Tag: nasa

Gratitude and Content Creators

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving for those of us celebrating it in the U.S! Today’s rendition of Seriously Geeky Sundays, I mean Seriously Geeky Thanksgiving will focus on gratitude. 2020 is the year to be thankful for the little things (I’m always grateful, but this year more so than most). 

22nd November – Small Screen Views

The small screen, the telly, the idiot box; the television has had many names and gone through many changes since 1926. Today we’re focusing on our small screen habits.

Do you watch much television?

As I sit here mentally going through my daily routine, I realized I don’t watch much TV day-to-day. With that being said, if I am painting or drawing, I’ll put something from YouTube on in the background. Yesterday’s YouTube adventure was NASA TV. The days before that were Everyday Astronaut’s live stream of Chang’e 5 Lunar launch (China) and NASASpaceflight‘s stream of SpaceX’s Starship static test fire (hmm…I’m starting to think there is a theme here).

Let’s give a shout out to the YouTube creators out there for providing hours upon hours of free entertainment and tutorials with a special appreciation for creators like Everyday Astronaut and NASASpaceflight for their hard work in providing coverage of rocket launches and all things SpaceX.

What genres do you like to watch?

I love shows that open up possibilities, shows that force the mind to wrap itself around different ways of seeing things, and shows that explore humanity at its core. The genres I tend to favor are science fiction, alternate history, and some fantasy (I am extremely picky with fantasy).

Everyone involved in my favorite shows have forever captivated me (and in some cases changed me for the better), and I will always be grateful for that. 

What shows are you watching at the moment?

Turn on Netflix. It is so good! If you want a dramatic adventure show set during the Revolutionary War, Turn. Watch it for the side characters, not for Abe (sorry, but he’s the only character I don’t like. Simcoe and Rodgers are characters I love to hate, ha ha!). 

Is there any TV shows that you like to rewatch?

The Man in the High Castle, of course! 

I am always in the mood for a random episode of Star Trek (DS9, TNG, TOS episodes). It’s one of the things I love about episodic shows. You can just jump in and watch whatever episode you feel like it!

Do you watch TV shows live or stream?

I stream for the most part. The only thing I watch live is NFL games. As a matter of fact, I’m watching Thanksgiving football at this very moment!

What TV shows are you looking forward to the most?

Season 3 of The Boys!

The crossover no one asked for! High Castle meets The Boys

Concave of Concerned Catizens

Posted on by in Fiction

Today’s post is taken from a prompt from the wonderful folks here: The One-Minute Writer. We all love a good conspiracy theory, so here’s the purrfect one!

“You are the president of your local Conspiracy Theorist group. Unfortunately with the internet and all, most of your regular conspiracies have been debunked. You need something new, something that the group can really get behind. Create a new conspiracy theory.”

Concave of Concerned Catizens

There is something out there. I know it. The sheepish minions of conformity are always after people like me. They can’t wrap their minds around the fact that there is more than meets the eye, and it may not always be a crappiota latte or a pair of fuzzy moon boots in 60 degree weather.

I’m getting sidetracked. I need to think of something for our next meeting. The Concave of Concerned Catizens is counting on me. That last debunk was a slap in the face. The sheepish minions of conformity won’t stop until the world is made of lemmings!

We are not alone. They are out there, and they are among us. I will not succumb to society’s stubborn refusal to look beyond science. Okay. I can do this. Let me just put on my traditional foil cat ears.

There we go. It was never secret lizard people! I should have realized that. That myth was invented by the government to throw intellectuals like me off guard!  Not lizard people. It has to be some sort of mammal—no, a humanoid! How else can they pose as warm blooded humans?

It’s the Martians! Why is Mars suddenly popular? Why are we crazy about sending people to Mars now? It’s a trick. It’s an ugly trick. They want us to go there. I don’t know why, but The Concave of Concerned Catizens will find out! They conceal themselves from NASA’s spying robots.

They’ve altered the DNA on a select few super Martians who are walking around among us. Oh my, God. I should have known all along! The Martains are posing as restaurateurs! What better way to spy on us than to listen in on our lunch conversations! The next Concave of Concerned Catizens meeting will be held at McBurgerz Place! As we munch on our delicious burgers and fries, we’ll be watching. We’ll be the masters because we are on to them!

*We will also be voting on the font for our book; it’s a collection of our sightings and theories. I’m all for Comic Sans.

You Discover a New Star: it Needs a Name.

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The nights grow longer as November rears its sleepy head.

Both star studded images used in this graphic are amazing photographs by hubble/Nasa

Let’s say you own a telescope, and one chilly November evening, you are gazing at the night sky. As you shift to adjust your hoodie, you accidentally bump your telescope. It swings slightly downward. Shrugging, you lean forward and peer through it only to discover a celestial wonder previously unknown to humanity.
Heart pounding with excitement, you document and record your findings. You can’t feel Fall’s nippy grip anymore because your blood is pumping with the thrill of this discovery. Your hoodie suddenly feels stuffy, but you don’t care. You found a new star!
What kind of star is it? Is it a sun to another solar system? Could Vulcan lay just beyond its white glare? 
What are you going to name it? Why?
How old do you think it is? Was it with the universe at the very beginning of it all?
What does it look like?
My imaginary star is going to be named Mishiarendil–I won’t be the first person to name something after herself! I am a huge sucker for The Silmarillion and all things Tolkien, so I had to pay homage the elves’ most beloved star, Earendil! 

I want to know what you would name your star! 
Post your star’s name on Facebook or Twitter

I made a blank New Star Fun sheet for those who want to go into more detail!
Click the image to view full size.

Selfies on Mars. What’s Next, Pluto?

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I’ve watched a lot of NASA and space exploration centric films lately (Apollo 13, Interstellar, and The Martian).

Original photo courtesy of Curiosity, the Mars rover

 Like every other person who probably saw The Martian, I immediately went to NASA’s website (well…I go there every day anyway to check out New Horizons, so this really isn’t altering my Internet habits any) and flooded myself with images of Mars and selfie obsessed robots.

Photo courtesy of NASA. 
Find all the images of Pluto you want here!

We live in an exciting era. We are on what I hope is a brink of a new age for humanity. I mean, we sent New Horizons to Pluto, and there is talk of a manned mission to Mars. Right now the possibilities of what we may discover are endless. I just hope we don’t mess it up before we can even cross the bridge of a new age…We humans tend to be greedy and warlike.

Until we know every last inch of our solar system and have sent a person to every viable planet, I will be daydreaming my own futuristic societies and writing science fiction. Until then, I will also devour every decent sci-fi book I can get my hands on!

If you could go to any planet, which one would it be?
My answer is obvious: Pluto!

In other news, I’ve finally gotten myself a smartphone. Yes, ladies and gents, I am just now jumping into the 21st century as far as telecommunications is concerned. A combination of my hard-headed defiance, “They are too big!” and realistic “I don’t have the money.” were the factors in my tardiness for joining the rest of the world.

Shocking! Space and Buzz Aldrin on the moon? I surprise myself. 

Mission: Pluto Station

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Hello, hello, everyone! I feel like it’s been ages since I’ve written a post in here. I hope you are all enjoying you summers so far.

Original photo is courtesy of NASA. 
Tomorrow marks NASA’s first ever flyby of Major Pierson’s favorite rock in the universe. I am super excited about this because Pluto plays a huge role in The Year is Now! I spent a lot of time researching it before I even created the empire’s Atlas V project and Pluto Station.
To see all of NASA’s latest pictures from New Horizons of Pluto, Charon, and that part of our solar system brings me goosebumps! If you’ve been following me on Twitter and Facebook, you’re already in the loop.
It just so happens that I have tomorrow off. I feel like I’m in an episode of Fortune Favors the Writer. I get to see how close my imagination was to the real thing (along with research done by astronomers up to this point). And for burps and giggles, I wonder if they’ll discover any anomalies.
You can follow NASA’s mission here: New Horizons
As for me, I’ve been busy with work and the mundane adulting stuff of real life. I’m hoping I’m in for a not-busy, yet creatively productive spell next. This seems to come and go in waves. 
Here’s to wishing you a smooth Monday.