If you’re lucky to be reading this Wednesday night around 9:45-10:45 PM, step away from your computer and look up at the moon in the eastern sky as it slips into Earth’s shadow.
This eclipse is teh roxors.
Check It Out
Links to cool places or things.
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Lunar eclipse Wednesday night
About 24 hours from now, we should be treated to a glorious lunar eclipse, provided the weather behaves. As of now clouds are expected tomorrow night, so it might not be ideal viewing weather. Either way it promises to be very windy, so if you do brave the night be sure to bundle up.
I remember taking Hallie to watch a lunar eclipse at Jordan Lake when she was little. I don’t remember if Travis was with us then or not. With a little luck, we’ll all get a view of a wonderous celestial event.
About the Sargasso Sea
When I posted the Cracker song Be My Love yesterday, I became curious about the Sargasso Sea. Being a sailor, I pride myself on knowing where various seas are but I’d never heard of this one. No wonder: the Sargasso Sea is the only sea without shores.
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Downtown makes me a TV star
On the way to the street to unload a coworker’s car a few moments ago, I got interviewed by WTVD reporter Tim Nelson about the drought and whether the city’s done an adequate job letting people know about Stage 2 restrictions taking effect tomorrow. He was asking if the city’s full-page ad about water restrictions was “buried” at the back of today’s the N&O’s business section. I basically told him you’d have to be under a rock if you didn’t know about the upcoming restrictions.
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Great Raleigh home for sale
Among the many, many things Kelly and I accomplished today for moving is crafting a flyer and website for our home. I just finished the website, GreatRaleighHome.com, and posted an ad on Craigslist. Tomorrow we’ll put the sign in the yard and figure out where other signs might be needed.
Once again, if you know of anyone needing a fantastic house, send ’em my way!
Weekly Radio Address
Have I mentioned how I love listening to Weekly Radio Address each week? That’s the home of the “official parody” of George W. Bush’s real radio address. It’s also scathingly funny.
Check out this week’s address on signing statements. You know its exactly what the real Bush is thinking.
Earthly comfort
Hallie and I saw an unusual construction truck while we were on the way to her school yesterday. A large F150 pickup truck was pulling a long trailer stacked with thick styrofoam boxes. I could tell the boxes didn’t weigh much so I wondered what was in them.
Once I read the truck’s logo I had a better idea of what it was hauling. Home Energy, Inc.. was on the way to install one of their energy-efficient heating and cooling systems. Home Energy sells solar water heating systems as well as Earthlinked geothermal heating and cooling systems for homes.
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Best train video on Youtube
During today’s obligatory train video for Travis I found the ultimate train video on Youtube. BBundridge caught the Union Pacific 844, a “Big Boy” steam locomotive pulling an excursion train, passing a crossing at a jaw-dropping 79+ MPH. I’m amazed at how this train comes out of nowhere and roars past in a fury of rolling steel.
Most remaining steam trains never break 20 MPH. To see this monster steam locomotive (the only steam locomotive never retired by a class 1 railroad) stretching its legs is truly awesome. It’s the best 24 seconds of train video you’ll ever see.
Disconnected, but a converter box saves the day
We don’t watch much TV at MT.Net. In fact, our TVs are one decade old and two decades old, respectively. One day we’ll move to HDTV but with the dreck that passes for TV entertainment lately, why bother?
Fortunately the gummint (or specifically the FCC) is moving things along. The analog NTSC TV signals that first debuted in the 1950s will be turned off for good next February. That would normally give TVs like mine a one-way ticket to the landfill, but there is a way to use them with the new, all-digital signals. The government is offering coupons for purchasing converter boxes that allow old TVs to see the new signals.
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Free as in beer
W00t! Raleigh’s Big Boss Brewing company will be offering a free tour of their downtown Raleigh brewery this Saturday. The tour starts at 2PM and the beer is on the house.
I’ve gone on brewery tours at Apex’s Carolina Brewing Company (back when they gave them, anyway) and had a great time. This one should be fun too. Just make sure you arrange for a ride home if you get carried away!