Christopher McKitterick's Blog, page 38

Astro-Porn of the Day: Rotating Saturn Video!

Astronomy lovers, I haven't forsaken you! I've just been murderated by teaching way too many frakin' classes this semester, plus reading for the Campbell Award, prepping for the CSSF summer program, and a billion other things. So as I take a little break, I thought I'd share a little astro-porn. Check out this lovely video that Sky & Telescope imaging editor Sean Walker made from a sequence of Hubble Saturn photos:



Right now, Saturn is displaying unusual white bands in its atmosphere, remnants from a giant storm that struck the ringed planet last winter:


Click the image to see the Universe Today story; photo by Anthony Wesley.

You're looking at a storm that started out about the size of planet Earth and has spread out across the entire latitude around Saturn. These "great white spots" only appear once every few decades, so this is a rare treat.
Chris

The Katana lives!

So I managed to drop my Katana phone through the wood decking of the patio at Henry's last night. Nobody could quite reach it through the narrow slots where it lay half-buried in the molten goo, so I zipped back there this morning armed with a flexible-extendible-clampy-snake-thingy:

Success! I got this device from Working Assets Long Distance (the liberal-leaning phone company now known as CREDO Mobile (which seems to be having a switch deal right now) when it was hot stuff, back in 2006, I think it was. Since then, it has gone through the washer and dryer; sat overnight at the bottom of a frozen puddle; taken several dives into lakes, fountains, and so forth; crashed with me on a motorcycle; and been dropped countless times onto the floor. I've dropped it while scootering and driven over it at least once with a car. How would you feel after such abuse? Check it out:


Yes, I posed the camera on my heavy bag. Seems appropriate for an old fighter who keeps on doing its thing battle after battle. No, the photo isn't blurry; the phone really is that scratched up.

Despite all this, the thing still works great... except for how it occasionally doesn't ring, and the anticipatory-typing thing only works with words you've already entered, and... okay, it's ancient and kinda crappy, and now it bears new battle-scars and smells of old, wet, beer-ey cigarette ashes. I must admit that I've been thinking of joining the Smart Phone Generation. Heck, I bet there are kids out there who've never even seen a flip-phone.

But after all it's been through, I can't bear to toss it aside! And the butt-dialing... as much fun as that can be (I'm looking at you, Matt J, who accidentally serenaded me last week), I don't look forward to an exposed screen on a device that I carry everywhere. I mean, look at this thing! Would a smart phone survive all that?

Yesterday, I was ready to ditch the thing. Now it's earned a reprieve. Perhaps I'll be like those crusty old reporters who refuse to give up their Royal Portable typewriters, obstinately carrying around my trusty blue Katana deep into the 21st century.

Chris

To all Lawrence Christians preparing for Judgement Day

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You have a friend in Lawrence. Good to know people are looking out for us.

Steve Hawley talk next week: "Fossil Microorganisms in Mars Rocks?"

Every week or two, the KU Astrobiophysics group gives a presentation (where I talked about aliens in SF a few weeks ago). Next week, former astronaut Steve Hawley presents this intriguing-sounding seminar:

Astrobiophysics Seminar - "Fossil Microorganisms in Mars Rocks?"
NASA astronaut and KU Physics and Astronomy Professor Steve Hawley
Thursday May 12, 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Malott Hall room 2055, University of Kansas

Best,
Chris

Astro-Porn of the Day: Solar Eclipse as Seen from Space

Been too long since my last astro-porn, hasn't it? When I'm not working (10-12 hours a day lately), the last thing I want to do is more time on a computer, so I've been a poor blogger. Apologies! I hope this amazing photo of a solar eclipse as seen from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory helps make up for it a little:


Click the image to supersize the image on Spaceweather.com.

If you click the image, you'll see a much larger version. Look carefully along the edge of the Moon: See those irregularities? Those are lunar mountains, caught in profile against the Sun. How awesome is that?

I love living in the Space Age, when images like this are almost routinely available.

Chris

Upcoming writing workshops! One month left to apply for summer spec-fic workshop....

CSSF Writers Workshop Just one month left to apply for the Center for the Study of Science Fiction's summer Science Fiction Writers Workshop!

This summer, the fine author and fellow Young Gunn (that is, former Gunn student) Brad Denton joins us for Week Two of the Workshop, and James Gunn joins us for lunch, some workshopping (he's stepping back a bit), and random chats, and Kij Johnson will be there running her SF/F/H Novel Writer's Workshop during the same time. Days are filled with workshopping, nights with writing and dinner out in beautiful downtown Lawrence and movies and discussions late into the night. For ten years, this was my summer vacation, when I fell in love with this town and the Center, and when Jim became my SFnal Dad. Oh, and we'll workshop stories, discuss what works and doesn't in writing, analyze how to make it in today's publishing world, and talk about being human in the future. Don't miss it!

When: June 26 - July 8
Where: Lawrence, Kansas
Final deadline to apply: June 1
Cost: $500
Housing: Templin Hall, conveniently the same dorm where we meet



Campbell Conference Right after both workshops and before the Intensive Institute on the Teaching of Science Fiction (available for credit or not) is the Campbell Conference and Awards Ceremony, honoring our Campbell Award and Sturgeon Award winners plus SF in general. It's a fabulous event and a great wrap for the Workshops (and kickoff for the Institute). We're firming up plans now, and we'll soon add a few more special guests. If you'll be in the area - or not! - plan to be here!

Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well on Ganymede Movie Speaking of Brad and his awesomeness, the new indie movie based on his Campbell Award-winning novel, Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well on Ganymede is now in production! If you'd like to read this book but don't have the cash for a rare, out-of-print copy, Brad also offers it for free download on his site. Here's the teaser trailer:



KaCSFFS Writers Workshop If you don't have two weeks but want to talk spec-fic writing with Robin Wayne Bailey, Rob Chilson, and me, come on over to the KaCSFFS Writers Workshop at the at The Writers Place.

When: Saturday, May 21, at 6:00pm
Where: 3607 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri
What's included: Finger foods, tea, and coffee
Cost: Free to dues-paid KaCSFFS members, $30 to the public - everyone is welcome!

Questions? Lemme know! Hope to see you at one of these events.

Chris

Osama bin Laden confirmed dead.

WHOAH. Really?

President Obama live news conference starting any second now...

EDIT: It looks like the BBC has a story on it, too....

EDIT2: CONFIRMED. President Obama just finished his announcement.

HOLY CRAP.



Chris

Astro-Porn of the Day: Amazing time-lapse movie

Just watch. One of the most gorgeous videos I've ever seen:



The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd, who says, "This was filmed between 4th and 11th April 2011. I had the pleasure of visiting El Teide. Spain's highest mountain (3718 meters) is one of the best places in the world to photograph the stars and is also the location of Teide Observatories, considered to be one of the world's best observatories. The goal was to capture the beautiful Milky Way galaxy along with one of the most amazing mountains I know El Teide. I have to say this was one of the most exhausting trips I have done. There was a lot of hiking at high altitudes and probably less than 10 hours of sleep in total for the whole week. Having been here 10-11 times before I had a long list of must-see locations I wanted to capture for this movie, but I am still not 100% used to carrying around so much gear required for time-lapse movies."

No kidding - I can't imagine how much equipment he had to have lugged up the side of that mountain to make these time-lapse, moving-camera films.

Wow. Thanks to gamera_spinning for the heads up.

Chris

Joanna Russ has died.

Sad news: Feminist-SF pioneer Joanna Russ has died. Locus source here.



If you haven't read it yet, check out her fascinating novel, The Female Man .

Chris

PROOF!

Didn't you just know it?



Of course, we all know that was mocked-up. Because he WASN'T EVEN BORN ON EARTH, MOFOS! CHECK OUT THIS UN-RETOUCHED PHOTO!


Click the image to see a silly page of stuff about Obama.

Everyone knows he arrived on Earth in 1972 aboard the triangle-shaped UFO that landed at White Sands... and was covered up by the government. 'Nuff said.

Chris