Well, that's a kick in the spaceballs.

Yep, I was bummed when Cosmos 1 took a header because I would've liked to at least seen the sucker TRY to be successful.

But this is just cruelty on top: It turns out the spacecraft was uninsured due to budget constraints.

Now that's a bitch, especially since the four million dollar write-off would've been peanuts to some rich eccentric space-loving nutjob. You'd think that there would be someone like the John Hurt character in Contact who would love to finance Cosmos 2. Or Robert Winglee's kick-ass magnetic propulsion systems. Shit, John Carmack made his own launch vehicle company with Doom dollars, why can't someone else?

You know, instead of making amusement parks.

Now this is inclusiveness.

One day, I hope that we, like our friends across the sea, can stand proudly and say that we have a Jedi in a governing house.

What?

Giant laser space frisbees.

Well, not quite, but Slashdot pointed out this article about an idea to combat global warming: an artificial ring surrounding the Earth.

And it would only cost up to $200 trillion.^*

* 10% required on closing. Credit check and references required. Loan subject to availability by state. Credit is subject to approval. Certain restrictions may apply. Programs, rates, terms, and conditions are subject to change without notice. Micrometeorite and EMP surge insurance may be required; consult your local attorney.

My letter to my representative.

Dear Rep. Frelinghuysen:

I have no doubt you have heard of Karl Rove's statements at a Conservative Party fundraiser in New York State yesterday. These statements, which implied that liberals did not support our troops fighting abroad and did not want the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks punished, were deeply divisive, hurtful, and reveal a lack of understanding regarding the horror of that day to all people, regardless of political affiliation.

The people of this state will never forget 9/11, and for a government official of Karl Rove's stature to call the Democratic members of this state terrorist collaborators is appalling.

I ask that you join Senators Frank Lautenberg and Jon Corzine in calling for an apology from Karl Rove for his callous and ill-chosen comments.

Thank you.

Tuesday morning technobabble.

If anyone can read the comments here and make any sort of sense of them, you're ahead of me.

As George Carlin said (paraphrasing): "I hate scientists. The only ones worth anything are theoretical physicists. At least they're nuts."

Come sail away, come sail away...

...solar sail, that is. The oft-delayed Cosmos 1 solar sail project is finally set to launch Tuesday, on my (and Nevsky's) thirty-fourth birthday. Hopefully, the ship will handle the solar wind far, far better than I've been handling the arrival of yeah-it's-already-happened-but-now-I-can't-bullshit-myself middle age.

Hmm, looks like I've turned a scientific milestone into a navel-gazing angst feast. Oh well. If you really care, you can read the Slashdot article while I go watch I Love the 80s.

Well, there goes the Back to the Future trilogy...

An article from the BBC News discusses a new theory regarding time travel; saying alteration to the past is impossible because "time travel can occur within a kind of feedback loop where backwards movement is possible, but only in a way that is 'complementary' to the present."

No, I'm not high.

Odds and sods (celeb edition)...

I've been lazy with the blogging, so I'll work back in with something real easy, assorted celebrity ridiculousness.

* If I'm ever in trouble, I want this guy's lawyer. And if I were Michael's friends/family/business associates, I'd check him in for therapy and sell everything kid-related while he's gone. The next time he's at trial, he'll get convicted just on general principles.

* Read this headline: Report: Paris Hilton to retire in 2 years

Now, was your reaction the same as mine: Don't you have to have a fucking job in order to retire?

* Fact #4,602 indicating I'm out of touch: I know the name Katie Holmes, and I know she's an actress, but I couldn't tell you one thing I've seen her in, and I have no idea why I should care that she's switching to Scientology. From Catholicism. That's really going to piss off Pope Sidious.

Whoa.

Caught this supernova pic. Breathtaking.

My morning conundrum.

How can I snark on this article and not end up in hell? Oh, that's right, I'm going there anyway thanks to my Nader 2000 vote.

I think once you get huge nails rammed through your body, the mechanism of death is secondary, but hey, that's me.

Oh shit, says humanity.

Dolphins are using tools. We're screwed.

I was going to link to the old Onion article from which I stole the title ("Dolphins Evolve Opposable Thumbs"), but it's in the premium section now and I'm a cheap bastard.

Cardassia Prime's in the muthaphuckin' HIZZOUSE!

In the "I couldn't possibly make this up if I drank a bottle of Jose Cuervo and locked myself in a sensory deprivation tank" category, Cirroc Lofton, better known as Jake Sisko from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, is creating a rap album.

Now, unfortunately, this CD could be the next AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted and it will still be judged in comparison with Shatner's and Nimoy's work. Maybe Brent Spiner's. Or Tim Russ'. Frickin' TUVOK made music. Who new?

Has anyone who started in Star Trek not been typecast? No one comes to mind. But I'm sure they must've taken that into consideration.

You know, before they started working with Ben Folds.

"Oh, just one more thing..."

Whoa.

I was going to mention that Steve Jobs' WWDC keynote was Monday, which is a big deal for Mac heads, but until today there wasn't much to indicate it was going to be a big deal. The biggest news in terms of new products that rumor site had pegged was the possibility of an iBook refresh and a 2G iPod shuffle with a teensy screen. And maybe an iTunes-related cell phone.

Then this morning I read that Apple is going to announce a switch from PowerPC chips to Intel chips.

Rumor and tech sites have been talking about this move since...well, 1997. Considering for a long time the rumor was that there's a version of Mac OS X designed to run on the Intel architecture deep in the Cupertino skonkworks, I think it's a good move. While the PowerPC architecture may have been superior according to those who really know about these things back in the day, PC makers were able to squeeze out more and faster (and more importantly, much cheaper) PCs off the Intel architecture.

And nowadays, it's more about the system, and with people checking out alternative OSes in higher quantity due to proliferation of Windows viruses (not that Bill Gates has to worry about a marketshare battle). And an Intel version of Mac OS X just might enable people to install, or computer makers to license, Mac OS X on PCs.

The switch would apparently start in the low-end Macs (i.e. the Mini) next year, then migrate throughout the system by 2007. I think this could be a boon for their notebooks. Apple's been trying to shoehorn a G5 into their computers for some time now, but heat-dissipation is a problem. Using low-power Intel processors might give Mac users faster and cheaper notebooks, and to me that's all good.

Now HOW ABOUT WORKING ON THE GAMES????????

"Big money got a heavy hand..."

Looks like Alex Lifeson of Rush is now suing the hotel and the deputies involved in his altercation back on New Year's Eve on 2003. I hope it comes to a peaceful settlement shortly. You don't want to mess with those prog rockers. They'll have a twenty-minute opus on you so fast it'll make your head spin.

Today's news, in sonnet.

Now that Deep Throat's been unveiled
Pundits are working overtime
to yell and scream and bleat and wail
leaving trails of noxious slime.

With this new Internet domain,
all pervy websites will be penned.
But now my bookmarks must be changed...
Did I say my? I meant my friend's.

Looks like the bride that runs away
will have probation for a while.
She should get more for that display
of her unnerving toothy smile.

To Michael's jury, I will mention
it's not a crime in his dimension.

Devil inside, the devil inside.

This summer, on CBS, a new show that is NOT what you need.

I'll have a wistful double espresso, with a shot of politics.

Any leftist blog followers have probably heard of TPMCafe.com by now, the new blog by the author of Talking Points Memo. They scored about as major a coup in this field as I can imagine by getting former Senator John Edwards as a guest blogger for the site's opening week. Unfortunately, Senator Edwards is only vice president of the world in my head, a happy world with rainbow trees and ice cream clouds where prancing purple penguins pour people Grey Goose vodka martinis.

Reading the Senator's blog entries and his request for discussion on economic issues is a refreshing change from the current vice president blowing off Amnesty International.

Yep, I'm still on the bitter bus. I don't even know what the 2008 presidental race will be like. I just can't imagine any sane person wanting this job after Moron and Sauron leave this country in the same shape that Mr. Creosote left his restaurant table.

Oh well. Back to the happy world in my head. Oh, thanks for the martini, Percival...