blivet 2.0

Ian #

Edie runs the daycare that we take Ian to. She took this picture of him on the 23rd, two days after he turned two and a half. We took him to a photographer Monday night, but I don’t think those pictures will come close to this informal one.

Great News #

Yesterday Audrey received notification that she was awarded a 2004-2005 Nevada Space Grant (part of the NASA Space Grant Consortium) for the full $22.5k!

¡W00t! Her dissertation really got a jump start.

I am so proud of her!

Dear 38,000 Hubble Petitioners #

April 24th is National Astronomy Day, and a good time to make waves on Hubble’s behalf.

No logic can support the notion that while the Space Shuttle is safe enough for multiple flights to the Space Station over the next decade, it is not safe enough for even one flight to Hubble. It is disingenuous to announce bold plans for a risky manned flight to Mars while at the same time retreating from a flight to Hubble just a few hundred miles away. NASA’s leadership should either defend the risk of the loss of life as justifiable given the overall benefits to mankind, or it should retreat from manned missions altogether. We can ill afford to spend another decade funding manned projects such as the Space Station and the trip to Mars, only to have them shelved when NASA realizes it has no appetite for the inherent risk. If the shuttle can not be made safe enough at any cost, then abandon it and the Space Station, and spend more resource developing a robotic solution to fix Hubble, and to launch future scientific missions. The impact of Hubble on society and the enlightening new discovery of water on Mars make it clear that for the foreseeable future there is much more to be gained, in terms of science and political capital, from robotic initiatives (Hubble is an optical robot after all) than from projects that require NASA to make the environment safe enough for a man. Let’s get back to manned flights when either we as a people have decided to accept the inevitable loss of life, or at such time as we have designed a space ship that is capable of traveling at near the speed of light. Only then will the benefits outweigh the risks.

Spread the word,

Michael Paolucci
President
Savethehubble.org

The Silmarillion in 1000 Words #

Certainly if you are a Tolkien fan (and perhaps if you are not) you will enjoy this. I thought it was hilarious.

I tried to put this up Thursday, but ETP has not been cooperating with me…

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Not So Little Anymore #

Ian was giving Audrey some composition direction in the neighbor’s back yard after their Easter Egg hunt a week and a half ago. sigh… I’ll post some more Ian pictures later.

Genehack Comes to Las Vegas #

I had the distinct pleasure of having lunch with John (who can be found at genehack) and his lovely daughter, Rose. John and I grew up in the same area of rural Kansas (Osage County), albiet some 15 years apart. John is a great person and Rose is simply adorable…

Wow, Where Does the Time Go…? #

Ian is two and a half today!

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There Never Seems to be Enough of It #

Time, that is. I often compose in my head, thinking that I will get those thoughts here at some point. It never seems to happen. There is too much dissonance between extra-household with international and domestic affairs, and inter-household happiness. Outside these walls, with a few notable exceptions, things seem to be on the verge of chaos with occupational uncertainties, deep ennui in regards to all things political and a general revulsion with what comes over the threshold from the ‘news.’ Inside, things could hardly be better. A healthy and happy little boy who just ‘graduated’ from the crib to his first ‘big boy’ bed and Audrey’s (mostly) happy Ph.D. studies. (It is Graduate School after all, there is always plenty of sturm und drang associated with GS.)

By the time I arrive here, whatever I have brought home with me has been neutralized and I find that will and, frankly, coherence and focus have departed. I lack both force and vector.

Still, I feel compelled try to compress several weeks of observations, insights and comments into a series of posts and I fall short. Oh well.

He is awfully adorable when he peeks around the corner five minutes after ’sleepy-bear night night’ and asks in a whisper, “hi daddy, whacha doin’.” Life is pretty darn good.

YA Silly Quiz #

You are a GRAMMAR GOD!

If your mission in life is not already to
preserve the English tongue, it should be.
Congratulations and thank you!

How grammatically sound are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

like it actually means something…

That Was Interesting #

I assume the EditThisPage server must have crashed yesterday because the lame post I put up is gone and we’re back to Wednesday status. Hurray for backups.

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