Neil Armstrong's death over the weekend gave me pause for reflection. My memories of man landing on the moon and those nascent days of the space program are still pretty vivid. The Apollo 11 mission was not the most significant event in the history of mankind, but it was and still remains mankind's greatest accomplishment. Armstrong himself was an extradordinary man, an ideal hero who achieved many things in his life, yet remained humble, shunned the spotlight, and gave credit to others rather than taking credit for himself.
The space race, as it was known back then, had a great impact in the United States. It revitalized a flaccid educational system; it spurred innovations and inventions whose footprints are still present today; it created an industry that generated jobs, technology, and purpose; and it got people and politicians to buy in to the idea of a common cause that was good for the country.
Now, 43 years later, our country is much different and much worse. The United States is more polarized than it's ever been since the Civil War. Our educational system is once again underperforming. Humility is seen as a weakness; egotism is rewarded.
Great stuff about the beginnings of NASA and the early days of the space race, it doesn't just cover the original Mercury 7 but also talks about the other 25 that were in the group of 32 from which NASA selected those 7. All pretty amazing people.
Joined: 20 Jul 2004 Posts: 12782 Location: USA Country:
Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 7:34 am Post subject:
gaijinmark wrote:
Great stuff about the beginnings of NASA and the early days of the space race, it doesn't just cover the original Mercury 7 but also talks about the other 25 that were in the group of 32 from which NASA selected those 7. All pretty amazing people.
THats what I remember from my childhood. THat all the candidates were extraordinary. You had to be something beyond special even to be considered. _________________
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:21 am Post subject:
Eve wrote:
THats what I remember from my childhood. THat all the candidates were extraordinary. You had to be something beyond special even to be considered.
Now you can be a gimp with a microphone attached to your shirt and seek fame by publicly humiliating yourself on television doing some asinine activity under the guise of "reality."
Science? Who needs it. We should cut the Department of Education because our schools aren't producing legions of morons but luminaries of the next technological revolution. Remember among developed countries, the United States ranks 31st in math and 23rd in science on standardized tests. The world quakes in the face of such dominance.
Great stuff about the beginnings of NASA and the early days of the space race, it doesn't just cover the original Mercury 7 but also talks about the other 25 that were in the group of 32 from which NASA selected those 7. All pretty amazing people.
and it amazes me that some people think the moon landing was fake!
i watched a documentary about this conspiracy and it highlighted that it would've been more difficult to fake than actually land on the moon!! _________________
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12121 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 7:05 pm Post subject:
kenjilina wrote:
and it amazes me that some people think the moon landing was fake!
i watched a documentary about this conspiracy and it highlighted that it would've been more difficult to fake than actually land on the moon!!
I put those people in the same category as the "birthers". When I hear them spouting their drivel I ignore them because, as the saying goes, "You can't argue with an idiot."
Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 3392 Location: peoples democratic republic of yorkshire Country:
Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 8:03 pm Post subject:
gaijinmark wrote:
I put those people in the same category as the "birthers". When I hear them spouting their drivel I ignore them because, as the saying goes, "You can't argue with an idiot."
yep, bet these people think elvis is still alive! _________________
Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 3392 Location: peoples democratic republic of yorkshire Country:
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 1:41 am Post subject:
Bruce Willis could be considering legal action against Apple to make sure his iTunes library is passed on to his family after his death.
At present, songs purchased in the iTunes store are only "borrowed" under a licence - something that has frustrated iTunes users for years.
Willis has reportedly downloaded thousands of dollars worth of songs and doesn't want them reverting back to Apple in the event of his death.
The 57-year-old actor is looking into legal methods to challenge the Cupertino small print, including setting up a family trust to keep the music safe for his three daughters.
Alternatively he can take Apple to court in order to fight the rules on ownership of downloaded content.
If he's successful then it could have repercussions for the millions of iTunes users worldwide. Although, even for Bruce Willis, Apple might prove too powerful an opponent.
The company currently has the power to freeze an iTunes account if it suspects the user of illegally sharing music.
And indefinitely renting content isn't a practice exclusive to Apple - Amazon has a similar position with regards to ebooks bought for the Kindle.
Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 3392 Location: peoples democratic republic of yorkshire Country:
Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 4:13 am Post subject:
A woman who was reported missing from an Icelandic tour unwittingly joined a search for herself.
According to the Reykjavik Grapevine, a woman described as "Asian, about 160cm, in dark clothing and speaks English well" was listed as missing Saturday near the Eldgjá volcanic canyon in southern Iceland.
A search continued through the weekend with reports saying she got off a tour bus and never returned.
It turns out the woman merely changed clothes during the bus stop, and after she returned, those on the bus didn't recognize her.
When the description of the "missing" woman was circulated, apparently the lady who changed her outfit didn't recognize the description of herself. So she joined the search party.
About 50 people searched the area in vehicles and on foot, and a helicopter was ready to assist.
Eventually it occurred to the "missing" woman that she could very well be the person everyone was looking for, and she promptly reported herself as safe and sound to police.
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