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| | | :: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 :: |
Fantasy Film Update
 If you haven't registered your film at Fantasy Film League for the July season, do so RIGHT FREAKIN' NOW!
Movies Redux
 I promised a while back this was coming, so, here, to further demonstrate just what a classless pop-culture consumer I am, is the list of the top-grossing movies of all time, adjusted for inflation. Going into it, I'm guess I've seen fewer of these than of the last list, which was actual dollars, and thus waited more towards modern fluff than beloved classics. Movies I've seen are in bold.
1 Gone With the Wind
2 Star Wars
3 The Sound of Music
4 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
5 The Ten Commandments
6 Titanic
7 Jaws
8 Doctor Zhivago
9 The Exorcist
10 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
11 101 Dalmatians
12 The Empire Strikes Back
13 Ben-Hur (Several of this are ones I've seen bits and pieces of, but not all the way through)
14 Return of the Jedi
15 The Sting
16 Raiders of the Lost Ark
17 Jurassic Park
18 The Graduate
19 The Phantom Menace
20 Fantasia
21 The Godfather
22 Forrest Gump
23 Mary Poppins
24 The Lion King
25 Grease
26 Thunderball
27 The Jungle Book
28 Sleeping Beauty
29 Ghostbusters
30 Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid
31 Bambi
32 Independence Day
33 Love Story
34 Beverly Hills Cop
35 Spider-Man
36 Home Alone
37 Pinocchio
38 Cleopatra
39 Goldfinger
40 Airport
41 American Graffiti
42 The Robe
43 Around the World in 80 Days
44 Blazing Saddles
45 Batman
46 The Bells of St. Mary's
47 The Return of the King This has got to be the animated version, right? ;)
48 The Towering Inferno
49 National Lampoon's Animal House
50 The Passion of the Christ
51 The Greatest Show on Earth
52 My Fair Lady
53 Let's Make Love
54 Back to the Future
55 The Two Towers
56 Superman
57 Smokey and the Bandit
58 The Sixth Sense
59 Finding Nemo
60 Tootsie
61 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
62 West Side Story
63 Lady and the Tramp
64 Close Encounters of the Third Kind
65 Twister
66 Rocky
67 The Best Years of Our Lives
68 The Fellowship of the Ring
69 The Poseidon Adventure
70 Men in Black
71 The Bridge on the River Kwai
72 Its' a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
73 Swiss Family Robinson
74 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
75 M*A*S*H Can you get partial credit by watching AfterMASH?
76 Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom
77 Attack of the Clones
78 Mrs. Doubtfire
79 Aladdin
80 Ghost
81 Duel in the Sun
82 Pirates of the Caribbean
83 House of Wax
84 Rear Window
85 The Lost World: Jurassic Park
86 Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade
87 Terminator 2: Judgment Day
88 How the Grinch Stole Christmas
89 Sergeant York
90 Toy Story 2
91 Top Gun
92 Shrek
93 Crocodile Dundee
94 The Matrix Reloaded
95 Saving Private Ryan
96 The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
97 Young Frankenstein
98 Peter Pan
99 Gremlins
100 Monsters, Inc.
So, yeah, 64 out of 100, versus 73 out of the non-adusted list. Still better than my 44 of the 100 best, though.
Daily Hatbag
 To make up for the bad strips I've run recently, here's the strip so good The DM ran it twice. Though that may have been a mistake.
History Juxtaposed
  I'm blogging this mainly for Lain, but the Atlanta Time Machine site is pretty cool, if lacking in actual time machines.
EVA Trivia
 I thought this that I just found at collectSPACE was an interesting bit of trivia. Mike Fincke is the first American to perform an EVA who was born after the first EVA was conducted. Leonov and White both conducted their EVAs in 1965, Fincke was born on March 14, 1967.
I had hear that Fincke also now holds the record for the shortest-ever EVA at 14 minutes, but upon doing some research, it looks like Leonov had him beat by a good 2 minutes. Perhaps Fincke holds the record for the shortest American space walk, but I'm too lazy to actually verify that. I can't imagine who would have a shorter one, though.
Today In History
 On this date 33 years ago, the crew of Soyuz 11 died during reentry to Earth when their spacecraft depressurized. The crew had arguably been the first to man a space station.
Nearer To Mars
 Here's an interesting bit from an article largely about Rosaviakosmos seeking ESA in its next-generation spacecraft:
Perminov believes that by combining efforts, the terrestrials will be able to send a manned spaceship to Mars some time before the year 2020. "Such an interplanetary flight is technically feasible but it must be thoroughly prepared. Any one country by acting alone will not be able to implement such a large-scale programme," he emphasised. Perminov said NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe shares his view of the prospect.
The FSA chief is confident that "A manned mission to Mars can be accomplished before 2020. This will require serious preparation and solutions to matters concerning all the three aspects: financing, technical execution, and the training of astronauts and cosmonauts."
EVA And SOI
 NASA's got big stuff going on today in orbit around two different planets. (That's kinda cool.)
Per NASA:
NASA will provide two simultaneous satellite feeds of live news events Wednesday evening: a spacewalk by the International Space Station crew and the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft's arrival at Saturn. ...
Coverage of the spacewalk by Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Mike Fincke begins June 30 at 4:30 p.m. EDT. The spacewalk itself begins about 5:40 p.m. EDT. Padalka and Fincke will replace an exterior circuit breaker and restore power to one of four Station gyroscopes that help orient the complex. The excursion is expected to last as long as six hours. Station managers will meet Tuesday morning to finalize plans. ...
NASA TV will cover the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft throughout the day and into the evening on Wednesday. Cassini will fire its engines for 96 minutes to put itself into Saturn's orbit.
More on the space walk is here.
More on the Cassini orbital insertion is here.
Who Is That Mystery Man?
 Does the administrator of NASA have a second career making bad movies? Well, probably not. But, it'd be kinda cool.
| | | :: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 :: |
Daily Hatbag
Somebody should put this strip on a t-shirt.
Latter Day Cylons
 So it turns out Battlestar Galactica is just Mormon propoganda.
OS Sex
 Nine of the top ten stories on the Blogdex list of most-blogged items today are about the Apple WWDC yesterday. The one exception is No. 8, "New York Daily News - Politics - Sex pros get ready for party..." (I should note, though, that WWDC news also appears many places on the list other than the Top Ten.)
Bidding On The Future
 Here's an interesting bit of Vision-related news, but it's outdated now, and I can't find anything more recent telling how things came out.
Today In History
 On this date 9 years ago, Atlantis conducted the first Space Shuttle docking with the Russian Mir space station on the STS-71 mission. (If I'm reading this correctly, this mission was one of the rare times the Shuttle has carried eight people at a time.)
10.4 Good Buddy
 So, yeah--Tiger. Huh.
DVD Update
 Spiderman 2 hasn't even been released in theaters yet, and already the second DVD version has been announced. Spiderman 2.5 will feature about 5 minutes of footage that was cut from the movie, all very small additions.
Fantasy Film Update
The July season of the Fantasy Film League begins Thursday. For the third time, I'm entreating the readers of this blog to join in my You Must Fight The Bear little league. What else can I tell you? It's free, it's fun. You pick out actors from upcoming films and put them in your movie. Over the course of the next year, your movie makes money based on how real movies starring your actors do. Whoever makes the most money at the end of the year wins. Lain and I have already entered two seasons. In the January season, my "Automan: The Movie" is leading "Bandolier of Schmutz," and in the April season, my "Heat Vision and Gump" is dominating Lain's labor of love, "Twiggy vs. James Bond: The Movie." Do you have what it takes to compete against my next cinema behemoth, "None More Batman"?
| | | :: Monday, June 28, 2004 :: |
Daily Hatbag
Lain argued for the alien strip I posted Friday as the worst Hatbag ever, but this one that turned 10 over the weekend, has my vote for worst artwork, and was pretty far down the list in terms of concept as well. Sorry, whoever wrote/drew it.
Darth Nader
 Michael Moore has hurt Ralph Nader's feelings.
EVA Update
Last week's aboard ISS EVA has been rescheduled for Wednesday, at 4:40 p.m. CDT (if I'm doing the GMT conversion properly). On a related note, the problem in last week's EVA attempt has been determined to be a faulty switch in Mike Fincke's Orlan suit.
Strange New Worlds
 I posted a while back about a picture that may be the first direct imaging of an extrasolar planet. I haven't heard yet whether it actually was or not, but more photos of extrasolar worlds may be coming soon.
A Newt? It Got Better!
 Following the arrival of some networking hardware last week, I'm getting closer to being up and running with my new Newton. I can transfer packages from my iMac in OS X, and I've synced (sunc?) the Newt with my iCal and Address Book. I can connect to the internet wirelessly, and can send e-mail to myself and Nicole, but that's about as far as I've gotten online.
Elvis Imitator
 I thought this was an interesting tidbit. For the new DVD release of Night of the Living Dead, extras include a new audio commentary by Mike Nelson of Mystery Science Theater 3000. While not the same as the full MST3K treatment, it's an interesting idea, if he's indeed MST'ing the movie. I would be in favor of more DVDs hiring out the MST team to do commentary tracks. How cool would that be?
Also, more Bruce Campbell Elvis commentary tracks would be nice.
Also, I would watch any movie on DVD, I don't care what it is, if it had a commentary track from Elvis, Crow, and Tom Servo.
Summer Showers
 The Perseids are coming. This summer meteor shower will be particularly good this year. The show will begin in mid-July, building up to an August 12 peak, when viewers may be able to hundreds of meteors per hour.
Idiot Savant Update
 So, it turns out Marilyn vos Savant has backed away from her claim that there is no alien life.
In Sunday's paper, she writes:
You recently assured a child that there are no such things as aliens visiting Earth from other planets. But do you believe that extraterrestrial life may exist?
It may. Here on Earth, life is based on carbon, which "happens" to be present in abundance. By this, I mean that the abundance may be why terrestrial life is based on carbon in the first place. It may not be necessary elsewhere. Planets with lower or higher temperatures might possibly have life based on other atoms. Not that this would be life as we know it. But we could still call it life. And if we found a planet with Earthly conditions--through the possibility is remote--I would almost expect to find life.
Old-School Demolition
They're tearing down my old high school. Alas.
| | | :: Friday, June 25, 2004 :: |
Daily Hatbag
You could tell this alien was ahead of his time because he's got an iPod, back in '94. In fact, it may be some sort of futuristic iPod PDA, with a stylus sticking out of the top.
Today In History
 On this date 7 years ago, the Progress M-34 unmanned supply ship collided with the Russian Mir space station's Spektr module, puncturing the hull.
Also, 20 years ago tomorrow, the Space Shuttle program had its first pad abort.
Transform And Roll Out!
Spaceref.com has an interesting, if convoluted article about NASA's reorganization to prepare to implement the Vision for Space Exploration. A more straightforward version is available from NASA.
EVA Update
Yesterday's Expedition 9 space walk was cancelled due to problems with Mike Fincke's Orlan spacesuit, about five minutes after he went outside. The EVA has been delayed until at least Tuesday.
Popeye's Naked!
 Per Carbwire:
Popeyes Chicken, second only to KFC in fast-food chicken sales, is now testing no-carb items in 300 of its stores. The "naked" items include both Popeyes Naked Chicken and Popeyes Naked Chicken Strips.
(How does the chicken strip if it's already naked?)
DVD Redemption
 Ha! For once, I win! I love the movie "The Shawshank Redemption," and have wanted to add it to my DVD collection since I first got a DVD player. But, it struck me as a travesty that the DVD release had basically no special features, and I was confident that the situation would eventually be remedied, if I would just wait a little while. And, though I didn't expect to have to wait four and a half years, I was right. The Special Edition of Shawshank Redemption will be released on October 5.
| | | :: Thursday, June 24, 2004 :: |
Like Being Inside Of Joy
 Kirk's jumping from space scene will be restored for the Special Edition of ST: Generations, along with other scenes, including the original ending.
On a side note, here's some new Star Wars packaging pictures.
Sheesh
Ah, yes, that useful tool that is the internet: How many inches are in a meter?
Daily Hatbag
Here ya go.
Talking To The Future
 At the Keo.org Web site, you can write a message which will travel through space for 50,000 years before returning to Earth to be read by people in the future.
Paging Senator Kelly
 Per CNN:
Somewhere in Germany is a baby Superman, born in Berlin with bulging arm and leg muscles. Not yet 5, he can hold seven-pound weights with arms extended, something many adults cannot do. He has muscles twice the size of other kids his age and half their body fat. DNA testing showed why: The boy has a genetic mutation that boosts muscle growth.
Coppertop
  Microsoft has been awarded a patent for technology to use human bodies to power electronic devices.
Transformation
Two events related to the Vision will be broadcast (and Webcast)on NASA TV today. At 10 a.m. CDT, Administrator Sean O'Keefe will give a NASA Update addressing changes that will be made in the agency in the wake of the President's Commission report to prepare for implementation of the Vision, and at 2 p.m., there will be a press conference about the changes, which will feature a "special visitor." (I have no idea who it is.)
Going For A Walk
The CMG repair space walk will begin at 4:50 p.m. CDT today. Space.com has a rather overwrought feature about it.
No GO To Orbit
 The man who was announced to be the next space tourist, Greg Olsen, will not be traveling to the ISS, after having been barred from flight by Rosaviakosmos due to health issues.
While this article says that a Russian cosmonaut will likely take the third seat on the April 2005, I'd be surprised.
Addendum: Or maybe not.
Addendum: Or maybe so.
And One More Thing
 In addition to the formal preview of the new Tiger version of OS X at next week's WWDC, rumor has it that in his keynote, Steve Jobs will announce the G5 iMac, which will feature a new form factor.
This Week At NE
 This week at NASAexplores.com, we have my profile about Expedition 7 science officer Ed Lu, and a piece about Flat David's visit to Marshall.
| | | :: Wednesday, June 23, 2004 :: |
Last Grounds
 The last issue of Troy Hickman's six-part Common Grounds mini-series hits stands today. Buy it! And eagerly await word that it's been picked up as an ongoing.
I read the first part of Troy's Witchblade two-parter. That was some messed-up stuff (this is a family blog, after all), and I mean that in the best possible way. One of the more interesting, unique, and frightening comic book villians I've seen in a while.
Popular Cinema
 A while back, I jumped on the meme of posting which of the AFI's 100 best movies I'd seen, so now I'm doing it again, with the 100 top-grossing movies. Bolded titles are movies I've seen.
1. Titanic
2. Star Wars
3. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
4. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
5. Spider-Man
6. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
7. Passion of the Christ
8. Jurassic Park
9. Shrek 2
10. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
11. Finding Nemo
12. Forrest Gump
13. Lion King, The
14. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
15. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
16. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
17. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
18. Independence Day
19. Pirates of the Caribbean
20. Sixth Sense, The (1999)
21. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
22. Home Alone (It doesn't seem like that long ago this was in the top ten. Though I'm not complaining at seeing it fall.)
23. Matrix Reloaded, The
24. Shrek
25. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
26. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
27. Jaws
28. Monsters, Inc.
29. Batman
30. Men in Black
31. Toy Story 2
32. Bruce Almighty
33. Raiders of the Lost Ark
34. Twister
35. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
36. Ghost Busters
37. Beverly Hills Cop
38. Cast Away
39. Lost World: Jurassic Park, The
40. Signs
41. Rush Hour 2
42. Mrs. Doubtfire
43. Ghost (1990) (I've seen large bits and pieces of this one, but not the whole thing all the way through
44. Aladdin
45. Saving Private Ryan
46. Mission: Impossible II
47. X2
48. Austin Powers in Goldmember
49. Back to the Future
50. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
51. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
52. Exorcist, The
53. Mummy Returns, The
54. Armageddon
55. Gone with the Wind
56. Pearl Harbor
57. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
58. Toy Story (1995)
59. Men in Black II
60. Gladiator
61. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
62. Dances with Wolves (Never have, never will)
63. Batman Forever (And yet I have seen this dreck)
64. Fugitive, The
65. Ocean's Eleven (Presumably the Clooney version? They give us a year for Ghost, like there'd be any confusion there, and yet not for this?)
66. What Women Want
67. Perfect Storm, The
68. Liar Liar
69. Grease
70. Jurassic Park III
71. Mission: Impossible
72. Planet of the Apes (Uh... again... which one? Though I have seen both)
73. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
74. Pretty Woman
75. Tootsie
76. Top Gun
77. There's Something About Mary
78. Ice Age
79. Crocodile Dundee (again, don't know that I've seen it all the way through)
80. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
81. Elf
82. Air Force One (Best... Movie...Ever...!)
83. Rain Man
84. Apollo 13
85. Matrix, The (I woulda thought this would have been higher)
86. Beauty and the Beast
87. Tarzan (1999)
88. Beautiful Mind, A
89. Chicago
90. Three Men and a Baby
91. Meet the Parents
92. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
93. Hannibal
94. Catch Me If You Can
95. Big Daddy
96. Sound of Music, The
97. Batman Returns
98. Bug's Life, A
99. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
100. Waterboy, The
So, 73 out of the Top 100 grossers, versus only 44 of the top 100 best. And so Dave learns that he's not as cultured as he'd like to believe. Also, it's pretty top-heavy, showing I most like the most popular stuff. Oh well.
Daily Hatbag
OK, here's how topical Hatbag is: this strip from 10 years ago is still relevant today, with Clinton once again making headlines this week (though I guess the Bob Barker bit is a bit passe).
Stereo Text
OK, this is kind of cool: It's one of those magic-eye stereogram things, but done with text. Stare at it long enough and see the magic!
Today In History
 On this date 10 years ago, NASA extended the offer of partnership in the International Space Station program to Rosaviakosmos.
RTF Update
 Per VOAnews.com:
The head of the U.S. space agency NASA says returning the space shuttle fleet to orbit is proving more challenging than expected. His comments raise the prospect that the first shuttle mission after last year's Columbia accident will be delayed again.
This contradicts reports following Friday's RTF update saying that things are still on track for a March launch, but even that report acknowledged that large obstacles still remain.
The Future Will Wait
 Though reports Monday were that Burt Rutan would soon announce when Scaled would make its first X Prize attempt flight, SpaceShipOne has been grounded until Scaled can figure out what caused the glitches Monday and get them corrected.
On a side note, The NYT has a good article about Melvill.
Also, Cosmic Log has a good piece, though I dispute Rutan's claim that a NASA astronaut would be fired for eating M&Ms in space. Also, it's nice to know that Shatner was there for the SSO flight.
EVA Update
As it turns out, I was apparently wrong yesterday: Expedition 9 is still scheduled to perform an EVA Thursday. The "dress rehearsal" was completed yesterday.
| | | :: Tuesday, June 22, 2004 :: |
Daily Hatbag
Here ya go.
More Thoughts
 A few more thoughts from my reading of Calvin & Hobbes:
This is an astute observation:
Calvin: People complain that the entertainment industry caters to the lowest common denominator of public taste, but I disagree.
Hobbes: You do?
Calvin: Yeah, I think it's a fallacy that taste bottoms out somewhere. If they could find a way to aim even lower, they'd make some real money.
(Of course, it's entirely possible that those two panels are responsible for our entire modern entertainment industry.)
Also, it strikes me that today, you wouldn't receive the same reaction to a strip that frequently features the main character blowing up his school and shooting at teachers and students.
Today In History
 On this date in 1978, astronomer James Christy discovered Pluto's moon, Charon.
Also on this date in 1973, the first crew of Skylab returned to Earth after 28 days in space (I'll spare you the lengthy history lesson this time).
EVA Update
 A planned rehearsal, originally scheduled for today, of the upcoming ISS space walk has been delayed, with no new time set. Reports are that the EVA itself, scheduled for Thursday, will likely also be delayed again (with one report indicating a possible rescheduling for Friday).
Beyond The Sky
Highlights from coverage of yesterday's SpaceShipOne flight:
From NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe:
We applaud the remarkable achievement of Burt Rutan, Paul Allen and test pilot Mike Melvill following the first successful suborbital flight of SpaceShipOne.
Not unlike the first U.S. and Soviet space travelers in 1961, and China's first successful spaceflight last October, these private citizens are pioneers in their own right. They are doing much to open the door to a new marketplace offering the experience of weightlessness and suborbital space flight to the public.
We congratulate the SpaceShipOne team and wish all those who may follow safe flights.
Per NASA:
Astronaut Mike Fincke, who is living and working on board the International Space Station, conveyed his congratulations to the SpaceShipOne team during space-to-ground communications today.
"Fantastic!" Fincke said upon hearing the news that test pilot Mike Melvill had successfully completed the first privately funded suborbital human space flight. "We were wishing them the best of luck. We're all in the space business together, helping mankind get off the planet and explore the stars."
Per USA Today:
Even with the problems, Melvill flew well beyond 50 miles, qualifying him for U.S. astronaut status. After the flight, an official from the Federal Aviation Administration gave a tearful Melvill the USA's first "commercial astronaut wings." ...
Melvill was high enough that he could see the curve of the Earth. When he released a bag of M&Ms into the cockpit, he said they "just spun around like little sparkling things."
Per Florida Today:
That's why Monday was a "turning point" for space travel and Florida's role in it, says Winston Scott, a former NASA astronaut who is executive director of the Florida Space Authority, charged with luring new space business to the state.
And it's also why it should be a catalyst for immediate action.
"We're at the start of a new day. In fact, I predict that in 25 to 30 years, the number of private launches will outpace the number of government launches," said Scott.
Per SFGate.com:
Where is NASA in all this? The recently released report from the President's Commission on Moon, Mars and Beyond refocuses NASA on what it does best: exploration. The discoveries from the Hubble Telescope and the Mars rovers continue to amaze us and teach us more about the universe. Like Lewis and Clark, they are the pioneers, and we are the settlers.
After almost 50 years of waiting, the time has come to open up shop 200 miles up. NASA continues to blaze new trails. Now it is private industry's turn to pave the road.
Per The New York Times:
Mr. Rutan called the malfunction "the most serious safety problem we have encountered" in the nine years it took to create and launch SpaceShipOne. He added, however, that the backup systems and Mr. Melvill's training all came together for a successful flight.
Mr. Melvill also said that during ascent he had heard a loud bang, which was apparently caused by a cover over the tail nozzle that buckled during the flight.
"I was pretty scared," he said.
Per The Washington Times:
"Since Yuri Gagarin and Al Shepard's epic flights in 1961, all space missions have been flown only under large, expensive government efforts. By contrast, our program involves a few dedicated individuals who are focused entirely on making spaceflight affordable," Mr. Rutan said.
Mr. Rutan said the mission was cut back from its planned 360,000 feet (more than 68 miles) because of a steering problem.
Per The Houston Chronicle:
But after its civilian pilot calmed steering woes and jerked the experimental rocket ship back on course, he rolled to a historic stop in the Mojave Desert crying a triumphant "Yeehaw!" ...
"You really do feel that you touch the face of God when you do something like this," said Melvill, a 63-year-old grandfather. "The colors were pretty staggering looking down at the Earth from up there. It's almost a religious experience. It's an awesome thing to see."
Per Spaceflight Now:
As always during a test flight, he was wearing his lucky horseshoe, a piece of jewelry he designed and presented to his girlfriend when she was 16 years old. The two were married when she was 17 and have been together now for 48 years.
Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, also was on hand to greet the new astronaut "and to have him come up and shake my hand and congratulate me and tell me I'd joined the club, that was serious stuff, man," Melvill said.
Per Reuters:
Michael Lembeck of NASA's office of exploration systems said such prizes would go to private explorers for such landmarks as "the first soft landing on the moon, or for returning a piece of an asteroid to Earth." ...
Lembeck said NASA would consider offering $10 million to $30 million in prizes to encourage private investors to develop space vehicles. There was even discussion of offering "a couple hundred million dollars for the first private orbital flight," he said in a telephone interview.
Per The Christian Science Monitor:
In many ways, the moment is more Wild West than Wilbur Wright, opening a new frontier for the geniuses and thrill seekers, businessmen and hucksters who have long followed pioneers to new lands and new markets.
"It's like the opening of the West," says Howard McCurdy, a spaceflight historian at American University in Washington. "Entrepreneurs followed in the wake of the oft government-funded explorers. There were a lot of characters and a lot of innovation."
Per Cox News Service:
Rutan's company, called Scaled Composites, is the leading contender among 26 companies and teams from seven countries competing for the X prize. The winner must launch a spaceship capable of carrying three people 62.5 miles into suborbital space and repeat the feat within two weeks.
Rutan said he would probably make a decision on when to go for the prize in a few days.
And all of this, of course, is just a fraction of the total coverage.
Army Of Mac
 Per MacNN:
COLSA today announced the purchase of 1566 dual processor 1U rack-mount 64-bit Xserve G5 servers from Apple to build a new supercomputer, which it expects to be one of the fastest in the world. The supercomputer, named MACH 5, is expected to deliver a peak performance capability of more than 25 TFlops/second at a cost of $5.8 million and will be used to model the complex aero-thermodynamics of hypersonic flight for the US Army.
Tusk!
 Lain sent me this link to a WeddingChannel.com entry on my friend Jesse Holland's wedding. But sure to go to About the Couple to read the story of their engagement.
I'm Your Private Spacecraft
 I was amused by the headline on The Huntsville Times' story yesterday about SpaceShipOne: "SpaceShipOne lifts privately into space." I guess on a big day like that, you gotta have your privacy.
Still, The Times did put the story on the front page, though at the very bottom.
| | | :: Monday, June 21, 2004 :: |
No Post Here
Since I always avoid politics on my blog, I, of course, won't be posting that Clinton believes Bush was right on the war in Iraq.
Daily Hatbag
Today we celebrate the anniversary of this strip that celebrates the anniversary of Woodstock. I'll have to remember next year to celebrate the anniversary of this post.
Banner Day
 In some of best internet news recently, The Hulk is back.
Hubble Recant
 There was much made in the space news community about a letter drafted by former astronaut Walt Cunningham and cosigned by several others arguing that the Shuttle should be sent on the cancelled Hubble servicing mission. Recently, however, two of the astronauts who signed the letter, Tom Stafford and last man on the Moon Gene Cernan have retracted their support for the letter.
Cernan wrote: "I am now better informed, am a little wiser on the subject, and today am retracting my support as expressed in the subject letter. I believe we all realize the significance of both the scientific results of and public interest in the Hubble. I also believe that if there is a way either manned or robotically, the Hubble will continue to be a serviceable asset without comprising the shuttle's primary mission of space station completion."
Stafford wrote: "We all agree that the HST is a marvelous scientific instrument, and it is my hope that its operational lifetime can be extended. This can indeed be accomplished via an unmanned robotic mission instead of with a manned Space Shuttle.
It is not necessary to send humans when a robotic mission can extend the useful life of the HST. By advocating an unmanned robotic mission to the HST, NASA has not only embraced the CAIB recommendations, but has taken a step to preclude undue risk. As an added benefit, the demonstration of such robotic capabilities will be important as NASA implements the vision for space exploration."
RTF Update
While much work remains to be done, the next Shuttle flight is still on track for March, according to a NASA RTF update Friday. Engineers are behind on developing an inspection boom for the Shuttle's robot arm, and in developing a procedure for repairing large holes in Shuttle tiles. However, none of those problems are seen as deal-breakers for a March return to flight.
Instead, the agency is focusing on plans for a rescue mission.
Space Poll
 Space Tourism company Space Adventures recently conducted an informal poll of people who have paid deposits to make suborbital spaceflights. While that's a pretty unusual demographic, some of the results are somewhat interesting.
Today In History
On this date, this year, the first private human spaceflight will be made.
Save The Saturn
 I'll allow The Huntsville Times to blog my weekend for me.
And while I'm linking to The Times, here's a story about iPods in Huntsville.
| | | :: Saturday, June 19, 2004 :: |
Join The Fight!
  If you would like to help save Remington Steele from Robocop, sign your name in the feedback system!
| | | :: Friday, June 18, 2004 :: |
Little Fincke
 Per NASA Spaceflight:
Father's Day came early for Astronaut Mike Fincke, 225 miles in space aboard the International Space Station, as he received the best present on Earth -- baby daughter Tarali Paulina Fincke, born Friday.
Although Fincke is among thousands of American fathers whose service to the country has prevented them from attending the birth of a child, he is the first U.S. astronaut to have celebrated the event from space.
Fallen Astronaut
 The City of Canton (MS) has named a park after Columbia astronaut Michael Anderson, who had family there.
Daily Hatbag
Hippie takes drugs!
Today In History
 On this date 21 years ago, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space on the STS-7 flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
Hall Of Fame
 C3P0, Asimo, Astroboy, and Robby are among the most recent inductions into the Robot Hall Of Fame, which will be the world's foremost museum after the robot holocaust. Of course, you gotta love a story that features both C3P0 and Wozniak.
SpaceShipOne Update
Since I may not get a chance to blog it again before it's too late, the launch of SpaceShipOne for the first private manned spaceflight is scheduled for Monday morning, with roll-out at 8:30 a.m. CDT. CNN plans to carry live coverage.
Days Of The Comet
 Per SpaceRef.com:
Findings from a historic encounter between NASA's Stardust spacecraft and a comet have revealed a much stranger world than previously believed. The comet's rigid surface, dotted with towering pinnacles, plunging craters, steep cliffs, and dozens of jets spewing violently, has surprised scientists.
"We thought Comet Wild 2 would be like a dirty, black, fluffy snowball," said Stardust Principal Investigator Dr. Donald Brownlee of the University of Washington, Seattle. "Instead, it was mind-boggling to see the diverse landscape in the first pictures from Stardust, including spires, pits and craters, which must be supported by a cohesive surface.
Word!
 I'm so old-school hip it hurts. I refused to upgrade from Word 5.1 for years, and it was the last version of Word I used on my Macs. When I got the G4 iMac, I started using Appleworks instead, largely because I preferred working in something OS X-native. I had no idea, though, that there were others who shared my love of Word 5. Basically, I liked the fact that it was a good, passive Word processor. It just let you type, without trying to second-guess you the whole time.
In other old-school Dave news, my Newton arrived yesterday. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to get around the bootstrapping problem, which kinda limits my use of it at the moment. I was amazed that it's actually bigger than my old MP120, but, yeah, it's cool.
| | | :: Thursday, June 17, 2004 :: |
Daily Hatbag
When the Hatbag movie is finally made, I'm looking forward to all the big musical numbers.
Don't OD On Odie
 It turns out the Garfield movie is perfect--a perfect part of the Jim Davis' empire. Slate.com has an interesting article about how Davis has made Garfield a success through aggresive mediocrity.
This Week At NE
 This week at NASAexplores, we've got Maggie's profile of astronaut Charles Camarda, and some logic puzzles.
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