Thanksgiving, 2016
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England, 2017
I have been promising family in the United Kingdom for years that I was going to visit soon, and I finally managed to do it. I correspond fairly regularly with two cousins–June Ward and Tony Neve, so I had a definite location in mind–London, where Tony lives. June lives in Spain, but she’s an expat, and luckily, she told me that she would be travelling…
Introducing Fractals: A Graphic Guide
This is a great little book that tells you how the study of fractals began, its history, effect on culture, relation to nature, and how they’re generated. It’s presented in sort of a comic book format, with pictures, accompanied by tidbits in the margins about some of the people involved in that page’s discussion. It does not get deep into the mathematics of fractals, but…
How Did These Giant Telescope Predictions Work Out?
I was culling my stash of old Sky & Tel magazines and ran across this article from 2000 about future telescopes. Here’s how that worked out: Next Generation Telescope was originally planned for launching in 2009. It’s now called the James Webb Space Telescope, and its launch date is planned for 2018. Two pages over in the magazine, there’s a page titled “Next Generation Space…
Skywatch at Midlothian High
This is one of the skywatches that RAS (Richmond Astronomical Society) puts on for school systems around Richmond. It’s also part of my volunteer activities on behalf of the SSA (Solar System Ambassador) program that JPL/NASA hosts. NASA wants SSA volunteers to spread the word about NASA’s programs, especially to young people. Around 20 students and parents enjoyed the night sky on Dec. 1, using my…
The Hike, by Drew Magary
What a wild ride. I normally don’t care for fantasy, but this book was well done. And FAR out there. A man checks into a hotel for a conference, decides to go for a hike, gets lost, and enters an alternate universe. But, this universe has not only elements of fantasy, but it has lots of humor, bravery, horror, monsters, and huge stretches of imagination….
Radiant Angel by Nelson DeMille
John Corey is at his best in this book–sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. He’s watching a person of interest. A very boring person, it seems. But when the suspect disappears at a party, JC can’t overcome his curiosity. So, he and his female partner decide to bluff their way into the party, posing as waiters. And as you might guess, he’s soon hot…
Amazon Dot–Now This is Home Automation
I’m having a ball with this thing. Its real power is when you combine it with a Harmony smart remote. This morning, KK said she liked my 2nd wife–she turned on the TV by talking to Alexa. I can also switch the TV to ESPN by asking Alexa. But even without a Harmony, it’s pretty useful–This morning, I got the phone number for our vet…
The Panther, by Nelson DeMille
This is a sequel to “The Lion’s Game.” If you’ve read other books by DeMille, you know you’re in for a roller coast ride. The hero, John Corey, is a version of Jack Bauer (24 TV series) with the smart mouth of Homer Simpson. It’s a good combination. Corey returns to Yemen, this time in order to track down the master mind behind the U.S.S….
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson
Mr. Larson has done it again–he’s written a great historical story about an important event in America’s past. He also wrote “Devil in the White City,” about a mass killer at work in Chicago during the 1899 World’s Fair. This one is about the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. The Lusitania was a huge passenger liner, and the pride of England in that era,…
Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch
For syfy, this book is as good as it gets. Jason is a college professor of Physics, has a wife and a kid, and is normal in every way. But one night, he gets hijacked, and ends up in the craziest world you can imagine. And if you can imagine it, just wait–you’ll get another chance. Literally. If you keep up with science, especially cosmology,…