Movies from "Childrens" Books

I'm going to compare and contrast two movies I've just seen:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part I)
Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Ahem: SPOILER WARNING!

Let's start with the things they have in common. I liked both the books these were based on. They are often thought of as "children's books" but really aren't (though they can be read to and by children). The casting in both series is magnificent, demonstrating both skill (adult actors) and luck (child actors who have grown into their parts well). Both are neither the first nor (presumably) the last in a series of profitable movies.

Despite that, they couldn't be more different.

It really comes down to the scripts, I think. Harry Potter appears to have been written by someone who read the Cliff Notes, once, a while back, and wasn't paying much attention. "Hmm. I can't remember how this bit went. Well, I'll just throw in an action sequence; the audience is just a bunch of kids, they won't know the difference." Narnia seems to have been written by someone who has read the books many times, liked and understood them, and realizes that you can't simply transpose a book into a shooting script if you want a good movie. They also realize that the audience of the movies will be quite different from the one the books were written for. This means spending minutes of screen time to replace things C.S. Lewis could convey in a phrase.

Lewis writes "the London Blitz" and his audience knows exactly what he's talking about. If the movies had just had someone mention the Blitz, most US movie-goers would say "what's that?" and never understand where these characters are coming from. So, they added the opening sequence of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with the Luftwaffe bombing London. Was it in the book? No. Would it have been needed to make a movie in the 1950's? No. Did I, personally, need it? No. Is it necessary to make a movie for the US in the 2000's in general? Yes. Was it well done and woven smoothly into the movie, complete with a visual reference during the climactic battle? Yes. Had they very clearly done their homework? Yes. I've seen bombing sequences in war movies that were less accurate and realistic.

Another difference is the use of CGI and special effects. The Harry Potter movies have been rather bad at this: 'hey look, a CGI monster!' Now, we know that the creatures in Narnia are just as fake. However...

While watching the end credits of Voyage of the Dawn Treader, I noted the VERY large number of effects artists and such. I thought at the time "wow, that sea serpent and the dragon must have taken a lot of work! Well, they were worth it." It wasn't until I'd left the theater and gotten home that I realized Reepicheep wasn't REAL! That is the difference between good SFX and bad, people! It isn't how high tech or how wild and scary you make things. It is about making the audience forget that Reepicheep didn't need to stop by the props department for his sword. It is about the NASA engineers going to the makers of the Apollo 13 movie and saying 'hey, where'd you find that footage of the launch? We'd never seen that before.' 'Um... that was special effects.' 'Really?!'

Now, was Voyage a completely faithful re-telling of the book? No, and in some cases I think they could have done better. The Dufflepods were a little disappointing. The quest to find the seven lost lords doesn't seem to have been enough motivation for modern audiences, so an additional motivation has been added: people are being taken by a green mist, and must be rescued. I'm not thrilled by that change, but they wove it into the movie well enough. Tilda Swinton is back as the White Witch. Yes, she died in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. That didn't stop her from appearing (in a VERY nice bit) in Prince Caspian, and it doesn't stop her now. Hey, if C.S. Lewis had had Tilda Swinton playing the White Witch in his books, she'd have gotten more time in them, too!

On the other hand, I was very surprised and quite gratified that Aslan saying "I am known by another name in your world" was left in. I would have expected modern Hollywood to shun a Christian reference that blatant. Of course, it is Christmas season. :-)

Kudos also for including, with the closing credits, illustrations from the books. That was a nice touch, though the clothing depicted had almost nothing in common with that in the movie.

The Dawntreader herself is a very nice piece of work. She's quite believable as a Narnian ship on the outside, though her interior doesn't give the impression of a cramped ship of that type.

All of this is in contrast to Deathly Hallows (Part I). Now, I'm one of the people who signed a petition to have the books split into two movies each all the way back at Book 4, but that was because there was a lot of plot in those pages. I'm glad they finally split Book 7, but could they have shoved in some of that plot instead of chases through the woods? Be warned: re-read the book first, or you won't understand what's going on. Critical elements are missing or altered to the point that they don't make sense anymore. Continuity with the previous movie is lacking. Why are Harry and Ginny kissing? Well, they're in a relationship. Um... in the BOOKS, yes. In Movie 6, she kissed Harry ONCE and told him "that can stay in here too, if you want." While the BOOK makes several references to a relationship stemming from their first kiss (which was COMPLETELY DIFFERENT), the MOVIE implies that's it for the year.

Overall Voyage of the Dawntreader is an excellent step up from the slight stumble of Prince Caspian, while Deathly Hallows (Part I) is just another in a series of movies that make you want to read the books again so you can figure out what is going on.

See Voyage of the Dawntreader if you like fantasy, or Narnia, or just well done movies in general.
Don't bother with Deathly Hallows unless you're a hard-core Potter fan.

Yesterday

Unrelated to arsenic-based life, I deleted over 1,000 emails at work yesterday. I also handed off, destroyed, or recycled several pounds of paper and several gigabytes of files.

Yes, yesterday I officially started working for the Airplane Certification Group (whimper).

It's Life Jim, but NOT as we know it!

It really isn't!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703989004575652940497021092.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

A NASA researcher has found arsenic-based life. Yup, that's right: alien bacteria are among us!

Green-skinned women are probably still a ways off.

I want YOU to balance the budget!

This is fun... and disturbing at the same time.

Pick and choose from a number of current proposals on Federal spending and taxes and see the results for the projected 2015 and 2030 deficits.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/13/weekinreview/deficits-graphic.html?hp

What I did:
Cur foreign aid in half. If they want roads, let's send US Army Engineers and build roads. If we want to pour money into corruption and graft...
Eliminate earmarks. No-brainer.
Cut pay of civilian federal workers by 5%. Unsure about this one.
Reduce the Federal workforce by 10%. I'd like to know more about what's being cut, but in general I'm in favor.
Cut 250,000 government contractors. As previous item.
Cut aid to states by 5%. Only because there was no option to cut it by 100%. Let each state pay its own way.
Reduce military to pre-Iraq War size and further reduce troops in Asia and Europe. Again I'd like more details, but I'm generally in favor.
Reduce the number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to 30,000 by 2013. Only because there was no option to order a complete pull-out effective immediately. Clearly the political leadership has no interest in winning those wars, so it is time to cut our losses.
Enact medical malpractice reform. Ho-yah! Let's have doctors treating patients and not doing needless paperwork.
Increase the medicare eligibility age to 70. This was a toughie, but 100 billion is a good incentive.
Raise the Social Security retirement age to 70. As above. Almost a quarter of a trillion dollars.
Reduce Social Security benefits for those with high incomes. If you've got high income why do you need social security?
Tighten eligibility for disability. Disabled people who still work... am I the only one who sees a problem here?
Allow expiration for income above $250,000 a year (tax cuts). No brainer. If you make over a quarter of a million dollars a year you don't need a tax cut.
Allow expiration for income below $250,000 a year. Again I was unsure, but figured I should pay my share too. Plus, another quarter of a trillion dollars.
Payroll tax: Subject some incomes above $106,000 to tax. Only because there wasn't an option to subject all incomes above $100,000 to tax.
Millionaire's tax on income above $1 million. Again...
My savings come out to 46% from taxes, 54% from spending cuts. I managed to get a surplus in 2015, and cut the 2030 deficit to $18 billion from over $1 trillion.
That was my first pass. I then decided to see what it would take to get that last $18 billion.
After some debate, I chose:
Cap Medicare growth starting in 2013. Note this just ties the maximum rate of increase to GDP growth. I don't think that's the best method, but it is a start.
I run almost $200 billion surplus in 2015 and over half a trillion in 2030.
Chance of this happening: 0. Nada. Snowflake's chance in Hades, excluding the sixth circle.
Oh well.
What would you do?

"Contrail" off California

The Official Words is that it is (probably) a contrail. A full bird colonel has made a statement (nearly 24 hours after the first report) that the matter is under investigation and that it certainly wasn't a non-US launch.

Now, if the matter is still under investigation, how can anyone be sure that it WASN'T someone else? I can see being sure it wasn't a US launch (we counted all our missiles and we've still got them all), or a plane (we examined the video and it clearly is/isn't a plane)...

I am not, as I think all two or three of my loyal readers will accept, a member of the Tinfoil Hat crowd. However, some things bother me about this.

1. That doesn't look like a contrail to me. I've spent most of my life looking up when I hear a loud noise, and quite a bit of it watching things flying overhead. I am not, as previously noted, a rocket scientist, but I know that delta-V = Ve * ln (R). That looks exactly like a rocket/missile launch to me.

2. No one has shown a nice, enhanced frame from that video that shows an airplane. Contrails make it easy to spot aircraft because they point you right where to look. No one has said "it is a contrail - see? You can tell its a 747/C-17/etc."

3. It took WAY too long for the contrail story to pop up. Again, no claims to be a rocket scientist here, but contrails have been photographed and video'ed from every angle known to man. Why does it take the infinite monkeys of the internet nearly 24 hours to come up with a near-match to the image that's a contrail when only hours after the event comparison imagery taken of rockets was being put up that was much closer to the actual video of the event?

Note that I'm not crediting media sources here, but bboards and fora. IMO most reporters couldn't tell the difference between an airplane and a rocket if they were both sitting side by side on the ground in front of them. The internet, however, is full of actual rocket scientists (in addition to a lot of people who claim to be but aren't), pilots, and anti-aircraft specialists. Most of the credible posters I know said "missile" or "rocket" when they first saw the video. All the contrail reports come from 'official' sources (which took far too long to check in), and media outlets.

At this point, I'm leaning towards "missile/rocket" and more than a little upset that we are once again being lied to, probably 'for our own good.'

Missile Launch off California

Um... eek?

http://www.informationdissemination.net/2010/11/mystery-missile-off-west-coast.html

In short, someone launched a missile 35 miles off the West Coast, near Los Angeles.

Now, normally that wouldn't worry me much, but the USN says it isn't theirs.

If they'd just said "no comment" I'd assume it was theirs anyway (they don't call it the "silent service" for nothing) and not worry.

However, a denial... THAT makes me wonder if it actually isn't a USN missile, and THAT really worries me.

I am not a rocket scientist (not yet, anyway), but from the video the missile looks too big for an amateur job - and anyway, why would an amateur launch 35 miles offshore?

I'll be following this story, and if I find anything definite I will post here.

All Hallow's Eve

Got 38 trick-or-treaters last night; I do so like giving candy to children. :-)

Halloween is an odd holiday to me. I like (most of) the costumes, I like the candy (must... resist... candy corn...), I like trick or treating (either giving or receiving), I even like the historical religious background of the holiday. Heck, I'm fond of the tale of Ichabud Crane!

But I'm just not into the horror element. I'm not into gore, or big spiders (REALLY not into spiders, big or little), or fake knives sticking out of fake wounds. Perhaps it is the inner paramedic making itself felt again, though I wasn't into horror long before I was into emergency medicine.

I can't think of a holiday I'm more conflicted about. Christmas? No problems; I don't seek out Santa Claus, but I don't avoid him either. Easter? Must... resist... mini eggs... um... what was I talking about?

From the Frontlines: Banner War XV

OK, yes, Banner War was a fair bit back. If I'd used period means to send the report most of my loyal readers (both of you) would have gotten it already.

I fought for the Red Plague, which last year issued an appeal to the households to fight under their own banners, as Banner War had become a nearly bi-partisan event. Their plea was heeded, and quite a few banners from households great and small flew over the war.

I actually won a pair of warpoints, one for Best Death in Rapier and one for Best Story in Bardic.

The Best Death: I was stabbed in the neck, and grabbed my opponent's blade. He slowly shoved forward all the way to the hilt (always nice when they play along). I dropped to my knees, and he walked off, commenting that he didn't NEED his sword anymore. I fell to the ground, slowly pulling the blade from my neck... and he came back and collected his sword. :-)

Best Story: we were challenged to make all our Bardic pieces involve the number 15 (being Banner War XV), and we had to keep them under three minutes. I announced that I refused to use the required number, and told the following story.

"I first heard this tales year ago, when I was a little less than half my current age of 31 years. It happened in the 1400's, or perhaps the following century. There was a war between three lords, and to negotiate a peace they decided to meet in a clearing between 14 and 16 miles from the nearest town. To avoid treachery, each would come accompanied only by four of his knights. And on the appointed day these three lords each with their four knights, totaling twelve knights and three lords, met upon the chosen ground. Now this clearing was marked by an ancient Roman statue. No one knew who it might be, for the only writing that remained upon it were the letters 'XV'. The lords negotiated for half a day and three hours more, and finally decided that the forty-five square miles of land would be divided equally between them. Thus was forged a peace that lasted until the six year old son of one of the lords turned twenty-one and inherited his father's title, whereupon he began a war that lasted for a score less five years. But that is another story."

I also sang several verses of "Fight for the Banners of Scarlet" in honor of the Red Plague.

A First

I'm pretty sure that's the first time I've ever dreamed I was in jail.

OK, it was more like house arrest; there were bars, but there was a place where it was more like a low fence than a cell. I think it may have been some kind of dual honor code; the prisoner pretends that the cell is effective and the guard pretends the prisoner won't try to escape.

Yeah, weird.

I could talk in this dream, though I felt that I couldn't leave while recognizing that there was no physical barrier to my doing so.

Later other people were imprisoned with me; some I knew (no one I actually know in real life), some I didn't and was a little worried about.

Arsenal of Democracy

Arsenal of Democracy is a computer game that is a spin-off of the Hearts of Iron series. It is an strategic level simulation of the period surrounding (and including) WWII.

It has a number of interesting features, several excellent ones, very few bad ones, and is a quite absorbing game to play.

Some real pros for me:
You can start as early as 1936, or well into the war. There are even several post-WWII scenarios running into the 1960's.
You can play as any nation. Yes, you can play as El Salvador or Yugoslavia if you want (there are AARs on the game's forum where people have done both), though don't expect to get far. :-)
They'd tried very hard, and IMO succeeded, in striking the proper balance between playability and realism on the economic & industrial front. A few examples: production needs a number of things, including resources (Energy, Metal, and Rare Materials), factories, and infrastructure (which acts as a multiplier for the factories - with no infrastructure a factory doesn't produce anything). You don't just order units at will - setting up a production line requires 'retooling' time (several months) during which no progress is made. Further, each serial build on a production line is a little faster (up to a point, of course). It is thus MUCH more efficient to build ten units in series than it is in parallel, though of course parallel builds are worth the trade off sometimes.
Logistics are extensive and vital, but still simple enough (and can be automated) to be used. Units require various amounts of 'supplies' and oil, and use more when in combat. You really need good supply lines to win, and they are vulnerable to attack.
The gameplay is smooth, and very addictive. Just one more week... wait, new tech, gotta retool my production... stand down the air attacks so they can upgrade... maybe I'll just keep playing 'till they're done...
The game is easy to mod. Very easy. If you can edit a text file, literally, you can mod this game. This solves the biggest problem with the game IMO...
Con:
They nerfed the USA. OK, a lot of WWII games do that. If you don't the end result is more or less a foregone conclusion. To their credit they nerfed it a lot less than some (I'm looking at YOU, Strategic Command: European Theater), and thanks to the high modability you can un-nerf the US.
My second-biggest complaint: you get messages telling you how various historical turning points turned out (annexations, treaties, incidents, etc.) which is good, but there seems to be no way in-game to figure out what the situation was! OK, everyone playing this type of game is going to know what "Germany claims Sudetenland" means, but I had to look up "The 2-26 Incident" (attempted coup in Japan, which may or may not succeed in game) and I'm something of a WWII buff! Events which you actually decide on or happen primarily to your country get explanatory text, but the notification you get when they happen to someone else seems to have no way to access that text. :-(

A single unit is a ground division, capital ship or group of lighter ships, or a wing of aircraft. The map is region-based, not hex-based (a minor con). I spend quite a lot of my time on the production screen watching my builds and managing my economy, rather less on actual combat ops. Units also need leaders (historical generals and admirals) who have varying skills and special abilities. Research teams have both skills and specialties: Boeing will research an airplane tech a lot faster than the New York Naval Yard, but the NYNY is much better at ship tech. You are actually much better off assigning a low-skill team that closely matches the tech to research it than a high-skill team that doesn't. Tech teams and your political leaders, who also have various abilities, come and go over time; quite appropriate, since a full game lasts 28 years!

All in all a great game, especially for only $20.

On The Move: Extension 3

Week 11: 35,325 steps.
Week 12: 33,650 steps.

I seem to be slipping. :-(

Ground Zero

OK, here goes:

I think if the people backing the Mosque near Ground Zero were smart, they'd apologize, say it was obviously too much too soon, and build their Mosque elsewhere. Not because they're wrong, but because Islam really needs some good PR in the US.

They need to prove that there are two kinds of Muslims, and that the fanatics aren't running the show. Right now there isn't much, if any, evidence to that effect.

We go into Saudi Arabia at their request to defend them from their neighbors and somehow we're suddenly defiling sacred ground. Yet when they want to build near a crater where they killed hundreds of our civilians that's OK, because it isn't sacred ground.

We give arms and training to local people defending themselves from invaders, and they turn on us, instead of fighting against the people who invaded them. And it is our fault because we trained them.

We see people cheering after the towers fell. We see women being beaten for showing their faces, or wearing pants. We see people who strap bombs to their bodies and blow up civilians.

This kind of thing paints a picture if Islam, and it isn't a flattering one. If the people trying to build the Mosque want to separate themselves from that picture, they need to start using a different brush, and this is a perfect chance.

In the end, however, I think the Mosque will be built, and the picture will remain the same.

Dreams

"I'm going to be unconscious, hallucinate, and have partial amnesia about it."

"OK, sleep well."

I sometime find it odd how much we take dreaming in stride, and how little we think about our dreams.

Do we dream because we are human, or are we human because we dream?

Are our dreams our subconscious trying to talk to our conscious?

Are dreams windows into alternate dimensions, where we see through the eyes of our parallel selves?

Science has reached the point where they can identify when someone is dreaming, but no one, as far as I know, can tell us where dreams come from.

ZZZzzzz...

From the Frontlines: Warren War

This past weekend, the Canadians once again tried to invade the US, but the valiant forces of Aquaterra were able to stop them and capture Point Roberts at Warren War.

The weather was nice and mild. Warren War this year had possibly the vaguest schedule yet seen in the SCA, with morning court on Saturday being listed as "Opening court will begin at the time of Her Majesty's choosing."

At morning court Her Majesty was presented with a tiny cup of coffee grounds and informed that this was the entire crop grown on Point Roberts this past year. Both Aquaterra's own Baron Hauk and the Baron of Lion's Gate felt that they could do better, and were forced to go to war to determine who would get the land in order to prove it.

Eight fighters showed up for rapier; four Aquaterrans including myself, two other southerners, one local, and one Canadian. This rather small invading force was augmented by everyone except the native Aquaterrans, and further bolstered by a large arsenal of Rubber Band Guns, including an RBG musket. We fought hard, but ultimately lost. I did have some success in one scenario reloading RBGs and firing past my fellow fighters to pick off the opposition. In addition to a road battle with RBGs there was a Champion's Duel, a Papal Ascendancy scenario (Spanish and Italian Popes), Capture the Useful Chainmail Stick (with RBGs), and a free-for-all. In addition to loosing the war point, I was unable to find two of my RBG shot after the last scenario.

I threw knives, watched Bocci Biffy Ball between the Sergeants of Aquaterra and Lion's Gate (we lost), and then came evening court.

For those of you who didn't already look at the image above, look at it now. That, my friends, is an Award of Arms. :-) It was presented to my by the Queen herself, from her hand to mine. She also gifted me with a token of her favor (the necklace in the top-left corner) to mark the event. Now I *really* need to work on my name and device...

There were three entrants for Bardic including myself, including only a single person from Lion's Gate. Again, however, numbers failed to prevail. This was an unusual bardic contest, being judged mostly on keeping in persona for the pieces. I did the Prologue to Henry V. I couldn't restrain myself, however, from making my second piece 'Dear Kindly Local Herald': a filk of Officer Krumpke (West Side Story) about the trials and perils of submitting one's name and device to the college of heralds. Once again, the Bunny Bard is someone else. Sigh.

Despite the losses I witnessed, however, Aquaterra did prevail overall.

On the Move: Extension #2

Week 9 (extension week 3): 33,436 :-(
Week 10: 48,199 - over 15,000 steps on Friday.

Roulette, Satisfaction, and Blueberries

Everyone has heard of Russian Roulette. Many people have heard of Polish Roulette (it involves a semi-auto pistol).

I am officially declaring one of my range techniques to be German Roulette. In German Roulette, you load one or two snap caps (or spent casings) into a revolver; the rest of the chambers get live rounds. You then do the classic spin-the-chamber and snap it in. Now shoot. If you're trigger control is good, when you pull the trigger on one of the blanks, the pistol doesn't move. If you're me, it dips a little. This shows you that you're causing the pistol to dip a little when you fire a live round too... of course when you fire a live round recoil makes it impossible for you to tell.

No, I didn't invent this technique, nor did I think it up independently. I am, however, designating it as German Roulette for easy of conversation. Let the Internet take note.

Also, and mostly unrelated, I officially declare that as a group of lions is called a Pride, a group of house cats should be called a Satisfaction. Again, let the Internet take note.

If it weren't for blueberries I'm not sure I could have made it through today. Thank you, blueberries, for being so yummy, especially in milkshake form.

Dance!

Saturday I belly danced in public for the first time.

"Belly danced? Aren't you a guy?"

Yes, and yes. Belly dance is a broad form of dance that is not limited to the cabaret-style most people think of. In my case, I'm dancing with a sword, demonstrating balance and control of it while moving to the music. :-)

The photo probably conveys a better idea than words will.

I was somewhat nervous going in, but it went quite well (I didn't drop my sword!), and I got a few compliments afterward. I'm glad it was a small audience - that made it easier to focus on my routine. The trip to Ellensburg, WA was long, but the conversation along the way was interesting.

The troop I am part of is called "Emerald Rain". Eight of us (seven women, including the instructor) went to Ellensburg to perform.

On the Move: Extension #1

I've decided to keep tracking my steps with the pedometer I used for Boeing's On the Move program, though on a weekly basis rather than daily.

Week 7 (extension week 1): 36,500 steps - I didn't wear the pedometer for one day this week as I was in SCA garb.
Week 8: 40,630 steps

From the Frontlines: Midhaven Champions

July 31st was the Shire of Midhaven Champion's tourney. I entered in rapier and bardic, and won neither. Handing over the bardic champion's regalia was a little sad, but I wouldn't have had it any other way if I'd been the judge.

I also got one of the highest compliments a bard can get - the winner performed one of my songs! The new An Tir warsong I wrote for Aquaterra's Championship early this year, in fact.

It appears that the Bards of Key Point and I will be dueling for quite some time to come. I'm looking forward to it. :-)

After the bardic competition (single entry - mine was 'Life's Flame' with a few guitar chords and notes that I'd managed to learn for it), we did a bardic circle. Among other pieces, I improvised an ode to chocolate in its many forms. Last night I was told that my bardic abilities impressed another bard enough that they sought out my bellydance teacher (thinking she was also my bardic teacher), and spoke to her at length about how good I was. :-)

Overall it was fun, and I'll be back next year for sure.

Five Years

Yesterday was my fifth anniversary at Boeing.

In those five years I have worked 10,715 hours, including 1,467 hours of overtime.
I have taken 48 vacation days, 41 sick days, and 60 holidays for a total of 1,192 hours of paid time off. I have never worked more than five consecutive pay periods (two weeks each) without working at least some overtime. For a 27 month stretch in 2006-2008, I worked at least some overtime EVERY pay period.

I have worked on two major airplane development programs (787 and 747-8). I have witnessed two first flights.

I have had four managers (Monday I will get a fifth) and six leads.

I have designed and released hundreds of parts and assemblies, input to two certification plans, and authored dozens of other documents.

I have presented information to the FAA, numerous airline customers and potential customers, management up to three layers above me, and other Boeing groups.

I have witnessed half a dozen structural tests, most of which I authored the test plans for and one where I designed the test apparatus.

And as of yesterday, I am fully vested in the pension plan.

On The Move: Week 6

The sixth and final week has come and gone; I met my goal every day!

July 19: 5,202
July 20: 5,049
July 21: 6,148
July 22: 9,753
July 23: 5,015
July 24: 5,255
July 25: 5,036

Week 1: 45,669
Week 2: 42,766
Week 3: 48,157
Week 4: 42,192
Week 5: 45,473
Week 6: 41,458

Total: 265,715 steps.
Daily average: 6,327

History of Nuclear Testing

Found this on a blog I read:

http://www.informationdissemination.net/2010/07/history-of-nuclear-testing.html#disqus_thread

Its a ~14 minute video showing the locations of nuclear tests from 1945-1998. In that period it shows 2,053 tests, including the Hiroshima and Nagasaki warshots. Per wikipedia, some of those represent multiple detonations.

Myself, I had no idea that during that period we averaged three tests a month, weighted heavily towards the middle and latter part of that period.

I'm not as surprised that the US lead in tests - 1,030, not counting the two warshots. I'm quite surprised that France is as far up as they are - 210 tests; more than twice as many as the UK, China, India, and Pakistan combined (and some of the UK tests were in the continental US).

The possible Israeli test isn't shown, and since this is only up to 1998 North Korea's tests aren't included.

There have been over 500 tests in my lifetime.

On the Move: Week 5

Just a few days left to go, and still on track.

July 12: 8,193
July 13: 5,383
July 14: 5,143
July 15: 8,329
July 16: 8,322
July 17: 5,071
July 18: 5,032

Snap, Crackle, and Pop!

I love the sound of structural testing in the morning! It sounds like... um... rice crispies!

Well, maybe not, but one of the things I like about my job is that every so often I get paid to break things. The company prefers to call it 'destructive structural testing to failure' but I like 'breaking things'. :-)

In this case, I got to do some of the breaking hands-on, and the test was a complete success.

My first blog spammer

Well, this blog has its first spammer. "Aboard" has picked up a dozen spam comments in the last few days.

So I'm adding a word verification step for comments. I hope this doesn't inconvenience any real people and causes the heads of all spammers to explode.

On The Move: Week 4

July 5: 5,447
July 6: 6,989
July 7: 5,048
July 8: 5,195
July 9: 9,380
July 10: 5,080
July 11: 5,053

Four weeks down, two to go.

On The Move: Week 3

A belated report, as usual...

June 28: 5,154
June 29: 5,520
June 30: 5,685
July 1: 6,551
July 2: 6,816
July 3: 7,197
July 4: 11,234

Were you in the (Army/Navy/Air Force/Marines)?

No, I'm not, and I never was. Nor am I in the National Guard, or the Reserves. In fact, the only time I've worn a federal uniform was as a reservist with the US Public Health Service.

I get asked that question quite often, however (including today). I also frequently get puzzled looks from people who are in the military and know I'm not. Apparently citing Mahan from memory is unusual in the general population.

My grandfather was in the Navy. My father was in the Army. My best friend for some years was in the Army. I hung out with some of the NROTC midshipmen at C-MU for several years, not to mention the occasional AFROTC cadet. I have at one time or another hung out with active or reserve members of every branch of the US uniformed services (yes, that includes some oddballs). I've been interviewed by an agent of the US Air Force. I've worked on a DARPA project. I've been aboard half a dozen commissioned US warships and another half dozen former warships, plus the warships of two other nations. I have spent time on active US Navy, US Air Force, and US Army bases. I've participated in a US Air Force drill. I have actively researched a great deal of open-source data on US military equipment, procedures, tactics, and so forth, and have from time to time seen data that was not open-source at the time. I grew up playing wargames - the more realistic and detailed, the better. My high-school yearbook page had a picture of me playing Harpoon. I own a copy of Jane's Fighting Ships (1988-1989). I have read scores of books about or relating to the military and military history, not counting history textbooks. In high school I taught one of my history classes for three days at the teacher's request. I persuaded the mock national convention in high school to fund a new class of battleships as part of our party platform. I own several US Army official publications. I have basic proficiency with several US military-style civilian firearms.

Growing up, I wanted to be a US Navy Surface Warfare Officer. My eyes weren't good enough, but I'm confident that I was prepared in every other physical, mental, and emotional way.

After 9/11, I seriously contemplated joining the Army; leaving college in order to do so. I was persuaded to complete my degree first, and by the time I did my life was on a different path.

In short, I have spent most of my life on the fringes of the military but never part of it. Is that so unusual?

On The Move: Week 2

Week 2, Steps:
Jun 21: 5,175
Jun 22: 5,550
Jun 23: 5,111
Jun 24: 5,606
Jun 25: 7,497
Jun 26: 5,198
Jun 27: 8,629

On the Move: Week 1

OK, I meant to post this Monday, but...

My goals for the six-week period starting June 14th:
1. A minimum of 5,000 steps (as recorded by my pedometer) every day, including weekends.
2. A minimum of 20 minutes on the Wii Fit every day, Strength Training on weekdays and any activity on weekends.

Week 1 steps:
June 14: 5,094
June 15: 10,938
June 16: 5,614
June 17: 5,972
June 18: 7,906
June 19: 5,069
June 20: 5,076

Week 1 Wii:
June 14: No
June 15: No
June 16: Yes
June 17: Yes
June 18: Yes
June 19: Yes
June 20: Yes

Week 1 score: 86% - B. Not a great start, but at least my steps are on track.

Belt Update

I started carrying a belt holster/pouch on a daily basis back in high school. The first item was a twin-AA Maglite flashlight. For quite a while in college I wore a second belt at my waist in addition to the one on my pants, both with their standard issue of gear.

The gear has changed frequently over the years, and I thought it was time for an update.

Left side:
Pedometer
Double glove pouch with two pairs of nitrile field gloves & CPR microshield
Right side:
Tac light pouch with S&W tac light, extra batteries & spare bulb (the light is a worthwhile item, but the holster was designed for people exactly like me)
Main pouch with cell phone, twin-AA LED conversion Maglite w/lanyard, ball-point pen, small pad of post-it notes, 8x20 monocular, Leatherman Kick & 2" bike mirror.

This is in addition to some pocket plunder, watch, pins, knife (CRKT folder), glasses, etc.

Note that at the moment I'm not carrying a PDA - I find I miss having one sometimes, but I really never got into the habit of using them to their full potential. I am keeping an eye out, though. What I want is something that will allow internet browsing and is camera-equipped in addition to PDA and cell phone functions. The ability to play MP3s would be a nice bonus, as would a voice-recording function. Durability and a 72-hour battery life (or 48 if batteries are replaceable) are also baseline requirements. Anyone care to recommend a product? :-)

I don't know what it means, but...

If you google the exact phrase "I should have kissed her" you get 617,000 hits.
If you google the exact phrase "I shouldn't have kissed her" you get 272,000 hits.
If you google the exact phrase "I should have kissed him" you get 414,000 hits.
If you google the exact phrase "I shouldn't have kissed him" you get 215,000 hits.

So are we more likely to regret not kissing someone than kissing them? Or just more likely to put it on the web?

Do guys regret the girls they didn't kiss more than girls regret the guys they didn't kiss? Or, again, is it just that guys are more likely to stick it on the web? Or are there a massive number of regretful lesbians out there?

Finally... maybe.

In 1999 I started (initially as a volunteer, later a minimum-wage full timer, and finally a slightly-above-minimum wage part-timer) working on the Solar Blade Nanosatellite project for the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute.

Over 10 years later, JAXA is on the verge of achieving our mission objective with a somewhat similar (though technically quite different) vehicle:

http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00002532/

In short, they're trying to unfold a solar sail in space. If they succeed, I'm pretty sure they'll be the first to do so.

Solar sails are the epitome of the "slow but steady wins the race" school of travel. Their acceleration is trivial, but they can keep it up indefinitely. With careful maneuvering (the major difference between JAXA's IKAROS and the project I worked on is the method by which maneuvers are achieved), a solar sail can build up speeds impossible for any fuel-burdened spacecraft and go anywhere in the solar system.

I haven't been able to find any data on IKAROS's planned acceleration capability, but she's due to reach Venus in six months; not bad at all!

Words, words, words...

It would take a short novel to adequately describe this extended weekend.

Here are 42 words and acronyms that sum up the highlights, in no particular order.

lemons, bonfire, friends, family, sister, brother, California, Lincoln, heartbreak, soccer, alumni, sickness, signs, portents, s'mores, hope, backrub, silver, Love, love, tears, Judaism, marriage, confession, acceptance, radiance, whiskey, beer, pewter, Scadian, music, pictures, Fry's, DVD, Buttercup, fog, memory, wish, history, bacon, breakfast, GPS.

Yes, capitalization is significant.

Memorial Day

I posted this as a comment on another blog; thought I'd post it here as well.

War is sometimes necessary to prevent something even worse.

The fact that there are things worse than war is a sad commentary on the character of the human race.

The fact the individuals willingly risk, and often loose, their lives to protect others is a much happier commentary on the character of the human race, and that's what we're supposed to remember on Memorial Day.

To Absent Companions.

Pedometer

Boeing is starting a program next month to encourage exercise - you sign up, get a free pedometer, set yourself a goal, and enter your steps taken into a tracking database. If you meet your goal, you get a t-shirt and are entered into a prize drawing. Not bad for six weeks self-tracking.

Well, I got my pedometer last night. I really had no idea how many steps I take in a day, but it is looking like the system-generated goal of 5,000 steps per day will be very easy - I'm already at 2,837, and based on my walk into work my walk out will add anther 1,900 or so.

So should I up the target? The next level is 10,000 steps per day.

Tesla: The Prototype Mad Genius Scientist

A contemporary, sometime employee, and frequent competitor with Edison, Tesla gets very little time in the history books today.

Considering his wide-ranging inventions (and, equally importantly, large-scale development) in induction motors, power transformation and trasmission, flourescent bulbs, and his numerous theories and attempts in the field of electricity, this is somewhat surprising to me.

Modern society runs on Tesla's inventions far more than Edison's. Flourescent lighting has largely replaced incandescent bulbs in industrial use, and is rapidly taking over the residential market. AC power transmission is the world-wide standard. Induction motors are all but universal. We're even beginning to re-examine some of Tesla's theoretical studies and claimed inventions and find that he was ahead of his time.

Perhaps most importantly to me, Tesla wasn't content to invent things and patent them, he spent a lot of effort nursing them to maturity. Many of his ideas never made it that far, and some sound freakish enough that they may never, but isn't that the mark of genius? To push the limits, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing?

That he was somewhat less than fully sane seems also well documented; certainly he had more quirks than most people do. His sanity seems to have been generally functional however, and one can only wonder how much more he might have accomplished had he not been limited by it.

A few weeks ago I ran across a steampunk-esque sci-fi/fantasy book that's coming out soon that is set in Tesla's era, and where some of his more controversial inventions are mature technology. Last night I saw a program on the History Channel about him.

Perhaps the father of the modern electrical world is finally coming out of the shadows - and who knows where that will lead?

Robin Hood: Men Not In Tights

Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers!

Saturday I want to see the 2010 version of Robin Hood (Russell Crowe, etc.). This is the fifth version of the Robin Hood legend I've seen as a movie. In order, my favorites (and who played Robin Hood in each) are:

#1 The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) (Errol Flynn)
#2 Robin Hood (2010) (Russell Crowe)
#3 Robin Hood (1973) (Brian Bedford - Voice; Disney Animated)
#4 Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993) (Cary Elwes)
#5 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) (Kevin Costner)

While the new movie gets 2nd overall, I think Russell Crowe is a dead heat with Errol Flynn for best Robin (Hood/Locksely/Longstride...). They play somewhat different takes on the role, naturally.

Russell Crowe isn't your typical Robin Hood. The movie has chosen to blend portions of the original legend, the "standard" legend as seen in several of the above movies, historical events, and their own brainstorms to create a new story. The result is a satisfying and worthwhile movie which is clearly positioning itself for a sequel.

Robin Longstride (Crowe) is an archer in Richard Lionheart's army, fighting its way home from the crusades. When Richard is killed in a siege, Robin and three of his fellows (including Little John and Will Scarlet) decide there's no point hanging around and split off to make their own way home. Along the way accident causes them in come upon a group of Frenchmen who have ambushed a party led by Sir Robert Loxley, who was bringing Richard's crown back to England. Robin sees an opportunity: take the dead men's equipment and use the crown as their passport back to England. Robin pretends to be Sir Robert, but clearly has no interest in the crown or his assumed title beyond its ability to get him a ship home.

After delivering the crown and seeing Prince John crowned as the new king, Robin, somewhat on a whim, decides to head in the direction of Sherwood, where Sir Robert came from. As he travels he eventually decides to return Sir Robert's sword to his father (the knight's dying wish), and his companions decide this suits them as well as anything else might.

And now The Plot intervenes. The Loxley's (including Sir Robert's wife... err, widow Marion) will loose their lands if Sir Robert's father Sir Walter dies without an heir. Sir Walter thus asks Robin (whose history is known to him) to play the part of Sir Robert for a time.

What is Robin's history? His father wrote what looks suspiciously like an early draft of the Magna Carta. No, I'm not kidding. He got executed for that and related actions (no real shock there). Sir Walter appears to have been one of his followers/comrades.

Marion is at first rather understandably upset, but slowly comes around as Robin takes some actions on behalf of the local peasants (including stealing some grain from the church with the assistance of Friar Tuck).

Meanwhile, King Phillip of France has suborned one of King John's trusted knights, Sir Godfrey. Godfrey persuades John to let him raise money from the barons by force, and then commits atrocities to turn the barons against John, thus weakening England in advance of a french invasion. Naturally they wind up raiding Nottingham and get clobbered in the process by Robin's forces. King John, aided by Sir William Marshal, persuade the barons to support him against the invaders by agreeing to sign a Magna Carta-esque document once the crisis is over. All the English come together (yes, including Marion - it is Hollywood, after all) and fight off Phillip's invasion in a climactic battle.

If they'd been trying for a stand-alone movie they'd probably have ended it there. But one more twist: John, upset by the potential loss of his royal power, goes back on his promise and warns the barons they are lucky to keep their lives. Robin Longstride is declared an outlaw and sentenced to death. Robin, however, has already slipped off to Sherwood Forest with Marion and his friends.

What makes this movie stand out is the complexity. John isn't a black-and-white character, nor is Robin. No one in the entire movie can match the virtue of Errol Flynn's Robin Hood. The various story arcs mesh nicely together with the character development to turn in a movie which is about much more than fancy archery and banditry in the woods (though both are present).

I look forward to the next installment in this new franchise.

Hrm

A study has found a link between difficulty sleeping and evening use of brightly lit devices... such as computers.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/05/13/sleep.gadgets.ipad/index.html?hpt=Sbin

I often have trouble getting to sleep, and often go straight from using the computer - a last check of email or game playing - to bed.

Coincidence or causation?

Of course, around here "day" varies from roughly eight to sixteen hours of sunlight (from deep winter to full summer), which probably doesn't help either. Sometimes I'm getting home not long before dark and sleeping through the entire period of darkness would be rather impractical. Going without light for the balance of that period would be equally so. In the summer, I'm going to spend at least some time trying to sleep when it is still daylight outside.

The Ultimate Geek Tool

...is getting surprisingly cheap.

I am referring to a 3D Printer; perfect for trying out ideas, making small parts, etc.

A company is now offering a desktop size 3D printer for under $5,000.

http://www.desktopfactory.com/our_product/

In addition one group is working on an open-source project to produce a 3D printer capable of self-replication. Another is working on an open-source project for a syringe based system that would do some of the things a true 3D printer can do. As a bonus, the later is food safe.

The appeal of making things is one of the major reasons I became an engineer. Shaping raw material is something I greatly enjoy, be it with a five-axis CNC milling machine or a hand die. A fine-resolution 3D printer that can print multiple materials into durable parts is more or less the Holy Grail. Such things do exist, but the price tag puts them out of reasonable household use.

But... $5,000 is getting there.

Don't like the poses of the model soldiers available, or perhaps the quantities in a box aren't quite what you need for your army? Make your own reinforcements.

Need your own specialty clip? Draw it up in CAD and print it out.

Arrowheads, ink stamps, drawing templates, gaming miniatures...

From the Frontlines: Boar's Hunt

Saturday was Boar's Hunt. While SCA autocrats have a less than stellar reputation for publishing event information prior to the event, this year's hit a new low. The major attractions (the midieval village and the tavern night) got little or no publicity, and the schedule wasn't put up until the morning of the event, by which time most people were already on site or had decided not to go!

Neither the rapier marshal nor the rapier champion were contacted to set up rapier.

Still, the weather was nice, the village was interesting, the tavern was fun, and the three rapier fighters that showed up and geared up (myself included) had a good time.

Mostly, however, I'm going to talk about making money.

One of the demos at the village was Master Raymond of the Moneyer's Guild. A quick demo became an extended demo as I asked more questions and asked to try my hand at more and more steps, and finally he let me do about a third of the work (by my estimate) of making a little over 100 pewter coins (above) each about the size of a dime, from scratch. He'd already melted the pewter, formed it into sheets, and made the dies, but I helped roll it down, cut out all the blanks, and struck or helped strike (we did two-person striking for most of them) all the coins. In the process I learned a great deal about how period coins were made (not just the methed we used, either), and thus why they look the way they do. Being generous, he awarded me the coins I'd struck. Being dutiful to my sworn fuedal lords, I paid a small tax to the Baron and Baroness. :-)

The most common period coining techniques involved a LOT of handwork, and the process of striking in particular is prone to human error. This is why a lot of period coins have their images off-center, and aren't perfectly round. This is not, as I've often thought, due to their being old and worn or damaged. Many of the coins I struck (especially early on) were only partially struck or had their images off center, just like the coins you'll see in museums. I even produced a double-strike or two. Without perfectly round coins with defined edges the temptation to shave coins for extra money becomes very high, which is why payments were often made by weight (and you don't want to know what they did to people caught shaving).

It was a great deal of fun, and I look forward to doing more moneying in the future past. :-)

New sidearm

Saturday I bought a slightly used Smith & Wesson Military & Police 40 pistol (full size, 15 round, no external safety). Last night I took it (and various other firearms) to the range to try it out (along with other folks some of whom brought their own ordnance).

I really, really, like the S&W M&P 40. :-)

To start off, I think I got fairly lucky - I found a near-new weapon still with the original box, manual, proof cartridge, extra modular grips, and four magazines for rather less than I'd been prepared to pay for just a used weapon and the standard two magazines.

The S&W M&P 40 has a lot of features I like, which led to my deciding on that particular sidearm. I'm really happy about the reversable magazine catch, which means that I no longer suffer from a penalty for being left handed. The weapon feels good in my hand, and my shot placement, while not as good as the S&W 686, is still much better than I usually do with 9mm, much less large bore cartridges. I also like that field stripping the weapon does NOT require you to pull the trigger, nor does a basic strip require any tools. S&W were quite clever - they managed to include a tool with the weapon. The grips are held on with a rod in the magazine well, which is designed to be removed and used as a tool for field-stripping; nice engineering, which I always appreciate. :-)

I put about 80 rounds through it last night, and it felt quite comfortable throughout. No feed problems (despite new mags, etc.), no failure to fire, no glitches at all. Quite nice, especially since there was at least a minor glitch with every other firearm on the line that night (even, I'm ashamed to admit, my AR-15 - a sticky magazine)!

In related news, I used my new double-barrel shotgun (a replica Colt Model 1878 Coach Gun) to fire two rounds of buckshot simultaneously - that was fun. :-) No one else tried the two-shots-at-once feature, though generally people liked the weapon.

Plans for D-Day

To celebrate D-Day (Normandy/Overlord) this year, I'm going to a wedding! Yes, I doubt very many people celebrate D-Day in this fashion.

Last night I made airport parking, flight, rental car, and hotel reservations. For the first time I can recall, I will be flying into and out of different airports (one way from Seatac to Burbank, then back from Santa Ana to Seatac). Burbank is the Bob Hope Airport, and Santa Ana is the John Wayne Airport. I wonder what people growing up 20 years from now will think of those names...

Guess who's above the law?

PBHO's administration is defying a congressional subpoena:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/27/AR2010042703170.html

I'm sorry, the executive branch is supposed to be responsible for enforcing the law, not deciding it doesn't have to follow it.

The excuse is also rather flimsy - how, exactly, can turing information over to congress jeopordize a court martial?

Birthdays

So, today's my birthday (so people tell me - although I was obviously there, I do not remember the event...).

Since I missed the blog anniversary this year, I'm going to ask the Five Questions today:

Who are you? I'm the Bardic Champion of the Barony of Aquaterra. Did I mention that? I think I might have mentioned that. :-) I'm a soldier not in uniform, an engineer not a PE, a paramedic not certified in the state I live in. Yeah, I'm no closer to answering this question than ever.

What do you want? I'd like to kick this cold/infection/whatever that I've had for several months now. I want to be able to think about the world and still be at peace.

Why are you here? More and more, I'm coming to "they pay me." No, that isn't a good answer.

Where are you going? To California for a wedding on D-Day. Home at the end of today. To an SCA event next week.

Who do you serve, and who do you trust? I serve the Constitution of the United States of America. I have little positive trust - I trust politicians to be corrupt, executives to be short-sighted, and people to be unable to see things they don't want to see.

OK, that was a fairly depressing summary. On a more positive note, last night I got to play a five-player game of Advanced Civilization (the board game), and Saturday I watched most of Band of Brothers (the TV miniseries about the US 506th PIR). Tonight I hope to feast upon cheesey potatoes and blueberry pie.

Updated resume

With my program in the process of getting reshuffled, it seemed like a good time to update my resume, for intra-company use if nothing else.

Comments appreciated - I haven't done one of these for years.

Objective: A full-time position as a mechanical design or analysis engineer.

Achievements: US Patent 7,189,031 “Toolholder with insert clamp and method for the same.” One of four equal inventors.

Education: BS Mechanical Engineering, December 2003, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.

Experience:
June 2009-Present: Payloads Design Engineer/Scientist 2, Interior Responsibility Center, Boeing (747-8 Program). Assisted in the development of the 747-8 linings package latch certification plan. Designed various specialty ceiling panels, conducting installation and removal studies and testing prototypes.

October 2007-June 2009: Payloads Design Engineer/Scientist 2, Interior Responsibility Center, Boeing (787 Program). Wrote and supported approval of the certification plan for the 787 15” Video Control Station (VCS), an aircraft interior monument. Designed and documented structural test plan, including the design of a whiffle tree load apparatus. Designed and released numerous detail parts and assemblies in ENOVIA/CATIA V5. Conducted technical studies and change activity to support continuing design development and improvement. Acted as temporary group lead for VCS group when permanent lead on vacation.

July 2005-October 2007: Payloads Design Engineer/Scientist 1, Interior Responsibility Center, Boeing (787 Program). Developed preliminary design of the 787 15” VCS. Coordinated with suppliers, customers, and other groups to optimize design and meet requirements. Designed and worked as focal for a flight test VCS unit. Created and delivered presentations for airline customers (2006 Airline Interior Specialist Meeting) and internal Boeing audiences (PDR, CDR, and others). Acted as temporary group lead for VCS group when permanent lead on vacation.

June 1999-December 2003: Research Assistant, Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute. Designed and developed mechanical systems for several robotics projects. Conducted studies, designed and built prototypes, conducted testing, created CAD models in multiple software systems, interacted with customers, and created technical presentations. Projects included: Mars Sample Return Technical Approach Study, Solar Blade Nanosatellite, Future Combat Systems, Guideway Inspection System, Walker Project

Software:
Dassault Systems ENOVIA & CATIA V5
Microsoft Office Tool Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project)
Boeing internal tools and resources including DCCS, ETAC, REDARS, PDM

Other Qualifications and Certifications:
Flight Test Analyst (Non Military); Boeing Medical (Current)
Emergency Medical Technician – Paramedic; Pennsylvania Department of Health
Rescue Technician – Basic; Pennsylvania Department of Health

How to Train Your Dragon

Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers!

OK, first off: see this movie. How to Train Your Dragon (hereafter HTTYD) is smart, funny, has great special effects, a great score, is engaging... it is just plain good and I think it will set the standard that other CGI movies will be judged by for quite some time.

Do I really mean it? In my life I have seen three movies more then once while they were still in theaters: Apollo 13, Serenity, and HTTYD. I saw it first on a normal screen and decided to roll the dice on the new 3D technology. It is a great movie on a normal screen - it is even better in 3D IMAX format.

Aside: whatever they've done with the new 3D method actually works with my messed up eyes, unlike the old red and blue carboard glasses method. I actually could feel depth (the IMAX probably helped), and several times was convinced something on the screen was actually much, much, closer to my seat. I caught myself reaching out to touch the ash falling near the end of the film.

OK, for those who missed the previews HTTYD is centered around Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, a viking teenager who is not very viking-like. This particular group of vikings live on an island with an unusual type of pest: dragons.

And not just one kind of dragon. Zippplebacks, gronkels, terrible terrors, monstrous nightmares... dragons that are different not just in what they look like (two heads can be better than one!), but how they act. There's a personality to each species. This is something that I didn't really think of during the movie, but is actually quite impressive given how little screen time is available to each.

Then there are the vikings. Most are just background characters, but we get five of Hiccup's fellow dragon-fighting trainees as named characters. Most are rather mythos-typical vikings (horned helmets and all), but each has their own little twist. There isn't a whole lot of character development for them, but there is some.

Speaking of character development, both Hiccup and Astrid (the love interest) go through a fair bit, and for quite believable reasons.

Perhaps my favorite part of the movie is the montage of Hiccup figuring out how to fly on Toothless (the dragon he shoots down, somewhat accidentally befriends, and winds up bonding very closely with). I was reminded of the early aviation pioneers, who would let no amount of crashes and failures dissuade them. They just slowly refined their techniques, staying airborne and in control for longer and longer periods.

The soundtrack, also, is brilliant. I have bought two movie soundtracks in my life (not counting individual songs): Henry V and... HTTYD. :-) No, it isn't just because there are war pipes, though that certainly helps. It is a generally upbeat, energizing score, which is exactly what the movie is.

I could continue raving about this movie in a disorganized fashion, but I'm going to end this here: go see it for yourself!

From the Frontlines: Champions Part IV

Well, to make a long story short, as of Saturday I am the Bardic Champion of the Barony of Aquaterra. :-)

I have duties, regalia, and I also recieved a scroll and medallion.

I'm still on a bit of a high about it almost a week later. :-)

From the Frontlines: Champions Part III

Champions was fairly well attended this year, with over 100 people through gate and about 30 competitors total. Sadly only two of us were up for Bardic, however milord Kenneniah gave me quite a good run; after our performances I figured it was 50/50 between us. He performed two period songs, one on recorder and one vocal and mandolin.

For my pieces, I added a bit of theater. I had brought a period-ish box in which were three bags of Hershey's Nuggets - one in gold wrappers, one in silver, and one in red. I used these as 'visual aids', presenting one of each type to each judge, and passing them around for the audience. :-)

Sadly, due to my cold I hadn't been able to rehearse much at all, and I wasn't confident enough to go off book (I only needed to look down a few times, but it was just as well that I didn't try to go off book). Luckily Melody/Samira/Amethyst was able to loan me a cloth-covered binder to stick my notes in. The cold also limited my projection and volume, while the book denied me some of my gestures. Still, I was satisfied with my performance and I was able to do a good job with the judges Q&A.

From the Frontlines: Champions Part II

Here is the text of the song I wrote for Champions:

We are from An Tir!
Words and music by Roger Gridley

Draw your swords and raise your glasses
Draw your bows and give a cheer
Sing out loud ye lads and lasses
Let them know we’re from An Tir!
Let them know we’re from An Tir!

In the quiet misty morning
See the lion rampant rise
Tents are pitched and fires are kindled
Soon they'll know that we’ve arrived!
Soon they’ll know that we’ve arrived!

Tir Righ's banner sails above us
Avacal is near at hand
Summits marches to the drumbeat
We’ve come to defend our land!
We’ve come to defend our land!

Armies mass upon the Warfield
Heralds cry and heroes fall
Hear the screams of men and horses
An Tir’s arms will conquer all!
An Tir’s arms will conquer all!

Archers brace and bend their bowstaves
Armies charge across the glade
Archers loose a fearful whirlwind
Arrows let us fight in shade!
Arrows let us fight in shade!

Fencers dance within an eric
Steel blades play a deadly game
Fight with grace and fall with greatness
Death with honor is no shame!
Death with honor is no shame!

Bards engage with song and story
Dancers bransle* upon a stage
Every art and every science
Just another war we wage!
Just another war we wage!

Sheath your swords and drain your glasses
Case your bows and shed a tear
Go ye home ye lads and lasses
Homeward bound to fair An Tir!
Homeward bound to fair An Tir!

*Pronounced “brawl”; a type of medieval dance

From the Frontlines: Champions Part I

This Saturday was Aquaterra's All Champions. Every year the Barony's subjects compete in Heavy Combat, Rapier, Archery, Thrown Weapons, Youth Combat, Games, Arts & Sciences, and Bardic.

Unlike most events, where the contest is simply between whoever happens to show up, Champions are required to submit a letter of intent in advance, and have duties for the year they hold their title. Here's my letter of intent for this year:

Unto Their Excellencies Wyll Hauk and Rosamund of the Misty Meadows,
by Right Baron and Baroness of Aquaterra,
AND
Unto Countess Octavia Laodice, by Fealty Seneshal of Aquaterra
AND
Unto Her Ladyship Soelig Swetegle, by Skill Bardic Champion of Aquaterra,
AND
Unto Lady Tara, by Grace the Inspiration of Roger Gridley,
AND
Unto all those to whom these words may come,

Know that Roger Gridley doth bid you:
Greetings and Good Cheer!

And does by this message Request the permission of Their Excellencies Hauk and Rosamund of Aquaterra to enter into Competition for the Position, Title, and Honor of Bardic Champion of Aquaterra.

That their Excellencies and such Judges as they may deem proper may determine whether Roger be worthy of this office, he is prepared to perform two pieces to demonstrate his skill in the Bardic Arts.

Therefore to be judged,
He shall Recite Bassanio's Speech before the Caskets from The Merchant of Venice.
AND
He shall Sing a new Warsong of An Tir, of his own composition.

Long live Their Excellencies Hauk and Rosamund!

By the hand of Roger Gridley, this 10th day of March, AS XLIV.

Bardic and A&S competitors also have to submit documentation for their work. Minus the pretty pictures and the pieces themselves, here's what I had:

The Speech Before the Caskets
from The Merchant of Venice
Act III, Scene 2
Introduction
The Merchant of Venice was first printed in 1600. Like many of Shakespeare’s plays, we can be fairly certain of this date but rather less certain of the date of its first performance- probably sometime between 1596 and 1598. The play is best known today for the conflict between Shylock the money lender and Antonio the merchant. Less remembered but equally central are Bassanio, a friend of Antonio’s, and the woman he is in love with: Portia.

Portia has inherited a somewhat cruel legacy from her father. He has left her a large fortune, but also three caskets: one made of gold, one of silver, and one of lead. Portia is to marry the man who chooses the correct casket, which will contain Portia’s portrait. Each suitor is permitted but a single chance, and has only the message written on each casket to guide him.

Upon the gold casket is written: “Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire.”

Upon the silver: “Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves.”

Upon the lead: “Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath.” (Act II, Scene 7)

If the suitor chooses the wrong casket, he must swear “never to speak to lady afterward/ in way of marriage.” (Act II, Scene 1)

Prior to Bassanio’s arrival at Portia’s, we see two of her other suitors make their choice, and learn that the gold casket contains a skull and a scroll:
All that glitters is not gold/ often have you heard that told.
Many a man his life hath sold/ but my outside to behold.
Gilded tombs do worms infold. Had you been wise as well as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgement old/ your answer had not been enscrolld.
Fare you well, your suit is cold. (Act II, Scene 7)

Likewise, the silver casket has the image of a fool, and a different scroll:
The fire seven times tried this; seven times tried that judgement is
That did never choose amiss. Some there be that shadows kiss;
Such have but a shadow’s bliss. There be fools alive, iwis,
Silvered o’er – and so was this. Take what wife you will to bed,
I will ever be your head. So begone; you are sped. (Act II, Scene 9)

Thus by the time Bassanio stands before the caskets to make his choice, we have learned that Portia, who despised her other suitors, favors him, and which casket he must choose to win her. But will he choose rightly?

Performance Notes

Shakespearian plays are famously lacking in what modern theater calls “blocking” and “stage notes.” A great deal of action on stage is implied by text, but aside from entrances and exits, very little is explicit. Modern movie scripts even call for pauses in speeches with the term “beat”: wait a heartbeat before continuing. Not so the Bard of Avon.

Partially, this is because the printed versions of the plays that survive today are not the scripts the actors themselves would have used. Those would often have only the individual’s lines in full, with his cues and such to guide him when to speak. These are called “sides.” Giving the actors ‘sides’ neatly conserved paper and ink while making it harder for anyone to steal a complete script, and thus be able to perform the play without paying the author. The printed versions (First Folio, etc.) that came later were not put together as working scripts, which would have made any blocking that was in the originals unnecessary.

We must thus make some guesses as to how the plays would have been performed. One thing I have learned is that in Shakespeare’s time there was no such thing as “over the top” on the stage. Even a contemplative speech such as Bassanio’s would have to be spoken loud enough to be heard all through the theater. It might well be played as a speech to the audience – “breaking the fourth wall” in modern terminology – much as Prince Hal’s “herein will I imitate the sun” speech from Henry IV.

In Shakespeare’s time men were men and women were played by men. In The Merchant of Venice we are thus treated in Act IV to a male actor playing a female character (Portia) pretending to be a man (Balthazar, a lawyer) – a common device in plays of the time. It is in this guise that she gives one of the most famous speeches of the play, on the quality of mercy. It is (s)he who passes judgment upon Antonio… and then on Shylock. “Balthazar” thus earns the gratitude of Bassanio for saving his friend, and can’t resist testing her fiance’s loyalty by asking for her engagement ring as Balthazar’s fee. As this is one of Shakespeare’s comedies it all works out in the end.

War Songs and other Cheerful Subjects

We have documentation of music as part of warfare almost as far back as we have documentation of warfare. The Romans had their Cornicens, used for everything from scaring off attacking elephants to passing orders between units. Nicollo Machiavelli in his The Art of War (1521) comments that:
For this purpose, the ancients had their pipes, fifes, and other sorts of military music perfectly adapted to different occasions… depending upon whether they wanted to excite, abate, or reflect their soldier’s ardor. (Book II, Page 76)

Military music is used to inspire troops, to help them keep time on the march, and sometimes as psychological warfare (for example, bagpipes). War songs are also used to boost civilian morale or glorify war – the better to boost recruitment.

One example is the Agincourt Carol, written shortly after the subject battle (1415). It tells of the glory of the campaign and how God was on the side of King Henry V. One point worthy of note is that this is not a marching tune; there is no beat to keep troops marching in step.

Half measures

Just days after the legislation was passed, a newspaper has already found 10 loopholes that will allow increased costs for individual's health care.

http://washingtonindependent.com/81064/10-ways-insurance-companies-will-get-out-of-reforming

I've been reading quite a bit of coverage on what the plan will do, what it won't do, and what it doesn't do now but will in up to four years from now (assuming other legislation doesn't stop those parts before they ever start). So far I've yet to see a single concrete improvement.

Boeing has already announced it will take a $150,000,000 charge against its profits due to this legislation. They're already taking over a thousand dollars a year out of my paycheck for my medical plan (which according to our contract should be free); any guesses as to how the executives will make up that $150 million so they don't have to cut their bonuses?

You'll be taxed if you don't have enough health insurance and taxed if you have too much. Don't you just love it when the government decides what's right for you?

And let's not forget the post-Dementor-attack benefit!

Its official: chocolate is good for you!

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HeartDiseaseNews/chocolate-boasts-blood-pressure-benefits/story?id=10243200

OK, really, small quantities of chocolate daily are better for you than no chocolate... and it only covers reduced risk of high blood pressure, it says nothing about eatings lots of it leading to obesity and its own set of problems...

But still! SCIENCE says chocolate is good for you!!! :-)

Statistics and the Curse of Tippecanoe

For those of you who haven't heard the legend, take a quick look here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_Tippecanoe

Back/never left? OK.

I heard of the curse a long time back (grade school?), but wasn't much interested. A coincidence, nothing more.

Well, I just ran the numbers, and... wow. That'd be quite a coincidence

Bad enough that the first seven candidates for the curse did, in fact, die in office and the eighth came close (the ninth seems to have evaded the curse entirely). What's really disturbing is this: we've only had 8 presidents out of 43 who died in office. That's less than 1 in 5, but the 'curse' has claimed 7 of 9. The odds of seven consecutive hits on those not quite 1 in 5 odds are over 120,000:1.

All four of the presidents who were assassinated (ruling out the poisoning theories for Taylor) were curse candidates. The 8th candidate (Reagan) came quite close indeed to assassination while in office (lost about 1/2 his blood volume and the bullet stopped about an inch from his heart, IIRC).

We've only had ONE president who was NOT a curse candidate die in office - of the 34 non-candidates.

1/34 vs. 7/9. Less than 3% vs. nearly 78%. If as an engineer I was told that a product had failed 8 times, and that 7 of the failures were from a batch of nine, I'd reasonably assume there was something wrong with that batch and recall the other two from that batch. Sure, I'd check for other things (were all of that batch bought by one Wyle E. Coyote?), but I'd expect to find some defect in the manufacture of that batch that wasn't shared by the full production run.

I think there's more evidence that curses get less deadly over time (note that the 1st victim also had the shortest time in office of any US President - less than 31 full days), than there is that there's no curse.

And yes, I know that the 1st rule of statistics is that statistically unlikely events do happen.

This I Believe

Early this morning I looked up American Civil War Army Engineers on the internet and wound up looking at predicted candidates for the 2012 presidential election. Don't you just love wikipedia?

It got me to thinking about why I like or dislike candidates for elected offices.

Although I haven't previously tried to quantify it, I think my decision is based on my assessment on the candidate of three qualities:

1. How much of a politician are they?
2. How much do they agree with me on key issues?
3. How smart are they?

The first one is a bell curve; someone who is completely a politician can't be trusted. They'll sell their soul to win an election, therefore they'll sell their constituents out in a hearbeat. On the flip side, politics is the art of the possible. Someone who doesn't get that won't achieve anything because they'll never get the other politicians to vote for it.

On the second, note "key" issues, and that they are *my* key issues, not whatever the media hotbutton is right now. I would prefer to see marijuana legalized, but I don't really bother reading that part of most candidate's platforms. What are my key issues? Here's another list:

1. Constitutionality
2. Constitutionality
3. Energy policy

Initially that read "individual freedoms" then "states rights" but really, if we just enforced the US Constitution I'd have little to no problem on those issues.

This brings me to the glaring problems I have with the last several administrations; they don't seem to have ever read the Constitution, particularly the Bill of Rights.

I believe that the TSA security checkpoints at airports constitute an illegal search. (4th Ammendment)
I believe that the government has grossly abused the "Necessary and proper" clause of Article I while completely failing to carry out many of their ennumerated duties under that article.
I believe that both the Judicial and Executive branches of government wield more power than is Constitutional, more than is safe, and more than the founders intended.
I believe that most of our citizens, and almost all of our elected officials, forget the 9th Amendment and ignore the 10th.
I believe that as an adult citizen in good health I have certain duties and responsibilities to the United States. This includes serving in the military at need (I really should register with the Washington State Guard - yes, they're responsible for calling for volunteers, but things move fast in emergencies), voting, paying legal taxes (I pay the illegal ones too, though I'm not happy about it), etc.
I believe that the United States has a duty to protect its citizens, but it is not obligated to protect people who are not citizens, nor is it obligated to provide them social services no matter where they happen to live.

I believe that I have the right to sling my AR-15 over my shoulder, walk into a US Courthouse and politely request compensation for the violations of the security of my person and personnel effects by the TSA. It ain't gonna happen, but if anyone can show me what Constitutional basis a federal agent would have for stopping me, I'd really like to see it.

I also believe that the combination of a cold, 12-hour sudafed, and making 2D sketches to define 3D parts that are already released, is making me ramble on to very little point.

From the Almost Frontlines: Almost-Spring Ithra

This weekend was the Shire of Shittimwoode's "Almost Spring" Ithra. They do have a gift for naming things. :-)

Saturday morning I learned about Period Cartography, including the fact that through most of period in Europe there were three different groups keeping three different kinds of maps secret from the general populace and each other.

Saturday afternoon was Heraldry (names and devices), in which my opinion that all heralds are at least slightly nuts was fully confirmed ("bendy sinister"? "checkwise"?). However, it was fun (OK, I'm at least slightly nuts too) and I made some progress with my device. I'm now leaning towards:

Per fess argent and azure, on a phoenix gules a sword or, beneath a mullet sable.

In english: on a shield with the top half silver and the bottom half blue, a golden sword superimposed on a red phoenix (centered), with a black star at the top center of the shield.

Sunday morning was A Survey of Medieval Architecture, a direct companion to Castles and Fortifications that covers the civilian side of things (houses, churches, etc.). Did you know that the Romans used concrete, but it wasn't rediscovered until the Enlightenment?! Man those guys were good. Anyway, we actually used period methods to make a wooden truss, a brick arch (pre-made bricks), and we made a wattle and daub section about 8"x10" (cheated a little again; mixed in a bit of plaster to make it dry faster... and we didn't use any manure). We also played with linkin (sp?) logs and pre-cut spiral staircase sections. Doing the wattle and daub in particular really gave me a feel for something I hadn't fully understood before.

Sunday afternoon was Period Encampments, or "How to make your camp look period... even when it isn't." Although the class normally includes setting up a chunk of an SCA camp, they didn't get permission for this section, so that rather important part was skipped. :-(

Overall it was a very good Ithra, and it didn't even rain until Sunday afternoon!

Oh, and Happy Pi Day, everyone! I ate pie (and muffins and other round things) yesterday - did you?

Cohort!

OK, it is something like two years after I started, but I now have a complete Auxiliary Heavy Infantry Cohort for my 1/72 1:6 Roman Legion!

The cohort has six centuries, each with 12 troopers and a centurion, plus a command element with the prefect, a standard bearer, and a cornicen. All the figures are from HaT, mounted individually on flexible magnet bases from Litko, which in turn are on flexible steel unit trays (also Litko). I used Testors enamel paints.

Slow and Steady

It really does win the race in space!

http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/rocket-engine-mars-trip-100305.html

Strictly speaking, there isn't much "news" here, but its one of the better explanations of the importance of electric drive for spacecraft that I've seen - and puts the focus squarely on power sources, where it should be.

Of course, interplanetary travel is only half - possibly a third - of the battle. One certain problem is getting out of Earth's gravity well - one reason I'm such a supporter of space elevators. :-) One possible problem is the practicality of In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU is one of the Holy Grails of would-be Mars colonizers).

But to quote Robert Heinlein (as I so often do): once you get to orbit, you're halfway to anywhere. VASIMR looks like a good bet for the other half.

Doughnuts

What is it about doughnuts?

I find them all but irresistable, in many varieties. Maple bars in particular require an effort of will beyond even that required to resist sushi.

I know they're bad for me. There are many foods I prefer, some greatly, to eat.

But put doughnuts in front of me and I eat them.

Why?

Oath Keepers

I ran across this group: http://oathkeepers.org/oath/ on another site.

In brief, the group is oriented towards members of the military and law enforcement, reminding them that their oaths are sworn to the Constitution of the United States, not its government. They have issued a list of ten orders they will disobey in the event they are given (a quick scan; all ten orders look to me like clear violations of the US Constitution as written and ammended). Noteably, they will not disarm US citizens nor engage in unwarrented searches, arrests, or detentions.

This is one of those groups I'm ambiguous about. On the face of it, I wholeheartedly support their stated goals. I strongly suspect I'd be quite at home in any large assembly of such people, at least so long as the group stayed 'on topic.'

However, I'm wary as well. Such motives are used as comoflage by a particularly dangerous brand of extremist.

In the end, it comes down to timing. I have no doubt that if the US keeps going in the direction it is now there will come a time when our government will break the Constitution; it has certainly bent it almost out of recognition already! However I believe that the break has not happened yet, and also that it is not inevitable. And for the record, while the Assault Weapons Ban is high on my list of un-Constitutional legislation, the Patriot Act is much, much worse. The TSA (formed, you will note, by a Republican President) is more a violation of the rights of citizens than anything PBHO has done to date that I'm aware of.

So I don't want to connect myself to a group that believes the time has already come. However, I do feel the desire to support and spread the message.

Any thoughts?

From DC to Chicago...

Washington DC's handgun ban was struck down, and the next target on the tour of "look, just READ the US Constitution already!" is Chicago, which has a firearms restriction being challenged before the US Supreme court soon.

While they're thinking about Chicago, any chance they could hear a case on the legality of selling US senate seats to the highest bidder?

You're only in trouble if you get caught... or not

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/26/AR2010022603997.html?hpid=topnews

Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Indiana) apparently isn't in trouble even though he got caught.

Although an investigation found evidence that campaign contributions were linked to earmarks of federal funds for the donors, the House Ethics Committee decided not to bother even asking him any questions.

So... what's the point of having an Ethics Committee?

APhiO

Here's to Alpha Phi Omega
Lonely brothers we
Far from college, far from chapter
Seeking memory
Distant friends and long-lost littles
Nights spent sleeplessly
Men of Alpha Phi Omega
Where on Earth are we?

First Aid

Yesterday I recertified for Red Cross Standard First Aid, CPR, and AED.

The only thing I learned was that the current recommended compression/respiration cycle for single-rescuer CPR is 30:2. Since I was really only taking the class for the card anyway, this isn't really surprising. What was surprising is that the ARC CPR class has dispensed with landmarks for hand placement for chest compressions; something that I discovered is built into my muscle memory at this point. According to the instructor they did so in '06. I had no trouble adjusting to the compression ratio, possibly because that seems to change every few years (I've learned 15:2, 10:2, and 10:1 in addition to the current 30:2).

The class did serve to hammer home just how little understood paramedic training and capabilities are, even by the ARC instructors. Specifically, paramedics are underestimated almost across the board. I also had a LOT more real-world experience than the instructor; she'd never even done CPR for real and wasn't sure how to answer some of the class questions (including the classic "will this break ribs?").

I also automatically and immediately answered the question of "What is shock?" with "inadequate tissue perfusion," which resulted in a short silence, and then "perhaps a less technical answer?"

None of this is to say that the ARC doesn't teach a fine First Aid/CPR/AED class; I recommend it highly for people with no training. If I'm going to join the SCA Chiurgeonate I need to know and limit myself to that level... which clearly is going to be a challenge. :-(

Why I don't watch the Olympics anymore

I taped two hours of Olympic coverage last night.

It contained about 50% commercials and talking heads.
It contained about 40% sports I have no interest in.
It contained about 10% of non-medalists from the sport I was interested in.

Coverage of medalists from sports I was interested in: ~0%.

When wrong is better than half right

I noted this article today:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/02/22/movie.tv.science/index.html?hpt=Sbin

It discusses the 'new' interest that TV and movie producers have in getting the science more believable in their productions.

Perhaps oddly, this worries me.

The article mentions two movies I think of when considering hollywood physics (and biology, chemistry, civil engineering...): The Core and The Day After Tomorrow.

The article regards the former as bad, and implicitly the latter as less so; The Core is less 'realistic', therefore The Day After Tomorrow is a better 'science' movie.

I think the reverse is true. The Core explicitly features Unobtanium as a plot element: if that isn't a giant flag saying "Hello! This is an action-comedy! Check your reality at the door and enjoy the ride!" I don't know what is. The 'errors' in the movie are probably eclipsed only by the plot holes... and who cares? The movie isn't trying to be taken seriously.

The Day After Tomorrow is a different beast. I never got the impression that the movie was intended to be a comedy, but it was guilty of both larger failures of 'reality' and of larger plot holes than The Core. The real problem, for me, is that it cloacked its failures of reality along lines that the public doesn't think about. It will thus tend to reinforce false beliefs of how the world works; IMO this is different from The Core - because no one will take that seriously enough to think about it.

Perhaps this is just my perception, or the number of times I've heard someone say "but I saw it on TV/in that movie" as if that were an authoritative source. They'll back it up by pointing out the 'scientists' that were 'advisors' on the media in question. Its much worse for me when the 'scientists' in question would be laughed out of a freshman thermodynamics class, but yet are somehow untouchable because of their pristine environmental (read: political) credentials.

The bottom line? I think that emphasising the 'scientific' or 'technical' accuracy of something which is NOT, in fact, completely accurate tends to further errode the already limited amount of correct knowledge the general public has.

Striving for consistancy and breaking reality as few times as possible is something I appreciate, provided at least as much time is spent acknowledging the remaining faults as praising the tiny bits they got right.

Your tax dollars at work!

PBHO has formed a new agency to study climate change:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/08/administration-proposes-new-agency-study-climate-change/

I somehow doubt they will start by figuring out why several cities on the East Coast are expected to break all-time snowfall records in the next few days.

My 2nd 1st Flight

Monday I watched my second first flight.

Yes, I love the apparent contradiction. :-)

The 747-8 is the newest minor model of the 747, with new engines, a new wing, upgraded avionics, a stretched fuselage... we did just about everything we could to that plane and have it still be a 747.

I decided to watch first flight on live webcast, rather than in person, since I'd only been on the program seven months. This proved to be a wise decision as the flight was delayed over two and a half hours by weather. By my watch the plane rotated at 12:37, lifting off to vanish almost immediately into the mist.

The flight was a success, adding yet another face to the Queen of the Skies.

From the Frontlines: Ursulmas

This last weekend was Ursulmas XXIX, which I helped run.

It was insane, and it was a lot of fun.

Friday was pretty much all about setup (I spent the whole day in mundane clothes), which opened by finding out the site had put down the dirt wrong (off by 10 feet on one side, which we had them fix). This caused a noticable slide in our schedule, which somewhat upset the merchants. On the plus side once the dirt was where we had said we wanted it, layout and setup went fairly smoothly. My layout worked! I did four hours at gate during which I signed in all of 18 people. I was on-site from about 9AM to 7PM.

Saturday started early (I was on site by 7:30AM). I did a shift at the games table (during which I learned to play 7, 9, and 12-Man Morris), did a very small amount of busking (Bards were encouraged to compete for plastic gold coins given to the attendees), collected and counted the day's busking results, helped out at court for the first time (staging awards to be handed out), and participated in a three-hour Bardic circle which included combative poetry (two bards are given a topic, and must improvise a poetic (no ryhme or meter required) piece upon the topic). Technically I didn't leave site until Sunday morning.

Sunday started only a hair later than Saturday, and I did a shift as a greeter/door warden. I once more got in a tiny amount of busking, including doing a piece at the request of one of the merchants. :-) I then collected and counted more busking coins, and announced the winner (Master Niall Dolphin) in closing court. I was challenged to (and won) a game of chess. Teardown was the usual mix of scramble and wait. I left site around 7:30PM, leaving just a few of the staff still there (my personnal estimate is that they had less than half an hour to go).

Four people got AoAs (Awards of Arms) during the courts I saw, and I knew all four of them! I don't know any of their mundane names. I think this is a sign that I'm really starting to get integrated into the SCA. I recieved a glass mug as a thank-you from the Autocrat for helping with the event, 16 coins for busking (the winner got 132+) and a kiss on the cheek from Baroness Rosamund for singing for her. :-)

Current & Future Projects

At the moment I have four current or planned modeling projects.

SPQR: An Early Imperial Roman Legion in 1/72 scale, with 1 figure representing 6 men.
History: The Roman Legion numbered about 6,000 men, usually accompanied by a like number of auxiliary troops and numerous supporting slaves, camp followers, etc. At the moment my TO&E has about 13,500 people and 5,000 animals, not counting supporting naval units for the scenario.
Scenario: The Rebellion of Cyrene. This province on the north african coast has rebelled, with the leaders drawing inspiration and support from many of Rome's foes, past and present. A mixed army of Carthaginian, Egyptian, Cyrenican, and European forces has gathered, armed with everything from slings and clubs to full brigades of phalanx and elephants, along with a small fleet. A Legion with its auxiliaries along with two squadrons of galleys has been dispatched to crush the rebels. The idea is to have both a naval battle and one or more land battles as part of the campaign. The rebels have superior force, but a divided command structure and most of their troops are individually inferior to Roman infantry.
Status: I have the lion's share of the combat units of the Legion, and a good sample of the non-combat units. Several hundred figures are painted or in work.

RCT: A 1944 US Infantry Regiment (European Theater of Operations) in 1/285 scale, with 1:1 representation.
History: A US Infantry Regiment had about 3,200 men, and included no armored vehicles, no aircraft, no heavy artillery... in fact, it seems a rather flimsy formation to go up against the typical image of German Panzer forces. I started out just trying to find out what a US Rifle Platoon could really expect in the way of attached or supporting units besides its own organic structure as part of an effort to more realistically generate units for the "Ambush!" family of single-player board games. I became fascinated with the massive variety and numbers of non-divisional combat and support units that the US deployed in the ETO, and decided it would be fun to use MicroArmor (1/285 scale) to show just how a fragile a straight TO&E infantry force would be augmented into a monster in the field. At the top level, I have generated an Order of Battle for the fictional XL Corp. XL Corp has over 90,000 men, over 1,800 artillery pieces, over 12,000 vehicles including some 2,000 armored vehicles, and is supported by almost 500 aircraft. It includes the 24th Armored Division, the 183rd, 197th, and 204th Infantry Divisions, and over 50 other units of battalion size.
Scenario: None, really, though I've collected a range of data for German units of the period.
Status: I have about a battalion's worth of 1/285 figures and vehicles on hand, none painted.

OPM: The naval forces of Operation Masticate, a division-sized island amphibious assault in late 1944, in 1/2400 scale with 1:1 representation.
History: This project is a spin-off from the RCT project, and has much the same purpose: what would a cross-section of the forces in the Pacific War have looked like? Just as with the RCT project I've set aside the 'spotlight' units: there are no paratroopers nor B-17s in XL Corp, and there are no fleet carriers assigned to Operation Masticate. There are just over 400 ships and nearly 500 aircraft in the OOB, including four battleships, nine cruisers, and seven escort carriers, with a total of over 1.7 million tons of ships. Aboard those ships are over 130,000 people, including some 40,000 troops for the assault.
Scenario: This is more a scenario first and a force second than the other way around; that's the nature of naval combat vs. ground combat. The target is the (fictional) Anymaki Island, a strategically important island in an unspecified area of the Pacific.
Status: a sampling of ships on hand, none assembled or painted.

ODF: The Olympian Defense Forces Space Arm in the late 2260's, at 1/3000 scale and 1:1 representation.
History: The what, when? Well, there's a board game called "Attack Vector: Tactical," which tries very hard to be scientifically accurate in its mechanics while maintaining good gameplay. They've developed a future timeline, called the Ten Worlds, for three-dimensional space combat. The planet of Olympia is one of the players, and the Space Arm has a few hundred ships, some of which have miniatures available.
Scenario: I doubt the ODF(SA) will ever fighter together; the nature of interplanetary warfare means that small groups of ships, or lone vessels, will fight their desparate actions in the endless black, far from their fellows.
Status: I have the game pre-ordered (a new edition is in the works, so I'm waiting for that).