The Big Think

via bbcnews: The Mars rover Sprit was lucky enough to catch a shot of a strange glowing object that burned up in the Martian atmosphere yesterday. From an analysis of the trajectory, scientists think it may be the remains of the Viking 2 spacecraft. This is extraordinary as it took the conjunction of several circumstances to bring about this unique chance. First, we had to have a lander on Mars capable of video/still images. Second, the lander had to be in the exact right spot on Mars (within a few hundred miles) to see the reentry. Third, the cameras had to be pointed up, and in the right direction (50% of the time Spirit is in a nighttime “standby mode” and most of the rest of the time the cameras are looking at the ground). And finally, the Viking 2 booster had to choose just the right moment to reenter. Keep in mind that the Viking spacecraft has been orbiting Mars since September of 1976!
So a 28 year-old spacecraft just happens to pick the right time to reenter the Martian atmosphere and be picked up by cameras sent from Earth that just happen to be pointed in the right direction at the right time. If I read about it in a science fiction novel I would dismiss the author as using an event that’s too implausible for belief.

via NYPost: With all the negative talk about Iraq lately, it’s nice to see some good news.

…a recently intercepted letter from Abu Masab al-Zarqawi – a major terrorist mastermind in Iraq – to his al Qaeda associates in Afghanistan suggests that he is getting discouraged: The geography is unfriendly and Iraqis are too, the writer laments. Every time they mount an attack to drive Iraqis apart, they come together instead.

“Democracy is coming, and that will mean suffocation” for the terrorists”
Abu Masab al-Zarqawi, terrorist mastermind

Check out these designs.
I. Am. Such. A. Novice.
This one, too. (click on “designer gallery” on the left)

Okay, I admit. I’m a huge science geek. Requisite science fiction geek as well. Just watched the season ending episode of Stargate SG-1. YES! Freaking great episode.
Now back to your normally scheduled blogging.

via Yahoo: Don’t miss the show this week. All 5 worlds visible to the naked eye (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) will be visible in the sky at the same time. The next time that will happen is 32 years from now. Here’s a helpful picture.

via forbes: If this just isn’t the coolest thing. I want one… well, okay, two. So I can have somebody to talk to. Hook this up with an IP address on a national network and you’ll really have something. Heck, you could even simplify it by making it Bluetooth and making your cellphone do some of the work.
Speaking of national networks, Giles, we need to do our 5 and 10 year technology predictions soon before this whole Singularity thing sucks us up. Heh.

via Slate: There is a movement afoot in Congress. Legislation has been introduced that would allow Congress to overturn any decision of the Supreme Court if they could come up with a 2/3rds vote. Really.

I started it a couple of weeks ago, but SXSW got in the way of finishing. Yesterday I put the final touches on the case and started working on the mounting system for tools. Here are a few pics (click for larger versions)

This is the full frontal image. The case measures 2′ wide by 3′ tall closed (4×3 open). The main case is 5.5″ deep and the doors are 3.5″ deep. The case is made from maple plywood and the accents are black walnut. All exposed edges of the plywood are covered in walnut (front and back). The doors are hung with full-length brass piano hinges and the whole thing is finished in 3 coats of Tried and True Danish Oil. The case is hung on the wall via a french cleat system (basically a piece of wood ripped at 45 degrees. One half of the wood is attached to the wall and the other half to the back of the cabinet. The two pieces interlock).

This is a view of the outside detail of the closed doors. The door frames are walnut with birch dowels plugging the screw holes. These screws hold the half-lap door frames to the door bodies. These are the only screws on the cabinet. I wanted to do an all-wood cabinet but thought that attaching the door frames to the doors with only dowels might cause problems later on. Anyway, you can’t see the screws and the flushcut dowels add a nice contrast.

Here is a closeup of the main storage area. I’ll eventually have all of my hand tools here. I didn’t want to go to all the trouble of crafting the cabinet and then hang the tools on nails, so I’m custom fitting wooden supports for each of the tools. The supports are made out of solid walnut and hard maple laminated into striped forms. I then cut the forms into whatever shape I need and secure them to the case with brass screws. Each form gets a few coats of Danish Oil.

Here’s a closeup of the chisel rack. Again, it’s black walnut and hard maple laminated into the proper form. I had to cut the relief holes for the larger chisels by hand with a (low quality) Black and Decker jigsaw. The cuts aren’t as neat as I’d like them because I don’t have a bandsaw (yet).
Hope you enjoyed looking at it as much as I enjoyed making it!
Next project: a router table.

The next iPod. Very, very cool. It’s a big download, though (17mb) so don’t go there unless you have broadband.

Regarding film vs DV quality issues:
“We don’t need to be emulating film any more. If it’s emotional and tells a good story, then cut it together“

I’m sitting in a SXSW panel on digital filmmaking. It’s a fascinating look at the state of the art and where the technology iis going. It’s also an interesting view into the culture of DV. 15 years ago it was impossible to make a film for less than 10 million dollars. It’s now possible to make one for $4,000. The people who are driving this revolution are in this room. Awesome!
(Also thanks to Austin Wireless for the free bandwidth)

Sorry I haven’t blogged much in the past few days. South by Southwest has been my life since last Thursday. I’ve put in approximately 34 hours in the past 4 days. When I’m not there I’m either in transit or asleep. It’s been worth it, though. I’ve met some great people, done some fun (and not-so-fun) stuff, and sat in on some fantastic panels and discussions. Lots of contacts to be made and things to learn. I’ll definitely be coming back. I’m not working (volunteering) tomorrow, but I will still be down there from around noon until midnight with about 2 hours off around dinnertime. Then I’ll go see some of the indie films that my badge gets me in to see.
Screenshot of my schedule below.
My only day left “working” is an 11 hour shift on Thursday. It slows down after tomorrow night because the film and interactive panels close up tuesday. From then on my pass is just a “get in to see any movie free” card. So I’ll be learning the locations of lots of downtown venues.
(you should be able to see the graphic now. Thanks to Patrick for the pdf/jpg fix)

Spent 13 hours yesterday setting up for, and then stuffing 12,000 bags for SXSW (on about 3 hours of sleep). What a job. 50 of us took about 10 hours to offload dozens of pallets of promo materials (CD’s, magazines, misc stuff, gummy bear samples and, yes, condoms (?!)). We organized all this swag on dozens of tables in a giant warehouse-sized room at the Austin Convention Center. At 7pm the other 1300 volunteers showed up and we started the packing. You would not believe the amount of room 12,000 stuffed canvas bags takes up. Had a very good 11 hours of sleep last night.
Going back in tonight for 3 hours to do some computer setup and loading (Mac-based stuff mainly), and I’ll pick up my free $500 pass for the rest of the show!

marsrovers has a great quicktime (or MPG) movie about recent happenings with the rovers on Mars. About 3 minutes long and very cool. Check it out.

I finished the final coat of oil on the inside, mounted the doors to the frame, and began finishing the outside today. Pics will follow soon but the next 4 days is taken up by SXSW activities. I may not get around to mounting it until next week.

via theregister: The Swiss Army is apparently issuing computers with its new knife. A snazzy pocket knife/flash USB device. Nice.

via msnbc: The HUDF field contains an estimated 10,000 galaxies in a patch of sky in the constellation Fornax, a region just below the constellation Orion, that appears in an area of the sky that appears largely empty if observed by ground-based instruments. The image is about one-tenth the diameter of the full moon and took Hubble one million seconds to take.

Put the first of three coats of hand-rubbed oil finish on the tool chest. Holy COW! I had no idea that it was going to look the way it does. I’m very, very pleased at the results, but I’m beginning to realize how silly this thing is going to look hanging in my garage. It’s going to be way too nice.

via yahoonews:
A retired Spanish shoemaker who was officially the world’s oldest man has died at his home at the age of 114, his family said on Saturday.

He had been retired for half a century.

Got another 9 hours in the shop today. Got the doors built and installed, plugs done, corners made and routed/sanded, and the whole thing sanded. Tomorrow got a little more sanding to do and then the finish begins! It’ll take about a week to put all three coats of Danish Oil Finish on the piece. I’ll have pics as soon as I mount it on the wall.