Late Winter Dawn

My favorite farm site, just outside of Watertown.

Technorati tags: watertown, wisconsin, winter, farm

Back On The Road - Audio Entry #1

Technorati Tags: airport, airlines, northwest, audio

Delicate

Technorati tags: watertown, wisconsin, winter

As Seen in TIME Magazine

It's been a very interesting week. I first noticed some unusual activity in Site Meter, when I started getting referrals from Google that was using my blog title as the search term. Soon, I saw from Technorati that someone linked to my blog from their blog, and there was also a link to TIME magazine. So I went to check it out, and my head immediately grew three sizes larger (which for those who know me, is very large). There it was:

So-called citizen journalists bagged another trophy last week when THE SCIENTIFIC ACTIVIST discovered that NASA public-affairs aide George Deutsch....After he resigned, THIS BLOG TITLE FOR SALE praised the sleuthing as "proof that blog journalism is real." Meanwhile, THE VELVET BLOG pondered updating his own resume "in anticipation of graduating from Harvard and running a Fortune 500 company."

Whoa, I thought, look out for the hits to start piling in. Interestingly enough however, it hasn't turned out that way. In the week since the article hit the internet, I have received in the neighborhood of just 35 hits seeking that article. Which tells me two things: (1) Big media (including TIME) still holds a very different constituency than we here in the blogosphere and, (2) my day job is not in jeopardy. So I won't count this as my 15 minutes of fame just yet. But that head rush felt pretty good.

Technorati Tags: media, blogs, TIME magazine

Missiles

Somehow I'm reminded of Kubrick. I know, different means of delivery, but I can't chase the thought.

Technorati Tags: air force museum, sightseeing, dayton, ohio

Dance the Night Away

A dinner party, a dj's light stand, and a camera in the air equal the latest cameratoss experiment.

Technorati Tags: cameratoss, photography

The Precarious State Of NASA

Phil Plait laments over the submitted 5-year budget for NASA.

Some readers may wonder why I put so much attention on science matters. I guess there are several reasons. First and foremost, it's my blog and I'll post what I want. I am a scientist by education (but not by profession), and I have been fascinated since I was a child about all things astrophysical. Next, I feel there are some members of my treasured audience that aren't much exposed to things like this and this is a way for them to broaden their horizons just a little more (not that they're not broad already, any reader of this blog is a very smart person). But also important is seeing just how passionate these professionals are in doing what they can in the name of furthering our knowledge. These people are the direct descendants of the explorers of old, and our fascination with expanding our horizons is the primary trait that separates us from every other species on this planet. There you have it.

Bad Astronomy Blog - Blog Archive - An Open Letter to NASA

Technorati Tags: science, astronomy, NASA, bad astronomy

Could This Be Ebay 2.0?

For those who have shopped on ebay or listed their stuff on Craigslist, you know you're dealing with a middleman in the transaction. Imagine that you can list stuff you want to sell just by posting to your blog, then have a service that can sniff your blog and aggregate all listings in a central location. Someone sees your stuff and comes directly to you and seals the deal. No middleman. You keep 100% of the proceeds. That day is here, and Jeff Jarvis gives a review.

BuzzMachine - Blog Archive - Edgeio and the distributed world

Technorati Tags: distributed, business, ebay, craigslist, jarvis, edgeio

No Travel This Week

So no having to deal with Atlanta-Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport this time around. Would you believe this picture was taken around 10:00 p.m. local time? It's just nuts.

Technorati Tags: airport, atlanta, georgia

Patchwork

In the air south of Louisville, Kentucky.

Technorati Tags: flying, aerial, landscape

A Momentous Upset

After I had just posted about coverage of the Olympics, we have witnessed an upset in Olympic hockey matched only by the USA beating the USSR in 1980. Canada, the gold medal favorite, was just beaten 2-0 by Switzerland. That's right, SWITZERLAND! Their goalie, Martin Gerber, did everything but sharpen the skates for the Swiss, saving every one of the 49 shots that Canada put on him. So now, after years of being the joke of the tournament, the Swiss are now in the middle of the medal chase.

Hey big media! There's your story. NOW CHASE IT!!

(Somewhere, Don Cherry is doing backflips.)

Technorati Tags: hockey, olympics, sports, canada, switzerland

Why Are The Olympics Losing Popularity?

Forget about what you have been hearing on sports talk radio about the Olympics; they will never pass up on an opportunity to belittle sports they don't understand. But that's another topic. Instead, check out the discussion Jeff Jarvis has about why the games seem to have lost their popular luster.

BuzzMachine - Blog Archive - Olympics get bronze

The value of the Big Event will continue to decline as the value of big declines.

Technorati Tags: media, olympics, sports, NBC

31 Days Until....Well You Get The Idea

This is an antique artillery piece in a little patch of land we here in Watertown call Veteran's Park. We had a nice 12 inch blizzard blow through yesterday, but I wasn't here. Instead I was in a plane with my seatbelt securely fastened as we flew throught the sucker. Bumpiness ensued.

Technorati tags: watertown, wisconsin, winter, howitzer

Into The Wild Blue

A sculpture depicting the "missing man" formation commemorating winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor at the Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio.

Technorati Tags: air force museum, sightseeing, dayton, ohio

Watching From Way High

One of the great planes of all time, the U-2 was designed by Kelly Johnson and the Lockheed "Skunk Works" and has been in service for over 50 years. National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Technorati Tags: aircraft, air force museum, sightseeing, dayton, ohio

Icing

A Junkers Ju-52 in repose in the outdoor airpark of the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Technorati Tags: aircraft, air force museum, warbirds, sightseeing, dayton, ohio

Self Portrait

Technorati Tags: cameratoss, photography

More Proof That Blog Journalism Is Real

It still pains me to see how people can be rewarded for their mediocrity. I've always believed that you have to work harder to lie and deceive than to put in the hard yards and own up to your mistakes.
Bad Astronomy Blog - Blog Archive - Deutsch resigns from NASA!

I know this won't stop the political practice of putting unqualified people into positions of influence over science, but you know what? Every little bit helps.

Technorati Tags: science, astronomy, antiscience, skepticism

Wisconsin Winter Sunset

Technorati tags: wisconsin, winter, sunset

Sameness

A gray, rainy day in Madisonville, Kentucky.

Technorati tags: madisonville, kentucky, travel, building

Boy Is Phil Pissed

And he has every right to be.
Bad Astronomy Blog

So I'll be very, very clear here. What we're talking about here is scientific McCarthyism; the pressuring of scientists to toe the party line. Anyone in the government who does this to someone else - especially to a scientist, whose goal is open discourse and the uncovering of truth - should be removed from their position, immediately.

Technorati Tags: antiscience, science, astronomy, debunking, skepticism

A New Era In Email Marketing

It would remain to be seen if this new strategy would really eliminate spam, or maybe I'm missing the mark. Will this also affect how I am able to send email? Thus begins an interesting period in internet commerce.

Micro Persuasion: Bye Bye Email Marketing, Hello RSS


Technorati Tags: AOL, email, mail, yahoo

Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right

'Nuff said.

CNN.com - Cartoon row: Danish embassy ablaze - Feb 4, 2006

UPDATE: Jeff Jarvis weighs in here.

But I think we need to see this episode as the frightening extreme of a culture of offense. When offensiveness becomes a sin and a crime and a cause for retribution and even violence, it's never clear where the line is. When speech is free, that line is quite clear.

Technorati Tags: religion, denmark, muslim cartoon, syria, islam

44 Days Until Spring

The pavilion at Riverside Park. During Riverfest, this space is packed with food vendors.

Technorati tags: watertown, wisconsin, winter, riverside park

Structure

Terminal concourse at Nashville International Airport.