Disaster Area

National Engineers Week

Yes, it's that time of year when we celebrate the fact that we have people in the world who design and make stuff. Not just any stuff, stuff that works. Planes that fly, cars that drive, blenders that blend and toasters that toast.

As you go about your everyday business this week, take note of how many devices and contraption you use that you absolutely take for granted - toilets, sinks, toys, TVs, computers, bicycles, ovens. Generally you only think about those things when they fail to work properly and you need to find a different way to get things done or do without. That can be a minor inconvenience (toaster) or a major pain (toilet).

But without engineers none of it would exist. So, yay for engineers (and yes, I am one...)

The Origins of the Universe

I'm currently reading Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. He starts off with a couple of chapters on the origins of the universe. It's all quite interesting, but he missed one major theory.

Some people believe the universe actually began with a typographical error, this being known as the "Big Bnag Theory".

Movies and Gender Roles

I just got back from staffing a diocesan youth weekend here in Seattle (appearances by both bishops - yay!). The theme was "Now Playing", basically a movie-themed weekend. I thought a fun game would be "guess the movie" based on a synopsis, a good review and a bad review - with any obvious details removed, of course. Well known movies only, of course.

I got my info from Amazon, as the bad reviews especially are easy to pick out with just a mouse click. One really interesting one star review was this one - see if you can guess the movie:

There's no way to put a good spin on this bad plot. The little meek heroine gives up her voice to get the man. Not too subtle, is it? The interesting woman in the movie is the smart, intelligent, proactive and powerful woman. Why can't they offer women role models who are powerful, smart and good? Powerful women are scary so they must be evil and seek to harm and diminish and denigrate other women. So much for sisterhood. It's very disappointing that in the 21st Century, we're still peddling this extremely negative message to little girls. And what must the heroine give up in order to have her man? Let's see...her voice, her talent, her home, her dreams, but alas, it's all worth it. Or so we're led to believe. Yuck. I am profoundly disappointed that these type of movies are still popular amongst parents and children alike.

At first I was taken aback, but quite quickly I was taken with how accurate the review was. Any guesses as to which movie it is? Answer after the jump...

Reno, Sweet Reno

Well, here I am off on yet another trip, this time to sunny downtown... wait, snowy, remote, windswept Reno - the little cousin of Las Vegas. What am I doing here, you ask? Well, it's the location of the 46th Aerospace Sciences Meeting - hundreds of aerospace boffins stuck in a large casino hotel for four days.

I'm leading a day's worth of presentations on Career Enhancement, which should be fun.

Anyway, here's to a week of aeronautical geekery...

Why did the chicken cross the Möbius Strip?

To get to the other... uh, never mind.

Shuttle Diplomacy

With my wife way across the country in Florida, it was nice to get this photo in my email so I can participate vicariously in her revelry. She went down to the Cape today to see the Space Shuttle Discovery on the launch pad. Very cool stuff.

Even cooler that the mission commander of STS 114 is Eileen Collins.