I’ve got to show you the Jet-Man, a guy who flew a jet-powered wing for four minutes and topping 180 knots at points. Its an incredible ride!
Yves Rossy is a brave man. Yessir.
(Thanks, Mike!)
Plasma Antennas
Someone sent me this interesting news snippet:
A new antenna made of plasma (a gas heated to the point that the electrons are ripped free of atoms and molecules) works just like conventional metal antennas, except that it vanishes when you turn it off. The antenna design being presented at next week’s APS Division of Plasma Physics meeting in Orlando consists of gas-filled tubes reminiscent of neon bulbs. The physicists presenting the design propose that an array of many small plasma elements could lead to a highly versatile antenna that could be reconfigured simply by turning on or off various elements.
(EurekAlert! 12NOV07)
The announcement also made Slashdot.
A dozen years ago I was daydreaming of a “virtual” antenna, where some sort of field could be projected that would capture radio waves. I was thinking more of the magnetic variety, but plasma certainly fits the bill.
Interesting how the announcement touts its use in stealth transmissions. That’s not really an issue now with the ease of hiding transmissions made to satellites.
Bellsouth $10 DSL up and running
I got my Bellsouth $10 DSL up and running today with relatively little hassle. The “Sprint 660” DSL modem I purchased from Craigslist works just fine, too, in spite of not appearing on Bellsouth’s supported list of equipment.
I spent a little time at first just sorting out where my wiring goes in my house. I’ve got VoIP phones everywhere and so these “virtual” phone lines can be hard to tell apart from the real one. Once I found a good jack to use, I plugged in my DSL filters on my real phone line and cranked up my DSL modem.
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Back from Annapolis
Day two of training yesterday didn’t go as smoothly as the first day, and part of it is my fault. We were trying a new method of training (aside from the new trainer: me), and I didn’t test every aspect of the new environment. If I had, I would’ve discovered some tools were missing that we needed to use. I didn’t build the environment, but I am responsible for making sure it works and I didn’t do that. Fortunately we worked around it and everyone seemed to appreciate the new approach, warts and all.
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First day conducting training
I conducted training on my company’s product for the very first time today in a room wall-to-wall with students. The training went very, very well. No one suspected it was my first time conducting the training, nor did they realize I’ve only been working with it since June. I even got a kudos from a more-experienced coworker who heard some of my presentation.
It was also fun conducting training again. The last time I did that was to a roomful of Chinese in Shanghai back in March. That day still stands out as one of the best of my career. Who knew I’d be out of work just two months later?
Bellsouth $10 DSL trial run
I signed up Sunday for AT&T’s FastAccess Lite DSL Term, otherwise known as $10 DSL. It requires a 12 month commitment, is only 768 Kbps down and 128 Kbps up, and requires your own DSL modem, but for the price its a deal … especially if AT&T loses money on it, and I have my reasons for, uh, wishing that to happen. While its true that the $10 deal does not appear on the FastAccess page, if you enter your phone number in the availability box the Term option for $10/month does appear which is the one you need.
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Rams Head surprise
For my first night in Annapolis I went for dinner at my usual hangout, the Rams Head Tavern. As I waited for the staff to notice me (more than five minutes – service was terrible tonight), I glanced at the wall I was leaning on and saw a plaque which read:
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Carolina Wrens nesting nearby?
For the past few days I’ve consistently noticed Carolina Wrens flitting around the hiding places directly behind our house. While they’ve appeared at the feeder for three years now, they’ve always returned to a nest somewhere in the nearby woods. Until now, that is.
I’m guessing by their behavior that there’s now a nest hidden somewhere near my back door. I’m scratching my head as to exactly where it could be, as there aren’t a lot of hiding places for a nest, but the way they retreat behind what plants we do have rather than to the woods makes me think their home is very close to our home.
I love Carolina Wrens as the little birds have serious lungs on ’em. One of the cheerful little guys can practically wake a neighborhood.
Update: When I said “near my back door,” I didn’t expect it was literally right under it! Two wrens came flying out from under the deck when I walked out this afternoon. I haven’t peeked under there yet but I’ll bet money that there’s a nest under there.
Annapolis awaits
I’m off to Annapolis again today as I will be conducting product training tomorrow and Wednesday. Then its a trip back home Wednesday night to be ready for an 8 AM demo Thursday.
Fortunately we had a fun weekend so being away won’t be as hard as it could’ve been. Check wid’ ya later, yo.
Wolfpack beats Heels
Congrats to Coach Tom O’Brien and the N.C. State Wolfpack for holding off a gutsy Tar Heels team for a 31-27 win at Carter-Finley Stadium today. It was a nail-biter right to the end. Definitely a classic.
That’s four in a row, better than I expected O’Brien to do in his first season. Go Pack!