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TLDR version: The New Horizons probe that got the first close look at Pluto in summer 2015 is slated to zip past an even more distant Kupier Belt object in the early hours of New Year's Day. The flyby will occur at 12:33 am EST, but being just over 6 light-hours away we won't know how things went until almost 7 EST on New Year's morning. We know next to nothing about this or for that matter any other KBO, so the flyby is sure to turn up something cool and unexpected.
You can find more details at:
space.com
Ars Technica
NASA's JPL site
Artist's concept of the flyby. In reality, we have very little idea what this thing looks like, beyond (possibly) having two main masses. Connected? Orbiting each other? No idea, the Hubble couldn't resolve much more than a slightly bi-blobular blur. Exciting times!
Just in today, Bicycle Times, the general cycling spin-off of the mountain bike magazine Dirt Rag, is completely calling it a day. A year and a half ago they ceased print but kept on with the web site. It seems that even that wasn't economically feasible. Here's the letter from the publisher.
It's too damn bad about BT. It was refreshing to have a bike magazine that wasn't all about racing and gram-shaving and the newest shiniest gear on the TdF course, but was truly about (as their tagline went) your everyday cycling adventure.
Onward to better things: It seems likely that this will allow Dirt Rag to beef up its its operation, and bring in more semi-mountain bike stuff like gravel rides into its fold. That's a little bit of sunshine. As for the rest, we shall see in 2019. In the meantime, go over to the Dirt Rag site and consider subscribing.
RIP
New study finds that moderate coffee and alcohol consumption and packing a few extra pounds is correlated with longevity past age 90. link
Can't argue with that.
Huh? Seems that the Yaesu radio brand name is an evolution of a Dutch trader/explorer's name. Here are the links:
Yaesu the radio
Yaesu the district
Joosten the man
Huh. The random stuff you find on Wikipedia. Well, now we know. I always thought the name sounded a little strange.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, will be back in a couple of days with the year-end wrap-up post.
Don't set your hopes too high for this one, just sit back with a glass of whisky and enjoy the explosions. Of course there are some odd plot twists, and of course Mel Gibson is the hiss-at-him evil mastermind here. As for the rest of the cast, it's just too much to list here. It has enough of a plot to hang the action on, all that can be expected.
I'm not sure why this movie got such low ratings from the critics. It's not like any of these movies stood out, or tried to be anything more than they appear to be. Maybe casting Gibson offended some sensibilities, or maybe it's just because a third helping was one too many for some. Anyway, it was released in 2014, and almost five years on it seems unlikely any more will be made. Wrapping it up with a third flick and going out with a bang feels about right.
Ridiculous? Of course! Big dumb fun? You bet. 3 out of 4 stars.
ps: Expendables 4? Sure why not. Looks like it's in pre-production.
If you've been looking a the news at all this week, you've probably seen something about this former NASA engineer's glitter-slinging, GPS tracking, video recording cure for porch piracy. It is entertaining, and what's more, a little harmless comeuppance for these holiday-spoiling creeps feels about right.
But don't stop there. The same guy has a whole upbeat youtube channel where he statistically tests peoples' honest with 200 "lost" wallets, talks with a physicist/biologist/inventor about a third world ready malaria test kit that costs $0.68, shows what a great investment NASA is, and a bunch of other things.
I started this day reading a really downbeat solstice blog post (no, no link; not spreading that misery around). You, dear reader, deserve better. Go watch some of those videos and get some joy there and at the prospect of more daylight tomorrow.
In the meantime, Merry Solstice!
