Quote of the Day - July 6, 2006

Child: "Daddy Bender, we're hungry."
Bender: "What is it with you kids? Every other day it's food, food, food!"

- Futurama, "The Cyber House Rules"

Quote of the Day - July 5, 2006

If we don't go back there and make the event happen, the entire universe will be destroyed. And as an environmentalist, I'm against that.

- Al Gore, Futurama, "Anthology of Interest I"

Sentence Launched into Hyperbolic Orbit

MSNBC changed this article so that one sentence no longer describes the space shuttle as "hurling" toward the the space station. Which... darn, there goes half my rant. Stupid editors, spoiling my fun. At least someone over there realized that the Canadarm is not throwing rocks at the ISS in rebellion (or, depending on what kind of rendezvous you mean, throwing pebbles at the window to get their attention). Anyway, it still says the space shuttle "hurtled toward a Thursday morning rendezvous with the space station." Hurtled? "Hurtled" implies a certain lack of control. Why couldn't they use "sailed" or "coasted" or some other, less panic-inducing word? We must make it exciting! Dramatic! You must not feel one ounce of relief after a successful launch, or one smidgen of peace up here in space. Reflection is for monks. You want to think about something? Think about the aliens that could be hiding just around the corner! (What corn-) Silence! Do you hear that? (There's no sound in-) It could be Them! (Who's them?) Quick! To the escape hatch! Major Tom to ground control, I'm stepping through the door. Tell my wife I love her very much. (Houston, we have a problem. This is Ripley, signing off.)

Lift-off!

Quote of the Day - July 4, 2006

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

- The Star Spangled Banner

Launch a Go

Again. Liftoff is set for 2:38 pm. You can follow the launch at NASA's site or on NASA TV. CSPAN was covering the launch on the original planned launch date of July 1, but I don't know if they're covering it today.

And Knowing is Half the Battle!

I think G.I. Joe is one of the two cartoons that I didn't watch as kid, but I vaguely recall the PSAs they had at the end (maybe it came on just before something else I watched). Mutant Reviewers has a humorous write up of the 25 PSAs that were included on the G.I. Joe: The Movie DVD. The reviewer got me thinking... what would the G.I. Joe PSA on gun safety be like?

Guns

Bobby and Becky are playing in the traffic when they spot a gun lying in the middle of the road. Bobby rushes to pick it up. "Don't touch it!" scolds Becky.

"What? It's probably not even loaded." Bobby picks up the gun and points it at Becky.

G.I. Joe sneaks up behind Bobby and yells "Guns are not toys!"

Bobby, startled, pulls the trigger, missing Becky by inches.

G.I. Joe: See? Never point a gun at someone, even if you think it isn't loaded. In fact, never handle a gun unless you are fully trained and licensed. If you see an unsecured gun, tell an adult immediately.

Bobby: (still holding the gun, which Joe has made no effort to take away from him) Now I know.

G.I. Joe: And knowing is half the battle!