Author: Lydia Putnam

In which the decadent West has a lot of fun playing with a vehicle originally developed by the Soviets–which didn’t really work in the way they wanted, because all it wants to do is fly instead of skim just above the ground/water. There’s possibly a metaphor in that…. Goes pretty well with Bill’s “The Cold […]

Given everything going on right now, seems like a good time to share something a bit more uplifting. One of the very cool consequences of how small modern cameras have become is that it’s giving regular people the ability to reach out and touch the edge of space all on their own, via the old-school technology of balloons. I spent a good chunk of an afternoon just watching one “we stuck a GoPro on a weather balloon” video after another. They all look pretty much the same after a while, but there’s something compelling about seeing so many people decide on their own that they wanted to see the curvature of the Earth for themselves–rather than just watch other people’s YouTube videos of it. 😛

What a time we live in, that we have multiple options for just … stepping off into the sky. And the water-powered versions are available for rental use all over the place!

Bill has touched on this topic repeatedly, especially in the last few
months, so I thought it might be worth sharing a lengthy and thoughtful
(despite the title) dissection of The Rise of Skywalker. Based on some
of his podcasts/group discussions, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t consider
himself a conservative (large or small C), but he does a brilliant job
of calling out how Disney has destroyed the franchise–while in the
process giving a blow-by-blow recap of the movie, so you can save
yourself some money and aggravation and just watch this instead. 😉 If
you don’t feel like watching the whole thing, the last 5 minutes offer a
decent summary on the effect of the movie both on both the sequel and
original trilogies. (The Mandalorian, on the other hand, is a lot of fun
and does a brilliant job of feeling like the OT without copying from it
in any way. Definitely worth signing onto Disney+ for the free 1-week
trial.)

I’ve been meaning to do a post on this for a while now, but since Bill talked in this week’s TSL about how Star Wars fans are on the verge of full-out revolt against what Disney’s done to the franchise as a whole, I thought it might be a good time to finally introduce you […]

By the President of the United States of America: a Proclamation. Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested […]

I’m writing this through a brutal headache because I spent what feels like most of yesterday crying genuine tears of joy. A little over a year and a half ago, a good friend of my family showed up at our door in complete and utter despair–six months prior he’d been at a work conference, had […]

Here’s some info on a fun “first time in space” event that might not make it into the headlines: I’d never considered the effect of no gravity on heat transfer, but I guess that would make a pretty big difference. As would not being to just stick your cookies on to the baking sheet and […]

Since we have both gamers and emphatic non-gamers on this site, I thought this video might be of interest to both groups: Made me realize just how much I learned by trial-and-error as a kid–osmosis wasn’t really a possibility, as when my sister and I would spend time with friends it was usually outside, and […]

Since I’m stuck twiddling my thumbs while waiting for Star Citizen to install so I can try out the cool spaceships, figured I might as well share a few screen shots starring my favorite Empyrion: Galactic Survival capital vessel – the carrier Perses. She’ll blow just about anything out of the sky and haul around […]

Recently I spent a weekend driving through the fields and mountains and forests of east-central PA. Well, I was a passenger, which is the only reason we made it out and back safely, as I was transfixed by the natural beauty surrounding us. And sure, I usually stare out the window on long drives, but […]

Bill’s talked a lot–well, in bits and pieces–about how most computer games are inherently conservative in their values, simply because the gameplay is based on the principles of self-defense and the development of wealth/skills via “grinding” AKA long hours of hard work. I’m planning on exploring this idea in a little more depth using the […]

Was reminded of this video by Martin Archer’s recent post of their “One Giant Leap” halftime show. The precision, stamina, and ability to maintain awareness of where you are in relation to the field as a whole is even more impressive from this angle. Not to mention the way the doppler effect would mess with […]

Foghorn’s been posting some pretty rad screen shots from Star Citizen, so I figured I’d look into it a little more just to get a better idea of what the gameplay is like. Which means that this gentleman’s been keeping me company at work for the last couple hours, since everyone else is out and […]