UFO?

This evening, as every evening, around 6:30 pm I walked outside to take the dogs for the just-before-bedtime walk.  This is something they look forward to with great anticipation, and I find it very relaxing.  This time of year it's dark at evening walk time, and tonight it was very dark; no moon in the sky at all.

As we walked, I glanced over at my old friend Orion, low in the eastern sky.  Just above the horizon (in the direction pointed to by Orion's belt), I spotted Sirius – it's the brightest star in the sky, so spotting it isn't hard to do.

But then I did a double-take, 'cause I could swear I saw Sirius moving around.  Even if you're not an astronomy buff, you probably realize that the distant stars like Sirius simply don't move around in any visible way.  Before you ask, no, I had not had any alcohol (or other mind-altering substance) this evening.  With some careful observation, I could see that Sirius was moving against the background stars – and of course this is simply not possible.

What on earth could be going on?  It would have to be one really weird atmospheric effect if Sirius was moving and neighboring stars weren't!

I ran into the house and grabbed a pair of binoculars.  When I got back outside, Sirius wasn't moving.  On the off chance that position mattered, I ran back down the driveway to the exact spot where I'd seen Sirius moving before.  Still no motion.  Now I was beginning to think hallucinations, or micro-stroke, or something along those lines.

I trudged back up toward the house along the driveway, keeping an eye on Sirius.  About 25 feet further toward the house, it moved again!  I got the binoculars on it, and I saw Sirius moving relative even to its nearest dim neighboring stars.  But then I noticed another star moving – a dim star just to the right and above Sirius from my current perspective.  And it was moving synchronously with Sirius.  I watched closely for about 30 seconds, and noted that there was both motion and blinking, which acted to accent the motion.

Then it dawned on me what was going on.  As I look to the east from my driveway, I see the profile of the hill I live on about 300 feet away.  That profile is a slope, rising into the south; lower to my left and higher to my right.  The Barnicks, my friends and neighbors, live at the top of that hill.  Their power line follows the same path, but higher because it's elevated on power poles.  From my perspective, at that moment, their power lines crossed the point in the sky where Sirius was.  I'm hypothesizing that the power lines were moving in the gentle breeze, and that their motion was causing the effects that I saw.

The proof was easy.  I just waited a couple of minutes, and sure enough, Sirius stopped moving (because it had risen just enough to clear the power lines).  And if I moved a few feet further along my driveway, Sirius started moving again, because once again the power lines were intersecting it.

I can't tell you how much better I feel, now that I can explain why Sirius was dancing around in the sky!

Haiti, From the Air...

The photo at right (click to enlarge) was taken from a U.S. Air Force UAV.  It shows the Haitian National Cathedral, almost entirely in ruins.

The Air Force has a Flickr page, where you can see more such photos as they come in.  There were three UAV photos posted at the time I wrote this.

Despite the subject matter and the emotions it evokes, I can't help but marvel at the simple fact that the U.S. Air Force has a Flickr page.  The world changes in most unexpected ways...

Wow!

No matter what your take on Brown vs. Coakley, you've got to admit that this is one hell of a campaign ad:


Lots of dollars are being spent on this local race with national implications, all because the Democrats have just a single vote super-majority in the Senate – and if Scott Brown wins on Tuesday, they'll lose it...

The Meaning of “Thunk”...

Via my mom:

Awesome!

It's Not Just Me...

...who thinks the ISS is a multi-billion dollar waste of money, waiting to rain down junk upon our heads.  Michael Benson has a proposal: send it to Mars.  Not very practical, I'm afraid, and certainly not doable politically – but he certainly shares my opinion of the ISS's current value.

Zero.

Martha Coakley's Shame...

Dorothy Rabinowitz has covered the horrendous Amirault case (prosecuted by Coakley) more thoroughly than any other reporter.  Read her impressions of Coakley.

Expensive Stop...

You've most likely heard about the program called “Head Start” that provides many kinds of aid for impoverished pre-school aged kids.  It's the program that inspired the now-trite political phrase “...for the children!”  In fact, Head Start provides quite a bit of aid to kids who aren't impoverished and who are older than pre-school age, but never mind that. 

Head Start was first implemented 45 years ago (in 1965), and during the course of its history has consumed well over $100 billion dollars (over $8 billion last year).  It's budget has risen every year by an amount well in excess of what you might expect from inflation and the population of impoverished kids.  From that perspective, it looks like any other classic government entitlement program.  Naturally and predictably, by any rational standard (including common sense), its bureaucracy is top-heavy with administrators.

Cato published a study last summer that looks at the actual effectiveness of Head Start.  This is something that the program itself has carefully avoided – another hallmark of a government-run entitlement program.  Cato's analysis is detailed and well worth reading.  Unlike most such studies, this one is very easily summarized:  Head Start is completely ineffective.

Hey, I guess that's just like most government programs, too!

I sure don't want these people running my health care...

Sober Up...

The graph at right (click to enlarge) shows the job losses over time in this recession (in red) as compared with other recessions since World War II. 

It's not a happy picture.  By extrapolation, we haven't hit the job-loss bottom of this recession yet.  Other indicators are improving, but for many people job losses are what hits home the worst – and clearly we have a ways to go yet on recovery in this recession.

More here.

Haiti...

Most of us can do little beyond the simple contribution of money to help the Haitian people devastated by the earthquake.  If you're like us, and would like to do what Americans have always done in such situations...I've added a widget at right to make it easy...

My Kind of Doctor!

Via reader Simi L.:

 I love this Doctor!

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?

A: Your heart only good for so many beats, and that it...don't waste on exercise. Everything wear out eventually. Speeding up heart not make you live longer; it like saying you extend life of car by driving faster. Want to live longer? Take nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiency. What does cow eat? Hay and corn.And what are these? Vegetables. So steak is nothing more than efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef also good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And pork chop can give you 100% of recommended daily allowance of vegetable product.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that mean they take water out of fruity bit so you get even more of goodness that way. Beer also made of grain. Bottom up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have body and you have fat, your ratio one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can't think of single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No pain...good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU NOT LISTENING! Food are fried these day in vegetable oil. In fact, they permeated by it. How could getting more vegetable be bad for you?!?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise muscle, it get bigger. You should only be doing sit-up if you want bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy?!? HEL-LO-O!! Cocoa bean! Another vegetable! It best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming good for your figure, explain whale to me..

Q: Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! 'Round' a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

AND.....

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat

and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat

and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine

and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine

and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats

and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION:

Eat and drink what you like.

Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Office 2010...

Geek humor at its finest...

Random Observations...

My mornings are very busy these days; I'm handling all the household chores in addition to my usual morning routine, as Debbie is back in Indiana taking care of her mom (who's doing great!).  So this morning you'll just get a quick dump of some random observations...

On my morning walks with the dogs (usually at about 3:30 am), I take advantage of our clear skies and low light pollution to do a little sky-watching.  On Sunday morning, I spotted a satellite (I don't know which one, but it was brighter and bigger than most – might have been the International Space Station).  From my perspective, it crossed from NW to SW, covering an arc of perhaps 100° of sky.  One of the best satellite crossings I've ever seen.

This morning I took a gander at the constellations.  Usually I start with Orion, which is for me the most recognizable constellation – but Orion has already set by this hour in the winter time.  The Big Dipper was almost straight overhead, though, and I tried (and failed) to see the double in Mizar.  Sigh...

Two of our dogs (Mo'i and Lea) are being medicated for various ailments (nothing serious) and all of our dogs get some supplements every day.  I have an elaborate schedule of twice-a-day “pill events” where all this stuff is dispensed.  This morning was the grand conjunction of all schedules, resulting in a veritable pile o'pills for me to administer.  Believe it or not, it's actually kind of fun to do this.  The dogs are all very eager, because some of the pills are (apparently) quite yummy. 

The favorite one for everybody is a fish oil supplement, which comes in rubbery capsules.  The dogs squeeze these between their teeth until they pop (audibly), squirting fish oil at high pressure into their mouths.  The dogs get the funniest looks on their faces when this happens – a brief period of pure canine ecstasy. 

Some of the pills are crunchy-tasty, and all the dogs act with them just as they would with a dog treat.  No problem with those pills.

Then there's the rest of them – horrible smelling and tasting things that no self-respecting dog would ever consider eating.  Unless, of course, they were embedded in a small dollop of cream cheese, in which case they will battle each other for the right to gulp it down.  Debbie discovered this cream cheese trick a while back.  We get the cheap little tubs of generic whipped cream cheese – quite awful stuff, really – and just wrap the pills in it.  Works every time. 

Debbie and I have had these nice Motorola flip phones for quite a while now.  They have all sorts of features that we've never used, especially texting and sending photos.  But now that Debbie's back in Indiana with her mom, and without a computer, we've started to learn how to use these features.  To our surprise, it's possible to send emails from a phone, and to send emails to a phone.  So despite her being without a computer, we're still able to communicate much as we normally do via email.  Debbie really hates typing on the phone, though.  She wants an ordinary keyboard to plug into it ...

Computer-Generated Video...

The video below claims to be 100% computer-generated.  If that's true, it's by far the best I've seen.  Makes me wonder what's going to happen to conventional movie-making – maybe in the future it's going to be an army of computer artists instead of sets, actors, and all the familiar trappings of cinema...



The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

One Doesn't Know What to Say...

If you're like me, and you go here, you'll be both entertained and repelled, amused and appalled, and you'll have no idea what to say about it...

First Book of Government...

Via my mom...

FIRST BOOK OF GOVERNMENT ...


Obama is the shepherd I did not want.
He leadeth me beside the still factories.
He restoreth my faith in the Republican party.
He guideth me in the path of unemployment for his party's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the bread line,
I shall fear no hunger, for his bailouts are with me.
He has anointed my income with taxes,
My expenses runneth over.
Surely, poverty and hard living will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will live in a mortgaged home forever.
I am glad I am American,
I am glad that I am free.
But I wish I was a dog ...
And Obama was a tree.

In the past few weeks, I've noticed more and more of my lefty (or left-leaning) friends starting to voice their disatisfaction with Obama. One in particular astonished me with her sudden transformation from a slavering Obama lover into a disenchanted Democrat/liberal/progressive who is now starting to listen to the Tea Party types. I told her about Reason magazine (which she had never heard of), and after reading their web site for a while she up and subscribed.

Enough transformations like that and I might look more favorably on Obama, for an entirely unexpected reason!

Yup, She's Got Experience...

Via my mom:

A woman applying for a job in a Florida lemon grove seemed to be far too qualified for the job.

The foreman frowned and said, "I have to ask you this; have you had any actual experience in picking lemons?"

She replied: "I've been divorced three times and I voted for Obama."

Sunspots Disappearing?

An interesting post over on Watts Up With That? about the declining magnetic field strength of the sun's “spots”. Note that the vertical axis (magnetic field strength in gauss) is exagerated by crossing the X axis at 1800 instead of 0.  But still, the downward slope is clear enough.

The article speculates that if and when the field strength dips below about 1300 gauss, the sun's spots will become invisible.  No big loss there, but there are other consequences: slightly lower solar luminance and more cosmic rays striking our atmosphere (and therefore easier cloud formation, and therefore cooler climate). 

In other words, this looks like an influence on our climate that is in the opposite direction of global warming.  A considerable body of climatologists believe that solor cycles like these, combined with details of the earth's orbit (its elliptical shape, precession and other “wobbles”, etc.), are the primary drivers behind historical ice ages. 

Hmmm....

You Think I Shouldn't Worry?

Via my mom...

It's So Cold!

Via my mom...

The Walking Mini-Economy...

Reader Larry E. sent me this email, which is a nice piece of commentary all on its own:

I have a friend that lives on the island of Leyte in the Philippines. He lives there with his wife on his small military retirement check. That retirement check isn’t large by any means, but in this small town on a pretty remote island in the Philippines, he is fairly wealthy. And because he is relatively wealthy by the standards there, he constitutes a small island of prosperity wherever he goes. He is a walking mini-economy.

He has a house and some land and he employs several people in the household and that tenant farm the rice fields and coconut groves. In an area where only a single member of a household may have any income at all, this is pretty significant for the local economy. Of course, he is purchasing things himself, but each of these people now has more than just food money, they also have spending money. That spending money is spent at local businesses, which then do better themselves. He is paying for several kids to attend school in a place where most cannot go because they can’t afford the paper and pens. He is covering the costs for kids of some of his wife’s relatives and kids of some of his employees. Additionally he pays for another to attend nursing school that then might be able to find a job herself. He is an incredibly generous person. The direct and indirect benefits to the local population from this one “wealthy” person are quite significant.

Now there is two ways to look at this man. The local populace can look at him with gratitude for the generosity he continually shows, or they can look at him with resentment that they do not have all he does.

Here to America we have a lot of relatively wealthy people. Many of whom are incredibly generous with what they have achieved. People who have created businesses that subsequently employ other people. Those other people then have not only food on the table, but additional money to spend which supports other businesses etc. These all create their own mini-economies. That success spreads out and the more successful that business and that entrepreneur, the further that effect can spread.

Some are wildly successful and make billions of dollars. Most of those give hundreds of millions to charity. But more importantly, they constitute their own islands of prosperity. Really large islands. The money that they make, the success that they and their businesses have spreads out to countless others. Employing directly a gigantic workforce but indirectly affecting millions of others as that prosperity spreads out to employees, families, businesses and so on.

Ideally there would be enough of these mini-economies or Islands of Prosperity throughout the country that their influence overlaps much like overlapping circles of various sizes. I would contend that in the United States that is largely the case. In fact, the United States as a whole has been the largest Island of Prosperity of them all for decades. And like other Islands, its effect spreads out quite a ways, globally in this case. The enormous impact from trade and jobs and the incredible generosity possible due to our own prosperity at home spreads everywhere, positively affecting the well being of an entire planet. If the United States fails, the largest source of prosperity on the planet fails. And if that happens, the entire planet is negatively affected.

We can look at these successful people in two ways. We can look at them as models to aspire to and with gratitude for the effect their success has, or we can resent this success and try to take it from them.

Capitalism encourages aspiring to do better. Raising the bar and by doing so improving the overall level of success around you.

Socialism feeds on that resentment. Reducing everyone’s success to the same level and ultimately destroys the prosperity that made it possible.

I prefer to aspire to more.

Larry

Word.
And ditto.