Backgrounds!

So... I've hinted at it, and talked about it, but have never put forth an effort to really quantify it in many respects. Here, now, is a capture of my current 926 background images that I have set to rotate every 10 minutes on my computer. 

These images have been shamelessly stolen from around the interwebs, and photo collections of friends. I've had some people curious about it, and haven't wanted to think about how to post 1.64GB of images for the curious - so: thumbnails. The original size of this thumbnail image is 3884 x 7018, and all of the images are 4096 x 1152.

Parking lottery

Parking lot repaving: I was required a couple of weeks ago, to vacate the parking spot in my apartment complex by 6:45am, and was asked not to return until 7:00pm. Again, a couple of days later, the same thing. 24 hours out of the lot. In both notices, posted in my parking stall, there was a start time, and an end time. Yesterday, I was asked to vacate by 6:45am again. I came home to a closed gate, and driveways were taped off. I went to the grocery store on foot after parking my car in the remote lot that they suggested we use. I walk back with two arms full of groceries after 7:00pm to find that the gates were open, the tape was gone, and cars were parked inside. So I moved my car into my stall.

This morning I get a note, that I entered prematurely, and I am to be held partially responsible for any damage to the new paving job. o_O There was no return time posted on the last notice. I didn't open the gate, or move the tape, nor was I the first car back in the lot. How is this my fault?

We're Going To Have To Deal With This For The Rest Of Our Lives

You don't have to believe it, but on July 20th, 1969, humans took a step on the moon. There is scientific evidence the prove it, samples brought back to confirm it, and hours upon hours of video, and film from still-photography from the moon. We just lost the first man to step on the moon, Neil Armstrong, to complications from heart surgery, but tell his friend Buzz that the moon landing was a hoax, and he'll punch you in the face. There are a gazillion ways to prove it, but for some reason, there still exist a sub-set of the population that still thinks that the United States Government is capable of keeping a secret for longer than five seconds. If you want to be that... diluted, I don't guess there's anything I can do about it but lead you to water in hopes that you switch to that from whatever Kool-Aid you're on.

But aside from what I guess I would classify as... passion?; there's really no harm in the Moon Hoax theories. Nobody died on the moon. Nobody died on the way there, or on the way back, though we did nearly lose a crew on Apollo 13, but that crew, at the moment is still alive. We must remember Grissom, Chaffee and White who were killed in an oxygen fire in their capsule during a dress rehearsal for the launch of Apollo 1, but they are rarely brought into the moon hoax discussions.

So, I was running through my Twitter timeline the other day, and someone was posting a conversation that they were having with a friend about the conspiracy theories surrounding the September 11th 2001 attacks on the WTC, the Pentagon and Flight 93, and it just plain angered me.

For every tragic event, the generation that experiences it, that event is cruelly burnt into their memory. My wife's Grandmother recalled not too long ago where she was and what she was doing when she heard the news that WWII was over. I bet she can give you even more detail about where she was on December 7th 1941.

I will forever remember exactly what I was doing, exactly where I was, and exactly what happened that morning. It only takes a moment of reflection for me to become enveloped in the pain and uncertainty of the day, and feel scared and isolated all over again, and I was on the West coast - nowhere near New York, and no one that I knew at the time were anywhere near New York that I knew of. I really didn't have any reason to be concerned for what was going on over there, other than the fact that I try to be a generally decent human being, and I kinda don't like it when tens--or hundreds of thousands of people lose their beloved mother, father, sister, brother, daughter, son, uncle, aunt, husband, wife or best friend. The fact that these people were simply removed from humanity in an instant is not something that should be made light of. Like in Star Wars when Ben Kenobi felt the pain of the people of Alderan crying out as their planet was destroyed, we all felt some sense of loss that day. We all know someone who was directly affected by the events of the day - someone who dropped their life to enlist in the military, or to go dig up rubble in New York. So, it makes no sense to me to mock this event with theories of conspiracy. It is insensitive, disrespectful, and inhumane.

But somewhere deep inside, I know that we're going to have to deal with this for the rest of our lives. There will always be someone, somewhere, that will find what they believe to be some nugget of truth in one of these fabrications because of their ignorance or some other infliction, and these ridiculous theories will somehow live on. If you are one of these people, and you want to live in denial, feel free; but do us all a favor, and for one day, put it to rest. You can have your arguments throughout the year if you so choose, but do this - on September 11th, simply remember. Be somber, and respectful of those who lost something that day. Have a moment of silence along with the decent people of the world, and remember the feelings of their families and friends - most of all, be respectful. Because no matter the reason, the loss is real, and it will forever hurt those that it has affected.

To not end this on a sour note, I thought it might be appropriate to share how I have chosen to remember since 2002:

It might help first, to know where I was and what I was doing. I was on my way to work from Rowland Heights to Glendale - I was on the 605N, just entering the transition road to the 210W. My routine was to listen to the local Alternative Rock radio station - 106.7 FM KROQ. That week, the personalities were on vacation, and they were re-running past shows. Their News man, Producer, and Showbiz reporter/man-at-hand were in studio to make sure everything ran smoothly, and they broke in on a commercial to inform their listeners what had happened, and what was happening.

Through Kevin and Bean weren't in the studio when it happened, on the anniversary, Kevin Ryder put together a clip montage to remember, and generously made it available for download to listeners. Since then, I have made it my memorial. Regardless of how I feel leading up to it, whenever I listen to it - well, it gets me every time.

I remember.

Do you?

NROL-36 Launch Viewing

This Thursday, September 13th, Vandenberg AFB is again attempting to launch the Atlas V carrying a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Once again, we are going to attempt to drive up and view the launch from a location that is about as close as we can legally get.

I'm not going to tell you where I am going to be, and I can't promise that I'll get any media out of it, but I will try.

I am excited! This will be my first Atlas launch, and it will be the closest that I will have ever been to a real rocket launching.

Are you going to watch it? From where?

More info:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/08/uatlas-v-launch-nrol-36-vandenberg/

NASA TV:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Okay, SERIOUSLY people - STOP IT WITH THE TREES!

YES, the California Science Center is uprooting about 400 trees along the 12 mile route from LAX to Exposition Park where Endeavour will spend the rest of its life. But they are re-planting more than twice that after the fact. News media is hyping this like crazy - to what end, I don't know, and they always miss the last part - THEY'RE REPLANTING MORE THAN 800 TREES WHEN THEY ARE DONE!

Understand what's going on here:

First off, it's only a 78' swatch down three major streets in the greater L.A. area, so they're not running into parks or apartment complexes to uproot random trees all across L.A.. Most of what will be cut down or removed are trees that reside in the MEDIAN OF THE STREET - surely you don't propose that these are great trees for shade, recreation, and having a nap under - at best, they dampen some sound. I have also learned that several areas along the route are sue to be construction zones soon, and many of these trees were to be uprooted anyway. Additionally, the city of Inglewood is not in favor of keeping the species that is currently planted, and when the trees are replaced, they will be replaced with a different species. I have heard that only 10% of the trees being uprooted are actually being destroyed. Take a look at the route, seriously, there's three major streets that this thing is traveling down, and all three of them at some point have a median that has trees planted in it - all but maybe 5-6 trees are relatively small, and relatively young anyway - it's really not as big a deal as news sources seem to be making it out to be.

Dis-assembly of the shuttle is prohibited by the terms laid out by NASA in the acquisition process of the disused Shuttles. It would also be nearly impossible to reassemble the Shuttle once it is taken apart, and ensure its structural stability for the rest of its life. When I was at the California Science Center, they said that they intend for the permanent installment of the Shuttle to be structurally sound for the next 250 years. It is the responsibility of the organization awarded the Shuttle to arrange for transportation and storage - which has to be environmentally controlled - which, for example, is why Enterprise, on the deck of the USS Intrepid in New York is in a blow-up cocoon rather than just being out in the open - even though it is a temporary storage location. The same is true with Endeavour at the California Science Center; a temporary shelter was constructed from the ground-up, at considerable expense, which is to be climate controlled--which is expensive; it protects the orbiter from rain, and sun. And when the final display facility is constructed, and Endeavour is moved to that location, there will have to be sacrifices made there as well. Endeavour is going to be displayed in its launch configuration with two Shuttle SRBs that have already been moved from Florida to Edwards AFB for temporary storage, and an External Tank that the science center is going to have made specifically for display purposes (probably with some interior space for displays or education).

From the California Science Center's website regarding dis-assembly:

"Is Endeavour going to be moved from Lax to the Science Center in one piece?

"Yes, we want Endeavour to be as close as possible to its post-flight condition immediately following touchdown from its last mission. Removing either the wings or the tail would destroy the protective tiles on the vehicle as these are very fragile. Even if the tiles could be removed and replaced, NASA cannot safely separate and reattach the wings or the tail without the infrastructure that is provided in the orbiter processing facility, meaning that the vehicle could not be reassembled if it were taken apart."

http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/Exhibits/AirAndSpace/endeavour/Mission26/Mission26.php

The media seriously needs to stop with the headline sensationalism, and present the whole story - and when you see something that upsets you - go dig a little, and see if it really is what you think. Better yet - stand up to the incorrect source and hold them accountable for their misinformation.

If it makes you happy...

A friend of mine posted this photo on twitter today that I thought was funny, but it reminded me of a story that I want to share.

I adopted a Beagle about 10 years ago. Beagles are curious creatures. If they are not constantly entertained, they will show you just how much trouble they can get into - TRUST ME.

So, we needed to find something to keep her occupied at all times. We found that rawhide bones would usually keep her busy enough to stay out of trouble... for a couple of minutes. You see, she would eat through them very quickly. We had to monitor them so she didn't eat too much. We found that when it got down to just be smaller pieces, and it was time to put it away for the night, that she would defend her bone with her life--biting clawing, scratching, etc. I always won - I had to, because I was alpha.. or was trying to be, but fighting her for them every night got old real quick, and really wasn't healthy for either of us.

Walking through Pets Mart one day, I saw a rawhide bone that was four feet long. That's literally, 48" of chewable goodness. I figured that at the very least, if she still fought for it, I'd at least have options for a place to grab that wasn't an interference fit with her teeth, and we could eliminate or reduce the fights for the bone every night before bed. Plus, it was going to be SO funny to see her walk around with that thing in her mouth.

We brought it home, and introduced her to her new chew toy. She was quite cautious about grabbing it and lifting it. Once she got started on it though, she seemed to enjoy it. She had to adjust her postures, and normal positions for chewy goodness because of the size of the bone.

This is a very smart dog.. usually. She knew that it was bed time, probably from our routines, and mannerisms. But she got up from her treat, grabbed it square in the middle of the bone, and began wandering around the living room with it. She walked it over to her food bowl, and tried to place it behind her bowl. But that didn't look right. There was just something about it that didn't satisfy her. So, a couple seconds later, she grabbed it again, and went over behind the couch, and placed it very carefully on the floor, trying to hide it behind the couch. But there was something about that spot that just wasn't sufficient. So, back she was, a couple of seconds later to grab it again, and search on for another hiding spot. She jumped up on the love seat, and paced back and forth, finally setting the bone down. She's getting smarter - this time, she turns around, and in the middle of the couch, she digs herself a hole in between the cushions, and places the bone in this hole, and then she used her nose to cover the bone back up. She turned around, ready to walk away, but there was something about this spot that wasn't quite right.

At this point, I am following her actions very closely, not out of concern - she's clearly occupied - but out of entertainment. I didn't want to interrupt what she was doing, but I wanted to watch.

A couple of seconds, and she was back at the bone, grabbing it from the abyss of a hole that she dug, and she was off looking for a better hiding spot. She started walking toward the bedroom, and that's when it got funny. With a thud, rawhide bone met door jamb. She was startled. Not quite sure what was going on here. What force-field is this, that she couldn't take the bone in the bedroom? She tried again, and bumped into the wall. She rotated her head as much as she could, and still couldn't get through. She was confused, but figuring it out. She dropped the bone, and clawed at it, turning it, trying to change her grip or something. Finally, she got herself turned around backward in the doorway, and grabbed the bone in her mouth, and backed through the doorway.

Once she got into the bedroom, I snuck around the corner, crawling on the floor, again, so as not to disrupt her. She took the bone over into the corner, where there was a built-in vanity in a kind of cut-out in the wall. Under the counter of the vanity, she clawed at the carpet several times from different angles, clearly digging a hole. She wasn't actually lifting the carpet, or anything more than some lint, or dust, really. After a minute of digging, she grabbed the 48" long bone, and placed it in this "hole" that she had dug. Then using her nose, she kind of bent over, and "nosed" the "dirt" from her "hole" back into place, "covering" her bone. Slowly. Methodicallly. When she was done, she turned around, happy as can be with the fine work she'd done.

I don't know if there's a morale to this story or not, but I hope that at least it entertained. Amazing the part that our pets play in our lives. Love that dog. Always will.

One of the Silly Things I've Done Behind the Wheel

Many (many) moons ago, I was young and dumb, and I had a license. We've all been there. I've done some silly things behind the wheel of a car. I'm sure you have as well. Here's one of my stories.

My way to work was relatively uneventful, traveling mostly boring stretches of freeway, but one place where I did enjoy having a bit of fun is the onramps, offramps and interchanges. I have always been one to know exactly where the point of convergence was between my talent, and the capability of my car, and I often drove close to, or right at it. Of course, in finding this point, there were times where I unintentionally exceeded one or more of those limits. Needless to say, I understand physics as they apply to cars, and how changes affect these parameters.

I had gotten larger wheels and wider tires not too long before this, and was still in the process of testing to see where that line was, but on this particular piece of road, I knew exactly what could be done, because I had been doing it for a couple of weeks every day. I had to cross over the freeway and enter a descending cloverleaf onramp that had two lanes: the inside was the normal lane, and the outside was the 'carpool only when metered lane', but I got there before it was to be metered. As I was crossing over the freeway, I see a semi-tuck enter the cloverleaf ahead of me. Devious and impatient, I move to go around him on the outside, right at my limit of adhesion. He quickly realizes that he turned in too soon and too tight, and begins to expand his radius so that he doesn't drag the trailer up on the inside curb. This reduces my lane... significantly, and I'm near enough to passing him that I'm confident that I can squeeze through before the lane merges back with the non-carpool lane, or he reduces my lane such that I can't get through - so I go for it.

I am already committed. I know through my extensive physics research that with less steering, I'm going in the grass. If I apply the brake, the rear-end is going to take over the charge and press on without me. More steering input and one side hits truck, one side hits grass, and I can't guarantee the shiny side will remain facing up. More gas will likely do about the same. I've got a real nice four wheel drift going on, and while the gap I have available to me is closing, it is going to remain large enough until I am past the truck.... and that's when I see that some service worker has strewn gravel on the cloverleaf, right in my path. Pucker factor +10. The rear end comes around a bit as I counter, and add more gas. The Colin McRae in me looks out the side window to see where we are going, keeps the power on, and controls it with steering input. I can tell you, that's the beauty of all-wheel-drive. I maintain the slide until the cloverleaf straightens out enough for me to let all four wheels come to grips with traction, and I continue my acceleration onto the freeway. It wasn't until I was in top gear at cruising speed with the cruise control turned on that I think I was able to breathe again, and contemplate just what had happened.

Don't try this at home kids, we're what you call 'experts'.

Dryden Flight Research Center #DrydenSocial Part 1

All of my life, I've wanted to be an Engineer. Well, except for that time when I was four, and I told my Mom I wanted to be a trash truck - not the trash man, but the trash truck. But I think that I embody what my wife refers to as endless curiosity, and as she says, I never stop dreaming. Some of the things I dream about I fully well realize that I will never see them in reality. Flying through the sky in a glider that can takee off with little more than a skateboard push towed by a Killer Whale, I never fully expect to see. There are some dreams, however, that while I never expect any kind of realization of them, throw me for a loop if and when they do come true.

Friday, May 4th 2012 I got to go to the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California - a dream come true.

Just being on base, in the same place where history took place as far as aviation is concerned was enough, but it got so much better from there, and in this series of posts, I will attempt to show you just how.

How did...
First off, you're probably wondering (either as a lay-person like me who never had a hope, or as someone who has had to jump through a lot of hoops to do so) just how it was that I was able to get on base. Well, as part of an effort to increase awareness through social media, NASA has been inviting its social media followers from Twitter, Facebook and Google+ to take part in rare and exclusive opportunities to be able to join in all of the fun and science, and see just what is going on behind the scenes to make what reaches the public stage a reality. I know, that when you think of NASA, you predominantly think of the Space Shuttle, and launching rockets, and space stations like ISS and all, but bear with me - there is a connection: NASA is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Aeronautics comes first. It had to come first to develop many of the systems that we now largely ignore as standard, and as you'll see in the next couple of installments, there is a lot of active aeronautics research that is continually going on at NASA, and most of it takes place at the Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) in California.

  

Announcements went out that NASA was going to be holding a #NASASocial at DFRC over Twitter, Google+ and Facebook, and on their website (for future reference, and announcements of other social media events, you can look here). As soon as I heard about it, I was foaming at the mouth, ready to submit my entry. When they made their selections, and I got an e-mail saying that I was in, I was over the moon. Immediately, my mind started racing about all of the things that I hoped to see, and what I would love to hear more about.

One of the coolest things about this event, was that from the very beginning, as people started turning up on Twitter with their exclamations over being selected, we all used the tag #DrydenSocial to be able to kind of find each other. Someone started a Facebook group, and we immediately began making travel plans, organizing carpools, and to meet up afterward for more rucus over dinner. Right away the group was sociable, and friendly, and everyone went over and above to make one feel welcome, and to get to know their fellow participants. I have to say that I was impressed, and found several people with whom I would love to stay in touch with for a long time.

The morning of the event, I got up at 0-Dark:30, and picked up my two awesome carpool buddies for the ride up there. The drive really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I drove up once before to try to see me a Shuttle when one was in town, but with no traffic, despite a couple of construction zones, we were actually making up time all the way there. A quick stop for breakfast, and off to the front gate.

I'm one of those obcessive people that when I know that I'm going to go somewhere, or if there's a chance that I might be going somewhere, I research it like crazy. A couple of reasons: You can see 'stuff' everywhere. Some of it is meaningless. Some of it is cool to look at. But most of it has a history, and if you know that history, then you are better able to fully grasp the magnitude of its importance in history. I like to grasp the magnitude of the stuff that I'm looking at had on history. So, one of the places that I insisted we stop is Century Circle, just outside of the West gate - a collection of the "Century Series" of aircraft on display along with the control tower that served Edwards AFB until 1998. I remember very distinctly, the smell of the air as we got out of the car to look around at Century Circle - it was the smell of history.

Enjoy some photos of Century Circle while I prepare my next installment.



One feature that is accessible to the general public outside the gates of Edwards AFB, is Century Circle. The control tower in the middle is what served the base until 1988 until it was replaced. The aircraft featured here are part of the "century series" of aircraft. LtoR: F-102, F-100, F-101



F-102 Delta Dagger



F-102 Delta Dagger



Another odd shape in the wing of a TF-102 trainer.

F-104 Starfighter

YC-15, a STOL prototype intended to replace the C-130 first flown in 1975. The first of two airframes built.

This shouldn't require explanation

F-104 Starfighter

TF-102 Trainer

F-101



F-100



We literally got here before the sun came up. It had been ages since I had actually seen a sunrise. Usually, I'm still awake, but this time I actually beat the sun up.



Dryden Social - the anticipation

I'm sure everyone has had a 'thing' for airplanes at some point in their lives. Maybe it comes on at an early age, and then fades away as career choices, and dating invade. Maybe it is sparked later in life, as some new fascination that makes you feel alive, and flying is the best sensation you know. For me, it's not the flying, the action or thought of flight or even the sensation of flight -- it's the planes. And it always has been.

I've been flying a handful of times in my life, and believe it or not, I've been in more private planes (single-engine prop planes) than I have commercial planes. I was taken flying when I was a kid. One of my Dad's friends had his pilot's license, and took myself and my Brother along with my Dad. Not long ago, my Brother got his license, and I've gone with him a number of times. Only place I've flown commercially was LAX to Seattle and back. But for as long as I can remember, if I saw something in the sky, I could sit and marvel at it all day long. The curtains in my childhood room were airplanes. The Shuttle was a fascination when I was a kid - from STS-1 to STS-135. Plastic models, paper airplanes, balsa and tissue planes, planes made out of clay, cut out of pencil erasers in class, planes made out of LEGO, flight simulator video games - all planes. Little else has come along that evokes such a reaction in me.

No surprise then, that I've known about Edwards AFB for most of my life. I've flown into it, and took off from it in thousands of flight simulator excursions in hundreds of different aircraft. I even drove up there once, thinking they might let me in if I just wanted to see the Shuttle that was there after returning from space (not bloody likely). I have pored over Google maps to see what aircraft they have sitting around. And then I go research those that I don't know by sight. Some of the stranger ones fascinate me, like the F-16XL, and the High Maneuverability F-15 with the strange canards in front. The X-29 with its forward swept wings and canards. And some just baffle me, like the oblique winged AD-1. Just the fact that the M2-F1 flew, to me, is awesome! (Of course, if you apply enough speed to anything, it will fly).
Friday May 4th will bring to me an opportunity that I have been secretly waiting for all of my life: I get to go to Edwards AFB.

Dryden Flight Research Center has invited me, and 49 other Tweeps, Facebookians, and Google Plussers to come and see what they are doing, and who is doing it. On top of *that*, we get to see... aircraft. Though all of my life, I have had the fascination with the aircraft, I have been learning over the last couple of years that it's not the aircraft that make the accomplishments, it's the people. So I am warming to the idea that it may be cooler to meet the people that make it happen than to just see the aircraft. I really am excited to see just what they have in store for us up there. There has been a lot of talk, and all of it is exciting, and I can not wait! They've even threatened that we might even get a chance to feel/hear a sonic boom, which for some is an annoyance, but for me is... a thrill!

Additionally, with the selection announcements, came a wave of invitees wanting to hook up and organize carpools, hotels, dinner, patches, stickers, t-shirts, and generally share thoughts and experiences. We've all gathered in a facebook group, and have been having a great time just with the introductions, and back-end of planning and preparing for the event. It's a great group of people, and I can't wait to meet them all. I'm sure that there will be fun and friends long after this event is over, and I hope that the connections that we make through this event last a long time.

Because I'll probably forget later in the midst of piddling myself, I want to thank NASA, and the people of the Dryden Flight Research Center for making this possible, and for inviting me. I know the event hasn't happened yet, but this is going to be by far, one of the coolest things that I have ever done.

I <3 The Interwebs

When I was planning our road trip to Florida, I developed, or rather, realized an interesting, and I think healthy habit: I found that before I go somewhere, I like to research about it, and what is there, and why any of that would be significant or interesting at all.

As well, with this upcoming trip to Dryden Flight Research Center as part of the #DrydenSocial that I have been invited to, even though I know a lot about some of the projects that have taken place at Edwards AFB, I find myself researching planes, and people, and research results. An insatiable thirst for knowledge is a curious thing. The more you learn, the more you want to learn. The more you research, the more subjects you find that are interesting.

Of course, what makes this easy, and convenient, is the internet.

Being able to sit in my livingroom at home with my Wife, and watch some TV, or a movie, and upon discovering some nugget of curiosity, I can almost instantly find out what about that intrigued me, why it was, how it was, who was involved, and what else about it might be interesting. In that regard, I am like a sponge - especially when it comes to Aerospace stuff.

On Sunday, we went over to my Brother's house for a bit, and ended up watching 'In The Shadow Of The Moon', and though I'd seen it before, there were all kinds of things that I found to be interesting. I won't bore you with a list, or rob you of the particular joy of discovering the who, what, when, where and why of it for yourself, but suffice to say, pause was a commonly pressed button, and it took twice as long to watch the movie than it did last time, and the time before that, and there was quite a bit of good conversation. I love that both my Wife and Brother share an interest in Aerospace with me.

Hermit without a shell

I used to think that the greatest thing in the world would be to become a hermit somewhere.

I've had my share of jading experiences for sure. High School was one. I think I knew *everyone* at school. I was the quiet one that just observed and watched, and knew everything about everyone because I just sat back and saw it. Never an instigator, never wanted to get anyone into trouble - or get myself into trouble, but I knew an awful lot more than I let on, and than most people thought I knew. I'm not sure that everyone knew who I was, but I knew them. I think an easy way to put it would be this: When they were reading the names for graduation, I said them in my head without a list, and with preferred pronunciation or appropriate nicknames. But at the time, I didn't care to be around anyone. I had maybe two friends when I graduated.

My work environments haven't been much better with few exceptions. Certainly there were few relationships that existed outside of the office, and fewer still that lasted for any decent amount of time.

I have had a lot of exposure to crowds. I hate crowds. It doesn't seem to matter where they gather, but when they do, there is little by way of consideration or manners, and this both saddens me and makes me furious. My parents raised me to be courteous, hold a door for someone, say excuse me if you get in someone's way, and don't cut people off when you're walking. I can hardly ever seem to get the same kind of courtesy from people in a crowd - even from older people, parents, and those that are old enough to know better. Full disclosure, I find myself doing the same thing when I don't watch myself, so I get it. I don't think it's right, but I get it. Sometimes, the parents are the worst offenders! My Wife and I spend a lot of time at Disneyland in Anaheim, and while I love me some good people watching, the crowds are the pits! It never ceases to amaze me how horrible individuals can act in a crowd. From Adults running to get ahead of kids in a line, to what they do with their trash - it's just plain silly. However, it does reinforce the desire to go become a hermit somewhere.

And I've noticed, that perhaps to my own eventual detriment, that I've become much more boisterous about pointing out bad behavior in crowds that is just intolerable.

Walking through an attraction once, I noticed a teen sucking on the last of a pop-sicle when he wrapped the stick in the wrapper, and was noticeably looking for a place to put it. Lacking trash cans within arm's reach, he thought he was slick when he stuffed it in between the knots of a rope barrier, thinking no one had seen, and he was rid of his burden. He turned to talk to his family who was straggling behind, and when they caught up, he began to proceed on through the attraction. I got his attention, and asked him what he was going to do about the trash that he had left behind. With the fear of a scolded child, he grabbed his trash, and walked on - his mother could hardly believe her eyes. There's no reason for that kind of laziness.

I usually have little interest in much of anything that puts me in the middle of more than an intimate gathering. Concerts? I've got the CD. Movies? I'll wait for it on Bluray. Conventions? I'll read about it online. I'll take crowd-free any day of the week.

But recently, I have been learning the distinction between crowds and people. People are great. Individuals are simply amazing. Once you remove someone from the crowd, they become fascinating, intriguing, rewarding to be around. And I'm not even one that is constantly working the angle of what can you do for me - there are just those people that it is a pleasure to be around. I didn't find many of those when I was growing up, or in High School, or even inmost of the places that I have worked. Just one or two, here and there.

I am finding that Twitter, and to a lesser extent, Facebook ae helping me to be able to weed through the crowd, and find decent people with which I would enjoy hanging out. I hope to make that happen in the near future - especially with those who live further away. I think I've come to the point in my life, where I am realizing that being a hermit is not quite the thing for me, and that there exist a number of people with whom spending time with can be a good thing. My hope is that with just the little bit of digging that I've done, and have managed to find the quality and type of people that I've found thus far, that as my efforts increase, so does the quantity of really great people that surface.

Road Trip Photos

Two years ago, for the STS-133 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery, my wife and I took a road trip to try and view the launch. Long story short, we didn't get to see the launch, but ended up taking over 18,000 photos on this epic journey. After returning home, and getting back into the swing of things, I finally managed to collect all of the photos from our phones and, five different cameras, and working with my brother, we developed a shift for the EXIF data that shifted all of the time stamps to line up correctly, and rename each file with a sequential number suffix, and appropriate prefix so that I could go through all of them to filter out anything that was bad, and do any other work on them that needed to be completed before I showed them off.

In a discussion for the Dryden Social, someone had mentioned road trips, and then it occurred to me - I never posted photos from this epic vacation that we took! So many people have been waiting so patiently for me to gather and post photos, and I have been a complete slacker, and hadn't posted a one.

So the good news: I have begun filtering through the photos, organizing them, and adding captions/tags to them so that I can post them on Facebook, and I might duplicate the album on Flickr as well. So if you were waiting on these photos, a little longer, I'm sorry, but they are coming, I promise.

An Awesome Opportunity: Dryden Social

My life is usually a little on the mundane side.

But on May 4th, I get to do something *really* cool: visit the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, CA.

As part of a #NASASocial, Dryden is hosting its first ever #DrydenSocial, and it has invited 75 of its followers from Facebook, Twitter and G+ to come see the facilities, some historic aircraft, and hear a little about what research is currently being conducted at Dryden, and meet with some of the pilots who conduct this research. They are currently working to make sonic booms quieter to advance the possibility of domestic supersonic air travel, and they have even threatened us with the possibility of being able to experience a sonic boom in person!

Beyond all of this, being able to visit the Dryden Flight Research Center is something that I have wanted to do my entire life. A California resident since birth, I grew up knowing that cool things happened there, and research is constantly being conducted in many different areas of study to better our understanding of flight, and just what can be accomplished when we dare to dream. Edwards AFB was the site of the Shuttle landings early in the program, almost exclusively, and it has been crucial to the development of most military, and many civilian aircraft since the jet age. This is where Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier!

My thanks to the Dryden team, and NASA for putting this event together, and for picking me as a participant! This is one of the coolest opportunities that I have ever had, and I am so excited, I can not wait!

Watch this space for an update following the event!

Car Maintenance - A Necessary Evil

I drive a Subaru. I love my car. It brings me joy. I had never really realized it, but my wife told me the other day that even in the midst of horrible traffic, and stupid drivers, I look at peace when I am driving.

I do everything I can to do my own work on my car. If at all possible, I do it myself - oil changes, transmission fluid changes, tire rotation - I've even changed the timing belt: something I have been forever fearful about doing because of how bad it would be if I did anything wrong.

Several months ago, I noticed a noise that I hadn't hear before. I was driving into a parking lot, and was told that I was not where I wanted to be, so I reversed out of the lot, and heard a 'thunk', and since then, a ticking noise as I drove. It sounds like it comes from the right fender-well, and from the passenger's side, it sounds like it comes from the left fender-well, so it seems to me like it is coming from the front of the transmission. Rather than being in one gear, or changing the speed of repetition with engine RPM, it is directly related to speed, and occurs in every gear. So, in doing a bit of research, and asking around a bit, it seems to me like it is coming from the front differential - a diagnosis confirmed by a general inspections from two different transmission shops.


In diagnosing this myself, I've had to learn a bit more about my car. I found the gear ratios for the transmission, and did some quick calculations in Excel to see if the frequency of the noise related to anything in particular, and how the transmission is constructed to see where noises can be located, and what might be causing them.


But this being a transmission issue, there are several things that are preventing me from doing the work myself. First, is the lack of a proper workspace where I can take things apart, make a mess, and not have to worry about offending people, or having to secure my property before I turn my back every time. Second is the lack of knowledge about transmissions, and I know them to be something that you don't want to leave to chance.

I saved my pennies, and arranged with a decent shop, and took my car this morning to get my transmission fixed.

Ignore the rental car issue - whatever.

Got a call that the transmission is apart, and it's not what we thought it was - it was gears.

Crap. The spendy part. I couldn't walk there fast enough.

I showed up to review the damage, as he promised he would let me do, and he said that the gears for each of the forward speeds are fine, as is reverse. The front diff is... immaculate. o_O

Problem turns out to have been a snap ring on the center diff that partially came out of its groove, and when I reversed at the California Science Center for the Endeavour title transfer to find parking, it poled part of that snap-ring out, and that's what was ticking against the case with every revolution (literally like a card sticking out of the spokes, slapping against the fork of a bicycle). There have been two instances since where while backing up, there seemed to be a sort of 'diff lock' - a binding of sorts - but it was unclear if it was front back or center: I always presumed front because that's where the sound seemed to be coming from. These appear to have bent part of that snap ring back upon itself, breaking some of it off. Those broken bits found themselves in between the teeth of the gears that send power to the front from the center diff.

The good news: There's no labor in replacing these gears, as you don't have to disassemble a whole stack of gears. Obviously, of one is damaged, the other will be damaged by the one, so they both need to be replaced, but replacing them is easy now that the tranny is all apart on the bench.

I use a special mixture for transmission fluid, and have for several years. I do this on the suggestion of a transmission specialist on one of the forums that I frequent for Subarus, and often worry that some straight-laced shop owner is going to get uptight about speculating as to the reason for things breaking, and odd wear, and declare that he knows all, and that this mixture of fluids is going to cause the world to spin backwards, and it's going to spawn the antichrist or something, but no - this guy was impressed with it's 'tack', and even his father who has been in the business for many years before him was impressed with what it did, and the condition of the parts inside the box.

The owner said that my car was nice and clean, and that he was very impressed with how well it has held up to the 160k miles that I've put on it (well, just short of..), and the interior components of the transmission all looked to be in very good shape - forks look clean, and show no signs of abuse, damage, and hardly any wear. He said that it is unlikely that if I keep this up, that I will ever have to worry about the transmission again. He was so impressed with the fluid mixture that I used, that he said that he wanted to put that back in it, and really was curious as to what it was, and noted that he may start to use it in the manual trans jobs that he gets because it sticks to metal far better than anything else he ever sees (and that fluid was old - in need of replacing 7500 mileas ago): When he takes apart another transmission, the oil is nearly drained from the parts in about half an hour - this case was open, and parts were WIPED OFF, and an hour and a half later, there was pooling of the oil on the gear teeth still 'stuck' to the metal.

Shop owner says that if he can get the parts by tomorrow morning, I should be able to drive it away tomorrow afternoon by close. I say not bad for a transmission rebuild. I hope he can do it - I can't wait to have my car back.

A couple of things about driving...

I live and drive in Southern California, and for what it's worth, I can tolerate my fair share of traffic jams, rude people, and random accidents for no reason, but I think that much of this is the result of an ignorant public. So, to see if I can't help educate at least one person, here are a couple of tips that I have learned about driving over the years.

Now, before you just pass this up, thinking you know it all - just take a read. If you learn something, then it's all worth it. If you don't, then feel free to laugh at me, and publicly scorn me.


• Pretty much anywhere you go, passing on the right is illegal. It doesn't matter if you think you are more important than the people in the long line waiting to make a left hand turn or not. Actually, that line is probably that long because of your douchebag bretheren that thought they were not only more important than the people in that line, but more important than you. And because they beat you to the punch, your idiotic driving patterns are just a sad excuse for second place, because no matter how hard you try, there will always be someone more douchey than you. Come to think of it, about every third driver is King douche, so your failed attempts just make you look that much more pathetic. Why not turn it around, and see how NICE you can be. See if you can manage to NOT fail at that.

• If you drive a pickup truck, an SUV, a giant monster truck, or even a large sedan, and you're the kind of tool that has to be first to take off from the light, to beat everyone else to next red light (especially when you can see that it is red), you don't get to complain about gas prices. The funny thing is.. me, just poking along as I do from one light to the next red one, I'm still right next to you - you've gained NOTHING.

• I see you driving by, complaining about me going the speed limit, and as you pass, all of the possible alerts, red lights, and your check engine light are as bright as can be. I'm willing to bet there's something wrong with your car. Have it checked out. Most parts stores will read your error codes for free so you can figure out what's wrong. Take your car somewhere and have it fixed. If you can't afford it, buy someone a case of beer to fix it. Your car will run better. You will get more mileage out of your fuel, and you will increase the life of your car.

• When one of your headlights goes out - replace it. Turning your brights on doesn't do anything for you but make it MORE obvious that you failed vehicle maintenance 101. Even if you just had your hurr did, and your nails done, it's not difficult, or tricky. And I'll tell you - you might just feel good about yourself for being able to do something so "complicated". And I'm sure if your polish is still drying, you can wink at the guy (or girl) behind the counter at the auto parts store to have them help you out. But do this. If not for you, then for me - because when you tailgate me with your high beams on, it makes me want to go slower, and GET in your way. And yes, I am pig-headed enough to presume that if you are doing this, your are a girl, because you're pig-headed enough to do this.

• Go ahead, drive as fast as you can - faster even, than you are capable of maintaining vehicle control. I'm sure you get so much from it. Trust me - I understand the joys of a bit of spirited driving, but realize that you do have to share the road with everyone else that's out there. I was young and dumb once too, and I've done my fair share of stupid crap in a car, but recently, I've run a series of tests:

I drove my commute like a crazed maniac for months, trying to eek out every extra second that I could from my day. I got nothing out of it. Nothing. In fact, it cost me a lot more than I thought it would. I've tracked my fuel mileage in my car from the time I got it with 8 miles on the clock, and a full tank from the dealer. I've gotten all kinds of mileage - my low is 17.055mpg, and my high is 30.873mpg - averaging 22.643mpg over the 156551 miles that I've driven it. I've done everything I can think of to get better mileage, to save money, to make my tank last longer, to drive more efficiently. It struck me one day when a friend mentioned his improved mileage from driving 55mph, that no matter what I did - my commute still took the same amount of time. So I tried something. I drove at 55mph. No faster, no slower. I went from getting 21mpg on a good day, to getting nearly 35mpg on my freeway trips (though this number falls with street driving, which is why I'm not getting 35mpg tanks) - and you'd think that this would soak up all of the extra time that I didn't have before, but no. When I drive during off-peak hours, it takes me a whole four minutes extra. Four minutes. During peak traffic times, rush hour and the like, it takes EXACTLY the same amount of time. I've tried taking streets, different streets, other streets, different freeway routes, and a combination of both - and NOTHING is more effective than driving 55mph.

Now, don't get me wrong - driving 55mph might not work for everyone - your number might be... 56mph. But try for yourself. I'll bet you'd be amazed by how much money you can save, and how little frustration you will have at the end of a commute, and how much wear and tear you are saving on your car.

• Every single freeway onramp that I have ever seen, and every single freeway offramp that I have ever seen gives you sufficient room to get up to freeway speed, or decelerate to street speed within the confines of the onramp or offramp. So, by the time you get to the point where you are signaling, checking your mirrors, trying to merge onto the freeway, you should be going freeway speed. None of this, I'm going 30 miles per hour, and move out of my way because I can't be bothered to turn my head, or look in the mirror, get out of my way because I am better than you and I am going to get into the carpool lane stuff. No, accelerate to freeway speed, and merge - one lane at a time, and zipper in where there is room just like a normal person. And slowing down in the slow lane to 30 miles an hour to exit the freeway is just as ridiculous. You have the entire freeway offramp to be able to slow down. There's room.

• I drive with a small gap in front of me. When there is traffic, especially. That gap is a certain size for a reason. I know my ability, my reaction time, and what I am carrying in my car, or in my head, and that gap is custom sized just for me. It gives me enough room to be able to come to a complete stop, should the vehicle in front of me stop suddenly, and it is there for me to avoid getting into an accident. Behind me, however, you will notice that there is usually lots and lots of room. LOTS of room. My gap matching the bumper-to-bumper dimensions of your car to the quarter of an inch is not a personal challenge to you to see if you can wedge your way in there - lift off the gas, breathe for just a half of a second, and slide in behind me hassle free. It takes nothing from your precious schedule, it actually takes less concentration, and causes less stress. Just slip right in there right behind me, and proceed to do what you were going to do.

• Freeway signs in California are abundant. They tell you where you are, and what's coming up next, and how far away things are. They will tell you how far away from a particular street, freeway, even city is. They tell you what freeway you are on (which you should know anyway), and even what cities you can be transported to by changing your current travel venue to a different freeway. The thing is, they do this MILES in advance. MILES! Be prepared. If you miss your exit, there's a thing about exits in large cities - there's always another one. If you don't plan ahead, and you miss your exit, it's okay, you can find your way to your intended destination. But there is no reason to cause an accident, shove your way in, stop traffic in an adjacent lane, waiting for pity from someone to let you in. And on that - if you intentionally delay merging because there is less traffic in lanes not adjacent to an exit, or you are in the exit for another freeway because it flows better, and then you want to stop traffic, and shove your way back onto the main freeway so you can cut 30 seconds out of your commute... no. Just keep right on driving on the wrong freeway and take the long road home, because now, I'm going to make SURE that your car doesn't fit in the gap in front of me, and I will in fact be rude to you, because you mistakenly think that your time is more important than mine.

• We are all familiar with zippers, yes? Perhaps you prefer buttons because of a childhood accident, or whatever, but certainly you're familiar with the concept? The 'slide' is only wide enough for one 'lane' of the hooks to pass through it - much like merging lanes on the freeway. One side goes, and then the other. When two teeth try to go through at the same time, something bad happens - much like merging lanes on the freeway. You notice the trend? The difference, is that zippers don't have the free will to become douchebags, and you do. So, chill out, alternate merging sides, and you'll be on your way shortly.

• On that note, merging, I notice is always a problem. Everyone does everything they inconsiderately can to move on up the line, and gain three car lengths to get ahead. Congratulations, you have gained approximately a second and a half. Way to go. And in the process, you've managed to nearly cause seventeen accidents, and upset a gaggle of other drivers. And for what - a second and a half? You know what - try this, the next time you're on the freeway. Because you have your cellphone in your hand anyway, find the stopwatch app, and time yourself being a complete tool one day, and being a kind, courteous, considerate driver the next day. I'd be willing to bet that if you don't gain time being considerate, you at least break even.

• Occasionally, the city planners, or maintenance crews, or CalTrans will come along, and change something up on you. This might be good for a mild surprise now and then, but really - on your daily commute, if you've been doing it for two or three weeks, there really shouldn't be anything at all that surprises you. Certainly nothing worth slamming on your brakes over. If you've been doing the same commute for a year or more, you should about be able to do it in your sleep - I see people that I think ARE, but that's another thing. But really, even if you're half-paying attention to the fact that you are in control of a rather heavy automobile, you can see things before they happen. I know that you're not going to look over your shoulder, and not see me before you merge into my fender. I see the semi-truck up 200 yards with a blown tire, and he's about to lose the carcass... wait for it... wait for it... and there's all of the brake lights, people freaking out - out of their minds - don't know what to do, where to go, or how to do anything other than implode from indecision. I see you talking on your cell phone, not minding that the road is going one direction, and you in another. I have to account for that. Also, for those of you that have absolutely no idea, after days, weeks, month or years of traveling the same road, that after you merge onto one freeway from another, you can't actually enter the carpool lane for another four miles, yet choose to cut off four lanes of traffic as you make a B-line for the fast lane. You've accomplished nothing, you selfish nit, and you're going to be stuck in the same traffic as the rest of us for another four miles because you can't enter the carpool lane yet. The same lanes are here today that were there yesterday, and the day, week, month before. They'll be the same tomorrow, and no, they still didn't add a lane just for you. But there is no reason you should be surprised by anything that happens on the road. Just relax, and drive.

I'm just sayin'