April 29, 2005
Carnival of the Recipes is up
Hosted by fellow Munuvian CalTechGirl at Not Exactly Rocket Science (gotta love the name), is this week's linkfest to lots of ideas for good eats.
Posted by: Ted at 06:12 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Snippet of Conversation
Driving through Norfolk yesterday:
Me: Look! The sign says they need a bartender. I could do that again. (driving by and noticing that the place looks a little "rough") Me: I dunno though, a black belt is probably part of the job qualifications. Wife: A couple of tattoos and get something on your face pierced, you'd be fine.Posted by: Ted at 04:25 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 28, 2005
Someone's in the kitchen with Diiinaaaahhh!
This is an old favorite with our family that came about after being inspired by a happy combination of leftovers and the ol' "what's for dinner" blahs.
Italian Omelets ingredientseggs (2 per serving)
butter, oil or non-stick spray
half-and-half or milk
garlic powder fillings: pepperoni, sausage, canadian bacon, mozzerella or other cheeses, onion, green pepper, mushrooms, herbs - whatever you like on a pizza. spaghetti sauce, warmed preparation
My favorite omelet pan is one of those tiny frying pans with the gently rounded sides. Set it on medium heat, and put a small bit of butter in to melt. Crack a couple of eggs into a high-sided bowl. Add a splash of milk (half-and-half is even better) and a dash of garlic powder. Mix it all up with a fork or whisk. The idea is to get lots of air into the egg mixture, so whip vigorously and really get it stirred up. Tilt the pan around to distribute the butter, then pour the eggs into the pan. Leave it be until the edges begin to set, then gently left the edges and tilt the pan to let the uncooked egg on top run around and underneath. When the top is soft-set, the bottom should be done. Use the spatula (it's a wide one, right?) to carefully flip the entire omelet over. Add the cheese, veggies, meats or whatever else you're stuffing your omelet with. Gently fold half the omelet over to make a fluffy half-moon shape stuffed with yummy things. Top with a tablespoon or two of heated sauce and a little more cheese if you'd like, and serve with toast.
Posted by: Ted at 06:43 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 27, 2005
I love technology
Liz and I are visiting daughter Robyn down south in Norfolk tomorrow to pick up a load of her stuff. She's spending the summer at home, and she'd have to make a half dozen trips in her tiny little car to haul everything.
So we decided to make it a getaway and booked a room in Williamsburg for the night. Robyn has a final tomorrow afternoon, so we'll hit Williamsburg Pottery and have a nice relaxing morning before heading on in. We both needed this. I have to admit that Liz knows how to get the best deals on rooms too. I'm posting this from the laptop, hooked up to the wireless network offered by the motel. And now you'll have to excuse me, the hot tub is calling.Posted by: Ted at 09:46 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
I am *so* behind on my blog to-do list
...let's see...
... feed people... ok, that's "solve world hunger", check... ... broadcast "don't worry be happy" from every satellite... world peace, check... ... that leaves... crap, a whole boatload of new Munuvians to add to my blogroll. Soon, dammit, I can't do it *all* in one day!Posted by: Ted at 02:22 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Global Warming is caused by Environmental Activism
Found this over at Q and O:
"If we had simply built all the [nuclear power] plants that were in the pipeline at the time of Three Mile Island, then we would have reduced current coal combustion sufficiently to satisfy the Kyoto treaty." -- Peter HuberRead about it.
Posted by: Ted at 05:09 AM | Comments (13) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 26, 2005
The Blight is back
Kelley is posting again after a long hiatus.
Yay!Posted by: Ted at 11:23 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
The scene I keep replaying in my mind (updated)
I finally got around to watching the remake of Dawn of the Dead a few days ago. I'm a huge fan of the original, and like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I think the new version is good but in a very different way than the original.
I really like the "fast" zombies. That's not to say they're better than the traditional slow shuffling zombies, because there's a whole 'nother flavor of terror in being inexorably overwhelmed by mindless masses of the flesh-craving undead. But these new zombies that have been showing up, like the berzerkers in 28 Days Later and these hyper-aggresive monsters in Dawn - wow. They're not just shambling around, instinctively looking for the living. The zombies in Dawn of the Dead are actively searching. And when they see a target, they go full-tilt towards it, ready to rend and devour. Which brings me to my main gripe about the movie. Like happens all too often in these flicks, everyone is a crack shot. Dozens of zombies sprinting towards you? Your escape route threatened? Ultimate pressure because if they get you, you die? No problem, because everyone instantly achieves perfect head shots each and every time. One of my favorite bits in Shaun of the Dead was the fact that none of the main characters could hit the broad side of a barn with a gun, and it was played to both comedic and suspensful effect. But this is about "the scene I keep replaying in my mind". It was subtle, and only peripherally related to the main action. I'll try to keep it general enough to not give away any spoilers. When the nurse is driving away from her home, the camera shot is from the hood of the car and through the windsheild and back window you can see the zombie that almost got her in pursuit. He's running in a full sprint down the street after her. As she begins to gain some distance and turns a corner, a lady comes out of her house and he peels off, still in full sprint, and tackles her and takes her down. By this time, they're far in the background of the camera shot, and you might not even notice. This morning while getting ready for work, I didn't turn on the TV and I didn't have a radio on. I was completely oblivious to the world outside my home, much like that lady in the movie. As I went out front to take the trashcan to the curb, it struck me how similar my situation was to that lady, who was probably just out to pick up her morning paper. That is true horror, peeps. Everyday life, interupted by the unimaginable. Update: If you follow the very first link above it will take you to the IMDB entry for Dawn of the Dead. From there, click on the trivia link and you'll see all of the little tributes to the original movie that were included in the remake. Cool stuff.Posted by: Ted at 11:16 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Good Advice for anyone
Originally done by Chet Atkins.
And because the site where I found this offered up the chord progression, here it is, just for us guitar players.Frog Kissin' Do you remember in the fairy tale, how the wicked witches spell
Turned the handsome prince to a toad?
By the power of a potion, she handed him the notion
He was lower than the dirt in the road.
And though she left him green and warted, her evil plans were thwarted
Their chanced to happen by a young miss
Who inspite of his complexion, offered him affection
And broke the wicked curse with her kiss So if you've never been frog kissing
Then you don't know what you've been missin',
There's a wealth of opportunity under each and every log.
And if you've never been charm-breakin',
Then you've never been handsome prince makin'.
You've got to slow down, turn around, bend down,
Kiss you a frog! Once upon a time ago, I was down and feelin' low
Like a lonely frog in a pond
My life was just a joke, and I was just about to croak
Cuz I'd be zapped by life's wicked wand.
But in the depths of my depression, there came a true expression
Of love from a person so sweet.
She gave me warm fuzzy feelings, feelings that were healin'
And she knocked me off my little webbed feet. There's a happy-ever-after-land, deep in the heart of man
Where a prince and princess abides.
But all we get are glimpses, of the happy prince or princess
'Cauce they're covered with a green warty hide.
Though they're full of life's potential, they're lacking one essential
To enable them to shine like a star.
That's a handsome guy or missus, to smother them with kisses
And love them just the way that they are. That's the secret of frog kissing
You can do it too if you'll just listen
There's a wealth of opportunity under each and every log.
That's the secret of charm-breakin',
That's the secret of handsome prince makin'.
You've got to slow down, turn around, bend down,
Kiss you a...
You've got to slow down, turn around, bend down,
Kiss you a...
You've got to slow down, turn around, bend down,
Kiss you a frog!
KEY D verse:They also slightly altered the lyrics so they could be played in 3/4 time, so that they "could make it sound like a song that belonged at a Renaissance Festival." I changed 'em back to match what I hear on my original Chet Atkins version.
Am E7 F
G G7 C D
Am A7 Dm A7 Dm-A7-Dm
D7 G D G chorus:
G7 C A7
Dm G7 Am
G7 C A7
F F G Am
Posted by: Ted at 05:00 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 25, 2005
A couple of quickie links
Shank is a sometime commenter here, and he keeps an interesting blog, The Reluctant Werewolf. It's full of fun anecdotes and unconventional wisdom.
Like this:At work, we employ some Musical Therapists. Basically, they go around the oncology wards and such - places where people are pretty sick and face a depressing prognosis - and kind of help them become comfortable. They play music and sing and shit like that. Lots of patients and families really appreciate that kind of thing, but it's a little too new agey for me. So I'm going to make fun of it.That's just the opening paragraph of a pretty funny post. He's always worth a visit, especially for his insights on the wedding-planning process, which he's also going through. Rob and Carol have just gone through the wedding-planning process, followed by the wedding process and now the honeymoon process. Stop by their place at Left & Right and go through the comment process to wish 'em a big congrats. They're due back today. This next blog, The Smoking Toaster, defies classification. Your pal, Bitterman, is the author and holds forth on everything from the pussyfication of the classic Dodge Daytona muscle cars to topical humor. Added to the mix is some pretty good photography from the Bay Area. He's a smartass, but too on-the-ball to be a dumbass. He's a daily read for me. LeeAnn is the CheeseMistress of Munuviana and Queen of the evolving banner. She also offered up some living will suggestions. These are my favorites:
3. If I am unable to recognize or interact with friends or family members, I still expect gifts. 4. If I am unable to feed, clean, or dress myself, I would like to be referred to as "Mr. Trump."There's more cheesy goodies at her place, each and
Posted by: Ted at 05:37 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 24, 2005
The new logo up top right
Frinklin pointed out this new blog devoted to sports team logos (talk about a niche audience). Since I like pretty pictures, I clicked through and found his latest poll on best team logo. I gotta tell you, I'm torn between the Dallas Derby Devils and the Rose City Rollers. They're both killer designs.
Posted by: Ted at 12:56 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Lava Balloons
I've never heard of this phenomenom before.
Columns of white vapor streamed from the Atlantic this winter. About 8km west of an island called Terceira in the Azores, a submarine eruption was under way. Hot lava squeezed up through cracks in the ocean floor at about 500 meters below the surface of the ocean. The lava solidified into lava balloons. These gas-rich lava balloons interacted with cold seawater as they rose. This process generated steam, which emerged from the Atlantic like smoke from dozens of chimneys. The steam rose about 10 meters high. As the lava balloons reached the surface, the gas that made them buoyant escaped through cracks, and the balloons filled with water and sank.You can keep the Sunday papers, I love to leisurely surf through the museum sites on my weekend mornings. Here's another weird volcano I posted about some time ago.
Posted by: Ted at 10:28 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Even stars can be a little loose
Astronomers are used to seeing star clusters orbiting other galaxies. Up to now, they've always been dense little globes filled with millions of suns.
The Andromeda galaxy is one of the Milky Way’s nearest galactic neighbors. Astronomers recently found star clusters of a type never seen before orbiting Andromeda. More familiar to scientists are globular clusters. These collections of stars are densely packed. The newly discovered clusters are much larger and less dense than globular clusters. These “extended clusters” are not found in the Milky Way. Why not is still unknown.Mankind may never know it all, but we continue to learn.
Posted by: Ted at 10:13 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 23, 2005
Carnival of the Recipes
Up at Be's place. She's a gal after my own heart, leading off with desserts.
Mmmmmm, dessert.Posted by: Ted at 06:18 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Good writing is
I've told you about the McCovey Chronicles before, and I'm telling you again. Grant can flat out write, and he's funny as hell too.
Here's a recent gem, about something he saw at the San Fransisco Giants site:The Budweiser Clydesdale horses will be on display near SBC Park on Friday (3-10 p.m. PT) and Saturday (11 a.m to 6 p.m. PT) in parking lot A across from the Lefty O'Doul bridge.And his response:
The horses are a constant reminder that Budweiser tastes like something you'd milk from a horse.He also links to blogs from many other teams, so if you don't know of one for yours, chances are he's the guy to see. Fer instance, who knew about the Orioles Warehouse?
Posted by: Ted at 08:42 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Rocketry - Clusters
Matt asked in my comments section for help on clustering model rocket motors. An excellent topic! This is a beginner's guide at best. It's enough to help you be successful, I don't claim it's definitive.
What is Clustering?Clustering is when a rocket has more than one motor that ingnites simultaneously. A perfect real-life example is the Saturn V rocket that took men to the moon. The first stage had five engines that lit all at once at lift off, and the second stage had five more smaller motors that fired all at once when the first stage dropped away (that's a good example of a staged rocket too). A variation on the theme is when the main motor(s) lift the rocket and then additional motors ignite in the same stage. These are called "airstarts" and are more complicated and difficult because on-board electronics must be used for the ignition system and the timing has to be correct. Good examples of that concept are today's Delta family of rockets and the ESA's Ariane. In fact, most current heavy lifters use combinations of airstarted boosters to increase their lift capacity and to tailor the thrust profile over the boost phase. Why do Clusters?
In the early days of model rocketry, motor classes were very limited and the only way to get more power was to cluster available motors. Nowadays the selection of motors is excellent so it's less of a neccessity. That's not to say there aren't still good reasons for designing cluster rockets today. Many TARC rocket contest teams have gone with clustered motors because the smaller Estes motors are cheaper, more reliably ignited and more readily available. Personally, I love clusters because they're cool. Design Considerations
On the model rocket level, the main consideration must be "what if all the engines don't light?" I've made test flights of my cluster rockets where I intentionally didn't ignite all the motors, to check the performance even when underpowered. You should be trying for a rocket that can still fly safely on half power. It might not be a great flight, but safety is always first. Another consequence of not lighting all motors is unbalanced thrust. If two motors are firing and the third isn't, then the rocket has to work harder to stay stable because the thrust is trying to tip the rocket over into an arc. There are a couple things you can do to minimize this. First, you can put your motors close to the main axis of the rocket. If all the engines are tucked in right next to each other then the imbalance is minimized. Conversely, if your motors are in outboard mounts on the fin tips, well, a motor that doesn't ignite is a much bigger problem. I don't recommend fin-tip motors. Ever. Another way to keep stability is to aim the motors at the rocket's center of gravity. Tilt each motor mount in slightly (or not so slightly - this is an extreme example that works wonderfully), and once again all the motors can easily compensate for the one(s) that didn't ignite. Check out that Delta link above and notice that the booster engine bells are slanted out to achieve the same effect. Obviously, you'll need to have a good idea ahead of time about the design and how it'll balance out. I use an older version of Apogee Components Rocsim to design complex clusters. One other way is to induce spin in your rocket. Spin increases stability (but increases drag), and if the rocket spins on the way up then the unbalanced thrust is evenly distributed all the way around. What happens is that you wind up with a wacky corkscrew or the rocket looks like it's wagging it's tail end on the way up. Some rocket designs do this on purpose. It's fun to watch. Igniting Clusters
The key to reliable ignition of multiple motors is to be meticulous. The battery of your launch controller must be well charged, don't try to ignite a cluster at the end of the day with your worn down AA's. Invest in a small sealed cell motorcycle or lawn tractor battery. They're cheap and deliver plenty of power when you need it. Rechargable batteries used in cordless power tools or RC vehicles work great if you connect them in series. Better yet, find a local club and use their launch setup, it'll almost certainly be good enough to fire clusters all day long. For model rocket engines, use the Estes igniters. Quest tigertails are too finicky to deal with. You can make them work, but to me it's not worth the extra hassle. Pick through your igniters and select the ones with a good blob of pyrogen on the end. You want the igniters to go instantly when you press the button. Also, check inside the nozzles of each engine. You should see black up inside. If you see light gray, then there's excess clay from the nozzle blocking the propellant, and it won't matter how good your igniter is, it's not going to help. If you need to, you can gently scrape the inside clean with the end of a straightened paper clip. All right, your battery is charged up, your motors are ready to go and you've got a handful of blobby little igniters. Wiring Clusters
Here's where the 'meticulous' bit comes in again. Once you've got the cluster hooked up to the ignition system, take a minute to carefully inspect everything. Make sure igniter wires aren't touching except where they're supposed to. Make sure the clips are hooked up securely and not touching the blast deflector, the launch rod, or other exposed metal. You need everything to be absolutely perfect. It's not hard, just fiddly. Start by putting the igniters into each motor and inserting the ingniter plug. If you want, you can carefully remove the paper tape that Estes puts on their igniters. I just fold the ends out of the way.
Making a clip whip A clip whip is just a way to deliver electrical current to more than one place at once. No matter what kind you make, one end will always have a single clip that hooks up to the ignition clip, and the other end will have two or more clips. Making a pair of three-whips will cover 99% of your needs. You'll need eight mini-clips (available at Radio Shack) or small alligator clips and three or four feet of solid core copper wire - none of that stranded wire for this. Cut the wire into lengths between 6"-8" long, then strip the ends. Solder clips onto one end of each wire (you can get by without soldering, but it's not nearly as reliable. If you don't know how, find a friend who can, it's worth the trouble.) Here's the magic part. Take four wires and twist their ends together, then solder to make a solid connection. Ok, so that's not so magical, but that's really all it is! You can use a wire nut if you want, and/or cover the connection with electrical tape. I lay one wire opposite the other three so that it's obvious which connection is which, but it doesn't really matter. I also use different color wires for the three leads, to help me keep my cluster wiring straight.So there ya go. That's most everything I know about clustering model rocket motors. There are a few things I've left out, but these are the basics, and if you're careful there's no reason you can't have a near 100% success rate with cluster ignition. Using these exact same methods, I've only had two motors not ignite in the last seven or eight years, and even then the flights were safe.
Posted by: Ted at 05:23 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Daniel's "Five Things" Meme
Five things that people are wild about that I just don't get.
1. Washington Redskins - I never really disliked the Redskins until I moved into the area. Every year it's the same thing, instead of eternal optimism like Chicago Cubs fans display, the Skins fans are arrogant as hell. Right up until the moment they admit to themselves that they suck. Again. 2. Drinking - My parents were social drinkers, and I grew up knowing what beer and various liquors tasted like. I'm not anti-drinking, but I seldom think to myself, "a scotch would taste good right about now". We've always got alcohol in the house, but some of it's pretty damn old. If we go out somewhere I'll occasionally get a beer with dinner, but it's not something I do very often for some unknown reason. 3. TV - I watch very little, mostly hockey and football. If that's not on, I'll switch over to a music channel (Sirius, the satellite radio stations) and leave it on in the background. Very occasionally I'll catch an ad for something on the History Channel that I'd like to see, and sometimes I'll even remember and make a point of watching it. Other than that, eh. 4. SUV's - There are some who legitimately require 4-wheel drive and off-road capability. Medical personnel in the winter come to mind, or someone who lives way back in the country. But the soccer moms and Joe Commuter have as much need for a Cadillac Escalade as a tank needs a kickstand. They're a fad people, and you're certainly free to drive one. But they don't make you special, they don't allow you to drive as if the roads aren't wet/snowy/icy, and I hope you're going freakin' broke pumping $2.50/gallon gas into it every third day. 5. New Movies - I can't remember the last time I went to a movie theater to see a movie. I rarely hear of a movie that fires my interest enough to even remember it, let alone want to see it. Mostly I'll scan the movies for the week and I'll see something I remember being a megahit some months back, and then I'll set the Tivo to record it. Eventually I'll watch it. Maybe. Looking back over these five, I really come across as an anti-social bastard. I think that a better explanation is that I'm pretty easy-going, so if there's something I "don't get", it's annoying enough to be a peeve. Here are Daniel's lists. Wanna run with this? Go for it and let me know and I'll post a link to yours.Posted by: Ted at 04:32 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 22, 2005
Today is Earth Day
I had no idea.
I'll dig up a patch of the back meadow after work so I can see the dirt underneath.Posted by: Ted at 06:13 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Oh great, another post-nuclear mutant nightmare to worry about
After the world blows itself up, it won't be enough to watch out for the mutants roaming the blasted landscape. Scientists have discovered a species of ant that builds group-sized traps that allow them to subdue insects many times larger than themselves.
Giant ants waiting in ambush. Sweet dreams.Posted by: Ted at 06:05 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
Life has been kicking my ass lately. Yeah, I know that's not news. It happens to everyone, but I offer it up as the lame excuse for the light posting on Rocket Jones, both in quantity and quality.
This morning my XHTML final is due. We were given a set of specs and a bunch of content and turned loose to whup it into a site. It's got image maps (those pretty pictures you click in different areas for links), input forms, lists inside lists, tons of text formatting and anything and everything else the instructor could think of to toss in there. Individually, nothing too difficult. Except that we're doing this all from scratch - no Front Page, no Movable Type or Blogger. Every last bit of code is by hand. Believe me, finish a test like this (10+ hours for me so far, mostly at home in the evenings), and you freakin' know XHTML. Daniel, I haven't forgotten the meme you tossed to me. I just haven't had a chance to give it any thought. Although when I do come up with something, I'll be able to format it beautifully. Heh. Ooooooooooooklahoma! - Mookie's school musical - opened last night. She said it went well. Liz and I are going tonight. Everyone else in the family (wife, kids... not the dogs, so not everyone), has had some sort of drama or minor tragedy happen this week (I'm not trivializing the tragedy aspects, it's minor in that nobody died). I'm rather proud as I watch events unfold and see how everyone keeps their cool and just deals with the crap that life dishes up sometimes. Maintaining composure and doing the right thing doesn't mean you're unfeeling, it just means that you can save the tears or hurt or frustration for later, when it won't be so inconvenient to let it out. So the weekend is upon us. Things to do are already piling up like cop cars in a Blues Brothers movie, and I'll just take things one at a time and do as many as I can until the critical ones are taken care of or I decide that enough is enough and it's time for a nap. I'll try to do better, but no promises for the immediate future.Posted by: Ted at 05:55 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
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