This makes me wish I was an astronaut. I'd love to have a view like this this firsthand.
Showing posts with label cool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cool. Show all posts
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Sydney Harbor in Office Supplies
This video is really cool. It might be a commercial from Australia, but I'm not 100% certain of that.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Moon Walking
Some of the video podcasts I downloaded this week involved NASA and the space program. Specifically, the Apollo missions and how we landed on the moon. It was fascinating viewing.
I guess I take landing on the moon for granted since I don't remember a time when we hadn't been there. These short podcasts interviewed some of the astronauts, engineers, and specialists who played a part in getting us to the moon. Incredible stuff and I was glued to each of these podcasts.
One of my favorites--and I loved all of them--was an interview with astronaut Alan Bean. He was the 4th man to walk on the moon on the Apollo 12 mission. The part that really grabbed my attention, though, was that he resigned from NASA, deciding to let others fly the space shuttle, so that he could paint his experiences in space. He says something in the interview like if he didn't do it, no one else would. From what I saw, he was an accomplished artist and the paintings were cool!
Another podcast interviewed the mission leader and a third one of the engineers that helped get Apollo 13 down. Another podcast was with a woman who became one of the first female astronauts and there were many more.
These were ALL available on iTunes for free! I love free. :-) I think the Discovery Channel also has podcasts available on their website, but I wasn't able to find the space ones, so I'm not linking there.
You know, switching from a plain old MP3 player to an iPod was such a good investment! Now I can watch video podcasts, something I couldn't on my old player, I've discovered a ton of information on a wide variety of things on iTunes--from podcasts to video podcasts, to college classes--and I'm educating myself with something different every day. How cool is that?
I guess I take landing on the moon for granted since I don't remember a time when we hadn't been there. These short podcasts interviewed some of the astronauts, engineers, and specialists who played a part in getting us to the moon. Incredible stuff and I was glued to each of these podcasts.
One of my favorites--and I loved all of them--was an interview with astronaut Alan Bean. He was the 4th man to walk on the moon on the Apollo 12 mission. The part that really grabbed my attention, though, was that he resigned from NASA, deciding to let others fly the space shuttle, so that he could paint his experiences in space. He says something in the interview like if he didn't do it, no one else would. From what I saw, he was an accomplished artist and the paintings were cool!
Another podcast interviewed the mission leader and a third one of the engineers that helped get Apollo 13 down. Another podcast was with a woman who became one of the first female astronauts and there were many more.
These were ALL available on iTunes for free! I love free. :-) I think the Discovery Channel also has podcasts available on their website, but I wasn't able to find the space ones, so I'm not linking there.
You know, switching from a plain old MP3 player to an iPod was such a good investment! Now I can watch video podcasts, something I couldn't on my old player, I've discovered a ton of information on a wide variety of things on iTunes--from podcasts to video podcasts, to college classes--and I'm educating myself with something different every day. How cool is that?
Thursday, February 07, 2008
It's a Book!
My ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies) arrived today for In Twilight's Shadow. They look beautiful. :-) It's almost as good as getting actual copies of the official book. This is my first chance to see the spine and back of the cover. Actually, it's my first time I've seen the cover in anything except electronic format and that's always darn cool. I think it looks striking and (hopefully) it will stand out among the other books.
I also discovered that the back cover copy I have up on my website is missing a few words, so when I have some time, I'll have to update that and upload the new version. I can also see the font they used for the copy and it's clean and legible, and most importantly, easily readable. Yea!
Sorry, I didn't mean to run on about every facet of the ARC. My plan was to talk about how exciting it is to actually hold something like this in my hand and think, "wow, I wrote this." It doesn't matter that this is my sixth full-length book, it's still a huge thrill. And it's still surreal in a way, you know?
When I received copies of my first book, it didn't feel real. I kept thinking, this can't be my story. I kept reaching for Ravyn's Flight reading parts of it, trying to get it to sink in that hey, I wrote this. I finally just started carrying it with me everywhere I went because I constantly had to assure myself it was reality. :-) It took two weeks before it finally penetrated that it really, truly was my work. There are times I still wonder if this is real, but I think I like the wonder of it all, you know? It's just magical to hold a book I wrote in my hands and I'm glad I haven't lost that.
So now I have to figure out when to send copies out for review. Too early and the reviews get posted too far in advance of the book. Too late and the reviewer doesn't have enough time to read the book and write her review. I'm still not certain I have the timing exactly right, but eventually I'll learn. I hope.
I also discovered that the back cover copy I have up on my website is missing a few words, so when I have some time, I'll have to update that and upload the new version. I can also see the font they used for the copy and it's clean and legible, and most importantly, easily readable. Yea!
Sorry, I didn't mean to run on about every facet of the ARC. My plan was to talk about how exciting it is to actually hold something like this in my hand and think, "wow, I wrote this." It doesn't matter that this is my sixth full-length book, it's still a huge thrill. And it's still surreal in a way, you know?
When I received copies of my first book, it didn't feel real. I kept thinking, this can't be my story. I kept reaching for Ravyn's Flight reading parts of it, trying to get it to sink in that hey, I wrote this. I finally just started carrying it with me everywhere I went because I constantly had to assure myself it was reality. :-) It took two weeks before it finally penetrated that it really, truly was my work. There are times I still wonder if this is real, but I think I like the wonder of it all, you know? It's just magical to hold a book I wrote in my hands and I'm glad I haven't lost that.
So now I have to figure out when to send copies out for review. Too early and the reviews get posted too far in advance of the book. Too late and the reviewer doesn't have enough time to read the book and write her review. I'm still not certain I have the timing exactly right, but eventually I'll learn. I hope.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Culture Talk
I found out yesterday that the Pompeii exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota is open. I'd heard this was coming, but I was on deadline for In Twilight's Shadow and I completely forgot about it until I saw the article in the paper yesterday.
There was some other Pompeii exhibit that went through Chicago like a year or two ago. I heard about it after the fact, though, and hadn't gotten the chance to drive down to see it. I was disappointed by that because it sounded really interesting, but driving to St. Paul is much better than going to Chicago. :-) So it's all working out just fine. I'll be waiting to go until after the kids are back in school. :-) I'm thinking after Labor Day sometime.
I also discovered yesterday that the Guthrie Theater is doing a production of 1776. That's one of my favorite musicals ever! I even own the movie on DVD as well as having a couple of copies on VHS tape.
The Guthrie used to send me a mailing every year to let me know what shows are playing for the season, but I didn't get one this time around. :-( And when I went to check ticket availability on the theater website, all that dates I wanted to attend were marked "limited." :-( Guess I won't get to see 1776 live. That's a huge disappointment.
I found out about 1776 because the Guthrie Theater is on MySpace and sent out a bulletin. Now that's modern theater!
Revisions continue and I think they're going well enough. I'm actually thinking I might, just might, end up with enough time to do a straight read through for nitpicky smoothing stuff. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I have one more big, time consuming issue to tackle, and if that ends up being more difficult than I anticipate, that extra time might disappear.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Interesting Items in the News
I read a really interesting article this morning about solar power in the Telegraph. I'm pretty sure it's the London Telegraph, but since it doesn't specify the city, I'm erring on the side of caution. The part I found particularly fascinating was that new technology is emerging in this area so quickly, that the people interviewed believe solar power will be cheap enough within five years to compete with our current modes of energy.
Someone in the article is even quoted as saying that they don't need subsidies, that all they need is for the governments around the world to do "no harm." Which of course, got my brain swirling with potential story ideas. :-) What can I say? It's the hazard of being a writer. Anything and everything can spark the imagination.
I also saw a report on the TV about organic fruits and vegetables. I watched it on the web. (Have I mentioned I love having a high-speed connection?) This story talked about how expensive organic produce ran and what you should buy organic and what was okay to buy "regular."
There are some fruits and vegetables that have pesticide residue even after repeated washings, and according to the report, these are the "dirty dozen" that you'd be better off buying organic:
Apples, bell peppers, celery, imported grapes, peaches, nectarines, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach, cherries and strawberries.
Merely buying organic for these items can cut your pesticide intake by 90%. Now, isn't that reassuring? Gah! After reading this, I shudder when I think of all the apples I've eaten.
Here's the list of produce that are the most consistently clean:
Asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, kiwi, onion, pineapple, and sweet peas.
No new story ideas from this, however, I did find it interesting. Pesticides, genetic engineering, hormones, and other crap like this in the food supply worries me, but with organics so expensive, it's nice to know what I can skip spending extra on.
I think I'll quit here because the other item that interests me is the snowstorm from hell that's supposed to hit the Twin Cities today. And while I'm from Minnesota and there's nothing we love better than to talk about the weather, I know it bores people from other states. Y'all don't know what you're missing, though. :-) We can have twenty minute conversations with complete strangers and there's never an awkwardness as we search for a topic. ;-)
Someone in the article is even quoted as saying that they don't need subsidies, that all they need is for the governments around the world to do "no harm." Which of course, got my brain swirling with potential story ideas. :-) What can I say? It's the hazard of being a writer. Anything and everything can spark the imagination.
I also saw a report on the TV about organic fruits and vegetables. I watched it on the web. (Have I mentioned I love having a high-speed connection?) This story talked about how expensive organic produce ran and what you should buy organic and what was okay to buy "regular."
There are some fruits and vegetables that have pesticide residue even after repeated washings, and according to the report, these are the "dirty dozen" that you'd be better off buying organic:
Apples, bell peppers, celery, imported grapes, peaches, nectarines, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach, cherries and strawberries.
Merely buying organic for these items can cut your pesticide intake by 90%. Now, isn't that reassuring? Gah! After reading this, I shudder when I think of all the apples I've eaten.
Here's the list of produce that are the most consistently clean:
Asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, kiwi, onion, pineapple, and sweet peas.
No new story ideas from this, however, I did find it interesting. Pesticides, genetic engineering, hormones, and other crap like this in the food supply worries me, but with organics so expensive, it's nice to know what I can skip spending extra on.
I think I'll quit here because the other item that interests me is the snowstorm from hell that's supposed to hit the Twin Cities today. And while I'm from Minnesota and there's nothing we love better than to talk about the weather, I know it bores people from other states. Y'all don't know what you're missing, though. :-) We can have twenty minute conversations with complete strangers and there's never an awkwardness as we search for a topic. ;-)
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Eternal Nights Video!
I had a video made for Eternal Nights and I think it turned out really cool! I was going to embed it here so y'all could see it, but then I remembered dial up. So, instead, I'll send you to my website. If you'd like to see the video, you can find it on the Eternal Nights' Page of my website toward the bottom.
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