Flash Force 255 Bunker

Reaganite Republican: Biggest Small Navy in the World . . .

2012-01-18T06:57:00.000-08:00

Reaganite Republican: Biggest Small Navy in the World . . .

Images taken from same article. Amazing work and I must salute this guy!

Star Fleet Battles Artwork I Once Did

2012-01-16T20:34:00.000-08:00

I was wanting to get some artwork published by ADB/SFB but they never purchased any of my ink artworks back in the early 1980s. Back then, I was a college student who loved wargames and role-playing games. Be it AD&D, Traveller, or Star Fleet Battles.

I recently uncovered some of these artworks and had a friend scan them for me and they have now been uploaded to my Deviant Art gallery. See the links blow. On that website, I go by the handle of "Darth-Deviant."

These efforts were first done in light pencil, then I went back over the lines with ink.

Then movies like Star Wars came out followed by on tv such programs like Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers. It was a great time to be a fan of science fiction space opera.

___
Ref.
1. Deviantart.com. "Shuttlecraft Under Attack" by Darth-Deviant (aka shanksow, aka Don W. Shanks) 1983. ( http://darth-deviant.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4mm753 ).
2. Deviantart.com. "Star Fleet Battles Alien Warships" by Darth-Deviant ( http://darth-deviant.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4mm7hb )
3. Deviantart.com. "Star Fleet Battles Landing Party" by Darth-Deviant ( http://darth-deviant.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4mm6tw )

Reaganite Republican: Respectfully Urging TEA Party Republicans to Unite...

2012-01-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

Reaganite Republican: Respectfully Urging TEA Party Republicans to Unite...: Ron Paul will never win the nomination... neither will Santorum . It's Newt Gingrich ... or say 'hello' to President Romney...

Michele Bachmann Dropping Out?

2012-01-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

Michele Bachmann cancels South Carolina trip. In addition, Texas Governor Rick Perry is also cancelling his South Carolina and returning to Texas to reassess his future.

______

Ref.

1. ( http://www2.counton2.com/news/2012/jan/04/michell-bachmann-cancels-south-carolina-trip-ar-2980345/ ).

2. ( http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57351778-503544/rick-perry-reassessing-campaign/?tag=breakingnews ).

Out of This World Theme Brothel to go Operational

2011-12-30T19:23:00.000-08:00

This is one of those stories that just makes you kinda grin. Then shake your head in bemusement. And then for others, they get all disgusted with the very notice of sex for sell. But its making the rounds and what the hell, I decided to go ahead and post it on my blog as well. Any excuse to post sexy looking female aliens will not be passed up I have decided as a New Years resolution for 2012.

Seems like there is the brothel owner by the name of Dennis Hof who is age 65 and runs the Moonlite Bunny Ranch. He is friends with the infamous "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss who has been selected by Hof to design some of the costumes. Her "new" title is that of Chief Alien Design Queen.

The location for this Alien Cathouse is near the infamous Aera 51 which is 90 miles northwest of sin city.

And the type of clients Hof is hoping to attract to this new brothel? quote: The important details regarding the working women are still being hashed out, such as whether or not to paint the women green to resemble Orion Slave Girl characters from Star Trek.

However Hof tells CBS Las Vegas that for the clients he is reaching out “to everyone, all the Star Wars fans and Trekkies,” and cater to all flavors of geek fantasy. end quote.

Heck, he even wants to get Star Trek icon Captain James T. Kirk (aka William Shatner) to get onboard with the project.

___

Ref.

1. Las Vegas.cbslocal. "Science Fiction-Themed Brothel Opening Soon" December 29, 2011. (http://lasvegas.cbslocal.com/2011/12/29/science-fiction-themed-brothel-opening-soon/).

2. Orion Female image. Diora Baird(http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/sexy-doira-baird-is-a-slave-girl-these-are-new-star-trek-images.php).

3. Orion slave girls jpg (http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/File:Orion_slave_girls.jpg).

4. ebaumsworld. "Sexy Women Of Star Trek". Marina Sirtis, Terry Farrell, Jolene Blalock.

5. Wired. "Half-Naked Female Jedis, Coming Right Up in Clone Wars" by Scott Thill. January 15, 2009. (http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/01/half-naked-fema/). images from this article.

LORCS Field gets a Update

2011-12-26T17:15:00.001-08:00

The Lubbock RC Oddball Society is getting a face lift this Christmas season!

Ricky got himself a tractor and has been busy! From the pictures, one can see more dirt added to the "mountain with a tunnel in it." The "Ocean" is being dugged out. But next to the tank battlefield is a RC car/truck race course and that is located in between the north/south model airplane runway and the battlefield.

Plan is for a stand to be set up between the race track and the "ocean" for the models to watch their cars and or model boats.

Reaganite Republican: I Hereby Endorse Newt Gingrich for President of th...

2011-12-09T08:39:00.000-08:00

Reaganite Republican: I Hereby Endorse Newt Gingrich for President of th...

Being a follower of the Reaganite Republican blog, I found this article most interesting. Like the RR blog, I was hoping that Michele Bachmann would have done better than she has. Problems with her campaign staff maybe not supporting her enough, providing some new ideas for her to present to the American public, is the root problem with her. My state's governor Rick Perry shot himself too many times in the foot. Like Sarah Palin, he will have to step out of the political limelight for a election cycle to rebuild his image. Ron Paul has good ideas for the homeland, but his foreign policy ideas - I just cannot support.

As of this date, it looks to me that Newt Gingrich will be the GOP nominee for 2012. Newt has said that he wants former UN ambassador John Bolton to be his Secretary of State (that's good!). Now we just need to see who will become the second banana (i.e. the Vice President nominee). For that slot, I still have high hopes for either Michele Bachmann or Pick Perry.

Walk Through That Door by Madison Rising

2011-11-22T07:46:00.000-08:00

Discovered this music group from a link posted on The Jawa Report. Music video "Walk Through That Door" shows the sacrifice that our wonderful veterans go through to have that wonderful "Welcome Home Again" moment. Watch it and then check out the groups own website. Both links are posted below in the Ref. section.

On that website, you can listen to their new album and there is a section that shows the lyrics to each song. Below, are the lyrics to the song "Walking Through That Door" from their website. Video from YouTube below. Again, if you cannot view it on my blog, just go to YouTube to see it.

WALKING THROUGH THAT DOOR

We fell in love the moment we first met

And everything was perfect in our lives

But I'm a soldier and I wont forget

The call of duty came and I went with pride

I found myself over seas, just protecting the dreams that we have

And there’s’ nothing more important than giving all I have to give

I'm fighting for the things that I believe

Its time to go my country's calling me

Chorus:

When I go walking through that door

I'm leaving with my head held high

I'll serve my country through this war

But I'll come back with pride

When I got home after my tour was through

I couldn't wait to take her as my wife

I asked her father if he would approve

And he said "son give her a happy life"

I found my self overjoyed when she told me a baby boy, was on the way

But my face grew pale when I picked up the mail

And saw my second call of duty came

Still fighting for the things that I believe

Its time to go my country's calling me

Chorus

I love my family, but I serve my country

And I'll be the man who swore an oath to those above me

And I'll fight harder, and I won’t be martyred

And I'll make it home so all my children know me

Chorus

So all my children know me

I’ll come back alive

So all my children know me I’ll come back alive.

Watch the video. I dare you not to tear up.

There is another song on that album you should hear and those lyrics are below. It's entitled: In The Days That Reagan Ruled....

IN THE DAYS THAT REAGAN RULED

Searching in the distance

For a shining city on a hill

For I was told in days of old

That it would be there still

But what I see is killin’ me

It tears right at my soul

Just enemies of liberty

Now victims they are called

The people can’t communicate

No language as a glue

And the communists in Hollywood

Who tell you what to do

But things were so much different --

Chorus:

In The Days That Reagan Ruled

He was the Gipper, he had the knack

He took a bullet and he still came back

In The Days That Reagan Ruled!

He was an honest man with a simple dream

A dream we should hold true

When he met with Gorbachev, he stood firm and proud

Not like other men, who would’ve knelt down and bowed

All his rivals couldn’t stand the plot

But he destroyed our greatest enemy - without a single shot

Negotiate, yet dominate; peace through strength he’d say

No hostages he’d let you hold, not for a day

Things were so much different --

Chorus

California was still the Golden State

Our culture we could celebrate

Our First Lady still had some class

No race-baiters talking all of their trash

In The Days That Reagan Ruled

Things were so much different

In The Days That Reagan Ruled

Chorus

Tearing down an iron wall

Acting in his greatest role

Made all his critics look like fools

‘Cause even jelly beans were cool!

[Reagan VO fade…].

___

1. The Jawa Report. "Overnight Indie Conservative Jams" November 22, 2011. ( http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/210201.php ).

2. Madison Rising website. ( http://www.madisonrising.com/ )

Newt Gingrich-Understanding the Unexpected Rise of

2011-11-15T14:07:00.000-08:00

Newt Gingrich. Below is the link to the Reaganite Republican article about how he is still in the race and even gaining ground.

( Reaganite Republican: Understanding the Unexpected (and Unfunded) Rise o... )

WizKids Games Star Trek Fleet Captains Wargame

2011-11-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

I just heard about the new WizKids/NECA Star Trek based war game entitle: Star Trek Fleet Captains (STFC).

Designed by Mike Elliot and Ethan Pasternack, STFC is a stand alone strategic space exploration and ship-to-ship combat game.

Twenty four 3D HeroClix starship miniatures and 300 cards are included for game play. This game was released this past September.

The reason for my renewed interest in Star Trek space combat games was a friend asked to used my Star Trek minis for a demo game that was to be held in Abilene, Texas recently. When they were returned to me, I found out about the 'new' Starfleet Battles being produced in a joint venture between the Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc; and Mongoose Publication.

Their new miniature line would be made out of resin instead of metal and be slightly bigger than the original ones at 1/3788 scale. Star Fleet Miniatures have been sold by various vendors, mostly from Amarillo Design Bureau for the Star Fleet Battles and Federation Commander Games.

Quoting from starfleetgames.com website on the new line of miniatures: Under our joint venture with Mongoose, we will in November launch the new 2500 series which will be larger, have more detail, and will be done in resin instead of pewter. end quote. This series will correct some previous omissions, re-scale some of the ships (compared to each other), and make some changes that vary from subtle to profound. Check out the link below in the Ref section.

In my younger days, I enjoyed painting and collection the Star Trek miniatures from first, ADB, then later; the FASA Star Trek Starship Combat Simulator miniature line. Now the Wizkids version that is coming out is good news.

___

ref.

1. Wizkidsgames.com. "Star Trek Fleet Captains" ( http://wizkidsgames.com/startrek/star-trek-fleet-captains/ ).

2. Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc., the publisher of the Star Fleet Universe games. (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=S)

3. Starfleetgames.com (ADB related).

4. Starline 2500 miniatures line link (http://www.starfleetgames.com/Starline%202500.shtml).

Friends 1978 Triumph Spitfire Project

2011-10-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

My friend Ricky Taylor always come across these great vehicle deals. It was through him that I manage to get a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport. He drives around Lubbock in his (now yellow) 1985 Mercedes-Benz 500SL.

Today, he collected his latest project car - a 1978 Triumph Spitfire 1500. That's him posing next to the car while it is still in the trailer in front of his garage. His plans for this is to repaint it British racing green and to convert it over to electric power after finding a YouTube link. And all of us got to get our picture taken with us behind the steering wheel. Ricky Taylor, Tucker Mack, and myself (see top picture).

Some specifications for the Spitfire. Length - 83 inches, width - 57 inches. Height is 48 inches and has a curb weight of 1,568 pounds. The typical engine for this car was a 1,493 cc displacement motor is missing from this particular vehicle. The sportscar was designed by Giovanni Michelotti. The manufacturer was the Triumph Motor Company (also known as Leyland Motors).

Ricky had several Spitfires back in the past. As for me, I kinda like the Triumph TR 7/8. As well as Mercedes-Benz convertibles.

___

Ref.

1. Wikipedia. Triumph Spitfire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_Spitfire).

2. Left Coast Conversions ( www.leftcoastconversions.com )

Biggest Dust Storm for Lubbock in Decades!

2011-10-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

I could not believe what was about to strike us - a huge, old fashion Dust Storm. One that I have not seen since the late 1970s. In my younger days (i.e the 1960s-70s), I remember these big brown dust storms - but never lived through one that turned the sky literally 'black.' I remembered my parents telling me about that part of the dust storms from the 1930s.

Looking out one of the garage doors at Ricky's Auto Repair this afternoon, I was amazed. We had to close the doors and get everyone inside before the dust storm hit.

A strong cold front hit Lubbock county about 6pm. Visibility dropped down to between zero to less than a quarter of a mile. That zero visibility at the garage lasted about 2-3 minutes. Wind gusts as high as 74 mph.

The FAA had to evacuate the control tower at Lubbock International Airport and air traffic was directed from a backup control cneter on the ground floor.

Trees were toppled, roofs lost shingles. Rail road crossing gates bent. A small cargo plane was overturned at the airport.

The dust cloud was a by-product of the persistent drought in West Texas. Back on October 6th, the National Weather Service in Lubbock reported that there was a "high likelihood" that 2011 could be the driest on record across the South Plains.

With this blog post are some images that I took with my cell phone camera.

Ref.

1. News.yahoo.com. "Dust storm roils through Texas South Plains" October 17, 2011. (http://news.yahoo.com/dust-storm-roils-texas-south-plains-023536510.html). ***Yes, the article's title was mispelled by AP.

Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson and Bruce Willis in the next G.I. Joe Movie

2011-09-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

SEScoops posted back on June 27, 2011 that Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson has signed on to appear in the next G.I. Joe movie. There were a few pictures that were attached to that posting. His character will be known as Roadblock.

The second movie will be released next August (August 10, 2012). Jon Chu is at the helm again for this sequel, re-boot for the franchise.

Script writers are Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Aside from The Rock, Bruce Willis and Ray Stevenson will also appear in this movie. Channing Tatum should also be making a come back in this picture. Bruce Willis will take on the role of Joe Colton (i.e the ORIGINAL G.I. Joe).

Jonathan Pryce will reprise his role as the US President that Zartan (Arnold Vosloo) has replace at the end of the first movie.

___

Ref.

1. Reelz.com. G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation. (http://www.reelz.com/movie/276025/g-i-joe-2-retaliation/).

2. Screenrant. (http://screenrant.com/gi-joe-2-release-date-2-sandy-104604/).

3. IMDb.com. G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation (2012). (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1583421/).

4. Filmschoolrejects.com. "Bruce Willis Negotiating for 'G.I. Joe 2," Cobra Commander Panics" by Nathan Adams. August 10, 2011.(http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/bruce-willis-g-i-joe-2.php).

5. SEScoops.com. "The Rock Lands Role In GI Joe Movie, DDP On RAW, Seth Rollins" June 27, 2011. (http://www.sescoops.com/wrestling-news/wwe/the-rock-lands-role-in-gi-joe-movie-ddp-on-raw-seth-rollins/).

Hoffa Threatens GOP At Obama Event: "Take These Son Of Bitches Out"

2011-09-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

Hoffa Threatens GOP At Obama Event: "Take These Son Of Bitches Out"

Hoffa declares war on the Tea Party. So what would you guess if someone in the Tea Party came out and said the same thing about Unions? hmmmm?

9,000 year old proto-civilization discovered in Saudi Arabia

2011-08-26T20:31:00.000-07:00

Named after the site's location, the al-Maqar neolithic civilization is going to be challenging many theories about "when" civilization truely started.

Current theory is that 5,500 years ago, animals were domesticated. The al-Maqar civilization not only domisticated horses and other animals, but they also had arrowheads, scrapers, tools for spinning and weaving.

For more information, please visit the orignal Reuters article with the link below.

___

1. Reuters.com. "Saudi Arabia discovers 9,000 year-old civilization" by Asma Alsharif. August 24, 2011. ( http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/24/us-saudi-archaeology-idUSTRE77N5TL20110824 ).

Remote Controlled Truck Sent to Soldier in Afghanistan Saves 6 Soldiers' Lives - ABC News

2011-08-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

Remote Controlled Truck Sent to Soldier in Afghanistan Saves 6 Soldiers' Lives - ABC News

Quarter Scale Nieuport 28 - Being Painted Now

2011-07-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

This is the Nieuport 28 being painted by Tabitha Tinsley - age 14, who is also a radio control model airplane pilot. She is moving away from her trainer into larger models and the Nieuport was a gift from her father Patrick Tinsley.

She is in the process of doing a first class painting job as one can tell from these pictures that she and her father recently sent me.

When more pictures become available, they will be posted. Hopefully, this bird will take flight before the West Texas Warbirds event on August 6 & 7, 2011; in Abernathy, Texas.

They are basing the paint scheme on the American WW1 fighter pilot who had the first "shark's mouth" ever painted on a warplane I'm told. I will have to dig up the historical information and post that with this article at a future date.

Kerry spokesman stripped of Silver Star

2011-07-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Kerry spokesman stripped of Silver Star

Reaganite Republican: The Last Dog Ole Osama Ever Saw...

2011-07-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

Reaganite Republican: The Last Dog Ole Osama Ever Saw...: "Meet Cairo from SEAL Team Six Cairo -like most canine members of the elite U.S. Navy SEALs- is a Belgian Malinois ..."

Reaganite Republican: Proposed Cuts from The GOP This Session Would Save...

2011-07-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

Reaganite Republican: Proposed Cuts from The GOP This Session Would Save...: "• Corporation for Public Broadcasting Subsidy. $445 million annual savings..."

Marilyn Monroe Sculpture Drawing Controversy On Mag Mile « CBS Chicago

2011-07-15T22:40:00.000-07:00

Marilyn Monroe Sculpture Drawing Controversy On Mag Mile « CBS Chicago

The GOP horse race - Opinion - Macon.com

2011-07-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

The GOP horse race - Opinion - Macon.com

BIG RC model of Kawanishi H8K (Emily)

2011-07-14T21:14:00.001-07:00

I found this cool looking video on YouTube of a Japanese World War 2 flying boat known as the Kawanishi H8K (Emily).

The full scale aircraft had a wingspan 124.67 feet and a length of 92.29 feet. Height was 30 feet. Max speed was 290 mph and a range of 4,461 miles. Crew of 10 and powered by (4) Mitsubishi Kasei 22 radial engines - 14 cylinder heads producing 1,850 horse power each.

The video was uploaded to YouTube by one SkyCaPtainJP2008 on September 15, 2009. Reading in the comments section, the model flew twice before being disposed of - sad.

The same video also shows a big Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" twin engine bomber that had a accident on landing.

___

Ref.

1. Kawanishi H8K "Emily"( http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=594 )

2. YouTube ( http://youtu.be/jnWOqp_hyiY )

USS Lone Star Shuttle Work Day

2011-07-02T19:52:00.001-07:00

The following pictures were taken today to get our club's shuttlecraft ready to the 4th of July parade here in Lubbock, Texas.

The biggest part of this - and the focus of the pictures presented - is getting the insulation put in the ceiling and closing up the ceiling. Just doing this LOWERED the interior temperature by almost 20 degrees F! And it makes the craft look nicer too.

UPDATE July 5, 2011: Picture taken by fellow club member Alice Carey of their Ford F-150 pulling the "new" shuttlecraft in the parade.

Third Flight of My eRC B-25

2011-06-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

This is the third flight of my eRC B-25J from Hobby Lobby. This flight, the engine cowlings are mounted and I used the retracts in flight for the very first time.

The flight to place on the evening of June 21, 2011. Ricky Taylor was using my camera as I made this flight at the Lubbock Oddball RC Society (LORCS) airfield (i.e. Ricky's backyard).

It was a hairy take-off, I almost aborted when it finally broke ground and started climbing. It looks like one of the main landing gears did not retract fully.

The Youtube links are down in the ref section. Part one is the take-off. Part two is the landing.

Part One

Part Two

Starfleet Region 3 Summit Additional Pictures

2011-06-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

Another Summit is coming to a close now and I'm exhausted! And I didn't even attend the final Sunday events either.

I put on my uniform again for the dinner last night and over the next several days, I will upload several photographs that I took with my cellphone camera.

First up is my table assignment and dinner card. There was some singing at the start and at the end. In the middle, there was the Final Mission Ceremony. A salute to friends and family members who had passed away in the previous year.

The Starfleet Marine Corps conducted nurf combat patrols in the hotel all day.

Region 3 is a compilation of all the members and chapters of STARFLEET, the International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc. It covers both Texas and Louisiana.

___

Ref.

1. Flash255bunker blog. "The Spirit of Columbia Region 3 Summit" June 11, 2011. ( http://flash255bunker.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-fellow-ship-crew-members-of-uss.html ).

The Spirit of Columbia Region 3 Summit

2011-06-11T06:49:00.000-07:00

My fellow "Ship crew members" of the USS Lonestar are hosting this years Summit here i

n Lubbock, Texas-June 10 thru the 12th at the Radisson Hotel. Region 3 is a compilation of all the members and chapters of STARFLEET, the International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc. It covers both Texas and Louisiana.

Last night, I attended the Marine Corp Mess Dress and I got to try on my Star Trek II (Wrath of Khan era uniform). Taking a walk about the hotel, I saw oour club's shuttlecraft in the parking lot of the hotel and decided to take some pictures to post here on my blog. The shuttle is names "The Spirit of Columbia" after the second space shuttle accident.

Space Shuttle Endeavour Docker at ISS

2011-06-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

Posting picture just because its very cool looking. Picture was taken by Paolo Nespoli from the Russian Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft as it departed the space station on May 23rd.

Slaton Air Show 2011

2011-06-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

Rarely now days does anybody take any pictures of yours truly. So it came as a surprise that fellow WINGs Miniature Aircraft Society (WINGS MAS) club member Tom asked me to join him on a walk down the flight line - where we took each other's picture standing next to some warbirds.

Every year, the Slaton airport holds a airshow fly-in. This year, Wings MAS had a charity booth spot in the north hangar to hold a raffle of a ready to fly Hangar 9 P-51 PTS trainer with a transmitter, that was won by a young boy. The star attraction didn't show up -

a FW-190. Something to do with a broken cooling fan. Instead, I got to finally see a Hawker Sea Fury in the flesh (so to speak)! There was a fly-over of a C-47 done up in D-Day paint scheme. Turns out the the Silent Wings Museum at the Lubbock International Airport was holding a event the very same weekend!

Of course, no airshow with Warbirds is complete without a Tora, Tora, Tora re-enactment. So, I had my picture taken with both the Japanese Zero and the Japanese Kate Torpedo bomber. There was also the big yellow T-28 Trojan in US Navy paint scheme and carrying the noseart of "Maid in the USA."

When I get around to it, I'll update this posting with some additional pictures that I took of the Sea Fury.

UPDATE June 6, 2011: Here are the pictures that I took of the Airshow.

Texas TSA pat down ban may be back - The Hill's Transportation Report

2011-06-03T05:35:00.000-07:00

Texas TSA pat down ban may be back - The Hill's Transportation Report

Invent the REAL Tricorder for Next $10 Million Dollar X-Prize

2011-06-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

Doesn't matter what version of Star Trek you love. From TOS(i.e. The Original Series), through the movies and Next Generation era shows and back to the future with the prequel series Star Trek-Enterprise; there are certain elements that are common to all those shows.

The Tricorder was a plot device to help move the story on as a quick reference tools for Spock or Dr. McCoy. Now in the early years of the 21st century, we have our own communicators and Data PADDS (i.e. cell phones and computer tablets now). But we are still missing out on a fully functional Tricorder.

Here is where the X Prize Foundation and Qualcomm joined up to develope a new competition to enhance health care. The Tricorder X-Prize intends to extend the reach of health information and to provide more services to more people.

Quote: The collaboration between the X PRIZE Foundation and Qualcomm will bring together experts in technology usability, wireless sensors, cloud computing and mobile health to accelerate the convergence of these fields. The winning tool will enable consumers in any location to quickly and effectively assess health conditions, determine if they need professional help and answer the question, "What do I do next?" End Quote.

Quote: Eugene Wesley "Rod" Roddenberry, Jr., son of Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry, commented, "It is great to see two amazing organizations -- the X PRIZE Foundation and Qualcomm -- bring the technology of Star Trek to life and make the Tricorder a reality for people everywhere." End Quote.

For greater details, just copy and paste the link below.

___

Ref.

1. Commercial Space Watch. "X-Prize and Qualcomm Announce $10 Million Tricorder Prize" press release. May 27, 2011.(http://www.comspacewatch.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=33698).

2. Star Trek (in all its forms). Tricorder reference.

New Egyptian Pyramids Discovered by Infra-Red Satellite Images.

2011-05-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

Seventeen lost pyramids and buildings have been discovered in new infra-red images of Egypt in the Saqqara (Sakkara) region. This is the location of the famous city of Tanis.

US Egyptologist Dr. Sarah Parcak confirmed news reports of the new discoveries. More than 1,000 tombs and about 3,000 ancient settlements were also revealed by the satellite survey.

The satellite is in orbit about 700 kilometers in altitute, and the onboard camera can locate objects of about one meter in size. The use of Infra-red imaging to highlight different materials under the surface.

Ancient Egyptians built their buildings out of mud brick. A material that is denser than the soil that surrounds it.

All this material will be presented in a new documentary enttitled Egypt's Lost Cities.

___

Ref.

1. BBC. "Egyptian pyramids found by infra-red satellite images" by Frances Cronin. May 24, 2011. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13522957).

Last Flight of my PC-9

2011-05-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

Hello blogverse-

I just lost my one and only glow engine powered radio control model airplane today. Seagull Models semi-scale PC-9.

I was having my friend Ricky fly the model while I shot the video.

My eRC B-25 Flight Videos

2011-05-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

These videos were shot on May 7th this year at the Lubbock Oddball RC Society flying site of my eRC B-25J that comes form Hobby Lobby.

On the maiden flight, I flew without the engine cowlings on the engine nacelles. I wanted max cooling air to reach both motors and ESCs.

LORCS Battlefield Gets Some Street Lights

2011-04-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well, some of us are getting the itch to get back to work on the RC Tank battlefield. Today, we did some cleaning of of junk. Planned on using some concrete blocks to make some buildings for the city. That way, we don't have to keep picking up and carrying in the buildings once the day's fighting is done.

Finally, Wal-Mart had some real inexpensive solar power yard lights ($1.00 each!). I bought the first six and then later, Ricky purchased aobut 10-12 more and we set them up along the bridge and the main roads in the french town. The pictures to the left here show two daylight snapshots with the solar power light posts set up and in the middle picture, two concrete blocks joined together to form a future building - a store of some kind maybe? The final, nighttime picture shows how effective the lighting is for the battlefield.

The pictures with this post were taken from my new cellphone camera, a Sony Ericsson Xperia. I then email the pictures to myself for eventual use in this blog.

Ninja Robots by Lockheed Martin. What will they come up next?

2011-04-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY have something of interest to post on this blog for April...

You will have to read the full article, but Lockheed Martin is working on some non-flying robots for the military. For jobs such as surveillance or dropping off a payload of some kind.

In the article, this prototype robot looks more like a radio control race car than what the title of the article said (i.e. Ninja). Pictured at left is a image download off of the Internet showing Sony's Robo Pets playing soccer in the RoboCup Japan Open in Osaka, Japan.

___

Ref.

1. Christian Science Monitor. "Lockheed Martin developing ninja robots" by Jason Schreier. April 15, 2011. (http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/0415/Lockheed-Martin-developing-ninja-robots).

2. Image with article. Sony's pet robots playing soccer in the RoboCup Japan Open in Osaka, Japan. photo by Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP.

Funny Story: Installing a Husband

2011-03-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a funny little story for the ladies out there to enjoy....

INSTALLING A HUSBAND

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a
Distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower
and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as
Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable
programs such as NBA 5.0, NFL 3.0 and Hunting 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the
system.

Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but
to no avail.

What can I do?

Signed,
Desperate
----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEAR DESPERATE,

First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while
Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html and try to download Tears 6.2
and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update. If that application
works as designed, Husband1.0 should then automatically run the applications
Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to
default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1. Please note
that Beer 6. 1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and
Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1..0.
(it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all
your system resources.)

In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program.
These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory
and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying
additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend: Cooking
3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck!

Tech Support

I hope that you enjoyed reading that. Written by someone by the name of Anonymous. Man, he/she/it does a lot of posting on the internet thats for sure!

Foam RC Harrier Jumpjet

2011-03-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

I never heard of Guanli as a rc model kit manufactuer until this year when I kept checking out websites such as Nitro Planes and Banana Hobby.

This is now something that I want to get ahold of sometime this year. And I would love to be able to modify it to do what you can see it doing in the video below.

It appears that there is a foam kit of the British Harrier jump jet out there and one individual has manage to figure out a way to make it take off and land vertical. And from the video, its using (4) brushless lifting motors. The type that are used in small, indoor flying helicopters. He also has three gyros and sensors.

Japan Quake Before/After Images. Possible Reactor Meltdown Taking Place

2011-03-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

On ABC.net, there was a photo article that has before and after aerial images of the region following this huge earthquake disaster.

Andrew Kesper used Google map images to create this report. Please visit the website link below to view these pictures.

Then this report from Michelle Malkin.com about possible nuclear reactor meltdown taking place at the Fukushima #1 reactor.

Then there is this third Tsunami earthquake news item I came across. Video of the tsunami hitting the Sendai Airport. The Sendai airport is in the Miyagi Prefecture, in the northeast area of Japan. This puts it close to the epicenter of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that sparked the tsunami. Any airplanes that were on the tarmac were either cover up by the water or washed away by the tsunami.

While it is a small airport, it has been heavily damaged and it has caused the Japanese government to cut back or even halt all Transpacific flights for now.

___

Ref.

1. ABC.net.au "Japan Earthqake: before and after" by Andrew Kesper.(http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm).

2. Michelle Malkin.com. March 12, 2011. (http://michellemalkin.com/2011/03/12/horror-possible-nuclear-meltdown-in-quake-stricken-japan-residents-evacuated/).

3. Newsfeed Time. "Video: Tsunami Waves Flood Japan's Sendai Airport" by Eric Skarda. March 13, 2011.(http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/03/11/video-tsunami-waves-flood-japans-sendai-airport/).

My Seagull Models PC-9 First Test Flight

2011-02-21T20:49:00.000-08:00

Well, here is the video of my Seagull Models PC-9 first test flight. February 19, 2011, on the Lubbock Oddball RC Society (LORCS) flying field.

While Ricky got most of the flight, he missed the landing. The PC-9 caught a clump of grass on the edge of the runway and it ripped out my right main landing gear. Its in the process of being repaired now.

Alien Tequila - UFO/Drink Marketing on YouTube

2011-02-19T06:32:00.000-08:00

I just came across some very interesting YouTube videos promoting of all things, a type of Tequila.

There are two "films" plus a review by a couple that do Tequila reviews.

Now, I'm not one of those wine tasters type of alcohol followers. I may take a sip of wine at a social event. Or at a bar, have a mixed drink such as a screwdriver or a shot of schnapps. And I STAY AWAY from Tequilas that have worms in the bottle! That's just me. I post these videos here simple because they are fun looking.

By the way, I have not sample this Alien Tequila. I may go to a liquor store just to see if I can spot this and see how much it costs to purchase. IF I do, I'll post a update here on my findings.

Right-wing bloggers handicap the 2012 GOP Presidential Field.

2011-02-18T07:20:00.000-08:00

I came across this little article and thought that I would share it here.

Disclaimer: I love Sarah Palin - but she is TOO damaged for a run at the White House in 2012 in my personal oponion. Of the dark horse candidates in the below poll, I really like Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain.

Here is the poll results.

Right Wing News polled more than 250 right-of-center bloggers on which candidate they'd support if the 2012 Republican primaries were today. The following 63 bloggers responded:

101 Dead Armadillos, Alexa Shrugged, All American Blogger, All That Is Necessary, Argghhhh!, Bad Example, Betsy's Page, Blackfive, Bookworm Room, Cara Ellison, Cassy Fiano, Conservative Compendium, Considerettes, Danny Carlton, Dispatches From Blogblivion, Ed Driscoll, Fingers Malloy, Flopping Aces, Freeman Hunt, GOPUSA Northeast, GayPatriot, Gina Cobb, Guardian Watchblog, Hoosier Access, House of Eratosthenes, IMAO, Infidels Are Cool, Jenn Q. Public, John Hawkins, Little Miss Attila, Mean Ol Meany, Midnight Blue, Moonbattery, Mount Virtus, Musing Minds, Newsreal, Nice Deb, No Oil For Pacifists, No Runny Eggs, Patriot Room, Patterico's Pontifications, Pirates Man Your Women!, Pundit Boy, Pursuing Holiness, Rachel Lucas, Right View from the Left Coast, Rightosphere, Russ. Just Russ, Snark and Boobs, Solomonia, SondraK, The Anchoress, The Campaign Spot, The New Ledger, The Other McCain, The TrogloPundit, The Underground Conservative, The Virtuous Republic, This Ain't Hell, Weapons of Mass Discussion, Wintery knight, Wyblog, YidwithLid

Here are the results.

Which of the following candidates would you like to see as the Republican Party's presidential nominee in 2012?

13) Donald Trump: 0% (0 votes)

13) Rick Santorum: 0% (0 votes)

13) Rick Perry: 0% (0 votes)

13) Ron Paul: 0% (0 votes)

13) Gary Johnson: 0% (0 votes)

13) Jon Huntsman: 0% (0 votes)

13) Rudy Giuliani: 0% (0 votes)

13) Newt Gingrich: 0% (0 votes)

9) John Thune: 1.6% (1 vote)

9) Mitt Romney: 1.6% (1 vote)

9) Mike Huckabee: 1.6% (1 vote)

9) Haley Barbour: 1.6% (1 vote)

7) Jeb Bush: 3.2% (2 votes)

7) Michele Bachmann: 3.2% (2 votes)

5) John Bolton: 6.3% (4 votes)

5) Tim Pawlenty: 6.3% (4 votes)

3) Herman Cain: 11.1% (7 votes)

3) Mitch Daniels: 11.1% (7 votes)

2) Sarah Palin: 15.9% (10 votes)

1) Chris Christie: 36.5% (23 votes)

Which of the following candidates is your SECOND CHOICE for the Republican Party's presidential nominee in 2012?

16) Ron Paul: 0% (0 votes)

16) Gary Johnson: 0% (0 votes)

16) Jon Huntsman: 0% (0 votes)

16) Mike Huckabee: 0% (0 votes)

16) Rudy Giuliani: 0% (0 votes)

14) Donald Trump: 1.6% (1 vote)

14) Rick Santorum: 1.6% (1 vote)

11) John Thune: 3.2% (2 votes)

11) Newt Gingrich: 3.2% (2 votes)

11) Mitt Romney: 3.2% (2 votes)

8) John Bolton: 4.8% (3 votes)

8) Jeb Bush: 4.8% (3 votes)

8) Michele Bachmann: 4.8% (3 votes)

7) Haley Barbour: 7.9% (5 votes)

5) Rick Perry: 9.5% (6 votes)

5) Herman Cain: 9.5% (6 votes)

2) Tim Pawlenty: 11.1% (7 votes)

2) Mitch Daniels: 11.1% (7 votes)

2) Chris Christie: 11.1% (7 votes)

1) Sarah Palin: 12.7% (8 votes)

Here are the numbers for each candidate if you add up how many first AND second choice votes they received.

17) Ron Paul: (0 votes)

17) Gary Johnson: (0 votes)

17) Jon Huntsman: (0 votes)

17) Rudy Giuliani: (0 votes)

14) Donald Trump: (1 vote)

14) Rick Santorum: (1 vote)

14) Mike Huckabee: (1 vote)

13) Newt Gingrich: (2 votes)

11) John Thune (3 votes)

11) Mitt Romney: (3 votes)

10) Jeb Bush (5 votes)

9) Michele Bachmann: (5 votes)

7) Rick Perry: (6 votes)

7) Haley Barbour: (6 votes)

6) John Bolton: (7 votes)

5) Tim Pawlenty: (11 votes)

4) Herman Cain: (13 votes)

3) Mitch Daniels: (14 votes)

2) Sarah Palin: (18 votes)

1) Chris Christie: (30 votes)

Which of the following candidates would you like to see as the Republican Party's presidential nominee in 2012? (No Palin, No Christie)

16) Gary Johnson: (0 votes)

16) Jon Huntsman: (0 votes)

16) Rudy Giuliani: (0 votes)

11) Newt Gingrich: 1.6% (1 vote)

11) Mike Huckabee: 1.6% (1 vote)

11) Donald Trump: 1.6% (1 vote)

11) Ron Paul: 1.6% (1 votes)

11) Rick Santorum: 1.6% (1 votes)

10) John Thune: 3.2% (2 votes)

8) Jeb Bush: 4.8% (3 votes)

8) Haley Barbour: 4.8% (3 votes)

7) Mitt Romney: 6.5% (4 votes)

6) Tim Pawlenty: 8.1% (5 votes)

5) Rick Perry: 9.7% (6 votes)

3) John Bolton: 11.3% (7 votes)

3) Michele Bachmann: 11.3% (7 votes)

2) Herman Cain: 14.5% (9 votes)

1) Mitch Daniels: 17.7% (11 votes)

Which of the following dark horse candidates do you find the most appealing as a potential GOP POTUS Candidate?

9) Ron Paul: 1.6% (1 votes)

8) Gary Johnson: 1.6% (1 votes)

6) Rick Santorum: 3.2% (2 votes)

6) Donald Trump: 3.2% (2 votes)

5) Jon Huntsman 4.8% (3 votes)

4) Rudy Giuliani: 9.5% (6 votes)

3) Michele Bachmann: 15.9% (10 votes)

2) John Bolton: 19% (12 votes)

1) Herman Cain: 41.3% (26 votes)

Link below is from the actual website the poll was posted at.

___

Ref.

1. Right Wing News. "Polling Conservative Bloggers On The GOP’s 2012 Presidential Field" by John HawkinsFebruary 18, 2011.

Where Did the phrase "piss poor" come from?

2011-02-01T06:47:00.000-08:00

My friend Alice sent out one of her History lesson emails today. We are part of the same local Star Trek club (the USS Lonestar), both of us are members of Starfleet-The International Star Trek Fan Association. I wanted to share it with the blogosphere.

Begin text:

Interesting History

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery........if you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor"

But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot.......they "didn't have a pot to piss in" & were the lowest of the low

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be.

Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June.. However, since they were starting to smell...

Brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting Married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it.. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!"

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof...

Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, "Dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside.

A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire.. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme: Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old. Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special.

When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust. Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days.

Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.

And that's the truth..... Now, whoever said History was boring!!!

So...get out there and educate someone! ~~~ Share these facts with a friend.

End text.

Solar System Map to the Twelve Colonies of Kobol

2011-01-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

Just came across this bit of news about Battlestar Galactica. A map of the solar system of the Twelve Colonies design by BG writer Jane Espenson and science advisor Kevin Grazier. Actual artwork done by Geoffrey Mandel.

First of all, the map is a work of art and is very beautiful. so much detail to try and soak up. Another thing - since it comes from the staff of the tv series Caprica; its now cannon. This is the OFFICIAL map of the colonies at the time of the start of the Battlestar Galactica movie/tv series.

Quoting from the io9 article about the map:

Not only is this map a thing of great beauty, but it's totally official — Grazier was science advisor for Battlestar Galactica from the very beginning, and helped to define a lot of the show's concepts. And Espenson, as the original showrunner for the prequel series Caprica, had to do a lot of thinking about exactly how the Twelve Colonies were laid out. This info comes straight from the creators — and from the showrunner's bible for BSG and Caprica. And Grazier, who works at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, verifies that the info in this map is "scientifically plausible." It was created by Hollywood graphic designer Geoffrey Mandel, who made countless adjustments as the technical data underwent scrutiny.

We're excited to present an exclusive high-res image of the map, which sells for $14.95 from Quantum Mechanix and measures 27" by 39". This is one item that should definitely be on your Dradis.

We asked Espenson and Grazier some questions about the map, and they ended up telling us a lot more about the science and backstory of Battlestar Galactica:

I didn't realize there were four different stars in the Cyrannus star system. I had always wondered if there were just 12 habitable planets clustered around a single sun. Where did the idea of four different stars come from? Was this in the show bible someplace? I'm especially curious about Leonis, the "heart of the colonies," which I don't think we ever heard about. Also, Scorpion, the "playground of the colonies." Is that the colonial version of Risa?

Jane(Espenson): Even back before Caprica the show existed, I believe Kevin and I had talked a bit about the configuration of the colonies. All the work on that is his. I instinctively loved the idea of a star cluster. The idea of 12 habitable planets all orbiting one star just seemed unworkable. And crowded. This group of stars makes so much sense. Kevin was at work on the configuration of stars and planets long before we shot a single frame.

Kevin(Grazier): Indeed, the instant Ron hired me on BSG, I was so excited, I went home, read the series bible and the first two scripts for "33" and "Water", then proceeded to hack out a document on the astronomy of the Twelve Colonies – how might we get twelve habitable planets in one star system (which is stated in Ron's series bible).

I (Charlie Jane Anders) suggested that either the Twelve Colonies are spread across a couple neighboring stars at the edge of a star cluster, OR that they were orbiting a multiple star system like Castor (six stars in three binary pairs), or a summer target well-known to amateur astronomers, Epsilon Lyrae (the famous double-double star). The latter became our touchstone for the star system that supported the planets of the Twelve Colonies. end quote.

There you go - a guide to what was once the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Now in control of the Cylons!

____

Ref.

1. io9.com by Charlie Jane Anders.(http://io9.com/5742034/a-detailed-map-of-battlestar-galacticas-twelve-colonies)

2. Quantum Mechanix (http://store.qmxonline.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Map-of-the-12-Colonies_p_119.html).

Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome Prequel series!

2011-01-21T20:32:00.000-08:00

This is one of the problems living like I do without satellite or cable tv at one's beck and call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

While researching on how the live action Space Cruiser Yamato movie did in December 2010 when it was released, I came across a post about Battlestar Galactica will have ANOTHER prequel series. Link is posted below in the Ref section.

Basically, the story centers on a young 20 something Ensign William Adama in the First Cylon War. The story picks up in the tenth year of that conflict, and he (Adama); has just been posted to the newest battlestar in the Colonial fleet - The Galactica. No word as of yet if Nico Cortez, who played the young Adama from the "Razor" TV movie, will be in this new series or not.

Like the original, the first story of this new series will start off with a two hour pilot film. Expected release date at the end of 2011 or early 2012.

___

Ref.

1. Collider.com "SyFy Greenlights Prequel BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: BLOOD & CHROME" by Brendan Bettinger. October 23, 2010. (http://collider.com/battlestar-galactica-blood-and-chrome-david-eick/56259/).

2. io9.com "" (http://io9.com/5715410/first-concept-art-from-battlestar-galacticas-next-prequel-series-blood-and-chrome).

3. blastr.com concept artworks shown. (http://blastr.com/2010/12/-concept-art-from-battles1s.php#3)

USS Cheyenne Operations Manual & YouTube Video Discovery

2011-01-16T08:31:00.001-08:00

Since I published my book about the fictional starship U.S.S. Cheyenne back in 1995, I've always tried to keep a eye out for anything relating to that ship. I'm still trying to figure out what happened to all those 16 years in between!

Over those years, someone will usually seek me out requesting if they can purchase a copy of my book from my reserve stock. Well, first off - I don't have a reserve stock to sell. I just have my own personal copy that's been marked up with needed corrections and one unmarked copy if I ever do manage to come up with the money to do another print run.

But with Print on Demand publishing now available for the past several years, I am getting the itch to get my book back into publication again. Question now becomes if I should just print off an exact copy or add to it.

Add to that, when I originally did that book, not a lot was known about the special effects model that was built for the Wolf 359 battle scene with the Borg. After the book came out, there were major differences between it and what I interpret from viewing the video tape of the show I made - over and over again. Gawd - remember video tape! Now we have screen capture and can burn to DVD disc whatever we want! The major differences from my drawing and what really was built was the pylons off the much shorter dorsal/ventral necks were straighter. No graceful curves.

The book was done with my Apple LCIII computer using Canvas 3.5 drawing software and the book layout was Adobe PageMaker version 5 or 6 if I remember correctly. Over the years, I was more or less able to keep pace and upgrade my systems until Apple switched over to the Intel chip. Now I work off of a laptop using Windows Vista-and I am not able to recover the majority of my artwork off my floppy discs and transfer them over to a CD for archive storage.

Now we have 3d cgi software programs that people are making their own fan base movies (re: Star Trek: Phase II anybody?). Anyway, its Sunday morning and I did a Google search for USS Cheyenne and discovered this YouTube video someone created. It is of the saucer separation maneuver for this class of vessel.

And for those of you who looked me up over the years asking about getting your own copy of the USS Cheyenne Operations Manual. First off, a big THANK YOU! Second, I hope with Print on Demand technology, a new, revised Manual can be produced. No promises for this year. But hopefully before the 20th Anniversary of its original printing a way can be found to put it back into print again.

eRC B-25J Mitchell Bomber Model Airplane

2011-01-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

This is a amazing kit. Receiver ready basically. All I have to do as glue the wings on and program

my radio. Well... there is more to do than just that of course.

I finally got it out of "lay-a-away" from my local hobby ship on December 31, 2010. While only $300 bucks, paying a little bit at a time and then when a emerengy comes up, having to put off a payment for a month or two. Well, buying the model took longer than I thought it would back when I first started paying money down on it back in May of 2010.

But anyho... Today was a fine day and since I now have a "workshop" over at my friend's place, I finally had time to look this model over and start to put it together.

I other previous experience with eRC came in the form of the Ready to Fly (RTF) Spitfire. But the B-25J that I am now working on is from a different company - but Hobby Lobby markets this product under its' eRC brand. Made out of EPO foam, its fuselage length is 41 inches. Wingspan is 53.25 inches giving a wing area of 356 square inches. Five channels are needed (Alieron, Elevator, Rudder, Retracts, Throttle). It even has working navigation lights.

Now, my model comes with the 20 Amp speed control. The newer kits come with the 30 Amp ESC. The bomber is done up as the "Apache Princess." The real B-25 did not have counter-rotating 3-blade props - but this kit is set up for that to make it more stabe for brand new multi-engine flyers. Power is provided by the 3-cell 2200 mAh LiPo battery. The kit even comes with its own charger.

To guide this model through the air, I now have a JR 10sxII transmitter (a older version of the 10X transmitter to be sure). Its going to be on 72Mhz for right now. Someday I hope I can afford the 2.4GHz module that can connect to this readio.

On the day that I am writing this post, I managed to shoe-horm all the wiring from each wing into the fuselage and glue the wings in place. My biggest complaint thus far on this model is HOW the wings mate to the fuselage.

It would have been nice if this model had also been designed to include a working bomb bay. Because then it would have been easier to get both wire sets from each wing and to organize them better than the small foam hatch on the bottom of the fuse ahead of the bomb bay.

In the process of this build, I am planning on getting a camera for FPV video taking some time in the future. So my thinking is to make the glass nose removable and putting the camera in there when ready.

And if this model can survive my first test flights of it, then I will have something to fly with at our local club's 2011 Warbird event later this year.

UPDATE (March 23, 2011): Its all put together now. Just need a few odds and ends like making the front bombardier nose removable to allow me to stick a small FPV camera up front if I ever get one of those key chain video cameras. Anyway, here is a picture of it up on its landing gear sitting on th dirt runway of the Lubbock Oddball RC Society (LORCS).

___

Ref. Hobby Lobby website (http://www.hobby-lobby.com/b25_apache_princess.htm). pictures taken from same source.

The Bosnian Pyramids

2010-12-30T06:33:00.000-08:00

Recently, Dr. Sam Osmanagich appeared on Coast to Coast AM radio program to talk about his discovery of what is being called the Bosnian Pyramids. He even went so far to write a book; The Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun.

This term has been applied to a collection of natural geological formations near the town of Visoko, which is northwest of Sarajevo.

Now, going by what was posted in Wikipedia, scientists still state that there are no pyramids there. Calling such claims as a "Cruel hoax on an unsuspecting public."

The 700 foot tall hill known as Visocica hill is refer to by Dr. Sam Osmanagich as the "Pyramid of the Sun", and two nearby hills, identified from satellite and aerial photography, as the "Pyramid of the Moon" and the "Pyramid of the (Bosnian) Dragon." Plus another two, one of which is named the "Pyramid of the Earth", have been mentioned in Osmanagich's reports). Geologists point out that the "pyramid" forms that Osmanagich are pointing out are natural. In the U.S., such formations are referred to as 'flatirons.' There are hundreds of them in the US, and in Russia, China, etc.

Quoting the Wekipedia article: On 8 May 2006, members of the Geological team investigating Visočica on behalf of the Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation held a press conference in Tuzla to present the results of their research. The academics, from the Faculty of Mining and Geology at the University of Tuzla and led by Professor Dr. Vrabac, concluded that the hill is a natural geological formation, made of clastic sediments of layered composition and varying thickness, and that its shape is a consequence of endodynamical and exodynamical processes in the post-Miocene era.

According to Professor Vrabac, who specializes in paleogeology, there are dozens of similar morphological formations in the Sarajevo-Zenica mining basin alone. The Geological team report on Visocica, based on the data collected in six drill holes at 3 to 17 metre depths, is supported by the Research and Teaching Council of the Faculty of Mining and Geology, as well as the Association of Geologists of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. end quote.

What is the real meaning of this discovery of Dr. Osmanagich, is what it means for prehistory. These pyramids are much bigger and older than the Pyramids of Giza and may date back to about 32,000 BC which per dates every human made structure on the planet by about 27,000 years.

But, Dr. Sam Osmanagich has a lot of "baggage" to overcome. I am quoting a article from the smithsonian magazine (online) here: His views of world history—described in his books published in Bosnia—are unconventional. In The World of the Maya, which was reprinted in English in the United States, he writes that "Mayan hieroglyphics tell us that their ancestors came from the Pleiades....first arriving at Atlantis where they created an advanced civilization." He speculates that when a 26,000-year cycle of the Maya calendar is completed in 2012, humankind might be raised to a higher level by vibrations that will "overcome the age of darkness which has been oppressing us." In another work, Alternative History, he argues that Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders escaped to a secret underground base in Antarctica from which they did battle with Adm. Richard Byrd's 1946 Antarctic expedition.

"His books are filled with these kinds of stories," says journalist Vuk Bacanovic, one of Osmanagich's few identifiable critics in the Sarajevo press corps. "It's like a religion based on corrupted New Age ideology." end quote.

Anyway, the reader can check out the links below or Google the Bosnian Pyramids for many articles on this subject.

___

Ref.

1. Wikipedia, Bosnian Pyramids (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnian_pyramids).

2. Bosnian Pyramid website(http://www.bosnianpyramid.com/).

3. Attainable Mind blog(http://www.attainablemind.com/2010/02/bosnian-pyramids-biggest-and-oldest-on.html).

4. Smithsonian Magazine(http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/The-Mystery-of-Bosnias-Ancient-Pyramids.html).

A Klingon Christmas Carol on Stage!

2010-12-23T05:55:00.000-08:00

A Chicago stage production of Charles Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol" with a Star Trek twist - spoken in Klingon! A poster states to the public "Scrooge has no honour, nor any courage."

Klingon ( or "thingan Hol" in that language) was developed back in 1984 by linguist Marc Okrand when Star Trek III: The Search for Spock."

The miserly alien warrior known as SQuja' (aka Scrooge) is visited by three holiday ghosts during the Klingon Feast of the Long Night.

The play itself was written by Christopher O. Kidder and Sasha Walloch.

For more details, go ahead and click on the link info below.

___

Ref.

1. The Telegraph. "Klingon Christmas Carol brought to the stage" December 23, 2010. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8215826/Klingon-Christmas-Carol-brought-to-the-stage.html).

Starfleet Bridge Bunnies Drawing

2010-12-13T07:11:00.000-08:00

A little something something that my friend Syd gave me over this past weekend (which happened to be my 51st birthday!). In both ink and in color. This is the link to his gallery on Deviant-art.com (http://stridersyd.deviantart.com/). So please take the time and visit his website.

There I am in the Captain's chair of my own starship. Surrounded by lovely ladies (aka Bridge Bunnies. A term taken from a different sci-fi universe known as Macross/Robotech). The expression "Its good to be Captain." comes to mind.

My friend Syd has made some great character drawings of me in the past. In fact, I used one of his Robotech drawings with me in the cockpit of a veritech fighter as the header for my other blog: Aerospace,Technology, Paranormal, and UFO News (http://aerospacedreams.blogspot.com/).

I also have a deviant-art website (http://darth-deviant.deviantart.com/) if you would like to take a look at some of my own meager artwork over there.

Additional Space Cruiser Yamato Clips!

2010-12-11T19:09:00.000-08:00

Found some more Space Cruiser Yamato clips on YouTub. This one here has some extended scenes from the launching of the great ship to face off a attack from the aliens! The first use of the Wave Motion Cannon!

Space Cruiser Yamato-Road Show video found!

2010-12-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

Here is a very interesting YouTube clip I found dealing with the Space Cruiser Yamato live-action movie release (should have already taken place by now).

Anyway, if you have problems with the video on my blog, just view it on YouTube direct.

RC Model Airplane Flying Over New York

2010-12-04T20:55:00.000-08:00

RC model airplane flying over New York City. Here is the link (http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/12/how-a-rc-airplane-buzzed-the-statue-of-liberty-with-no-arrests.ars).

Demise of My F-6F Hellcat Model

2010-12-02T07:10:00.000-08:00

It only lasted for four flights.

It was a small, made out of foam; scale model of the US. Navy's F-6F Hellcat from World War Two. It was a gift from several radio control modelers that I know trying to get me back into the hobby again. Electric power, four channels (throttle, rudder, aileron, and elevator) for control. I never got around to putting any numbers on the fuselage side (like that shown with the accompanying photograph here), just the "star and bars" on the wings and fuse.

The first three flights were really little hops. The speed controller kept over heating and shutting the system down. The resulting crash landings were repairable. The last flight with a different battery acted like it went suddenly tail heavy. Two minutes later with the Hellcat looping all over the sky finally impacted the earth and the foam wing exploded and the fuselage crushed up like a beer can.

Only thing now is to salvage what parts I can from the wreck. Wait until I can save up enough money for a new model - and do it all over again.

The thing about RC model airplanes is that you cannot be afraid to crash them. Your goal is to "put" off the crash for as long as one can get away with. Sometimes, it happens on the very first flight. Then sometimes, after ten years of faithful service, you sell the model to somebody else; and they crash it on their first flight.

Thats just part of the hobby I guess.

More Construction of LOTS Battlefield

2010-11-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

Here are some more new construction pictures that I took today. We focus mainly on digging out the harbor section and moving the freshly dug earth over to the "mountains" to extend a road to make a more gentle sloping road that leads from the tunnel.

Soaking the ground with water first, and then running a tiller (with a brand new engine on it) over it. From that point on, its using a shovel and a wheel barrow.

Also, with the aid of some photo software, I can now show how the "harbor" will look like. The harbor is on the north side of the model "French" port city we are building.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy2SNonKsek)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SSUYKIGLp4.

Buildings and Roads for LOTS Battlefield

2010-11-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

L.O.T.S. = Lubbock Oddball Tankers Society.

The fellows have asked me to showcase some of the progress that has been made over the past 3-4 weeks. The pictures here are of the roads/footpaths being poured. Some more images of the bridges and some of the buildings that have been built so far.

From Top to Bottom-

1. Ricky's bridge going over the main river.

2. Tim near the center of town with his 'tavern' to the left of the main road and Ricky's 'store' to the right of the road and near the future center of town where there are plans to have a little fountain.

3. The forest made from old artificial Christmas trees.

4. My 'farm house' made out of foam board and Popsicle sticks for the window coverings and door. Still under construction.

5. A very simple small bridge I built using two center tile blocks and garden paving stones for the bridge and garden edging stones for the bridge sides.

Commemorative Air Force Airshow Images

2010-10-31T19:48:00.000-07:00

Just some images I finally got around to posting from the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) airshow in Midland, Texas, back on October 9, 2010. It was good to see the B-29 FiFi flying again! All the pictures I'm posting on this blog are ones that I took that day. By the way, that is me standing next to the business end of the A-10 Warthog!

Top 10 Low Pass Flybys of All Time

2010-10-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

The title says it all.

Star Trek Phase II-What it Would Have Looked Like

2010-10-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

Star Trek Phase II - the tv series that never happened. Someone has now done some cgi work of what that U.S.S. Enterprise would have looked like.

This is the YouTube link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-at54tjZzw)

RC Tank Warfare - A New Part of the Hobby for Me

2010-09-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

It just takes one person to start a chain reaction.

Friend Keith decided to pick up a 1/16th scale Tiger I tank. After all the "hey, ain't that cool" and "wow!" etc., and finding YouTube videos of the little buggers in action, our little band of brothers have decided to build their very own battlefield.

Site owner Ricky, putting up part of his land for the play area, orders himself a M-41 Walker Bulldog American tank. Keith goes off and builds himself a bridge and not to be outdone, Ricky builds another, different kind of bridge.

Others pitch in to sculpt the land, dig out a river channel, etc. All the while waiting on their own model tanks to come in - or waiting on the next paycheck to go and order one for themselves. With this post, you can see the size of the future battlefield as well as the two bridges mentioned above. There are plans for a small scale airfield to go along with the main runways that are used for radio control model airplane flight.

The site is located northwest of Lubbock, Texas; just off of the Clovis Highway. I have suggested the following name: Taylor Field Tankers Association (TFTA). That is still 'un' official as of right now. A whole lot of digging and building needs to take place before TFTA is ready to host a battle event. But plans are afoot for something to take place in 2011.

Here are some links that I have been collecting for the past week and a half now..

1. Wonder Hobby(http://www.wonderhobby.com/116rctanks.html).

2. Tank Town at Bomber Field (http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_6239792/anchors_6909641/mpage_2/key_/anchor/tm.htm#6909641).

3. two thanks for the price of one (http://matomart.com/prodview.php?p=674).

TX Tanks on YouTube-

A- Texas Armor Association (http://www.texasarmor.com/).

1. Bomberfield Tank Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq7cOwLh1_Y).

2. RC Tank IR Tank Battle 1 16th scale(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw5EzUVYf48).

3. TX Armor February Tank Battle. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg-fKtMlNbg).

4. TX Armor battle prep(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npmUJDJO3nc).

5. rctankwars.com(http://rctankwars.com/).

Another note is that we would need to make sure to make the tank hulls water tight to allow for limited river crossing. Check the instructions with each tank I guess. Found a YouTube video of a M-41 crossing a stream. Looks to be about half inch to one inch deep.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diWn58r1nrk) and

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLpvKGxkbhM).

Some more neat tank videos & websites...

6. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3OfNcBJxD0).

7. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66XziWdtq3c).

8. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsdU_4mUP08).

9. Fire trucks in German(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHugEVdfFhw).

10. ebpage with links(http://jbwid.com/idxrctank.htm).

11. Frontline models(http://www.frontline-models.com/rcarmorclubsusa.htm).

12. RCTankwarfare forum - out of England

(http://www.rctankwarfare.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=5471).

13. hobbyhavoc.com . (http://www.hobbyhavoc.com/forum/index.php?

PHPSESSID=2aea7c483656c4a801b69b052af21634&action=forum#4).

UPDATE (October 1, 2010): Well, I pulled the trigger today and order my own M-41 Walker Bulldog tank. This one will just be the basic tank. I'll have to upgrade it later with the metal treads, etc.

UPDATE 2 (October 6, 2010): The UPS truck dropped off the package today (2 days ahead of schedule). Way to go http://www.xenonproject.com/ (the folks I bought my tank from). Charging the battery tonight and after work tomorrow, will give it a driving test.

UPDATE 3 (October 18, 2010): Well, order with caution from Xenon Project people! This past weekend, had to crack the tank hull to look at its inner workings. The tank was pulling to the right all the time-making it hard to drive. The ad that I responded to stated that I would be getting metal gear drive. When I checked - it was plastic gears! Thus they engaged in false advertising in my case. The smoke and sounds were not all that important to me when I bought it to begin with. Now going to have to see about what recourse I might have available.

___

Ref. Tank model images taken from RaidenTech.com website to illustrate the two models mention in the post.

Triad Toys Doll Clothing

2010-09-15T08:13:00.000-07:00

In the back of my mind, I have been wanting to do a kinda of James Bond/Matt Helm photostory using my action figures as the actors of course. I'm waiting on news about that future Matt Helm movie project and what might be spun off of it for my Matt Helm custom. I already have a few James Bond to choose from in my collection already.

And what would be a good spy story without some good looking female eye-candy hanging around? I already have most of the female action figures that Blue Box originally released from a few years ago, but civilian clothing for them has been lacking unless I modified some Mattel Barbie stuff.

Crusing One Sixth Warrior forum today, I spotted a post about Triad Toys offering sexy outfits for the 1/6th ladies in your life. (And really, this is jsut an excuse to post some sexy looking babe dolls). Quote: Triad is releasing more casual and fashion-based outft sets. Starting with the contemporary skin-tight dresses. Each set comes with two (2) dresses in different colors and styles. There is a total of three sets in the latest Nite Out 2.0 series, totaling 6 different dress styles.

Two outfits per set that run $19.99 per set which isn't too bad a price for these hard economic times. Figures not included in these sets.

Link (http://www.triadtoys.com/).

Space Battleship Yamato (2010) Preview.v2

2010-09-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

After responding to a post on the space1970 blog (http://space1970.blogspot.com/2010/09/star-blazers-1979.html#comment-form), I decided to go and look up some new trailers and found this one.

This is a new trailer update for the Space Cruiser YAMATO movie. In this one, we get to see more of the enemy spaceships and more space combat.

UPDATE October 16, 2010: Well, the original YouTube trailer I linked too was deleted. So below are some links to other (newer) releases of the trailers for the new live action Spacecruiser Yamato.

UPDATE 2 November 4, 2010: The trailers I link too all seem to get deleted after a few days. Here is another attempt at one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbupyeGlBPA).

1. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sJrCxD3Zz0) & with English subtitles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH9XY8Z7I7c).

2. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSoCYr1FEk4).

3. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIAXTaxjyXU).

4. Casting info(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3tzrwoZoXY).

5. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL6g6MLxuIY).

"Those Voices Don't Speak for the Rest of Us"

2010-08-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

Important words from the first man that I was able to vote for as President of the United States. The left still want to keep tearing this man down. The more they try, the harder they are going to fall is all I can say.

Right-Wing Women ROCK!

2010-08-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

A fun little video I came across on YouTube.

Warbirds Over West Texas-Aug 6-8, 2010

2010-08-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

August 6, 7, and 8th this year, I was a part of our local RC model club's annual event - Warbirds Over West Texas. Put on by Wings Miniature Aircraft Society (www.wingsmas.org). Held at the Abernathy Municipal Airport. Here are a few images that I took over the past 3 days.....

I of course, found a way to sneak my action figures into the event!

UPDATE 1 (August 12, 2010): West Texas Warbirds 2010 pictures by Tom Wagner. Showing Me with Ms. Brittney Bennett with Tom Wagner's P-47.

Sarah Palin and Germany?

2010-08-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Found this on The Jawa Report! Germans might be ready for a visit from one Sarah Palin!

Click on video to watch it on YouTube if you have too.

Krista Branch - I Am America

2010-07-22T06:54:00.001-07:00

Krista Branch - I Am America. A great tune and something we need to remember this November when the next election takes place. Also, due to the sizing problems, just click on the video and watch it on YouTube.

Incorrect Markings on RTF Model Airplanes

2010-07-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

I've been drooling over what Nitroplanes/Airfield RC have been coming out with this past year.

However, I'm disappointed that their quaility control at the Chinese factory(

I assume) is terribly lacking. Point in fact is with American military aircraft from World War Two to Vietnam and the modern era. The "Star & Bar" is displayed on top of the left wing and bottom of the right wing with the point of the star pointing in the direction of travel or up if on the fuselage. And on both sides of the fuselage. In the modern era, the American flag is displayed on the vertical tail usually. If you are standing on the left or port side of a airplane, the flag is normal looking, on the right or starboard side, it is the reverse view "as if you were looking at the flag on a flagpole."

Case in point: Airfields' popular 55" wingspan P-51D Mustang with either the red nose spinner or the yellow spinner. Truth be known, I would love to buy the yellow nose

Mustang. But I cannot bring myself to - because of the incorrect wing markings done on the yellow airplane. They got it right with the red spinner

airplane! What happened here with the yellow one? Even more bizarre, their smaller 30" wingspan size P-51s are correct in their wing markings!?

The Art-Tech P-51D is done correctly. The pictures prove it on their own website!

Then moving on to the big, beautiful Twin 70mm ductfan powered F-4e done up in U.S. Navy colors by ProJet. And the star & bar is on top of the starboard(i.e. right wing). To make matters worse, the point of the star is facing AFT, Not Forward like it should!!!

The color schemes are not bad-don't get me wrong about that. But to allow such models to reach the public with these type of mistakes point to poor oversite management in my opinion. That F-4E just begs for the USAF southeast asia paint scheme on a future model release. I hope that they can get it right when they do it.

___

Ref.

Nitroplanes.com-

Projet F-4e twin 70mm DF(http://www.nitroplanes.com/90f4efiedfrc.html).

Airfield RC P-51 55" yellow (http://www.nitroplanes.com/93a51-51-yellow-rtf-24g-eretract.html).

Airfield RC P-51 55" red (http://www.nitroplanes.com/93a51-51-silver-rtf-24g-eretract.html).

Airfield RC 31.5" P-51 blue (http://www.nitroplanes.com/93a275-800p51-blue-rtf-24g.html).

Art-Tech 29.5" P-51D (http://www.nitroplanes.com/at-21133-minip51.html).

U.S.S. Lone Star Shuttlecraft in Parade

2010-07-14T08:31:00.001-07:00

It was a rainy 4th of July, 2010 this year. The U.S.S. Lone Star shuttlecraft is a club's project for many years. Time to showcase it now since it's been finally given a name - The Spirit of Columbia!

The club is a part of the international Star Trek club known as Starfleet. Each club is a "ship." Leadership positions have rank much like that on the tv shows and movies.

This blogger has been a member of this ship before it was even known as the U.S.S. Lone Star.

___

Ref. Lubbock Online.com (http://spotted.lubbockonline.com/photos/index.php?id=3205988&size=large).

「SPACE BATTLESHIPヤマト」最新予告 20100626

2010-07-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

Well, there is a new trailer out for the Space Cruiser Yamato movie! The CGI stuff is amazing. I am left wondering when it will be translated into English and arrive here in America - 2011? 2012?

BTW, I took the link right off of YouTube-so thats why the title for this post is still in Japanese.

Bryon's Striking Back Expo Hardware

2010-06-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to visited the Bryon Expo to see the Striking Back show. Saddly, that show stopped over a decade ago. But lots and lots of rc model pilots remembered that show. You can see the Striking Back production on YouTube, but here are some videos below (and links) that showed the huge model aircraft carriers, the smaller boats that cruised the flooded driveway when the show was underway. And finally, the Bryon hangar where the models were built and prepped for the show.

Back in my youth, the summer between my 8th and 9th grade years, I stayed up late at night writing out in longhand in what turned out to be two 5-subject spiral notebooks and thus my second novel (I had done the same thing the previous summer). It centered on RC model airplanes and re-fighting World War Two in miniature. Those aircraft carriers (that you can see in the video here) were about the size that I wrote about way back when.

Now I am 50 years old and think back on the impossibility of being able to do what I wrote about back in my youth. Take landing a model airplane. As a pilot of a model airplane, it takes lots of practice to be able to land on the same spot all the time. Add to that wind conditions, actually having to fly a 10 pound model airplane right at yourself (even if you were protected by a net in my story). Now days, you can have micro cameras and via tele-link systems; you could actually be in the cockpit of your model airplane flying around. Always wanted to be a U.S. Navy pilot, but didn't like the idea of joining the Navy to do it? Well, now you can.

Then there is the final link below of someone who actually went so far to make a function RC model airplane aircraft carrier.

____

Ref.

1. USS Hornet and Akagi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQnuAvqM2zE).

2. Background ship at Bryon site (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTQKH5AKryw).

3. Bryon behnd the scenes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sb9CVsXahA).

4. RC Aircraft Carrier KARE 11 News - April 2, 2007. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKGV-0-74FI).

5. Nitroplanes.com (http://www.nitroplanes.com/88e-camera-mount-system.html).

6. Nitroplanes.com/FPV gadgets (http://www.nitroplanes.com/gadgets.html).

The Sci-Fi Air Show Webpage!

2010-06-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

Picked up on this neat website thanks to the Okuda Log - the Sci-Fi Airshow. The name only gives a hint as to what you will find on that webpage. There are some hints of Star Trek stuff in the hangars, but the main "attractions" are like the Orion space shuttle from "2001: A Space Odyssey"! Or Eagle 4 from "Space: 1999."

"Battlestar Galactica" is represented by 3 Vipers and the big shuttle. Even the Spindrift and Flying Sub from Irwin Allen's TV shows "Land of the Giants" and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea!"

Always wanted to know about the Spindrift's Landing Gear - now I know!

___

Ref. Okuda Log (http://web.me.com/michaelokuda/michael_okuda/Blog/Entries/2010/6/20_SCI-FI_AIRSHOW!.html).

Sci-Fi Airshow (http://www.scifiairshow.com/index.html). Picture of Spindrift from this site.

Whats the Point of It?

2010-06-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

File this under what? stupid? illogical?

Burqa-clad Afghan women (or we think its a woman?) is taking her picture for registering for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Herat, Afghanistan. Picture comes from the London Telegraph.

Just read the comments that went along with this posting on Weasel Zippers blog.

___

(http://weaselzippers.us/2010/06/17/pic-of-the-day-afghan-woman-having-her-picture-taken-for-voter-registration-card/).

Red Dawn Movie Re-Make on Machelle Malkin's website

2010-06-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

This was a very interesting article by guest blogger Doug Powers. His article was about the remaking of the 1984 movie "Red Dawn." Now this movie is planned to hit the American movie screen this November.

This time, it will be the Chinese Communists who invade the United States of America. The pictures that went with this article was the center piece of Mr. Powers article.

But the comments afterwards are worth a read. If you get a chance, please do so. Aside from screams of "Wolverines!" that is.

While there were comparsions to movies/tv shows like "V" and re-hashing the original "Red Dawn" movie, there were some posts that stand out in my mind.

Like quoting some lines form the movie. This was (post #50): On June 8th, 2010 at 2:13 pm, Rogue Cheddar said: Well obviously the following dialogue will have to be rewritten.

Col. Andy Tanner: …The Russians need to take us in one piece, and that’s why they’re here. That’s why they won’t use nukes anymore; and we won’t either, not on our own soil. The whole damn thing’s pretty conventional now. Who knows? Maybe next week will be swords.

Darryl Bates: What started it?

Col. Andy Tanner: I don’t know. Two toughest kids on the block, I guess. Sooner or later, they’re gonna fight.

Jed Eckert: That simple, is it?

Col. Andy Tanner: Or maybe somebody just forget what it was like.

Jed Eckert: …Well, who *is* on our side?

Col. Andy Tanner: Six hundred million screaming Chinamen.

Darryl Bates: Last I heard, there were a billion screaming Chinamen.

Col. Andy Tanner: There *were*.

[he throws whiskey on the fire; it ignites violently, suggesting a nuclear explosion] (end quote).

Post number 78 really caught my eye for some reason. Here it is (post #78): On June 8th, 2010 at 7:50 pm, RetFireman said: The sad/scary part is that the Art Department didn’t have to look any farther than an anti-Bush/pro-Obama rally to get their slogans. It truly is scary to see just how parallel the posters for this movie and the Liberal / Progressive / Democrat slogans and posters run. One can only assume that those protesting and complaining are doing so because they are afraid it will finally awaken the sleeping people who will finally realize what we have been telling them for years; If it claims to be “Progressive”, “Liberal”, “Tolerant”, “Non-Racist”, or anything else they claim, you can rest assured that it is the exact opposite. (end quote).

Then there was this post (#82): On June 9th, 2010 at 5:18 am, Apostic said: I also note from the pictures some propaganda style similarity with Amerika, but I guess propaganda posters tend to all look alike after a while. (Reminded of something in that old miniseries: how the Soviets allowed the locals to have their annual “Lincoln Day” celebration, but the approved banners juxtaposed images of Lincoln and Lenin….) (end quote).

Then finally this post (Post #86): On June 9th, 2010 at 9:18 am, Mach1Duck said: War with China is a possibility; however the Chinese governmnet fears its own people more than it does the United States. The U.S. would have more to worry about if there were a Chinese revolution, who or what would replace the current government. (end Quote).

UPDATE (March 18, 2011): Call if a "Oh My God" moment when I came across this bit of news. MGM was redoing their remake of the classic Red Dawn movie so that - get this. So as not to OFFEND the Chinese, the USA will now be invaded by the North Koreans! (http://littlemissattila.com/?p=21231). There is also this link within that same article about all the troubles the movie company was having producing the remake. Here is that link (http://www.theblogmocracy.com/2010/07/26/red-dawn-2010/).

Ref. Michelle Malkin's blog. "Red Dawn Remake" June 8, 2010. by Doug Powers (http://michellemalkin.com/2010/06/08/red-dawn-remake/).

Midway-Turning Point of World War Two

2010-06-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

There will be a lot of remembering about D-Day on June 6th this year and for the next few years as well I suppose. But for me, the true turning point of the Second World War was the Battle of Midway - June 4, 1942.

My friend from way back in our shared college days-Anthony P. Tully co-authored a book with Jonathan Parshall a few years back entitled, "Shattered Sword. The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway." It recounts the battle from the Japanese point of view and by in large recounts the mistakes they made and shoot down some famous myths in the process.

If nothing else this weekend, when you go out and maybe rent the DVD of the movie "Midway" or "Private Ryan" or of the John Wayne movie "D-Day," if you have the extra money, go ahead and pick up a copy of this book.

Ref USNI Blog "Remembering Midway – 68 Years Later" by SJS, June 2010 (http://blog.usni.org/2010/06/01/remembering-midway-68-years-later/?utm_source=Publicaster&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=June%202010%20USNI%20Newsletter).

G.I. Joes and Radio Control Model Airplanes - And a 1/6th Movie

2010-05-27T06:01:00.000-07:00

Its amazing how two seperate items or events can come together in ones mind for a single thought.

Recently, I rediscovered some old photographs of a radio control model airplane event down in Midland/Odessa, Texas that my father took me to. This was back in the mid-1970s.

While there, I saw a Dave Platt FW-190-D9 that was large enough to hold one of my old G.I. Joes(about 1/6th scale). This was the event in my life where I connected these two separate hobbies into one. Actual photo is attached here. That is a T-28 Trojan from the same kit manufacture in the background.

Then there was this posting on RC Universe about someone who wants to make a 1/6th scale WAR film and I thought that was pretty cool -

WAR! 1/6 EPIC FILM is the EPIC STORY of WWII as told with the use 1/6 Scale Models. Creator Jack Yang of L.A. CALIFORNIA has been collecting 1/6 WWII ERA MILITARY MODELS for 10yrs and is now recruiting more participants to help bring his vision to reality with the use of all 1/6 WWII MODELS.

We are looking for participants willing to use their 1/6 scale WWII FIGURES, VEHICLES, AIRCRAFT , DIORAMAs and more to help produce this one of a kind EPIC FILM!

Jack Yang has all the film & production equipment, elaborate models and more to begin filming this summer... what he is lacking are more participants to operate their own WWII ERA 1/6 tanks, jeeps, AFV's , R/C AIRCRAFT , etc allowing greater range and scope of filming to be possible.

WAR! 1/6 EPIC FILM YAHOO GROUP is looking for A FEW GOOD MODELERS excited to utilize their models alongside JACK's to produce a great film... SO if you have ever wanted to see your model(s) in HIGH DEF in the most realistic setting and film possible this is your chance of a lifetime!

PLEASE NOTE this is for WWII ERA 1/6 SCALE only... if you have a 1/5 or 1/7 those models will also work , just keeping to the WW II THEME IS MOST IMPORTANT. Filming will take place in the greater L.A., CALIFORNIA area but willing to travel to you if you have a group of modelers that want to be filmed and are sufficient in # to make travel and filming out of state a worthwhile endeavor. Please post with this group if you want to be considered.

"WE WANT YOU" so join the group today @

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/warepicfilm/

MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE! AND PLEASE POST ANY QUESTIONS DIRECT TO THE

YAHOO GROUP or warepicfilm@hotmail.com

RCU Link Read more: (http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_9754711/tm.htm#ixzz0p8NxEpff).

I decided to send off the info below to the people who are doing the movie.

1. Kampfgruppe Von ABT Website (http://www.vonabt.co.uk/).

2. G.I. Joe Collections (http://www.shout.net/~scg/collections/pages/clubwebsites.html).

3. LSSR (Lone Star Scale Raiders) (http://lonestarscaleraiders.freeservers.com/index.html).

Scale Radio Control V-22 Osprey

2010-05-25T06:51:00.000-07:00

I could not believe it when I first watched it. A scale model of the V-22 Osprey that is able to translate from vertical (helicopter) mode to horizontal (airplane)mode and back again.

Kit has been under development for 3 years working out the details of hover, conversion, and airplane flight

Licensed by Bell/Boeing. 35 inches (spinner to spinner). Model is easy to fly as a helicopter or an airplane. 1/18th scale.

Model easily converts in and out of airplane mode with no bad tendencies. Collective and cyclic pitch for precise control indoors and out, even in high wind. Electronic controller manages ship keeping it fully controllable for all conversion angles. Pitch, Yaw and Roll remain inline with body through entire conversion. 3 axis gyro stabilization. Can be flown with 7 channel model helicopter transmitter. Also, a user friendly PC Software interface makes programming and adjustments easy, using a standard USB-Cable.

Basic ship can be flown in a profile configuration to help with test flights and setup. Easy to add body covers to complete the scale look after all setup is complete. Precisely designed in CAD for reliability and maintainability. Precise scale model of CV-22 Osprey.

I have been looking at helicopter models, like the E-Flite Blade series (like the CX3 with the MD-520N Notor tailboom); for the past several weeks. Especially after discovering that most of my (technically former) WINGS Miniature Aircraft Society flying buddies were getting into them finally. (The technical part is I do not have the money right now to rejoin the club). Have to join the crowd I guess eventually.

I like the Blade series for the upgrade path that it offers. When I get tired of the MD-520N body, there is the Bell Jet Ranger, the UH-60 Blackhawk bodies that can be switched to. The UH-1 Huey is an upgrade path for the Blade CP, CP+, CP Pro, CP Pro2. The CP Pro series has the single rotor and a working tail rotor.

UPDATE (May 25, 2010): Well, I lost my internet connection in the middle of working on this post. Had to relocate to a wi-fi spot at Hastings to finish this. Basically, it was the reference link below that was unfinished.

___
Ref. (http://www.rotormast.com/rm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=130).

Horizon Hobbies, E-Flite Blade CX-3 (http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLH2080).

May 20th - Draw Mohammed Day!

2010-05-19T17:41:00.000-07:00

After decades of threats from the Muslim world to the Western world. Decades of kidnapping and murder. This past decade has seen, since the start of the War on Terrorism, beheading of citizens from the west.

Then some stupid little cartoon show was the trigger for this massive back lashed against those islamofascist and their 10th century tunnel vision of how the entire planet should bow down to them.

A simple protest. Just draw Mohammad! May 20, 2010; has been designated as the world wide protest day against those barbarians who say their religion is one of peace, but their actions towards those who are not members of same religion shows that it is not. Their interpretation of Islam adhered to by al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups of that faith; there is no separation from the political or the religious mindset. The two are intertwined and the Caliphate is a state based on Islamic law. Their goal is for the entire planet to fall into this world wide Caliphate. I say NO to this plan!

Personally, I'm not one for protests. But on a gut level, this seems right to me. So, this is my 'Mohammad' drawing. Done on a tiny sketchcard with markers for coloring. What we don't see is the suicide belt under his t-shirt, but the message on the shirt takes care of that.

Who knows, maybe May 20th will become a day from now on, for non-Muslims to give voice to their outrage at what these al-Qaeda types want to do with all of us.

Special Note: This post was originally suppose to go up on my other blog (http://www.theshanksdimension.com/), but the bandwidth has been exceeded by the server. I do not know when it will be up and running again. Therefore, by default, I made the posting here.

Ref Facebook, Everybody Draw Mohammed Day! (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Everybody-Draw-Mohammed-Day/121369914543425?ref=mf).

Michelle Malkin.com, May 12, 2010 "The cartoon jihadists never forget" by Michelle Malkin. (http://michellemalkin.com/2010/05/12/the-cartoon-jihadists-never-forget/).

Wikipedia - Islamofascism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamofascism).

The Jawa Report, May 17, 2010 (http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/202494.php).

The Man With The Little Blue Box poem

2010-05-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

Looks like I have a theme running here for this month...

I got into this hobby back in 1997. In the beginning, I just could not get the hang of it even on the buddy box system. In fact, I lost my trainer on its very first flight when the elevator separated in flight. I had several flight instructors until I hooked up with Robert Masten-owner of the local hobby shop. Finally, the first generation Real Flight Flight training software came out and something finally clicked in my mind after using it for about six weeks. Pictures to the left are of Robert and friends and of him working on his T-28. He is the one wearing the blue Wings And Things ball cap.

Over the years, sitting around in the hobby shop B'S'ing with other modelers, Robert would entertain customers by telling jokes or reciting a particular poem that was published back in the 1960s (at least). You see, a 'future' RC pilot want-to-be comes into the store with his wife and they are looking around. The wife usually will have a bored expression on her face as her husband walks around the shop with his tongue hanging out.

Well, Robert will zoom in and talks with the hubby and the wife and then ask the lady if she wants to hear a poem. When told 'yes,' he would recite "The Man With The Little Blue Box."

It was part of an ad campaign from a radio company known as F and M Electronics of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Back then, their trademark was a blue metal transmitter box.

Nowadays, the radio transmitter case will 9 times out of 10, be black in color with a few silver cases floating around. F and M Electronic, Inc.'s tag line was "Our business is little blue boxes..." F and M (going by the ad I have a copy of and the reason for this post) seems to mean "Fore Most." The author of this poem is unknown to me-it wasn't included on the copy that I managed to get recently.

Well, after telling that poem, the husband more than likely will become a new member of our flying club and the wife doesn't mind coming into the hobby shop anymore because she knows that Robert will have a new joke to tell or recite that poem again to a new 'want-to-be."

Here is that poem...

I married a guy with his mind in the sky

And a heart full of wonderful plans.

But now I am told that these plans are controlled

By the little blue box in his hands.

He belongs to a group, a most curious troup,

Whose principal purpose, it seems,

Is to gather a crowd, and then gaze at a cloud

While clutching a box full of dreams.

They work night and day, but to them it is play;

They would rather fly airplanes than eat.

The weather won't stay them, winds merely delay them,

For their stuff is too stern for defeat.

The planes that they pilot are prone to run riot,

If it crashes they don't seem to care.

With some balsa and glue, and a gadget or two,

They soon have it back in the air.

Some planes have been known to take off on their own,

Sending pilots in hot hurried chase.

It's a school of hard knocks, but they don't blame the box,

And the wreck is brought home in disgrace.

But I'll stick by the man with the box in his hand,

Though it may put grey hairs on my head.

I will not complain; if it weren't for that plane

He'd probably chase women instead.

There you go.

___

Ref. From this website, I found some old rc model magazines ads. (http://www.airplanesandrockets.com).

Electric B-17F ARF kit

2010-05-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

Discovered this jewel from Jet Tech Models. This model is 1/16th scale. It is a 78" wingspan model of the famous B-17 Flying Fortress Memphis Belle. A mere $578.98. Why oh why am I poor!

Sadly, I do not have the money for it. This post is really just a online bookmark for me to return to later to drool over it.

Here are some more details of the model if you are interested in getting one.

This electric model airplane has the fuselage, nacelles and cowling made out of fiberglass. Wings are of balsa and plywood. PVC canopy, ball turret, tail and top turrets. Resin model of cockpit with pilots and machne guns for the airplane are painted. Wing is a 2 piece job for easy transport and storage. Split flap just like the full scale B-17. Four 3-bladed props are included. Air retract system also is included. Decals also are inluded.

Whats NOT included and is needed in order to fly (i.e non of this stuff is included in the kit). A

6-8 CH radio system, 4 x 1000KV 280W motors, with 4 x 30A ESC. You will need also 2 x 11.1V 5000mah 25C lipo batteries, 1 x 4.8V NICD/NIMH receiver battery that typicaly comes with most standard radios. And 4 x standard servos and 5 mini servos (Not included).

Wingspan is again 78 inches and the fuselage is 63 inches long. Flying weight is about 190 oz.

Once upon a time, I use to have a old Royal Kits B-17F that I had to sell. But it would have been of the same size (78" wingspan).

___

Ref. Jet Tech Models. com (http://www.jettechmodels.com/servlet/the-728/B-dsh-17-ARF-78%22-Wing/Detail).

Radio Control Su-34 EDF Jet Video

2010-05-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

I discovered this on YouTube today and wanted to share it here. Pretty cool video until he crashes. Original owner of video is wcolbyHD (March 2, 2010).

He mounted one of those mini video cameras out on a carbon fiber boom behind his electric duct fan (EDF) jet. Model is of the Su-34 with vectored thrust and is availible from Hobby Lobby. Also, since I appear to have problems with YouTube videos here on Blogger as far as screen size goes, if you like, just click on the video and view it directly off of YouTube.

The Capelis XC-12 - Flying Tigers Movie Mystery Bomber!

2010-04-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

Recently, I was thinking about John Wayne's Republic Picture movie The Flying Tigers and that mystery bomber that was shown at the end of the picture that was used to bomb that bridge.

The other thing I was thinking about was the fake P-40s used in the film for the taxi shots. Wikipedia had that answer here: Movie models were used to portray the Curtiss P-40 aircraft the Tigers actually flew, although they were only mock-ups which did no more than taxi. The covers protruding over the cylinder heads of the V-8 automobile engines that propelled the mock-ups are noticeable. I might add, that those covers were not the only things that showed these were fake airplanes. The slab used for the horizontal stabilizers had no actual elevators on them, no visible flaps or ailerons on the wings. I until Ted Turner colorized that movie, I never realized that fact until the first time I saw this film in color.

Why was I thinking about that old picture? Because Nitroplanes.com has this Ready To Fly electric P-40 that I want to get. Fifty-Five inch wingspan, all radio gear installed, rotating retracts, and a 6 channel 2.4 Ghz radio all for the fly away price of $239.00. The model is by AirField RC. Right now, they are waiting on a re-stock of the AVG Flying Tiger paint scheme version of this P-40. They have the other US Army Air Corps version and both come with the famous Tiger Mouth on the fuselage. Outrunner brusheless motor and ESC(Speed Control) plus a 14.8 volt Li-Po battery for power. Charger included. (Nitroplanes.com item# 93A40-P40-FlyingTiger-RTF-24G).

But, getting back to the bomber now...

On Wikipedia webpage dealing with this movie, under the heading of History vs. Hollywood, I found this bullet point: John Wayne's character arrives at the base on the one-off Capelis XC-12, a failed design that found a new life as a non-flying movie prop. It also was used in the film Five Came Back. end quote.

I followed that link to a French webpage and after translating it, discovered that airplane that has alluded me all these decades. A single prototype known as the Capelis XC-12. The XC-12 registered as NX12762, made its first flight at the Oakland Airport in 1933, with quite decent performance. Powered by two Wright Cyclone engines producing 525 hp and the aircraft could carry 12 passengers.

Originally, the aircraft had a large sloping inverted frame to improve visibility such as on the first Boeing 247 or the 3-engine Stinson. XC-12 could be equipped with drop tanks. The landing gear was retractable into the engine nacelles. They extended out again when the engine throttles were reduced.

The designed had a lot more bolts instead of rivets. In fact, it got to the point that ALL nuts and bolts have to be tighten before every flight. Capelis start up company went bankrupt. When it was damaged in a belly landing on a flight from Oakland to Glendale, that ended its flying career.

Aircraft was sold to RKO in 1938 for the film Five Came Back. By this time, the cockpit has been modified to a more conventional look. While repairable, insurance companies refused to cover it. But it was hauled around to other studios that needed a aircraft in it. Finally, it was scrapped in 1943.

The special effects model that was built to represent this aircraft flew a lot more than the real one by the end of it's life. In fact, it would appear in other films long after the orignal was scrapped. Check out the filmography at the end of Christian Santoir's article.

So now I know.

UPDATE (May 3, 2010): Corrected some grammar mistakes.

___

Ref.

Flying Tigers(film-1942) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Tigers_(film)).

Warbird Information Exchange (http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=30998). screen captures from this forum.

Capelis XC-12 unique prototype. article by Christian Santoir. (http://www.cocardes.org/tvcine/articles.php?pg=273&lng=fr). images from same website.

Nitroplanes.com (http://www.nitroplanes.com/93a40-p40-flyingtiger-rtf-24g.html).

Today marks 999 days and counting

2010-04-27T07:42:00.000-07:00

If you have noticed over there on the righthand of the screen, that countdown widget that I have put on both of my blogspot blogs. Counting down the number of days until President Obama becomes a one term President (keeping my fingers crossed!). Today marks 999 days and counting.

Just wanted to mark the day is all.

YouTube Removes (or Tries to remove) All Hitler Parodies

2010-04-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

Found this beauty on The Jawa Report. Seems like one parody manage to escape the YouTube purge (for now!). Its a shame that parody - for whatever reason - is now being taken down by copyright infringement rules which are really trying to stifle expression of Free Speech.

And of course, trying to embed the video here on my blog means that you have to click on the stupid thing and view it on YouTube directly. Oh well....

___

Ref. The Jawa Report. April 21, 2010. "Hitler Reacts To The Removal of Hitler Parodies From JihadTube" (http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/202117.php).

Real Hope and Change-TEA Party Picture

2010-04-16T00:39:00.000-07:00

I found this picture over on the blog American Power. That is where the credit is due. But this woman's poster - I just fell in love with it and wanted to spread it around.

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Ref. (http://americanpowerblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/thousands-turn-out-for-irvine-and.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+AmericanPower+(American+Power)).

e RC Spitfire

2010-04-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

This is so cool. And so affordable, that I have actually made a down payment with my LHS (Local Hobby Shop) for the Spitfire. e RC also makes a P-51D Mustang in the same scale. They also have a B-25 and a Electric Duct Fan (German markings) Typhoon jet model. All can be purchased from Hobby-Lobby.

Just watch the video. This may well be my first baby steps BACK into the hobby. This part of the hobby is known as Micro RTF (Ready-to-Fly).

Edit: Ok, the stupid size of the video frame issue again! Ok, just click on the stupid thing and watch it on YouTube directly.

UPDATE 1 (June 2, 2010): Finally received my eRC Spitfire yesterday. Had a thunderstorm in the evening so unable to make any test flights then. Did charge up the two batteries that were included in the package.

This morning, braced with the warnings of my friend Henry, I quote: Be careful – with the elliptical wing, it will snap roll pretty easily. Take-offs are cute – it will roll about 8ft. and then jump into the air. Landings are not so easy – you’ll need to keep a little power on or else it will fall out of the sky. My problem is that the speed control doesn’t seem to be very linear, and intermediate throttle positions with the inherent flight characteristics (read snap roll tendencies) are difficult to maintain. end quote.

I can confirm the need for a little speed for landing. I made my test hops without the landing gear. By the way, there is no mention in the instruction manual on how to stick them onto the model. I didn't have any foam safe CA glue at hand and I didn't want to risk regular CA (i.e. Super Glue for you non-modelers out there). First three flights lasted about 3-4 minutes while trying to trim the little Spitfire out. It still behaves like it is tail heavy. Before the sixth test hop, I took an X-Acto knife and trim the battery compartment a little to allow the battery to sit slightly forward than what the model allows. It flew a little better. It might fly better once the landing gear is glued onto the wing-this is one of those have to wait and see experiments. If you try to do the same thing yourself, don't take too big a piece of foam out-that will get you into the drop down gearbox for the prop. I got a part of it-but not too bad. No more than 2-3 mm at the most.

The Sixth flight started off ok, it was beginning to fly more level and not pogo on me too much, but then it seem to lose radio signal strength, so I throttle back and tried to glide it back to my position. It landed in my neighbor's back pasture. No problem since we don't have a fence there. This may be due to the fact of charging the batteries the night before and the earlier test hops plus one other battery charging cycle. Those (4) AA batteries are just standard ones from what I can see that come with the model. I will have to buy another package of Double A batteries for this weekend to see if that is the real cause or not. I also think that since I was using the indoor prop and not the outdoor prop-another reason why my particular bird might be tail heavy-that might be another factor in the tail heaviness of my Spitfire that I witness today.

Knowing these things now, I still like this little beauty. Had a beautiful morning, light winds so I could do my testing before 9am. Then I had to get ready for work. But I can keep the model in its original box and store it in the rear cab of my pickup truck for fun whenever.

Proto Civilization Discovery in South Africa

2010-04-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

Last night on Coast to Coast AM with George Nory, I heard Michael Tellinger talked about his research of megalithic ruins of a vanished civilization that supposely was in a partnership with the Annunaki 75,000 to 200,000 years ago.

Below are both links to this broadcast. South Africian Michael Tellinger is the author of the book Slave Species of god. Graduate from the University of Witwatersrand Medical School in Johannesburg in 1993 with a Pharmaceutics degree. Going by his bio, he is interested in such topics as the cosmos, genetics, and human history.

His first book Slave Species of god was a hit. This lead him to meet with Johan Heine and together, they worked together on additional research and wrote two more books, Temples Of The African Gods and Adam's Calendar. The later is the discovery of the Oldest Man-Made structure on the planet. The Calendar is older than the Giza Pyramids and older than Stonehenge. It was part of a large circular structure similar to, but older than Stonehenge by thousands of years. It is built along the same logitudinal line as Great Zimbabwe and follow the track to the Great Pyramid at Giza. It is aligned with the rise of Orion's belt when it rose horizontally on the horizon about 75,000 years ago.

The following comes from the blurb dealing with the book Temples of the African gods: Scholars have told us that the first civilisation on Earth emerged in a land called Sumer some 6000 years ago. New archaeological and scientific discoveries made by Michael Tellinger, Johan Heine and a team of leading scientists, show that the Sumerians and even the Egyptians inherited all their knowledge from an earlier civilization that lived at the southern tip of Africa more than 200,000 years ago… mining gold. end quote.

Then this from the book Slave Species of god - ...information that has been emerging from the Sumerian Tablets is so compelling and historically accurate, that it forces us to reconsider all we have embraced about our species. The amazing thing is that, the more we discover in the areas of science, genetics and astronomy, the more it corroborates the content of these ancient tablets that pre-date the Bible by as much as 3000 years. end quote.

Image comes from Tellinger's website of Adam's Calendar.

___

REf. MaKomati Foundation website (http://www.makomati.org/pages/index.php).

Slavespecies.com-Human Origins (http://www.slavespecies.com/).

YouTube video of Michael Tellinger about Adam's Calendar (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fD-hYETYmI&feature=related).

More UFO-The Movie Updates

2010-04-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

What got me thinking about the UFO-The Movie again was a little post on a forum dealing with action figures. Basically, it said the following - Hot Toys Acquires License to Eon Production's NEW "UFO" The FILM. They'll be producing the line of 1/6 Action Figures based on Gerry Anderson's classic sci-fi series. But the original poster didn't include a link to that news. I'm waiting on them to respond and when they do, I'll update this posting with the actual news link.

Here are some links relating (sort of) to the new UFO movie that is set to come out next year. Basically rehashing what everybody else has been saying. I particularly like the MWC Toys posting about the Gay Ellis action figure. Especially the last picture at the bottom with her being in an embrace with an Alien!

Forbidden Planet seems to be saying that this movie will be the start of a trilogy! Cool!

Shadowlocked.com shows off the new UFO logo and more pictures of Lt. Ellis!

Astra-incognita.com runs info and updates on this movie and other projects.

Of course, there is the official UFO movie webpage.

1. Captain Toy-Michael's Review of the Week. Product Enterprise Lt. Gay Ellis. (http://www.mwctoys.com/REVIEW_121106b.htm).

2. Forbidden Planet.com. Matthew Gratzner discusses the new 'UFO' movie Trilogy (http://forbiddenplanet.com/pages/matthew-gratzner-new-ufo-trilogy/).

3. Shadowlocked.com. New site up for Matthew Gratzner's UFO. (http://shadowlocked.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=175:new-site-up-for-matthew-gratzners-ufo&catid=44:misc&Itemid=1).

4. Astra-incognita.com(http://astra-incognita.com/x-topic-ufo_movie.html).

5. UFO-the movie.com (http://ufo-themovie.com/UFO/Home.html).

6. Flash 255 Bunker. February 8, 2010. Just a link back to my original posting on this subject.(http://flash255bunker.blogspot.com/2010/02/ufo-to-reboot-in-2011.html).

UPDATE: April 10, 2010: False alarm, April Fools Joke on me regarding the Hot Toys announcement.

Robotech Overload

2010-04-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

Well, for the past month, I have been going through Robotech/Macross overload. It is almost over with with the arrival of my latest purchase from Amazon.com. The Art of Robotech. The Shadow Chronicles by Tommy Yune and a forward by Carl Macek. $19.95 for the soft cover edition. BEAUTIFUL color artwork throughout the book.

Beginning at the end of February, I was watching the original Robotech series online thru YouTube. Eventually, I wised up to go out to the garage and dig around in the storage boxes for my original DVDs and began watching the final epsiodes of Robotech Macross, skipped the Southern Cross, and jump to Robotech The New Generation and re-re-re-watching the DVD that this art book references. I have also view copies of Macross Frontier and like that very much even though there was no English translation.

In this book, I finally know what the SDF-3 really looks like under the fake Robotech Masters concoon shell that people know about from the aborted Robotech Sentinels series. Robotech Sentinels was converted into a movie using the first few epsiodes of that series. We do get to see the wedding of Rick Hunter to Lisa Hayes.

As an aside, I would like to take a few moments to wish upon a star for a real life, flesh and blood Lisa Hayes/Hunter to come into my life. A real woman who's character is so much like the anime one. And thats something that will come out in comic book form currently entitled the Prequel to the Shadow Chronicles. Admiral (now-before, he was a general) Rick Hunter has a facial scar from some incident in the last 20 years of story time. And his hair has gone grey. In fact, the way the characters keep referring to him, he is pretty much the President of Humanity in exile from Earth. His wife Lisa stepped down from her post and is now a diplomat. Being an emissary to the other races once subjugated by the Robotech Masters from the planet Tirol.

My love for Lisa however is offset by my lust for the robot Janice M2 (Junctioned Artificial Neuro-Integrated Cybernetic Entity). Then again, Janice's voice is none other than that of actress Chase Masterson of Star Trek Deep Space Nine fame - so that can explain the attraction right there. You see Janice's eyes above the title of the artbook.

I am hyper over the idea that there might be another Robotech Shadow Chronicles series movie in the works. And whenever enough funding comes in, they may actually produce it and fans like me can be happy once again.

Denny Crain For President in 2012

2010-03-23T07:46:00.001-07:00

Boston Legal and William Shatner's character Denny Crain on that show has gotten rave reviews. Sadly, I never seen the damn show - but I have heard about it. Cruising the internet this morning, I came across this little bit. Is it parody? Is it an actual scene from the show? I haven't got a clue. But its funny. And I liked it.

I selected the smaller viewing window so hopefully, the entire window will be watchable on my blog. if not, just click on the damn thing and view it directly on YouTube.

Caribou Barbie (Sarah Palin) Music Video

2010-03-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

A funny Ray Stevens music video about Sarah Palin. All you Palin haters - sorry, you are not going to like it. Everybody else however - who know what the concept of a sense of humor is, WILL enjoy watching it!

Caribou Barbie, here she comes for 2012!

UPDATE: I have tried going into the html code for the above video and reduce it to 280 x 245 as was suggested. I kept getting blogger error messages about html code errors. So, just click on the video and view it on YouTube.

Duxford and Mustangs

2010-03-11T17:28:00.000-08:00

Mustangs. I love Mustangs.

By the way, did I say how much I love P-51 Mustangs?

Space: 1999 Eagle Transporter

2010-03-02T04:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, so a TV show about the moon being 'blasted' out of earth orbit to somehow travel 'faster-than-light' every week in fits and starts is a weird concept. But the special effects department did wonders for that program and as such - Space: 1999 is still remembered fondly to this date.

I loved the mechanical workhorse of Moonbase Alpha, the Eagle Transporter. Aside from the illogical ability for it to be able to 'survive' re-entry into a planetary atmosphere, the spacecraft is very functional and would make a great basis for a real-life spacecraft.

The front end of the spacecraft is the nosecone that can serve as a re-entry survival capsule. It is attached to a long service module with a main propulsion module attached on the opposite end from the nose cone. To each side of the service module are two pods that contain the reaction control jets and landing gear. Space is provided in the middle of the service module for different payload modules. From passenger, freight, research, (and weapons modules if we are logical), etc modules that can be switched out pretty quickly.

I was wanting to post some images are of some of the die-cast models that came out a few years ago and are now out of production. But blogger was having a problem while I was editing this article. Oh well. While taking a look online, the prices for them are climbing past the $100 mark. (Just looked in my wallet and I just have to cry!).

Images: Top photo is of the Eagle from the Space: 1999 TV program. Second image is of a concept artwork for the possible return to the moon program (once known as Constellation). This artwork was a real early version of what might be possible. One can just see the influence of the Eagle that might one day actually show up in real flight hardware.

Space Cruiser Yamato Modelling Sites

2010-03-01T20:01:00.000-08:00

I'm in a space mood these days. UFO, Space: 1999, and Spacecruiser Yamato/Starblazers). This posting will deal mainly with the Yamato stuff.

The majority of these sites are in Japanese. But there are some great pictures, drawings, and models among them if you want to take the time to look around.

___
Ref. kyougokudou (http://www.geocities.jp/rosehips_k/kyougokudou/yamato2kansaiki.html).
Lego Yamato (http://www.geocities.jp/jun_brick/s_yamato1.html).
Bandai Hobby Site (http://bandai-hobby.net/yamato/).
YouTube.com, Yamato tv commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO7IY_5Ax5o&feature=related).
Soy_ya works (http://www.geocities.jp/soy_ya/my_work/my_work.html).
Dourakuoyadi (http://www.geocities.jp/dourakuoyadi/).
Adm Kino (http://admkino.com/warship/).

YouTube "Star Trek: Beam me up, Hottie!"

2010-02-21T11:19:00.000-08:00

Lets cheer things up around here shall we? This put a smile on my face - a good Star Trek parody.

Hope you enjoy it.

Radio Control Model Airfields

2010-02-17T04:35:00.000-08:00

For the first time in 8 or 9 months, I was finally able to attend a WINGS Miniature Aircraft Society club meeting. Currently, I am not a member of that club due to my current finical status, but I got to touch base with some old friends and to find out what is going on.

The subject of how to attract new members came up and by extension, a discussion on trying to get another field here in Lubbock, Texas, set up. Currently, WINGS MAS has an agreement with Abernathy, Texas; to operate off of that town's small airport runway. The club has put in taxiways and a ramp west of the north-south runway. By the way, the flying site is approximately 4 miles East of the city of Abernathy, Texas on FM2060 at the Abernathy Municipal Airport.

Also, Abernathy is still a functional airport, but with low useage. The few pilots who park their full-scale aircraft out there don't even live in the city of Abernathy.

Link below is to the WINGS MAS website and more information can be gained there.

Lubbock, Texas has another flying site out near Reese Technology Center locally known as the "FM-179" site since its right off Farm Market Road 179. Officially, its a city party of Lubbock named after Col. Davis who was a pilot in the Korean war.

What I took away from that discussion was the need for a small flying site - visible to the public - but not in such a way that can cause a safety issue. FM 179 is just hanging on life support right now since alot of new homes have be built out there. As soon as the cotton field to the north of the airstrip is purchased, that pretty much kills off that site for radio control flight for the nitro/gas power models. Model Helicopters can still fly out there and of course electric models. There is also a grass area that is set up for control line model flying.

On You Tube, I came across this video of a Hangar 9 B-25 Maiden Flight that was filmed at Scobee Field in Houston,Texas. (see embedded video with this article). This size and set up our club would love to have here in Lubbock (or Lubbock County). In fact, I think ten years ago - we as a club were hoping to make FM179 into such a flying site when the opportunity to fly off of Reese Technology Center came up and FM179 improvement plans were set aside when that happened.

The drive to Abernathy take an extra ten minutes than a drive out to FM 179 (or to Reese Technology Center when we were able to fly off that former airbase runways). That extra ten minute drive appears to be some straw that is breaking a lot of club members' backs. I personally have to plan trips out there as if I was taking a cross country trip due to the current cost of fuel. And when I go out, I do not have a plane to fly once I do get out there. That's just makes me a watcher.

That extra ten minute drive means that its harder to plan on having a quick evening flight after putting in a hard day at work. I for one do not know the answer to these questions. Nationally, there is a problem I'm told of attracting new people into the hobby. Why join the AMA and pay club dues when I can fly my super cheap Wal-Mart special out in the park?

Well, I think that the AMA and Radio Control model clubs are for those individuals who want to "go beyond" the Wal-Mart specials. To go on to something like flying a big pattern airplane. To fly a scale model and go to Top Gun. To get into actual turbine jet models.

UPDATE: I posted this blog early this morning. I now have had all day at work to think back over it some. With 20/20 hindsight, I think I can say that Reese Technology Center was the best thing that ever happened to this club - and the worst.

Nothing can compare to a two mile long, 150 foot wide strip of concrete to play with. Lubbock (as of 2 years ago) has no piece of land that (WINGS MAS could use in my opinion), isn't flawed in a major way that will hamper flight operations. There is land to the east of the city, but that puts it near the feedlots (good strong east wind can ruin a picnic), plus it would be under the flight path to Lubbock International Airport to the north, or Town and Country Airport to the south of the city. Both airports are east of the Interstate.

Land west of the interstate the further away one gets just gets even more expensive. Even if the club had a rich sugar daddy and momma to buy a section of land with protected land for our models to fly over, housing developments just keeps on growing southwest of the city. The town of Wolfforth, Texas is a true suburb of Lubbock now. The city limits of Lubbock extend right up to the city limits of Wolfforth. Good land there - just cannot afford to buy it as individual citizens.

So - we have the old rock and a hard place. Like I stated above, I do not have the answers to this problem. But I hope that some can come up with one.

Ref. WINGS MAS.org (http://wingsmas.org/).

Picture of rc model of F-4 Phantom II from websearch.