Sunday, September 27, 2020

Celestial Mechanics

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I first got interested in celestial mechanics in 1978. I enrolled in three independent study classes at two schools, New Mexico State Univer...
Thursday, September 17, 2020

Hail to the Spartan Victors?

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I do not remember where I was driving when I saw this banner. The incongruity prompted me to stop and take a picture. I found it again in my...
Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Pencil Notes: Reflections on Henry Petroski’s "The Pencil"

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“Yet, perhaps in part because specialization was no doubt as common in ancient times as it is today, the written history of engineering is s...
Monday, September 7, 2020

The Pencil: History, Design, and Circumstance

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The book opens and closes with the fact that the pencil’s ubiquity rendered it invisible. On pages 5 and 346 the author tells of being unabl...
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...