Month: August 2008

Thursday Night Internet Hoax Hall-Of-Shame

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date August 14, 2008

The Red Planet is about to be spectacular !

This month and next, Earth is catching up with Mars in an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Due to the way Jupiter’s gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the last 5,000 years, but it may be as long as 60,000 years before it happens again.

The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide. At a modest 75-power magnification Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye.

Mars will be easy to spot. At the beginning of August it will rise in the east at 10 p.m. and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.

By the end of August when the two planets are closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30 a.m. That’s pretty convenient to see something that no human being has seen in recorded history. So, mark your calendar at the beginning of August to see Mars grow progressively brighter and brighter throughout the month.

Share this with your children and grandchildren.

NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN

This widely-circulated perennial E-Mail defies all astronomical logic, and it is of course an Internet HOAX !

Positivication

‘Positivication’ – That’s not actually a real word in the English language, but follow along with me anyhoo.

Larry King Live ! has a ‘Quick Vote’ up (on their web site) with the following statement – ‘I am generally …’ – followed by three responses that you can select – ‘A positive person’, ‘A negative person’, and ‘I don’t subscribe to this stuff’.

As of press time of this post 78% had selected ‘A positive person’. 78% of the people that responded to the ‘Quick Vote’ may have responded as such, but deep down in their hearts and souls only a fraction of them are genuinely positive. Who really wants to state that they are not ‘positive’ ? Who really wants to declare themself to be ‘A negative person’ ? 14% apparently do ! 14% were actually so honest with this ‘Quick Vote’ that they actually responded realistically. And then there was the 8% that ‘don’t subscribe to this stuff’. They generally don’t subscribe, follow, support, or believe in much of anything at all – not even themselves.

Incidentally I responded that I am ‘A positive person’. I really am ! I just wish that more people in this world were positive. It would make for a nicer world to live in.

Tags Larry King

Advertising Animals Computers Driving God Life Mail Money Philosophy Politics Shopping

Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date August 12, 2008
1 Comment on Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

Let’s do it:

1. It feels like a Monday for me because I took a 3-day weekend from work (to include Monday). I had so much fun setting up and personalizing my sparkling new desktop computer system on Saturday and Sunday that I spent Monday catching up on everything else that I would have normally done during the previous two days. I got it all done and then some on Monday ! I was proud of myself when I went to sleep.

2. After over 15 years with State Farm I saved over 24% by switching my auto insurance to GEICO yesterday. Back in February I compared State Farm with GEICO, and had I made the switch back then I would have saved a mere 9%. It wasn’t worth the time and the trouble to switch. But a more than a 24% savings is definitely worth it !

3. The MASSIVE political ads continue to inundate and stuff my (old-fashioned) mailbox. I’m actually taking the time to glance over all of the fancy and glossy literature, but the joke is on them. I’m not voting in the Primaries – not even via absentee ballot.

4. A closed door that you can not open due to the fact that it is locked shut and you don’t have a key for it, or there is another impeding factour (such as a person who won’t let you in) is very symbolic of ‘The End’. You can’t go any further. You can’t proceed. Progress is halted. STOP ! It’s certainly not a positive symbol – especially if you are on a fantastic journey. Before I was saved by Jesus I regularly hit closed doors in my life – literally, figuratively, and symbolically. Nowadays (in my new Life) I don’t encounter too many closed doors. I am simply more aware of the ones that I need to stay away from. But when I do reach a closed door on this journey it is far more painful than it ever was in my previous life. Sometimes what isn’t that big of a deal to one person may actually be a closed door to another person. There should never be a closed door between me or you – and God.

5. Back in November 2007 a Canadian Dollar was worth more than U.S. $1.08. Today it was only worth U.S. $0.94. The British Pound has dropped from above U.S. $2.10 to below U.S. $1.90. The European Euro was flirting with U.S. $1.60 as recently as the start of July 2008. Now it’s down to nearly U.S. $1.49 ! Our U.S. Dollar is making a substantial comeback. That’s allowing oil prices and ultimately gas prices to drop.

6. The last time I went through the Starbucks (in Homestead) drive-thru I received exceptional customer service. That’s a good thing because they had already received two strikes in a row from me, and had they received a third strike in a row I would have initiated a temporary boycott of the joint. A boycott of Starbucks is something that I’m not sure that I’m ready for yet.

7. I got a haircut at the legendary Woody’s Barber Shop yesterday. I always feel clean and refreshed after I get my mop cut. Believe it or not I actually don’t keep track of when I get a haircut via an Excel Spreadsheet. There’s no point to it. If my hair blows around in the wind then it’s time to get a haircut.

8. If HP wanted to do a television commercial right here in my living room then all they would have to do is simply film me sitting down here at my computer workstation using all of their fine products.

9. I have an HP printer-scanner-copier all-in-one device now. I bought it at Office Depot yesterday. Those two pictures of Barney and Fluffy that I posted on the blog last night were the first two that I scanned (as a test). I’m gonna look around for some more classic pictures. Maybe I’ll find one of me from my U.K. days some 23 years ago. You can see what I looked like as a goofy 18-year-old !

10. My credit card company just raised my credit limit by a tad. They must’ve seen how much money I spent this past weekend ! 😯

Animals

Remembering Barney & Fluffy

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date August 11, 2008
2 Comments on Remembering Barney & Fluffy

Barney and Fluffy were the childhood cats of me and my brother, but I should clarify that a bit. We found Fluffy (a Manx) outside on our elevated patio deck on a bitter cold and icy Northern Virginia morning on the 23RD of December in 1983. She remained with us (our family) for over 17 years – until 2001 – long after me and my brother had become adults and moved on with our respective lives. Barney arrived about 4½ years later in 1988 while I was living here in Homestead (at the air base) but my brother was still living at home. Barney remained with the family for about 18 years – until 2006. Both cats lived long, fat, and happy lives. Fluffy was the most lovable feline I have ever known in my entire life, and Barney was simply ‘the cat that didn’t like me’ – although during his last year (of perhaps senility) he came over to me and purred on me as if to ask me for my forgiveness for all of those years in which he didn’t care for me.

Here are some classic pictures of Barney and Fluffy. The first one has a date imprinted on the back of it of ‘APR 89’; however, I suspect that the picture was actually taken around Christmas-time of 1988. That would make Fluffy about 5½ to 6 years old and Barney less than a year old. The second picture was taken several years later well into the 1990s.