Rottie

During my walk today I came across the AKC holding a rottweiler competition, so I watched for a minute. Just a random, interesting thing.

Rocket Recycling

There are many factors that hold back our exploration of space, but one of the big ones is pure economics. It's really expensive to put things into space. One reason as an article from the Verge put it is "up until now, practically all orbital rockets have been expendable, so they’re basically thrown away once they launch into space. That means an entirely new rocket — which can cost tens to hundreds of millions of dollars to make — has to be built for each mission to orbit." Yesterday Space X launched and landed the first recycled rocket in a real life situation. They'd tested the Falcon 9 many times, but this was the first real launch with a real payload. And it went off without a hitch. This is huge! Not only will this make launches much cheaper, but it will make them happen more often! Right now they say they need four months between reuses to get the rocket back up to snuff and tested, but time and experience will shrink that quickly. Could this be the start of a new space age? I can hope!

Hark Again

Two dogs on camera!

Now And Then: Distinguished Extinguisher

Einstein is still helping me put out those fires nine years later.

Favorite quote: "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."

Divergent Dish

Cracker Barrel gets a little love instead of the usual haunt while the parents are off on a quilting quest. That french toast is slap ya momma good. As they say in the south.

Now And Then: Picture Quality

While moving my pictures over it gave me a chance to go back and see all of my old posts and got me thinking about some updates on certain ones. So I'll be occasionally throwing in what I call the "Now and Then" series. The first one is about, as the title suggests, how much picture quality has changed since my first blogging phone in 2008. I don't even remember how many megapixels that phone had, if it even had 1. My current Samsung has 12. So here's a fauna picture from now, and here's on from then.

All New Snacks

I just finished a long project to move all the pictures associated with this blog from the Picasa archive to Google Photos. In celebration I've updated Snicker Snack's look. New banner, new layout, same mildly interesting content!

Enjoy!

Lounge Act

Then went and enjoyed an adult beverage and a cigar out on the back deck. Victor Sinclair - Primeros.

Blue Streak

Today was about as perfect as it gets mid 60's and sunny. Took the dogs for a walk and shot this on the way.

Go Green

Saint Patrick's Day cupcakes at work.

Why Bother

I expected more security and a walk through of our building from someone, maybe the secret service or the police, since we have such a good vantage of the auditorium. There's still a few hours before it starts, but still.... the most I have seen is a few police gathering at the bus terminal parking garage.

The Circus Comes To Town

Trump is in town today, he's going to give a speech at the Municipal Auditorium just across from where I work. If there's one good thing I can say about this total disaster of an administration, it's that one day in March I got to go home early thanks to him. (They are closing the roads around us at noon, so they are letting us get out before then.)

Some people are already in line though it doesn't open until 3:30.

There's Your Problem

Getting a look at the batteries told us why, they are not supposed to be bulging and melted like that. The connectors were scorched too. Somethin' bad happened in there. We're getting a new UPS, new batteries didn't bring the thing back it must have fried.

IPS

A UPS here in our small server room went bad. We thought it would be a simple battery swap, but we couldn't get the batteries out so we had to take the entire thing apart to lift them out through the top.

String Theory

Mystic got ahold of some of Mari's knitting yarn and had a little fun with it.

Where Else

Since we were downtown anyway, it only made sense to have a late lunch / early dinner at the best restaurant in town.

As Seen On TV

There was also a display of five tiny houses of various makes and sizes. Lot's of clever adaptions for small living, but I like my house thanks.

It Costs A Lot To Swim Forever

My favorite part was the endless pool displays, something I've always wanted. But them things are spendy.

Home At The Center

But a little snow didn't stop us from going downtown to see the home show happening at the Music City Center.

Just Man Enough

After a very strange and all too warm winter (I actually like the fact Tennessee has distinct seasons and don't want that to change), we finally got a dusting of snow. Nothing like last year, but you take what you can get.

Windbag

We had really intense winds blow through town today, and it did quite a bit of damage though luckily we got by unscathed. Dos Margaritas unfortunately not so much.

Potential

A hopeful hint of things to come.

You're Damn Right

I got my cookie.

One Man's Trash

New, there's probably a good six figures in servers and switches there. But new was at least five years ago if not more. Now they're off to surplus where they'll be sold cheap or otherwise recycled. Time marches on.

Shepard's Last Ride

Despite being one of my all time favorite game series, I never played the third Mass Effect game. I think I got scared away by the very negative views of the game's end. Well a new series based on different characters is coming out called Mass Effect Andromeda, and it finally prompted me to finish ME 3. Really a great game, but I understand the issues with the end. So like a lot of others, I just made up my own headcanon end.

WOTM

Save 'em people. Because the current administration sure as hell won't.