Starship Asterisk*

I have been a big fan of aviation since I was a kid. Microsoft Flight Sim has reached 40 years old; I grew up playing various versions (mostly FS2004 and FSX). The latest version is pretty amazing; it uses Bing map data to build realistic terrain as you fly along. You can literally fly over your hou...

Happy holidays everyone! Does anyone have any particular fun things they do this time of year? I'll admit when I was younger, through my 20s, Christmas sort of lost its luster. But with kids the whole thing sort of comes to life again. The family tree hunt (we go to local u-cut farms; much tromping ...

Take care of yourself Orin...hope you're feeling better soon.

The galaxy in the original post was for OSX 10.8, Mountain Lion. 10.7, Lion, used M31: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_X_Lion The meandering path of the themes for MacOS are source of "friendly ribbing" between myself and my more Apple-oriented co-workers. The "cat period" reall...

It’s pretty rare in my area to see the Leonids. There is generally a high chance of cloud cover between October and June, so winter star watching is limited to short islands of clear, cold weather. You have to be ready to drop what your doing, break out the telescope, and grab that coat and warm bev...

I can't say I am a Fleetwood Mac fan, but I do appreciate some of their work. One song that stands out for me is "Never Going Back Again," on Rumors , because the guitar picking is so impressive. Chris - I tend to "think" in terms of albums too. It's kind of strange, when I was a...

In University, I had a teacher who gave a subject with a pseudocientific explanation. I asked him a key question that showed his mistake. The teacher did not answer me, he got very furious and he said end of the class. Good point. We often assume certain professions – teachers, doctors, scientists ...

When I was working as a pharmacist, I had opinions I felt unheard or even unwanted. The internet has opened a platform for all to voice their opinions but societal courtesies have not kept pace with technology. In golf there is an observed etiquette that parallels the rules. Society, currently, has...

0.5 kilopost!

OK, I guess that's not very impressive among the high-posting folks around here. Considering that I joined in 2005, by the time I hit my first kilopost we'll probably be discussing, in past-tense, humanity's first steps on Mars.

Good luck with the recovery; if they tell you to do physical therapy, do it, and take it easy as you get back into old activities. I feel your pain! I had a knee injury in my early 30s. I ended up with a torn and folded meniscus. It was a very, very long recovery but I am thankful that my knee heale...

I do not want to annoy the readers. Nothing of that. But, what is the idea? I think that the point of infinite density, where the Universe originated, according to the current Big Bang theory, is the " Aquiles heel " of this theory. Indeed. I believe that no one has empirically demostrate...

Reddit uses an interesting model. As a whole, reddit is huge; but it is split up into a vast number of dedicated groups (subreddits). I, for instance, subscribe to the sysadmin subreddit and glance at it occasionally. I am insulated from what is happening generally across the platform because I am o...

Another difficult conversation is one with the individual who is completely cynical, to the point that he/she won’t accept any new information. For instance, one might proclaim “Democrats and Republicans are the same , and if you think one is different than the other you are just a rube.” Once that ...

I am sorry to hear about Art. I always enjoyed figuring out the puzzling connections in the things he posted. My condolences to his family and friends...

How should a scientifically literate person conduct a constructive conversation with someone who holds pseudo-scientific beliefs? My usual approach is to avoid conflict and quietly scrunch my face, like a frazzled Kermit the Frog. I am not convinced that this is the best solution, considering the ra...

Has anyone been able to see auroras where they live during this recent solar storm? https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/03/30/aurora-northern-lights-sun-us/ My skies aren't that dark and are usually covered with clouds this time of year, so I would be hard pressed to see them. But then, if t...

"Test image" of an unremarkable star, for alignment purposes, and Webb has already begun capturing faint galaxies: https://www.space.com/james-webb-space- ... cted-image

Ann - I assume you are running Windows 10? I would echo Chris' recommendation of not using 3rd party AV software. Unless you have it pared down (adding exclusions, etc.) it will be more intrusive than helpful. The modern version of Windows Defender is actually pretty solid. That said, you might try ...

Titan! Imagine sailing the hydrocarbon lakes. Or better yet, human-powered flight. The density of the atmosphere - 1.5 ATMs - and the low gravity would allow you, with flippers and maybe some kind of wing suit, to just fly around (XKCD talks about it here ). If you can avoid freezing to death, of co...

Great shots, Fred. I have often wondered about the aggressiveness of humming birds. We have a large Crocosmia in the backyard that attracts a lot of humming birds. If a second bird shows up while the first is feeding, a fight invariably ensues. There are plenty of flowers to go around if they'd just...

I was hoping we'd catch some Perseids tonight or tomorrow night but the sky went from clear to obscured within hours; the smoke really rolled in fast.

Tardigrades. Water bears or moss piglets? That is the question! Their survival trick is to become emaciated and inanimate while conditions are intolerable, then come back to normal when those conditions improve. I would imagine any moss piggies that inadvertently hitch a ride to Mars or Titan will r...

Chris, I agree – I don’t think it is very effective to bombard folks with facts, or to contradict them directly. Scare tactics don’t generally work either. For example, 'scare ‘em straight' campaigns against drugs and alcohol use are not particularly effective from a public health perspective, espec...

“You cannot reason someone out of something he or she was not reasoned into.” – Jonathan Swift (maybe, there are a lot of variations on this quote). Do you think this sentiment is true? Are people who take irrational positions impossible to reach? How often do you spend effort to change someone’s mi...