Astronomy 101

Schlub is a reader of the science publication Astronomy, more from a “it’s good to have been here” perspective than anything. I’m clueless about the math, the physics baffle me, and I couldn’t tell a quark from a boson, but they have pretty pictures and star charts. Afterwards, we’ll get ice cream.

The mag tends, though, to the smug, especially when regarding the non-astrophysicist community. F’rinstance, the lead article this month was “What Happens When we Detect Alien Life?” (a rather slob-appeal title, IMHO. Mayhaps hoping for a few off-the-rack sales?). The whole thing was rather giggly over the concept, and you could just see the writers smacking knuckles together in gleeful anticipation of what such an event would do to all those slope-headed fundamentalist Christians out there.

But I can’t help wondering what their reaction would be if the first message we get from Mars is, “Have you heard the word of God today?”

Now, that would be fun.

Are you ready for some football?

Well, I was, this past Sunday, figuring to bypass the dreadful Redskins/Rams game for something a little more like...well, football. Eagles/Saints, Titans/Texans, you know, a real game? But, nooooooooooo. Channel 9 was showing infomercials. Infomercials! On football Sunday! I went out and did yard work, instead. So, okay, the 4:00 game, then. Denver, Chicago, cool! But, noooooooo, again, Fox was showing golf! Only the Ravens game was on and, admittedly, it was a good game, but the Ravens? Yawn. What's with this programming? The NFL has become so eeeeeevil they want you to pay extra to see a good game, pay out a bazillion dollars a season for Total Access or some Red Zone channel thing they keep hawking. Bad enough they've priced the Great Unwashed out of stadium seats (and just why are you building so many skyboxes in your new stadiums, hmmm?), but we're being restricted to just one broadcast game? Gonna start watching college.

Changing the nature

Of all the things said about this health care fiasco, Mark Steyn summed it up: the relationship between governed and governers will be changed. When the Politburo decides your health care, you'll be a good little proletariat, won't you?