The Telescope That Ate Space Science

The next generation space telescope (replaces Hubble) is several hundred percent over budget and is stealing cash from other worthy science projects at NASA. Things seem to be pretty shaky in our space program these days. And to make things more interesting, a recent Soyuz-U supply launch failed to achieve orbit. Not a lot of options on the table.

More Good News About Chocolate and Health

Another study shows potential benefit for the heart for those that eat chocolate. Someone needs to do the full double bind placebo trial and remove any doubt. The thing they don't seem to discuss is that the traditional coco bean processing destroys a substantial amount of the natural and beneficial flavanols.

Snow Mobiling With A Twist

Click here for a wild ride up a ravine and down a ravine, but not the way you would want to do it.

Grinding The Crack

Wind Energy Myths

Seems like some are coming to grips with the fact that some alternative energy technologies such as large wind generators are not really getting the job done. That is disappointing. Click here to read Robert Byrce's rather harsh analysis.

Update on Shai Agassi

Shai Agassi has been working on a venture to provide a charged battery change-out service for electric vehicles in Israel. Click here to get a status. Either this guy is genius or he has made an expensive blunder.

Are QR Codes the Wave of the Future?

Have you noticed those little black and white splotchy squares occasionally on magazine and newspaper ads? They are QR codes. You scan them with your smart phone to go to a website to get additional information. Are they the wave of the future? Click here to read all about it.

Author Lewis Says Wall Street Is "Making America Worse"

I just finished Michael Lewis' book, "The Big Short" and found it to be very insightful in explaining about how traders exploiting the sub-prime mortgage market brought on the recession of 2007 - 2009. Lewis is interviewed in this clip and you can get an idea of what was going down on Wall St. in the last few years. And it is not over just yet.

Computer Graphic Simulation of US Airways Flt 1549 Landing on the Hudson River

Click here for a very good computer simulation of Capt. Sullenberger landing his aircraft on the Hudson River. He didn't have a lot of extra time to fret. A consummate professional.

A Dog's Purpose (from a 6-year-old)

I don't know the name of the veterinarian who wrote this, but it is worth a post anyway.

A Dog's Purpose (from a 6-year-old)

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron and his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found the was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?"

The six-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."