Painted Ocean

Remembering Edward White

2012-01-27T21:06:00.000-08:00

He died 45 years ago today.

Who was he? He was this guy.

He was an astronaut. He was the first American to ever walk in space. He was from San Antonio. And he died on this day in 1967.

In the Apollo 1 capsule.

His death -- along with those of fellow astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom and Roger Chaffee -- were very tragic, but their passing woke NASA up to some very important changes that needed to be made in order to make space travel much, much safer for everyone else who came after them.

Thank you, Col. White. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. Your family can be very proud of you. San Antonio can be proud of you. And we are.

We are.

The Twelve Caesars - page 24, Julius Caesar

2012-01-23T20:44:00.001-08:00

[Julius] Caesar was the first Roman to build a military bridge across the Rhine and cause the Germans on the farther bank heavy losses. He also invaded Britain, a hitherto unknown country, and defeated the natives, from whom he exacted a large sum of money as well as hostages for future good behaviour.

I remember seeing a documentary piece on that bridge Julius built over the Rhine. At the time it was considered a technological wonder (and, for all I know, such a bridge today would still be a wonder) because it was built over the Rhine in order to accommodate the Roman army.

Not just a wagon or two, but an entire army of bad-ass Romans eager to kick some German butt.

Before this bridge was built the Germanic tribes remained largely unmolested by the Romans because of the natural defensive line the Rhine provided, giving them a sense of security on their side of the river. But Julius Caesar said, Screw that. If I'm going to show these Germans who's really the boss, I'm going to need to get serious and build me a REAL bridge, one that will leave them slack-jawed while I march into their county like I owned the place.

And build it, he did. He crossed the bridge and kicked a few things down. And then, to show those barbarians that the Romans were hardcore enough to do pretty much whatever they wanted whenever they wanted, he marched his army back across the bridge and dismantled it behind him.

And then a couple of years later, he did it again. Just as a reminder.

His strategy largely paid off. It made the Germanic tribes rethink how they handled the Romans, perhaps convincing them that if Caesar was batty enough to build such infrastructure only to immediately tear it down (twice!) just to show that he could, then perhaps he was just batty enough to do anything he wanted to them.

And then, he conquered Britain. In a manner of speaking.

All I need is a bridge long enough. --Caesar

The Twelve Caesars - page 294, Titus

2012-01-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

Titus also assumed command of the Guards [before becoming emperor], a post which had always before been entrusted to a knight, and in which he behaved somewhat high-handedly and tyrannically. If anyone aroused his suspicion, Guard detachments would be sent into theatre or camp to demand the man's punishment as if by the agreement of everyone present; and he would then be executed without delay.

Just in case you thought the previous post about Titus portrayed him in too positive a light, here's one to bring his image back down to earth. Or at least back to where most emperors reside.

You know, in Rome. Where they build massive arches to honor them.

The Twelve Caesars - page 307, Domitian

2012-01-12T19:52:00.000-08:00

Domitian was not merely cruel, but cunning and sudden into the bargain. He summoned a Palace steward to his bedroom, invited him to join him on his couch, and made him feel perfectly secure and happy, condescended to share a dinner with him -- yet had him crucified on the following day! ... And the abuse he iniflicted on his subjects' patience was all the more offensive because he prefaced all his most savage sentences with the same speech about mercy; indeed, this lenient preamble soon became a recognized sign that something dreadful was on the way.

Have you heard the old saying about not trusting Greeks, even when bearing gifts? I suppose the same could be said for the descendants of Troy, too.

Crap. Who the hell can we re-gift this thing to?

Tony Iommi

2012-01-11T20:20:00.000-08:00

So, I hear Tony Iommi has cancer. Lymphoma.

That's bad. The few people I've known that have come down with lymphoma have died. I hope Iommi survives it, I really do. I would miss him.

The stage in my life where I spent much of my free time and my extra money going to as many concerts as I could -- from small rock clubs to large, pyrotechnic arena shows -- began and ended with Tony Iommi. From the first time I saw Black Sabbath in 1984 to the last time I saw that band in 1999, Iommi laid out the dark chords for me and made me love loud music. And Black Sabbath has been a part of my musical preferences ever since.

Black Sabbath is undoubtedly one of the most influential bands of all time, and Iommi has always been the heart of that ensemble, the only constant in a band that proved to be both innovative and dysfunctional at the very same time. I love his unique, heavy style, and I think all of metal owes him much gratitude.

I recognize that not every metalhead finds Iommi's guitar work easy to listen to. But without him and his crazy, left-handed, two-leathered-fingertipped way of playing there would be no black metal today. There would be no doom metal, no death metal. And, dare I say, no real heavy metal at all. Oh, there was hard rock back in the 1970s, sure, and without Black Sabbath and Tony Iommi that hard rock eventually would have developed and grown into something like heavy metal, but there is no way that metal would have been anything like what we have today. Not without Iommi. His dark chords and low tuning have burned a template into the realm of rock that headbangers still use to this day.

I hate to gush like a fanboy, but I really do think that much of Iommi. And I hope he has all the strength and support he needs to pull through this personal crisis. I certainly hope the best for him.

What I was listening to today

2012-01-06T21:28:00.000-08:00

This:

I hadn't heard Johnny Cash's "Cocaine Blues" in a very long time. But, in the process of dragging out some Cash recordings to introduce the departed singer to my young son, I came across this song and several others of a rather rough nature.

And they took me back to a time when I was a young boy, a time when my brothers and I would wait until my mother was gone so we could sneak out my dad's Johnny Cash albums, hidden away in the dark recesses behind the speakers of the wooden console stereo entertainment center. And then we would listen to them on the sly. Because, you see, my mother did not like us young children to listen to Johnny Cash. Or Tex Ritter. They were very rough, and crude.

She did not like us to listen to those albums because she did not like many of those songs. But my dad did, so he had the albums. And we would listen to them. When my mother was gone.

And I remembered all this, and I smiled. And then I told my son that the best way to listen to Johnny Cash is on the sly.

The Twelve Caesars - page 205, Claudius

2012-01-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

Claudius had a certain majesty and dignity of presence, which showed to best advantage when he happened to be standing or seated -- and especially when he was in repose. This was because, though tall, well-built, with a handsome face, a fine head of white hair and a firm neck, he stumbled as he walked owing to the weakness of his knees; and because, both in his lighter moments and at serious business, he had several disagreeable traits. These included an uncontrolled laugh, a horrible habit, under the stress of anger, of slobbering at the mouth and running at the nose, a stammer, and a persistent tic of the head, which was apparent at all times but especially when he exerted himself to the slightest extent.

But besides all that, he was handsome. Really.

Sending a shuttle simulator to the Aggies

2011-12-29T21:24:00.000-08:00

Well this is good news for space exploration efforts and for Texas. (Especially since we got robbed out of an actual space shuttle for the Johnson Space Center.)

NASA's long-running space shuttle program came to its end in 2011, but thanks to a recently signed agreement between the space agency and a Texas university, one of the winged spacecraft's iconic cockpits will continue to "fly."

The Shuttle Motion Simulator (SMS), which for more than three decades exposed astronauts to the sights, sounds, and motions they'd experience when they launched and landed on the real orbiters, is being moved 100 miles from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to Texas A&M University in College Station. Once there, the hydraulically maneuvered platform will resume work as a simulator.

"The SMS at College Station at Texas A&M is going to be returned to be an operational simulator," Paul Hill, director of mission operations at NASA Johnson, said. "And there, more students and engineers will have the opportunity not just to see it, but actually use it to develop new operations and develop new equipment to be used by next-generation spacecraft.

(from Robert Z. Pearlman at Space.com)

The Twelve Caesars - page 300, Domitian

2011-12-29T21:18:00.000-08:00

Domitian pretended to be extremely modest, and though he displayed a novel devotion to poetry, which he would read aloud in public, his enthusiasm was matched by a later neglect and contempt of the art.

Who knew the ancient Romans had poetry slams?

The Twelve Caesars - page 296, Titus

2011-12-28T21:36:00.000-08:00

Titus' reign was marked by a series of dreadful catastrophes - an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Campania (The eruption that destroyed Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Oplontis.), a fire at Rome which burned for three days and nights, and one of the worst outbreaks of plague that had ever been known. Throughout this assortment of disasters, he showed far more than an Emperor's concern ... . He ... devoted the property of those who had died in the eruption and left no heirs to a fund for rebuilding the stricken cities. ... He stripped his own country mansions of their decorations, distributed these among the public buildings and temples [stricken by the fire], and appointed a body of knights to see that his orders were promptly carried out. Titus attempted to cure the plague and limit its ravages by every imaginable means, human as well as divine - resorting to all sorts of sacrifices and medical remedies.

This passage portrays Titus as having a genuine affinity for his people and a concern for their welfare. If it is to be believed, this account demonstrates the emperor's eagerness to give of his own personal belongings to help relieve the sufferings of his subjects. This could be the best example of a benevolent dictator that we have from ancient history.

Well, benevolent toward his own people. There is that whole destruction of the Jewish Temple thing, too.

Blending philosophy and nativity

2011-12-23T11:30:00.000-08:00

Hover text: I think you could get up to about 11:59:57 before you'd have trouble swallowing the chocolates fast enough. At that point, you'd need some kind of a liquify-and-chug apparatus to get up over the 11:59:59 barrier. Anyway, Merry Christmas!

Yes, a Merry XKCD Christmas to you all!

(Click here for more Zeno info.)

The Twelve Caesars - page 244, Nero

2011-12-21T16:55:00.000-08:00

Physical characteristics of Nero:

Height: average.
Body: pustular and malodorous.
Hair: light blond.
Features: pretty, rather than handsome.
Eyes: blue and rather weak.
Neck: squat.
Belly: protuberant.
Legs: spindling.

... He was entirely shameless in the style of his appearance and dress, but always had his hair set in rows of curls and, when he visited Greece, let it grow long and hang down his back.

The only thing Suetonius left out was the Emperor's fantastic neck beard.

Nobody rocks this look like I do!

The Twelve Caesars - page 200, Claudius

2011-12-13T21:03:00.000-08:00

Until this reign there had been two terms in the Law Courts, the summer and the winter; Claudius made them continuous. Another of his changes was to institute permanent courts ... for judging fiduciary cases, instead of entrusting them to the annually appointed Roman magistrates. He cancelled Tiberius' supplement to the Papian-Poppaean Law which implied that men over sixty years of age could not beget children; and sponsored a law authorizing the Consuls to choose guardians for orphans; and passed another law, ruling that no person who had been exiled from a province might enter the city or even Italy.

A new form of punishment which forbade some persons to go more than three miles outside Rome was likewise introduced by Claudius. ... Hitherto, when Romans wished to travel abroad, the Senate had considered their applications; Claudius reserved the right to deal with these himself.

In other places in The Twelve Caesars, Claudius is portrayed somewhat as a dolt, but this passage makes him seem much more competent. Not nice, but competent. He tended to the housekeeping of the Empire with the changes listed above and other changes listed elsewhere. And, even though it's likely that a great many people were unhappy with such changes (especially those with places to go to), it's obvious that Claudius was not distant from the workings of the government.

Claudius passed laws, changed laws, altered customs, and challenged assumptions. He even proposed adding new letters of his own invention to the Latin alphabet (they didn't stick, though). And it seems like he had a purpose in mind for each change, even if it may not be obvious to a reader today or a Roman in the past.

I offer you this backward C, for all of your "PS" sounds; this upside-down F, so you can stop using V as a consonant; and this half H, because it's all Greek to me.

The Twelve Caesars - page 249, Galba

2011-12-07T20:12:00.000-08:00

One day, as Galba's grandfather was invoking sacrificial lightning, an eagle suddenly snatched the victim's intestines out of his hands and carried them off to an oak-tree laden with acorns. A bystander suggested that this sign portended great honour for the family. 'Yes, yes, perhaps so,' the old man agreed, smiling, 'on the day that a mule foals.' When Galba later launched his rebellion, what encouraged him most was the news that a mule had, in fact, foaled. Although everyone else considered this a disastrous omen, Galba remembered the sacrifice and his grandfather's saying, and interpreted it in precisely the opposite sense.

And thus a toss-off, dismissive joke becomes the inspiration for a man, signaling to him that he was destined to become Emperor of Rome.

-- Don't worry. It's good luck.
-- Yeah. In Haiti.

"NASA Telescope Confirms Alien Planet in Habitable Zone"

2011-12-05T19:39:00.000-08:00

Great news!

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — NASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft has confirmed the discovery of its first alien world in its host star's habitable zone — that just-right range of distances that could allow liquid water to exist — and found more than 1,000 new explanet candidates, researchers announced today (Dec. 5).

...

The potentially habitable alien world, a first for Kepler, orbits a star very much like our own sun. The discovery brings scientists one step closer to finding a planet like our own — one which could conceivably harbor life, scientists said.

"We're getting closer and closer to discovering the so-called 'Goldilocks planet,'" Pete Worden, director of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., said during a press conference today.

(from Mike Wall at Space.com)

Perfect. Let's get packing.

The Twelve Caesars - page 23 Julius Caesar

2011-12-03T11:14:00.000-08:00

[As military commander, Julius Caesar] lost no opportunity of picking quarrels -- however unfair and dangerous -- with allies as well as hostile and barbarous tribes, and marching against them. At first the Senate set up a commission of inquiry into the state of the Gallic provinces, and some speakers went so far as to recommend that Caesar should be handed over to the enemy. But the more successful his campaigns, the more frequent the public thanksgivings voted; and the holidays that went with them were longer than any general before him had ever earned.

Nothing succeeds like success.

Absolute badass.

One of my favorite things, and one not so much

2011-12-02T22:40:00.000-08:00

Steel drums and Dvořák.

But, hey, it actually comes out sounding pretty cool!

Two of my favorite things

2011-11-30T22:06:00.000-08:00

Classical guitar and Dvořák.

Thanks, Jorge Caballero.

The Twelve Caesars - page 190, Claudius

2011-11-30T21:19:00.000-08:00

Nevertheless, these honours did not protect [Claudius] from frequent insults. If ever he arrived a little late in the dining-hall, there was nothing for it but to tour the tables in search of a vacant couch; and when he took his usual after-dinner nap the company would pelt him with olives and date stones. Some jokers exercised their wit by putting slippers on his hands as he lay snoring, and then gave him a sudden blow of a whip or cane to wake him, so that he rubbed his face with them.

Now, this was a time before Claudius became emperor, so it is not surprising that his colleagues were not afraid of him. He didn't have his imperial power, yet. But it is a little surprising that he was treated so badly even though he was the brother of a very popular public figure (Germanicus) and the uncle of that public figure's popular son (Gaius Caligula), who just happened to be the ruler of Rome at the time and hadn't yet squandered the favor shown to him by the people.

If Suetonius's account of the practical jokes is accurate, then Claudius must have been a true dolt. Or, if not, then sufficiently timid to have attracted the constant attention of wiseacres.

OK, OK, I'll be your emperor! Just please, please stop slapping me!

"Pluto's Moons Could Spell Danger for New Horizons Spacecraft"

2011-11-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

Let's hope this scenario does not come to pass for our Pluto-bound space probe.

When NASA's New Horizons spacecraft reaches Pluto in July 2015, it may find the region more hazardous than anticipated. The discovery of several moons around Pluto — and the potential for more — increase the risks during the probe's flyby.

The main problem is debris. The small moons are under constant bombardment from nearby space rocks called Kuiper Belt objects, but the moons' low gravity prevents them from holding on to chunks of dirt and rock that fly into the air when hit. The debris instead finds itself caught in orbit around Pluto, where it could pose a serious threat to New Horizons.

(from Space.com)

It'd be a shame if New Horizons meets an untimely end just as it arrives. I so want to see what that planetoid looks like close up.

The Twelve Caesars - page 230, Nero

2011-11-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

Nero's confidence in the resources of the Empire was not the only cause of his furious spending; he had also been suddenly excited by tales of a great hidden treasure ....

When this hope failed to materialize, Nero found himself destitute -- and his financial difficulties were such that he could not lay hands on enough money even for the soldiers' pay or the veterans' benefits; and therefore resorted to robbery and blackmail.

First he made a law that if a freedman died who had taken the name of a family connected with his own, and could not show adequate reason, five-sixths of the estate, not merely one half, should be forfeited to the Privy Purse. Next, he seized the estates of those who had shown ingratitude to their Emperor (i.e., by not leaving him enough); and fined the lawyers responsible for writing and dictating such wills. ... His invariable formula, when he appointed a magistrate, was: 'You know my needs! Let us see to it that nobody is left with anything.'

Sound familiar? Like politics is all too universal? Human behavior constant throughout the eras?

I find it particularly interesting that Nero fined not just the writers of wills that fell short of his expectations but also those who dictated such wills, those poor people whose job was simply to write down what someone else had said. Even they felt the anger of Nero. I would have referred to those transcribing drudges as "dictators", but that would have reduced the proper infamy that that word carries in our language today. In this scene, only Nero would deserve that title, though the official position had already been abolished a few Caesars earlier.

Yes, I am dictating, but please don't say that word around me. You know, Dictaphone.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T08:42:00.000-08:00

What I am most thankful for on this earth:

Family.

Getting a laugh out of me

2011-11-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

I love it when something can make me laugh out loud -- literally -- even when I am alone. By myself.

This entry from Cracked.com's article "27 Great Moments in History If the Internet Was Around" is just one of those somethings:

Doubting Thomas's reaction is classic.

Checking out the neighborhood

2011-11-19T21:42:00.001-08:00

Someday, this could be what our new home looks like.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/ASU

Imagine that. Then read more about this fabulous shot of new real estate here.

The Twelve Caesars - page 260, Otho

2011-11-17T21:03:00.001-08:00

[Otho's] early wildness earned him many a beating from his father; he is said to have been in the habit of wandering about the city at night and seizing and tossing in a blanket any drunk or disabled person who crossed his path.

The interesting thing about this passage is Otho's apparent pastime in his youth: the practice of treating less fortunate people very badly by tossing them in a blanket.

Many years ago a very wise professor at the university I attended explained to the class that the strange practice of tossing someone in a blanket (which we had come across in a passage of Medieval writing, possibly Chaucer, where a character was treated in like manner) was actually a very violent act. It wasn't a simple celebratory act, which our modern, student minds had visualized as looking something like this:

Pictured: fun.
Image by Floyd Davidson

It was more an act where someone was wrapped up tightly in a blanket and beaten or tossed in the air, most likely to not be caught before hitting the ground. It was a very cruel act, and many, many years ago it was used as a form of punishment. Not something to be taken very lightly.

I found the information enlightening then, and when I came across this passage about Otho's young cruelty I remembered that old professor right away and all the bits of enlightenment he shared with me and my classmates. And those were good memories. The learning, that is, not the cruelty we learned about. Remember, the young Otho wasn't merely teasing those poor people on the streets; he was exhibiting a complete disregard for their welfare and safety.

The Twelve Caesars - page 129, Tiberius

2011-11-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

[Tiberius] was, moreover, quite unperturbed by abuse, slander, or lampoons on himself and his family, and would often say that liberty to speak and think as one pleases is the test of a free country. When the Senate asked that those who had offended in this way should be brought to book, he replied: 'We cannot spare the time to undertake any such new enterprise. Open that window, and you will let in such a rush of denunciations as to waste your whole working day; everyone will take this opportunity of airing some private feud.'

Though Tiberius is infamous for his depravities, he seems remarkably pragmatic in this situation. Just as modern politicians need to be thick-skinned when it comes to public criticism, so too did ancient Roman public figures. There's a certain amount of futility in trying to punish every single bad comment that is directed at politicians, and that amount is a whole truckload. Besides, if you were to try to chase down all of the sneers and jeers against you (assuming you are a politician) you would be so occupied with this endeavor that you would get bogged down and have absolutely no time for the job that your constituents elected you to do. Tiberius recognized that, sick creep that he was.

Tiberius also raises the idea of free speech and freedom of expression (though only for Roman citizens, I'm sure) as an example of a good thing for a thriving society, and we here in the United States are certainly no strangers to this concept. He welcomed criticism, and we can only hope that our modern political types would follow his example.

Imagine that: Me, the paragon of free speech! Who'd a thunk it?

"Why the Milky Way May Be Facing a Midlife Crisis"

2011-11-15T20:35:00.000-08:00

Does this mean it will want a really big Corvette, then?

Our Milky Way galaxy and its neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy, seem to be going through a midlife crisis.

New research reveals that both galaxies are in the middle of transitioning from young, star-forming regions into older, stagnant ones, a transition that is revealed by the galaxies' color. Generally, such a change comes after two galaxies collide, astronomers said, but this pair seems to be making the shift on its own.

...

But the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy are shifting from blue to red without a collision, which was a surprising discovery, the researchers explained.

Since they are already slowing down, when they crash into each other in the future, the collision most likely won't generate a new powerhouse.

(from Nola Taylor Redd at Space.com)

"When" they crash into each other. Folks, our galaxy is doomed. But don't lose any sleep over it. It won't be for another five billion years or so. Plenty of time to engineer a new empire.

Honoring those who served

2011-11-10T19:13:00.001-08:00

And those who still do.

Let's remember them on this Veterans Day. And, if you get the chance, remember to thank them, too.

The Twelve Caesars - page 253, Galba

2011-11-09T19:17:00.000-08:00

At about this time a ring of ancient design was discovered in the fortifications of the city that [Galba] had chosen as his headquarters; the engraved gem represented Victory raising a trophy. Soon afterwards an Alexandrian ship drifted into Dertosa, loaded with arms, but neither helmsman, crew, nor passengers were found aboard her -- which left no doubt in anyone's mind that this must be a just and righteous war, favoured by the god.

So the other day, I found a piece of lost jewelry (probably Kathy's), and Galba went apeshit. Called it a "sign". Thinks he's an emperor now, or somethin'.

Passing by

2011-11-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the neighborhood.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA has captured a new radar image of 2005 YU55, the huge asteroid due to make a close approach to Earth tomorrow (Nov. 8).

The agency's Deep Space Network antenna in Goldstone, Calif. snapped the image at 2:45 p.m. EST (1945 GMT) today (Nov. 7), when the aircraft-carrier-size 2005 YU55 was about 860,000 miles (1.38 million kilometers) from Earth, NASA officials said.

2005 YU55, which is 1,300 feet (400 meters) wide, will get quite a bit closer still. It will come within about 201,700 miles (324,600 km) of our planet at 6:28 p.m. EST (2328 GMT) tomorrow — closer than the moon, which orbits 238,864 miles (384,499 km) from us on average.

A space rock of this size hasn't come so near to Earth since 1976 and won't again until 2028. But there is no danger of 2005 YU55 striking Earth or the moon on this pass, or any other passes for at least the next 100 years or so, researchers said.

(from Space.com)

Don't be a stranger. But, still, don't get too close.

I hope you understand.

The Twelve Caesars - page 78, Augustus

2011-11-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

In one period of exceptional scarcity [Augustus] found it impossible to cope with the public distress except by expelling every useless mouth from the city, such as the slaves in the slave-market, all members of gladiatorial schools, all foreign residents with the exception of physicians and teachers, and a number of household-slaves.

Slaves? Useless mouths? I would have thought that slaves would actually be quite useful. You know, as free labor. That's kind of the reason they were made slaves in the first place, right? Sure, get rid of the foreign residents, I can understand that, but why cast out all the slaves?

And really, the gladiators, too? C'mon, Augustus, what were the people supposed to do without their sports?

Next year, I go free agent, and then I'm takin' my talents to South Beach.

Developing tractor beams

2011-11-02T21:15:00.001-07:00

The concept of tractor beams just might make the leap from science fiction to ordinary fact.

(from Space.com)

The Twelve Caesars - page 51, Julius Caesar

2011-11-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

The entire Senate then dispersed in confusion, and Caesar was left lying dead for some time until three slave boys carried him home in a litter, with one arm hanging over the side. The physician Antistius conducted the post mortem and came to the conclusion that none of the wounds had been mortal except the second one, in the chest. It had been decided to drag the dead man down to the Tiber, confiscate his property, and revoke all his edicts; but fear of Mark Antony, the Consul, and Lepidus, the Master of Horse, kept the assassins from making their plans good.

This, of course, is the assassination of Julius Caesar, rendered most famously by Shakespeare in the play of the same name that actually focused on one of the conspirators, Marcus Brutus. What I like in particular about this passage is the bit about the removal of the body, another example of Suetonius's penchant for curious detail.

In talking about the aftermath of the assassination, Suetonius takes the time and space to record not just that Caesar's body was carried away but that it was carried away by slaves. Boy slaves. And there were three of them. And one of the arms was hanging off the side of the stretcher, perhaps left there due to the carelessness of the boys. There's no explanation of why the boys were there or who prompted them to collect the body of the Emperor of Rome and carry it away, but there they were. Curious bits of detail, and it's writing like this that grabs my attention, holds my interest, and makes me keep reading works like The Twelve Caesars.

Air show 2011

2011-10-29T21:36:00.001-07:00

We went out to Randolph AFB this morning, and we saw lots of things. Things that looked like this:

Yes, mean-looking things. And sleek things. And absolutely big things, utterly sublime and breathtaking.

We also saw the coolest F-16 ever to split the air on this planet.

And the mark of possibly the most dangerous Punisher fan around.

And we saw a bit of history, too, in the form of the quintessential bomber of World War II.

And we saw a few more historical bombers, one of which could not be outdone in the patriotism department.

And above all, it was perfect weather. Cool in the morning, clear, warming into the afternoon, and nothing to block your view of aviation prowess.

It was a good day.

Lost in translation?

2011-10-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

Or just a cop-out because the word's subtle meanings are too hard to convey on an air freshener can?

I decide.

I'm not fluent in Spanish, but I know enough to know that this translation is a cop out. "Spring & renewal" is certainly a masterful stroke of marketing for the English language, and it works very well on this can of product. It sounds good, it sounds fresh, and who wouldn't want to be renewed every time they spritzed a bit of sweet smelling stuff into the air?

Overall, it sounds nice.

But "renewal" doesn't translate well into Spanish. The closest word to it is "renovación", and I get the feeling that the marketing types at Febreze felt that they couldn't put that word directly below the English word because it would remind English-speakers of home renovations (surely a stressful and dusty activity) rather than pleasant, fragrant renewals.

So they picked the best word they could come up with that conveys nice, pleasing scents. "Flores". Which means "flowers". It's a nice word, but it certainly doesn't mean "renewal". And I don't blame the marketers for choosing that word. Explaining in Spanish the exact concept of renewal would result in clunky phrases or long, letter-cluttered words (like "rejuvenecimiento"), and nobody wants that on their air freshener cans. They'd prefer to think of sweetly scented things, like flowers. And they certainly don't want to think too much about what it is they are supposed to be smelling.

So, Febreze Marketing Department, it is a translation cop out. I know that. But it is an understandable one, and I don't fault you for it.

The Twelve Caesars - page 289, Vespasian

2011-10-24T20:31:00.000-07:00

Vespasian was square-bodied, with strong, well-proportioned limbs, but always wore a strained expression on his face; so that once, when he asked a well-known wit: 'Why not make a joke about me?' the answer came: 'I will, when you have finished relieving yourself.'

That's hilarious!

That joke would be mildly funny if were to take place today, but it's an absolute riot given that it was told a couple of millennia ago about one of the Roman emperors, to that emperor's face, and recorded for all of posterity by one of the world's eminent historians, Suetonious.

And it says something positive about Vespasian's character and sense of humor that he did not have that "well-known wit" killed immediately. (Perhaps he did, but there's no indication of that here, and I'm going with the thought that Vespasian followed it up with, "Ya got me there!")

OK, I'm finished. You may tell your joke now.

NASA needs private help

2011-10-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

It's good to hear NASA admitting that the private sector should be a part of future space exploration. And it's even better to hear that this involvement is now being encouraged.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — For NASA to achieve any of its lofty goals for the future, the commercial space industry must succeed, NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver said.

The space agency has bet big that private spaceships will be ready to carry cargo and astronauts to orbit soon. The future of the International Space Station, as well as the future of NASA's robotic science missions and human deep space ambitions, depend on that outcome, Garver said yesterday (Oct. 20) here at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight.

"In order to make good on the entire plan, it is this part of the plan that must be successful," Garver said.

(from Space.com)

Too bad it took the forced retirement of the Space Shuttle to make this happen. But, hey, if that's what it took, then so be it. Let private companies start contracting for launches, and let's not rely on the Russians anymore than we absolutely have to.

Especially when it comes to getting into space.

The Twelve Caesars - page 103, Augustus

2011-10-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

As for Augustus' attitude to religion: he is recorded to have been scared of thunder and lightning, against which he always carried a piece of seal-skin as an amulet, and to have taken refuge in an underground vault whenever a heavy storm threatened -- because, as I have already mentioned, he had once narrowly escaped being struck on a night march which frightened him badly.

I'm not going to comment on Augustus's fear of lightning and thunder -- or even on the curious notion that such a phobia can adequately sum up any person's attitude toward religion -- but I do wonder about the superstition of protecting yourself from stormy weather with a piece of seal skin. I have never heard of this belief, but I suppose there's really not much difference between that and carrying around a rabbit's foot for good luck.

Who knows? The Romans may have been right about seal skin. If so, then there are a lot of Canadians who should fear no thunder.

Or cold weather.

The Twelve Caesars - page 88, Augustus

2011-10-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

As a young man [Augustus] was betrothed to the daughter of Publius Servilius Isauricus, but on his reconciliation with Mark Antony, after their first disagreement, the troops insisted that they should become closely allied by marriage; so, although Antony's step-daughter Claudia -- borne by his wife Fulvia to Publius Clodius -- was only just of marriageable age, Augustus married her; however, he quarrelled with Fulvia and divorced Claudia before the union had been consummated. [I wonder what they were waiting around for. A quarrel? --ed.] Soon afterwards he married Scribonia, both of whose previous husbands had been ex-consuls, and by one of whom she had a child. Augustus divorced her, too, 'because,' as he wrote, 'I could not bear the way she nagged at me' -- and immediately took Livia Drusilla away from her husband, Tiberius Nero, though she was pregnant at the time. Livia remained the one woman whom he truly loved until his death.

Well, it took him awhile, but it seemed Augustus found his true love at last.

And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva

These seem like messy marriages for Augustus, but they are no more numerous or scandalous than any you might see with modern-day celebrity relationships, and at least there don't seem to be any murders or mysterious suicides involved. (Even when Augustus became thoroughly disgusted with his daughter, Julia, later in life, he sent her into exile rather than execute her.)

By light of his familial relations alone, Augustus seems to be quite a bit more noble than Caesars to come. Sadly, though, that's not that difficult a goal to achieve.

The moon is a rich mistress

2011-10-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Why are we not yet going back to the moon?

A new map of the moon has uncovered a trove of areas rich in precious titanium ore, with some lunar rocks harboring 10 times as much of the stuff as rocks here on Earth do.

The map, which combined observations in visible and ultraviolet wavelengths, revealed the valuable titanium deposits. These findings could shed light on some of the mysteries of the lunar interior, and could also lay the groundwork for future mining on the moon, researchers said.

"Looking up at the moon, its surface appears painted with shades of grey — at least to the human eye," Mark Robinson, of Arizona State University, said in a statement. "The maria appear reddish in some places and blue in others. Although subtle, these color variations tell us important things about the chemistry and evolution of the lunar surface. They indicate the titanium and iron abundance, as well as the maturity of a lunar soil."

...

Furthermore, Apollo data indicated that titanium-rich minerals are more efficient at retaining solar wind particles, such as helium and hydrogen. These gases would likely be vital resources in the construction of lunar colonies and for exploration of the moon, the researchers said.

(from Space.com)

We need to be up there mining that stuff someday. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Heavy metal is easier than you think

2011-10-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

In fact, it's child's play.

Besides the girl's guitar solo, the best part is at 3:31.

The Twelve Caesars - page 136, Tiberius

2011-10-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

Some aspects of [Tiberius's] criminal obscenity are almost too vile to discuss, much less believe.

I will leave it at that. Suetonius goes into way too much detail for me to comfortably post the subsequent sentences here. Even Project Gutenberg saw fit to excise the worst bits from their online reader version of The Twelve Caesars. So if you ever find this passage to read, read it at your own risk.

You can't unread it. And you will never get it out of your mind.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

2011-10-05T19:28:00.001-07:00

So the internets are brimming over with sadness now that Steve Jobs has passed away, the voices almost universally singing his praises and lamenting the passing of his greatness. I won't, though.

I'm not going to speak ill of the dead. In fact, I will acknowledge that Jobs was a very shrewd businessman, despite his aura of "coolness". And he built a very fine company. But I will say this: I have never owned an Apple product. Ever. And I even stopped using iTunes a while back because using Amazon to purchase music was easier and cheaper.

And I don't feel as if I've missed out on anything.

The Twelve Caesars - page 164, Caligula

2011-10-04T20:10:00.000-07:00

When the moon shone full and bright [Caligula] invited the Moon-goddess to sexual intercourse in his bed; and during the day would indulge in whispered conversations with Capitoline Jupiter, pressing his ear to the god's mouth, and sometimes raising his voice in anger. Once he was overheard threatening the god: 'If you do not raise me up to Heaven I will cast you down to Hell.' Finally he announced that Jupiter had persuaded him to share his home ....

And who would argue with a god? If Jupiter wanted Caligula to come live with him, then Caligula should go live with him, right? After all, he was in the god's good graces, given that the deity was willing to listen to him on a daily basis and even put up with the little emperor's petulant demands.

No word on whether the Moon took him up on his offers, though.

Not sure if she was willing.

The Twelve Caesars - page 204, Claudius

2011-10-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

Claudius fell so deeply under the influence of these freedmen and wives that he seemed to be their servant rather than their emperor; and distributed honours, army commands, indulgences or punishments according to their wishes, however capricious, seldom even aware of what he was about. I need not dwell on matters of lesser importance: how he revoked grants, cancelled edicts, brazenly amended the texts of letters-patent he had issued, or even openly substituted new versions for the old. Suffice it to record that he executed his father-in-law Appius Silanus; Julia, daughter of Tiberius' son Drusus; and Julia, daughter of his own brother Germanicus -- all on unsupported charges and without the right to plead in self-defence.

Suffice it, indeed.

Claudius, like most emperors, is probably remembered more for his negatives than for his positives (and there is no doubt that he accomplished some good things for the empire, and there have been some efforts to rehabilitate his image). But his proclivity to being influenced by his lessers in ways that resulted in profound consequences (such as family murder) is hardly the mark of an inspiring leader.

Looking like a British shoe doesn't help, either.

What else I've been listening to

2011-09-28T20:57:00.001-07:00

The Pistolero finally drove me to purchase The Warning by Queensrÿche, and I'm certainly not disappointed for having done it. You can read my comments about the album here, but the nutshell version is that I've enjoyed getting familiar with it over the past few weeks. And I'm glad I got it.

But, in focusing on The Warning, I almost forgot to mention what else I've been listening to lately. And that's a shame, because it's some pretty good stuff.

It's this:

That's the latest album from Symphony X, a progressive metal outfit that's been around since the mid-1990s but that I've only just begun to pay attention to. And I'm really getting to like them.

Symphony X (I still haven't figured out whether that's supposed to be pronounced eks or ten) reminds me a lot of Dream Theater, another prog metal band that I liked briefly in the 1990s. And the singer makes me think of Ronnie James Dio. And when you put Dream Theater and Dio together, it's bound to be something good.

And it is.

I first ran across Symphony X several years ago, and I downloaded a few songs just to check them out. I liked what I heard, so when their album titled Paradise Lost came out in 2007 I downloaded a few more to see if they kept my interest. They did. So when Iconoclast came out earlier this summer I went the extra step and got the whole album.

And the thing keeps growing on me. I like it more and more with every listen.

The album has a general theme to it of machines supplanting humanity, taking over in a Borg-like manner, I suppose. As such, many of the songs cover subjects that are dark, threatening, and bleak. But there is also an unmistakable energy that keeps the blood pumping and the senses sharp.

But don't take my word for it. Have a brief listen, and then decide what you think of it.

There's a lot more, and I wish I could play the whole album for you. But if you are into metal and haven't yet checked out Symphony X, I suggest you try them out. Download a few songs and see if they grow on you like they did on me.

A new look at Uranus

2011-09-26T20:56:00.001-07:00

Mike Brown/Caltech

Pretty, ain't it?

That's Uranus, which normally looks like this:

Except that the image on top was captured in infrared by Caltech astronomer Mike Brown at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. You can read more about this image, and why Mr. Brown was taking pictures of Uranus and Neptune in infrared, at Space.com. It's a nice article, showing how the search for knowledge can lead to some unexpected and pleasing discoveries, and how simple opportunity can open the door to great advancements and achievements.

And there are some great images there, too.

What I've been listening to lately

2011-09-22T19:19:00.001-07:00

This:

So the South Texas Pistolero finally convinced me that I had waited way, way, way too long to get Queensrÿche's The Warning. And I'm a bit surprised at myself at how long it took me.

You see, I'm a huge fan of Queensrÿche, or rather I'm a huge fan of a stage in their career. I didn't really get into them until a friend of mine told me back in 1986 that I should check out Rage for Order when that album first came out. I already liked the band somewhat because I was familiar with the songs that had received a lot of airplay -- songs such as "The Lady Wore Black" and "Queen of the Reich" from the band's self-titled introductory EP as well as "Warning" and "Take Hold of the Flame" from The Warning -- and I respected QR's sound immensely. But I had not actually bought any recordings, and it was not until I got Rage for Order and fully immersed myself into it before I realized, Hey, these guys are great!

I still love Rage for Order. To this day I listen to it. And when the next album, Operation: Mindcrime, came out, I was more than eager to get that and enjoy it to its fullest. Ditto for Empire, which some see as a sellout record, but I don't. It's still a great work with many fantastic songs on it (there's a lot more to it than "Silent Lucidity").

After that, though, I lost interest in QR's new stuff, and, from what I've read about some of the follow-up albums, I didn't miss much.

But, back to The Warning.

This album is great, and I can't believe I never got to enjoy the full experience until now, 27 years down the road. Thanks, Pistolero. I should listen to you more often.

First off, there's "Warning" and "Take Hold of the Flame", great songs that received a lot of airplay back in the day. But there's also another song that I was somewhat familiar with, and that I had forgotten about until I listened to this album again. That's "Before the Storm", another great tune that must have been played on some radio station in the 1980s. (Probably KXZL -- any longtime San Antonians remember that one?)

There's also "Deliverance" and "No Sancturary", which I'm really growing to like, as well as "NM 156", "Child of Fire", and a great piece that shows the promise to come for this band, "Roads to Madness".

All in all this is a very strong work, even if it is the band's first full album, and the musical talents of Tate and company have really stood the test of time. Queensrÿche was ahead of the pack with The Warning. I'm just sorry it took me so long to catch up.

And now, a bit of "Before the Storm":

The Twelve Caesars - page 141, Tiberius

2011-09-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

Tiberius had asked the Senate to choose him a Council to advise him on public affairs, consisting of twenty men -- in addition to certain old friends and intimates -- only two or three of whom died natural deaths. All the rest he killed, one way or another ....

By now you should be getting the message that Tiberius was thought to be harsh and cruel, and he was apparently OK with people holding that opinion of him. The author of this account, Suetonius, can be a bit of an unreliable historian at times ("two or three of whom" is remarkably vague), but his view is backed up somewhat by other Roman historians, and this short passage captures succinctly all the cruelty Tiberius is known for, and it explains the infamy he has earned.

"All the rest he killed" just about says it, doesn't it?

Retranslating the liturgy

2011-09-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

November 27, 2011 will be a significant day for American Catholics. It won't be quite as game-changing as Vatican II, but this day will cause comfortable Catholics to begin to pay more attention during mass, and it is of interest to a fan of the English language like me.

It is the day the Church introduces the new translations of the liturgy.

A little background: In the early 1960s, the Roman Catholic leaders decided some changes were needed to bring the Church up to date with the modern world, and they met for three years to decide exactly what changes were needed. This meeting was called the Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II for short. And it was a big deal to Catholics throughout the world.

Probably one of the biggest and most notable changes was to the language of the liturgy of the mass. Before Vatican II, all masses were conducted in Latin. After Vatican II, masses could be conducted in the local vernacular, which means that in the United States of America, after the mid-60s, Catholics began to use English (or Spanish) instead of Latin. This was before I was born, but my parents confirm that it was a big deal at the time.

That's well and good -- now everyone could understand what they were saying in church -- but this change happened rather quickly (within a couple of years after the Council ended). And apparently some of the translations were a bit rushed, producing some liturgical phrases that were more approximations than translations.

So, Pope Benedict XVI in 2000 declared that the languages of the mass should be retranslated from Latin to ensure that the spirit and the messages of the liturgy are more accurately reflected in what the people say. I've already seen the revised versions of the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds, and it looks like only minor changes will result. So there shouldn't be as big an adjustment as occurred with Vatican II. But long-time Catholics will need to rememorize some of their prayers and what they say during the mass, and that could take some getting used to.

In any case, the new liturgy goes into effect November 27, 2011, which is the beginning of Advent. If you're Catholic, consider yourself warned. Don't be surprised if things sound a little different during mass. If you're not Catholic, it won't bother you at all.

Unless you have Catholic friends and they suddenly start complaining about church after Thanksgiving.

The Twevle Caesars - page 262, Otho

2011-09-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

Otho excused himself to the Emperor [Galba], saying that he had arranged to view a house that was for sale; then slipped out of the Palace by a back door and hurried to the rendezvous. ... At all events he hastily got into a closed sedan-chair of the sort used by women, and headed for the Camp, but jumped out, and began to run when the bearers' pace flagged. As he paused to lace a shoe, his companions hoisted him on their shoulders and acclaimed him Emperor.

And that's all he needed to become the leader of the Roman Empire. A quick hoisting by his friends, a little murder later, and then BAM! he was the emperor. Just like that.

For all of about three months, that is.

Damn! Ruling's hard!

Morning of the spent cases

2011-09-07T19:51:00.001-07:00

The Twelve Caesars - page 64, Augustus

2011-09-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

But attempts against Augustus' life were made by men from even the lowest walks of life; so I must no forget one Telephus, a slave, whose task it had been to remind a lady of her engagements; he nursed a delusion that he was fated to become emperor, and planned an armed attack on the senate as well.

I did not realize ancient Rome was such a place of opporunity. Apparently even the simplest of human personal planners could aspire to be the leader of the world, and then even get his name entered into the tomes of history.

Hello, I'm Telephus. I'm going to be emperor some day.

The Twelve Caesars - page 273, Vitellius

2011-08-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

Paying less and less attention to all laws, human or divine, Vitellius next assumed the office of Chief Priest, and chose to do so on the anniversary of the Allia defeat (circa 390 B.C.; a day of evil omen). On the same occasion he announced the elections for ten years ahead, and appointed himself Consul for life. Then he dispelled any doubt as to which of the Caesars was to be his model by sacrificing to Nero's ghost and, at the subsequent banquet, while a popular flutist was performing, called for something from 'the Master's Book' as an encore. When the flutist obliged with one of these compositions, Vitellius jumped up delightedly and led the applause.

What a great idea!

Wouldn't it be convenient to know what the results of the elections would be for the next ten years? It would certainly leave the guesswork out of politics.

And having a leader appoint himself your leader for life definitely relieves you of any burden to think about who you might like to vote for anyway. I can't think of any problem with this arrangement. This guy Vitellius probably ruled for the next fifteen or twenty years or so until he died a natural death, beloved by his people.

Oh, wait ----

I give the mob eight of the best months of my life, and what do they give me in return? This!

What I've read in the past

2011-08-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

Sabra did a nice post based NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy novels. She highlighted the ones she's actually read, and then she shared her beefs with the contents of the list.

I'm not going to get into the merits of the contents of this list (all such lists are subjective, and we're always going to disagree with what someone else has put together), but I thought I'd go back through it to see just how much of it I have read myself. I'm a big science fiction fan, and, though I don't get too many chances to read for pleasure, I'd like to think I'm fairly well read on the genre, especially the classics.

So, let's take a look at the list Sabra posted, and let's see if I know my stuff. (Bolded items are books that I've read, some with comments.)

1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
I've read this many times. Hasn't gotten old yet.

2. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
3. Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game was a very good read, but it felt like a self-contained book to me. I'd read that Orson Scott Card had turned the book into a series, but I had no interest in following up on it.

4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
I love Dune. I don't care for the follow up books (I read through the next three), but I will read Dune again in a heartbeat.

5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin
6. 1984, by George Orwell
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
I love this trilogy. I talk about reading these books here, here, and here.

9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
This is one of my favorite sci-fi books. And the movie version just happens to be one of my favorite sci-fi flicks, though for different reasons.

22. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
This is a partial reading. I got through the first three of the Dark Tower books before I lost interest. But I absolutely love the Robert Browning poem that served as King's inspiration.

24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
Wonderful. Simply wonderful.

25. The Stand, by Stephen King
26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
Another wonderful piece. This is actually a collection of short stories about Mars, and the work should never be taken as a serious piece of space travel adventure. It should always be viewed as a look at our world in the 20th Century through a Martian lens. In Bradbury's exquisite style, to boot.

28. Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
Very enjoyable. Weird and humorous, but also quite serious in spots, Ringworld and its sequels present a universe like nothing else.

45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
49. Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
61. The Mote In God’s Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
70. The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore (I've read a few Drizzt novels, but nowhere near all of them.)
74. Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
77. The Kushiel’s Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
96. Lucifer’s Hammer, by Larry Niven &Jerry Pournelle
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis
I read these books after learning of their existence from Alan, a fellow local blogger. Believe it or not, I hadn't heard about Lewis's science fiction works before that! In any case, I discuss these books here, here, and here.

So, I've read 26 out of 100 of the works on this list. I guess I'm not as well versed in the SF/fantasy genre as I thought I was, at least according to NPR listeners. But, as Sabra pointed out in her post, there are a number of authors on the list above whose works that I've read and enjoyed that don't happen to be on the list. Take Piers Anthony: I've read several of his books, just not anything from the Xanth Series as listed at 99. And I've read other things by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle that aren't on there either.

But it's an interesting list, nonetheless. And, if nothing else, it gives me some ideas for some future reads. When I have the time.

What we did today

2011-08-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

This:

I got out that old Winchester Model 77 .22 that I had shot previously with my wife (told you about it here), and this time I took my son out to the range. That's him shooting in the video. It's his first time firing a rifle, and he didn't do half bad. Once he got used to the other, larger caliber rifles popping off around him (his first time at the range, too) he settled in to the shooting at hand and found the whole experience much more satisfying than shooting pellet guns.

But, then again, don't we all?

I took Keith's advice from the comments in that post linked above and switched ammo. In the previous shoot I was using Remington rounds, and they were fouling the chamber something fierce. We had to stop shooting on that day in January well before we ran out of ammo because the gunk built up too much and the jams and misfeeds were getting too frequent. For today's shoot, I used CCIs, and we only had one jam the whole morning. Thanks for the advice, Keith.

Tweaking, yet again.

2011-08-25T19:15:00.001-07:00

Oh, no.

‘Star Wars’ Gets New Tweaks for Blu-ray Release

I can't stand it anymore. I wish I could go back to my original VHS tapes of the first three. "Star Wars" was fun back then. Now it's a chore to watch.

Terraforming, anyone?

2011-08-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

This sounds like good news for future space exploration and possible colonizations. I hope it turns out to be the case.

The soil on Mars may be more capable of supporting life than previously thought, a new study suggests.

Researchers have long suspected that the Martian surface is packed full of oxidizing compounds, which could make it difficult for complex molecules like organic chemicals — the building blocks of life as we know it — to exist. But the new study, which analyzed data gathered by NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander, suggests that's not the case.

"Although there may be some small amounts of oxidants in the soil, the bulk material is actually quite benign," said lead study author Richard Quinn of NASA's Ames Research Center and the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute in Mountain View, Calif. "It's very similar to moderate soils that we find on Earth."

(from Space.com)

On the first manned mission to Mars, make sure you take a plow. And some seeds.

And let's see what happens.

The Twelve Caesars - page 145, Tiberius

2011-08-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

Tiberius used to punish with life those who wished to die. He regarded death as a comparatively light affliction, and on hearing that a man named Carnulus had forestalled his execution by suicide, exclaimed: 'Carnulus has got away!'

Is it any wonder that Tiberius was a cruel man, so much so that, supposedly, the crowds roared their approval when it was reported that he had died? His disregard for any life fed his cruelty, and he was roundly hated by the masses.

This death? Ain't no thing but a chicken wing.

Thinking about the Death Star

2011-08-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

The other day I watched Return of the Jedi again with my son. And as we watched I was reminded of something about that movie -- and the rest of the Star Wars "episodes" -- that used to bug me and still does a little bit. I know there's a whole cottage industry out there that delights in producing criticism of George Lucas and the mistakes he made with the Star Wars movies (and, believe me, I agree with at least a few of those criticisms), but I don't think I have ever run across a critique that draws attention to this one problem that I have, and it's a very basic problem of engineering.

It's this: The Death Star is built wrong.

Wrong.

Mind you, I'm not an engineer myself, and I'm nothing more than a very basic amateur astronomer, but I don't think a station of that size could actually be constructed. At least not the way that construction is portrayed in the Star Wars movies. And the problem is a simple one of gravity.

The force of gravity causes large clumps of matter to collapse in upon themselves. The larger the object is (i.e., with more mass), the greater the gravitational pull to itself is, but even the smallest of objects possess some modicum of gravitational attraction. And they always try to pull themselves together. Leave a whole bunch of loose objects floating around inside an abandoned space craft and they will eventually clump together because gravity is relentless.

This is how planets and moons and asteroids are formed. With small bodies, the gravitational attractions are weaker, and you end up with weird, misshapen piles of rock.

A pile of space rock.

But as the bodies get larger the gravitational forces compress the material even more, and you end up with more spherical shapes that are denser and more like a planet or a moon. This is a process called accretion.

Now, back to the Death Star. It's round, and the characters in the original movie, Star Wars, mistake it for a small moon because it is really big. At the official website of the Star Wars universe, this Death Star is described as being 160 km in diameter. The second Death Star that was under construction in Return of the Jedi is much larger at approximately 900 km in diameter. The problem with this is that, at these sizes, the gravitational forces of all the materials used to build the station would begin to accrete into a dense mass of unusable rubble.

Not dense, and not rubble. At least, not quite yet.

For comparison, here's a picture of an actual asteroid called 433 Eros:

Eros is about 34 km across, so the gravitational forces are not quite strong enough to make it round. It looks like an oddly shaped pile of rock. In fact, it is an oddly shaped pile of rock.

Now, here's another asteroid called 4 Vesta:

Vesta is about 530 km in diameter, which is between the size of the original Death Star and the second one under construction in Return of the Jedi. See its shape? It's almost a ball, which means that its gravitational forces are compressing it together like a couple of cosmic hands crumpling a piece of paper into a lumpy ball.

Now, here's the biggest of the asteroids in our solar system, and it's called Ceres:

It's very much spherical. And do you know how big it is? It's almost 1,000 km across, which is just a little bit bigger than the second Death Star. At that size, the Empire's contractors would need to really start thinking about how to keep the entire structure from collapsing in on itself before they even got into the business of installing life support systems, power plants, or space ship bays, much less fully functional planet-destroying weapons.

So, the Death Star is built wrong, wrong, wrong. Does it make much of a difference in the grander scheme? No, it doesn't. There have been much worse movies with even more egregious mistakes that the directors have tried to pass off as serious efforts. And, despite Lucas's tinkering with the "Special Edition" versions of the movies, the original three Star Wars flicks are still quality cinematic products that make for a great adventure, and I'm not done enjoying them. Not by a long shot. But the depictions of the Death Star still bug me today, just a little bit. And I truly wonder if I'm the first person to give voice to this basic flaw.

Flawed, like the characters within.

P.S.: The process of planet formation called accretion also explains why the planet Naboo is wrong.

A rocky planet with a liquid water core?

Even more wrong.

Skylight sidewalks

2011-08-17T17:32:00.001-07:00

Shedding light on your underground office, if you have one.

The Twevle Caesars - page 256, Galba

2011-08-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

Galba heard about this message [from the troops dissatisfied with his ascension after Nero's death and calling for the royal guards to put someone else on the throne] and, thinking that he was being criticized for his childlessness rather than his senility, singled out from the crowd at one of his morning receptions a handsome and well-bred young man, Piso Frugi Licinianus, to whom he had already show great favour, and appointed him perpetual heir to his name and property.

Galba was one of the unfortunate emperors who ruled for less than a year, from June 68 A.D. to January 69 A.D., which was known as the Year of Four Emperors. He never really got a chance to establish a real reign, and most people besides historians have probably never heard of him. It didn't help his legacy that he was without children and had to rely on a hasty selection to pick a successor, a selection that angered one Marcus Salvius Otho, who wanted to be Galba's heir himself and who replaced him as emperor.

The Twevle Caesars - page 207, Claudius

2011-08-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

Claudius was so timid and suspicious that, though making a show of simplicity in the early days of his reign, ... he never attended a banquet unless with an escort of javelin-bearing Guards, and waited upon by soldiers performing the duties of servants. Before entering a sick-room he always had it carefully gone over: pillows and mattresses were prodded, and bedclothes shaken out. Later, he even required all visitors to be searched when they came to pay him a morning call, and excused no one the most thorough examination. Indeed, it was not until the end of his reign that he reluctantly gave up the practice of having women, boys, and girls pawed about during these examinations, and of removing the stylus-case from every caller's attendant or secretary.

What this passage tells us first and foremost is that Claudius was very paranoid, though I suppose that is not a bad quality to have if you are a Roman emperor and you've ascended to the throne following the assassination of the previous, corrupt ruler. And that your rise to power came about because the assassins wanted to put you there.

Please don't kill me!

But a bit more interesting than that is the apparent acknowledgment that there was something inherently dangerous about ancient Roman stylus cases.

I can understand an emperor wanting everyone searched for weapons before granting audiences (even if meant searching children), and I can understand the emperor's wariness of sharp, pointed sticks in his presence, but what could possibly be threatening about the case holding the stylus? I assume such devices were simply small boxes or sleeves that would contain the styluses the secretaries used to take notes, but was it the case itself that was suspect, or was it that, by confiscating the case, the guards were sure to get the pointy stylus as well?

Were all secretaries then unable to take notes in Claudius's presence, or were they offered some other alternative? The passage quoted above does not expand on this point, as it deals primarily with the measures Claudius would take to alleviate his paranoia, but that little bit catches my curiosity.

What was it about those cases?

The Twevle Caesars - page 150, Tiberius

2011-08-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

During the period of Tiberius' retirement from Rome he only twice attempted to return. ... On the second occasion he rode up the Appian Way as far as the seventh milestone, but then retreated because of a frightening potent. This was the death of a pet snake which he used to feed with his own hands. When about to do so as usual he found it half eaten by a swarm of ants; and a soothsayer warned him: 'Beware the power of the mob.'

And that sign scared Tiberius back into his self-imposed semi-exile on the island of Capri, a place where he had chosen to live just a few years into his twenty-three-year reign. He preferred living there because he could carry on with his depraved habits out of the watchful eye of his fellow Romans. Tiberius was generally known as being cruel and detached in his later years, and his death -- when it came -- was greeted with cheers by citizens of all classes in Rome. No wonder he was spooked by a sign that some seer said represented the masses destroying him. They wanted to, and he knew it.

Sure, hate me now. My successor is Caligula. See what you think after a few years with him.

What I've been listening to lately

2011-08-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

This.

No kidding, I really have. That's a great guitar tune. It's pretty catchy, and it's actually begun to worm its way into my brain lately, so much so that I catch myself at times thinking, Hey, I'm humming an anime theme song! And I kinda like it.

Thanks, Alan, for exposing this to me. I've never been a big fan of anime (unless you count the 1980s Thundercats), but I'm starting to get a little interested in the universe surrounding the planet Gunsmoke. Maybe I'll check out an episode or two.

The Twelve Caesars - page 31, Julius Caesar

2011-08-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

Caesar next turned his attention to domestic reforms. First he reorganized the Calendar which the College of Priests had allowed to fall into such disorder, by inserting days or months as it suited them, that the harvest and vintage festivals no longer corresponded with the appropriate seasons. He linked the year to the course of the sun by lengthening it to 365 days (the year had previously consisted of 355 days), abolishing the short extra month and adding an entire day every fourth year. But to make the next first of January fall at the right season, he drew out this particular year (46 B.C.) by two extra months, inserted between November and December, so that it consisted of fifteen, including the intercalary one inserted after February in the old style.

Julius Caesar's calendar reforms became the standard for much of the West for at least 1600 years in some places (mostly Catholic countries that adopted the Gregorian calendar, which was a modernized version of the Julian calendar) and well into the 20th Century in others. This calendar and its successor then spread into worldwide usage, and it has led to the way we track the passage of time even today. It's not an overstatement to say that this one act by a power-hungry, cunning, swiving, Roman general who named himself "dictator in perpetuity" has had a greater impact on civilization than any other effort.

The Twevle Caesars - page 36, Julius Caesar

2011-08-02T17:45:00.000-07:00

[Julius Caesar's] affairs with women are commonly described as numerous and extravagant: among those of noble birth whom he is said to have seduced were Servius Sulpicius' wife Postumia; Aulus Gabinius' wife Lollia; Marcus Crassus' wife Tertulla; and even Pompey's wife Mucia. Be this how it may, both Curio the Elder and Curio the Younger reproached Pompey for having married Caesar's daughter, when it was because of Caesar ... that he divorced Mucia, mother of his three children.

Ew.

Pompey the Great: "Steal my wife, will ya? I'll show you!"

Starlike

2011-08-01T17:15:00.001-07:00

Photo courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

Dawn breaks over Vesta, and it gives us glimpses into stellar beauty.

The Twevle Caesars - page 290, Vespasian

2011-07-31T20:25:00.000-07:00

With his knack of apt quotation from the Greek classics, [Vespasian] once described a very tall man whose genitals were grotesquely overdeveloped as:

'Striding along with a lance which casts a preposterous shadow.'

...

Most of his humour, however, centred on the disreputable ways he made money; he always tried to make them sound less offensive by passing them off as jokes. One of his favorite servants applied for a stewardship on behalf of a man whose brother he claimed to be. 'Wait,' Vespasian told him, and had the candidate brought in for a private interview. 'How much commission would you have paid my servant?' he asked. The man mentioned a sum. 'You may pay it directly to me,' said Vespasian, giving him the stewardship without delay. When the servant brought the matter up again, Vespasian's advice was: 'Go and find another brother. The one you mistook for your own turns out to be mine!'

So it seems Vespasian, an emperor of Rome who was considered generous and gracious in many ways, was not above swindling his own employees if it meant getting a bit of money. And he seemed quite proud of his ingenious ways to turn a profit. In fact, if you've ever heard about a certain ruler who put a tax on the urine that people generated in his city (and then shot down his son's resistance to the awkward source of the money by saying that coins themselves do not stink), then Vespasian is the person you are thinking of.

Roman toilets.

So when you think of Vespasian, think of cleverness, graciousness, and a hunger for money.

The Twevle Caesars - page 156, Caligula

2011-07-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

Gaius Caesar was born on 31 August, A.D. 12, during the consulship shared by his father with Gaius Fonteius Capito. His birthplace is disputed. According to Gnaeus Lentulus Gaetulicus, he was born at Tibur; but, according to Pliny the Elder, near Treveri, in the village of Ambitarvium, just above the junction of the Moselle and the Rhine. Pliny supports his view by mentioning certain local altars inscribed 'IN HONOUR OF AGRIPPINA'S PUERPERIUM' (i.e. child-bearing), also a verse, which went the rounds at Gaius' accession and suggests that he was born in the winter quarters of the legions:

Born in a barracks,
Reared in the arts of war:
A noble nativity
For a Roman Emperor!

Gaius Caesar is, of course, also known as "Caligula", a childhood nickname that stuck with him throughout his life and throughout history. Often seen as the epitome of Roman debauchery, corruption, and cruelty, he was actually quite popular in his youth and when he first became Emperor. He was also the subject of a pitiful movie that tried to be serious cinema and pornography at the same time (it was produced by Bob Guccione of Penthouse magazine fame), a motion picture that has since become as infamous as its main character.

You've probably already heard about Caligula's excesses and bad decisions, though, but have you heard about his red hair?

No, really.

"Little Boots". (photo courtesy of G.dallorto on Wikipedia)

Yep, that's a bust of Caligula, and it has been given period colors based on the analysis of paint particles found embedded in the marble. In fact, nowadays science says that ancient marble statues were actually painted in bright colors and not left the stark, haunting white we are accustomed to seeing in museums. Whether or not that is a better aesthetic is best left up to your personal taste, but, in this case, the restoration gives us a hint as to the appearance of one of our most intriguing Roman leaders.

And we see that Caligula was a ginger.

The Twelve Caesars - page 26, Julius Caesar

2011-07-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

Since the Senate refused to intervene on his behalf and his opponents insisted that they would accept no compromise in a matter of such national importance [that being the disbanding of Julius Caesar's forces following the Gallic Wars and the act of relieving him of command while still in Gaul and preventing him from running for the consulship while away from Rome], Caesar crossed into Cisalpine Gaul, where he held his regular assizes, and halted at Ravenna. He was resolved to invade Italy if force were used against the tribunes of the people who had vetoed the Senate's decree disbanding his army by a given date. Force was, in effect, used and the tribunes fled towards Cisalpine Gaul; which became Caesar's pretext for launching the Civil War.

And launch it, he did. In an act of pure ambition Julius Caesar started a civil war that ended up changing the face of Western civilization. The tribunes were on Caesar's side, and they had tried to reject a Senate bill that would strip him of power and remove him from the political landscape. Caesar was not pleased, and, not long after, he crossed the Rubicon river with his army, which was considered an act of war at the time. A bloody campaign began that led to the defeat Caesar's domestic enemies. He took control of Rome, and he set himself up as the first "Caesar" in a long line of Roman rulers.

The Twelve Caesars - an experiment

2011-07-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

I've been very busy this summer (the whole family, really), so I haven't had the chance to contribute to this blog or my other one as much as I'd like to. I've had some ideas come and go, but by the time I've gotten a moment to sit down and plug something in I've lost hold of some of the things I've been keeping in the back of my mind. I don't fret too much about it because I don't want blogging to become a chore, but I would like to contribute a bit more than I have recently.

So, in order to stoke my creative fires a bit, I have come up with a bit of an experiment to give myself some ready-made blog fodder for whenever I get a chance to type something in. I hope this works well, and I hope it's fun. If not, I might abandon the idea, but I'll give it the ol' college try for awhile.

Some time ago I read The Twelve Caesars by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (Robert Graves's 1957 translation, revised by Michael Grant in 1979, published by Penguin Books in 1989). I started reading it just to see if it some old biographies written by an ancient Roman could hold my attention, and I was pleasantly surprised by the whole experience. The combination of Suetonius, Graves, and Grant makes for an entertaining and delightful read.

Suetonius was born circa 69 A.D., and one of the high points of his career was his position as chief secretary to the Emperor Hadrian. He wrote several works, but the only complete one to have survived is The Twelve Caesars. (This is too bad, really. One of his other works was titled Lives of Famous Whores, and I would have liked to have read that one.)

The Twelve Caesars details the lives of Julius Caesar and the eleven people who succeeded him - Augustus, Tiberius, Gaius (Caligula), Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. You've no doubt heard about most of these historical figures, you probably know quite a bit about some, and you surely wonder who the heck the rest are, but after reading Suetonius I'm sure you would see them as truly human figures and not just marble busts in museums.

The beast, Nero. (Photo courtesy cjh1452000 on Wikipedia)

And here's my idea for an experiment: Suetonius's work as published by Penguin comes to about 300 pages. I plan to use a random number generator to select page numbers and then use each page number as the basis for a blog post. Each post will consist of a reproduction of a paragraph from a particular page along with an observation from me. If I use a different page number for each post and use each page only once, I should get about 300 posts for the effort. Even if I were to do this as often as once a day, I should end up with about a year's worth of posts.

So, here goes. I hope you enjoy learning a little more about some rulers of ancient Rome, and I hope I get as much pleasure out of writing these posts as I got out of reading the book.

Iron Maiden is more chill than you think

2011-07-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

I love this Andy Rehfeldt stuff.

Death metal is older than you think

2011-07-16T22:26:00.000-07:00

(Hat tip: The Macho Response)

What I recently finished reading

2011-07-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to reading Second Foundation, which is the third -- and as far as I am concerned, the final -- book in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. He wrote more, and I've read the "next" book in the series, Foundation's Edge, but I found it disappointing. As far as I'm concerned, the series ends here.

CAUTION! SPOILER ALERT!

The plots of this book depend heavily on surprises, twists, deceptions, and characters who think they have everything figured out only to find out that they are wrong and then that they are right and then that something completely different is happening and they don't know what the hell is going on anymore. In talking about Second Foundation, it's almost impossible not to reveal something important along the way, so if you ever plan to read this book and want to get the full effect intended on a first reading, you should probably skip the rest of this post.

Second Foundation picks up where Foundation and Empire left off. The Mule has defeated the Foundation on Terminus and rules the galaxy, and now he is on a quest to find the hidden Second Foundation, an organization that exists in rumor and is said to control the progression of the Seldon Plan. This plan was put into motion 400 years ealier to guide the galaxy through the predicted 1,000 years of barbarity between the fall of the Empire and the establishment of another empire.

The Mule (with his mutant mental powers and ability to psychically convert his enemies into loyal subjects) did not fit in the Seldon Plan, and his actions have endangered the project. The Mule surmises that the Second Foundation will seek his destruction because of the danger he poses to the Plan, and he goes on a hunt to discover the location of the Second Foundationers and destroy them before they destroy him.

The first part of the book, "Search by the Mule", covers just that, the Mule's search for the Second Foundation. He sends out a two-man team to conduct the search: General Han Pritcher, a former enemy from the Foundation who has been emotionally converted by the Mule, and Bail Channis, an unconverterd, ambitious Foundationer. Ultimately the Mule is not successful. Along the way he runs into acutal Second Foundationers and finds them to be as mentally adept and challenging as he is.

I did more of my mental casting for the characters in this story, and here's what I came up with:
The Mule - As with the previous book, Foundation and Empire, I cast Emo Philips in this role.
Han Pritcher - In the previous book I pictured Hayden Christiansen in this role, but here I cast James Franco, and I mentally aged him.
Bail Channis - For some reason, I couldn't get Tim Kang out of my mind when I read his dialogue, so I went with that.

The second part of the book, "Search by the Foundation", picks up about 50 years after the events in "Search by the Mule". By this time the Mule has died, leaving no heirs and a collection of worlds and systems that rapidly falls apart as powerful generals and local warlords take over their own corners of the galaxy. The Foundation on Terminus rises to prominence again, but this time they are fully aware of the existence of the Second Foundation. The Foundationers know now that they are dupes in the Seldon Plan, doomed to be manipulated by the psychic Second Foundationers into following the Plan, willingly or not. They determine to hunt down the Second Foundation and destroy it. And they do, in a way.

For the part of Arkady Darell, the headstrong and cunning teenage girl who stows away on a voyage to uncover the Second Foundation, I cast Jenette McCurdy. (Yes, I know this person. I do have children that watch iCarly from time to time.)

For Arkady's patriotic, plotting father, Dr. Darell, I cast Brent Spiner, whom I had previously cast as Ebling Mis in Foundation and Empire.

For Pelleas Anthor, the Second Foundation's sacrificial lamb, I cast the little-known (to me) Martin Cummins, whom I first remember from the reimagined "V" television series.

And then, for the part of Homir Munn, the duped and tricked nervous historian who knows all things about the Mule, stutters, and is described by his own author as "lanky and terribly ill-at-ease", I cast another Star Trek alum (and a member of the original A-Team), Dwight Schultz.

In all, Second Foundation is another good read. I enjoyed the entire Foundation trilogy again, but, as mentioned, I won't be moving on to Foundation's Edge. It lacks the tight writing and the adventurous undertones of the first three books, and I don't care to give it another chance.

ADDED:
Review of Foundation here.
Review of Foundation and Empire here.

Working on stuff

2011-07-07T22:07:00.001-07:00

I'm working on a couple of posts, but I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to finish them. I'll get around to it, though. Eventually.

Independence Day

2011-07-03T21:23:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday, America.

Converting the masses ...

2011-07-03T21:07:00.001-07:00

... one person, and one album at a time.

Alan at Blogonomicon has wide-ranging musical tastes, but he only just now started to explore Iron Maiden's broader musical corpus with his acquisition of Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. I wish him happy listening, and I hope he might check out more from Maiden in the future.

Oh, and if you've never given the band a chance yourself, think about it. You just might be surprised at what you've been missing since the early 1980s.

Moon shadows

2011-06-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

The Moon is a desolate, dusty rock, suitable for mining and landfills.

But it is stark, and it is scary. And so sublime.

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University
via Space.com

Downtown marina afternoon

2011-06-22T21:16:00.001-07:00

See you after the sailing's done.

Biting the hand that saves you

2011-06-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Really, does this lesson actually need to be pointed out to people?

A New Jersey man received an unpleasant surprise after trying to save a snake.

On Thursday, around 6:30 p.m., the 24-year-old man was driving on Route 679 near West Stage Road in Tuckerton, when he spotted a rattlesnake crossing the road. Officials say that the man got out of his car to prevent the snake from being hit by oncoming vehicles.

The man then tried to pin the rattlesnake down with a stick — and the snake bit his hand.

(from MSNBC.com)

Well, I guess it does need pointing out. To New Jerseyans, at least.

(Next time, remember the scorpion and frog.)

Strange headline of the day

2011-06-08T16:36:00.001-07:00

Given the problems the U.S. has been having along the Mexican border, the following news story left me scratching my head a little.

"Mexico Asks Texas To Tone Down Travel Alerts"

SAN ANTONIO -- Mexico is asking Texas authorities to tone down travel warnings that broadly discourage tourists from crossing the border because of violence.

The head of Mexico's state-run tourism board was in Austin on Wednesday to meet with Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade and law enforcement officials. Mexico wants Texas to stop portraying the entire country as unsafe in travel bulletins.

...

[Tourism board boss Rodolfo] Lopez-Negrete said major resort destinations in the country remain safe.

So, travel to Mexico is dangerous because of the drug cartels and the crooked police and the silent media (and the general failure of the federal government, leaving the impression that the country is on the brink of a civil war), and -- really, for some unknown reason -- people have decided it might not be a good idea to risk their lives for a little vacation south of the border.

And Mexico wants to blame Texas for that? The Mexican government wants to blame the Texas government for their drop in tourism, attributing it to a few sensible travel warnings?

Am I reading this right, or am I wrong? Should we listen to the Mexican tourism board and actually encourage U.S. citizens to travel to Mexico? Do you think anyone down there would actually benefit from a big influx of American tourists with money to spend?

Yeah, I bet someone would.

The Cassini mission

2011-06-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

A lot of valuable scientific data has come out of the Cassini mission to Saturn, but a lot of beauty has come of it, too. Here's a bit.

CASSINI MISSION from Chris Abbas on Vimeo.

(from Chris Abbas; hat tip Blogonomicon)

"Danish Team's Homemade Space Capsule Blasts Off"

2011-06-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

Wow! This is the ballsiest thing the Danes have done since Beowulf ripped off Grendel's arm with his bare hands.

Copenhagen Suborbitals, a non-profit space venture founded by Danish inventors Kristian von Bengtson and Peter Madsen, successfully launched its handmade space capsule from a boat in the Baltic Sea Friday, June 3.

The rocket soared about 2 miles into the air -- somewhat more sideways than anticipated -- before deploying its parachute and falling back into the water, reported Danish website ING.dk. It suffered minor damage upon landing but was largely recovered.

The team counts the test as a complete success. And Dr. Bruce Betts, director of projects for The Planetary Society, was impressed as well, though he cautioned that homemade one-man rockets are on a far different scale from NASA's launches.

...

"The space industry is expanding in more and more different ways," Betts told FoxNews.com. He called the rocket "part of a larger picture of different kinds of groups entering into the space arena in different ways."

From within the Tycho Brahe capsule, the lone adventurer will see the Earth fall away beneath him through a polymer plexiglas-dome, allowing the brave soul to see and experience the entire ballistic ride.

(from Fox News)

Oh, wait. Beowulf was a Geat, wasn't he? He came to the rescue of the Danes when they were being slaughtered by Grendel. Hmm. Well, this experiment to put a man into space on a small missile is still pretty ballsy, and I think Beowulf would have been impressed.

Copenhagen Suborbitals

Remember

2011-05-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day
San Antonio, Texas

The NFL is a protection racket

2011-05-22T19:47:00.000-07:00

No, really. One of the league's stars admits as much, and an online commentator agrees with him.

For all the craziness that is associated with Ray Lewis, the man sure does seem to speak the truth on big issues. The latest one? How the lockout might affect our society as a whole, and what it might do to the nation's crime rate.

No, he isn't just talking about the players. Ray thinks if the lockout continues and there is no NFL season, crime will increase because people will be so distraught without one of their favorite past times.

...

The man has a point. Football fans will have to find other things to do without their favorite game being played if the NFL does decide to go with this lockout, and Lewis is just pointing out facts about this. If any sport or big event was dumped, it would force people to look for other things to do, and I think that's the point Lewis is making here.

Just add it to the growing list of reasons why the NFL lockout would be a bad thing.

(from Shane Bacon at Shutdown Corner)

Did you get that? Ray Lewis says that he and his buddies need to be paid to play or we will all suffer from increased crime. And Shane Bacon thinks the man's on to something!

Hey, football's great, but it ain't so great that it keeps career criminals in check, allowing us to live in a functioning society that otherwise wouldn't function. If that were the case, then the months of February through September would be lawless mayhem in the streets every year. But criminals don't really work that way. They strike when they will and when they feel they need to, and, though I'm sure they like sports, these same criminals really won't suffer too much if just the NFL loses its season. There's still baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer (I think), and even arena football and Canadian football. Wrestling, too. There are plenty of sports to watch (with overlapping seasons, even!), and it's the pinnacle of hubris for Ray Lewis to think that his own sport is the only one that saves us from things that go bump in the night.

Nice society you have there. Be a shame if anything were to happen to it.

Standing up for the flag

2011-05-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Times sure have changed. Nowadays it seems college students no longer think it's cool to burn Old Glory.

A student’s plans to burn an American flag on the LSU campus were cut short when thousands of combative counter demonstrators arrived on scene, prompting police to escort the student to safety.

Crowds wearing red, white and blue and chanting “U-S-A” threw water balloons and ice at Benjamin Haas, a communication studies graduate student, while he tried to read a prepared statement in front of an estimated crowd of 1,500 to 2,500 students and community members.

Haas publicized the event on Facebook and obtained a permit for peaceful protest from the university, according to LSU Media Relations Director Ernie Ballard. But when he found out he also needed a burn permit from the city to set fire to a flag, he decided to read a statement instead – but the rival protesters still would not let up.

...

Haas organized the protest in response to the arrest of fellow LSU student Isaac Eslava, who was charged last week for taking the American flag at the Baton Rouge campus’ historic War Memorial and burning it hours after news of Usama bin Laden’s killing by U.S. Navy Seals.

I hope the attitudes of Haas and Eslava are the rarity these days. And, according to LSU student government president Cody Wells, they just might be.

“My main message behind all of this is that it’s time for my generation and our society to start speaking up so that the minority voice does not always seem like the loudest voice,” Wells said. “(Haas) did have right to burn the flag, but it was not an honorable thing for him to do and our student body and fellow Louisianans made that very clear today as they rallied on campus to show support for our county.”

I have nothing to add to that sentiment. I can only back it up with the earnest words of Wang Chi: "Here's to the Army and Navy and the battles they have won; here's to America's colors, the colors that never run."

Here, indeed.

"Virgin Galactic's Space Tourist Ship Passes Major Flight Test"

2011-05-04T20:23:00.001-07:00

I love to hear encouraging news like this.

A private spaceship built to carry space tourists on suborbital flights for the company Virgin Galactic passed a major glide test flight while flying over California's Mojave Desert today (May 4): The spacecraft tested out the novel system it will use when re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
Today's flight marked Virgin Galactic's seventh glide test for its first SpaceShipTwo spacecraft, called the VSS Enterprise, and took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port.
SpaceShipTwo was carried to its high-altitude drop zone by the WhiteKnightTwo mothership, VMS Eve. Both vehicles have been designed and built by Scaled Composites of Mojave, Calif., an aerospace and specialty composites development company.

(from Leonard David at Space.com)

And I love to hear the words "private spaceship". It somehow makes the possibilities seem that much closer.

"Usama Bin Laden Is Dead, Sources Confirm"

2011-05-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

Well, good.

What I just tried today

2011-04-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

This is another seasonal offering from the folks at Spoetzl Brewery, and I really like that this beer maker takes risks and tries new flavors. I happen to like quite a few of them, and I admire their experimenting spirit.

But I'm disappointed when they fail.

Just like my reaction to Shiner Smokehaus, I took one sip of Shiner Ruby Redbird and I said, "Blech!" See, my eye was caught by the pretty label and the snazzy, summery name (damn, I'm such a sucker for marketing sometimes!), and I was so happy the Spoetzl Brewery had a new beer for me to try that I didn't take just one small extra moment to read the label a little closer. If I had, I would have seen this, and I would have been warned:

Yep. You read that right. "Ruby Redbird" isn't just a cute little name for a summer beer, it actually describes the taste, as in GRAPEFRUIT!!! Flavored with ginger, to boot!

Oh, God.

Spoetzl, Spoetzl, Spoetzl ...... why, oh why did you think this would be a great idea? Didn't you learn your lesson with smoke-flavored beer? Stick to Bock, and Black Lager, and Hefeweizen, and even Holiday Cheer for the Christmas season, and then please, please stay away from any odd-tasting citrus fruits as flavor bases for your new beers.

Please.

"A Member of The Iluminati"

2011-04-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

As a Texan, I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed or impressed by this kludge.

Calling B.S. on a talking point

2011-04-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

Some busybodies want you to feel guilty for using disposable diapers, so they organized this publicity stunt.

Dirty diapers can be a mess not only for parents, but also for landfills — a problem participants brought awareness to by setting a Guinness World Record on Saturday for the most cloth diapers changed at the same time.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2011, organized by a group of cloth diaper enthusiasts, had 400 sites across 24 countries help set the record. San Antonio supported the cause with 73 baby/parent pairs participating.

Using cloth diapers instead of disposables is better for the environment, safer for babies and cheaper, said Kim Webb, the committee chair for the San Antonio site, held at a La Quinta Inn & Suites.

(from the Express-News)

But the main reason I bring this up is not to give them publicity (which I most definitely have, I admit) but to draw attention to this little talking point.

“It can take hundreds of years for diapers to decompose in a landfill,” Webb said.

Really? How does she know?

I'm not being sarcastic, I really want to know how anyone can determine that it will take hundreds of years for an item to decompose when that item hasn't even been in existence for one hundred years. My complaint may sound silly, but I find claims like this to be flippant, as in frivolously disrespectful and shallow. Every time I hear something like this -- and it's always from an environmentalist that wants me to change the way I live my life -- my bullshit meter shoots to the red. I can't help thinking they are throwing out an arbitrary number to scare anyone in earshot because they don't think they can win the debate by the merits of their arguments alone. Why else would they use such a tactic?

Hundreds of years in a landfill before a diaper breaks down? Bullshit. Five hundred years for a styrofoam cup? Bullshit. One thousand years for a plastic bag? Absolute bullshit! (Take note, City Council.)

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for reducing waste where practical and for generally not dirtying up the air we breathe or the water we drink. But let's be reasonable, and let's propose new ways of reducing pollution and disposing of trash without resorting to crap statistics that cannot be proven or disproven for another couple of centuries.

(Crossposted at Strange in San Antonio)

Not knowing a damned thing about the space program

2011-04-17T19:20:00.001-07:00

I am very disappointed that Houston did not get selected as a site for one of the retired space shuttles. And, even though I think his actions are not going to amount to anything in the end, I do have to give credit to Texas Representative Ted Poe (Republican) for at least saying something about this poor decision.

"NASA made a mistake," Poe said during a Sunday interview with Fox News. "People understand the center of space exploration is at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. It has been for almost 50 years. It is a historical snub, if you will, to take the shuttle and put it somewhere else."

Poe added that sending Enterprise to New York was "like putting the Statue of Liberty in Omaha."

(from Fox News)

I don't necessarily buy his Statue of Liberty comparison, but I agree with Poe, and he does show at least a fundamental knowledge of the space program and its history. Sadly, the same cannot be said for Beth Sullivan, the journalist who wrote this article. Her penultimate paragraph states this:

Johnson Mission Control ran every shuttle mission, including Apollo 13, when the infamous line, "Houston, we have a problem" was spoken.

*sigh*

Really? Is Ms. Sullivan truly under the impression that this thing:

is the same as this thing?

And was there really no editor anywhere that could have caught this slip? If so, then journalism truly is in a sad state these days. I know, I shouldn't be surprised, but sometimes I still am.

Oh, and just to be picky, the actual line was "Houston, we've had a problem."

"Iran Blames U.S., Israel For Stuxnet Computer Worm"

2011-04-16T22:07:00.000-07:00

Glad to know us Texans could help.

A senior Iranian military official says experts have determined the United States and Israel were behind a mysterious computer worm known as Stuxnet that has harmed Iran's nuclear program.

Gholam Reza Jalali says investigations by Iranian experts show that Stuxnet originated from the U.S. state of Texas and Israel.

Does Texas Instruments handle software and programs? If so, it would be really cool if they were the ones that wrote the worm.

Not quite getting it right

2011-04-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was watching Pawn Stars (which is fairly entertaining and not a bad way to wind down at the end of the night), and some guy came into the pawn shop trying to sell them an R2D2 Pepsi cooler.

Like this.

They shop owners didn't buy it because the guy selling it wanted too much money, but they did talk about it, and when they showed a plate of the droid cooler with a description of it, they had some music playing in the background. And it was this:

Now, I understand that the producers were unable or unwilling to pay for the rights to use John Williams' actual music for their little pawn show, especially for such a short duration, but, c'mon History Channel! Who are you foolin'? Everybody knows that music is not the Star Wars theme! And, even though I absolutely love almost everything written by Dvořák, I found it a little insulting that they would use such a classic work, try to pass it off as Star Wars, and think nobody would notice!

I noticed. And it bugged me.

Do better next time, History.

"Navy Laser Sets Ship on Fire"

2011-04-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

The future is now.

Researchers mounted the Maritime Laser Demonstrator, a solid-state laser, aboard the USS Paul Foster, a decommissioned destroyer. Off the central California coast near San Nicholas Island on Wednesday, the laser fired a 15-kilowatt beam at an inflatable motorboat a mile away as both ships moved through the sea. As the above video shows, there was a flash on the boat’s outboard engines, igniting both of them in seconds, and leaving the ship dead in the choppy waters.

All previous tests of the laser have come on land — steady, steady land — aside from an October test of the targeting systems. But for the first time, the Office of Naval Research has proven that its laser can operate in a “no-kidding maritime environment,” says its proud director, Rear Adm. Nevin Carr.

Make sure you click the link to Wired.com to watch the video. It's pretty cool.

Fish of the day

2011-04-10T18:17:00.000-07:00

How can you not like a fish called the "sarcastic fringehead"?

Huh, how can you?

When is an orbit not an orbit?

2011-04-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

When it is the orbit of a weird asteroid.

A newfound asteroid has been discovered to be trailing Earth on an oddball course: an orbit that looks a lot like a horseshoe.

The space rock, called asteroid 2010 SO16, has been following Earth as our planet orbits the sun for at least 250,000 years and is up to 1,312 feet (400 meters) wide, scientists said. It was initially spotted by NASA's WISE infrared space observatory.

"Its average distance from the sun is identical to that of the Earth, but what really impressed me at the time was how Earth-like its orbit was," said Apostolos Christou, an astronomer at the Armagh Observatory in the United Kingdom, who led the study that pinned down the asteroid's orbit.

...

Currently, the asteroid is at a point in its orbit that brings it near the horseshoe's tip that trails the Earth. But despite its apparent attachment to Earth's orbit, the asteroid poses no risk of smacking our planet.

"This asteroid is terraphobic," Christou said. "It keeps well away from the Earth. So well, in fact, that it has likely been in this orbit for several hundred thousand years, never coming closer to our planet than 50 times the distance to the moon."

...

Asteroid 2010 SO16 is not the only space rock known to circle the sun in a horseshoe pattern that brings it near Earth. At least three other asteroids are known to have similar orbits, though not as stable as that of 2010 SO16, researchers said. Those other asteroids will linger in Earth's neighborhood for a few thousand years before moving on, they added.

(from Space.com)

Horseshoe pattern? Looks more like a "C" to me.

Ambiguous headline of the day

2011-04-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

"Puppies Found Abandoned By Dumpster"

Dumpsters are such bastards.

Finding planets

2011-04-02T17:17:00.000-07:00

How may planets are out there in the universe?

Oh, many thousands and thousands. And we've only just begun to find them all.

A photo may be worth 1,000 words, but a new depiction of NASA's Kepler mission is worth 1,235 potential alien planets. Created by a devoted mission scientist, the image takes stock of the Kepler observatory's prolific planet-hunting results so far.

The illustration shows all of Kepler's candidate planets — which await confirmation by follow-up observations — crossing the face of their host stars. This provides scale, and it's also a nod to Kepler's planet-hunting strategy: The spacecraft detects alien worlds by measuring the telltale dips in a star's brightness that occur during these planetary "transits."

The graphic is the brainchild of scientist Jason Rowe, who created it in an attempt convey Kepler's exoplanet discoveries to the masses in a clear, concise manner.

"The graphic itself has been great to show to people. There is lots of interesting astrophysics that one can present," Rowe, a member of the Kepler team at NASA's Ames Research Center and the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute, told SPACE.com. "My favorite one so far is that planets can be just as big as some of the smallest stars."

In Rowe's graphic, the parent stars of Kepler's potential alien worlds are arranged by size, with the largest at the top left of the diagram and the smallest at the bottom right. For reference, our own sun is shown sitting by itself, just beneath the top row. Both Jupiter and Earth are depicted transiting the sun in the illustration, researchers said.

(from Fox News)

They're out there, all those planets, just waiting for us to get out there to them. Now, let's find a way to get going.