Obama's Inauguration - From Space!

This is just so cool I had to share it. Check out this commercial satellite image of the National Mall in Washington, DC, during the inaugural ceremony. I haven't been able to determine the precise time the image was taken but since the reserved seating areas are apparently full it must have been close to or during the actual ceremony. What I found particularly interesting is where the crowds were - and were not. I was under the impression that the entire Mall was packed with folks from the Capitol all the way to the Lincoln Memorial. If there were two million people present it appears you could have brought in three million more!

Jack Bauer's career move

What?!?

I'll admit it: 24 is a guilty pleasure of mine. Like many other fans I'm eagerly anticipating the two-hour movie on November 23. However, I just got done reading the teaser on the Fox website. Have you seen the premise of the movie? (The emphasis is mine.)

Filmed on location in Cape Town, South Africa, and Los Angeles, 24: REDEMPTION stars Emmy Award winner Kiefer Sutherland along with Cherry Jones, Robert Carlyle, Gil Bellows and Jon Voight.

After sacrificing everything for his country, Jack Bauer is wanted by the U.S. government and now stands to lose the only thing he has left: his freedom. Working as a missionary in Africa, Bauer is called upon to stop a ruthless warlord from drafting innocent children into his murderous militia. First, Bauer must confront his own torturous past and face an impossible decision that will change his life forever.

All I can say is, God bless Jack Bauer.

Recession: What me worry?

Hey young-uns, listen up! The other day I heard the news reporter say, "This is the worst recession since 1982." 1982? That reminded me that in the fall of 1982 Susan and I got married. Susan was in graduate school finishing up a degree. Being the liberated, supportive husband that I was I said, "I'll leave my current job (a really lucrative job for that stage of my career) so that we don't have to move away and you can finish your program. It won't be so hard for me to find a new job." Famous last words.

I thought I was pretty well informed but I realize now that I was oblivious to what was going on around me. I spent at least six months flailing: resumés, mail, interviews, informational interviews, before I found a career-related job, and that one only because of family connections. The only right thing I did was what I had done - I'd saved up a lot of my early professional income, which gave us an adequate cushion while I was out of work.

The moral of the story is wake up, smell the coffee, pay attention. This could happen to you!

Airship up!

Only this morning did I realize how excited I am about the imminent arrival of a Zeppelin to NASA Research Park where I work. The first Zeppelin to fly in American skies in 70 years is en route from Texas and is projected to arrive in San Francisco on Saturday October 25, weather permitting.

"Airship up!" is the tradition call for launching a Zeppelin. You'll hear that often now that Airship Ventures will be operating flying tours of the Bay Area from points around the bay.

Lots of eye candy accompany this post. Click here for the airship's track, updated every 30 minutes. Click here for the Airship Ventures blog where pictures from the air via cell phone are being posted. Wow. Makes me want to buy a seat though at $500 a pop I'm sorry to say you'll have to pay for your own ticket.
Finally, I hear you saying, "What's the big deal? I've seen big floaty things over my football stadium all the time!" Well, what you've been seeing are blimps, not Zeppelins. Zeppelins are huge, 30 feet longer than a 747 and much larger in volume. They have an internal frame which makes them much more maneuverable, easier to control and quieter in the cabin. Blimps are only big bags of gas, have no frame and are thus more like hot air balloons, more subject to the whims of the winds, if you will.

Keep your eyes on the skies. You may see the Zeppelin today!

Toward more effective talk therapy

Thanks to our good friends Fred and Joy Pugh for directing us to this enlightened approach to talk therapy. (Facebook readers, you may have to go to my blog site to see the video clip. That would be blog.gslee.com)

[Revised 3/6/09 to replace expired video link.]

Click for video.

America Needs To Have A Superficial Conversation About Race

Thanks, The Onion. I think this article about says it all, especially extended to the presidential race.

America Needs To Have A Superficial Conversation About Race
By Ed Bryerly
Concerned Citizen
August 27, 2008 | Issue 44•35
Ed Bryerly

The people of America need to put aside their differences and come together on common ground. Especially at this crucial moment in our history. How better, I ask, to achieve this goal than to engage in an inconclusive, protracted, ignorant, and superficial examination of the issue of race?

The time for vagueness is now.

Read more>

My Washington DC Labor Day Trip, Part I

As has been my habit over the past few years, I accompanied my parents to my dad's annual WW II Army division reunion, this year held in Washington, DC. A quick bit of arithmatic will show that the youngest of those hardy vets is about 82 or 83, but you would hardly guess that was the case with many of those in attendance. More about that in a future post.

In the meanwhile enjoy part one of a little experimental eye candy. This multimedia extravaganza comes via a service called Photobucket.com. These pictures feature day 1 of sightseeing for me. The National Geographic Museum is a delightful small gem a few short blocks from the Capitol Hilton. The changing exhibits are always free and an easily managed bite-size bit of really interesting stuff. We were treated to an exhibit called China's Great Armada, a fabulous bit of history about Chinese ships that dwarfed Columbus' and built 200 years before his. You'll want to follow the link to learn more.

The majority of the pix are of the National Cathedral, the fifth largest Christian cathedral in the world, a place I've wanted to visit for many years. A little off the beaten path for the Metro, but just up the street from a number of bus lines. Learn more than I could ever relate to you by clicking through on the Wikipedia article linked to the Cathedral.