JANUARY 30, 2010
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Shuttle Ferry Blog
A space enthusiast coworker of mine shared an interesting blog about ferrying the space shuttle. As you might know, due to weather the space shuttle Atlantis had to land at Edwards AFB after its last mission instead of its normal site in Florida. When that happens, NASA uses one of two modified 747-100s to ferry the shuttle back to Kennedy piggyback-style. It makes for quite a sight, and I hope to see it in person someday before the shuttle program ends. Due to the extra weight and tremendous drag that the piggybacked shuttle adds to the 747, it must stop for fuel a few times along the way. A while back my grandfather got to see it during a fuel stop at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls. The flight is scheduled to depart Edwards early Monday morning.
Brenden’s New Pool
We got Brenden a swimming pool! Here are pics of his first swim.
The Fastest Pitcher Ever, and It’s Not Who You Think
I found an interesting article about a little-known pitcher from the 1950s and 1960s named Steve Dalkowski. Everyone who saw him pitch said he was absolutely the fastest pitcher they’d ever seen, faster than Ryan, Feller, or any of the other fireballers who might come to mind. Unfortunately his speed was all he had; his control was nonexistant. For his career, he averaged 6.2 hits and 12.6 strikeouts per 9 innings (!) in the minors, but also 12.2 walks, which prevented him from ever reaching the big leagues.
This and That
I can’t decide on one topic to blog about, so here is a cornucopia of random thoughts.
- I’m not sure what I think about the new GM plan. It looks like all the shareholders and creditors will get screwed, the government will use my money to become the majority owner of GM, and yet another fatally flawed business will be allowed to live simply because it was “too big to fail”. These things bother me. However, although I’m not an economist, I can believe the argument that a total GM failure would be a disaster for millions and millions of people.
- I’m really excited about doing green projects for our house. If our budget were unlimited, I would add solar panels, low-flow toilets, solar water heating, new windows, solar screens, a rainwater collection system, and a hot water recirculating pump. Unfortunately, the reality of our budget finally sunk in, and we’ll have to space these projects out.
- I just saw a piece on ESPN about a pitcher from San Diego State who can break 100mph with his fastball. That makes me happy.
- Princess Cruises is offering West Coast repositioning cruises in September as they transition between summer and winter schedules. One goes from Vancouver to San Francisco over 2 nights. Another is a 1-nighter from Seattle to Vancouver. It’s almost like a hotel stay rather than a cruise.
- Il Divo is singing at Nokia Theater in June. Look up Il Divo on YouTube. They are AWESOME.
Memorial Day
On this Memorial Day, I am thankful for all the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms that we all enjoy. If you have ever served in the armed forces or are closely related to someone who has, THANK YOU! We are very, very blessed here in America, and you made a huge contribution.