Al's Blog-o-Sphere

Meet Joe and Bob. Both live in Suburbia, a nice bedroom community where they enjoy the amenities of suburban life. They both work at an office in Big City and commute each day to their jobs. Continue Reading…

I just saw a TV commercial that I found so offensive, that I have to write about it. What was it? A Chevy Volt commercial.

What if Gasoline was so inexpensive that you never considered it’s cost? What if it came out of a spigot on the side of your house and you could top off your car’s tank every day? What if you could drive to work and fill up on your employers spigot?

That’s exactly how they are getting people to think about electric/hybrid cars.

Who are they kidding? It “fills up” every time you plug it in!

And they are getting away with it because electricity is cheap enough, compared to gasoline, that people are willing to think that way.

Today. Continue Reading…

Is there something about me, something about the way I look, or a mark on my face, the way that I walk, that says I am a heathen? That says I am in need of salvation?

Is it just me or do those people standing on street corners and at every public event think we all are headed straight to Hell? That their little tract will make a difference and send us on the straight and narrow?

If you’re one of those people, let me tell you with love in my heart, not anger, that you really piss me off. You don’t know me. You don’t take the time to get to know me and learn my religious views or background, yet you make a judgement that I need your saving. That your beliefs are correct and mine are not. That I cannot possibly be saved from eternal damnation without your assistance. Continue Reading…

No, no, not those Hams in Space!

I meant Amateur Radio Operators that are Astronauts. Ever since Owen Garriot, W5LFL, flew aboard STS-9 in 1983, there have been a series of Ham Operators aboard the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. There were also Russian Hams aboard the MIR space station and Hams from a number of countries have been up in space on the various flights.

You may have been aware of this fact, or this might be the first time you have heard of it. It was a publicity coup for Ham Radio and NASA was fully in support of it. In fact, it couldn’t have happened without their support.

Having Ham Radio represented and operated from space is a great publicity tool for NASA. It also could be used as a backup communications system in the event of serious malfunction aboard the spacecraft. I’d hate to see things go that wrong – I’m sure they have other backup systems, so it would have to be the third or fourth or fifth resort – but it really could be used in that capacity.

So this is a good thing, right? A win-win for Hams and NASA alike, right? Well, maybe. Continue Reading…