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Reading helps me remember September 14, 2007

Posted by truthspew in astronomy, cartoons, Chris Jones, International Space Station, NASA, Rose Bowl, Space Exploration, Space Shuttle, They Might Be Giants, Too Far From Home.
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Right now I’m reading “Too Far From Home” by Chris Jones. It’s the story of Expedition 6 to the International Space Station

It talks about Expedition 6’s experience in the light of the Columbia tragedy (STS-107).

But Jones touches on the entire history of the shuttle program. In chapter 7 titled “Earthshine” he talks about the first flight of Columbia. I remember it well, April 14, 1981. I was a junior at LaSalle Academy (Beware, heavy Flash usage!) in Providence, RI.

In the minutes leading up to the landing they piped in the chatter on the communication channel between NASA and the shuttle over the school PA system. In addition I happened to be in a classroom that had a television in it so we were able to watch the shuttle come in for a landing at Edwards Air Force base.

I did question the practicality of such a vehicle even then. But it’s key role in assembly of the ISS made it worthwhile.

There have been many advances made in materials research as well as repairs to platforms like the Hubble Telescope named after astronomer Edwin Hubble, the man who discovered the red shift and confirmed the theory of the expanding universe.

Hopefully I’ve given you all enough to chew on. It’s a very good book and a delightful read, particularly when you consider that Jones is a sports writer.

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Now playing: Jamiroquai – Light Years [Live]
via FoxyTunes.

What is it about these groups? January 8, 2007

Posted by truthspew in Dave Matthews Band, music, Ron Paul, Shirley Phelps-Roper, Squirrel Nut Zippers, They Might Be Giants, YouTube.
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I don’t know why but I like They Might Be Giants (TMBG) and Squirrel Nut Zippers.

Here’s TMBG with “Istanbul”

And Squirrel Nut Zippers “Put a Lid On It”

And after watching Woody Allen’s “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion” I think I know where TMBG and SNZ get some of their influence. Come to think of it, the generic music tracks sound an awful lot like SNZ.

So while my mainstream musical tastes are R&B/Soul/Neo-soul my tastes do wiggle out into other things. While I’m thinking about it here’s some more stuff I like:

The Cure

Dave Matthews Band

I think in the case of DMB I love the above track because it builds up layer by layer. And if you saw my iTunes library, you’d see that I love guitar and bass. Oh don’t get me wrong, brass is so cool, and I love synth too. But the main component of my library is guitar.