Babeled

The past two days I was in Washington D.C. visiting my grandmother and she said we were getting a personal guide at a museum called Udvar-Hazy (pronounced: ood-var-ha-z). I didn’t find out until later that this museum was named after aviation businessman, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, who donated $60 million of his own money to build it.  Well, when she told this to me, I said “where?”, thinking she was bringing me to this obscure crazy museum that would probably bore the hell out of me. Well, like usual, I was wrong. Instead of utter disappointment, the museum was actually just as awesome as the original Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum located around the National Mall.

Udvar-Hazy is located on the southeast corner of the land that hosts the Dulles International Airport. The building is shaped like a giant hangar and this Boeing Aviation Hangar is filled with aeronautics from floor to ceiling. The museum featured planes and helicopters from every U.S. war. The museum actually houses the first helicopter, along with military planes from every U.S. war, from WWI to the Korean War. The cool part was that they had each planes counterpart in combat paired with them. So, you could really see different advantages and disadvantages each plane had, such as the size, location of the turrets, etc. Nevertheless, while there should be mention of all the aeronautics in this place, there were really four highlights of the museum.

1. Lockheed SR-71 - [Aka. Blackbird] This plane, which was developed in 1964 to hold reconnaissance missions in the Vietnam War, proved to be extremely effective due to it’s supersonic speed and slim body style. None were ever lost in enemy combat.
2. Enola Gay - The B-29 Superfortress that dropped the first nuke in our world’s history on Hiroshima to end WWII.
3. Space Shuttle Enterprise - One of six space shuttles that were built by NASA for space exploration, however Enterprise was built with no engines and was never used to go into space. It has been used by NASA for atmospheric tests since its inception.
4. The Concorde - Another supersonic jet that was used, however this one was for commercial use and was retired in 2003 by Air France. Only to eventually be donated to the Udvar-Hazy Museum.

These were the “Big Four”, but I want to make mention of the Hurricane (WWII), Spitfire (WWII), F4 Phantom (Vietnam), and the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer (first nonstop flight around the world). If you are a fan of aeronautics, then you would love this place. If you are a fan of military history, you would love this place. All in all, I strongly recommend that you check Udvar-Hazy out.

Image Used In Post

SR-71 “Blackbird” image courtesy of Flickr user srossi published under CC license.

Popularity: 19% [?]

We all know that Jesus Christ, son of Source, taught us to turn the other cheek.  But sometimes our unsightly humanness gets the better of us.  Alas, sweet revenge is needed.  We have all been wronged before to some degree or another, and we will all be wronged again; it is how we respond to such strife that defines us.

There are those among us, Greg Rineberg not excluded, who are classic over reactors and there are those who habitually look the other way, like the until now unseen Jeff Ruemeli.  For the rest of us we wallow somewhere in the middle.  It is this very middle ground that serves as great theater to the epic mastery of revenge, the best of which is always served ice cold.

The form of retribution that I am about to present before you is to be contemplated carefully so as to determine whether it classifies as an appropriate form of revenge.  This plan of action is by no means a creation of my own, that distinction is reserved for Eric Zane of the Free Beer and Hot Wings radio show.  What we are about to discuss is known simply in talk radio circles as - The Upper Decker.

Instead of describing what it is right off the bat, I’ll just outline the steps to revenge:

1. Enter the bathroom of the suspect in dire need of payback
2. Remove the lid to the upper tank of the toilet
3. Perch your feet on the toilet seat pigeon style and hover your backside over the tank
4. Proceed to drop deuce into said tank

And that’s it, you have just really ruined someones day.  Ideally it will be some time before the marinating source of fecal filth is determined, at which point all of the inner workings of what makes indoor plumbing so special will have been overtaken by last week’s McDonald’s.

But now for the core of the matter.  Is this a just punishment fitting of its crime?  Are there certain acts of misfortune that warrant the carpet bombing of another citizens bathroom?  I’m not so sure and here’s why:

How can you be certain the bastard who wronged you is the one that will have to clean it up?  What if happens to be a lesser employee of a piss poor business that won’t give you your money back?  Or the maid of some rich jerk?

I am of the opinion that grounds for an Upper Decker can only be warranted if there is near 100% certainty that its target will be the one to play cleanup.  Otherwise this grotesque and juvenile act must be held in abeyance in favor of a different and more appropriate form of revenge.

Image Used in this Post

Fish Tank Toilet image courtesy of Flickr user Fire Monkey Fish published under the CC license.

Popularity: 13% [?]

I just had the fortune of traveling to a fantastic little town on the Eastern Shore of Virginia located at the southern tip of the Delmarva Peninsula.  The peninsula is bordered on one side by the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay on the other.  The extremely small village of Cape Charles is nestled on the Chesapeake Bay complete with an appealing beach that never seems to be crowded.  There is a tiny main street area that spans about eight blocks containing few restaurants and shops, but the distinguishing factor to the neighborhood was the people in golf carts roaming the entire downtown.

Smiles were to be found in abundant supply amongst all those both aboard and observing the quietly humming electric vehicles, casually slow and deliberate as they traverse the miniature town.  The Victorian style homes, large and close together in a grid layout but well separated with lush landscaping, spanned an  area of no more than eight blocks deep and twelve blocks long.  This close quarters layout lent itself very well to slow speed travel because of pedestrians and improved parking possibilities.

Enough with the practicality for the moment, and onto the real point: everyone was instantly happy when traveling in a golf cart.  It is simply great fun to cruise around this small, slow-paced little town with trails that extend into the forest and connect to a golf course community, Bay Creek.  We began to wonder if the novelty wears off, and of course we assumed that had to be the case.  As time past and the miles in the golf cart accumulated and the sight of others in golf carts became more commonplace, the experience somehow did not lose its appeal.

Cape Charles was certainly not a place with a bustling (insert night life, upscale hotels, restaurants, or pretty much anything else), but it was awesome.  There are a few places to get some food and a pretty good bar that apparently has a band sometimes.  I don’t actually recommend going when there is a band, the band was good but the space was too small to accommodate the live entertainment.  Several places exist that rent golf carts and other small transportation devices to fulfill all of your pleasurable town-cruising needs.

Imagine a world where you were lived in a place that you could drive a golf cart to work and to all the necessities.  The equipment is so cheap and affordable to purchase and maintain, not counting the insurance decrease because of injury and death reduction.  Golf carts are zero emissions.  You use electricity from a wall outlet to charge them, but believe it or not it doesn’t seem to take too much to get them up and running for a good trip.  All I can say is, I am totally in favor of golf carts.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Popular opinion would say that the start of reality television began with MTV’s The Real World. This is not true. Reality television, a malignant tumor upon our airwaves, boasts roots that grow far deeper than MTV. Reality television is about giving an average person the ability to have fifteen minutes of fame on the old tube. Ever hear of game shows? While this brand of reality television is crude, the networks had to start somewhere. Game shows are to American Idol like the WW I propeller planes are to today’s F-22 fighter jet. Reality television continues to grow in leaps and bounds, giving rise to new programs taking advantage of the unsuspecting viewing audience in ever greater numbers. Like game shows, reality TV is cheap programming for TV networks. No actor salaries, minimal set and production costs, and better yet, you get to put poor fools in deplorably degrading situations for the entertainment of others. What’s the downside? For the networks: none. For everyone else: the continuous demise of intelligent AND entertaining programming. Every time a reality show graces my television for longer than five minutes I immediately lose 10 points from my IQ.

Popularity: 11% [?]

The radio departed Kidd Chris has sunk to a new level and descended into the realm of the bloggers with his Hot Steamy Blog.  Earlier this morning I saw a bulletin come through from Kidd Chris’ MySpace page announcing his new venture in blogging.  As a big time fan of his, this was uplifting news as I can still be exposed to Foley’s rants and ravings even though he is off the air.

The site has only been up for a few days, but there have already been several posts.  Kidd Chris is a hard worker who is dedicated to his craft and to his fans.  Considering the new found spare time he has I would expect his blog to be a very active place.  No to mention this will keep us fans in the loop regarding his next career move.

I am a little disappointed though as it does not seem anyone can leave comments yet.  Hopefully this will change over time as it would be nice to have some back and forth interaction with the shock jock himself.

Popularity: 11% [?]