I remember when President Kennedy committed to putting someone on the moon. The Space Race launched a lot more than just rockets to the moon. It launched science and engineering as the jobs of the future. It launched a whole industry bent on making things small enough that they could fit into a space ship - everything from telemetry to medical instrumentation and most of it evolved into things we take for granted today, like cardiac monitors in the ER, pacemakers, and laptop computers.

Last August, the US launched the Phoenix Mars Lander. Getting stuff there isn’t an issue. Getting it to slow down from 17,000 miles per hour and land is the issue. And the Phoenix was successful. Steve, at Whites Creek Journal, blogged about this yesterday and we’ve got the first photo from Mars after the jump. (Steve has more links to photos as well, just go there.)

Read the rest of this entry »

I missed this one last week but it really needs a post. I know, full-time job, blogging, running my dog’s presidential campaign. I’m a busy woman. I missed it.

But it’s a great post so here.

Say that a blogger gets fired from his or her day job for blogging. (Recent high profile media examples here and here.) It is a common enough tale to become almost a cliche.

But what would your reaction be if you found out a spiteful blogger, for no other reason than to fuck you over and with whom you had some petty online disagreement, went and outed you to your corporate overlords who didn’t take too kindly to your potty mouth and intemperate opinions? You get shit-canned and your online arch-nemesis is crowing over his/her “victory”.

What would your reaction be?

Sarcastro asks what would you do?

Check out Katherine Coble’s comments in the thread as well. If you recall the Kirking incident from last year, she’s got a bit of knowledge on this.

In Nashville.

Chuck has the scoop.

Channel 5 is reporting this morning on the gas crunch felt by Cheatham and Davidson counties:

In Cheatham County, just west of Nashville, Schools Director Lynn Seifert said the spiraling cost of fuel couldn’t be anticipated for the current budget year and the schools will need between $25,000 and $35,000 in added funding to finish out the school year.

In Williamson County, the school board has asked the County Commission to let it dip into the schools’ fund balance for $250,000 more to buy fuel.

A switch to biodiesel by the city of Chattanooga was intended to save money and improve air quality. The city may be in a better position because of it, even though its fuel costs are also rising.

Local governments are feeling the pinch much like everyone else.

From reading through this long thread about Expelled, it is clear that there is a lot to disagree about surrounding the issue of Darwinism and intellectual freedom and what constitutes legitimate “science.”

Here’s my perspective on the issue.

More than half (according to a statistic I saw in a National Geographic article a day or two ago–btw, yes, I know the article is three years old) of Americans disbelieve Evolution as an explanation for anything more than what amounts to animal-husbandry-in-nature. They just don’t buy it. I’m in that camp, and in all candor I believe not every person in that camp has done the same amount of reading or investigation as I have to arrive at their conclusion on the matter. Nevertheless, there are legitimate reasons that people are unconvinced. There are honest scientists who are unconvinced. There_are_gaps_in_the_theory that some people are not (yet, at least) willing to fill in with Naturalist (or Anti-Supernaturalist perhaps) speculation. Big questions about how the whole process could have been started, why there is no (or even so little, to be generous) evidence of the crucial phenomenon of evolution between species. So, I think it is indisputable that those who believe acceptance of Darwinism by the populace is really important have a lot of work to do. And I’m pretty sure that trash talking about, much less censorship of, the questions (hypotheses?) within the scientific community is the wisest course of action. I don’t think I’m alone in feeling as if I shouldn’t back down from intimidation–whatever the issue is.

Which leads me to the other big issue that I’ve been thinking about lately. I was not ever sure that it was possible to have a civil, respectful, authentic virtual “community” if religion or politics were a part of the conversation. I can care about and enjoy someone even if I disagree with–think they are dead wrong regarding, their views on religion or politics. There are numerous examples of such people in the greater MCB network.

Unfortunately, I feel that MCB has become more of a Roman Circus than a “community,” at least in my experience (I tried to think of a metaphor that didn’t have “Christian martyr” overtones–feel free to suggest an alternative in the comments, as that isn’t my intention). That’s not my idea of fun nor my idea of a constructive activity, so I think it is probably best for me not to contribute for a while. More time with my family and all that. Thanks to Ivy and Ginger for the opportunity. Feel free to visit me at my own blog, WisdomisVindicated.

E ya.

From the Nashville Edge

I’m voting no but that’s just me.

Angela has some words of advice:

As the ad terms “Black-Friday” and “Tax-Free” has been known to create a frenzied aggression amongst American consumers, during these events, shoppers face an increased possibility of being trampled, whacked with a pack of Mead notebook paper,  poked in the eye with a protractor or attacked from behind with the last pair of Hannah Montana sandals.

To ensure your safety while shopping on the tax-free weekend: I’d recommend wearing toe-cleats, a long-sleeved shirt and pants to protect the limbs and shopping with a buddy whenever possible - as this helps eliminate rear-attacks.

If you are planning to purchase larger items, which could also be used as a weapon of self-defense, get those first.  You may also want to develop a menacing  “Don’ F~ck wit Me: I’m one bad Mother” look.

Eye-patches, fake tattoos and t-shirts bearing the image of gansta rap artists are effective in this area - and usually scare away most of the Baptists folks over 30.

If you opt to skip the crowds and purchase items online or over the telephone, allow yourself additional time to explain the holiday to people who have no clue what you’re talking about and don’t care.

There’s a whole lot more. It’s hysterical.

But even bigger, the Preds won against the Red Wings 5-3 tonight at the Sommet Center. There will be lots more links, photos, stories and more tomorrow, but for now I am enjoying my lovely Taco Bell Taco while I wait for my ears to stop ringing.

Red Wings lead the playoff series 2-1 and Game 4 will be here in Nashville on Wednesday. Puck drops at 8pm.

Let’s go Predators!

“The first round playoff schedule for the Predators vs Red Wings is out and here’s how it goes:

Game 1: Thursday April 10 in Detroit. 6pm cst. TV Coverage on Versus only

Game 2: Saturday April 12 in Detroit. 1pm cst. Hey it’s an afternoon game! Nationally televised on NBC.

Game 3: Monday April 14 in Nashville. 7pm cst TV Coverage on Versus only.

Game 4: Wednesday April 16 in Nashville. 7cst. TV Coverage on Versus only.

Game 5: Friday April 18 in Detroit. 6pm cst. Coverage on Versus only.

Game 6: Sunday April 20 in Nashville. NBC option.

Game 7: Tuesday April 22 in Detroit.

I don’t get Versus in my TV lineup and I’m not sure that my Center Ice TSN coverage will work through the playoffs here in the US. Versus has not had good HD coverage of any of their games so far and their broadcast quality looks like something from the 1980’s. Thanks NHL.  And to ESPN the “premier” sports network, a big thanks to you too for your zero coverage of hockey in any format, you suck. Fortunately for now the NHL Network and TSN (Canadian ESPN)  still have plenty to say about the Preds .  

If you’ve got XM radio tune into 204 for all hockey talk all the time. Pete, Terry, Paul McCann, Eklund and more familiar names and opinions can be found on that station. Also EJ Hradek who writes the hockey coverage for ESPN the Magazine is on there and a Preds supporter to boot!

NHL draft lottery was held last night to determine which of the bottom 14 teams would/could get a shot at the #1 draft pick for 2008( Tampa Bay won it) and to determine the team order for draft day.  Nashville actually was in the mix since they received Florida’s 1st round draft pick on the Vokoun trade last year and Florida finished the season out of the playoffs.  We could have moved up as high as 5th pick for 2008 (the highest we have ever had was 2nd and we chose David Legwand), but Nashville stayed put at #9. This will be in addition to our normal draft picks and position which will be determined at the end of the playoffs. 

In theory, we base decisions on who we vote for based on how that person supports or favors our issues - the ones we respond to at a significant level, whether it be war or life or economics. So what does the media cover? Well, according to MNfunkifized, a local blog Claudia discovered, they cover this:

“Yoo and torture” - 102

“Mukasey and 9/11″ — 73

“Yoo and Fourth Amendment” — 16

“Obama and bowling” — 1,043

“Obama and Wright” — More than 3,000 (too many to be counted)

“Obama and patriotism” - 1,607

“Clinton and Lewinsky” — 1,079

The source is NEXIS, which aggregates news information, Yoo refers to John Yoo, the author of a Defense Department memo that authorized torture.

I admit I thought I heard the fat lady singing for the Preds over the last few weeks. Play your way into the playoffs or wait for another team to play themselves out, I know which way I prefer. But either way, the Preds have captured the 8th seed in the Western Conference Playoffs and have also wisely held back from jumping up into the 7th seed.

Did you go to the last regular season home game against the St. Louis Blues thursday night? If you did, you got to experience something wonderful and rare for the last 4 minutes of the game. Take a minute to browse through the video clips on the Predators’ website too, they’re pretty cool.

The Preds will play the Red Wings in the first round and the first chance we will get to see them at home will be in games 3 and 4. The NHL has not released the playoff schedules yet, but the soonest game 1 can be will be Wednesday April 9.

If you haven’t experienced Predators playoff hockey before now, you need to. Tickets are on sale now.

And oh yes, one more thing…. Red Wings Suck!

San Francisco is one of my favorite places to visit. I’ll climb the hills and roam the city all over the place, from the Mission District to Height Ashbury, grateful that I got to experience it one more time before it all falls into the ocean. But they’ve topped themselves. They have a Presidential Memorial Commission and a goal.

As we near the end of George W Bush’s presidency, we think it is important to select a fitting monument to this president’s work. On matters ranging from foreign relations to fiscal and environmental stewardship, no other president in American history has accomplished so much in such a short time. To honor George W Bush for his eight years of honorable public service, the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco is sponsoring a ballot initiative this November in San Francisco. It reads…

“Should the City and County of San Francisco rename the Oceanside Wastewater Treatment Facility the George W. Bush Sewage Plant?”

h/t TGW

Over the past few days Hillary and Obama and McCain have weighed in on the subject of the mortgage “crisis.” We can discern a lot about the respective candidates’ views of “personal responsibility” and the role of government in a free society by their take on the issue. It’s predictable how the MSM will spin the various proposals.

I use quotation marks because it appears the scope of the “crisis” is hardly “crisis-like” when one considers the entire U.S. economy and U.S. population. And when you consider that a little “crisis” might be just what the doctor ordered for the malady of irresponsible/unwise lending and borrowing practices.

Well over at TennesseeFree.com, Glen (the realtor) has started an interesting discussion about how much responsibility is being taken and by whom in this situation.

Pith in the Wind has two updates today regarding the legislation to allow wine sales at grocery stores in Tennessee (among other loosened restrictions, none of which allow for a lower drinking age, of course).  Check out Matt Pulle’s commentary on some of the arguments made by those who oppose the sales (generally known as “the liquor lobby”). It’s well worth the click. 

Liz Garrigan tells us, though that the bill has been “‘rolled,’ and the sponsor, Bill Ketron plans a House-Senate summer study committee.”

I still think it’s kind of funny to see wine and liquor in grocery stores because I’ve never lived anywhere but Tennessee.

Overall, I think that the arguments that the lobbyists and their thinly-veiled front groups are making are completely invalid. And what are they so afraid of? Do they really think that every liquor store in town is going to shut down because Kroger can sell Kendall-Jackson chardonnay and Smirnoff? I’ll still go to Mr. Whiskers for the rare occasion I need a bottle of wine because I prefer to speak with someone knowledgeable when I make a purchase. They’ll still have a better selection of what I’d want to drink than any grocery, but whatever. This ridiculous push for government-assisted monopolizing is just a cheap excuse not to be very good at marketing. Increased competition is good for the customer (read: your constituents, Tennessee lawmakers!) but can also be good for the smart marketer.

But, seriously? Trying to make it seem like selling wine and alcohol in grocery stores or over the internet will increase underage alcohol abuse? Yeah, because parents would never notice a case of wine being shipped to their homes. Besides, kids looking for that Boone’s Farm or Goldschlager will find a way to get it no matter what.

Here’s a few gasoline tips so all of us can save:

• Wednesday morning is the best time to buy gasoline according to www.GasPriceWatch.com. That’s because prices usually move up for the weekend, after which they settle, hitting the low point by Wednesday.

• Buy your gas in the morning when it’s the coolest time of day. This is when gasoline is most dense. Gas pumps charge by the volume of gasoline, not the density, so in colder temperatures you’ll get more for your dollar. The gas will expand some in your tank as it warms up.

• Chilling out a little in your driving style can save you as much as 35% according to www.edmunds.com. Don’t hit that accelerator hard or the brakes (unless you really need to, of course) but be a little more relaxed in your driving. Mellow out.

• Keep your tires inflated to the correct, recommended pressure. (There’s a sticker on the door frame of your car, most likely.) Buy a tire gauge, learn how to use it and check your tires after the car has been still for a couple of hours. Tires heat up while you’re driving. (Don’t depend on those people who change your oil. They aren’t paying for your gas, you are.)

• Best tip: Go to http://www.nashvillegasprices.com/index.aspx to search your hood to find out where it’s cheapest.

I’ve always hated the drive to Memphis - it just never seemed very exciting going there but the city itself is exciting. After fighting for reelection in a hard-fought campaign, Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton has announced he is retiring.

In an interview with The Commercial Appeal, he gave few reasons for the move beyond saying he planned to “pursue other challenges.” But a longtime Herenton ally said the mayor is considering either returning to the Memphis City Schools superintendent’s post or making a run for the Ninth District seat in Congress.

H/T Left WingCracker

A prominent law profesor at Stanford University, Larry Lessig, has an idea for using Web 2.0 to transform Congress. He’s going to use a wiki to separate the good from the, uh, wikid in Congress. (Couldn’t resist.) He hopes to diminish the influence of money by influencing the election campaigns of the 67 members of Congress who are up for election. (Wired article here. Actual website to join up here.) Using

collaborative software that enables vast numbers of geographically-dispersed citizens to become politically active on their own schedule, will enable a new kind of transparency and accountability in political campaigns.

(snip)

The project will rely on engaged voters to record and map both the responses by, and the positions of candidates who are running for open seats. The idea is to make what seems like an abstract idea visually tangible through a Google mash-up.

The tubes changes things again.

Thanks, Badger Beth via Twitter!

After a six-months, Made of Trash is back.

*

Cal Evans has announced that the time for telecommuting has arrived:

The technology exists to allow almost all office workers to work remotely. Before they were purchased by Sun, MySQL had 70% of it’s workforce distributed around the world, working at their own locations. Telecommuting is no longer a perk to be negotiated for; it should be common sense. It’s not a right but it is a clue for smart workers looking to switch jobs. Companies that do not immediately tout their telecommute policy are companies mired in the 70’s and 80’s.

I’ve said it before and I know I will say it again, if a manager doesn’t feel that they can get their job done with a distributed team, that is a failing of the manager. If you are in charge of a manager who won’t let employees telecommute because they feel they will lose control, fire the manager, get someone in who can actually do the job.

I get to telecommute a fair amount and it has been a part of almost every job I have had in the past 8 years. In my experience telecommuting works better when I am passionate about the work I am doing.

What about you? Do you telecommute?

Here are some photos I took after the rain this morning. One of the things I like about comparing them to photos from about three weeks ago is seeing things wake from their winter slumber.

From Christian Grantham

Not just the SEC Basketball tournament in Atlanta today, but the Predators versus the Detroit Red Wings today too. They’re on now on FSN South and HD too if you have it. 104.5 in the car.

1st period so far Preds 1,Red Wings 0. Thanks Hamhuis Ellis is in net. There is going to be some hard hitting today and everyone is feeling scrappy.

*2:00pm Start of the 3rd period it’s Preds 2-Wings 1. It’s not over until it’s over.

*2:45-Preds Win! Preds Win! Preds 3-Wings1. Goals by Hamhuis, Peverly and Smithson(empty net). Now I’m off for a hot dog and a cold Budweiser Beer. Preds Win.

Ok, by “We” I mean “Tennessee” and State Senator Doug Jackson and by “TV” I mean The Colbert Report, no less! Woot! Watch us, um, roar isn’t esactly it, uh, maybe, uh, hic, bang!

And just in case I still suck at embedding video http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/videos.jhtml?videoId=164013

Pardon the quick and dirty nature of this post, but I’ve been trying to write something since Monday and I keep getting friggin’ interupted.

The Preds will play the Los Angeles Kings tonight at 7pm at the Sommet Center. Be there or be square.  You can always catch them on the radio at 104.5 or on Fox Sports South.

After today the Preds will travel to Detroit Rock City for a noon game on Saturday. Weird but true. I am not sure about any TV coverage for this game.

I will read and link to Preds and other hockey news so that you don’t have to before the weekend, but at least this will put tonight’s game on your radar.

**There could be a taco prize for the cool people who get the movie reference from this post title and how it relates to the Preds playoff seeding and chances at this point. 

It seems as if the Golden Goose (Tom Hensley, the lobbyist for the Tennessee Liquor Wholesalers) may be more than your reg’lar good ole boy. He seems to know somebody with web skillz. Several people have blogged about wine sales in grocery stores here and elsewhere, but while we bloggers were posting, someone created www.stopteendrinkingtn.org to head off both Internet wine sales and sales in grocery stores. They’ve been emailing and faxing up a storm while we’ve been blogging. Welcome to Tennessee, where Tom Hensley controls who gets liquor. And you thought this was a democracy. Silly, silly.

KnoxNews is reporting that prospects of the bill passage have diminished greatly. The site initially allowed users to email legislators directly, which they report created a flood of emails but that feature was dropped following inquiries by the Knoxville News Sentinel.

The Web site was established by Seigenthaler Public Relations. Philip McGowan, an account executive with the Nashville firm, said Tennesseans Against Teen Drinking is a “coalition of various types of groups and organizations.”

He acknowledged that the Tennessee Wine and Spirits Wholesalers Association is part of the coalition. Other members include the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, individual sheriffs and the Tennessee Malt Beverage Association.

Rep. Currey Todd said that faxes and e-mails sent to some of his constituents by the StopTeenDrinkingTN group said juveniles could purchase wine with “no ID required” if the bill passes, and “that’s a bald-faced lie.” The law required showing a driver’s license or other photo ID.