RonO's Ramblings

Over two years ago, specifically during or right after the 2010 Winter Olympics, I found Curl San Diego online and discovered that they regularly sponsor “Learn to Curl” sessions.  At that time, I was still recovering from Thyroid surgery, preparing to undergo radiation treatment, and had recently been diagnosed with a hernia.  So, it wasn’t the time to go to one of these sessions.

Over the intervening two years, I’ve periodically gotten emails from them but once I was healthy enough to consider, I kept not seeing the ones announcing the Learn to Curl sessions, until about a month ago.  So, after confirming that the date, May 19th, didn’t conflict with any other commitments (at least not at that time), I signed up.

So, last night I attended my Learn to Curl session.  As I expected, it was largely a class on the basics: throwing the stone, sweeping and a bit on getting and reading The Skip’s signals.  After about an hour of practice, the training squads (7 new players and an instructor) pared up and did some eight-player scrimmages (8 players means that everyone throws one stone per end, not the normal two).

Short answer: I had a very good time.  If (when) I do this again – probably a regular pick-up game – I will probably think about bracing my knees and right wrist.  But I came home with none of the three problem joints complaining.  Well, my right knee wasn’t happy that it was wet since I dragged it on the ice nearly every throw.

I was far from perfect.  I ended up falling down after releasing the stone on nearly every throw.  I was often chasing the stone when sweeping, And I always seemed to throw the stone either too hard or not hard enough – yet it seemed to me that I was throwing it about as hard each time.

I’ll also have to admit, it is kind of fun to realize that in May, in Escondido California, I could participate in a winter sport most popular in Canada.

This morning, it occurred to me that lyrically music (etc.) used as part of a corporate worship experience in a Christian church generally break into a limited number of categories:

• Lyrics directed upwards towards God – lyrics of praise, thanksgiving, etc.


• Lyrics directed outwards about God – lyrics that testify to what God has made


• Lyrics directed inwards about God – lyrics that are instruction to the believer.

In many cases, a given song, or psalm, can have more than one of these, but all should contain at least one.

And, while I’ve not done any research – and definitely haven’t done exhaustive research (it would probably take a lifetime to read the lyrics to every song and psalm ever written – I am fairly sure that this is true for everything from the earliest Psalms up to the most modern songs and hymns being composed today.

I also think that all three have a place in corporate worship, even if I tend to favor the first two myself.

I’ve made some brief posts about this trip on Google+ and Facebook (same post, copied manually or automatically from one to the other), but this is a bit longer report.

Originally, the family had planed to go to Arizona this weekend largely to see Tara’s Grandmother who was still recovering from her hip fracture in December.  However, a couple of weeks ago, she developed an infection (the medical people seem to recognize the term Tara keeps using for the type, which sounds like “c-diff” to me), and she passed away last Sunday.  Since Tara’s parents are back in Illinois dealing with funeral arrangements, we had no reason to return to Arizona.  Last Sunday Tara found and we purchased the Southern California spring 2-day discount tickets to Disneyland, and made reservations to stay at the fairly newly refurbished Motel 6 in the Anaheim Resort area.

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Last night – probably thanks in part to forgetting to take my anti-migrane medicine – I had a fairly vivid dream that I can remember at least a couple of images from, and a tiny bit of what was going on.

In the dream I was somehow at end of an airport runway behind a line of planes ready for take off.  For some reason there were two planes in front of me and I wanted to take a picture of them as they started to lift off.

What was memorable was that the plane in front I had identified as an Airbus 380.  But instead of having a two-level cabin, it was in a double fuselage configuration.  Behind it was a much smaller four-engine prop plane I thought was a World War II era bomber.

Later as I was more awake, my brain started thinking about the possibility of a double fuselage plane.  Obviously, they can be made – the plane that will cary Starship One into the upper atmosphere is, more or less, a double fuselage plane.  Of course on the climb, Starship One will occupy most of the space between the two main fuselages, which may or may not be key to how it is airworthy.  After all, I am not an aeronautical engineer nor do I play one on the internet.

But for a large passenger aircraft, I see two issues with a double fuselage design.  The first is aeronautical: what would the shape of the connection section be?  Would it be an airfoil to help provide lift, probably necessitating some control surfaces.  Or can it be of any low-drag shape.

The second issue is how would such an aircraft load and unload passengers?  Unless the connection could be made of a size and shape to allow people to comfortably move between the halves, passengers would require a separate path to each.  This would require several things no modern airport current could support.  First, it would require a jetway that could load into the starboard side of a plane rather than the traditional port side loading.  Next, the airport would also require some way of making it clear which gate passengers needed to pass through in order to board their half of the plane.

I can think of a couple of other consequences of this kind of design, were it possible.  This would produce at least two cabins with complete physical separation – again, unless the connection was capable of being so passengers could move between the halves of the plane.  This might not actually require any major differences in the way an airline would have to staff the plane, but might since crew in one half could not provide assistance or backup for crew in the other half.

On the other hand, unless both fuselages required a cockpit, there would be some opportunity for nearly front facing premium seating.  I don’t know if this would be that much more of an opportunity than already exists in 747 and A380 aircraft on the level that does not include the cockpit – I’m pretty sure that the first rows of seats on the lower level of a 747 are below the cockpit, and I suspect that the A380 is similar.

Back to the dream, as I was writing this up, I realized that the scene I dreamed would never happen in real life unless the tower goofed up dangerously.  It is rare, if it ever occurs, to have another plane sitting behind the plane that is about to start its takeoff roll.  And I doubt that a small plane – and even the largest WWII bombers are fairly small compared to a jumbo jet – would ever be put in that place.  And, again without any real expertise, I suspect that the turbulence following a double fuselage jumbo jet would be too much for any WWII era bomber to follow very close behind anyway, so the picture I wanted to get would never happen.

Bill (a.k.a beamjockey) - have you heard this?

From the Albuquerque Journal:

Very much the same

By John Fleck / Journal Staff Writer on Wed, Jan 11, 2012

While getting a new name, the Very Large Array telescope gets to keep its old.

Call it the "Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array."

...

Full Article: http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/01/11/news/very-much-the-same.html

Today, The Kid and I spent most of the day at the San Diego Auto Show.

We took the bus down and up, and because of The Kid, we took the Trolley from downtown to the convention center (I’ve walked that distance on several occasions, but he’d have complained), stopping for warm drinks and time killing after getting off of the bus.

On our way to the trolley stop, I walked him where he could see the (circa 1960) San Diego County Courthouse across the street, and walked along the front and side of the county jail.  I even got a sheriff’s deputy to confirm that this otherwise nondescript building was the jail.

Once we got into the auto show, we took a ride up and down some impressive simulated terrain in a Jeep Wrangler (the 4-door version), and looked at some of the cars including the new Coda all-electric sedan.

We then went out and I got a test drive in the Prius-V, which is quite likely my next car once I’m comfortable with trading my current car.  I also drove the new Scion IQ – a Smart 2-4 competitor – around a closed course including the world’s tightest roundabout.

We then decamped to The Gaslamp for lunch, and returned to look at more cars, and get a test drive of the Coda and the Chevy Volt.

The Kid had a good time, and confirmed that he has expensive taste in cars – his favorites were the $300,000.00 Lexus and a Nissan that I think was in the “If you have to ask, you cannot afford it” range.

I was positively impressed by the Prius-V, and surprised by the Chevy Volt.  If it weren’t for the extra $10,000.00, I might lean towards the Volt as a U.S. made car, a bit larger of a car, and for its added plug-in convenience – I pretty much would only need to get gas for out-of-town trips – even if I prefer the styling of the Prius.  One positive Chevy could (and did) tout for the Volt was that by the time I got a chance to drive it, the battery had died, but it could keep going by running the generator.  Had the Coda died, they would have been stuck.

I did notice on both of the electric drive cars that it was a bit unnerving to not have the car upshift once reaching cruising speed.  But I think I could get used to this.

I think The Kid was impressed with how often I seemed to know almost as much as the people we were talking to.  I guess he still doesn’t completely understand how broad a geek’s knowledge can run.

Others are doing it, so I’ll note where I spent nights other than at home during 2011.  For what its worth, this hasn’t been a big travel year:

Coolidge, AZ (2 trips)
Santa Clara, CA
San Jose, CA
Reno, NV
Los Angles, CA (LAX)
San Diego, CA – nights during 5 local cons.

For what it is worth, both Santa Clara and San Jose were from the same trip.

—

Next year promises to add Seattle and Chicago, but I’ll loose San Jose and Reno.  Philadelphia is a strong possibility as well.

Business trip to Santa Clara is possible, but not likely.

With luck we’ll make it to Albuquerque late next year.

It’s possible that I make some other places – including somewhere for a church Men’s Retreat.

Some time back, someone posted a YouTube video featuring highlights from an episode from the third season of The New Adventures of Wonder Woman, “Spaced Out.”  This episode featured a late 1970′s science fiction convention, and clearly had several scenes filmed at the LAX Marriott.

After Loscon, I was again thinking of the episode and decided to have Netfilix send me the DVD containing the episode (alas, it wasn’t available for streaming).  Last night, I watched the episode, and made a few observations:

( Observations Follow )

This morning during and after church, I started thinking (in addition to thinking about the message) about the structure of worship services, especially when the message is going to be on the topic of stewardship.

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Yesterday, I took The Kid to the University of New Mexico at San Diego State football game at Qualcomm Stadium.  This was the first college football game I’ve been to since I was in college.  While at UNM, I went to all of the home football games in 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987 as part of the band.  A scheduling conflict kept me from joining the band in 1988 – I went to school on the 5 year plan, or at least it worked out that way – but I made at least one game.

We did end up leaving at the beginning of the 2nd half because The Kid got sick (either from the two bites of the hot dog he had, or for some other reason yet to be determined).  He is feeling better now.

At least one aspect of the game hasn’t changed since my days in college – UNM wasn’t playing a great game. OK, for several years during the last decade or so, UNM was quite competitive even make three appearances in the greatly expanded Bowl game scene.  But in the late 1980′s, and for the last few seasons, UNM has had a loosing record.  In the half of yesterday’s game I saw, they didn’t do too badly – holding the Azteks to 2 touchdowns, and putting together one lightening drive to score their touchdown.  They were also involved in what had to be one of the ugliest plays I’ve ever seen: during the closing seconds of the first half, a game of volleyball developed near the UNM goal line (alas, on the far side of the field from our seats) after the SDSU receiver failed to catch the ball.  This was so bad that it had to go to the video reviewers to determine if SDSU had ever been in control of the ball in the end zone (or so I guess based on the need for review with time expired).

On the other hand, there were some significant changes that I noticed.  Most noticeable to me was a much stronger presence from the booth announcer and sponsorships.  Additionally, there was more music being played over the PA system than from the band.  I don’t recall real well the other time I was in this stadium (albiet under its previous moniker of Jack Murphy Stadium) for a UNM vs. SDSU game in 1984.  But my memories of games in Albuquerque, Salt Late City (Utah), Fort Collins (Colorado State) and Tucson (Arizona) was that the booth announcer stuck to game information and introductions, and only the band or bands provided music for the game.

I did enjoy the SDSU band – even if they played most of both the short half-time show and the pre-game show to the other side of the stands.  I would have loved it if the UNM band had repeated their 1984 out of town trip and been there, but seeing the home school’s band was still pretty good.  I did notice that they seem to have completely eschewed any pretense of having anyone other than the band director directing – unless they have one drum major who looks to be closer to my age and stands atop a tall ladder out of uniform.

I enjoyed myself, and may well repeat the experience in two years when it is likely that the UNM/SDSU game is again in San Diego.