As The Worlds Turn

As a child, I was fascinated by astronomy, and remain so to this day. I had a telescope from an early age, and enjoyed many nights looking at the night sky through that little 3-inch refractor. In those days of the 1960s, astronomers had the Solar System pretty well defined. It consisted of nine planets, in order from the sun; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto; with various moons, comets and the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Since that time, better telescopes and unmanned probes to the outer solar system have changed the view of our planetary system.

Today, eight planets are recognized, since the discovery of Eris, a world larger than Pluto, gave astronomers reason to reconsider the former 9th planet's status. It turns out that Pluto, smaller than Eris, is just a little larger than a few other newly discovered worlds orbiting the sun. Today, Pluto, Eris, and the former astroid Ceres, are considered "Dwarf Planets". Here are some of the recently discovered worlds circling the Sun.

Some of the most fascinating worlds in the Solar System are the so-called "moons", or natural satellites of the planets orbiting the sun. I say "so-called" because this is the term commonly used, even though there is only one world officially called "The Moon"...Earth's own companion.

Back in the 1960s, there were 31 known moons orbiting the planets. How that number has mushroomed!

Of course the Kuiper Belt, a second, larger, more distant asteroid belt has been discovered. Then there is evidence to support the hypothesis of the existence of the Oort Cloud, home to the comets, and extending a quarter of the way to Proxima Centauri (the nearest star to our own sun).

The more we learn, the more fascinating and complex is this part of the universe we call home.

It's Fathers Day!

Today is the day set aside to honor that all too often unsung hero, the father. This year I feel fortunate in that my dad has dodged the bullet of a likely massive heart attack by his recent triple bypass surgery. He is doing well with his recovery, even to the point of spending the weekend at Galveston for the Banjo show at the Opry House. He is bouncing back from this major surgery, and reach his 79th year next week. My father has always worked hard to take care of me and my sisters and brother when we were kids, and he is one of the great men I admire. His wisdom and counsel have set the example for me to live up to with my own children and grandchildren.

I am also proud to honor my father-in-law, who despite several major health setbacks is still with us in his 83rd trip around the sun. He spent his entire career at one company, from the time he was a teen. That is almost unheard of today. Those years of working on steam and diesel locomotives took their toll on his body, but he too did it everyday to provide for his family. There is so much I look up to in him as well.

So to all the dads who so often get less recognition for their sacrifices than they should, I send very Happy Fathers Day wishes.

Sunday Will Never Be The Same

I, like many others, am shocked and saddened today upon learning of the sudden death of NBC Washington Bureau Chief and host of Meet The Press, Tim Russert. There's a lot being said about Tim, and I did not know him other than his television persona, yet I found him to be one of the most likeable, yet insightful observers of the political scene. He appeared to thrive on politics, and even in the midst of pressing a politician for an honest answer, he never got antagonistic or disagreeable. Tim Russert, Sunday mornings will not be the same without you. The MTP institution will continue, no doubt. But the Russert era is sadly over.

"If it's Sunday, it's Meet The Press."

Back In The Fast Lane!

Yeah baby!! After a month and a half since I disconnected Comcast cable Internet service at the townhouse, I finally have my own broadband again! Yesterday my Qwest DSL router came via UPS. Now Comcast worked pretty well, but I must say that the DSL is even faster. It was not difficult to set up, but Qwest, like most Internet providers, assume you either use Microsoft Windows or Macintosh OSX. They provide a CD that runs on one of those systems to set up the modem. I generally detest setup CDs, as they mess with your computers settings. I don't want any of their "features", either software or web, so I would rather just set up and go. But given that they provided no instructions for configuring the service manually, I borrowed the lovely spouse's laptop that has Windows XP on it to run the setup routine.

A few minutes later, we are back online! The router I ordered from them includes an integrated WiFi 802.11 b/g access point makes it very convenient to set up a home network. It comes preconfigured for WEP encryption, but it was a snap to reconfigure with WPA, so I did that and we were off to the races. I also set the power from 4 all the way up to 10, so I should get good coverage. Right now, on this Linux laptop, I am getting a 93% signal, and I am downstairs and the router is across the house and upstairs.

I originally plugged the router in to a phone port in the living room, but it apparently isn't live, so I moved it to the kitchen for setup. Unfortunately, I noticed that the wires all over the counter would not make the LS happy, so I moved it upstairs to the other phone port...the one in our bedroom. Well, come bedtime, she notices the flashing LEDs were too bright for her to sleep, so I told her to stick it under the bed for now. So that is where it is at the moment. I may have to find a better solution, but for now, it works.

I had Qwest DSL where I lived 3 years ago, and it was fairly solid service. I am hoping I get an equally stable DSL here. So far, so good.

The New Mister Television

In the 1950s, comedian Milton Berle, fondly called "Uncle Miltie", was also given the nickname "Mister Television" for his groundbreaking work in the early days of network TV. Is there a successor to the title in today's world of 500 channels? If so, I nominate the ever ubiquitous Regis Philbin for the honor.

Regis just turns up all over the dial. His long-running Regis & Kelly (formerly Regis & Kathie Lee) continues in syndication; Game Show Network reruns ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire; Last year he hosted NBC's America's Got Talent, and he now is on a revival of the old favorite Password on CBS. In this revival of the old show that was amicably hosted by the late Allen Ludden, Regis Philbin and celebrity contestants play with the average Joe or Jane to see if they can give away a million bucks. And who better to do that than Reege? The new Million Dollar Password looks like it could be the latest hit game show, as it has all the core components...a familiar and likeable host, a million-dollar prize, and the nostagia factor to bring the baby boomers into the fan base.

I watched the premiere episode, and thought the contestant, Dante Mercadante (love that name), left too early. He was doing great, but got cold feet. But who can argue with his fifty-grand prize money?

The password is "entertaining".

The Ongoing I-69 Project

The ongoing project to extend Interstate Highway 69 south from Indianapolis to the Texas-Mexico border continues to move along slower than rush hour traffic. The plan has been surrounded by a number of controversies, with people fighting against it for anti-NAFTA reasons to conspiracy theories to environmental opposition. In Texas, the project is the Trans-Texas Corridor, and will run southwestward from Texarkana to an eventual triple fork running to the towns of Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville, all on the Rio Grande and the Mexican border.

The Houston Chronicle reports today that TxDOT has changed plans to route the highway through rural areas to the north and west of Houston, instead using existing US 59 (the Southwest and Eastex Freeways), the 610 Look (West Loop and North Loop), or the Grand Parkway (Texas 99). Through most of the state, US 59 will become the new I-69, and while much upgrading is needed, a lot of this highway is already up to Interstate standards, particularly in the Houston area.

However, running the new "I" either straight through on US 59, or worse, putting it on 610 (the busiest highway in Texas, and possibly the U.S.) seems to me to be a bad idea. If this gets Grand Parkway completed, it will be a much better routing, in my opinion, although the new road will quickly become as developed and congested as the others. Still, it is far enough on the outskirts of the city to avoid running the Mexico to Canada traffic into the Bayou City's rush hours.

I-69 already exists from Indianapolis to the Canadian border in Michigan, and upon completion, this will be a major trade route from Mexico to the markets in Canada such as Toronto, Montreal, London, and other major cities. For more on I-69, check out the following links:

I-69 Article on Wikipedia

Keep Texas Moving

Snopes debunks a sexy I-69 myth

Houston Chronicle article about the routing of the highway

Let's Get Ready to Rumble!!!

Well, it is June 1, and it has been a while since I posted anything dealing with roadgeekery. Therefore, it's time to do so!

I took this picture in late April heading back to Colorado from Houston. It is a stretch of Texas Highway 6, just a few miles to the north of the towns of Bryan and College Station. Highway 6 is a major state highway that runs from Galveston County on the Gulf Coast, to the Red River where it crosses into Oklahoma to become Oklahoma Highway 6. Major cities of note on the route include Houston, College Station and Waco.

The thing that makes this stretch of highway interesting is the fact that there is not one center stripe, but two...one for each lane. But that's not all. Notice that there are not only rumble strips in the pavement on the outer edges of the roadway, but between the center stripes, there is also a rumble strip. This is a great idea, as it would give a loud, audible warning if a driver veers across into the oncoming lane. Such a simple thing could easily result in saved lives by warning inattentive drivers that they could be about to cause a deadly head-on accident.

This is one innovation that should be considered for all roads where oncoming traffic shares the pavement without benefit of an esplanade.

My PCLOS Haiku

On the discussion board for PCLinuxOS, someone started a thread to post haiku about the operating system. Developed by a guy in Houston who calls himself Texstar online, it is a great Linux distribution. So anyway, I wrote some haiku for the thread at the forum, and decided to post them here. So away we go . . .

Haiku #1

PC was too slow
Got an OS from Texstar
Best upgrade ever!

Haiku #2

My OS of choice?
Make mine PCLOS.
No Microsoft here.

Haiku #3

Use Linux? Of course!
Customizable? You bet!
Fast, safe, and secure!

Get Ready for the Aliens!

Will the city of Denver have an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission? It will if Denver resident Jeff Peckman has his way. The 54-year-old who reportedly lives with his parents (big surprise, huh?) has been petitioning the city to create such a commission just in case we have an otherworldly visitor.

Today, Peckman is supporting his case by showing a film that purports to be actual video of a space alien. One film "expert" says that it appears to be real and not doctored in any way. Allrighty then.

Long time Denver residents complain about the Californication of Colorado by the influx of folks from the west coast. Just wait until the aliens get here. Nobody will be able to get a seat on the light rail!

CLICK HERE for a story on this from The Denver Post.

Ding Ding!

This week I have noticed a number of traffic counters deployed on various thoroughfares around Parker, Colorado. I am not sure why the counts are occurring, but I have to assume that a study is underway for planning which roads may need upgrades. These counting devices consist of a pressure hose stretched across the roadway and every time a set of tires rolls over it, a counter is incremented.

This got me thinking about another pressure hose device that used to be very common. Back when gasoline was purchased at a "service station" (they actually pumped your gas and performed other maintenance checks), there was a pressure hose across the vehicle paths that was connected to a loud bell. When a car entered the pump area, a loud "ding ding" was heard, notifying employees that a customer had arrived. I don't remember when the last time I encountered one of those was, but it has to be years, maybe even decades ago. Still, the sound is indelibly written into my memory to the point that I would instantly recognize it if I heard it today.

This makes one think . . . how many of today's adult drivers have no recollection of this once-familiar sound? Many people cannot remember a time when the station personnel pumped gasoline, checked fluid levels and tire pressure, washed the windows, and wore uniforms with the oil company's logo on their shirts. For that matter, how many people now driving remember gasoline selling for less than 35 cents per gallon?

One other thing provided free by service stations were roadmaps. One thing I have always loved is maps, and as a young kid, I was always glad when I could pick up a new road map at a service station.

Speaking of gas stations, I recall that the more expensive gas used to be called "High-Test" or "Ethyl". I believe Ethyl Corporation made an additive that boosted octane. However, it contained lead, and was eventually phased out of motor fuels. Every brand of gasoline tried hard to differentiate its product from the competition. There was Texaco's Fire Chief and Sky Chief brands. Super Shell with the mysterious additive "TCP" was also available. I remember my dad joking that TCP stood for a "TeaCup of Phillips". Phillips 66 future merger partner used the slogan, "Conoco! Hottest Brand Going!" Many other brands have been merged out of existence, such as Skelly, Apco, D-X, Gulf, and Sohio/Boron. Humble, Esso, Enco, and others were rebranded Exxon. Cities Service is now Citgo. Atlantic and Richfield became Arco, and now is part of BP if memory serves. More obscure brands included Gibble Gas, Hess, Fina, Pure, and Clarke.

Ding Ding!

Sunday at the Meat And Three

Well, this has been a rather busy month for me, hence the lack of posting on the blog. But so as to not disappoint my few readers, it's time for another post.

Last night I returned from Tennessee courtesy of Southwest Airlines. My company had its annual retailer conference at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville. What a crazy five days! And what an enormous hotel. Last year, we were at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas, and the Opryland facility is much, MUCH larger than that one. The lush foliage and waterfalls inside the biodome give the appearance of being in a tropical jungle, and it is really weird. It feels like you are outside, but you are really inside a glass dome. Pretty, but it doesn't feel quite right to me.

Anyway, the trip afforded me the opportunity yesterday to see my uncle, aunt, and cousin who live just outside of Nashville. They took me to lunch at a type of place that Nashvillians love . . . generically known as a "Meat and Three", called this because they serve a meal of a choice of meat and three side dishes for a fixed price. This is apparently a common type of establishment in the southern United States, but I don't recall having heard of them as this before. These places are typically family owned and serve what I consider home-style cooking. If you think Cracker Barrel or Black-Eyed Pea, you get the idea of the kind of food, only these are little hole-in-the-wall joints, rather than bland, cookie-cutter, corporate-owned chain restaurants.

The place we went was The Dinner Bell Restaurant on Lebanon Pike in Donelson, Tennessee. The service was fast and the food was delicious. I had a fried boneless chicken breast for the meat, and selected for brocolli and rice casserole, fresh sliced tomatoes, and cooked cabbage as my three sides. Oh man, was it ever tasty!

There was a steady stream of customers, but with the fast service and table turnover, seating was not a problem. We arrived just before the "after church" Sunday diners started coming in.

I don't know if there are any real Meat and Threes here in Colorado, but I now plan to see if there are any out there.

Okay, so it stuck!

Beautiful, ain't it? But this is springtime!

(Photo taken on MotoQ cell phone)

Yeah, I know. Here is a view out the back window about an hour after I said the snow probably wouldn't stick. If this keeps up, maybe we'll have a white Memorial Day!