Two ridiculous things for a Monday: Congress. I’m reminded of the old joke: if “pro” is the opposite of “con” what is the opposite of “progress”? Kids wearing diapers at Disney World. Kids mind, you, not toddlers. The Little Man is in the very early stages of potty training. So naturally, Kelly was searching online…
I read today that Amazon finally caved to Apple’s in-app purchase policy. I can understand Apple’s desire to get its cut, but the desire to enforce this policy puts an unnecessary burden on customers and creates usability issues that are extremely annoying. For instance: Right now, if I want to buy a book from the…
So this guy walks into a bookstore and goes looking for Isaac Asimov’s Caves of Steel. He doesn’t know who Asimov is, but he’s been assured by a good friend that the book is a wonderful mystery story and, being a fan of mysteries, he’ll eat it up. He makes his way toward the back…
When the Golden Age began with the July 1939 (Episode 1) issue of Astounding, spaceflight of any kind, let along human spaceflight was still a dream of science fiction writers and perhaps a few eccentric scientists. It would be some 23 years before the United States put a man in space. Between Episode 19 and…
When the human spaceflight program began in the U.S. varies depending on who you are and when you were born. For me, it began with the publication of the July 1939 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. Of course, others will say that it began on May 5, 1961 just as others will claim it ended…
I don’t get to the movies often these days. In the two years since the Little Man was born, I think I’ve been a grand total of three times, two of which have been in the ten months or so. I could say it’s because it is difficult to get away, but that’s not really…
Dear Washington Politicians, Please do something–anything–other than worrying about how whatever “it” is will play for reelection. Your constituents would appreciate the reminder that government can do something and that we are not better off replacing our politicians with marble statues (which at this point would seem equally effective). Got that? Thanks! Most sincerely, Jamie…
Despite having fallen off the caffeine wagon back in November (after 7 years caffeine-free), I had still never tried Red Bull… until about 2 weeks ago. Driving home from Albany, New York, we stopped at a rest stop and I was feeling a bit low-energy, so I figured I’d give the Red Bull a try–and…
Reading my friend Michael A. Burstein’s post earlier today, “Thoughts: The Last Shuttle by Isaac Asimov” not only got my thinking about the end of the manned U.S. space program, but about Asimov and what he would think about the situation today. That in turn got me thinking about how much he’d written and how…