on the format, so bear with me. I'm looking to find some way to stand out from all the other podcasts out there. (hum a snappy tune for the following) By the way, your ad can bePosted by: Ted at 07:39 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 14, 2006
Maybe that's how Ghandi ate them
Peanut butter and jelly on a sesame-seed roll.
Odd combination of flavors.Posted by: Ted at 12:14 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
No white people were insulted in the making of this post
I have a new favorite cracker. Triscuit has a "rosemary and olive oil" flavor out that is amazingly yummy, and WalMart has one of their house-brands with the same taste in a regular type cracker.
To die for.Posted by: Ted at 05:44 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
I guess this makes it official
I already knew it, but it's still nice to have confirmation.
Thanks to Lemur Girl, who's due congrats for completing her college degree! Yay!!! She's got the low-down on the link above too.Posted by: Ted at 05:33 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 13, 2006
Rocketing Around the Blogosphere
Y'gads, another long forgotten regular feature exhumed from its shallow grave...
Zoe Brain tells about an open secret, namely that the two Mars Rovers are each carrying a piece of the World Trade Center aboard.The company who built the drills on the robots' hydraulic arms are based just a few blocks from Ground Zero. Staff at Honeybee Robotics fled clouds of dust and smoke when the Twin Towers collapsed. And they decided to pay a "quiet tribute" to the 3000 victims of September 11 by putting debris from the attacks into their design. Engineers at Honeybee turned two pieces of aluminium from the site into shields to protect the wiring on the drills. Each curved piece is the size of a credit card, and marked with the American flag.
Follow that link for more details and links. More technology news from Random Nuclear Strikes, where we find out that a recent breakthrough might make hydrogen as cheap to produce as gasoline! Yay! Maybe, but there's a bit more to the technology than just making cheap fuel. Read and become informed. In related (somewhat) energy technology news, Buckethead of The Ministry of Minor Perfidy links up to a new idea that's making waves, mainly by adapting an old idea to new technology. This looks promising. Did you know that Mercedes makes a *Luxury* car?!?!?!?! Head on over to the Parkway Rest Stop and check out his sighting of a Maybach Motors creation. Ah, employee handbooks. Source of endless amusement and/or teeth-gnashing, depending on your mood. Check out some detailed analysis of one such over at Nothing to see here, move along. Finally, I've got good news and I've got bad news from the world of toons. Bad news first... DeDoc posted about the passing of Alex Toth. Who, you may ask? Mr. Toth was the artist who did the original Johnny Quest, among other works. Doc has the links. And in Toon good news...
Hearst's King Features Syndicate and Warner Home Video have finally come to terms, and 231 classic Popeye cartoons originally distributed to theaters by Paramount will be available on DVD. The package also includes some made-for-TV cartoons, but what you care about here are the originals, produced from 1933 to 1942 by the Fleischer Studios and from then until 1957 (using some of the same animators) by Paramount's own Famous Studios.
Via Dustbury, who had a close encounter of the deer kind on the opening leg of his vacation. I'll end it here on that happy note. You are happy, right? Original Popeye on DVD? I'm smiling.
Posted by: Ted at 02:06 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 12, 2006
Graduation
Rachael did. We received official notice today that I can stop by the high school and pick up her diploma.
Congrats also to my nephew Michael, who also graduated this year.Posted by: Ted at 03:22 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Return of the Son of the Great Random Google Google Google Junket
Way back in the early days of Rocket Jones, I was a blog-linkin' fool. There were many and varied ways I used to spread the love, as it were. One original idea was the Great Random Google Junket - aptly and beautifully named by Susie - where folks would leave various words in the comment section and I would combine them into Google searches and post the results.
As I mentioned, Dogette's comment gave me the impetus to revive the idea, much like lightning striking the mad-scientisty doodads erected atop Dr. Frankenstein's tower. This may become a semi-regular feature again. In any event, and in order to invade Dogette's privacy, I dedicate this first one to her, and ask you all to put on your best Jan Brady voice and welcome the Rocket Jones Great Random Google Google Google Junket! Interestingly, when I googled "poop" and "shrub" (two frequent topics at TND), amongst the expected horticultural sites were a surprising number of hits from anti-presidential mouth breathers. Easily distinguished from intelligent life by a complete refusal to offer anything resembling intelligent debate, they don't bother to degenerate to name-calling. They just start there and it quickly goes downhill. They are also strikingly alike in that they offer no alternatives or suggested ideas beyond "it shouldn't be like that". Moving on, sort of, if we add the terms "privacy" and "orange" to "poop" and "shrub", we get a link to, ta-daaaaaahhhhh: Harley's Poop Patrol. According to their website, they're number 1 in the business of number 2, and they service all of Orange county. I wonder if they've ever done a cameo on that television show. Their rates seem reasonable and they offer customer testimonials! How cool is that. Way to go Harley! See what kind of shit (*ahem*) we get into during a Random Google Google Google Junket? Triticale jumped right in and offered up "snorkel". Since I'm shining the giant bright spotlight of attention at Dogette, I combined "snorkel" with "dog" and came up with Snorkel Dog boxer shorts. "I heart pesticides". So goeth the wisdom that is Dogette, now available thanks to this site. And finally, in one of those odd good/bad situations, we find that Howard Johnson Enterprises (home of the bright orange roof) also produce "all season triamine weed and feed". I'd probably skip the salad bar next time you're at HoJo's, eh? Actually, I have no idea if it's the same Howard Johnson. I'm too lazy to dig deeper. But not too lazy to find this (.pdf format) data sheet on Triamine2, which is described as "A three-way post-emergent selective broadleaf herbicide" with lots of other scary words listed after that. Ok folks, so that's how the Great Random Google Google Google Junket works. Leave a word in the comments, and try not to get too out there with your vocabulary, since medical terms tend to bring up boring medical sites, etc. Get creative but keep it on the common end of the spectrum. Do it for Jan.Posted by: Ted at 05:04 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 08, 2006
But...
Oh so predictable:
Of course I'm glad we got Zarqawi, but...
There is no "but". Or maybe there is. ...but at least no more students will be dragged off busses and executed on his orders. ...but at least no more innocent women and children will be blown into bloody rags while shopping at the market on his orders. ...but at least no more Iraqi policemen will be murdered on his orders. ...but at least no more aid workers, journalists, or diplomats will be beheaded on video on his orders. ...but maybe people will quit trying to find the dark cloud in this silver lining. Killing this animal is a good thing. No buts about it.
Posted by: Ted at 08:59 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Precise
Over at Random Nuclear Strikes, AnalogKid defines several common units of measurement, and helpfully provides their metric counterparts.
A sample:Yesterday, I used the term “Shitload” 1-Load = The amount of work you can reasonably get done in 8 hours 1-Buttload = 1 Load plus your lunch breakI read these last night with wife Liz and daughter Robyn over my shoulder, and we were all laughing out loud. Don't miss those metric equivalents!
Posted by: Ted at 05:29 AM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Dang, no more live blogging I guess
Zarq-man is dead.
Maybe he can start a trend, you know, dead blogging.Posted by: Ted at 05:06 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 07, 2006
The resurrection of original content
Thanks to a comment by Dogette and the reinforcement by Buckethead, I'm seriously considering the revival of a regular feature of the early days of Rocket Jones. Renamed slightly, of course.
The Rocket Jones Great Random Google, Google, Google Junket. What say you?Posted by: Ted at 08:19 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
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