Voyager 1 Another Step Closer to Interstellar Space

After traveling through our solar system for 33 years the Voyager 1 spacecraft is now passing through the "heliosheath."

The heliosheath is a region surrounding our solar system where the pressure of the solar wind from our Sun is equal to that from interstellar space.  Voyager 1 is currently 10.6 billion miles from our Sun (on Earth we're only 93 million miles from the Sun) and is traveling at 38,000 mph (yeah, that's a little over 10 miles a second).  Light from the Sun takes ten hours to reach Voyager 1.  Launched in 1977, both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are still returning useful scientific information to Earth.  The plutonium-powered radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) will supply enough electricity to operate the instruments and transmitters for another decade or so.  Both carry a copy of the famous golden record containing the sounds of Earth, encoded images, and pictograms, just in case either craft is encountered by others in the interstellar void.  Can't do anything but watch, but this stuff is pretty cool.

UPDATE: 20 June 2011, the news is always surprising at the edge of the solar system.

On Pink Microscopes

Token Skeptic Kylie Sturgess posted a very nice essay on women and science education.

I've asked her if she's posted the text anywhere I can link to it for you.  Until then you can download it from iTunes or as an mp3 here.

The 100 Best Science Fiction Films Of All Time

Seems I watch most of the same movies as the pollsters and pundits...

For the record I've seen 96 of Total Sci-Fi Online's The 100 Greatest Sci-Fi Movies,

97 of the Rotten Tomatoes' 100 Best-Reviewed Sci-Fi Movies [As of December 2014 the list has changed...now I have seen on 92 of 100]

99 of Digital Dream Door's 100 Greatest Sci-Fi Films,

and all of Sci-Fi Lists Top 100 Sci-Fi Films.

Between those they recommend I have yet to watch:

Delicatessen (1991) is in my Netflix Watch Instantly queue. [A wry treat. Check it out!]

Open Your Eyes (originally titled Abre los Ojos when released in 1997) is in my Netflix queue.  Yes, it's the inspiration for the so-so American remake Vanilla Sky, which starred Tom Cruise. [Check this one off my list.  Nicely done!  This was a much better movie than the Tom Cruise version.]

Quatermass 2 Enemy from Space: (1957) [On 26 December 2014 I watched the (1955) BBC television version presented in six 30 minute segments. Still need to watch the Hammer adaptation.]

Stalker (1979) is in my Netflix Watch Instantly queue. [Check! Tarkovsky is not always my mug of chai, but this one ranks with his adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's Solaris.]

Save The Green Planet! (2005) is in my Netflix queue. [This is one very strange and mostly unpleasant movie.  It couldn't decide whether to be a sci-fi thriller, a black comedy, a surreal portrayal of a man descending into paranoid schizophrenia, or a long nasty example of serial killer torture porn.  Icky.]

Seconds (1966) is in my Netflix Saved queue.

WALL-E (2008)  I tried to watch this but couldn't keep my eyes open.  I'll have to try again some day. It's in my Netflix queue, but way down towards the bottom.

I'll get back to you...

Cancer Sucks

...and having John Edwards for a husband was no prize either.

We note the passing of Elizabeth Edwards, aged 61 years, after a long fight with cancer.  She was a mother who buried a teenage son, a tragedy without solace.  While she freely chose the life of a politician's wife, that task appears to be a tremendous burden even when things go well.  In the midst of her dire struggle with cancer she suffered public humiliation at the hands of a philandering husband.  She suffered more, and more publicly, than her share I think.

May memories of better times be a comfort to her family and friends.

Vacations, Weekend Getaways, and Overnights

First as a couple, and then as a family, we've done some pretty cool stuff for our annual vacations, three day weekends, and other getaways over the years...

1986 St.Orres Inn in Gaulala, California.  There are other inns in the area but this is one we visited again.  Perfect spot for a romantic getaway.

1986 Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California.  Nice camping and hiking.  Beware the Banana Slugs...

1987 Grand Portage, Minnesota in winter.  Scenery awesome, rental skiis mediocre.

1988 Virgin Islands by way of Windjammer Barefoot Cruises.

1992 Cabo San Lucas on the Baja peninsula.  Almost got sucked into a timeshare.

1994 and 1996 Yosemite National Park in California.

1995 and 2002 Hawaii, Maui and The Big Island, respectively.

1997 Nordic skiing in Bear Valley, California.  After we struggled back to the lodge through a whiteout seven year old Erik threw off his gear in disgust and swore he would never ski again.  We're glad he changed his mind in time for a fine career as a high school nordic athlete.

1998 Death Valley National Park in California.  In the spring, so it was cool enough to do some backpacking, even though the kids were 7 and 9 at the time.

1999 Black Hills of South Dakota for Independence Day and to bicycle two hundred miles in two days with my brother who was doing the Big Ride that summer.

2000 Yukon River in Alaska for Summer Solstice.  Scarcely dark and mostly warm.  Brought a bear gun, didn't need it.

2000 Barrow, Alaska for Winter Solstice.  Cold and dark.  Saw polar bears, didn't have a gun.

2001 and 2003 Playa del Carmen.  Much less commercial than Cancun; at least it was then.  The adventure tourism was fun, so was lying on the beach.

2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).  Be sure to pay extra for a kevlar boat!

2003, 2005, 2007 Superior Hiking Trail on the north shore of Lake Superior.

2005 Yellowstone National Park.  We backpacked into the wilderness.

2007 Italy.  Mostly staying with family friends in Napoli and doing the Roman archaeology thing.  Then a few days in Roma, where our hotel was at the top of The Spanish Steps.

2009 Camping on Madeline Island in Wisconsin.