The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[MoonRakerSCM]

Those are not the starlink sattelites deploying, that happens once the vehicle is well into orbit (according to the link below its ~half an hour after launch. I thought it was an hour or so, it might vary depening on orbital insertion needs). One of the lights is the 1st stage separating and performing its flip manuever, the other lights are the payload fairings separating.

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

From where I am I could see the reentry burn of the 1st stage a few minutes later off to the south (on its way to landing on the barge). Last I knew the fairings were being recovered after they parachute landed in the ocean.

 

[chadwpalm]

Can you imagine if you told the 1955 Disneyland crowd that there would one day be SpaceX rockets launching several times per month from Vandenburgh Space Force Base right over Disneyland?!? And because smog had been conquered by the turn of the 21st century, you'd be able to see the launch as if it was a special effect shot in Panavision, and then anyone could instantly broadcast that sight to the entire world in HD?!?

I had a similar thought the other day when I was driving listening to music (regarding our younger selves being amazed at current tech).

When I was a teen I drove around in an '83 Ford Escort that looked something like this (but orange):

My dad bought it for me as my first car for like $800. I had to learn to drive a stick-shift on the fly. It had a cassette tape deck in it and that was my method for listening to music for quite a while. I wore out the Lion King soundtrack on that bad boy. Then I bought a Discman and one of those tape adapters that looked like this that plugged into the headphone jack:

That ended up being my primary source for music until I was able to afford one of those decks you can pull out so people wouldn't to try and steal it. That was before the ones where you can just remove the faceplate.

Now I store all of my music digitally on a server sitting in my closet which streams to my phone over the internet through cell towers, which I don't even have to take out of my pocket because it connects to my touchscreen radio wirelessly via Android Auto.

If I would have read that last paragraph to my 20 year old self almost 30 years ago, he would have been speechless.

 

[Phroobar]

Now I store all of my music digitally on a server sitting in my closet which streams to my phone over the internet through cell towers, which I don't even have to take out of my pocket because it connects to my touchscreen radio wirelessly via Android Auto.

If I would have read that last paragraph to my 20 year old self almost 30 years ago, he would have been speechless.

What software are you using to stream your music from the server? Plex?

 

[chadwpalm]

What software are you using to stream your music from the server? Plex?

Yup yup!

 

[Parteecia]

I had to learn to drive a stick-shift on the fly

Thanks for the memory. I bought a 1971 Honda N600, got a 15 minute stick shift lesson from my brother, then drove it to work at DL (see, forum related!). I ran the Harbor stoplight on the 5 overpass because uphill. After work someone had to start it for me because I did not know the concept of "neutral".

It had an AM radio. I love new tech. But I still drive a stick.

 

[Phroobar]

Yup yup!

What's that?

 

[chadwpalm]

It had an AM radio. I love new tech. But I still drive a stick.

My next 2 cars after my Escort were also stick. A 2000 Saturn and a 2008 Hyundai Accent.

After that I got the 2012 Honda Insight and recently traded that in for the 2020 Insight, both hybrids so sadly no stick.

I love driving stick, but love my 50 mpgs more lol.

 

[chadwpalm]

What's that?

Sorry, that was my way of saying yes (that I'm using Plex).

 

[Parteecia]

My next 2 cars after my Escort were also stick. A 2000 Saturn and a 2008 Hyundai Accent.

After that I got the 2012 Honda Insight and recently traded that in for the 2020 Insight, both hybrids so sadly no stick.

I love driving stick, but love my 50 mpgs more lol.

Stick is what keeps me driving ICE. I've heard rumors of some electric conversions that let you pretend that you're still shifting.

 

[TP2000]

Those are not the starlink sattelites deploying, that happens once the vehicle is well into orbit (according to the link below its ~half an hour after launch. I thought it was an hour or so, it might vary depening on orbital insertion needs). One of the lights is the 1st stage separating and performing its flip manuever, the other lights are the payload fairings separating.

View attachment 794221

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

From where I am I could see the reentry burn of the 1st stage a few minutes later off to the south (on its way to landing on the barge). Last I knew the fairings were being recovered after they parachute landed in the ocean.

Great info! I watch the YouTube live feeds from SpaceX sometimes, and I don't think I will ever not be impressed when the rocket lands itself back on the floating barge or back at the launch pad. That is INCREDIBLE technology, and as I understand it, that's what makes SpaceX such a game changer and now creates Billions in profit every year for SpaceX.

Can you imagine a really tricked out, multimedia exhibit describing how this all works, and what it takes to get a rocket up into space and then land itself back on a barge out at sea?!? Talk about fascinating information that would be highly entertaining and educational! And even inspiring to younger generations of math and science kids.

I'm just spitballing here, but...

It seems like there ought to be a place, an exhibit hall of some kind, where incredible new technology like this from American companies could be displayed and celebrated. Like at a state fair, or maybe a local theme park with a futuristic area of some kind. If only there were empty spaces available in that sort of super popular facility of some kind.

 

[TP2000]

Thanks for the memory. I bought a 1971 Honda 600, got a 15 minute stick shift lesson from my brother, then drove it to work at DL (see, forum related!). I ran the Harbor stoplight on the 5 overpass because uphill. After work someone had to start it for me because I did not know the concept of "neutral".

It had an AM radio. I love new tech. But I still drive a stick.

I never knew that about you (the stick shift part)! I love that! I bet once you got the manual transmission skills down, that Honda served you well. Fantastic cars!

As a younger man in the 70's and 80's I had a series of Triumph sports cars that all were stick shifts, as my second car. The engines and manual transmissions were great, but the electrical systems were a nightmare, and a reason why the British motor industry no longer exists. Triumph Motor Company stranded me constantly from the Carter administration through the Reagan years.

But my first car as a teen? I was not allowed to even look at my Dad's Lincoln. So my first car was a hand-me-down 1962 Volvo from my great Uncle Lars, in dull pea soup green, with about 60 horsepower, a 3 speed manual, and all the sex appeal of, well, a bowl of pea soup. It had an AM radio with one speaker in the dash, to blast Motown out of at stoplights in a brazen attempt to look cool to no one in particular.

This isn't a pic of the car my Uncle Lars passed on to me, but I Googled the model and the word "green" and found a close approximation (mine didn't have those fog lamps). Just add a faint Motown soundtrack at stoplights and a light coating of Seattle mud on the fenders, and this is it...

 

[TP2000]

Now I store all of my music digitally on a server sitting in my closet which streams to my phone over the internet through cell towers, which I don't even have to take out of my pocket because it connects to my touchscreen radio wirelessly via Android Auto.

If I would have read that last paragraph to my 20 year old self almost 30 years ago, he would have been speechless.

I love that your post triggered so many funny, warm memories for us older folks of our first cars. And what driving them was like in the days before cell-phones and instant Apps that deliver tow trucks and aid to wherever you are now stranded.

In my day when I was driving my Triumph on weekends, you had to always have an Auto Club card, lots of spare change for the pay phone, and a good pair of walking shoes in the trunk so you could walk however many miles it was to the nearest pay phone.

And to think, all these SpaceX launches over Disneyland are delivering dozens of Starlink satellites into space every month to provide instant Internet communication across the entire planet, no cell towers needed. From the Australian outback to a ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to a one lane road in Montana, you can now be instantly connected to help and assistance, or just Dolby quality music and HD media and TikTok videos.

No one in the 20th century could have predicted a private company like SpaceX would be able to do this for humanity!

 

[Disney Irish]

I love that your post triggered so many funny, warm memories for us older folks of our first cars. And what driving them was like in the days before cell-phones and instant Apps that deliver tow trucks and aid to wherever you are now stranded.

In my day when I was driving my Triumph on weekends, you had to always have an Auto Club card, lots of spare change for the pay phone, and a good pair of walking shoes in the trunk so you could walk however many miles it was to the nearest pay phone.

And to think, all these SpaceX launches over Disneyland are delivering dozens of Starlink satellites into space every month to provide instant Internet communication across the entire planet, no cell towers needed. From the Australian outback to a ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to a one lane road in Montana, you can now be instantly connected to help and assistance, or just Dolby quality music and HD media and TikTok videos.

No one in the 20th century could have predicted a private company like SpaceX would be able to do this for humanity!

Tesla (the man not the company) had actually envisioned and predicted wireless communication in the late 1800s, it was part of his Colorado Springs experiments. The principals he envisioned over 124 years ago are still in use today as part of the telecommunication industry. I can only imagine what advancements we'd have now if only he had been allowed to continue his work, too bad many were threatened by his work at the time.

 

[TP2000]

Tesla (the man not the company) had actually envisioned and predicted wireless communication in the late 1800s, it was part of his Colorado Springs experiments. The principals he envisioned over 124 years ago are still in use today as part of the telecommunication industry.

I used to listen to Art Bell on Coast To Coast a lot in the 1990's. He had many guests that discussed Nicolae Tesla and his works, it's a fascinating topic.

I can only imagine what advancements we'd have now if only he had been allowed to continue his work, too bad many were threatened by his work at the time.

Why, did he insult Bob Iger?

 

[Disney Irish]

I used to listen to Art Bell on Coast To Coast a lot in the 1990's. He had many guests that discussed Nicolae Tesla and his works, it's a fascinating topic.



Why, did he insult Bob Iger?

What's funny about your comment is that no one is threatened by Elon's work. Elon would do well to learn from Tesla, stay quiet and out of sight and everyone will praise whatever genius he and his teams come up with.

 

[Parteecia]

I never knew that about you (the stick shift part)! I love that! I bet once you got the manual transmission skills down, that Honda served you well. Fantastic cars!

As a younger man in the 70's and 80's I had a series of Triumph sports cars that all were stick shifts, as my second car. The engines and manual transmissions were great, but the electrical systems were a nightmare, and a reason why the British motor industry no longer exists. Triumph Motor Company stranded me constantly from the Carter administration through the Reagan years.

But my first car as a teen? I was not allowed to even look at my Dad's Lincoln. So my first car was a hand-me-down 1962 Volvo from my great Uncle Lars, in dull pea soup green, with about 60 horsepower, a 3 speed manual, and all the sex appeal of, well, a bowl of pea soup. It had an AM radio with one speaker in the dash, to blast Motown out of at stoplights in a brazen attempt to look cool to no one in particular.

This isn't a pic of the car my Uncle Lars passed on to me, but I Googled the model and the word "green" and found a close approximation (mine didn't have those fog lamps). Just add a faint Motown soundtrack at stoplights and a light coating of Seattle mud on the fenders, and this is it...

My brother had a '59 MGA. We knew all about Lucas, Prince of Darkness.

 

[TP2000]

My brother had a '59 MGA. We knew all about Lucas, Prince of Darkness.

I typed out a Lucas Electric reference, but deleted it because I thought "TP2000, no one's going to get that. Stop rambling!"

I should have known you would know.

The Brits built such beautiful cars, regardless of their price range. Triumphs and MG's could be just as gorgeous as a Jaguar or Bentley. And such a blast to drive! But somehow the entire British motor industry just shot themselves in the foot over and over again for decades with dumb, cheap stuff like junky Lucas solenoids that could disable the car for days at a time. Time has healed some of those wounds for me, but then I sit and think about it and remember there's not a chance in hell I'd ever own another one.

 

[Phroobar]

It seems like there ought to be a place, an exhibit hall of some kind, where incredible new technology like this from American companies could be displayed and celebrated. Like at a state fair, or maybe a local theme park with a futuristic area of some kind. If only there were empty spaces available in that sort of super popular facility of some kind.

It belongs in a museum.

 

[Parteecia]

I never knew that about you (the stick shift part)

Then you might really enjoy my motorcycle.

 

[TP2000]

It belongs in a museum.

Valid point. It belongs somewhere. And if Disney is no longer able, or willing, to use American industry to help fill out the weak lineup in its Tomorrowland while their parks burst at the seams from overcrowding (a problem for that land since 1955), then SpaceX could be a great museum addition. And just leave Disneyland's Tomorrowland to slowly age into oblivion with multiple empty buildings and pavilions.

That looks like the OC Children's Museum alongside the Santa Ana Freeway. The giant cube gives it away. But it's had a new paint job! It looks much better, or at least looks more welcoming and fun. Even when I was living in OC I rarely drove that section of freeway, and since Nordstrom closed at MainPlace Mall over a decade ago I stopped going to that mall.

When did this new paint job and spruce up happen?