Good news! NASA has announced it will continue attempting to contact the Mars rover Opportunity, which went silent in a Martian dust storm earlier this summer. When the storm cleared in September, NASA announced it would try for 45 days to awaken Opportunity. That window closed this week with not contact made. However, scientists are going to keep trying for a few more months, they’ve decided. And why not? The amazing gadget has been exploring Mars for almost 15 years. It was designed for a 90-day mission! You don’t just give up on something like that. If I were a betting man, I’d wager they’ll hear from Opportunity again.
37 responses to “Is ‘static charge’ an oxymoron?”
Here are two comments from the tail end of last time, sent in while JJ was posting the above:
emb
on 01 Nov 2018 at 7:56 am #
c x-p: Amen. Historically, it’s extortion. “What’ll it be, Pops, the candy or your front window?” is [close to] the quote by Paul Stooky [sp?]on the PPM record.
Kenya? It’s raining. Peace,
emb
on 01 Nov 2018 at 8:03 am #
Actually, I got the best of both worlds, and held my tongue appropriately. Scrumptious chili supper at friends’ home, while friends tended to the t-o-trs. Four were BSU frosh girl biology majors [1 local, from their neighborhood], so they got to meet an old prof who retired before they were born. Good fun.
Peace,
I am amazed at the durability of the objects that we have sent into Space. It’s even more cool to imagine the reflectors that Apollo 11 left behind are still used to help educated our youth. I’ve always believed that space exploration is an investment. Not just in technology, but our imagination.
[Brought to mind by listening to a Janis Joplin song. ]
A man was working in front of his house, doing Saturday chores. A down-on-his-luck-looking guy walked up and asked if he had any work he could do. “Can you paint?” the homeowner asked.
“Sure, I’m a good painter,” was the reply.
“Go around back. You’ll find two gallons of paint and a brush. Use that to paint the porch. Put a good heavy coat on it; don’t miss any spots.”
The guy takes off for the back and returns in about half an hour. “Did you do a good job, like i told you?” the homeowner asked.
“I sure did,” the guy said. “Didn’t miss an inch of it. But by the way, mister, that’s not a Porche, it’s a BMW.”
Apparently, black-tailed prairie dogs don’t regularly hibernate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-tailed_prairie_dog
I always get a charge out of Jimmy’s jokes.
Anyone here besides me a Queen fan? Anyone going to Bohemian Rapsody?
Reveiws are bad but Rami Malek getting raves for bring Freddie back to life. I know people who were at Wembley for Live Aid but I was obviously not one. I always WISHED I could have been there and the movie allows closest thing any of us will see.
Plus I love Freddie Mercury and his outrageous voice and persona. A great loss to excess.
Recipe time:
Sloppy Johan?
1 lb Hamburger (we use 90% lean)
1 can Sauerkraut
1 jar Alfredo Sauce
3-4 cups Noodles
1/4 Chopped Onion (more or less)
a little Minced Garlic
Shake Black Pepper
Brown Hamburger & Onion- spoon off excess liquid
Add in Sauerkraut & other ingredients then Alfredo Sauce
Serve over Noodles
Sprinkle on Parmesan Cheese
Serves 6 — or 2 people 3 meals
Second meal can be a Hot Dish
Nailed it Jimmy! The Living Dead!
Jackie:
Bohemian Rhapsody: I doubt that we will go, although we might, just to see Malek’s performance. I really like his work in Mr. Robot.
Latest Halloween movie: Wish I hadn’t seen it.
Bad Times at the El Royale: Great movie, providing that you like movies in the spirit of “No Country for Old Men” and “Pulp Fiction.”
Sisters Brothers: I enjoyed it.
“Mature neighborhood”? Is that another way of saying “Geezerville”?
Actually, the best neighborhood in which I ever lived was somewhat like that…older retired couples (and some widows), and young professional couples with small children (including my cute and very fit aerobics instructor and her attorney husband). Pretty and quiet and safe. (The Chief of Police lived a half a block from my house.)
I still miss it. Damn hurricane.
You went where my thoughts took me with this storyline Jimmy. The older a neighborhood gets, the more the children age out of trick or treat and such things. New, younger families have to move in to replenish the pool with their children. If they don’t, well.
Kenya: elephants. It was raining earlier.
https://explore.org/livecams/african-wildlife/african-river-wildlife-camera
Peace,
Sure, Janis. Why not?
Kenya. Maybe African eagle will stay put.
https://explore.org/livecams/african-wildlife/african-river-wildlife-camera
Elephants sparring in the river.
https://explore.org/livecams/african-wildlife/african-watering-hole-animal-camera
Elephant; eagle on limb called.
https://explore.org/livecams/african-wildlife/african-river-wildlife-camera
I don’t t know about oxymoron, but it is redundant. If it weren’t static, the ‘charge’ would be ‘current’.
Perfect for a cat, which is static a large part of the time. Static, as in motionless.
Kenya: baboons, impala
https://explore.org/livecams/african-wildlife/african-animal-lookout-camera
Peace,
Impala are in the background. That fellow in the foreground may be a bongo.
emb: what sort of monkeys are in this photo?
http://sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/wp-content/uploads/sites/29639/2015/10/bb84750419f7ab2dbbd9ea02c5190463.jpg
I got the photo in a choir practice reminder…
TR: Possibly more than you wanted to know – https://nextshark.com/howler-monkey-testicles-study/ 🙂
It makes math addicts such as I am wonder if there is an actual numerical correlation. It’d have to be based on either % of body mass or %of body volume invested in each part to avoid bias based on the animal’s size.
Too lazy to look it up section: do female howlers also howl? If so, how loudly in comparison to males?
curmudgeonly, Wikipedia has this to say: Most howler species live in groups of six to 15 animals, with one to three adult males and multiple females. Mantled howler monkeys are an exception, commonly living in groups of 15 to 20 individuals with more than three adult males. The number of males in a given group is inversely correlated with the size of their hyoid, and is positively correlated with testes size. This results in two distinct groups, wherein one male with a larger hyoid and smaller testes copulates exclusively with a group of females. The other group has more males, which have smaller hyoids, and larger testes, and free copulation occurs among the group. The larger the number of males, the smaller the hyoid, and the larger the testes.
TruckerRon, appropriate photo for choir practice!
So size does make a difference?