I posted earlier about Comet Elenin and it's approach in late September/early October. But there are two other comets that will be passing though around the same time.
Comet Honda is passing through now and will be closest to Earth (0.0603 AU, 5.6 million miles) on August 15.
Comet Levy is still out beyond Mars but will get as close as 0.0484 AU (4.5 million miles) on January 7, 2012.
I'm hopeful that all three of these comets will be bright enough to get a good look at as I can't recall an instance where there were three close passes within a six month time frame.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
How Political Commercials Are Done
A fellow who goes by Jazz Shaw, has postulated a commercial based on a possible outcome of the debt ceiling impasse.
When the debt limit is reached, the Federal Government will no longer be able to spend more than it takes in. Without an official budget, there is no direct allocation of funds from the House, so the decision as to who gets what percentage of their funds is left to Treasury. So it is entirely within belief that Treasury would make small cuts here and there and all of a sudden, people can't get what they've been used to getting. That leads to commercials such as this one:
Effective, no?
Of course, there's also the potential crash of the bond market and a potential credit crisis to deal with. So we shall just have to see if either side blinks or if we actually go to this option.
When the debt limit is reached, the Federal Government will no longer be able to spend more than it takes in. Without an official budget, there is no direct allocation of funds from the House, so the decision as to who gets what percentage of their funds is left to Treasury. So it is entirely within belief that Treasury would make small cuts here and there and all of a sudden, people can't get what they've been used to getting. That leads to commercials such as this one:
Effective, no?
Of course, there's also the potential crash of the bond market and a potential credit crisis to deal with. So we shall just have to see if either side blinks or if we actually go to this option.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Virus Public Service Poster
I don't know why, but I've always enjoyed the artwork of the public service posters from the '20s through the '40s. Maybe it's the art deco styling.
Anyway, one of the contributors to TeeFury created a public service poster for defending against computer viruses. I like it.
Anyway, one of the contributors to TeeFury created a public service poster for defending against computer viruses. I like it.
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Huge Saturn Storm
Cassini has captured several images of a huge storm that has formed on Saturn. It apparently started as a spot storm around the end of March, but is spreading into a ring around the northern hemisphere of the planet. Quite interesting to look at.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Oh $hit!
A 61,000 acre wildfire is about 50 ft away from the first buildings of the Los Alamos Nuclear facility. The braintrust that runs this facility has about 20,000 barrels of nuclear waste on site that are contained in tent buildings rather than the proper concrete bunker buildings (like was built at Yucca Mountain). If you look at the aerial photos, the tents are nearly surrounded by woods. If this isn't an Oh $hit moment, I don't know what is.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Ocean Reclamation of Japan
Through the twentieth century, Japan created more and more land for itself by diking areas of the ocean and then draining the area. It would seem that the 9.0 earthquake back in March has allowed the ocean to start taking back what was once hers. These videos were all taken in April when the ground was still very unsettled.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Wet and Wild Weather
Weather has been nuts here in the US lately. I did a little digging and found some information that gives a real visual on how off things are this year.
Yesterday (June 23) the city of Cincinnati (recorded at CVG) officially topped the average annual rainfall total and we still have six more months to go. The official annual average is 39.57 inches. We are now at 40.32 inches. I can't even imagine what the numbers must be like out West in the Plains:
The next chart is a track of US tornadoes since 1950. There is a small fault to this chart as the ability to track and verify separate tornadoes wasn't that good until about 20-30 years ago. Still, the past few years are still good and you can see the same effect that we saw in the rainfall totals. We are already ahead of last year's total and about 500 tornadoes behind the record year of 2004. That might seem like a lot but it should be noted that hurricanes and their leftover low pressure systems will spawn a number of tornadoes even though "tornado season" is essentially over:
According to NOAA, we are currently tracking over 200 tornadoes ahead of the high end curve of the prediction charts. If that number holds, we'll end the year with nearly 2,100 tornadoes in the US.
Lastly, there are earthquakes. This data from USGS goes up to June 22 and only covers major quakes (5.0+) but it's still impressive:
Thankfully we are roughly in line with average on the 7.0-7.9 and 8.0+ as we have had 8 and 1 respectively so far this year. The 5.0-5.9 and 6.0-6.9 are well above average though. Some of this is directly due to the Japan quake and earthquake accumulation is distinctly not linear. Still it's rather disconcerting to see that our earthquake totals for the first six months are already above the total numbers for 2001-2003. It seems highly likely that we will top the 2007 total of 2,270. Were the Earth to get another large quake (and with the volcano activity, that seems possible), it would push things well past that number and possibly close to the 3,000 range.
Just one item would be enough for one to sit up and take notice, but all three grab one and shake them somewhat. There is probably some sort of cause but whether that is solar actively or magnetic and gravitational shifts in the solar system, I couldn't say. Either way, let's hope this ride slows down before it gets any bumpier.
Yesterday (June 23) the city of Cincinnati (recorded at CVG) officially topped the average annual rainfall total and we still have six more months to go. The official annual average is 39.57 inches. We are now at 40.32 inches. I can't even imagine what the numbers must be like out West in the Plains:
The next chart is a track of US tornadoes since 1950. There is a small fault to this chart as the ability to track and verify separate tornadoes wasn't that good until about 20-30 years ago. Still, the past few years are still good and you can see the same effect that we saw in the rainfall totals. We are already ahead of last year's total and about 500 tornadoes behind the record year of 2004. That might seem like a lot but it should be noted that hurricanes and their leftover low pressure systems will spawn a number of tornadoes even though "tornado season" is essentially over:
According to NOAA, we are currently tracking over 200 tornadoes ahead of the high end curve of the prediction charts. If that number holds, we'll end the year with nearly 2,100 tornadoes in the US.
Lastly, there are earthquakes. This data from USGS goes up to June 22 and only covers major quakes (5.0+) but it's still impressive:
Thankfully we are roughly in line with average on the 7.0-7.9 and 8.0+ as we have had 8 and 1 respectively so far this year. The 5.0-5.9 and 6.0-6.9 are well above average though. Some of this is directly due to the Japan quake and earthquake accumulation is distinctly not linear. Still it's rather disconcerting to see that our earthquake totals for the first six months are already above the total numbers for 2001-2003. It seems highly likely that we will top the 2007 total of 2,270. Were the Earth to get another large quake (and with the volcano activity, that seems possible), it would push things well past that number and possibly close to the 3,000 range.
Just one item would be enough for one to sit up and take notice, but all three grab one and shake them somewhat. There is probably some sort of cause but whether that is solar actively or magnetic and gravitational shifts in the solar system, I couldn't say. Either way, let's hope this ride slows down before it gets any bumpier.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Bad Weather News
It is snowing in Colorado. That is somewhat weird given that today is the first day of summer.
But the truly bad part is that it is a reminder that the Rocky Mountain snow pack is still very thick and will continue to melt and pour into the Missouri and Colorado Rivers.
In Nebraska, there are two nuclear power plants, Ft. Calhoun and Cooper, that are in significant danger of being overtaken by the flood waters. Ft. Calhoun was taken off-line for maintenance in April, but it still has spent fuel rods in a cooling pool located on site. It is currently below the flood line, but is being protected by a rubber wall and a wall of sandbags. This has the effect of making it look like an island fortress.
Cooper is still active but the waters are still rising around it as well. If either or both of these plants are inundated, it could dump a lot of nuclear waste material into the Missouri River, which will then flow into the Mississippi and then into the Gulf.
This is some bad juju that bears watching.
But the truly bad part is that it is a reminder that the Rocky Mountain snow pack is still very thick and will continue to melt and pour into the Missouri and Colorado Rivers.
In Nebraska, there are two nuclear power plants, Ft. Calhoun and Cooper, that are in significant danger of being overtaken by the flood waters. Ft. Calhoun was taken off-line for maintenance in April, but it still has spent fuel rods in a cooling pool located on site. It is currently below the flood line, but is being protected by a rubber wall and a wall of sandbags. This has the effect of making it look like an island fortress.
Cooper is still active but the waters are still rising around it as well. If either or both of these plants are inundated, it could dump a lot of nuclear waste material into the Missouri River, which will then flow into the Mississippi and then into the Gulf.
This is some bad juju that bears watching.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Total Lunar Eclipse Tomorrow
Tomorrow there is going to be a total lunar eclipse that will be visible on six of the seven continents. Only us in North America will miss out. The eclipse will start around 12:30 PM EDT and will last until 6 PM EDT. The eclipse will hit its apex right around 3:15 PM EDT.
The bullseye of the eclipse will be in the Indian Ocean but totality will be all over India, the Middle East and most of Africa. The view dies out about halfway across the Pacific on the east side and just before it hits the Caribbean on the west side.
Hopefully there will be some cool pictures of this available on Thursday.
The bullseye of the eclipse will be in the Indian Ocean but totality will be all over India, the Middle East and most of Africa. The view dies out about halfway across the Pacific on the east side and just before it hits the Caribbean on the west side.
Hopefully there will be some cool pictures of this available on Thursday.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Very Early Republican Polling
You might not know it unless you were paying very close attention, but there are now eight officially declared candidates for the Republican Presidential nomination. These official eight are former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former MN Governor Tim Pawlenty, former MA Governor Mitt Romney, former PA Senator Rick Santorum, TX Representative Ron Paul, former NM Governor Gary Johnson, and gay-rights activist Fred Karger.
Just after this lot you have the "preparing to declare themselves" crowd. These include MN Representative Michele Bachmann, former UT governor Jon Huntsman, and former LA Governor Buddy Roemer.
In the third pack you have people that have talked about running but have not taken any of the formal steps. These would include former AK Governor Sarah Palin, TX Governor Rick Perry, former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani, and former UN Ambassador John Bolton.
Rounding out the discussion are those who other people wish would get into the Presidential race. These include former FL Governor Jeb Bush, NJ Governor Chris Christie, WI Representative Paul Ryan, and FL Senator Marco Rubio.
Any polls taken at this time would be essentially useless as we are 17 months from the election. That doesn't stop them though. Over the past month, Mr. Romney has polled somewhat well (cracking 20% in the recent ABC poll). This has made him the "front runner" for the time being. Most other candidates well down the list as they typically are all jockeying for the same voters. The lone immediate challenger to Mr. Romney in the recent spat of polls appears to be Ms. Palin. She appears to generally be around 2-4 points behind Mr. Romney but that's still a reasonable distance above the noise that makes up the other candidate's polling numbers.
Because of the swirl of gamesmanship going on between the states (especially Florida), it is still unclear when the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire primaries will be (although early to mid-January seems likely). The firming of these dates will set the official deadline for any candidates who wish to declare themselves. I would personally expect to see the field fully set by late August or early September just because of the necessity of getting ground troops in to Iowa and New Hampshire. Once the field is fully set, we should see three or four candidates rise up to become the official gladiators while everyone else fades into the background.
Just after this lot you have the "preparing to declare themselves" crowd. These include MN Representative Michele Bachmann, former UT governor Jon Huntsman, and former LA Governor Buddy Roemer.
In the third pack you have people that have talked about running but have not taken any of the formal steps. These would include former AK Governor Sarah Palin, TX Governor Rick Perry, former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani, and former UN Ambassador John Bolton.
Rounding out the discussion are those who other people wish would get into the Presidential race. These include former FL Governor Jeb Bush, NJ Governor Chris Christie, WI Representative Paul Ryan, and FL Senator Marco Rubio.
Any polls taken at this time would be essentially useless as we are 17 months from the election. That doesn't stop them though. Over the past month, Mr. Romney has polled somewhat well (cracking 20% in the recent ABC poll). This has made him the "front runner" for the time being. Most other candidates well down the list as they typically are all jockeying for the same voters. The lone immediate challenger to Mr. Romney in the recent spat of polls appears to be Ms. Palin. She appears to generally be around 2-4 points behind Mr. Romney but that's still a reasonable distance above the noise that makes up the other candidate's polling numbers.
Because of the swirl of gamesmanship going on between the states (especially Florida), it is still unclear when the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire primaries will be (although early to mid-January seems likely). The firming of these dates will set the official deadline for any candidates who wish to declare themselves. I would personally expect to see the field fully set by late August or early September just because of the necessity of getting ground troops in to Iowa and New Hampshire. Once the field is fully set, we should see three or four candidates rise up to become the official gladiators while everyone else fades into the background.
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Movin' Trash
This is one of Boy X's favorite songs from the Elmo's Green Thumb CD. It's fun to listen to him sing along if you start him.
A: We're movin' trash...
X: move it, move it. Dig it
A: We're movin' trash...
X: move it, move it. Dig it
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Media Insanity
The Bible says that in the last days there will be "raging insanity" (2 Timothy 3:1). I'm sure he didn't mean it quite like this, but Paul could very easily have been talking about our media for the past three days.
For those in the dark, Ms. Palin was invited to speak at the Raging Thunder rally in DC on the Sunday before Memorial Day. She accepted and had her RV painted up in a very flashy populist mode. When she announced that she had accepted the invitation, she noted that she and the family would be seeing some sites on their way up the eastern seaboard while meandering up to New Hampshire.
All of this apparently has set the media's hair on fire. Dozens of reporters have been shadowing this bus tour and acting quite pissy that she has not given them one-on-one access nor given them an itinerary of where she is going. All this despite the fact that (a) she is technically not a declared candidate for anything and (b) still employed by Fox News and might be viewed as in breach of contract if she consulted with other media outlets. Yet, all we are missing the helicopter shots and we would be having the white Bronco chase all over again.
While Ms. Palin has not declared yet, it would seem that she is going to throw her hat in the ring. She is driving to New Hampshire, she will be driving to Iowa later this month, and it was noted today that she will be going to South Carolina after that. All that's missing is a trip to Nevada and she will have hit the four early boys of the Presidential season, so it does not take a rocket scientist to see what's going to happen in the near future.
Still, her eventual getting into the race doesn't explain the media frenzy that going on. Whether you like her, love her, or hate her, it is rather disquieting to see the media act like a pack of feral dogs after a bone for an early campaign tour/publicity event. When CNN acts more like TMZ, something strange is definitely afoot.
For those in the dark, Ms. Palin was invited to speak at the Raging Thunder rally in DC on the Sunday before Memorial Day. She accepted and had her RV painted up in a very flashy populist mode. When she announced that she had accepted the invitation, she noted that she and the family would be seeing some sites on their way up the eastern seaboard while meandering up to New Hampshire.
All of this apparently has set the media's hair on fire. Dozens of reporters have been shadowing this bus tour and acting quite pissy that she has not given them one-on-one access nor given them an itinerary of where she is going. All this despite the fact that (a) she is technically not a declared candidate for anything and (b) still employed by Fox News and might be viewed as in breach of contract if she consulted with other media outlets. Yet, all we are missing the helicopter shots and we would be having the white Bronco chase all over again.
While Ms. Palin has not declared yet, it would seem that she is going to throw her hat in the ring. She is driving to New Hampshire, she will be driving to Iowa later this month, and it was noted today that she will be going to South Carolina after that. All that's missing is a trip to Nevada and she will have hit the four early boys of the Presidential season, so it does not take a rocket scientist to see what's going to happen in the near future.
Still, her eventual getting into the race doesn't explain the media frenzy that going on. Whether you like her, love her, or hate her, it is rather disquieting to see the media act like a pack of feral dogs after a bone for an early campaign tour/publicity event. When CNN acts more like TMZ, something strange is definitely afoot.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Ohio Population Shift
The recent election in NY made me take a quick look to see when the new Congressional districts have to be in place in Ohio (Dec. 7). When I was looking, I found this little graphic that confirms my suspicions that the five remaining Democrats will be under fire:
From what I have heard, it is almost a given that OH-10 will be blown away, most of it combined with OH-11 I would imagine. After that, it looks as though OH-9 or OH-17 will be on the chopping block. OH-13 is the only other Democrat district and that one actually increased by 18,000 people.
If it were me, I'd get rid of OH-17. It lost 30,000 people and could easily be split four ways into OH-6, OH-13, OH-14, and OH-16.
The other little bugaboo is how to reapportion the rest of Ohio. The Columbus area showed dramatic growth and could (in theory) be split into four districts (combined OH-7, OH-12, and OH-15 grew by over 225,000 people). If they take that tack, one then looks at the possibility of OH-9 being absorbed between OH-5, OH-13 and OH-16 as well. Likely, the new Columbus district would create a Democrat safe harbor at the core and surround it with three Republican strongholds, unless they can find a way to gerrymander it to a part of a heavily Republican x-urb.
As such, I would say that the only safe Democrats are Marcia Fudge (OH-11) and Betty Sutton (OH-13)
From what I have heard, it is almost a given that OH-10 will be blown away, most of it combined with OH-11 I would imagine. After that, it looks as though OH-9 or OH-17 will be on the chopping block. OH-13 is the only other Democrat district and that one actually increased by 18,000 people.
If it were me, I'd get rid of OH-17. It lost 30,000 people and could easily be split four ways into OH-6, OH-13, OH-14, and OH-16.
The other little bugaboo is how to reapportion the rest of Ohio. The Columbus area showed dramatic growth and could (in theory) be split into four districts (combined OH-7, OH-12, and OH-15 grew by over 225,000 people). If they take that tack, one then looks at the possibility of OH-9 being absorbed between OH-5, OH-13 and OH-16 as well. Likely, the new Columbus district would create a Democrat safe harbor at the core and surround it with three Republican strongholds, unless they can find a way to gerrymander it to a part of a heavily Republican x-urb.
As such, I would say that the only safe Democrats are Marcia Fudge (OH-11) and Betty Sutton (OH-13)
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
2011 NY-26 Special
Flying way below the radar today is a special election in NY to fill a vacancy in NY-26. That's in Western NY out in the more rural areas before you come to Buffalo and Niagra. The main candidates are Republican Jane Corwin and Democrat Kathy Hochul. It's a nominally Republican district but there are a couple of wrinkles that are making this one interesting.
First, it's a special election so turnout will be low and that always throws things off.
Second, there is a third-party candidate (Jack Davis) who has registered as a "Tea Party", despite his previous runs for various offices under the Democrat label. Mr. Davis has been drawing extra votes, although it's not quite clear as to whether he has been drawing more from the right or the left. Either way, he's playing spoiler to someone and could give Independents enough of an outlet to let it be a dead draw between registered Republican and Democrats that show up.
Polls in NY generally close around 9 PM but it will probably be several hours before enough votes are tallied to get an idea of who won.
*UPDATE*
Ms. Hochul (D) defeats Ms. Corwin (R). Ms. Corwin conceded relatively early. Apparently, she made some very bad assumptions about this campaign.
First, it's a special election so turnout will be low and that always throws things off.
Second, there is a third-party candidate (Jack Davis) who has registered as a "Tea Party", despite his previous runs for various offices under the Democrat label. Mr. Davis has been drawing extra votes, although it's not quite clear as to whether he has been drawing more from the right or the left. Either way, he's playing spoiler to someone and could give Independents enough of an outlet to let it be a dead draw between registered Republican and Democrats that show up.
Polls in NY generally close around 9 PM but it will probably be several hours before enough votes are tallied to get an idea of who won.
*UPDATE*
Ms. Hochul (D) defeats Ms. Corwin (R). Ms. Corwin conceded relatively early. Apparently, she made some very bad assumptions about this campaign.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Destruction then Beauty
Joplin, MO was nearly destroyed in a major tornado outbreak yesterday. But in the curious way that weather works, it was followed by great beauty:
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
80's Themes Again
Of course, now that I've thought about the 80's, I have to repost the three best themes of the 80's:
#3 - Transformers:
#2 - He-Man:
And yes, He-Man was gay.
#1 - GI-Joe (Movie):
Of course, it goes without saying that the opening theme and fight sequence was about the only good thing that came from the GI Joe Movie. If they had just done 90 minutes of this, it would have been a much better movie. That or just make the whole movie about Baroness and Destro. That would have worked too.
#3 - Transformers:
#2 - He-Man:
And yes, He-Man was gay.
#1 - GI-Joe (Movie):
Of course, it goes without saying that the opening theme and fight sequence was about the only good thing that came from the GI Joe Movie. If they had just done 90 minutes of this, it would have been a much better movie. That or just make the whole movie about Baroness and Destro. That would have worked too.
Commercials
Mrs. X and I were talking last night about old commercials and celebrities (before they were famous) who starred in them. That got me thinking about some old commercials that I remember. My view on commercials is a little stilted since the Armed Forces Network aired PSAs instead of product advertisements during the commercial breaks of shows. As such, the commercials I remember I saw over and over again on TV that had been recorded in the States and shipped to us in Japan.
Here's a few that were memorable and I've been able to find:
Peter Pan Peanut Butter
Donkey Kong Jr. Cereal:
Kentucky Fried Chicken (Hot Deal):
McDonald's (First Day):
There's a couple of others that stick in my mind but I can't find. One was a variation on the Hubba Bubba Gum Fighter (it probably didn't get broadcast much because of a somewhat caricature Native American portrayal). Another was a McDonald's commercial where a more sinister looking Hamburgler steals the hamburger pals and Ronald has to rescue them. Also a singing HI-C ad.
Ahhh... good times.
Here's a few that were memorable and I've been able to find:
Peter Pan Peanut Butter
Donkey Kong Jr. Cereal:
Kentucky Fried Chicken (Hot Deal):
McDonald's (First Day):
There's a couple of others that stick in my mind but I can't find. One was a variation on the Hubba Bubba Gum Fighter (it probably didn't get broadcast much because of a somewhat caricature Native American portrayal). Another was a McDonald's commercial where a more sinister looking Hamburgler steals the hamburger pals and Ronald has to rescue them. Also a singing HI-C ad.
Ahhh... good times.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Six-Planet Alignment
This is cool. I've not been able to see it properly because of how early the sun is coming up now, but this should give you an idea of what's happening. This is the alignment from this morning:
The red line that the planets seem to be following is the ecliptic (path of the sun) line while the blue line is the path of the moon. Right now Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter are all clustered in the heart of Pisces while Uranus is on the outer edge of it. Neptune is in between Aquarius and Capricorn while Pluto is just above Sagittarius and below Scutum.
Only Saturn is missing as it is hanging out in Virgo which would be somewhere in the Pacific at this time (being three constellations ahead of Sagittarius).
The red line that the planets seem to be following is the ecliptic (path of the sun) line while the blue line is the path of the moon. Right now Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter are all clustered in the heart of Pisces while Uranus is on the outer edge of it. Neptune is in between Aquarius and Capricorn while Pluto is just above Sagittarius and below Scutum.
Only Saturn is missing as it is hanging out in Virgo which would be somewhere in the Pacific at this time (being three constellations ahead of Sagittarius).
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Marvel Situation Room Errors
Someone doctored the situation room photo from the Osama bin Laden operation to make the various characters into Marvel comic book heroes.
There's just one small problem. Most of the characters are not Marvel. Flash, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Spectre, Catwoman, Wonder Woman, and the Martian Manhunter were all created by DC Comics. Spawn is a product of Image Comics. In fact, everyone seated at the table is a member of the Justice League, which is comprised entirely of DC Comics characters. Captain America and Spiderman are the only actual Marvel characters there.
Of course, we won't even get into the irony of Mr. Obama as Captain America, especially as one would have expected him to be Superman. Mr. Biden as Flash is just funny.
Others might prefer the Royal Wedding Edition.
There's just one small problem. Most of the characters are not Marvel. Flash, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Spectre, Catwoman, Wonder Woman, and the Martian Manhunter were all created by DC Comics. Spawn is a product of Image Comics. In fact, everyone seated at the table is a member of the Justice League, which is comprised entirely of DC Comics characters. Captain America and Spiderman are the only actual Marvel characters there.
Of course, we won't even get into the irony of Mr. Obama as Captain America, especially as one would have expected him to be Superman. Mr. Biden as Flash is just funny.
Others might prefer the Royal Wedding Edition.
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