Everyone should be watching NASA TV right now for the first space walk of this flight!
The lads are testing a putty to fill in any cracks they may find in the Shuttle's tiles.
Unlike this photo (you can spot one of the astronauts on the right), the footage is fantastic & while they conduct the tests, the shots come from helmet cam, so you can see the putty gun & the glue as they squeeze it!
The applicator gun looks suspiciously like those produced by Selleys & according to the commentary by the space walkers, the glue looks like "liquorice flavoured pizza dough".
They have a test panel at the end of Discovery's payload bay which is set up with "manufactured cracks" for them to fill using different techniques. Below you can see one of them using a foam spatula to manipulate the putty (the grey patch).
If you can spot my computer's cursor in the photos, it's because I'm using my camera to photograph my monitor! I'm such a nerd!
Adelaide has a bit of an identity crisis at the best of times, so when it comes to promoting the city by those in charge, they do something which makes no sense at all.
"You Are Here" is Adelaide's current slogan. What does it mean, well, I don't think anyone actually knows. You are here.... well, der!!
For those of you who "are not here", there are a bunch of commercials which can be downloaded so you can be told "you are here", even though you're not!
Anyway, after posting about my walk of the Torrens River a few weeks ago, I said I had an unusual discovery to share & this first photo is it.
The above sculpture sits about fifteen metres from War Memorial Drive & wouldn't be overly visible to cars. Not too many people would be bothered looking at it while walking either (even though I was!), so it's placement is a mystery to me. It looks like a big marble coffin sitting in the middle of nowhere, but I thought there may have been something written on the big stand-uppy bit to explain it's existence. Instead the only writing is on top of the box & states - "you are here", why... yes... yes I am. How observant!
I hope the design was never meant to resemble a coffin, because that phrase on a coffin is not really one I want to see, at least not for 50 years or so!
So, my question is, which came first, the sculpture or the advertising campaign?!? I'd be interested to find out who, when & why this bit of artwork was produced.
There is a fair bit of obscure artwork along the Torrens, but most is far more imaginative than this (check the gallery). In fact, it is really worth having a stroll, just to see what some very talented people have produced, which has then been virtually hidden away.
For those who download the TV commercials, keep an eye out for Gianna from Big Brother who makes a few cameos!
It's easy to tell the people who stay at high-brow hotels on a regular basis & those who don't, just by the way they enter the building.
The majority of five star hotels have a revolving door at the entry, mainly because they look pretty flash. Alongside the revolving door is normally a second door which is automatic or swings both in & out. This second door makes it more convenient for concierge to drag luggage through.
Most guests look the same regardless of travel experience, stepping out of taxis looking a bit disheveled or weary from a long flight. However, those who travel for work or holiday (the lucky ones) on a regular basis will always head for the second door, knowing it will get them to the front counter quicker than manhandling a large revolving door.
The hotel novice will always try out the revolving door for the novelty factor. They also like to make a bit of a scene with their nose in the air to purvey the image of high society. It can be quite amusing when they take on the door, but in the wrong direction & it simply won’t move!
These doors are normally heavy, awkward & dangerous (just ask the guy who broke his nose a couple of weekends ago!). The novelty therefore, tends wear off very quickly, which is why those in the know rarely use them!
I don’t actually know if there is anything to be learnt from this fact other than it being an observation. Of course, if you are inclined to use the revolving door & you are with friends, always ensure you are the first on to enter. Invariably, the first person through will try & block the door causing the second person to get trapped halfway with no way out! It’s an old gag, but it still works!
It was 3.1 degrees centigrade when I left for work this morning.
This is insane!
I know this kind of weather is considered quite pleasant for some European countries, but not for myself & all my fellow Adelaidians. 32 degrees may be considered a heat wave in Britain, but down here the frost is just starting to melt. My point to all this is; if I wanted to freeze my booty off, I'd be moving to Vladivostok, not living in Adelaide where it shouldn't get this cold.
Most cars require the key to be turned before the fuel gauge operates. With newer vehicles, you turn off the car & the needle falls to empty regardless of the tank's contents.
Do you think they thought about this over at the Kennedy Space Centre a few hours ago?
When they eventually do get the go ahead to fire a bucket full of thrust & evade Earth's gravity, I really do hope they're successful. The fact Discovery has been wheeled back & forth from the tower to the shed a few times & been left sitting silent for so long, has given me concerns. It's an important flight for space programs worldwide to prove to the masses there is still value in trying to touch the stars. I'm sure such delays have hampered previous flights but none have received this amount of coverage.
Anyone who read Andy Thomas's account of his prior launch experiences in the newspaper last weekend would realise what risks are being taken. The six seconds just before lift-off where they take the engines to the limit to see if there will be an "uncontrolled shutdown" (ie. an engine explodes!), he says it's the longest six seconds of your life! Sobering stuff!
To read what they go through & all the thousands of components which could pose a problem, it’s both amazing anything has ever made it into space & back & furthermore, someone is prepared to be strapped to 12,000kg of fuel for the privilege!
I'm happy to remain on this here planet & watch from afar, even if it is with bated breath.
A client came in completely unannounced on Thursday & proceeded to explain why he hadn't paid his outstanding bill for a function. He had given us a post dated cheque which we couldn't bank & then gave me credit card details, which subsequently came back as declined.
I called him back later in the day & he promised to come in again & clear the account using a different credit card. At the time he was to appear, I received a call in which he explained he was in another state!?!
He is supposed to turn up tomorrow & pay everything in full, but I suspect another excuse is on its way.
During all of this, the sales manager in charge of his functions told me he was a politician & only then did I make the connection with his name.
The lies, the constant sucking-up, the regular phone calls & apologies are all part & parcel of every politician. Maybe I thought it was all an act, looking to be highly proactive while achieving very little. I now realise our local members of Government really are born & bred as one of life’s lowest forms!
It’s been an unusual 24 hours since the London attacks, with the unusual bits being both good & bad.
The response by all the emergency resources & the professional way the public was kept informed has been eye-opening. The return to normality has also been miraculous. An event such as this in Adelaide would have people in sheer panic for days, but the fact London has had to deal with many attacks over the last few decades has defined the way the city can bounce back.
What did surprise me was both the astounding limit to the number of people killed. How so many managed to escape carnage in such confined areas is miraculous. I also had no idea there were up to 300,000 Australian citizens living in London. Seven have been confirmed injured, which again (although, still terrible) is a small number in the whole scheme of things.
The technology of mobile phone cameras has been a definite development since 9/11. Photos & video of the scenes from underground have been a major addition to the television coverage. The disadvantage is it brings the horror in record time & is generally unedited for gruesome bits.
Again, the world is on edge & attacks like this are near impossible to stop. The al Qaeda nutters will come up with something new & inventive. Sending masses of police & troops onto the streets of New York is hardly an appropriate response & what possible scenario could be avoided by a show of force.
Admittedly, I don’t know what should be done, but the military can’t be left patrolling railway stations indefinitely, which means they will eventually be open to terror groups. We’ve seen that these extremists are smart to come up with things we haven’t thought of. The world just needs to get smarter!
It's only been an hour or so since London joined the insanity of terrorist attacks. It's of course too early to start pointing blame at any group but to say six synchronised blasts are not an act of terrorism would be naive.
At this point America is still asleep & oblivious to re-living their own attacks from 2001. Tonight has familiar tones to the WTC attacks. The initial breaking news tv spots & then the live feeds over-riding set programs. The reports on each channel contradict each other with speculation. It will be many hours before the world has any true idea of what's going on.
I didn't know anyone in New York back then, but I have a few friends living in London. I'm hoping they're all okay.
It's one of those days in which I wish I had started this blog with never mentioning names of places I've worked… or even my own name for that matter.
The last couple of months of sordid activities within the Hotel’s walls have been entertaining to say the least. My rant the other day was written in the moment & upon looking back with a bit more clarity, some things appear less intense but no less screwy. My problem is, I just can't let the wider community know of these bizarre happenings without getting myself into all sorts of trouble.
Hence, the happenings of today will be recorded in memory only & not put on display. However, to put things in perspective, the current issues of television censorship revolving primarily around Big Brother seem pretty tame compared to this place.
Oh, for the benefits of hindsight & that of anonymity.
There is a bunch of really big guys in the hotel at the moment. When I say big, I should probably be meaning Huge!!
They're here to perform a bunch of shows at a couple of local evangelist churches. As you can tell, I'm not really up with all that sort of sideshow religion hoop-la!
The group is officially known as Team Impact, but unofficially, they have become the messiest group of individuals ever to grace the hotel. We've had all sorts of sporting teams over the years who have little concern for five star quality accommodation & therefore treat the rooms like.... well, their own bedrooms (much to their mother's disgust I'm sure).
These overtly muscle endowed dudes are supposed to be role models for teenagers, spreading the word of god by demonstrating how to break stuff. Apparently, the other lecture of being neat & respecting other people's property is off the agenda.
Aside from their domestic incapability, the other thought I have when I see the commercials advertising their shows is - "wasn't Jesus a carpenter?". I'm pretty confident he didn't use his arms to tear phonebooks in two, his legs to snap baseball bats or even use his head to crush concrete blocks.
It's been a weird week & now I'm at the end of it & everything just feels wrong. I can't pin point it, something's just not quite right.
I had Monday & Tuesday off & with the house to myself, I sat down & recorded a few of my own songs & a number of covers. It's not difficult to record, because that's the fun part, but finding the inspiration required to mix & master is a challenge. For those in the know, you have to correct all the levels between each track, bounce them & then master them, which doesn't sound hard until you realise you have to listen to the same recording half a dozen times before you have anything to show for it!
Eventually, they'll find a place here for people to download & then provide feedback on how crap they are or whether a Grammy is forthcoming.
While I only had to work three days, by Friday's end, I was thankful the week was over. It was discovered that a number of staff were caught out doing the wrong thing last weekend, but due to their positions within the Hotel, they've found ways to cover their tracks & get their stories refined to get them off the hook. I was told to audit & uncover anything which could be used to prove what they had done, but it didn't take long to work out that if I dug too deep, it would probably be me who would be looked at as causing trouble! Let's just say it's getting a bit nasty & applications for other jobs have been posted.
Other than that, there's not too much happening at the moment. Of course, I could just sit here until something blogworthy occurs....
