September 03, 2007
Christopher Hitchens speaks at Google in Mountain View, California
As a Googler, I have the most incredible perks, not the least of which is a level of participation in "corporate civics" that I've never enjoyed elsewhere. Among those perks is the privilege of nominating authors to speak at Google in a sponsored venue. One of my nominations, public intellectual Christopher Hitchens, spoke at our Mountain View campus about a week before my departure to New York City:
ABSTRACT
Author Christopher Hitchens discusses his book "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" as a part of the Authors@Google series. The author of Why Orwell Matters and Letters to a Young Contrarian, Christopher Hitchens is a Vanity Fair contributing editor, a Slate columnist, and a regular contributor to The Atlantic Monthly. He has also written for The Nation, Granta, Harper's, The Washington Post, and is a frequent television and radio guest. Born in England, Hitchens was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, where he received a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics. He now lives in Washington, D.C., and he became a U.S. citizen in 2007. This event took place on August 16, 2007 at Google headquarters in Mountain View, CA.
September 04, 2006
Beautiful things at the Pleasanton Highland Games
Yesterday I attended the Pleasanton Highland Games, the largest event of its kind in North America, with my friends Dale Seago and Garland Glessner. I'd missed a few of these over the last few years, and I'm likely to miss several more, so I was especially happy to have attended this one, since 1.) I serendipitously met some friends I'd not seen in years, 2.) I got to hear the Wicked Tinkers live, and 3.) I met this sweet young lady, selling handmade silver whiskey flasks:
She'll be working at the Northern California Renaissance Faire this fall; find her and say hello. Sorry, won't tell you her name, you'll have to work for it...
June 18, 2006
Yes, this really did happen...
...yesterday at Vertical Challenge 2006 at San Carlos Airport, California, a car hoisted down the length of a runway, then dropped it:
I'm very happy I had my Olympus E-1 kit in the trunk of my car, since my friend and I stumbled on this airshow quite by accident, seeing all the helicopter activity from the highway whilst driving north intending to watch the jumbos landing at SFO, from the shoreline at Burlingame.
February 18, 2006
Me and Dale Seago at a recent Rabbie Burns Birthday celebration
Meant to put this up a few weeks ago: me and Dale Seago at a recent (21 January 2006) Rabbie Burns Birthday celebration in front of San Francisco's Edinburgh Castle Pub:
It was busy that night: I managed to snag the last booth upstairs in the mezzanine area, with a sightline into the area where we expected the haggis to be piped in. It took an hour and a half to get our fish & chips, which were worth the wait; they're made at some nearby mom & pop shop and delivered in. In the meantime, we enjoyed a few of the most excellent Belhaven peat-smoked ales, my first time trying that, and I thank Dale for introducing it to me.
The festivities were well worth the trip up to the city. The piper was very good - and looked every bit the part, wish I'd snagged a good shot of him - and the Burns poetry readings were rousing, marred only ever so slightly by some rather self-consciously narcissistic political posturing on the part of a (I'm not making this up) Scottish socialist lesbian Buddhist working class nun.
The night culminated in a hearty reading of "Address to a Haggis" followed by a free-for-all of flying forks in a frenzy of delectation. I managed to snag a small amount, happy I had any, and returned to the booth to enjoy it... and discovered to my gratitude that Dale had managed to snag double servings for both of us! I quite enjoyed it, and may even keep a small stock of it in cans for emergencies.
February 12, 2006
"Results 1 - 20 of about 177,200,000 for Support Denmark"
This is a pretty amazing number, considering that a couple of days ago, Google was claiming around 3% of this number:
"Results 1 - 20 of about 177,200,000 for Support Denmark"
...and growing.
September 21, 2005
jetBlue pilots: you guys rock!
As I write this, I'm seeing live footage of the aftermath of the jetBlue Airways flight which just made an emergency landing of an Airbus with a stuck nosegear at LAX. What an amazing landing! Hell, the pilot & first officer kept the aircraft exactly in line with the runway's centerline, right to the very end. Whoo hoo! You guys rock!
September 18, 2005
Day 1, Arnaud Cousergue seminar in Sacramento
I'm just about to crash soon, having come back from the first of a multi-day Bujinkan training seminar by Arnaud Cousergue of Paris (Vincennes, actually) at the Bujinkan Martial Arts Center in Sacramento, a couple of hours' drive from here.
That's Dr. Pete Lohstroh, a UC Davis reproductive biologist, and myself. Pete's interested in medical nanotechology too, by the way, but that's deliberately off topic. I really do meet cool people in this art.
The shiner I acquired Thursday night is even more pronounced in this photo, but it doesn't hurt at all anymore. On a related note, Arnaud ended the day insisting on the use of padded training weapons through the end of the year, for various reasons with which I entirely agree. To that end, on the way back from Sack-of-Tomatoes to Saint Jose, I stopped at the Home Despot near the Sacto dojo and acquired the requisite materials:
- a $1.97 bag of thin 6' bamboo rods from the Garden section
- a $1.97 6' section of 5/8" inside diameter foam copper pipe insulation
I then duct taped 3 pinky-width lengths of the bamboo together at 9-inch intervals, put that inside the foam, and placed styrofoam caps at the ends, duct taping those. I finished by taping the entire thing lengthwise.
Looks surprisingly good, and not at all like a late-night vodka fueled project. I took photos of every step of the project which I will be posting in a few days.
Time to crash now.
September 12, 2005
Quote of the Day
FEMA, in fact, is an illegal organization. It's mentioned nowhere in the Constitution (which lists the lawful powers of the government in Article I, Section 8), nor did anybody ever vote about it, neither you nor I, nor even the Congress. It was created out of thin air by Presidential fiat, and given unprecedented power to override, at gunpoint, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the rule of law in general.
September 08, 2005
Just returned from a 4-day tactical shotgun course
I'm rested now and recovered from last weekend's attendance at the 4-day tactical shotgun course at Front Sight Firearms Training Institute near Las Vegas, Nevada. I surprised myself by making Distinguished Graduate, so I'm now qualified to come back to attend the 4 Day Advanced Tactical Shotgun course. On the second day of training, Greg Carroll snapped this pic of me after the two of us had done our respective runs through the outdoor canyon "clean the hostage takers out" simulator exercise:
The (visible) firearm is my Benelli M1 Super 90, with a nylon tactical sling and a GG&G M3 Tactical Illuminator mounting rail in the 2 o'clock position on the foreend, not the 10 o'clock position GG&G recommends on their website (experience in a previous course having shown me that, as a right-handed longgunner, the 10 o'clock position allows the light to bump on.)
I'd last done a tactical shotgun course about 4 years ago, and so I was quite interested to see how training doctrine had changed in respect of that weapon at Front Sight. The men in the evolution I attended - those 13 in the class who were there for the full 4 days - were all at least previous attendees at another weapon systems class (e.g. defensive handgun, practical rifle) so the class was run at a slightly accelerated pace befitting the audience. Attendees were about evenly divided between cops, active duty military (a Marine heading back to Iraq soon) and private citizens, all of whom were treated exactly the same by the instructional staff, the excellent Chuck Burnett and John Pierson.
One difference I noticed was the much heavier emphasis on incorporating movement, keeping the fight dynamic, and training that way to the limited extent allowed in the "square range environment." I was particularly pleased that, after the Monday (4th day) afternoon skills test, and the "load and go" indoor tactical simulator, I was allowed to do several rounds of 2-man team shooting on the move, with my new friend David L. Loads of fun, and I was pleased to find that a walking skill I'd been cultivating the last few years, walking fast with very short tank-tread heel/toe action to keep the hips and shoulders on level planes, allowed me to get good hits moving both forward and backward, without muzzle bob.
I'm at a level of membership at Front Sight that allows me to take any firearms course free for the rest of my life, much like some golf club memberships. So, I get to take these courses again and again, which allows me not only to revisit, revive, and refine my skills, but also to work out equipment issues. I've discovered I really don't like the Lyman TacStar SideSaddle mounted on the left side of the receiver: it catches on my clothing, when loaded it dampens recoil (and hence reliability) on this recoil-operated weapon, and with the standard provided cross-receiver screw, was coming loose even though I'd installed it properly and Lock-Tited it. I guess a couple of thousand rounds will do that to the Lock-Tite. That, and I'm leery of over-tightening that screw for fear of impeding bolt travel. Oh, and there's the issue of potentially "egging out" the screw holes on the aluminum receiver. My friend David assures me that, should I care to keep the SideSaddle, I can send the weapon to a gunsmith who specializes in Class 3 firearms with aluminum receivers, experienced in setting up weapons to resist receiver failure, but I'm going to switch to keeping my slug rounds on a belt carrier anyway.
Nor am I going to solve the "problem" of having extra ammo by changing out the tube magazine from a 5 to an 8 round capacity. This is my home invasion repellant device... if I can't solve The Problem with what's available in that weapon, then I'm in a very serious situation indeed. I'm more and more preferring lighter, more maneuverable weapons the more I train, with as few bells and whistles as I can get away with. I've heard more than one long arms instructor over the years comment on how students will arrive at a course with their all-singing, all-dancing Space Gun rigs, everything mounted everywhere, only to find themselves quickly shedding equipment after the first day... especially when training in the 105 F degree desert heat. Heh.
Recommendation: check out Estate Cartridge's low-recoil 12-gauge 9-pellet 00 SWAT loads. I've used this buckshot at a previous shotgun course, and had made the decision to attend this most recent course with too little lead time to order more of the same for this class. So, I had a mere few dozen of them to use at various times during this course, instead using a mix of Winchester and Federal buckshot for most exercises. No comparison. At half the price of Federal, the Estate-branded cartridges gave outstandingly tight and nicely distributed (e.g. no annular "donuts of death") patterns, turning heads on the firing line and eliciting a number of "what are you shooting, man?" enquiries.
I had the pleasure of remaking the acquaintance of at least one old friend, who was taking a course on an adjacent range. Additionally, I was happy to have a couple of libertarian friends, longtime (but previously untrained) gunowners, take the full 4 Day Defensive Handgun course on the same weekend. Both men, Alan and Chris, came away from the experience very much more competent than when they arrived.
July 07, 2005
Murderers strike London
My friends Chris, Sean, and Tom, in London, are safe and accounted for after today's murder bombings. Chris lives near Russell Square, where I too lived a number of years ago.
June 03, 2005
Biogenontologist Aubrey de Grey, Stanford University, 8 June 2005
Cambridge biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey will be speaking next week at Stanford University, on "Why the prospect of dramatic life extension matters now." Talk will occur Wednesday evening 7:00-8:30 PM, 8 June 2005, at the Clark Center Auditorium. Thanks to Tyler Emerson for forwarding this to me; I do plan to attend.
May 13, 2005
"Guns for Tots" segment being re-aired tonight at 4pm PST
Jim Lesczynski reports that "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" on Comedy Central is repeating last night's new episode tonight at 4pm Pacific (7pm Eastern) time, with the 18 February 2003 segment in which he was featured, "Guns For Tots," spliced in.
April 26, 2005
"Serenity" trailer now online!
Bruce Sommer informs me that Apple has released the online trailer for "Serenity," the film adaptation of Joss Whedon's tragically short-lived "Firefly" television series. It looks fantastic!
March 22, 2005
Don Angier aikijiujitsu seminar, 19-20 March 2005, at Aikido of Diablo Valley
I mentioned here a couple of years ago that I attended a seminar given by Don Angier of Yanagi Ryu Aiki Jiu Jitsu. I missed last year's event in northern Californa, but I managed to make this year's event last weekend. I attended both days (as did another Bujinkan practicioner), and met one other Bujinkan student during the Sunday session at Aikido of Diablo Valley.
As has always been the case with Don's seminars, I enjoyed it immensely. Both days were Yanagi-style taijutsu training, no weapons this time (e.g. the jojutsu we did in April 2003.)
The first day, we did 3-man training involving breaking from 2-attacker both-arm wrist grabs (morote in aikido parlance). The second day, we did 2-man Yanagi "kiri dori" with reversals. Both days ended with recap training.
As usual, the training was incredibly useful: the principles of Angier's art are shared with our own, with an interestingly different emphasis on how to convey them. I didn't attend with the intent of "learning their art" - that really only happens with core Yanagi students, in their dojo environment, as is the case with us and our art - but what I do expect, as I've experienced in previous years' training with the Yanagi folks, is that I'll be able to see aspects of our own art from an outside perspective.
One solid claim I can make for training with these guys is that I'm forced to re-examine all the "unclean" (or sloppy) elements in my own movement.
Really, I can't recommend highly enough that Bujinkan students take the time to attend a seminar by this incredible 73 year old practicioner of a rare Japanese family art.
I should also add that the people I trained with, mostly aikidoka, were very good training partners, and incredibly welcoming, which made the experience all the more rewarding.
February 09, 2005
Xin Nian Kwai Le!
Happy Chinese New Year to y'all. I've got a couple of midterms coming up, so blogging has been light of late.
Wondering if this displays properly in most browsers:
新年快樂
February 06, 2005
Space tourism touted on the SuperBowl
Just saw this a few minutes ago on a SuperBowl TV commercial: Richard Branson & Volvo team up in a contest to give away a suborbital flight on Virgin Galactic.
December 12, 2004
Monica White on Bujinkan training in London
Yesterday, I attended Dale Seago's "Return from Japan" seminar in San Francisco. I'm reminded that my friend Monica attended a Bujinkan seminar in London, and had some good things to say about her training experience.
September 13, 2004
Assault Weapons Ban died today
The infamous "Assault Weapons Ban" died today. I wish I had more time to express my happiness about this, but I'm extremely busy.
August 23, 2004
Jeffrey L "the Hunter" Jordan is freed
Jeffrey L "the Hunter" Jordan is freed, with a few hundred dollars' fines (and months of expense and a lost job and other anguish,) and even gets to keep his own property. I first posted about this 8 months ago. I'm glad it's (mostly) over, with the exception of his upcoming expected fight with Verizon over their cowardly treatment of him. More news as it happens.
By the way, I did notice the glaring omission of the National Rifle Association in the list of those organizations that assisted Jordan. Figures.
August 17, 2004
Jeezus fookin' Kee-RIST!
One of the kittens (well, year-old cats) just discovered how to push out the screen on Peggy's second-floor office window! I'm sitting here, wrapped up in my writing, and Peggy comes downstairs asking, "Where's Lucy?" and commenting that her office window's screen was now down on the side carport. We both immediately grabbed one each of the many head-banger Maglite flashlights ("torches" to my UK and Aussie friend-readers) we have sitting in various rooms around the house and ran outside to the back yard. We found her quickly, shivering under a stash of gardening supplies. She was uninjured, but apparently had been outside for a couple of hours, and was a bit dusty.
We brought her in and in a fit of guilt fed her most of a bag of cat treats. Her brother Selmak, uncharacteristically, hissed at her: I'm guessing that's his way of saying, "Goddamn, you smell funky girl!"
I'm imagining that a Chihuahua, given a similar fall, would not have gotten off uninjured, the way she did.
I'll be looking for bird carcasses in the morning. I'm hoping the yard will be littered with them. If you're going to go through an unscheduled skydive, there should at least be good hunting on the ground after the event.
About that "price gouging" thing in Florida
I often keep the Fox News Channel playing in the background while I work, and the last couple of days I've heard the occasional newstwit breathlessly report on incidents of "price gouging" during and after the recent hurricane there. I'd been wanting to comment on the idiocy of the whole "price gouging" thing, but have been knee-deep in work. Doug Allen, I think, has said what I wanted to say (thanks Patri) in 'The "G" Word."
August 13, 2004
Not sure what's up with the Google IPO
Looks like that Google IPO I mentioned yesterday is actually happening today or early next week... I can't really understand their conflicting press releases listed here.
August 12, 2004
Google goes IPO, auction-style, in 4 hours
Google will be opening auction bidding for its 25.7 million IPO shares in less than 4 hours. This will be an interesting event.
August 01, 2004
Happy 50th Birthday, Michael Badnarik
Orkut.com and Chris Claypoole both inform me that Libertarian Party presidential candidate Michael Badnarik hits the half-century mark today. Congrulations on your continued survival!
July 16, 2004
Reed's Sporting Goods annual big sale in San Jose, California
Reed's Sporting Goods in San Jose, California is having its 46th Annual Firearms, Ammo, and Reloading Sale, which started yesterday and runs through this Sunday, 18 July 2004. They generally have excellent deals on a very healthy selection (for California) of goods. Every year, too, Winchester shows up with at least a semi-tractor load of their high-quality ammunition. I'm going to try to make it today or tomorrow. Any of my local friends are welcome to join me.
July 15, 2004
This is frickin' hilarious
Anyone who thinks Objectivists are lacking in humor haven't met some guy named Steve. Heck, I just noticed that an acquaintance of mine (and friend of my friend Alan Weiss), Amanda Phillips, is featured on this page, "Hot Objectivist on Objectivist Action" (or, for those of us steeped in Monty Python, "The Society for putting Objectivists on top of other Objectivists".)
July 14, 2004
Bob Tipton buys a Savage Scout .308
Bob Tipton has a less than stellar experience with a Savage Scout.
July 12, 2004
If this isn't evidence of a growing police state, what is?
Well, isn't this this grand: national concealed carry for cops has become a reality, but the rest of us have to go state-by-state for our "permits" to exercise our fundamental civil right.
June 30, 2004
Pink Pistols: Pride, & Protectors vs Predators
James R. Rummel passes on a fascinating account of harassment of the Pink Pistols contingent by goons at the Stonewall Union gay pride march. The offending security guard - and her goons - seem to have bought hook, line & sinker the dogma that people with guns are predators, while in fact (in this case) they are usually protectors. If you read into the comments, you'll see where a legally savvy person notes the legal basis for taking the guard and her 20 goons to court, in some detail. Interesting indeed.
June 25, 2004
Where do I sign up for such a cruise?
Many have heard the now-famous quote by H.L. Mencken, "Puritanism: the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy." Well, here's another instance of it in action, reported by The Guardian: "Britons caught on camera as shots of cruise ship orgy shock Cyprus."
June 23, 2004
Yet more: tour bus to space?
This is getting even more interesting: Eric Pavao sends along yet another piece (Popular Science) on the SpaceShipOne flight, this one intimating that Burt Rutan has a lot more up his sleeve:
After winning the X-Prize, Rutan will quickly move on to other challenges. During press conferences leading up to Monday's flights, he dropped hints about "going to orbit sooner than you think," an apparent allusion to the Tier 3 orbital space-vehicle program that he is reportedly involved in. The SpaceShipOne program is known as Tier 1, and Tier 2 would probably be a tour-bus-like version of the same concept, a vehicle capable of carrying up to 10 passengers on suborbital space flights. Under his contract with Allen, Rutan is required to deliver data on how much such a vehicle would cost to build and fly. Mojave Aerospace--a new company jointly owned by Allen and Rutan and disclosed this week--will own the rights to SpaceShipOne technology and would oversee future franchising and commercialization efforts for the system. Details will remain secret, said the cagey Rutan, "until we're ready to push something out of the door."
More video coverage of SpaceShipOne flight
Bill St. Clair passes along this SpaceShipOne flight coverage with video (you'll need to enable pop-ups in your browser).
Michael Badnarik on the O'Reilly Show tonight
Eric Pavao reports that Libertarian Party presidential candidate Michael Badnarik of Austin, Texas will be interviewed by Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly tonight.
Quote of the Day
The success of SpaceShipOne feels like a reward for my faith. I can’t say I’m terribly surprised – relief is more the word. If I were anywhere near the Mojave desert instead of freezing through a London summer, I would have travelled myself to witness it.
It’s a shining example of what like-minded people would say is the ultimate freedom – the freedom to create, to produce, to take risk, to try and also to fail. The freedom that can only fully be realized where our money (our very lives) isn’t taxed away for a variety of hare-brained political schemes and our lives aren’t regulated to the point of absurdity.
Most Americans reading this would have paid for NASA through their taxes – where’s your return on investment? I’m willing to bet that the VCs who stumped up for SpaceShipOne are looking forward to some long term return on their money.
I hope that those who advocate the big-government nanny state for various reasons sit up and take notice this week. This is what we humans are capable of – without the interference, guidance or regulation of beaurocracy.
June 21, 2004
"SpaceShipOne, Government Zero"
This is the in-flight face of the first non-government, privately-financed test pilot to earn American astronaut's wings:
The full story here. Now go out and buy a copy of Victor Koman's "Kings of the High Frontier."
Space history to be made in less than 7 hours
The world's first privately funded manned spaceflight will occur in less than 7 hours from now, with the takeoff of the carrier ship and spaceship from Mojave Airport at 0630 California time.
June 15, 2004
Japan takes delivery of first new Zeppelin airship
Via Eric Pavao: Japanese company takes delivery of first new Zeppelin airship, a 247-foot updated helium version of the original ships.
June 05, 2004
Maybe twitch games *do* help some new shooters
Today's the 60th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. I'm reminded that a couple of weeks ago, a couple of friends of mine and I went shooting at a rifle range in northern California, taking a number of weapons including an M1 Garand rifle which probably saw action in WWII. Here, my friend Andy Chen, a brand new shooter (and 18 y/o college classmate), fires my other friend's Garand:
This was Andy's first time out shooting... and on steel reactive targets set out at 100 meters - after having been briefed on safety and weapon operation - he kept up with us two trained, experienced shooters, at least on the sandbag rests. He's spent his high school years reading military history, and knows an incredible amount of factual data on weapons history. He's also used to playing first-person shooter games - in which I've never been interested, thinking them useless for training - causing me to start to re-think my opinions of twitch games.
An older gentleman at an adjacent shooting stall took some time to discuss the Garand with Andy, pointing out that he had ordered his own Garand (which he was also shooting) from the U.S. federal government's Civilian Marksmanship Program, which I've heard about over the years, though I'd bought my own past two Garands from commercial sources.
I'm encouraging Andy to join a local CMP-affiliated club and shoot a match this summer, so that he can be eligible to buy at least a "rack grade" rifle for as low as $350... shipped Fedex directly to his door (yes, they do that)! I don't see Garands selling at gun shows for less than around $800 nowadays. Here's a very detailed and interesting account, with photos, of the experiences of two CMP participants in the purchase and shooting of their own CMP Garands.
It's especially worth noting, for California residents, that a Garand is "Kalifornia legal", making it an excellent rifle to keep locked in the trunk of one's car... just in case. Also note that a number of companies (such as Smith Enterprises) do "tanker conversions" to shorten the overall length, and one can convert the weapon to .308 caliber.
June 03, 2004
1st private manned space flight happens June 21st!
Eric Pavao passes on this fantastic news: SpaceShipOne will be making its first historic flight from Mojave in less than 3 weeks:
Mojave, CA: A privately-developed rocket plane will launch into history on June 21 on a mission to become the world's first commercial manned space vehicle. Investor and philanthropist Paul G. Allen and aviation legend Burt Rutan have teamed to create the program, which will attempt the first non-governmental flight to leave the earth's atmosphere.
Paul G. Allen and aviation legend Burt Rutan have teamed to create a manned space program, which will attempt the first non-governmental flight to leave the earth's atmosphere. SpaceShipOne will rocket to 100 kilometers (62 miles) into sub-orbital space above the Mojave Civilian Aerospace Test Center, a commercial airport in the California desert. If successful, it will demonstrate that the space frontier is finally open to private enterprise. This event could be the breakthrough that will enable space access for future generations.
May 26, 2004
Russell gets kilted
A few days ago, my Bujinkan teacher Dale Seago announced on our dojo mailing list that some kilts he owned, including one he'd recently ordered, no longer fit him due to the continued success of Atkins on his waistline. He said he'd like to give the new one away to anyone who'd claim it. I'm a pretty fit guy, but I'm naturally broader-beamed than Dale, and the size he mentioned was exactly my size, so I spoke up for it. Last night in training, I received it:
Dale, last week, on where these kilts can be purchased:
These are modeled on the traditionally-constructed, khaki canvas kilts issued to the Black Watch during World War I. And for $99, you can't beat 'em.
Dale, today, celebrating the continued kiltification of his dojo (a subcultural blend you'll not see anywhere else in the world, folks):
Y'know, there was a time when proper clothing was outlawed, from August 1747 to July 1782. For Russell and the rest, here is a translation from the Gaelic of part of a proclamation that was issued upon repeal of the prohibition:
"Listen Men. This is bringing before all the Sons of the Gael, the King and Parliament of Britain have forever abolished the act against the Highland Dress; which came down to the Clans from the beginning of the world to the year 1746. This must bring great joy to every Highland Heart. You are no longer bound down to the unmanly dress of the Lowlander. This is declaring to every Man, young and old, simple and gentle, that they may after this put on and wear the Truis, the Little Kilt, the Coat, and the Striped Hose, as also the Belted Plaid, without fear of the Law of the Realm or the spite of the enemies."
I hadn't mentioned that the sense of "F-R-E-E-D-O-M-M-M!!!" (Dale's words, channelling William Wallace) which I got after trying on the kilt - and then returning to the bathroom to correct it, having put it on backwards - was fantastic! Yep, it's a man's garment. So, I wore it for the entire training session, leaving my gi trousers in my training bag. And for some reason, I just felt more bellicose, a feeling my training partners got to enjoy. Heh.
Thanks Dale!
May 25, 2004
Fantastic scented candles at giveaway prices
An old friend of mine, Redvelvet (who doesn't keep in contact as well as she should!) sent me email last week announcing that she would be displaying some of her most recent products, including scented candles, at a San Francisco house cum ad hoc art gallery. So, my g/f and I headed up to the City for some good and outrageously low priced dim sum in the Sunset district, then motored over to the neighborhood where she was working.. where we spent half an hour scrounging for parking.
We found the funky house where she was working, first encountering "artists" of the type one usually finds in the Haight district, then found Christina, who'd been given a corner slot on a semi-indoor/semi-outdoor veranda. I introduced her to my g/f, and exchanged "how've ya been doin'?" gossip for a while. Turns out she had a bellydancing accident a couple of months ago - she's not explained to me yet what that means - and decided to start a cool little business while she's looking for work in the field she's re-trained for recently, digital circuit layout (her first degree is in theoretical mathematics).
I was stunned at the dozens of fantastic candles she had on display. I and everyone who stopped by to snap up candles noted that these types of candles usually cost a multiple - 2 to 4 times - what she was charging. So, I'm telling you, my friends, about this (though I get no cut of her sales at all) because I like Christina and I think these candles sell themselves... see for yourself.
May 24, 2004
"Devils Hit Cyber Church"
Kevin Cole on Orkut passes along this bit of only-in-the-new-world news: "Devils Hit Cyber Church".
"Oh. My. God."
This was sent me yesterday by my good friend Tom Burroughes in London, who gave me permission to reprint here:
Hi Russell, you remember my friend Martin who came over to California back in 1995? Well, he did a crazy thing today -- he went to Lord's cricket ground in north London, and as a "dare", took his clothes off and ran across the pitch before getting booked by the police, all the while producing pandamonium in the crowd.Oh. My. God.
Tom follows up that, "I checked the cricket reports on two channels and I have not come across the incident although I notice the television channels often tend to brush such stuff [aside]." He says that Martin was hit with a small fine and given a warning by the police. Anyone hear about this incident? Monica?
May 19, 2004
Lecture: "The Artificial Synapse Chip: Towards an Electronic Prosthetic Retina"
My thanks to my longtime friend (I avoid the term "old friend" for such a young woman) Kennita Watson for alerting me to this lecture at Stanford on 23 June 2004: "The Artificial Synapse Chip: Towards an Electronic Prosthetic Retina" by Harvey A. Fishman, M.D., Ph.D, Stanford University School of Medicine, the Director of Ophthalmic Tissue Engineering and Chief Ophthalmology Resident in the department of Ophthalmology.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common form of severe and irreversible blindness in the U.S. Our research program consists of a highly interdisciplinary effort between physicians, engineers, and scientists to develop a neural interface that will connect the output from a digital camera to individual retinal cells in patients with AMD, thus bypassing injured cells.
I really wish I could make this lecture, but I have a bioanthropology final exam during the very time slot this lecture occurs (6:15pm for dinner at the hospital cafeteria, 7:30-8:30pm for the lecture). If you, the reader, can attend I'd love to hear your impressions of the event.
By the way, this sounds like a skillset for the type of research physician I find really interesting:
Dr. Fishman's area of expertise is translational research that uses a multidisciplinary approach to develop novel therapies for blinding diseases in the eye – in particular, Age-Related Macular Degeneration. His research bridges the gaps between tissue engineering, surface science, nanofabrication, chemistry, neuroscience and retinal transplantation biology in Ophthalmology. His background in new technologies and medical science is diverse including bioMEMS, chip-based microfluidics and confocal and time-lapse microscopy, neuroscience/nerve cell regeneration and macular diseases in Ophthalmology. He has made contributions in the fields of microfluidics, laser-induced fluorescence detection, separation science, and biosensors.
May 17, 2004
Back now, and thank you, Alan Weiss!
Last night, I returned from 3 days of dawn-to-midnight immersion in the wonderful intensity of the 2004 Foresight Senior Associates Gathering just in time to meet a friend for 4 hours' study for our respective chemistry exams this morning. Catching up with email, I just noticed that my friend Alan Weiss has surprised me with a donation toward the upkeep of this site. So, thank you, Alan! I really appreciate the action and the sentiment behind it (which I'll keep private between us for now, but which brought a smile to my face.)
May 15, 2004
Having a wonderful time, wish you were here
I crashed late last night, and woke early this morning, and am ready to do it all again today: the Foresight SAG continues.
May 12, 2004
There's a nasty little story behind Géricault's "The Raft of the `Medusa'"
I mentioned to Andy Chen this morning, when I saw him in front of our cancelled chemistry lecture, that I'd actually seen Géricault's The Raft of the `Medusa' on a visit to the Louvre in 1990. Hell, you can't miss it: it's gargantuan. Andy had mentioned yesterday on his blog that his biology teacher had discussed the work in class as a lead-in to a discussion of the urinary tract.
I'd read a bit of the sordid backstory of the tragedy of the Medusa, but never in depth. I just found a fascinating and tragicomic account of the wicked mess of blundering incompetence that inspired this monsterpiece of Romantic painting, an article on History House:
In 1819, when French painter Theodore Ge'ricault first exhibited his dramatic masterpiece, "Scene of Shipwreck" to Paris society, he could little imagine the reaction the painting would receive. Onlookers were fascinated and horrified, rather the way they'd react if they saw a particularly large and hairy spider. The painting is enormous. Sixteen feet high, twenty three feet, six inches wide (about 5x7 m), it depicts a group of desperate men floating on a few planks of wood, trying to get the attention of a tiny little ship on the horizon by waving their shirts around. There was a sordid, true tale behind this raft, and everyone knew what it was. It had taken place three years prior. It involved desperate men, howling stupidity, and cannibalism. And, with the painting looming over them, everyone was talking about it.
Happy Survival Day to Michael and Neil
I'm given to understand that as of today, it's been an integer number of years since the parturitions of my buddies Michael Reed and L. Neil Smith. In other words, happy birthday guys! Keep surviving!
May 05, 2004
Russian Systema Seminar in San Francisco, Saturday 8 May 2004
Last night in the dojo, our teacher Dale Seago inquired as to who might be attending this coming Saturday's Systema seminar to be given by Kwan Lee at Mountain Lake Park from 10am - 3pm. I'd missed the announcement from a couple of weeks ago:
I'm not in the habit of recommending other martial arts' seminars: to date, the only exception has been for those taught by Donald Angier, Soke of Yanagi ryu.Russian Systema, however, is worth checking out. It's the closest thing I've yet seen outside "the Booj" in terms of movement, concepts, "feeling", and philosophy to what Hatsumi sensei has been trying to get across to us. To get a better sense of what I'm talking about, check out some of the discussions [here].
I'm going to be at this one myself, and I hope to see some of you there as well.
-- Dale
If I'm recovered from a hip bruise I somehow picked up in training last night, I might consider attending myself.
April 22, 2004
Foresight Senior Associates Gathering 14-16 May 2004, Palo Alto CA
I'll be attending all 3 days of the 14-16 May 2004 Foresight Senior Associates Gathering in Palo Alto, California. I very highly recommend this event to anyone interested in molecular nanotechnology. If you're not intimately familiar with nanotechnology, but want to learn, I enthusiastically recommend the 8-hour "Fundamentals of Nanotechnology" tutorial session on Friday: I'll be attending myself to dust off and deepen my own understanding.
April 16, 2004
Penn & Teller BULLSHIT! new episode tonight
Penn & Teller are back for another season of the excellent BULLSHIT! debunking series on Showtime. Set your PVRs: there's an episode tonight.
April 15, 2004
April 01, 2004
Short note about last night's MicroMiniShindig
Last night's Firefly MicroMiniShindig was a more intimate gathering than the previous one in January, with 13 attending. We got a late start on the TV viewing part of the night, since I'd forgotten the DVD player's remote, so I ran home nearby to pick it up. Of course, that gave the rest time to enjoy the excellent food (the elkburger was a popular pick last night) and chat before my return. We had exactly the right amount of time to air "The Train Job" and "Bushwhacked", finishing just as the Tied House was being closed.
Unfortunately, in all my rushing around doing hostly things, I didn't get around to taking any photos for posting here. Maybe next time... if there is a next time. My original reasons for hosting these types of events included spreading freedom memes so nicely packaged in the series, as well as doing my little bit to increase the possibility that the series might get picked up again by a television network. Well, in the interval since the previous MicroMiniShindig, something like the latter has indeed happened: the Firefly movie has recently been greenlighted. So, we've won, at least to that extent. If I do hold one of these things again, it will only be as the result of at least 30 people agreeing to actually appear at a particular time and place. If you're one of those interested people, let me know, otherwise this Shindig thing is happy history.
If you're interested in this series, I strongly recommend you buy the 4-DVD box set and watch it for yourself.
March 31, 2004
Reminder: Firefly MicroMiniShindig tonight in Mt. View, California
Reminder: Firefly MicroMiniShindig tonight in Mt. View, California. RSVP if you'll be attending (if you haven't already done that).
March 19, 2004
31 March 2003: 2nd Silicon Valley / San Francisco Bay Area Firefly MicroMiniShindig
Following on the success of the 1st San Francisco Bay Area / Silicon Valley MicroMiniShindig which was held in January of this year, the 2nd will be held in the same venue:
Day: Wednesday 31 March 2004
Time: From 8pm onward
Place:
Mountain View Tied House Cafe & Brewery
(in the big biergarten out back)
954 Villa Street, Mountain View, California 94041
Ph: (650) 965-2739
The first MicroMiniShindig attracted around 30 people, and was great fun; see pics and a short account in an earlier account on this blog here.
I've reserved a section of the same beergarden for 30 people, but if we have more this time (and I suspect we will), I'll need to plan accordingly. Leave comments on this blog entry with your RSVP if you're planning to attend.
As was the case last time, I have reserved the use of the TV in the beergarden (which I'm assured will function properly), and we'll be airing the 2nd and 3rd episodes of Firefly (we watched the pilot "Serenity" last time). This airing will start at 8:30pm, after some of us are at least a bit liquored up.
Alan Weiss, AKA "WINBEAR2" on the Prospero Firefly Forum, will be in town again, visiting from Austin, Texas.
Looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones!
March 10, 2004
The Heinlein Olympics, or, a new "Survivor"?
A week ago, I referenced a famous, widely disseminated Heinlein quote, since I think it deserves even wider dissemination. My friend James sent me this note yesterday, which I reprint here with permission:
Hi Russell,How are you doing? So I read this oft-quoted quote from Heinlein on your website (yes, I do drop in semi-regularly):
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
I was thinking about it while sitting in traffic on the way to work and I had a vaguely entertaining idea:
It sounds like the basis for something kind of like a "Heinlein Olympics". Imagine a three-day event, a polymath decathalon of sorts, where one competes in a series of wildly divergent pursuits (like the quote suggests). The person with the highest aggregate score across all the challenges wins.
If done right, I would be willing to bet it could be a both popular and highly entertaining event, and because it would nominally cover such a broad range of tasks would have something for just about anyone who cared to try.
Just a thought, feel free to use or abuse as you see fit.
j. andrew rogers
Interesting idea. I ran this by the members of the smith2004-discuss list, one of who made the observation that this would make for a vastly superior "Survivor" style television series. I concur with a couple of list members that the above list would be a good start... with the exception of the last list item.
February 25, 2004
Minh takes a flying leap
Yesterday, we had a Lunar New Year's exhibition on campus. Here, my chemistry classmate Minh, a Kuk Sul Do practicioner, is caught in some type of flying leap (I really love my digicam):
He's shoeless: both shoes flew off within a few seconds of starting his demo. The guy's a ball of energy. He ended the demo covered in concrete abrasions and sweat; it all looked pretty cool. I know nothing about the art he practices though.
February 13, 2004
Cato Institute conferences in Moscow and St. Petersburg
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of a long lunch with Glenn Cripe and Dr. Chris Tame, at Harris Ranch in central California. Chris is an old and trusted friend from London, head of the U.K. Libertarian Alliance, who was in California on business. Glenn is a recently made friend of Chris, and now a new friend of mine. Glenn and Dmitry Kostygin were responsible for getting Ayn Rand's 4 novels (and one other book) translated, ironically, back into her native Russian, and published and distributed there.
Glenn has sent me a pointer to what he says is (and I agree) "an incredible event" in Russia: "A Liberal Agenda For the New Century: A Global Perspective". Note, if don't already know, that the word "Liberal" has a different meaning outside the U.S.: free markets and limited government. Speakers include Vladamir Putin and Andrei Illarionov, the latter of whom I have on good authority is a Randian free marketeer who's had some influence on Putin. Russia may still be a basket case, but it's in some ways an improving basketcase, as evidenced for example by the recent elimination of a progressive income tax in favor of a sweeping lower flat tax.
As an aside, I find it amusing to see that Dmitri's Ayn Rand website is supported by advertising from a Russian mail order bride service.
January 30, 2004
Ohio grand jury indicts Hunter
Ward Griffiths has alerted me to the news today that Jeffrey Jordan has been indicted by an Ashland County, Ohio grand jury. From the article, "New Hampshire man indicted for carrying concealed weapon":
ASHLAND -- A New Hampshire man arrested last month by the state patrol was indicted Thursday on a felony count of carrying a concealed weapon by an Ashland County grand jury.
Jeffrey Jordan, 42, was arrested Dec. 31 by a trooper of the Ashland post of the Ohio Highway Patrol after a traffic stop. He faces a charge of carrying a concealed weapon because troopers said they found two handguns on him.
Jordan is scheduled to be arraigned Monday at 11:30 a.m.
Some background on Hunter's situation can be found here and here.
January 26, 2004
Friday at the range with Alan and Genghis
I've been slightly busier than usual the past few days. I did manage to meet up with friends Mark Quon ("Genghis Khan") and Alan Weiss on Friday before Alan's departure for Austin, for lunch and for some indoor shooting at the excellent Reed's Indoor Range in Santa Clara, California. Here's Alan with his EAA Witness in .45 ACP with Wonderfinish coating (he favors the isosceles stance):
Mark Quon aka "Genghis Khan" shooting his Kimber in .45 ACP (Mark favors a variant of the Weaver stance):
It was brought to my attention during this visit to the range that the store carries several excellent books in the storefront, including two I had recommended to the proprietors a few months ago, John Ross' "Unintended Consequences" and Boston T. Party's "Boston's Gun Bible"... a pleasantly surprising bit of news. I was told they've sold a number of copies to people who've loved them. I was surprised to hear from Alan that he'd not read Ross' book yet, whereupon he purchased a copy to start reading on his return flight. I can't wait to hear what he thinks of it.
January 20, 2004
As promised, the rest of the pics I made at last night's Firefly Shindig
I have one more entry to write after this one, an actual writeup of my impressions of the event, but as promised earlier today, I'm putting up the rest of the (useable) pics from my tiny Sony CyberShotU digicam, after a bit of cropping, enhancement, and redeye reduction:
In the foreground are Alan Weiss ("WINBEAR2" on the Fox Firefly Forum) and a nice lady whose name I've forgotten (apologies!) Alan is a libertarian friend of mine from the smith2004-discuss list, visiting from Austin for the week on business, and the mystery lady is a Democrat activist... proof that disparate fans can booze together and have fun! Old friend Dr. Kurth Reynolds ("yes, I actually am a rocket scientist!") is lurking in the background over her shoulder.
Kim ("EARTH2KIM" on the Fox Firefly Forum), me, and Jeff Chan. Kim, like me, is an enthusiastic newbie. Here she's holding up a Firefly "Keep Flying!" patch.
Have you ever been introduced to someone but can't recall their name, through no lack of interest, but simply because you're the host and you're tasked with remembering everyone's name? Well, I'll admit with embarrassment that I didn't get this lady's name... but I put up her picture anyway. I'm assuming I'll see her next time!
[UPDATE: I mixed this lady's name up with the lady in the first picture. This is Patti Henkhaus from the "firefly_over_30" Yahoo! Groups list; sorry about that Patti!]
Kim, again with "Keep Flying!" patch and Jeff Chan.
Longtime extropian friends Kennita Watson and Terry Egan, and recently-acquired-2nd-Amendment-purist-buddy Mark Quon (aka "Genghis Khan") out in the parking lot after the beerhall shut down. Can you see it in the guys' faces?
Me (Russell Whitaker) on the left, Alan ('WINBEAR2' on the Fox Firefly Forum) Weiss on the right... before he remembered to smile!!
Belaboring the already-known, it's me again, with Mark and Jeff. This is not a vanity blog. Really.
This was a great little event and, as I mentioned, I'll be writing some general impressions of it in the next 24 hours or so. I did want to get the pics out there first, of course, so here they are. Enjoy.
While I'm on a picture posting jag
I'm still waiting for permissions to post some more of the pics from last night's Firefly shindig. In the meantime, while I'm waiting, I'll post one of the pics from the set which Fred Moulton handed me on a CD when we met at the event:
That's Anton Sherwood on the left, who was also in attendance at last night's Firefly shindig. I think he's dressed as "The Man with One Brown Shoe." Me, I'm dressed as myself. Really. Or, at least an aspect of myself. And yes, the blades are real. Party was at the home of Romana Machado Reynolds and Dr. Kurth Reynolds, Halloween 2003. Romana has always held cool parties.
The first of a number of photos from last night's Shindig
I have about half a dozen or so photos I took at last night's Firefly MicroMiniShindig. I have to identify some people and get some people's permissions to post before I put them all up. Here's one for starters, though:
From left to right: Kim ("EARTH2KIM" on the Prospero Firefly Forum), me, and Mark Quon ("Genghis Khan").
Great time had at last night's Firefly MicroMiniShindig
We had about 25 people at last night's Firefly MicroMiniShindig in Mt. View, California, and a great time was had by all. I'll be posting some pictures later.
January 19, 2004
Reminder: 1st Silicon Valley Firefly MicroMiniShindig tonight in Mt. View CA
The 1st Silicon Valley Firefly MicroMiniShindig will be held tonight in Mt. View California, and looks to be great little gathering of friends old and new. If you're planning to come but haven't told me yet, traverse the links to the RSVP instructions to tell me privately, or you can do so publicly as a comment on this blog entry.
January 17, 2004
10 Years Ago Today
10 years and 8.5 hours ago, at 4:30 AM PST, I was awakened from my sleep at a friend's house in West Hills, part of southern California's San Fernando Valley, by what would be quickly called "The Northridge Earthquake," which was centered a few short miles from where I'd been sleeping. For the following days, my buddies and I holed up at my friend's parents' relatively undamaged house... armed and comfortable.
You won't hear about it much - if at all - in official histories of the event, but there were humvees with soldiers (whom I've always assumed were Guardsmen) patrolling some parts of LA and the Valley.
January 12, 2004
The first San Francisco Bay Area / Silicon Valley Firefly MicroMiniShindig
If you want to get something done, you've got to do it yourself. To that end, I've taken it upon myself to hold the first San Francisco Bay Area / Silicon Valley Firefly MicroMiniShindig next Monday night in Mountain View, California. Details:
Day: Monday 19 January 2004
Time: From 8pm onward
Place:
Mountain View Tied House Cafe & Brewery
(in the big biergarten out back)
954 Villa Street, Mountain View, California 94041
Ph: (650) 965-2739
Other details can be found here. If you're attending, you should RSVP. If you're wondering what all this Firefly business is, read up on it here.
January 10, 2004
Kerry Pearson AKA "Lux Lucre" is dead
Reports from credible sources indicate that Kerry Pearson AKA "Lux Lucre" is dead, most likely from complications due to diabetes, at the age of 41. Kerry had been a sometimes-prolific poster on the Yahoo Groups mailing list for friends of L. Neil Smith. The Prospero Firefly forum is, as our friend Alan Weiss notes, "alight with the news of his passing."
I was not close to Lux, but I remember him as a kind, clever, creative man. He was kind enough to answer some questions for me on the Firefly forum when I joined a few weeks ago. I'll miss him.
January 09, 2004
EVENT: Support Jeff Jordan (Hunter) Saturday 9am, Ashland, OH
Jeffrey Jordan is back in Ohio to retrieve his stuff from the For those in the area of Ashland, Ohio. If you're in town in the morning (tomorrow, Saturday 10 January), Matt Gaylor invites you to meet Jordan:
For those within driving distance of north central Ohio, please join us for breakfast with Jeff Jordan, Liberty Round Tables' The Hunter. Jeff was recently charged with carrying a concealed weapon by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Jeff is coming back to Ohio to get his vehicle and belongings back from the OHP. You can show your support for RKBA and Jeff by showing up tomorrow. Please dress respectful, business causal would be good. Everyone who values freedom is welcome to attend.
I spoke to Jeff this afternoon and he will be in Ohio this evening along with DLT.
When: Saturday, January 10th at 9am
Where: Bob Evans Restaurant 1304 E MAIN STREET, ASHLAND OH 44805
Just exit off I-71 at St. Route 250 and head west toward Ashland. The Bob Evan's is on your right about 2-3 miles from the Interstate. Ashland is about 80 miles north of Columbus, just off of I-71.
For a map just go to Mapquest and enter the address above.
We'll meet in the parking lot, and then have breakfast together. Just look for a 2003 Black Ford F-150 Supercab as a rally point. Our presence will mainly serve as a respectful send off for Jeff and to provide moral support. Other details will be provided in person.
For additional info you can contact me on my cell phone at 614-313-5722 or DLT at 608-345-7731.
Regards, Matt Gaylor
If I were local, I'd love to meet him myself. If any of my readers do meet up with him, please leave comments here.
January 08, 2004
Quote of the Day
The notion of an overarching, purely secular society is a good and powerful one. It means that you can exercise your beliefs in your home, your church, your community, yet work together productively at other times, in other places, with those who hold different religious beliefs -- or even none at all.
A principal trouble with our culture at this minute is that so many individuals think they have a right to impose their beliefs on others by force. Moslems often believe it, but so do creatures like George Bush. It is my sincere hope that people will learn to keep their religion in their pants and relate to one another in benevolant and amiable ways.
If we can't -- imagine the Spanish Inquisition armed with hydrogen bombs -- it'll be the end of us all.
December 22, 2003
Another day at the range, this time with the .50
A couple of weekends ago, I finally took out my Armalite AR-50 .50 BMG for a spin. I've owned it for quite a while, but I hadn't gotten around to shooting it: I wasn't yet convinced until recently that I wouldn't break the scope I was hoping to mount on it, a Leupold Vari-X III mil-dot model with a Premier Reticle (3.5-10 x 40mm). Once I was convinced, I mounted the scope and took it out for a bit of fun, using some surplus South African ammo I'd ordered a couple of years ago. No intention of serious zeroing, but I figured it would be fun to get at least a rough zero at the longest range I could manage.
The range was only about 300 meters deep, so for fun I set up to shoot at a vertical paper target, figuring I'd try to adjust for about one foot over point of aim. My first shot, with the elevation and windage on the scope set to "0", resulted in a hit right over the target... 4 feet over. It didn't take me long to get the hits down to roughly where I wanted them. Like I said, this was simply a set of warmup shots (also remembering that the first few shots through a new barrel will change point of impact.)
One of the things that amazed me about this weapon is how light the recoil was... and how loud it was! Both aspects make perfect sense given the combination of the weight of the weapon (37lb/16.8kg) and a well-designed muzzle brake (the size of a Coke can.) The muzzle brake, in the course of doing its recoil reduction job, introduces a lot of noise to either side and back of the muzzle. You do not want to be within 10-15 feet on either side of the weapon when it lights off! Interestingly, in the shooter's position behind the gun, it's much more bearable... but less so 6 feet behind the shooter. Interesting acoustics.
I plan to take this lovely piece back out to the range in the next few weeks, under more controlled conditions. I'll write about it at length, and may even have someone do a video of the firing sequence, so you all can see and hear it in action. This thing is fun!
December 18, 2003
"SpaceShipOne Breaks the Sound Barrier"
Yesterday was the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' pioneering flight. On the same day that a hobbiest at Kill Devil Hills was trying unsuccessfully to replicate that flight, the real news of the day went mostly unnoticed:
Today, a significant milestone was achieved by Scaled Composites: The first manned supersonic flight by an aircraft developed by a small company's private, non-government effort.
Rutan finally did it! This is fantastic news; congratulations to the Scaled Composites team. Images and a related story are available on Space.com.
October 24, 2003
British Airways retires its Concorde fleet today
The Concorde SST was finally retired by British Airways today, after years of running at a loss. As much of an Anglo-French boondoggle as it turned out to be, I've always been a bit fond of the plane: the idea of a supersonic transport has always been, um, sound; someone will do it right someday.
Years ago when I lived in London, I had the occasional pleasure of seeing a Concorde crossing over London on its way to or from Heathrow Airport, in climb or descent configuration, far enough away from the airport that its spindly landing gear were retracted and its nosecone was pulled up in its sleek inline (unbent) cruise configuration.
I even got to visit one of the birds, and step inside, ten years ago this autumn. I was part of a small group of people who toured catering operations for British Airways at Heathrow (long story) with a side trip to the Concorde hangar. I have a ton of pics from that trip, and even a couple of cool ones of myself in the Captain's seat in the narrow cockpit of the one plane we were allowed to enter. If I have time soon, I'll dig those out and scan a few to this site.
I really wish that BA would cave in to Richard Branson's attempts to buy a Concorde off its hands: a Virgin Atlantic Concorde might actually make money, as well as keep alive a fabulous piece of aviation history.
October 14, 2003
China launches its first man in space... in secrecy, of course
Almost 10 months ago to the day, I wrote a short blurb on this blog about Shenzhou V, which was supposed to have carried 2 taikonauts. That launch happened today, in the same type of communist secrecy which surrounded Yuri Gagarin's launch so long ago, and featured only one taikonaut, Yang Liwei. CNN reports:
Quoted by Chinese media just before he blasted off into space, Yang said he would "gain honor for the People's Liberation Army and for the Chinese nation."
"I will not disappoint the motherland," he was quoted as saying. "I will complete each movement with total concentration."
All hail the "motherland": another ersatz superpower dedicated to making space its military summit. Yet another incident which compels me to recommend Victor Koman's Kings of the High Frontier.
April 28, 2003
Dale Seago at Schola St. George Swordsmanship Symposium 7-8 June 2003, Benecia, California
Dale Seago will be teaching at the Schola St. George Swordsmanship Symposium the weekend of 7-8 June 2003 in Benecia, California (near the San Francisco Bay area), bringing a cognate perspective to this historical European martial arts event:
Dale Seago will demonstrate and teach techniques of armoured Japanese combat, and Japanese armoured wrestling.
See Dale's excellent comments of today on SDF on the rebirth of traditional European martial arts.
April 25, 2003
It's DNA Discovery Day!
50 years ago today, Watson and Crick discovered the codebook of all life on Earth.
April 24, 2003
DNA Day at the Stanford Human Genome Center tomorrow
David C. Harris passes this along: DNA Day at the Stanford Human Genome Center tomorrow, Friday 25 April 2003, "to honor the 50th anniversary of Watson-Crick's article with the structure (and hinted function) of DNA."
April 21, 2003
Women's Safety Series - The ABC's of Self-Protection
Teri Seago will be teaching "Women's Safety Series - The ABC's of Self-Protection" on Saturday 17 May 2003 at the San Francisco Buyu Center:
This seminar is the first in a Safety Series of workshops for women to learn the basic self-defense skills that will keep you safe in day to day life. It has been created for non-martial artists who want to learn simple concepts, tact