Sat07 Awesome +LEGO Serenity by  +Adrian Drake
*updated with pictures from Adrian* http://www.flickr.com/photos/44124476420@N01/7717710438
more pictures thanks to +Jeff Stevens 
https://plus.google.com/u/0/100353807204884022887/posts/NxExXaZvWv9

a FB friend sent this to me from the BrickFair convention in Virginia going on this weekend by Dulles (http://www.brickfair.com/). I would love to have the time and skill to build this.

 The ship took 750 hours, and most of it was translating the +Quantum Mechanix  blueprints to the finished product. Quite amazing.

update from +Jeff Stevens who talked to the builder
It was made by  Adrian Drake of Ohio. It is seven feet long, weighs 135lbs, is made of 70,000 bricks and took 21 months to build. Total build time 475 hours. The builder only had to buy $800 worth of bricks for this build because his collection was so extensive that it covered the rest. It has all of the compartments of the original set except the engine room, which he said he could not make while maintaining structural integrity. It debuted today at Brickfair in Chantilly, Virginia, and was pretty much the talk of the show. 

Oh, and the cargo bay and firefly drive light up, the shuttle detaches and the wings swing out, and the engines do rotate.


#LEGO   #Firefly  

(Mon09) This is happening just down the hall from me

we all saw the articles a few months back on NASA working on warp field and now IO9 interviews Sonny on his work. I have run into Sonny in the halls a few times and he is definitely excited about it and hoping that the upcoming tests will be his Chicago pile moment but also surprised by how much press this has gotten over the past few months.

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(Sat03) This will be interesting

But luckily not in the Oh God we are all going to die definition of interesting.
TL:DR watch the video http://youtu.be/jYs6Mw744VA?t=40s
The small near-Earth asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass very close to Earth on February 15, so close that it will pass inside the ring of geosynchronous weather and communications satellites. NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office can accurately predict the asteroid's path with the observations obtained, and it is therefore known that there is no chance that the asteroid might be on a collision course with Earth. Nevertheless, the flyby will provide a unique opportunity for researchers to study a near-Earth object up close.

 Asteroid 2012 DA14 will be closest to Earth on Feb. 15, at about 11:24 p.m. PST (2 p.m. EST and 1924 UT), when it will be at a distance of about 27,700 kilometers (17,200 miles) above Earth's surface. Although this is close enough for the asteroid to pass inside the ring of geosynchronous satellites, located about 35,800 kilometers (22,200 miles) above the equator, it will still be well above the vast majority of satellites, including the International Space Station. At its closest, the asteroid will be only about 1/13th of the distance to the moon. The asteroid will fly by our planet quite rapidly, at a speed of about 17,400 mph (7.8 kilometers per second) in a south-to-north direction with respect to Earth.

 more details - http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-041

#scienceeveryday
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(Tue04) This is pretty cool new keyboard interface.

not just for android or iOS (though it will have to built into each app since Apple doesn't let you change the default keyboard) but think about wearable, game consoles or countless other ways that might need a keyboard/type interface. let's break free of the typewriter mentality.

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Walking Dead Season one age appropriate for a 6 year old
so my son went to a birthday party today and the birthday boy from his kindergarten class got the DVD set of season one. Apparently the boy is obsessed with The Walking Dead but I was a little shocked that the parents thought it was fine. I am no prude I just think it would be too scary for a kid that age, between the eating and killing such seems too much gore. Am I wrong? what age would you let kids watch the show?

(Tue15) Hubble Archive of the Day: A Beautiful Butterfly emerges

This celestial object looks like a delicate butterfly. But it is far from serene.

What resemble dainty butterfly wings are actually roiling cauldrons of gas heated to nearly 20 000 degrees Celsius. The gas is tearing across space at more than 950 000 kilometres per hour — fast enough to travel from Earth to the Moon in 24 minutes!

A dying star that was once about five times the mass of the Sun is at the centre of this fury. It has ejected its envelope of gases and is now unleashing a stream of ultraviolet radiation that is making the cast-off material glow. This object is an example of a planetary nebula, so-named because many of them have a round appearance resembling that of a planet when viewed through a small telescope.

more info and higher resolution -
http://spacetelescope.org/images/heic0910h/
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(Wed05) Do we really want a TWD movie?

when a series is hitting it's stride and doing well there is usually talk of movie spinoffs, but the problem is 2 hrs compared to 10-20hrs for a season always feels rushed and short changes character development. and would the plot be 2 hrs of Where's Carl :)

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(Fri01) Dish says don't worry about missing The Walking Dead, we got scary movies

this is pretty funny. Dish says don't be upset about missing this Sunday's start to season 3 of the Walking Dead because they are giving you a marathon of scary movies.

”DISH understands that ‘The Walking Dead’ on AMC is a very popular series. To show appreciation, customers will be provided ‘Tales of the Apocalypse,’ a free scary movie fest every day in the month of October. Starting at 8 PM ET on Blockbuster Studio, channel 102, ‘Walking Dead’ fans can enjoy these horror/science-fiction commercial free movies.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/10/dish-network-amc-walking-dead/

update - removed a directv referral link that was not a humorous as I had hoped.


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(Thu08) I skipped the show, but is anybody watching

Framerate panned the online preview, NBC blocked me access on the Googletv (why should i watch a tv show on a computer is beyond me) and once the fall season starts in earnest it will never get recorded due to +Castle and +Hawaii Five-0 have higher priority. For the folks that did check out the show, did you like it? are you going to keep watching or are the issues in the article why you are dumping it already?

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(Thu11) 40 years ago today the last footsteps on the Moon were taken

The third moonwalk, the last of the Apollo program, began at 5:26 PM EST on December 13. During this excursion, the crew collected 66 kilograms (150 lb) of lunar samples and took nine gravimeter measurements.

 "I'm on the surface; and, as I take man's last step from the surface, back home for some time to come — but we believe not too long into the future — I'd like to just say what I believe history will record. That America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow. And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return: with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17." Commander Gene Cernan Dec 13th 1972

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(Thu16) What do folks think of this? can there be a black James Bond

is the criteria he be and Englishman or a White Englishman? is the name just a code name for MI6 agents or is there some sort of continuity from one Bond to the next in terms of it is the same Bond just played by different actors?

like the Heimdall controversy before this rumor already seems to be stirring the pot of small mindedness.

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(Mon14) Do folks think this will ever get made

I know +Chris Rafalik has all but given up hope for this ever coming to the screen big or small, but what about other Dark Tower fans?


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(Fri02) Watch NASA's Mohawk Flight Director in two Google+ Hangouts
okay I screwed up the hangouts were yesterday. curse me for not being completing awake yet.
Curiosity Flight Director Bobak Ferdowsi in two Google+ Hangouts
here is the +Los Angeles Times Hangout Understanding the photos from Mars
here is the +The Huffington Post Hangout EXCLUSIVE: Meet NASA's Mohawk Guy, Bobak Ferdowsi


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(Fri03) Do you love or hate Voyager

I was never a big fan but I also am not a diehard Trek fan. so is Voyager the Phantom Menace of the Star Trek franchise?

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Tue13 So would the two movies already filmed be split into 3 and then some more backend added
not really understanding where all this extra material comes from or how the book is going to be split for the movies. +Jennifer Bailey did they talk this at the panel?

(Fri07) A little Red Bull Stratos Humor for Friday

since everyone seems to think Felix jumped from Space. +Roger Balettie found this gif.

No he did not jump from higher than the space station, but it is still funny.

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Sat08 Tell me my 16,613 Followers, Do you believe I work for NASA and have worked in Mission Control

So tonight I was responding to a post by +Linda Lawrey on the differences between the SpaceX MCC and NASA ISS MCC (https://plus.google.com/u/0/102533732658641069172/posts/PX7F7rKCbqu). during the comments I was questioned whether I work for NASA or if I was just making it up as I guess that is what some folks do on the internet.

So I ask you G+ers what makes you believe me when I say that I work for NASA? and did so for 11 years in Mission Control? Is it that a simple google search pulls up an interview I did with the local paper back in 2008 http://www.wickedlocal.com/melrose/news/lifestyle/x2010602077/MelrosePeople-Michael-Interbartolo-III#axzz1w2J9tH8U or my linkedin profile http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelinterbartoloiii

Maybe it was that a reputable online site like Universe Today reposted my insights on the loss of Columbia http://www.universetoday.com/93246/remembering-columbia-and-suffering-from-survivors-guilt/

Or was it just looking at the content I posted on here regarding the deservicing of the shuttle https://plus.google.com/s/shuttledeservicing and other NASA posts?

Anyway just wondering why you folks who follow me believe me that I did what I say I did and know what I am talking about?

Working at NASA
This is so true.

(Fri11) Need to send wireless from one building to another

My mother in law called and they are moving into a temp location with no internet. one of the other buildings in the complex has internet so could I use this to beam the wifi from the other building's router across the parking lot to the temp building and then hook into a wireless router to provide coverage at the new temp location? or is there a better setup to wirelessly bridge from the building with internet to the temp location.

any help is appreciated.

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(Wed21) A response in Libya to the recent killing of the US ambassador

while there are extremist and there are regular citizens. Extremists killed Chris Stevens, regular folks said no more.

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Reshared text:
 This is not what I expected to see. I am aware that a few are scum, namley Al-Quada, who hoisted their flag high. 

Look at this link to see more: http://imgur.com/a/tlCyI

#lybia  

So who is getting the complete saga on Blu Ray? or are you going to just get the OT(remember it is the special edition not 70s version), skip the extras and avoid the prequels? Or are you waiting for the 3D version?
personally I have yet to upgrade the tv to HD and my 1997 original Sony DVP-S7000 DVD player still works like a charm so by the time I get around to upgrading physical media will probably be dead or at least moved on from Blu Ray to holographic crystals or something.

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Fri07 posted with no comment

Reshared text:
How apt today.

(Tue14) If you had $50M would you take a vacation to the ISS

or wait for more reasonable flights on +Virgin Galactic and others?

Sarah Brightman plans on becoming the first recording artist to venture into space en route to the International Space Station sometime in the next two years.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/sarah-brightman-plans-to-become-first-recording-artist-in-space-with-upcoming-trip-to-the-iss/2013/05/06/69ebfece-b642-11e2-b568-6917f6ac6d9d_story.html

Should I wait until after CES to buy a HDTV
Finally about ready to retire my Sony Wega 36" behemoth CRT in the living room, but I have some furniture constraints on what size tv I can get.
If I can use something like this entry table as my tv stand then the tv can go above my front tower speakers and allow me to get a 60" tv in the allocated space. If I need a tv that will fit in between the 34" tall speakers then I am constrained to about 38" W (~42" HDTV) our couch is about 11.5' from the tv so depending on who you listen to 60" is probably on the low size for that distance. The side towers are pretty much as wide as possible due to fireplace and bedroom door plus I need them to support the LEGO Death Star II and Star Destroyer. I can't really mount to the wall because the towers would block my viewing angle from the kitchen while cooking. I know too many constraints, but it is what it is.

Do you think this table (it says supports max 200lbs and the tv is only 70lb) and tv are a good setup? or should I wait for post CES to see if the price drops and something better for around $1000 comes out?

the Vizio tv got good reviews on +CNET and the only smarts I really care about is Vudu (at least until they support Googletv) since I already have a Hisense Pulse.

H/W:
Avington Table - http://www.target.com/p/avington-entryway-table-black/-/A-13254679#?lnk=sc_qi_detailbutton
Vizio TV - http://store.vizio.com/led-lcd-hdtvs/e601ia3.html

#HDTV  

Sat03 TMC has 4 classic 70's dystopian films on tonight
I happened to be flipping through the guide after watching Dream Machines from SyFy on the tivo when I noticed Turner Classic Movies is airing Rollerball, then Logan's Run, then Westworld with Soylent Green capping things off. what is your favorite 60/70's dystopian movie?

(Mon11) For all you Wyld Stallyn Fans
I guess a threequel was inevitable.

(Tue06) cue the nerd revolt in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

It would be an interesting take on the character to have Jimmy be a girl. I hadn't realized Fishburne was playing Perry White not that I have a problem with that casting. the trailer looked good, but still not sure about the movie overall though having Nolan around to help is comforting.

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(Wed18) Put this in the Duh category:  National Disagreement Over NASA's Goals and Objectives Detrimental to Agency Planning, Budgeting Efforts

Without a national consensus on strategic goals and objectives for NASA, the agency cannot be expected to establish or work toward achieving long-term priorities, says a new report from the National Research Council.  In addition, there is a mismatch between the portfolio of programs and activities assigned to the agency and the budget allocated by Congress, and legislative restrictions inhibit NASA from more efficiently managing its personnel and infrastructure.  The White House should take the lead in forging a new consensus on NASA's future in order to more closely align the agency's budget and objectives and remove restrictions impeding NASA's efficient operations.

http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=18248

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(Fri04) Is Google Drive Shared folders down

last night I emailed some folks at work a link to one of my shared folders that I put some files in as prep for the upcoming Pumps & Pipes conference we are attending to help bring some synergy between NASA and the medical and oil & gas community. This morning I keep getting an error as does all the folks I emailed that the folder is not available.

the folder in question is https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B7Sfv2Bq7xzhdXVmWWpHYm5QNDg/edit

anyone with the link should be able to view it.

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(Wed04) Please keep JJ away

I am no fan of the Trek reboot so no to Abrams, the others on the list I could see as potential EP VII directors.

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(Sat05) Channel all that enthusiasm you have had this week for Curiosity into the bigger Fight for Space

since last weekend this stream has been full of MSL excitement, but I need to be the debbie downer for a minute and ask for your help. MSL and Juno represent the last of the big Planetary Missions for the foreseeable future.

 Mission to send a spacecraft to cruise the methane lakes of Titan, no funding.

Mission to explore Europa's icy ocean, no funding.

The agency has been talking a big game and channeling the success of MSL, but the truth is the budget cuts has set things back quite a bit and the vision and drive to explore is a mot much more than foggy haze. We have lost our way, the public has lost interest (how much longer will Mohawk, mad scientist and Pompadour guy be in the spotlight) and congress/presidents just use the agency for jobs.

So if you care about true exploration, real vision for space and want to help raise awareness then consider helping the kickstarter Fight for Space campaign.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/420606009/fight-for-space-space-program-and-nasa-documentary

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Reshared text:
As of right now, Fight For Space has 2,311 backers pledging $86,171. There are only 7 days to go. Can you help? 

If you haven’t donated anything yet, and would like to see this documentary reach as wide an audience as possible, then throw in $5. The minimum donation in order to receive something in return is $10, which will get you a digital download of the film and a “Thank You” credit in the film.
 
If you have already donated, or are interested nonetheless, then please pass on this information to others. If you can share it with two other people on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Tumblr (or anywhere else), then the message will get out. 7 days is not a long time on Kickstarter.

Check out penny4NASA.org and http://goo.gl/PjULX for more information

#penny4NASA   #NASA   #FightForSpace   #MannedSpaceflight   #Science   #neildegrassetyson   #BillNye   #CarlSagan  

Tue11 Today I get my 15 year service pin from NASA
In February of 1996 I started as a volunteer at the Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, MD while I was in grad school at George Washington University. In May of 1997 I sent the center director a thank you email to tender my resignation as volunteer since it looked like they weren't going to have a civil servant slot for me (the Jedi Mind trick worked as I was soon hired as term employee). July 5th 1998 I transferred to the Johnson Space Center to become a Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) Officer for the Space Shuttle. I spent 11 years in Mission Operations from Ascent/Entry Control to Orbit Front Room. I was not in the MCC during Columbia but still suffer the survivors guilt every year. I moved up from flight control to be the Mission Ops rep to the Orbiter Project Office which earned me the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal . My Mission Management Team summary notes were sent to the upper echelons at HQ and I when I left MOD, Administrator Bolden called me "the voice of the Shuttle Program to the outside world" My year as chief of staff for Orion Avionics, Power and Software was chaotic at best given the cancellation of Constellation and the congressional fighting that followed. I have been in the Engineering Directorate working on In-Situ Resource Utilization for Mars now for  18 months, but while the work has been interesting it lacks the backing of the agency so I am not sure how longer it will continue since we are running on leftover FY11 dollars.
The agency has certainly changed in the past 15 years. We have successfully built the International Space station, retired the shuttle with no clear mission to follow on. The agency has also gotten more political in both internal and external communications with talking points coming down (which I usually ignore) from on high and the tone has changed. Sure we were always a political football usually ignored by presidents and used by congress as pork and white collar jobs for certain districts but the last few years we have become more of a hotbed as old space fights new space. Where will the agency be in another 15 years? probably still stuck in Low Earth Orbit for one. Orion's first crewed test flight is at best 10 years away if the stars align, MSFC gets SLS built and congress keeps the funding adequate. Will we be headed to an asteroid or Mars in 15 years? doubtful because that assumes a political and public will that is sorely lacking. Will I even still be at NASA? I don't know, this was my dream job, but lately the wind has been sucked out of my sails and it is just a job.

(Fri04) images from Hobbit part 2

the first movie isn't even out yet and bits of the second are starting to hit the press. Goblin King v. Gandalf plus Legolas and Bard.

#thehobitt


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(Wed04) Totally disagree with this article

basically everything in the Expanded Universe is crap and adapting those stories would make the sequels crap. I really enjoyed the Dark Empire, Crimson Empire comics and the Thrawn Trilogy, but according to crap using those plot points would suck.

my problem with those stories are they center on han, luke, leia who are probably too old to carry a new trilogy and it should be a passing of the torch to a new generation of heroes.

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(Tue01) Has anyone heard a release date for the Co-Star

wasn't today supposed to be the release date for the Co-Star. I got in on the first round of preorder, but no update on when it ships.

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Tue04 Most of these reasons are grasping at straws

No SD/microSD slot, fine I will give you that one.

No rear camera, face it you look like a fool trying to take a picture with anything bigger than a Galaxy Note

I have seen several posts on how to get Flash on the Nexus 7

you want content on your HDTV don't buy Nexus Q, I would suggest the Vizio Costar (only $99)

Wifi only because why pay for a second data plan when you can tether



honestly other than being tied to the iOS ecosystem and wanting the iPad mini(does it come with the finger file that Jobs said you would need to use a tablet that small) is there any reason to not jump on the 8 or 16GB Nexus 7? Even if Amazon is coming out with a new Kindle Fire will it be less than $200? probably not and why limit yourself to just Amazon content with the Fire when you can get amazon, B&N, Google Play and more for the same pricepoint?


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Sun13 This is pretty cool

thanks to +ScienceSunday 

Reshared text:
Planetary Surfaces

Poster showing a comparison of images from planetary surfaces ordered by increasing complexity of the surface processes.

Image shows the surfaces of Asteroid Itokawa, the Moon, Venus, Mars, Titan, and Earth. All images show a view of nearby rocks to the distant horizon. The amount of surface modification evident of each of the bodies increases roughly from left to right.

From the the rubble pile asteroid of Itokawa, the cratered plains of the moon, the volcanic basalts of Venus, the basalt filled craters of Mars, the eroded icy cobbles of Titan to the great oceans of Earth, a variety of surfaces in our solar system is represented.

(Source: http://goo.gl/Afsc8)

Thur03 Trek Life artist David Reddick commemorates Scotty's trip to space

As you know the current +SpaceX Dragon mission also carried a secondary payload from Celestis which included the remains of Astronaut Gordo Cooper and Actor James Doohan (https://plus.google.com/116992234810067730471/posts/ccNMviaRFTe)

h/t Geore Takei on Facebook

Anyone buy the Prometheus BluRay that would be willing to sell me the UV code for $5?

(Wed21) playing around with +Chameleon launcher
now that they support native android widgets plus their html5 widgets I am seeing how I would set it up for morning, work, evening and weekends.

(Mon19) Is it because folks thought the Stallone version was better?

or folks really didn't feel this one came any closer to the source material?

or the PG-13 rating pissed folks off?

or folks just aren't interested in Dredd?

a few folks posted on here that the movie was good, but seems like it isn't finding an audience here in the states.

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(Fri07) Well +Google Wallet if you are going to kill off the physical then fix the app to work with all phones regardless of what the carriers say

enough of the letting the carriers block Wallet in favor of their coming ISIS system. If wallet cards weren't pushing innovation then surely the wallet app was if it can get on more devices and work with more storefronts.

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(Wed03) I would rather spend $105M to study finally building this than roping an asteroid

lost in the hype of Obama's commitment to roping an asteroid and sending humans to it in a mere 12 years from now (how many presidential elections and congressional cycles is that, one less than an eternity) is the $2.5B cost for the mission. Which has about as likely to come to fruition as winning the lottery. Instead I say we resurrect the Nautilus-X concept from 2 years ago and study that further. Baseline launching with existing Heavy Lift vehicles (tying it to SLS means when it gets cancelled so does this) and using commercial crew  for up/down transport. If Boeing, SpaceX and others are going to be ready sooner than Orion (2015 vs 2021) then maybe the focus should be on how to build the deep space exploration vehicle instead of trying to justify a mission for SLS/Orion to a public that honestly will forget this roping an asteroid $100M study probably in three weeks from now.

all the details - https://docs.google.com/file/d/17Uu8pmUqONZKdTs3eWESPgy5bCR0Z0h8FU8zWOTKmVON6tKuuOt_948yZrqk/edit?usp=sharing

CM10.1 battery life is disappointing
Last week I moved from 10.0 monthly to the new 10.1 monthly release and it seems worse. I was really happy with 10.0 battery life but now even overnight with wifi off it seems to be dramatically losing juice. Did I flash the update wrong?
+Derek Ross any advice

New Year New TV
since the 4Ks are all the rage these days, I figured it was time to step up to this HDTV I have heard so much about. I was struggling with how to work with the limitations on space and the speaker tower placement. i ended up reusing the Sony Wega tv stand for now and moving the speakers to the outside of the A/V towers where they belong. I still need to do some cable management and upgrade the Directv Sat box to HD. I have HD antenna for OTA, Vudu baked into the TV until they come out with the Googletv app and the Hisense Pulse hooked up for now. not enough legacy inputs for my first gen Sony DVP-S7000 DVD player or the Wii (which was only used for Netflix these days and I have to on the GTV and the HDTV). I moved my Powerline adaptor from the bedroom so both the tv and the GTV are hardlined to the router for best possible speeds. Just need to run a ethernet cable back to the bedroom for the WD TV Live box so the wife and still have Netflix in there. I might have to secure the left speaker to the A/V tower so the kids don't knock it over, which was why I had them inside the A/V towers before.

(Wed10) Damn I wished this was good

big fan of the cartoon and Legend of Korra, but the casting in this movie is horrendous. I am watching on netflix and almost turned it off about 5 times already and I am only 30 minutes in. I know the movie failed at the box office, but is there anything worth salvaging in this movie? Who the hell did the casting, beyond just the white washing they are just bad actors.

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From my days as an Enlightened Steely-Eyed Missile Man of Mission Control.
+Brian Rose +Brandon Badger  #ingress   #ingressinvite  

(Fri17) Finally Jelly Bean update to my Transformer Prime
sorry about the glare from the office overheads. Finally was able to connect to the +ASUS servers and get the tablet to download the 4.1 updated software. It is almost done applying now and I can stop being jealous that my kids Nexus7 had JB and I only had ICS.

(Sat02) It does what a roku or Appletv does and more

I have had the Vizio Co-Star for a few weeks now and I love it. I don't have HD sat box so I am not taking full advantage of the box in terms of searching live tv, accessing dvr shows and PIP, but the box works great. Steph uses it mostly for Netflix and watching shows she bought from the Play Store. I use it to surf the web (you get Chrome browser with Flash), listening to music via Google Music,  watching TWIT's Framerate, Youtube shows like Tabletop from +Geek & Sundry , and the latest episodes from +H+ The Digital Series and +Nerdist . Unfortunately most the networks like+NBC (so much for watching Revolution early)  +TNT We Know Drama , +TBS Cartoon Network websites block their content (which is especially frustrating since I have +DIRECTV credentials to login in like I can do with their android app or on the laptop) The coolest app is the TV& Movie app which acts as an aggregator of content, you can search by pay or free and it will find the shows regardless of it they are on +Netflix , +Amazon.com 's VOD, +Crackle , HBOGO or elsewhere. As a cord cutting device you are missing Vudu (though I believe your disc 2 digital movies show up in the Flixster app), and Hulu Plus (if you like paying to watch ads), but even those have was around using Plex. All and all it is a great device for $99 and even if you don't have cable for the PIP, live search it is like a Roku/Appletv on steriods for the same price.

#costar #googletv


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(Thu05) This is why we test
Update with full uncut footage Morpheus lander first free flight and failure in HD
Sadly the Morpheus test did not go well just now. This was the first non-tethered flight of the vertical test bed and sadly it tipped over as it took off crashing.

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Thurs09 You are going to want to see the full version of this
Next Best Thing to Being There
This full-circle scene combines 817 images taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. It shows the terrain that surrounded the rover while it was stationary for four months of work during its most recent Martian winter.

Opportunity's Pancam took the component images between the 2,811th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's Mars surface mission (Dec. 21, 2011) and Sol 2,947 (May 8, 2012). Opportunity spent those months on a northward sloped outcrop, "Greeley Haven," which angled the rover's solar panels toward the sun low in the northern sky during southern hemisphere winter. The outcrop's informal name is a tribute to Ronald Greeley (1939-2011), who was a member of the mission team and who taught generations of planetary scientists at Arizona State University, Tempe. The site is near the northern tip of the "Cape York" segment of the western rim of Endeavour Crater.

North is at the center of the image. South is at both ends. On the far left at the horizon is "Rich Morris Hill." That outcrop on Cape York was informally named in memory of John R. "Rich" Morris (1973-2011), an aerospace engineer and musician who was a Mars rover team member and mission manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena.

more information http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-196

update 2
125MB JPG File

My Google Drive https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7Sfv2Bq7xzhdVJBRVkzQ2phSnM

US East Coasthttp://www.aheadresearch.net/geo/PIA15689_Greeley_Pan_wDeck_L257F.jpg

US West Coasthttp://aheadresearch.com/geo/PIA15689_Greeley_Pan_wDeck_L257F.jpg
Europe (D)    http://johannes.sipsolutions.net/files/PIA15689_Greeley_Pan_wDeck_L257F.jpg

500MB tiff file
Original host http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA15689
US East Coast http://www.aheadresearch.net/geo/PIA15689.tif
US West Coast http://aheadresearch.com/geo/PIA15689.tif 
http://johannes.sipsolutions.net/files/PIA15689.tif

#scienceeveryday   #NASA   #JPL   #Mars  

(Thu03) This is an awesome bedset

The snoring astronaut from Dutch company Snurk

https://www.snurkbeddengoed.nl/astronaut?size=851#more

h/t +Edward Burke

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(Mon09) Still some good options for those lamenting the loss of Fringe

I am liking Continuum that just started on Syfy, plus the Doctor returns in April and Falling Skies this summer. I like Person of Interest but don't really put it in the scifi realm regardless of the AI. Defiance and Orphan Black both look good.

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(Thu05) Exactly the issues when I saw the movie

and this is why I have no desire to see the next one.


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(Sat08) main stream folks just care about price and fail to realize all the missing content

I am sure the Amazon store's 50K apps has most of the core functionality, but there is a big gap between 50K and 600K plus the functionality you lose with the heavily skinned Kindle version. Can you sideload sure but do most regular folks even know what that means? Why buy a sandbox that only lets you play in one corner when a full fledged Android tablet will give you Play, Amazon, Nook and more content.

That is why I went with the Nexus7 for my kids.


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Mon15 Flop everywhere, flop here, break even or big hit
I have no desire to see the new movie, yes the arnold version is cheesy but this just looks like meh remake with generic minority report/fifth element setting.

Sat 12 Janelle Onizuka thoughts on JSC getting merely a mockup
I went back and forth whether or not to post this cause I know some folks think we (Houston) comes off as whining, but Janelle(her father died on the STS-51L:Challenger mission) posted this on Facebook and she knows more than anyone the sacrifice some have made during the 30 years of the space shuttle. Some will say NYC gets more tourists or had a better presentation (yet they don't own the land for their proposed permanent display) The model does allow folks to go inside which is a bonus, unlike the real orbiters which will never be entered again. Fundamentally all the outsiders calling us whiners or to just be glad we got something don't understand. Not many folks outside the program understand the missing your kids game or cancelling vacations because of manifest changes or the long hours we put in for the adventure of spaceflight. Anyway I figured I would post it to see what you folks thought

https://www.facebook.com/janelle.onizuka/posts/466689656678722
Once again the City of Houston, NASA and the entire Clear Lake area stand at the cross roads of history. To the victors go the spoils. That is the first thing that comes to my mind with this historic event. With that I feel it important to say the following. 
Today we received a model aircraft. While the model looks like a space shuttle it is still a model. It was constructed for the purpose of showing visitors at Kennedy Space Center what a shuttle looks like. It is not nor will it ever be a Shuttle. The ending of the Shuttle Program took many things with it. Most of my life I watched the Shuttle. I saw men and women, family and friends work countless hours in support of its mission. I also worked to support the program in my profession for a number of years. I saw my Father put everything he had into that program and NASA. All of this I saw from the Clear Lake area. I watched my Father leave this earth from Kennedy Space Center for the last time on January 28, 1986. Not only did I feel the pain as did most of the Nation but I saw a community in tears upon my return to Clear Lake. We healed, but the scars remained. The bad memories were kept at bay and the good ones kept us going. The idea of continued exploration kept the community going. Dedication kept NASA and her people pressing forward. 
The pain returned for a second time as we all watched the return of Columbia. The community came together and worked on getting the vehicle and her Crew home. We cried again. We struggled again. Together the community fought through the tears and pain to proceed. We rose from the carnage and continued forward. Forward to the betterment of man. To honor the memory of our lost loved ones. We the Clear Lake population came together and moved NASA in a positive direction. 

How does this equate to the quote “To the victors go the spoils”. Clear Lake, Houston, NASA and Texas received a model. I was told by the media and several other sources that the decision to place the retired shuttles at their final locations was not political. I was further told that the decision was based on availability to the masses. They wanted a place that more people could visit. Well I tell you this. I am not blind. I see clearly the politics involved with this move. I also know that the Visitor Center at JSC is full of tourists on a regular basis. I see the trams full of people all year round. In the cold, heat and rain the trams are full of visitors. I know that for the people in the middle of the country you have to travel now to the east or west coast in order to see a Space Shuttle. You can come to Houston and look at a replica but you cannot see a real one. I also know that almost all items from JSC associated with training for the missions have been removed and shipped off to other locations. This folks is a slap in the face to the population of Texas but more especially to the men and women of JSC. The children who grew up around JSC and watched their parents pour their souls into the program. The world and the rest of the country only watched when major discovery or tragedy happened. We watched all the time. We grew with NASA and molded our communities around NASA. The same occurred at Kennedy and around her community. We have three shuttles. One at Kennedy which I completely agree with and support. One should have come to Houston and the third to a state on the west coast. They chose California. This in my mind would make them available for the largest number of people to see them. I would rather have the trainers that were housed in building 9 instead of a model. The trainers were actually used in the program. One might say that it is not my decision to make and that I speak from a selfish point of view. They are entitled to their opinion as I am to mine. I see the politics involved with these decisions and I feel the pain that the dedicated men and women of the Clear Lake area feel. I know that we remained a part of NASA during the slow times as well as the exciting, ground breaking and Historic times. For JSC to be treated as a place not suited for a retired shuttle is unacceptable. The rest of the country followed NASA on the highlight real. We lived the entire game. To the victors go the spoils. The rest of us get the model kit. 
And with that the decimation of a legacy.

Fall tv season
so I watched 3 of the networks fall tv preview shows (ABC, Fox and CW) and honestly there isn't a show among them that looked interesting.

What shows are you looking forward to?
Terra Nova - trying to save the future Earth by going back to the Dinosaur age (I guess they forgot about that whole extinction level event)

plenty of new reality shows from X-Factor, H8R, Top Model all stars

60's shows like Pan Am and Playboy Club

(Thu15) As a former Steely-eyed Missile Man of Mission Control

I will try not to nitpick too much.

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unfortunately getting a Chromebook was a bridge too far for my wife
but I did get her to at least import her earthlink emails into gmail so no more outlook. slowly she can transition folks to her gmail address. I found a cool little program to make custom tiles thanks to XDA (http://www.xda-developers.com/windows_phone/create-your-own-tiles-in-windows-8-with-oblytile/) so all those Google app tiles are just shortcuts to open a chrome tab for the particular service. I really don't see the point of Metro UI on a non-touch screen laptop, it is just like giant desktop shortcuts to mean (probably cause I am not using MS mail, messenger, calendar etc) are there any win8 apps worth installing?

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(Mon04) Who knew some much tech went into making OJ

from secret algorithms, to satellite imagery, to liquid nitrogen it sounds like a Dan Brown novel on the Illuminati of Orange Growers. Or is it just a commitment to consistent quality?

h/t +Danial Hallock

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Understanding industrial food.

Our definition of industrial food is any food that has been modified to make it a better product, but not a better food. 

BloombergBusinessweek recently wrote a nice piece about some of the known information about how the Simply Orange brand of orange juice is processed. (The company is owned by Coca Cola.) 

Most consumers would think that the product is, well, simply orange juice. They grow oranges, squeeze them and put them in a bottle, right? 

Well, that's what they want you to think, and that desire to make consumers believe that foods are fresh, natural and basic is part of the industrial food approach. 

According the BloombergBusinessweek investigation, Simply Orange juice involves "satellite imagery, complicated data algorithms" and "even a juice pipeline." 

One of the most interesting aspects of how Simply Orange is produced is a secret algorithm called Black Book, which blends many different juices from many different orchards, regions and harvests to achieve a consistent flavor year round. 

A guy named Bob Cross, identified as the "architect of Coke’s juice model," says Black Book "requires analyzing up to 1 quintillion decision variables to consistently deliver the optimal blend, despite the whims of Mother Nature." These variables include more than 600 individually identifiable flavors possible in orange juice. 

The company uses satellite imaging to tell growers when to pick the oranges in order to deliver the needed flavor compounds demanded by Black Book. 

After the juice is squeezed by factory machines, and pulp, oil and peel are removed, the juice is "flash-pasteurized," then piped into giant tanks where they'll be held for up to eight months. 

After eight months, the juice isn't fresh, but freshness is simulated by storing it under a cloud of nitrogen that prevents oxygen from interacting with the juice and allowing it to spoil. 

The juice is kept around for so long so it can be blended with juice of different ages and harvests to achieve the consistent, pre-determined flavor. 

Before bottling, an orange juice "air traffic control center" enables technicians using Black Book to blend various juices. 

The juice is transported 1.2 miles from the orange processing facility to the packaging plant in an underground pipeline. 

The juice is bottled in a container with a green lid, and a label that shows the picture of a fresh orange over the words "not from concentrate." 

One of the three varieties of Simply Orange is called "grove made," suggesting falsely that it's squeezed at the site of an orchard, bottled fresh and shipped quickly to stores. 

In nearly all these innovative processing systems, a "food" has been improved and optimized as a product for sale in the marketplace in ways that degrades it as a food. 

Most of the high-tech interventions are designed to eliminate variety in flavor, texture, color and so on, which is a fundamental attribute of natural food. 

Here's a summary of the attributes of industrial food production exhibited by Simply Orange juice, according to the BloombergBusinessweek investigation. 

1. The manipulation of natural food variety to eliminate that variety. 

2. The "embalming" of food and the intervention in the decomposition process to simulate freshness in old food. 

3. The combination of massive quantities of foods so that a single bottle may contain juice from thousands or even hundreds of thousands of oranges. 

4. Pasteurization and semi-sterilization, eliminating the opportunity to obtain health-boosting micro-flora from the environment. 

5. Greenwashing and farmwashing, the use of colors, pictures and words to instill in the minds of consumers naturalness, farm-freshness and wholesomeness, when the actual food inside is the opposite of what the consumer is choosing the product for. 

In general, however, industrial food processing involves the optimization of the product (lower price, long shelf life, consistent flavor and so on.) at the expense of food variety, freshness and quality. 

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-01-31/coke-engineers-its-orange-juice-with-an-algorithm

(Fri10) Darn it I was liking Last Resort

+Stephanie Interbartolo watches 666 Park Ave, so I know she will sad. While the military protocol may not be accurate on Last Resort I did enjoy the story line.

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Thanks to all that have served and their families
Today and everyday your sacrifices, honor and courage for your country should not be forgotten or ignored.

h/t +Joe Martinez 

Reshared text:
Thanks To All Who Have Fought For Me

Whether you believe in the wars we fight, you should always stand behind the people that fight for our rights to preserve our way of life. Wars happen for different reasons, and most of us won't agree whether or not those reasons are right. Regardless of the reason, there are always brave men and women willing to step into action and help us preserve what we've worked so hard to create.

If you see a veteran today, thank them for all that they have done. If you know one, give them a call. If you are one, share your story.

nice little surprise when I got home
+Google TV update for the costar. This is the play store update but what else I wonder.

(Thu20) Another Fanmade Star Trek series

There is a new Trek in the works that looks to continue the original 5yr mission of the TOS. This one has +Grant Imahara as Sulu and starts filming this fall. more info
http://www.startrekcontinues.com/wordpress/

 Though I have to ask Trek fans was the other Fan series +Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II not cutting it for you? I have only seen
Star Trek New Voyages - 4x03 - World Enough and Time - Subtitles  with +George Takei that was done by +Marc Zicree

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Thur15 Who you going to call, not Peter Venkman

really a Ghostbusters with the old cast sounds a cool as crossing the streams. Hand it off to a new generation if you really must make another Ghostbuster movie, but I worry it will be more like all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.

Thur06 5 minute trailer for Cloud Atlas

never heard of it before the +FirstShowing.net article (http://www.firstshowing.net/2012/phenomenal-5-minute-cloud-atlas-trailer-huge-new-photo-gallery/) which has a bunch of pictures

Cloud Atlas is the ambitious adaptation of David Mitchell's novel, co-written/directed by Andy and Larry Lana (he had a sex change) Wachowski (Bound, The Matrix, Speed Racer) and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run, The International), that features six century-spanning storylines, all using the same actors playing characters across time and space. The film explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave dramatically through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future. Warner Bros has Cloud Atlas set for release on October 26th.

Mon11 Great Venus Transit site
Most of North and Central America, and northern South America will witness the beginning of the transit (on June 5) but the Sun will set before the event ends. Similarly, observers in Europe, western and central Asia, eastern Africa, and western Australia will see the end of the event since the transit will already be in progress at sunrise from those locations.

plus this site http://transitofvenus.nl/wp/where-when/local-transit-times/ will give you local transit time for your location
#venustransit  

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Sat09 That's no Moon but an alien spaceship

Sure it is real, we can look in the night sky (or day time) and see it. we have traveled to it (YES Virginia, the Apollo program was real) and have satellites orbiting it right now (LRO, Grail etc). if you feel so inclined to subjugate yourself to 7 minutes of HORRIBLE editing and ANNOYING music then watch this drivel. if not I will save you the trouble - his theory the Moon is a hollow ancient spaceship.

I share this not to lend any credence or validation to his theories but to be an inoculation against viral stupidity.

Reshared text:
The Moon isn't real? Well, this is a new one to me! Also, how does someone arguing the Moon isn't real end up speaking in an auditorium?

The Moon is Not Real: David Icke

(Thu16) BREAKING NEWS ISS leaking coolant fluid

The coolant system requires at least 40 pounds of ammonia to operate normally. Based on the observed leak rate, NASA said in a web update, the channel 2B coolant loop could drop below that level and shut down within 48 hours if nothing is done to resolve it.

You can monitor real time data of the system from the ISS - http://spacestationlive.nasa.gov/displays/spartanDisplay1.html

learn about the SPARTAN console here - http://spacestationlive.nasa.gov/handbooks/spartanHandbook.html

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(Tue05) Sequestration cuts mean we keep paying the Russians

for the Low low prices of $63M $70M a seat to get to the ISS.

RESHARE:
what do folks think of the show
it definitely has potential. the two hour pilot sets up the world of Defiance though doesn't really flesh out all the species of the Voton.

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I liked the pilot
definitely going to keep watching to see what is in store for the citizens of Defiance.

(Tue08) All moved in to my new office, still the shiniest office at NASA
I was tired of waiting for the move folks to schedule my move from building 15 to building 1( 7th floor, moving on up) so I made a few quick trips this morning and found magnets for the metal walls to hold my posters. All settled in except my desk phone.

My office mate has never heard of Firefly but she thought I had some cool posters. I might have to lend her one of my firefly DVD sets to convert her.
Cc +Quantum Mechanix

(Sun02) Just Converted another 20 DVDs to HD streaming

Physical Media is dead to me, long live the cloud.

 Couple of things that would make the system better:

+Google Play purchases become +UltraViolet purchases.

 HD app for +Google TV and Android. M-GO and Nook Video promise that but are still MIA. Flixster doesn't have complete access ( of my 43 UV titles, only 39 are playable in SD) Google's Widevine is used by Flixster and other UV streamers so how hard would it be for the Play Movies app to link to your Ultraviolet Account.

Ability to convert at home, like Google's upcoming Music Match service it would be great if I could just pop a DVD in my laptop, Google's Movie Manager recognizes the disc gives the option for a nominal fee (Walmart's VUDU service charges $5 to go from DVD to HD) to add HD version to my Ultraviolet Collection. Flixster talked about this but hasn't implemented it yet.

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(Mon13) pretty sure the fanboys are not going to last 3 years of waiting
are they trying too hard to pass the torch? will it feel like they are shoehorning them in? Will Han return only to die in some heroic Caulson way to spur the next gen to action.


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Now that's a flawlessly-executed 180. Maybe Harrison should have been a figure skater.

(Tue01) Iron Man 3 Trailer is here

doesn't sound like Kingsley giving the "some people call me a terrorist..." so I  wonder who it is. Trailer makes it seem like Tony is going to die (arc reactor flickering out) but I doubt that would happen.

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Tue16 Another remake coming soon to CBS
The new Brady Bunch will be a sort of reboot and sequel to the old Brady Bunch, with a focus on Bobby Brady. In the original sitcom, which aired on ABC from 1969-1974, Bobby was the youngest of three boys in the Brady family. Now all grown up, Bobby’s a divorced father remarried to a woman who also has kids of her own from a previous relationship. In addition, the new couple also share a child.

Mon07 Trajectory Tracking Continues

Engineers at NASA's Deep Space Network continue to run differential ranging track passes to track Mars Science Laboratory's trajectory. These activities are designed to more closely track the spacecraft's trajectory and position as it draws nearer to the Red Planet and Mars' gravitational influence on the spacecraft increases.


EDL info book http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/MSLLanding.pdf

 http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/

Mon12 Would you trust your house key to a digital key on your phone
Finally watching +Shark Tank from Friday. It definitely is interesting the app works on BlackBerry, Android and iOS. you can give keys to other users for one time use (friend gets to house before you), certain time window (say maid service wed 3-5) the lock and app use Bluetooth to communicate.
+Mark Cuban and +Daymond John both were interested, but in the end it was Cuban and Mr. Wonderful who got the deal at $500K for 40% and two seats on the board.

(Sat12) Don't forget this is a super sized Whovian weekend

Tonight Journey to the center of the TARDIS the latest episode of Series 7 and then tomorrow night the 4th Doctor revisited. Tom Baker was I think the first Doctor for a lot of folks in the US when PBS started airing the show.

Ugh come home to broken laptop
Our 16 month old +Dell inspirion laptop won't power on. Tried the whole pull the battery to discharge the power but no joy. No beeps or anythig . completely non responsive.

(Mon09) Yup all 8 of these would be better than Megan Fox

then again I am not really counting on Michael Bay to make a good TMNT to begin with.


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(Sun04) Black & White Superhero Posters

Iconic heroes captured in iconic scenes. the artist might eventually start selling them. which is your favorite.

Batman, Hulk, Captain America, Spider-Man, Silver Surfer, Thor, Iron Man, Superman, Dr. Manhattan, and Wolverine.

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(Wed09) +Tron Uprising is being Derezzed

Looks like it will soon be End of Line for Argon City and the Renegade. The remaining episodes will continue to be burned off on Disney XD at midnight on Sundays for the rest of the month.

#flynnlives

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(Sat05) Pretty Impressive Capabilities

Not sure how much the prosthetic costs, but looks like it would help an amputee get through a lot of the activities we take for granted.

+Ross Taylor have you heard of these guys from England?

h/t +William Johnston

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Did anyone check them out?
Planning on firing up the +Google TV when I get home to see how it is.
Cc +Holly Griffith

(Mon07) Ant Man will be part of Phase Three

though maybe he is first introduced in Avengers 2. couple of other release dates and statuses.

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(Fri01) There is a fine line between underrated and crap
Batman, Waterworld, Joe v Volcano, Cable Guy aren't underrated they are just horrible. Dark City, Darkman and a few others I really enjoyed, critics be damned.

(Wed17) Looper is growing on me, Hobbit was a given until it became a trilogy

I said before that after Dark Knight Rises there wasn't anything I was going to the theater for until the Hobbit (kids movies excluded). Looper trailers have started growing on me (maybe due to his DKR performance) and the Hobbit has been a little troubling just because I worry how 2 become 3 at this.

I don't mind Bond, but I don't run out to the theater for Bond. Red Dawn's digital makeover annoys me. I am not a real big horror fan and the rest I just kind of go meh.

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(Wed06) More adults get their music from CASSETTES than Spotify or Rhapsody

Among adults, the most popular ways to listen to music were radio (67%), CDs (61%), YouTube (44%), Pandora's custom-radio service (32%) and Apple Inc.'s  iTunes (29%).

Among adults, cassette tapes remain more popular than many online music services, or even vinyl records, despite the latter medium's purported comeback in recent years. Nine percent of adult respondents said they listen to cassettes, more than Spotify (7%), LP records (6%), or music services from Yahoo Inc (2%),AOL Inc. (2%), eMusic.com Inc. (1%) or Rhapsody (1%).

all the details
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444042704577587570410556212.html


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(Mon05) This would be awesome, but would some in Congress give up their control

A restructure like this would help give us long term stability, multiyear budget and mean we are less of a political football or white collar jobs program. Though would certain senators who like to ensure that their centers are taken care of with congressionally designed rockets or other pork may not go for this. Anything large scale we do whether it is human or robotic is both multi-year and multi-administrations so giving us the freedom and authority to proceed without having to worry about changing political winds.

 Maybe just maybe if this passes we can get that Mars Sample Return, Europa sub, Titan boat planetary missions back on the table and maybe the mess that is SLS/Orion/NEO/no real mission could be resolved.


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(Tue09) 5 Disc complete adventures set comes out Sept 18th

For the first time all four films in the epic and award-winning franchise have been available together in sparkling high definition. INDIANA JONES: The Complete Adventures will also be available on iTunes, no word on Amazon or Play store.

Tue01 Reminder Houston area Fake Shuttle Arrives on Friday
We need a good name for the shuttle:
Ex-plorer? Fauxlumbia? Notlantis? Ain'terprise? Consolation? Diss-covery?
on the plus side visitors will be able to go in this shuttle unlike all the real shuttles

The high-fidelity space shuttle model sailed through Port Canaveral into the Atlantic Ocean on May 24th. The model is en route by barge from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to Space Center Houston, NASA Johnson Space Center’s official visitor center. Its journey to Texas will take it south along the Florida coastline, around Key West and into the Gulf of Mexico. The model was built in Apopka, Fla., by Guard-Lee and installed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in 1993. The model is expected to arrive June 1 in Houston and to be transported June 3 to Space Center Houston, its final destination, where it will become part of a unique display telling the story of the space shuttle’s achievements and the nationwide team that made them possible. For more information about Space Center Houston, visit http://www.spacecenter.org/shuttlebration.html

For those worried about traffic around the Space Center http://www.shuttlevolunteer.com/content/traffic/traffic.asp

Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Second Picture discovered on Project Prometheus Site
another Hi res shot discovered on the site behind a different login.
site - /245409
password - DDM2DDM2DDM2AMAMAMBIGBIGBIGBMESMPP,

(Wed01) One can only hope they learned from the mistakes of 2000

and make a better movie given their experience with Middle Earth over the past decade. Maybe they will make it like the 80's cartoon DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS Cartoon Intro

With Glass how many folks would have been streaming or time lapsing the event that might have caught something
I grew up just north of Boston and spent 4 summers in college being a Tour guide/trolley driver in the city so today is just shocking. In the future when we have Glass being that it is hands free instant upload, live stream it would provide a wealth of data to help solve an attack like this.

(Mon08) Don't forget it starts tonight on Syfy

Io9 says it isn't the New Firefly, but the new Eureka and sounds cool to me. I watched a few of the behind the scenes VOD from Directv and the show looks interesting.
Set in the near future, Defiance introduces an exotically transformed planet Earth, its landscapes permanently altered following the sudden - and tumultuous - arrival of seven unique alien races. In this somewhat unknown and unpredictable landscape, the richly diverse, newly-formed civilization of humans and aliens must learn to co-exist peacefully.

(Fri13) Myths or Truths

are people really scared of Whedon projects


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