Monday, August 31, 2020

The Fountainhead: an exploded view of one scene

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We lose the past too easily. Ayn Rand was born in 1905. In The Fountainhead , anyone of mature professional status 1922-1942 would have been...
Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Neighborhood Book Kiosks

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The first one in my neighborhood appeared in February and I thought that it was unique. I saw another one a bit farther from home. It finall...
Saturday, August 15, 2020

Driving to the Moon

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 My 2005 Honda Civic turned 238,900 miles, the median distance to the Moon. PREVIOUSLY ON NECESSARY FACTS ONE LIGHT SECOND   TECHNICAL WRITE...
Saturday, August 8, 2020

Measuring Your Universe: Alan Hirshfeld’s Astronomy Activity Manual

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This guide to hands-on learning instilled me with a sense of confidence about my ability to perform the basic mathematics of astronomy. The ...
Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Astrophotography is a Lot Like Love

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It took five hours over four nights to figure out how to get an image with my new iPhone 11.  I gave up trying the smaller telescopes, a 2-3...
Sunday, July 5, 2020

The GOP as Pushy Beggars

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That Donald Trump is a bully is obvious. His influence on the Republican Party and conservatives is also apparent. Back in late October 2016...
Saturday, July 4, 2020

From the Declaration of Independence

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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rig...
Thursday, July 2, 2020

Glutton for Pun-ishment

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We buy this brand of meats at the Wheatsville Co-op here in Austin. I was fixing dinner last night and the pun occurred to me. Ground bison....
Monday, June 29, 2020

This Knife Might Not Work Once

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This Northwest Trail knife is built wrong. Clipped into your pocket, when you take it out, you have to flip it around before you can open it...
Sunday, June 28, 2020

Austin’s Homeless: Laissez Faire in a Mixed Economy

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Here in Austin, Texas, the  reductio ad absurdum  of the city government’s policies toward the homeless is that you (and all your friends) c...