(Picture by ranch owner Linda from the Blue Moon Ranch Facebook page. I’ll have some more knitting progress next week.)
Made It!
The Curiosity rover has landed on Mars, intact, on schedule, and is sending back images!
I think this might be the moon landing of my generation. I mean, we accurately sent a robot through space for eight months, pretty much lowered it onto a different planet via a sky crane, and now we can see what it sees? My god. Good job, humans. Good job.
(Didn’t stay up to watch the landing? Check out the NASA JPL site for all the details. Curiosity’s Twitter stream is pretty cute, too.)
Friday Unrelated Information
1. I’ve always been someone who skips ahead in books and likes to know the plots of movies I’m going to see, so I thought this study was interesting:
Two researchers in the psychology department of the University of California at San Diego recently decided to test whether we really hate spoilers, or just like to say we do. What they found surprised them: The majority of people apparently like having a story spoiled for them. In fact, we may enjoy spoiled stories even more than the unspoiled versions.
2. The Mars Curiosity rover is scheduled to make its crazy complicated descent Sunday night at 11:30 MST. Here’s a good roundup of coverage of the landing. Come on, Curiosity!
Thursday Poem
This is a nice one from The Writer’s Almanac last week.
Let The Day Goby Grace Paleywho needs itI had another day in mindsomething like this onesunny green the earthjust right having sufferedthe assault of what is calledtorrential rain the pepperthe basil sitting uprightin their little boxes waitingI suppose for me also thecosmos the zinnias nearlyblooming a year too lateforget it let the day gothe sweet green day let ittake care of itself
It’s A Big Day For Druids
It’s August 1, one of the cross-quarter days that fall equidistant between solstices and equinoxes. This one is Lughnasadh or Lammas, a pagan harvest festival or a time to go have your first crops blessed by the Catholic church, whatever your persuasion.
But wait! there’s more for your inner hippie–the first of two full moons this month is today, as well. Since Carl Sagan would not approve of any astrological advice, I’ll just say to go make the most of the rest of summer. And look at the moon tonight, too.
Tuesday Project Roundup: Something Small
To get back into knitting, I started a little project while waiting for the yarn for Skyler’s sweater to arrive.
This used up some leftover yarn and is going to be a “fake sock top” to stick out of boots, thusly:
I made up my own pattern, but you can find the one in the picture above here.
For Monday
Albert Einstein’s three rules for work:
1. Out of clutter, find simplicity
2. From discord, find harmony
3. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity
Friday Unrelated Information
1. Summer, where are you going? I realized Labor Day is six weeks away. Sigh.
2. APOD posted a picture of the Tulip Nebula this week. Space is pretty.