Suspended Reality

High Speed Photography

2005-04-16T09:03:00.000-05:00

Here's a link to some neat high speed photographs. These pictures were taken by Andrew Davidhazy. They are an assortment of things, but mostly stuff being shot or blown up. What guy won't like these? Here's just a sample:

This is a series of images of the contents of a shotgun shell exiting the barrel. Way cool!

Tiger Woods Awesome Masters Chip

2005-04-13T18:53:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to the clip of the fantastic chip Tiger Woods made at the Masters.

Awesome Tiger Woods Nike Golfball Shot

2005-04-13T18:51:00.000-05:00

Here's a link to the awesome Tiger Woods shot at the Masters. This is the slow roller that all the fuss has been over.

2005-04-11T18:32:00.000-05:00

Rainclouds; March 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-04-11T18:30:00.000-05:00

Reeds; April 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-04-10T22:09:00.000-05:00

Amen Corner, Augusta National; april 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-04-10T22:07:00.000-05:00

Magnolia Way at Augusta National; April 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-04-10T22:06:00.000-05:00

Another sandtrap shot. The ball is visable on the left side of the frame;April 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-04-10T22:04:00.000-05:00

Nicklaus entering the clubhouse at Augusta National; April 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-04-10T22:03:00.000-05:00

Tiger Woods approaching the 13th green on Wednesday; April 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

More Golf Pictures from the Masters

2005-04-10T21:57:00.000-05:00

Here they are...Enjoy!

2005-04-10T20:49:00.000-05:00

Cheshire Cat Moon; April 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

A Cheshire Cat Moon

2005-04-10T20:12:00.000-05:00

Sunday I looked into the night sky and marveled at the moon I saw. It was a crescent moon, but not an ordinary one. This one looked like the shape of a smile. The horns of the crescent pointed upward into the sky. I did some poking around and this is what I found:

The Crescent Moon grins, with its horns pointing straight up, only once every 7 to 14 months at our mid latitudes. The Moon smiles because it snuggles up to the Sun when crescent.

The Sun always shines on the half of the Moon facing the Sun. When we see a New Moon, the Moon is between Earth and the Sun. Therefore, the Sun shines on the half facing away from us, leaving our Earth view of the Moon in deep shadow. Then, we can’t see the Moon.

Crescent Moons occur within two to four days of a New Moon and, thus, rise and set within a few hours of sunrise or sunset.

The outer curve of the white Crescent Moon always "points" to the Sun since that’s where the light originates. See figure.

So, when a Crescent Moon is about to set and the Sun has already set, the Moon points down to the departed Sun: West. The horns poke up and that setting Crescent Moon "grins." If the Moon sets before the Sun, the nearby Sun creates such a glare that we can’t see the setting crescent. Then it "frowns, " unseen.

Take a look at the previous blog post and you will see a picture I took of the "Cheshire Cat Moon".

2005-04-09T12:24:00.000-05:00

Future Soccer Star Scoring a Goal; April 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-04-08T20:26:00.000-05:00

2005 Masters; Charles Howell? blasting out of a trap. Look closely and you'll see the ball in flight
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

My Wife Always Said I Was a Mutant...

2005-04-08T18:59:00.000-05:00

And now here's proof:

If the early bird gets the worm, Susan Middlebrook should be well fed. Whether she wants to or not, she's ready to start each day between 1:30 and 3:00 a.m.

"I'm wide awake and ready to paint the house," the 49-year-old Colchester, Vermont, resident said. "I don't need a cup of coffee to get going, not at all. But between 4:00 and 5:00 [p.m.] you might have to nudge me with an elbow."

Middlebrook suffers from what is known as familial advanced sleep phase syndrome, or FASPS. Her body's clock is out of sync with the sleep-wake rhythm most of the world lives by. She goes to bed each night between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. and wakes in the wee hours of the morning.

"The net result is you can feel very isolated," Middlebrook said. "Who wants to party at three in the morning? Nobody I know, and I'm not headed to the local bar to see who's still there." Instead, she quietly cleans the house, makes breakfast, or cuddles up with a book.

About three-tenths of a percent of the world's population lives like this, including two of Middlebrook's sisters, her daughter, and her mother. "Their whole clock is shifted," said Ying-Hui Fu, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco

Fu and colleagues report in tomorrow's issue of the science journal Nature on a newly discovered mutation to a single gene that they say causes FASPS.

The researchers are not yet certain how the gene mutation works to shift people's sleep time. But laboratory experiments suggest mutation slows the activity of a protein called casein kinase I delta (CKIdelta). "The next step is to figure out why," Fu said.

I'm usually awake by 5:30 and out of bed around 6:00 am. I don't know why. I've tried to sleep late, honest. I just can't do it. I guess this explains it...I'm a mutant. I should have known.

The 2005 Masters

2005-04-07T16:51:00.000-05:00

The posts were pretty thin this week because I was out of town. I was fortunate to attend the Wednesday practice round and par 3 competition at this years Masters. The weather was great and of course there was beautiful scenery. I was close enough to reach out and touch many of the celebrity golfers who were there. Page down for a couple of pictures and I'll be posting some more in the coming days.

2005-04-07T16:49:00.000-05:00

Augusta National; April 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-04-07T16:48:00.000-05:00

Tiger Woods at the 2005 Masters; Augusta National
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-04-04T22:22:00.000-05:00

Mother and Child; Downtown Greensboro Mural; April 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-04-04T17:21:00.000-05:00

Downtown Greensboro; April 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

Please Check your First Amendment Rights at the City Limits

2005-04-04T00:53:00.000-05:00

The Old West had signs asking the cowboys and gunslingers to leave their guns at the sheriffs office as they came into town. It supposedly cut down on undesired behavior. In SanFrancisco they want you to check your First amendment rights. From the Personal Democracy Forum:

Just when you thought the Federal Election Commission had it out for the blogosphere, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors took it up a notch and announced yesterday that it will soon vote on a city ordinance that would require local bloggers to register with the city Ethics Commission and report all blog-related costs that exceed $1,000 in the aggregate.

Blogs that mention candidates for local office that receive more than 500 hits will be forced to pay a registration fee and will be subject to website traffic audits, according to Chad Jacobs, a San Francisco City Attorney.

I guess the city fathers (er, um... mothers...trans whatevers..oh heck) don't like the undesirable behavior of people speaking their mind. Especially us blogger types who are interested in politics. I wonder just how long it will take for politicians in general to realize that bloggers are just the people you don't wish to tick off. We're loud, we're proud...and we have our own soapbox!

Who Senator McCarthy wasn't

2005-04-03T13:46:00.000-05:00

We all have a set of facts in our brain about events in America during the early Communist era. These "facts" include bits taught to us by our history teachers about Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Some of these "facts" include the pursuit of Communists by the House Unamerican Activities Commision chaired by Sen. Joseph McCarthy. We were taught to refer to activities during this era as "McCarthyism".

Well, guess what? None of it really happened that way. Firstly, Senators don't chair House committees. Representative J. Parnell Thomas(an immigrant and Jew hating Democrat- who knew?) chaired the committee. Is it a coincidence that these activities actually occured during a Democratic administration under a Democratic House and Senate and a Republican was blamed? How is it that our teachers fed us this misinformation? Where they duped too? Or was it a conspiracy? Stay tuned!

I learned this fact a many others from a blog called Red Scare Truth. I don't know much about the author of this blog. He posts under the pseudonym of "Psychomike". I have emailed him asking about his background and qualifications and I will share this information with you when I get it.

If this information is true, then this may be the first instance of Democratic spin in the USA. We have seen it in recent years, but I didn't know it went back to the 1950's. Another example of the winners getting to write the history books.

UPDATE: Mike Flores has posted a bio in response to my question. He appears to be quite accomplished in the improv theatre community of Chicago. Several of his friends think he is "functionally insane". We'll see where this goes. At the very least it's an entertaining story so far.

He forgot Peanut Butter

2005-04-02T18:22:00.000-05:00

Ritchie over at String Cans is having a cow over the supposed efforts of chemists and Doctors to garner the attention of the talking heads on the evening news. He says we (yes, I'm in the group of interest- I'm a chemist) have been telling a few fibs:

It turns out chemists, and their complicit henchmen, doctors, are liars. Big, fat Bunsen-burning liars.

You know how lately it turns out that everything you know and love contains carcinogens? Salmon, cigarettes, DEET, formaldehyde, fish weights, barium, even the air we breath – chemists would have us believe all the fun stuff is deadly. Well, StringCans has some uplifting news. It’s all just propaganda. Not only are all the “around the house” carcinogens NOT harmful, they taste great!

Ritchie maintains that all kinds of great things can be found under the kitchen sink and that we chemists have been shooting the general public a line of bull. That's all well and good. He's having a good time and this is obviously tongue-in-cheek. But he forgot the most common houshold carcinogen that there is- Peanut Butter. We all have it in our pantry closets. And it's an honest to goodness carcinogen. Check it out. Dean Esmay has a great explanation. So, Ritchie...go smoke some peanut butter.

Surf's ALWAYS up Dude!

2005-04-02T18:12:00.000-05:00

I gotta get me one of these. This is a way cool gizmo. Unfortunately they cost 12-15 large apiece.

2005-04-02T12:59:00.000-05:00

Downtown Greensboro; March 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-04-02T12:54:00.000-05:00

Recycling; April 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

BB Firing Minigun

2005-04-02T07:23:00.000-05:00

Check out this video of a BB firing Minigun. These guys completely destroy a TV with it.

Blogging Everest

2005-04-01T20:13:00.000-05:00

An English gentleman named Gavin Bates is climbing Everest and blogging along the way. Right now 375 porters are packing his stuff into the village of Bumburi. You can follow his progress here.

2005-04-01T20:04:00.000-05:00

Last Remnants of Winter; March 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

Killer on the Loose in Greensboro

2005-04-01T06:01:00.000-05:00

Did you know Burger King was even capable of Social Irresposibility? From USA TODAY:

Burger King is about to thumb its nose at the food police — right at the breakfast table.
On Monday, the No. 2 fast-food chain launches its Enormous Omelet Sandwich. How enormous? For those counting: one sausage patty, two eggs, two American cheese slices and three strips of bacon. On a bun.

Nutritional experts are aghast. "Eating like this is a step on the way to a heart attack," says Fred Pescatore, author of The Hamptons Diet. "It's irresponsible."

Morgan Spurlock, who ridiculed McDonald's in Super Size Me, says Burger King's new item, "should come with a $5-off coupon for your first angioplasty."

It seems that you and I are not capable of deciding what we should eat any more. The "experts" want to tell Burger King that we should have the choice of eating the "Enormous Omelet Sandwich" or EOS because we can't handle it. GET OUT OF MY BUSINESS!

I can feel your pain, really... but get out of my life. Your emotion is something you have to deal with. I'm not a victimized consumer. I'm a consumer that enjoys choices. That is exactly what the EOS is...a choice. I will most often make the choice not to partake of it because it will make me fat. If I occasionally consume the EOS it won't make me huge. All things in moderation.

I have come to believe that the "food police" have entered the land of unintended consequences. In raising an uproar over the otherwise normal occurance of a new food into at a fast food restaurant these food critics have provided a whole boatload of free publicity. Now businesses like Burger King think "Hmmmm...If we make this new product big enough the food police will hate it. The news organizations will cover their loud wailing and we get a boatload of free publicity. What's not to like?"

Like Rocket Men...

2005-03-31T18:18:00.000-05:00

Check out this story, "La Vida Robot". It's about four Chicano boys from Arizona who take on the big time college programs in the third annual Marine Advanced Technology Education Center's Remotely Operated Vehicle Competition. It's a real feel good story.

If you like History...

2005-03-31T17:35:00.000-05:00

...you'll love this site. It has some really neat timelines. They do a good job of correlating and connecting all those disparate events you learned about. Be sure to click on some of the links at the bottom of the page and then explore some more.

2005-03-31T17:18:00.000-05:00

An Early Death, A Watery Grave..; March 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

Incredible Hockey Shot

2005-03-31T17:14:00.000-05:00

I'm not much of a hockey fan, but this is an awesome display of skill. Check it out. Via Greensboro is Talking.

2005-03-31T05:56:00.000-05:00

Downtown Greensboro, NC; March 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

Greensboro City Center Park

2005-03-30T21:09:00.000-05:00

I managed to catch part of the Liftoff ceremony for the City Center Park today. Phase One is complete and the park will be evaluated for a couple of months to see what is working (and not). It looks like it's going to be a very nice spot for the downtown people. It was a big to do. I will post some pictures of the festivities.

Here's a link to some info about the park.

2005-03-30T21:07:00.000-05:00

Greensboros Finest- Bicycle Cops are Cool!; March 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-30T21:05:00.000-05:00

City Center Park, Grand Opening; March 30, 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-30T21:04:00.000-05:00

Greensboro Grasshoppers Mascot- Guilford the Grasshopper; March 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-30T21:02:00.000-05:00

Unknown dignitary at opening of City Center Park; March 30, 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

Cool Structures Built from Pennies

2005-03-30T06:51:00.000-05:00

From civil engineer Mitch Fincher.

An Adwords-Hamas Experiment

2005-03-30T06:41:00.000-05:00

From YNET NEWS:

Terror organizations are advancing their recruitment and public relations methods: Internet surfers who enter the word “Hamas” in Arabic in the Google search engine, will view, in addition to the search results, an AdWord message that links directly to the website of the organization’s military faction Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

The link also appears in a search of several other words, such as the “Gaza,” “Palestine,” “Jihad.”

This indicates that a Hamas source has paid Google, the most popular search engine on the web, for the advertisement.

This is an experiment to see if using Hamas in a post will trigger the mentioned ad on this site. Stay tuned!

2005-03-28T23:15:00.000-05:00

Tic Tac Toe; March 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-27T23:21:00.000-05:00

Parachutists, Kill Devil Hills, NC; December 2003
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-27T23:15:00.000-05:00

Wright Brothers Memorial, Kill Devil Hill, NC; December, 2003
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-27T23:01:00.000-05:00

California; September 2004
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-27T19:26:00.000-05:00

Kings Dominion, VA; September 2004
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-26T13:20:00.000-05:00

Sunrise; Ridgecrest, NC; March 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-26T13:19:00.000-05:00

Sunrise; Ridgecrest, NC; March 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-26T13:18:00.000-05:00

I-40, Ridgecrest, NC; March 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-26T13:16:00.000-05:00

Moonlight, March 2005, Ridgecrest, NC
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-22T21:43:00.000-05:00

Real Money, March 2005; Sony F828
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-21T21:46:00.000-05:00

Recyling, March 2005; Sony F828
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-21T19:45:00.000-05:00

Potentiality, March 2005; Sony F828
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-20T22:23:00.000-05:00

Nighttime Trees, March, 2005;Sony F828
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-19T23:17:00.000-05:00

Spring in the Triad; March 2005; Sony F828
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

Local Folk

2005-03-19T23:07:00.000-05:00

Here's a local Greensboro blogger.

2005-03-17T21:42:00.000-05:00

A Day in the Park, March 2005; Sony F828
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-17T21:35:00.000-05:00

Spring Snow, March 2005; Sony F828
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-16T20:21:00.000-05:00

Only a Shadow..., March, 2005, Stokesdale, NC; Sony F828
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-16T20:04:00.000-05:00

Long Gone, March 2005, Stokesdale, NC; Sony F828
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-16T06:14:00.000-05:00

March 2005, Sony F828
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-16T06:11:00.000-05:00

Wright Brothers Flyer Replica, Kitty Hawk, NC; Dec. 2003
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

Define Good

2005-03-15T17:37:00.000-05:00

Ambra(of Nykola fame) has posted today regarding the actions of "good people". In our Post Christian society being a "good" person is the highest of asperations. One can do "bad things" and apparently be a "good" person. Ambra has rightly concluded that being "good" isn't good enough. Certainly our behavior in this life has no bearing on our eternal destination. The argument might be made that our actions in this life may affect the reward we receive later.

It's difficult to understand the actions of our fellow humans. We never truly know what goes on behind the curtain. Our friends and neighbors show us the part of themselves that they wish for us to see. It may appear that everything is ok, but many people are, in fact, hurting inside.

Our world teaches that we should hang with the cool guys, only date the lovely and shun those who aren't athletic. Instead, we should follow the example of Christ. Take time to reach out to those who don't seem to quite fit in. Love the unlovely. Dare to touch the leper.

Blood on your Cheap Shoes?

2005-03-15T06:06:00.000-05:00

Via The Brothers Judd:

More than 5,000 Chinese miners are killed each year, 75% of the global total, even though the country produces only a third of the world's coal. Working under appalling safety conditions, they are sacrificed to fuel the factories that make the cheap goods snapped up by consumers in Britain and other wealthy nations.

Faced with energy shortages this winter, the government has stepped up the pressure on mine operators to raise output. This has contributed to a spate of the worst disasters in the country's history. Last month, 216 miners were killed at Sunjiawan mine in north-east China in the most deadly accident in 50 years. Last October, another gas explosion killed 148. Last Thursday, a cave-in at a mine in Sha'anxi province killed 16 miners and left another 11 trapped underground.

Countless other accidents at small unregistered mines go unreported because the owners - often in collusion with local officials - buy off or threaten the victims' families. There is widespread anger that miners' lives are being sacrificed for economic growth. "It's said there is blood on every piece of coal in China," says one of the widows, Mrs Wang. "My husband used to talk about the danger all the time. But we are very poor. We have children. What else could we do?"

Orin then comments:

So where are all those marching crowds when their own governments want to cut weapons deals with the Chinese despite the regime's disregard for human life, nevermind rights?

It's beyond the people of China to defend themselves at this point. Every time they have tried in the recent past they have been crushed. It is our responsibility to defend those who cannot defend themselves. The blood that stains the coal of China also stains the cheap goods we purchase at WalMart and other retailers every day. The governments of the world should require China to update their manufacturing processes and environmental controls, stop using convict labor and get the Peoples Army out of the manufacturing business. If not, we should gradually stop doing business with them- regardless of the pain.

2005-03-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

Petra, April 2005, Kernersville, NC, Sony F828
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-14T22:27:00.000-05:00

Early Dogwoods, March 2005, Sony F828
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

Welcome!

2005-03-14T17:47:00.000-05:00

Welcome to all of you finding me via Multiple Mentality and the New Blog Showcase Carnival.

Just as an aside, this picture is of a completely real phenomenon called rime. It occurs when fog freezes onto stationary objects. We spent the night camping on Roan Mt., Tn. I suffered greatly to possess this image!

The "Mainstream" Media

2005-03-14T06:01:00.000-05:00

It is for actions such as those detailed here that I despise the "Mainstream" Media:

Those who followed the uproar of Senator Biden’s speech, or for that matter the more recent flap over Joe Klein’s false denial of authorship with regard to the novel Primary Colors, might have been surprised to know how little of the content in their daily newspaper or newscast actually originated with the producers and editors.

News stories, to a degree seldom appreciated by the general public, are often the product of press releases generated by trade associations and interest groups. Often those releases are converted into news stories by the simple expedient of placing a reporter's byline on top. Television news stories (especially those appearing on local stations) are often supplied fully produced, with blank spots left for the local news reporter to insert commentary that makes the story appear his or her own. Opinion columns are often "placed" by businesses or interest groups to support a particular point of view -- often, they are even written by those groups and then run with the byline of distinguished individuals, or even regular commentators, who have barely read the piece, much less written it. Indeed, the Sasso "attack video" was something of this sort, for the journalists who broke the Biden/Kinnock story did not at first disclose their source.

Those who practice journalism for a living have betrayed their customers by sacrificing the one thing we required of them-their objectivity. They lie to us actively and passivly through the news they chose to report (or not report). The business considerations of journalism have led its practioners to become shoddy. It is for these reasons that bloggers even exist.

Go read the rest of it.

Hattip to the BLOGFATHER.

2005-03-13T21:22:00.000-05:00

Signs of Spring, March 2005
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

Rube Would've Been Proud...

2005-03-13T06:15:00.000-05:00

...of these boys. Check out the video. It's cool and I liked the song.

Way Cool Commercial

2005-03-13T06:07:00.000-05:00

Spike Jones has created a cool commercial for the new Addidas shoe.

2005-03-12T17:59:00.000-05:00

Timeless Liberty, NYC, June 2004
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-12T09:31:00.000-05:00

Oxymoron
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

Go Check it Out

2005-03-12T09:28:00.000-05:00

Take a look at the In Iraq for 365 blog. You'll be glad you did. The author spent a year in Iraq. He's back now, but he is still telling stories.

The Photobloggies

2005-03-11T21:34:00.000-05:00

If you are so inclined, please nominate Suspended Reality for any appropriate categories in the Photobloggies. Thanks much!

Lebanese Freedom!

2005-03-11T21:14:00.000-05:00

From CNN:

Almost all Syrian troops left north Lebanon Friday, ending an unbroken 29-year presence and underlining Syria's diminishing role in its small neighbor.

In Beirut, the opposition indicated it would spurn a call by reinstated pro-Syrian Prime Minister Omar Karami for a national unity government, deepening a political crisis ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for May.

A security source said the Syrians had not yet vacated two intelligence offices and two military posts in and around the northern town of Tripoli, but could do so within 24 hours.

All other positions, including a large base at an airstrip, were evacuated overnight and thousands of soldiers and hundreds of vehicles crossed into Syria, witnesses said.

Another block is placed in builing the house of freedom. Yet another instance of a people who would rule themselves. The Lebanese people must now do the hard work of forming a working representative government. The people of the USA wish you well!

Can the Liberals of the world still doubt that President Bush was right in calling for Freedom around the world?

Welcome!

2005-03-11T17:53:00.000-05:00

Welcome to those of you finding me via Greensboro is Talking. Thanks to theshu (I'm guessing that's a pseudonym?) at http://greensboroistalking.com/ for the kind link.

If you've never been there then take a look at his place. He seems to be very plugged in to Greensboro politics and social life.

2005-03-11T17:47:00.000-05:00

General Greene Statue, Guilford Courthouse Battleground Park
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

2005-03-11T06:43:00.000-05:00

Sony DSC F828

2005-03-10T06:45:00.000-05:00

I just got a new camera and it seems to be pretty cool. It's a Sony DSC F828. The picture at Tannenbaum Park was taken with it. I'm still trying to figure it out so the pictures may be a little off for a while.

2005-03-10T06:42:00.000-05:00

At Tannenbaum Park, Greensboro NC. A Revolutionary War era recreation.
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

Romulan Cloaking Devices?

2005-03-02T20:09:00.000-05:00

From Live Science:

High-tech cloaking machines could one day render very small objects nearly invisible and perhaps improve military stealth technology, scientists said Monday.

The idea is straight out of science fiction -- cloaking technology made Romulan spaceships disappear in Star Trek. A humble version of the device could become a reality, according to Nader Engheta and Andrea Alu of the University of Pennsylvania.

But don't expect to hide yourself or your spaceship anytime soon, at least not in the standard sense of invisible. In practical terms, the research is more likely to lead to improved technical and research devices, and even these applications are years away.

The process involves "plasmons",electrons on the surface of some materials (mainly metals) moving in rhythm

New Bicycle Technology

2005-03-02T20:02:00.000-05:00

A new chainless bicycle from Dynamic Cycles. It's a shaft drive with the gears contained in a sealed compartment in the hub of the rear tire.

It seems to be more geared toward the mountain bike crowd though. The line doesn't contain a true road bike. But the technology looks interesting.

The Right Ruling

2005-03-01T18:45:00.000-05:00

From CNN:

Calling the case a "law enforcement matter, not a military matter," a federal judge in South Carolina has ruled that the U.S. government cannot continue to hold "enemy combatant" Jose Padilla without charging him with a crime.

This is the right decision in this case. I'm sure Padilla has done what he was charged with. In case you've forgotten:

Padilla, a 34-year-old American suspected of plotting with al Qaeda to detonate a radioactive "dirty bomb" and to blow up apartment buildings in the United States, was arrested in May 2002 upon landing on an overseas flight to Chicago.

American citizens should not be held indefinately without the benefit of a habeas corpus hearing.

fromThe Lectric Law Library:

The writ of habeas corpus serves as an important check on the manner in which state courts pay respect to federal constitutional rights. The writ is "the fundamental instrument for safeguarding individual freedom against arbitrary and lawless state action."

This case differs from that of some Omar the Magnificent (such as Richard Reed, the "shoe bomber") who is not an American citizen. The "war on terror" is important to fight and I am willing to allow the US government extraordinary leeway in doing so. This does not include holding American citizens indefinately without benefit of a trial.

The First Picture Ever...

2005-03-01T18:43:00.000-05:00

...posted on the Web.

Unbelievably Good News in Lebanon

2005-03-01T18:38:00.000-05:00

From ABC News:

Lebanon's president was taking on the task of forming a new government Tuesday, while opposition leaders shook off the jubilation of using people power to force out a pro-Syrian Cabinet and sought to ensure the next one is less beholden to Damascus.

A few diehard activists remained in tents overnight and about 400 protesters joined them midmorning, but Lebanese soldiers had been withdrawn from the area where the day before 25,000 flag-waving demonstrators demanded and got Prime Minister Omar Karami's resignation.

"We will be here every day until the last Syrian soldier withdraws from our land," one activist said through a loudspeaker. The crowd, blowing whistles, chanted back: "Freedom, Sovereignty, Independence."

They sang in rhyming Arabic: "We are all, Muslims and Christians, against the Syrians."

Unified Muslims and Christians protest Syrian presence in Lebanon. If I'd written that as a headline 2 years ago or even 6 months ago you'd have been asking what I was smoking.

2005-03-01T18:32:00.000-05:00

Marine One Carrying President Bush Approaching Kitty Hawk. Wright Brothers Centennial, December 2003
copyright 2005 S. Hunter

Fossett is Flying

2005-03-01T06:57:00.000-05:00

Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett took off Monday night on his attempt to become the first person to complete a solo trip around the world in an airplane without making a single stop.

Fossett, the first person to circle the globe solo in a balloon, launched his GlobalFlyer from the Salina Municipal Airport shortly before 7 p.m., beginning a 66-hour journey by climbing northeast into a darkening sky.

You can track Fossetts progress here/.

Update: This is a better link to Fossetts site and this is a map showing his progress. He is over Saudi Arabian airspace now(6:30 pm ET, 3/1/05).

2005-03-01T06:55:00.000-05:00

Freedom in Togo?

2005-02-28T17:48:00.000-05:00

This is the best that could have been hoped for in Togo.

The resignation of Togo's president weeks after his military placed him in power was a victory for those who think Africa should solve Africa's problems and a sign that powerful forces on the continent are committed to reform.

Faure Gnassingbe, whose predecessor -- his father -- had been Africa's longest-serving leader, stepped down Friday as a result of almost unprecedented African resolve against an old-style coup d'etat.

We are seeing the wish for freedom burst forth like the proverbial flowers of spring. The resignation of Gnassingbe is only a first step in the process, but it bodes well for the people of Togo. Now let's see free and fair elections.

We've Only just Begun

2005-02-28T17:38:00.000-05:00

China is seeing an upswing in crime statistics:

China's rapid economic and social changes have created some undesirable consequences, among them a rising incidence of crime. However, Chinese officials are learning that simply imposing harsh penalties will not solve the problem.

On the evening of February 21, Ng Wai-keung, a 41-year-old man from Hong Kong was attacked in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. His attackers took his money and stabbed his left eye, leaving him brain dead.

This is only the tip of the iceberg I'm sure. China is not the most open of societies and is not known for forthright commmunication when it portrays them badly.

China is in for a very rude awakening as the lonely generation matures. Current Chinese census data shows 116.8 males for every 100 females. Wait until there are three quarters of a million young men running around the country with no mate and no prospect of ever finding one.

Ukraine, the Model

2005-02-28T17:32:00.000-05:00

Another One Bites the Dust. Not quite, but this is good news from Syria.

The demonstrators, awash in a sea of red, white and green Lebanese flags, had demanded the pro-Syrian government's resignation -- and the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon -- since this month's assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Demonstrators in Beirut's Martyrs Square chanted, "Syria out! Syria out!" after Prime Minister Omar Karami announced his resignation in a speech aired by the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation.

It's encouraging that diverse groups of people around the world see what happens elsewhere (Ukraine, Iraq) and begin to demand their freedom from tyranny.

Wal-Mart Games

2005-02-28T08:14:00.000-05:00

On a snowy Monday night recently, Northern Arizona University freshman Natalie Eickmeyer finished her studying and decided to go out and have some fun. So at 10 o'clock, after scouring a dormitory for participants, she and five friends headed to the Wal-Mart discount center.

Very amusing. Go read the rest of the story.

Tsunami Pictures

2005-02-27T14:45:00.000-05:00

CNN has recovered photos of the Asian tsunami in Khao Lak, Thailand. Ho hum you say? The Canadian couple that took the photos are now dead. CNN managed to recover the photos from the cameras data card.

Away for the weekend

2005-02-24T22:21:00.000-05:00

Thanks to those of you who read my blog. I will be away for the weekend. I'm going skiing in the NC mountains with 60 kids from our church youth group. Maybe I'll have some cool new pictures when I come back. By the way, comments are cool. Leave some!

Have a great weekend.

Homegrown Muslim Violence

2005-02-24T19:25:00.000-05:00

We don't need to import violent Muslims anymore. With the help of Arab ideology and money we can now grow our own.

From the New York Post:

In Alexandria, Va., on Tuesday, a 23-year-old Northern Virginia man of Saudi Arabian background named Ahmed Omar Abu Ali was charged with conspiring to assassinate President Bush.

Abu Ali and his accomplices are accused of plotting to kill the president by gunfire or a car bomb. The indictment also spells out such criminal activities as assisting and receiving support from Osama bin Laden's band of murderers.

Abu Ali was extradited to Virginia after many months in a Saudi jail. What's most remarkable about this case is the degree to which this would-be assassin is a Saudi creation.

...Abu Ali is also a familiar figure to U.S. law-enforcement officials and terrorism experts. In mid-2003, federal authorities shut down a Northern Virginia a network of born Muslims and American converts to Islam, headed by convert Randall (Ismail) Royer.

Known as the "paintball jihad," the defendants in the case were supporters of Lashkar-i-Taiba, a violent Wahhabi militia fighting against Indian authorities in Kashmir. They practiced for jihad by playing paintball in the woods, went to Kashmir to carry and use weapons, and then tried to explain away their weekend activities near Washington as harmless fun.

I was among those harassed by this group; some of us were inclined to write them off as marginal cases, but Saudi dissident al-Ahmed warned me at the time of their arrest that the group was capable of killing people. Now we know how far their sinister ambitions extended: to the president of the United States himself.

Scary!

Syria getting out?

2005-02-24T19:18:00.000-05:00

According to The Guardian Syria says it is committed to leaving Lebanon.

Syria will withdraw troops from mountain and coastal areas in Lebanon in line with a 1989 agreement, Lebanon's defense minister said Thursday amid international pressure following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Lebanese Defense Minister Abdul-Rahim Murad said the troops will be withdrawn to the eastern Bekaa Valley on the Syrian border, but he gave no timeframe.

Lebanese and Syrian military officers have begun meetings to define ``the dates and the way'' the withdrawal will take place, Murad said, adding that the pullback was in line with the Arab-brokered Taif agreement that ended Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war.

``The decision to withdraw has been taken,'' Murad said in television interviews. ``What remains is the exact timing.''

In the wake of Hariri's Feb. 14 assassination, the Bush administration has issued strong calls for Syria to withdraw completely from Lebanon, where Damascus has about 15,000 troops. The Americans have also said Syria should remove its intelligence agents, but there was no sign of such a move.

May I suggest to President Assad it would not be wise to jerk Mr. Bush around. We'll see what kind of follow through we get on this pronouncement.

Condi on the Front Page...

2005-02-24T19:12:00.001-05:00

of the Washington Post. Check it out at Blaster's Blog.