Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

January 2008

The Delicate Colors of Mercury

MESSENGER, a spacecraft probe sent to explore the innermost planet, imaged the planet in multiple spectra last week. NASA/JHU image technologists re-assembled the image into colors detectable by the human eye. The result is this beautiful rendering of the delicate colors of Mercury. Click the image to enlarge.

By the way, Mars Rover OPPORTUNITY has been on the surface of the red planet for four Earth years as of today. Rover SPIRIT passed the four-year milestone January 3, three weeks ago. Congratulations to the Rover Team.

Here’s the MESSENGER article about this image.

mercury in colorMercury – in Color!

One week ago, the MESSENGER spacecraft transmitted to Earth the first high-resolution image of Mercury by a spacecraft in over 30 years, since the three Mercury flybys of Mariner 10 in 1974 and 1975. MESSENGER’s Wide Angle Camera (WAC), part of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS), is equipped with 11 narrow-band color filters, in contrast to the two visible-light filters and one ultraviolet filter that were on Mariner 10’s vidicon camera. By combining images taken through different filters in the visible and infrared, the MESSENGER data allow Mercury to be seen in a variety of high-resolution color views not previously possible. MESSENGER’s eyes can see far beyond the color range of the human eye, and the colors seen in the accompanying image are somewhat different from what a human would see.

The color image was generated by combining three separate images taken through WAC filters sensitive to light in different wavelengths; filters that transmit light with wavelengths of 1000, 700, and 430 nanometers (infrared, far red, and violet, respectively) were placed in the red, green, and blue channels, respectively, to create this image. The human eye is sensitive across only the wavelength range 400 to 700 nanometers. Creating a false-color image in this way accentuates color differences on Mercury’s surface that cannot be seen in the single-filter, black-and-white image released last week.

Continue reading…

24 Jan 2008 by Aerospace Rocket Science

Hen and Chicks

This is one of the “Hen and Chicks” variety of escheveria, which is a succulent native to the southwest.

Hen and Chicks (eschevaria elegans) is a stemless rosette that produces bright orange and yellow flowers spring through summer. Depending on the climate, they can also bloom again in the fall.

These are either late for fall or early for spring since I took this picture last weekend.

hen and chicks

23 Jan 2008 by Home & Garden Photography

Let the Panic Begin

golddollarsign.gifThe media have been falsely savaging the economy for so long, that everyone now believes we’re doomed. Today’s mega market dump is the result of self-fulfilling prophecies of economical doomsayers – an outcropping of the hatred of the Republican administration.

Donald Luskin is chief investment officer of Trend Macrolytics, an economics consulting firm serving institutional investors. Don analyzes this effect in Smart Money:

Panic Is Driving Today’s Stock Market

ARE YOU SATISFIED, all you permabears who have been preaching financial Armageddon — for years? Your patience in the face of reality has finally paid off. You’ve talked the American public into outright panic, and so now we’ve got the first real stock market break since the present bull market began in early 2003.

With the S&P 500 making new 52-week lows, having fallen 15% from all-time highs in October, as the Bard of Avon might ask, “There, art thou happy?”

Before I rant any further, let me get one item out of the way. I admit that I’ve been very wrong. I’ve been saying to buy stocks all the way down since the October highs. I was wrong. I repeat: I was wrong. If nothing else I get the satisfaction of being unique. How many stock market pundits do you know who will admit when they’ve been wrong?

So what do you do now if you’ve been wrong right along with me?

The first thing to do is to stop and think. You do not — repeat DO NOT — want to do anything hasty just because you’ve lost money, and you’re scared or angry or both. You’re not going to help by making another mistake by acting precipitously, just for the sake of “doing something.”

Continue reading…

22 Jan 2008 by Media Money and Business Whacko Politics

Product Report – Part I

Strike Hold gun cleaner - dry lubricantDamsel’s Para Ordinance Warthog still has the occasional hang up; it did it a couple times as she put 100 rounds through it at the range yesterday. At Rob’s suggestion, we purchased some Strike Hold cleaner/dry lubricant. After our weekly shootout, we came home and used Strike Hold for the first time to clean and lube all of the guns.

Image – Strike Hold and some dirty guns – click to enlarge.

I have to say that the cleaning aspect of Strike Hold was phenomenal. Up until this weekend, we have been using solvent to clean off residue and light gun oil to lube. Damsel also tried some of the Para-supplied lubrication. Compared to the solvent, the Strike Hold lifted off most residue and particles with literally half of the effort.

After cleaning, we spritzed a little Strike Hold on the slides and moving mechanisms for lubrication. After wiping off the excess, we put the guns away for another week. Next week, after Damsel takes the Warthog to the range, we will probably have another product report on Strike Hold. We’re hoping to be able to report that the Warthog fired the 100 rounds without any problems.

A product description and a link to where we ordered our Strike Hold follows:

Continue reading…

21 Jan 2008 by Firearms

Crockpot Jambalaya

Here’s a recipe suggestion for Kini, who commented yesterday about fixing something other than chili in the crockpot.

This meal was adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe, with Andouille sausage, cubed chicken and shrimp. The original recipe calls to cook some of the ingredients in a skillet, but we toss everything in the pot and cook on low for six or seven hours. Everything cooks in the broth and the results are essentially the same. We don’t toss in the pre-cooked frozen, cleaned shrimp until about 20 minutes before serving time. We prepare the rice per the package instructions and serve the jambalaya over a scoop of rice in a bowl. Oh yeah, I forgot – we always chop up a couple cloves of garlic since the original recipe left it out for some reason.

jambalaya

20 Jan 2008 by Food & Dining Photography

Steamed Chicken Chinese Style

A couple weekends ago, we broke in our new crockpot. Today, we’re breaking in a new steamer. We have prepared this particular dinner several times since we saw the recipe on The Food Network by Chef Tyler Florence. It’s called Steamed Soy-Marinated Chicken. In the past, we used a traditional bamboo steamer over a wok filled with water just to the bottom of the bamboo.

A couple of years ago, we got this counter-top steamer from Mom and Dad. We almost forgot about it until the other day when Damsel ran across it in our storage closet.

steamerRight: Steamer all loaded and ready to go. (Click for a close-up)

Here’s the recipe that we used:

1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon peanut oil
½ lime, juiced
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, sliced thick
1 cloves garlic, sliced
1 handful cilantro, chopped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 head savoy cabbage

Into a large, re-sealable plastic bag add the soy sauce, sesame oil, peanut oil, lime juice, ginger, garlic, and cilantro. Seal the bag and shake it to mix the ingredients. Add the chicken breasts and shake it again. Let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour or up to overnight.

Pour about 1-inch of water into a wok and bring it to a boil over high heat. Line the bottom of a bamboo steamer with a layer of cabbage leaves. Place the marinated chicken on top of the leaves. Cover the steamer and put it into the wok. Steam the chicken until it is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.

And here’s the delectable result: Steamed soy chicken with baby spinach, bok choi (grown in our garden and harvested yesterday) and savoy cabbage with saffron rice. The greens had a wonderful Chinese dressing with soy sauce, sesame oil, honey and rice wine vinegar.

steamed chix dinner

19 Jan 2008 by Food & Dining

Red Bell

This is the petite flower on a succulent in our garden that I call “red bells.” They are in the eschevaria family, although I don’t know the exact variety. These are showing up later than usual, opening in January where in previous years they would open in November. I posted articles about them in November 2005 and November 2006.

red bell

18 Jan 2008 by Home & Garden Photography

Categories

Archives