Happy Halloween!

By Keith, 31 October, 2009, No Comment

It wouldn’t be Halloween without the War of the Worlds broadcast…

On October 30, 1938, The Mercury Theatre, a young drama troupe under the direction of Orson Welles, performed a radio play called “War of the Worlds” on WABC, New York, and over the Columbia Broadcasting System network, coast-to-coast.

It was based on a science fiction story by H.G. Wells (no relation) which entailed Martians landing in New Jersey to take over the world. The broadcasted imagery produced through sound effects and acting was so powerful, it caused mass hysteria. Thousands of listeners panicked nationwide, not realizing it was just a radio play, even though disclaimers were announced before and during the production.

World’s Most Awesome Halloween Costume

By Keith, 30 October, 2009, No Comment

Apollo 17 – “…our the flag was still there”

By Keith, 30 October, 2009, No Comment

The Lunar Reconnassance Orbiter, currently orbiting the Moon just 50 km off the surface, has taken more shots of the Apollo 17 landing site… and has seen the actual U.S. flag!

(Here is a wider shot of the landing site)

So far all of the landing sites that the LRO has photographed have had tracks around them, and this one has the flag right where it should be. I’d say that lunar landing conspiracy theorists can officially suck it.

h/t to Phil Plait.

Coincidentally, here is Eugene Cernan the Apollo 17 commander and the last man to walk on the Moon on Fox News reacting the NASA’s Ares I-X test flight:

Fri. Show Prep – Discount Casket Edition

By Keith, 30 October, 2009, No Comment

It’s official, you really can get anything at Wal-Mart. The discount giant is going to start selling caskets and urns online.
Nancy Pelosi unveiled the House health care bill on Thursday. It’s 400,000 words and 1,990 pages. I’m a little worried about the fact that no one has read it, but the title of the bill is “To Serve Man” John Boehner calls it 1,990 pages of bureaucracy.
Great story for Halloween: This woman’s children died in a house fire in May. Now, she’s battling the city because she wants to use the house as a Halloween haunted house attraction, complete with pony rides and some of the dead children’s toys. She says it’s a tribute, I say it’s creepy.
Another great story for Halloween: There are quite a few people who don’t like to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween, but if you’re thinking about putting a sign in your yard telling the kids to scram you may want to reconsider, lest people think the sign is there for the wrong reason: St. John’s county Florida is forcing sex offenders to put signs in their yards that read “No Candy Here”
Big Brother is more powerful than your mom: A furious Ohio mother says her 7-year-old son, who has had problems with medications, was vaccinated for swine flu at school against her wishes.
John McCain says that a decision is needed on Afghanistan immediately if not sooner.
Remember all of those jobs that were “saved or created” by the stimulus bill? It turns out that government overstated the numbers by about 30,000.
Clearly more beer summits are needed: According to a new Gallup poll President Obama’s election hasn’t had much of an effect on race relations in the US.
Speaking of the beer summit, Henry Louis Gates and James Crowley have been sighted sharing a brewski on their own.
Bill torpedoed Hill: According to David Plouffe’s new book Obama picked Joe Biden over Hillary Clinton for Veep because he was worried about Bill.
It’s beginning to look a lot like the winter solstice: Michigan Man Sues for Right to Put Back Family’s Nativity Scene on Public Median.
Governor Quinn says that if CTA and Metra want help from the state, they shouldn’t raise rates.
Cop shortage: The city of Chicago is short about 2000 police officers.
According to a study from Edmunds.com, American taxpayers doled out $24,000 per vehicle sold under the government’s “Cash for Clunkers” auto program.
People are starting to take shots at Lou Dobbs… literally.
Dumb criminal files: Florida man steals ferret by shoving it down his pants.
Study suggests cellphone radiation weakens bone

Geeky Space Picture of The Day: Ares I-X Launch

By Keith, 29 October, 2009, No Comment

(High Resolution Version)

Ares I-X Roars Off the Pad

With more than 12 times the thrust produced by a Boeing 747 jet aircraft, the Constellation Program’s Ares I-X test rocket roars off Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At left is space shuttle Atlantis, poised on Launch Pad 39A for liftoff in November.

Also, here’s video of the launch, just in case you missed it on Wednesday:

Wed. Show Prep – Fading Hope Edition

By Keith, 29 October, 2009, No Comment

One year after his election, people have a different view of President Obama. He’s seen as more liberal and his approval rating his hovering at just about 50%. One year ago 84% of Americans were dissatisfied with the direction the country was going. Now? 72%. That’s an improvement, but not exactly a new era of foolish optimism.
Stories like this may have something to do with Obama’s slide: Remember when the Clinton’s would rent out the Lincoln Bedroom to their donors and cronies? The Obama White House is offering access to White House officials in exchange for donations.
Joe Biden may ultimately decide that being VP wasn’t such a good idea after all, his approval rating is falling faster than his boss. Right now he’s at a less than stellar 42%. Mind you, he’s still more popular than Cheney, but I don’t think that’s much to write home about.
Biden’s former nemesis Sarah Palin isn’t fairing much better. A new poll says that 71% of Americans think that Palin is unqualified to be POTUS. Ouch. Only 55% would say that about me, and I’m 10 years away from actually being old enough to be POTUS.
Progress: The historic and hallowed grounds that once housed Kiddieland in Melrose Park may one day soon be a Costco.
Guards at a prison in Elkhart, IN are in big trouble. They forgot about a person who was doing community service there and accidentally left him locked in a cell.
Some experts are saying that the US has lost its status as the world’s leader in technological know-how. Apparently they weren’t watching the Ares I-X launch this morning. One of them cites a lack of risk-taking and entrepreneurship. But there’s not much incentive for that these days.
Between US troops, our international partners, and Afghan troops we out number the Taliban 12-1. If we can’t dig deep and find enough national will power to beat them under those conditions, maybe we should just go ahead and bring our soldiers home.
Believe it or not Michael Jackson isn’t the richest dead guy, and neither is Elvis Pressley. It’s some French guy named Yves Saint Laurent.
There may be a shortage of flu vaccinations out there, but one group won’t have to worry about it. It turns out that prisons will get all the vaccines that they want. They are in very close quarters and very high risk for the flu, both swine and otherwise. Sure they may be more likely to get the flu, but do we really care?
Phillie fans are generally just bad people, exhibit A: Philly woman posts an ad on Craigslist offering sex for Phillies tickets.
The God defense: Man says that God told him to steal a car.

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Archive for October, 2009

World’s Most Awesome Halloween Costume

Apollo 17 – “…our the flag was still there”

Fri. Show Prep – Discount Casket Edition

Geeky Space Picture of The Day: Ares I-X Launch

Wed. Show Prep – Fading Hope Edition

About Me

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Archive for October, 2009

Happy Halloween!

Friday Night X Minus One

World’s Most Awesome Halloween Costume

Apollo 17 – “…our the flag was still there”

Fri. Show Prep – Discount Casket Edition

Geeky Space Picture of The Day: Ares I-X Launch

Wed. Show Prep – Fading Hope Edition

About Me