Because I Want More Spaceships

I grew up loving NASA and reading sci-fi space stories, so I naturally love stories like this:

On Monday, Virgin Galactic took the cloak off SpaceShipTwo, which had been under secret development for two years. The company plans to sell suborbital space rides for $200,000 a ticket, offering passengers 2½-hour flights that include about five minutes of weightlessness.

"We want this program to be a whole new beginning in a commercial era of space travel," said Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson, who partnered with famed aviation designer Burt Rutan on the venture.

The British billionaire hopes to begin passenger flights out of New Mexico sometime in 2011 after a series of rigorous safety tests. Branson said he, his family and Rutan will be the first to fly on SpaceShipTwo.

SpaceShipTwo is based on Rutan's design of a prototype called SpaceShipOne. In 2004, SpaceShipOne captured the $10 million Ansari X Prize by becoming the first privately manned craft to reach space.

Since that historic feat, engineers from Rutan's Scaled Composites LLC have been laboring in the Mojave Desert on a larger design suitable for commercial use.

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2009/dec/07/virgin-galactic-unveils-commercial-spaceship/

Sweaterman and I have an ongoing joke: "Where are our jetpacks, dammit!?" Here's hoping Branson and Rutan can take us into space!

Yes, It's Winter

Yup, this storm is living up to its billing. Lots o' snow. Walked down to my favorite pub (locals know it's a fairly short walk) to make sure my favorite bartender wasn't lonely. He wasn't.
You get to know a bit about the character of a town when you have bad weather. Which locals are out, and the stories of who they've helped while being out.
Myself, I ended up helping a mother and daughter who's car got squished. They were traveling from New Mexico to San Diego, and hadn't planned for a storm, when their car got creamed. I was able to (after medical clearance) secure them lodging, feed them, and direct them toward the best local car rental (already closed because of blizzard; maybe tomorrow) before I had a beer.
I think I like living here. People try to help each other out when things get tough.
(p.s. Home and warm with Bailey's and coffee is good, too)

December 7th

A day that will live in infamy. On December 7th, 1945, the microwave oven was patented. And history (or, at least cooking) will never be the same.

Blizzard Warning

The first real winter storm has begun. We've had a couple of snow dustings, but today we have a blizzard warning. Forecast for two feet of snow by tomorrow, with winds over 30mph. Currently it's snowing lightly, and the wind isn't bad yet. Glad my heater works well, and that I don't have to go anywhere today. Is it time to break out the brandy yet?

Of Course God Agrees With Me

I love it when a study confirms what I already believed:

Religious people tend to use their own beliefs as a guide in thinking about what God believes, but are less constrained when reasoning about other people’s beliefs, according to new study published in the Nov. 30 early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Nicholas Epley, professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, led the research, which included a series of survey and neuroimaging studies to examine the extent to which people’s own beliefs guide their predictions about God’s beliefs.

The researchers noted that people often set their moral compasses according to what they presume to be God’s standards. “The central feature of a compass, however, is that it points north no matter what direction a person is facing,” they conclude. “This research suggests that, unlike an actual compass, inferences about God’s beliefs may instead point people further in whatever direction they are already facing.”

http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2009/12/02/study-believers-inferences-about-gods-beliefs-are-uniquely-egocentric.html

"And in the beginning, man created God, and saw that it was good."

Added: as Sweaterman reminded me, William James explained this in "The Relative States of Religious Experience" about a hundred years ago. I should've thought of that.

Newsflash: Extra-Marital Affairs Happen

Normally, I have nothing to say when a celebrity or politician gets caught having sex with someone who is not their spouse. But I'm really tired of the media's obsession with a certain golfer who was caught being human.

Here's the simple fact: extra-marital affairs happen. I'm guessing that they started shortly after the first marriage, but there wasn't a media to obsess about it (unless there's a cave drawing somewhere that I'm not aware of). No one should care except the parties involved. Some things were never intended to be a spectator sport.

Maybe it's my liberal view, but whatever happens between consenting adults is nobodies business but the persons involved.

Except toe sucking...toe suckers are perverts who should be publicly shunned.

Boobies on the Rocks

Blog friend Lockwood of Outside the Interzone left a link in the comments to a National Geographic video, explaining how to make boobies sexier: don't let them have sex. Most entertaining.

Minor Frustrations

The past couple of days have hit me with a few frustrating situations. Not major, but thing that leave you grumbling with an urge to kick somebody.

I bought myself a new refrigerator, as my old one is dying. Bought online, taking advantage of post-thanksgiving sales. Only one minor problem: it doesn't work...at all. I suspected there might be a problem when I was taking out of the (very beat up) shipping carton, and found a large oil stain at the bottom. So a wonderful series of calls with the charming people at "customer service" later, I'm nearing a solution. My desire was rather simple: take the defective fridge back, and give me a working one. Apparently, that's awfully complex. First, having worked some tech support in the past, I understand their urge to start with basics, like "is it plugged in?" and "is the outlet working?", but at some point they should understand that I have RTFM'd and covered all the basics. No, I don't want a refund; I want a working refrigerator. After talking to several different departments, and holding for a long long time, I think we've got it taken care of, but there's still the potential for additional screw ups.

Then there's cars. I offered to take care of a minor repair on a friends car, a newer Chevy sedan. Dear Chevy: when did you decide to use the oddest size bolt heads imaginable? I know you want buyers to use dealerships for even minor repairs, but some of these were ridiculous. 13/32's? That socket hadn't been used in the 25+ years in my toolbox. Having some metric and some standard bolts on the same housing? What are you thinking? Repair completed, but they sure made it harder than it needed to be (especially when it was 26 degrees outside at the time).

Which brings me to a certain lady friend with a computer problem, specifically the "blue screen of death". I should know better than trying to explain to someone who's computer illiterate that the only solution is drastic: the "nuclear option". She didn't like that answer, and kept demanding that I find a simpler solution. She even offered multiple sexual favors if I could find an easier way to solve the problem. But sometimes reality bites. She's currently trying to find someone else who'll tell her what she wants to hear. Good luck with that.

And it's 8 degrees outside. Not exactly inviting.

Judd Gregg, Obstructionist

The health care reform bill has become a question of what (if anything) can be passed over the republicans obstruction. And to put to rest any doubt about the republicans intentions, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) put out a letter clearly describing a variety of obstruction tactics to be used:

Sen. Judd Gregg, (R-NH) has penned the equivalent of an obstruction manual -- a how-to for holding up health care reform -- and has distributed the document to his Republican colleagues.

Insisting that it is "critical that Republican senators have a solid understanding of the minority's rights in the Senate," Gregg makes note of all the procedural tools the GOP can use before measures are considered, when they come to the floor and even after passage.

He highlights the use of hard quorum calls for any motion to proceed, as opposed to a far quicker unanimous consent provision. He reminds his colleagues that, absent unanimous consent, they can force the Majority Leader to read any "full-text substitute amendment." And when it comes to offering amendments to the health care bill, the New Hampshire Republican argues that it is the personification of "full, complete, and informed debate," to "offer an unlimited number of amendments -- germane or non-germane -- on any subject."

The details of Gregg's outline are a clear reflection of the extent to which Republicans are turning to the Byzantine processes of the Senate chamber as a means of holding up reform.

...

Considering the already lethargic pace of health care reform, this is an illuminating reminder of how Republican's are putting their energy into dragging out the process rather than affecting the legislation.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/02/read-it-gop-senator-pens_n_377386.html

(bolds are mine. complete text at the link)

Needless to say, this is not about policy or reform; this is about stopping any form of legislation out of fear that it might help the democrats. Sen. Gregg and his cohorts have no interest in serving their constituents; they only care about a partisan victory. Self-promotion trumps governance in their minds.
And, as a result, the senate has become completely dysfunctional. It's one thing for a minority party to oppose a policy by trying to modify legislation to reflect a different set of ideals. It's quite another thing to try to prevent the body from taking any action at all.
If we had an informed electorate, any senator engaging in this type of behavior, regardless of ideology, should and would be removed from office. To so blatantly say "I want to stop the government dead in it's tracks", rather than trying to govern in a way that you prefer, proves that you are unfit for office in government. Democracy, for all its flaws, requires that elected officials, in some fashion, represent the people who elected them. It's perfectly respectable to vote against a policy you disagree with; it's downright Un-American to prevent that vote from taking place.
(this is completely seperate from the debate as to what kind of health care reform would be best-I'm discussing the efforts to prevent any action at all)

Now the Shoe's on the Other...

Slightly delicious irony of the day: the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at shrub is now on the receiving end of a shoe toss:

The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at former U.S. President George W. Bush has himself become the target of a shoe thrower.

While speaking at a press conference in Paris on Tuesday, Muntadhar al-Zeidi, was nearly hit in the face by a shoe thrown by what appeared to be another Iraqi man.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/national/bush-shoe-thrower-120209

(video at the link)

If shoe tossing ever becomes an Olympic event, bet on the Iraqi's.

Speech Response

I'm going to disagree with my friend Justin a bit about Obama's Afghanistan speech. Not that I'm sold that the plan for Afghanistan is a good plan; it isn't. But it may be the 'least bad' plan that can realistically be implemented at this time.
Obama inherited a complete disaster in Afghanistan. The original goal of destroying Al Qaeda was abandoned in favor of a war in Iraq, and our forces in Afghanistan were left floundering for years without a strategy or the resources to carry out a plan. The puppet government is both corrupt and impotent, and the history of regional tribalism limits the potential for local allies. In short, we're in a hell of a mess.
But simply leaving Afghanistan would be even more dangerous. Aside from the humanitarian disaster that would follow, there is the very real threat of a terrorist haven on the border of a nuclear state that is itself unstable. Abandoning the Af/Pak chaos would greatly increase the risk of future attacks around the world.
So the situation is simply: damned if you leave, damned if you stay, damned if you escalate, damned if you draw down. Obama's plan has some of each; an escalation followed by a draw down, an increased focus on Pakistan, and an attempt to create a working government in Afghanistan. Stabilization, followed by a transition out of Afghanistan.
The speech itself was classic Obama. The tone was clear and somber, with a somewhat intellectual emphasis. While there were the requisite platitudes and rhetoric, Obama articulated his plans and goals with a level of clarity and honesty that the previous president was incapable of. As speeches go, it was strong and effective, and it probably pleased no one. Criticism is already pouring in from both the left and the right.
Will the strategy work? We'll see, but what we had been doing clearly wasn't working. Given the options currently available, Obama's choice is quite plausible. We'll see if it's workable.

A Cuban Umpire

I was tempted to title this post "Umpire Defects", but for baseball fans the discussion of defective umpires would be endless.
No, this post is about a Cuban umpire who's defected to the U.S. We've had a lot of Cuban players come here for fame and fortune, but this is the first umpire that I'm aware of:

A top Cuban umpire has defected to the United States.

The Spanish-language newspaper El Nuevo Herald reports that Nelson Diaz arrived in Miami on Sunday with his wife and two daughters.

Diaz worked in the Olympics and the 2006 World Baseball Classic. His 26-year career supposedly ended after he was picked to work the 2009 WBC in Japan but was told by Cuban baseball officials he couldn't go because they didn't trust him.

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/baseball/story/1358803.html

Baseball might be one of the strongest arguments for moving toward more normalized relations with Cuba after 50 years of embargo. The Cuban people are passionate about the game, and the repression of the Castro brothers regime has driven their finest players to defection. If relations were more normalized, those players would return money to their home country, like Venezuelan and Japanese, etc. players do. An open baseball exchange would be a "win-win" for both the U.S. and Cuba.
And, lord knows that we could use better umpires.