The Novas - "The Crusher"

I heard this song while drining up to Milwaukee this weekend. I told my buddy there about it and we riffed and laughed on it for hours.

The Cramps also did a version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5gRD549UAo

Open Blog - Monday

♪"Monday, Monday, can't trust that day
Monday, Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way"♫

The Countdown

I was going to post this up last night, but somehow I got diverted into a conversation with someone. (Thanks DA :P) I wanted to honor the shuttle lift-off with a song from Rush. I've seen this video before and I think it's pretty darn cool. Check it out! It'll give you the chills!



BTW-I've got tickets to see Rush for the third time this summer!

The Liberal Media is at it again...

In Alabama this time. There Republican candidate for treasurer in Alabama seems to be called a Young Boozer in EVERY story written about him!

You go to ONE frat party...can't we let anyone get away with a youthful indescretion anymore?

STS-132 Launch

I finally got to see a shuttle launch up close and personal yesterday. I got to the VIP viewing area at Banana Creek a little over three miles from launch pad 39A. I was in the area immediately south of the Saturn V building for those of you familiar with the area.

The bus got us there about 12:30 for a 2:20 launch. The crowd was pretty big and lines were long at the gift shop and food...I got a couple of things at the gift shop and didn't fight for food! The shuttle pilot's mother was in the gift shop of all places buying stuff. I chatted with her in line (we moved her to the front of the line). Come on NASA...give her some free swag!

The countdown went smoothly. I was standing in front of the speakers, so I couldn't hear them well, but it was obvious when they gave good news about the countdown. I had my camera set up but didn't take a lot of photos. Want to experience most of it. I had it set to burst, but made the mistake of leaving the autofocus on. The launch was so bright, the autofocus was overwhelmed and the camera quit focusing and didn't take pictures continuously like I wanted. Still here is what I did get.

View from where I watched.

The launch.

Just a few observations. First, I was expecting a silent launch, that is no shuttle sound, for the first 15 seconds or so. However, I was surprised to hear the engines start at the same time we saw them...they pumped the sound over the PA system! Obviously, we heard the REAL SOUND about 15 seconds later when it got to us and that was much louder! You could watch the sound wave come across the water and see birds taking off as it approached.

Second, the shuttle moves quick. Watching it on television doesn't give you a good sense of how quickly the shuttle goes out of sight since the television cameras use long zoom lenses to track it. They could get this across better using a single lens.

I had a pair of binoculars so I could track it longer than most and watched the SRBs on their return to Earth.

Better than Disney!

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophyscist Blog.

Venus and the Moon in May

I am on vacation in Florida and spending lots of time away from the computer, so I missed posting this in advance. Venus and the Moon had a lovely encounter tonight. I was out on Ann Maria Island snapping away as usual. Here are the highlights.

Be sure to click and view the larger image (they look better).

Now if you missed it tonight, that's not the end of the world. It will be almost as good tomorrow night. However, the Moon will be above Venus instead of below Venus. Here's the finder chart.

You can pick these up shortly after sunset before it gets fully dark. Don't wait too long or they will set on you!

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

"Is the Internet the Secret to Happiness?"

"When it comes to mental health, the Internet gets a bad rap. There are countless studies that suggest regular access to the Internet is linked to stress, anxiety and addiction. But before you stop tweeting and toss out your iPhone, it turns out that spending time on the Web could actually be making you happier.

"A May 12 report by British researchers from the U.K.'s Chartered Institute of IT (known as BCS) have found a link between Internet access and well-being. But some benefit more than others from tapping into the information superhighway, including those with lower incomes or fewer qualifications, people living in the developing world and, perhaps most surprisingly, women."

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1989244,00.html

I knew if I waited long enough, someone would justify my internet addiction: "Our analysis suggests that IT has an enabling and empowering role in people's lives, by increasing their sense of freedom and control, which has a positive impact on well-being or happiness," said Michael Willmott, the social scientist who authored the study.

So if I want to get really happy, I should spend even more time online.

Open Blog, Weekend Version

Speak!

ACLU: Swearing is Not a Crime

"PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania police wrongly charged hundreds of people with disorderly conduct for swearing, the American Civil Liberties Union said in a pair of free-speech lawsuits filed Wednesday.

"ACLU lawyers reviewed 770 disorderly conduct citations issued by Pennsylvania State Police in a recent one-year span. They said they found that while officers applied the law correctly in some cases, the majority involved profanities and other legal, nonobscene speech.

"'You absolutely cannot cite someone just for uttering a profanity,' said ACLU lawyer Marieke Tuthill."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ijBAH_epghuiLo4x8uahu0QZJJ2QD9FLG5301

Well, I'll be %@#$*!!!

Four for Fridays

Good morning, everyone! I'm up WAY early. Have to go to work. Thank God, it's Friday...This week's questions are random.

1) Glass half empty or half full?

2) Are you right handed or left handed?

3) How fast can you type?

4) Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Enjoy your weekend!

Cute Dog Rides Turtle

Given all the bad news and polarizing events in our world, I search the internet for positive, inspirational, and interesting material to present to our faithful followers. Some days, however, it's harder to find good news than others...

Check for Unclaimed Cash

Wisconsin kicks off campaign to return millions of dollars in unclaimed cash.

You may have some summer party money waiting for you!

Unclaimed Cash

See the article at Fox 6 Now.com

Open Blog

We're going to try posting an open blog on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to see if irregular minds have things to share that may not require a whole blog. Anything you have to say, you can say it here. If an Open Blog gets hot, we'll bump it to the top. Start yakking...

Porn...in 3D!

I am kind of surprised it has taken this long since porn is usually on the leading edge of technology (remember Sony wouldn't license Betamax tech to porn producers which contributed to the VHS formal becoming dominant even though Beta had a much better picture...trust me, we had a Betamax and I hated VHS!) Sony did not make the same mistake with Bluray!

Anyway, Playboy, one of the oldest companies, is doing a 3D centerfold in June. Yeah, it's not video and it uses those old blue/red glasses which don't give a nice pleasing color image. But is is a shot across the bow of what we can expect as 3d television becomes prominent!

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should!

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my delectable delphiniums! How are you? I feel just terrible about missing the get together last week, and before you roll your eyes and brush me off, please let me explain. I was with my special friend who I met on Aruba. How he tracked me down, I’ll never know. (It couldn’t have been all those business cards that I stuck in every crevice of his belongings, could it?) Anyway, he appeared at my door just as I was about to leave for the get together. I was so surprised to see him. He brought flowers. Oh my. Such a dear. I wanted to bring him along, but he wouldn’t hear of it. I thought it would be cute to appear with my new friend when Ms. Beejay was also appearing with hers. It would have been nice. But my dear Vito insisted that he could not go. People in his line of work often have to keep a low profile. He didn’t even want me to telephone any of you to say that I would miss the meet. It was a terrible dilemma: honor my commitment to the Irregulars or follow my heart with Vito? Alas, you know what I decided. I apologize if any of you were offended by my absence. How can I make it up to you? Please, tell me, do.

The thing is, I don’t know when, or if, I’ll see Vito again. He says that if we are going to have any kind of relationship, that is how it must be. He doesn’t want to endanger me by associating me with him and his work, so we must hide our love from the world, and grab whatever time together we can get. I don’t know. I don’t know if I can live like that. Unlike my ex, I believe that Vito is being upfront with me about life with him, and I’m not sure that I want what he’s offering. Oh dear. I want him, but I don’t want him on the run, or on the side, or on occasion. I want him completely. What should I do?

Where do the advice givers go for advice? Physician, heal thyself. If you think Mother Nature is difficult to deal with, you haven’t met Cupid. Love is blind, deaf, and dumb. Well, enough about my tribulations, dears. I was so happy to read that all had a good time at the get together. I would so love to have met Mr. Dan, Ms. Beejay’s friend, and all of the other Irregulars. I don’t blame Ms. kk for enjoying a margarita or two. Eat, drink and be merry with family and friends. Or, as Mr. OrbsCorbs likes to exalt: party on! The JT Irregulars are a rowdy, raucous bunch, but I love every last one of them to the bottom of my heart. I promise that if don’t make it to the next get together, I’ll put the infamous and dreaded Zoltar® Curse on myself.

There were no frantic pleas for help from the huddled masses this week, yearning to be free. No emails, either. If you would like to query me or make a comment, please send me an email via: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com. If you desire a confidential answer, I am willing to do that. If you want detailed, specific replies to questions about the past, present and/or future, that, too, can be arranged. Most major credit cards are accepted.

I’ve been so self-absorbed with personal issues that I haven’t been paying much attention to things that have happened in my beloved Racine lately. One thing I did notice, however, is a very nice article about our town’s Dr. Laurel Clark Fountain foibles. Mr. Dustin, from the Racine Post, wrote a short piece entitled, “11 ways to save the Laurel Clark Fountain.” You can read it here: http://news.racinepost.com/2010/05/11-ways-to-save-laurel-clark-fountain.html. I just want to say that I empathize with Mr. Dustin and all the other people who want to see the fountain somehow made child-friendly and legal at the same time. This is a great opportunity for someone to step forward and lead the drive to raise the money or do whatever else it takes to sanitize and legalize the fountain.

That’s my spiel for this week, my dear friends, and I’m sticking to it. I hope that each of you is doing well and that you enjoy our time together as much as I do. I love you sweeties with every irregular beat of my heart. Be careful on these windy, chilly days, or you may be swept right off your feet. Amore!

Penny Riddle

Try to answer each riddle before you look at the answer.



Do you smell anything here?



Do you see any fruit here?



Do you see any snakes here?



Do you see any cars



Do you see any sex here?



Hell no!!! What do you expect for five cents???

1. It's a scent
2. It's a pear
3. It's three copperheads
4. It' s four Lincolns

Another Amazing Illusion

You will see how it is done...reminds me of those tourist traps where they tell you gravity doesn't work!

"Better Marriage Blanket"

Amazing - Let'er Rip People.....

Move over, Snuggie, because there's a new blanket in town, and this new flatulence-fighting internet sensation is being marketed by a company right here in the Kansas City area.

"The Better Marriage Blanket," which claims to be able to save marriages by concealing flatulence, either yours or your spouses, has become a YouTube sensation, with over 1.2 million hits so far. In fact, the commercial has proved to be so popular that it's no longer being shown on TV because the Overland Park company that is in charge of marketing can't keep up with the demand.

Fart Blanket

ARIZONA - must show ID when:

must show ID when:

1. Pulled over by the police

2. Making purchases on my department store credit card.

3. When I show up for a doctor's appointment.

4. When filling out a credit card or loan application.

5. When applying for/renewing a driver's license or passport.

6. When applying for any kind of insurance.

7. When filling out college applications.

8. When donating blood.

9. When obtaining certain prescription drugs.

10. When making some debit purchases, especially if I'm out of state.

11. When collecting a boarding pass for airline or train travel.

I'm sure there are more instances but the point is, we citizens are required to prove who we are nearly every day.

Why should people illegally in this country be exempt? For that matter, perhaps the liberals here can answer the question as to why we shouldn't guard our borders as closely as every other country in the world does?

GO ARIZONA!!!!

Best of Racine, May's caterogies

I hope you all checked out our results blog posted just a bit ago.

On to our next round to vote for.
(I was generously helped by the party gang with more than I can use but will fit them all in , in the coming months if they aren't listed below)

PLEASE VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE -

1. Pharmacy
2. Dry Cleaner
3. Mechanic/garage/service station
4. Gas station
5. Car Wash
6. Hotel/Motel
7. Bowling Alley
8. Garden Center/nursery

Please nominate and vote now! thanks!!

Best of Racine, part 2 results are in!

Sorry for the delay gang, I've been in an unmotivated funk lately.
Here are the results of the 2nd part of our Best of Racine, Irregular edition.

Best Clothing Store - Kohls

Best Grocery Store - Piggly Wiggly on Spring St.

Best Discount Store - Walmart

Best Convenience Store - Odd Fellows on South Main St.

Best Home Improvement Store - Menards

Best Hardware Store - Lee's True Value on Taylor Ave.

Best Pet Store - Pet Supplies Plus

Best Craft Store - Hobby Lobby

Thanks to everyone who voted!!

If any of our winners are a regular stop of yours and you'd like to do the honor of presenting their award certificate, please let me know, otherwise I'll be delivering them this week - thanks!!

"Banned: The American Flag on Cinco de Mayo"

"When 200 hispanic students skipped school last week and marched through downtown Morgan Hill, California chanting 'Si se puede' intermixed with 'We want respect,' none were banned from school attendance on their return.

"When five students, one of them an American from latino roots, wore American flags to school as a sign of patriotic speech, they were labeled incendiary. They were instructed to turn their shirts inside-out so as to cover up the American flag. And when they refused to surrender their first amendment right to expression, they were given unexcused absences."

http://townhall.com/columnists/KevinMcCullough/2010/05/09/banned_the_american_flag_on_cinco_de_mayo

I am so sick and tired of being told that up is down, black is white, right is wrong.
SO sick of it . . .

RIP Lena Horne

"Barrier-breaking jazz star Lena Horne dies at 92" -
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gPNfIO_9nDQNiS__QwMLjFujjcUAD9FJVPSO0

There's some sweeter music in heaven today.

My First Senior Citizen Discount – Should I be Grateful, or Offended?

Or both?

I went to KFC today to get food for a friend. I ordered a two piece meal and gave the man behind the counter the specifics. He pointed to the sign behind him and asked, “Do you want the separate two piece meal, which comes with two sides and a biscuit, but no drink?” Yes, that’s exactly what my friend wanted. The man rang it up on the cash register. The total, with tax, was $5.29. After giving me my change, he went to package the food.

As I waited, I looked over the posted menu. I looked to where the man had first pointed. There, the two piece meal was listed for $5.59, before tax. “Huh?” I thought. Just then, the man said, “Your order is ready, sir.” As I walked out to my truck, I looked over the register receipt. It carried the full price for the meal, then a 10% senior citizen discount, then the tax, totaling $5.29. I didn’t ask for a senior discount; I didn’t even know one was available. If I had known, I would have assumed that I don’t qualify because I’m 58. The man behind the counter was just that: a man, not a teenager. I would guess his age to be in the early 30’s.

Anyway, I’m not sure if I feel bad that I look old enough to get a senior citizen discount, or if this is something that I should be looking forward to. Should I start asking for a discount? How old do you normally have to be? 60? 65? 55? It’s funny, because I belong to both AARP and AAA, and they both promise all sorts of discounts to their members, but I have yet to purchase/rent anything that qualifies.

Maybe I should dye my hair white, and use a cane when I shop: “Eh, what’s that you say, sonny?” Maybe the more I dodder, the deeper the discount. But the thing is, they don’t offer senior citizen discounts on what I buy most: groceries and gasoline. It would hardly be worth my effort. I guess I’ll take today’s experience to be just another affirmation of the relentless march of time. Thanks for the discount, ‘sonny,’ whether I deserved it or not. In these hard times, I’ll take anything I can get.

'The Pill' Turns 50

A pill for men? What for? We don't have babies...

Racine, WI Photos From the Past

There are more good ones here: Old Racine Photos

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone! Did everyone have a good week? To honor Mother's Day this Sunday, I came with these questions.

1) Do you celebrate Mother's Day?

2) How do you celebrate Mother's Day?

3) Describe what is your mother like.

4) What you think it takes to be a good mother?

Enjoy your weekend!

What ever Happend to the Good Old Days

The Latest Development in Security...

I just got a spam email (using the Department of Homeland Security logo) trying to sell surveillance cameras. Here it is
____________________________
ISIS: New Video Camera Sees It All



The Imaging System for Immersive Surveillance (or ISIS) takes new video-camera and image-stitching technology and bolts it to a ceiling, mounts it on a roof, or fastens it to a truck-mounted telescoping mast

Like a bug-eyed fisheye lens, ISIS sees v-e-r-y wide. But that’s where the similarity ends. Whereas a typical fisheye lens distorts the image and can only provide limited resolution, video from ISIS is perfectly detailed, edge-to-edge. That’s because the video is made from a series of individual cameras stitched into a single live view like a high-res video quilt.

“Coverage this sweeping, with detail this fine, requires a very high pixel count,” says program manager Dr. John Fortune, of S&T’s Infrastructure and Geophysical Division, “ISIS has a resolution capability of 100 megapixels.” That’s as detailed as 50 full-HDTV movies playing at once, with optical detail to spare. You can zoom in close…and closer…without losing clarity.

________________________

There is a link, but I am not clicking on it and I can't vouch for its safety, so I left it off.

Anyway, the point here is that it is EASY to find info on security systems. Want to have some fun, google a phrase like "hidden security camera enclosures". You will get links to companies that sell them. Peruse those links for a while. Okay, now go to Wal-Mart, a courthouse, the airport, etc. and look around. With minimal effort, you have just learned how to pick out most of the security cameras!

Okay, once you finish accusing me of "helping the bad guys", stop and think for a moment. I revealed nothing that is not publicly available and if some nogoodnick didn't think of this on his own, he probably isn't smart enough to get too far anyway. Besides, I am not the one sending these emails to random accounts!

The point is that there is a lot of info out there for anyone to find that can be abused. I have always thought a fun job would be a security expert, specifically, the guy who is paid to try and circumvent security systems. I ALWAYS want to do that...not because I want to steal anything or cause trouble, but just because I have ideas and want to see if they work.

There was a point to this, but I got distracted and went off the tracks...