Mr. Pythagorea's cat.

The spot price for an ounce of gold is a new high of $1301.70. Will it never end?
We all learned Pythagoras Theorem in high school. One of the never to be forgotten Pythagorean facts is that triangles with sides of 3,4 and 5 are right triangles. Yesterday I passed a new cat on my morning walk. What was fascinating to me was the closure rate he maintained. I was starting on the 4 unit side and he was starting on the 3 side approaching me so as to reach a right angle intersection. I'm sure he never to high school math and had never been introduced to Mr. Pythagoras but he maintained a constant velocity along the 3 side timed so as to exactly meet me at the intersection for a greeting. A perfect right triangle
I could have done today's walk in T shirt only. Temps yesterday were over 100 degrees all over Southern California. Burbank Airport reported 113 degrees. The temperature this morning was over 70 degrees at 7 am so we'd better be ready for another HOT one. Later this week it should cool down to the 80's.
Or not.
Sweltering temperatures are proof that we're all on this flight together.

Dick

Coincidence? I think not!

On my walk this morning I passed two cats, one standoffish and the other more sociable. There were also two aeroplanes passed over, one a V tail Bonanza. Coincidence? I think not! To cement the relationship, there were no earthquakes reported yesterday. Sounds like a conspiracy by the Bush administration to foment a national coup. Paranoid? I think not!
In spite of the hundred degree temperature Historic Flabob Airport held its annual open house. A photo of a plans built Tri plane flown by the renowned WWI ace, Baron von Richthofen is above. With a top speed of 105 mph it burned up the skies over Europe for a short three months in 1918 (Or was it 1917?). In any case it is a great replication job. The plane was superseded by the superior bi-planes built by the Allies which resulted in domination of the air.
Small aeroplanes are proof that we're all on this flight together.

Dick

What the Hell was going on?

Yesterday was open house day at Historic Flabob Airport. I got there early to partake of the pancake breakfast. I'm not particularly a fan of pancakes but there's something special about them when they're served at an airport. The weather was superb. It was 80 degrees at 8 am but would get over 100 deg later in the day. One of the talks was by Rob "Tumblin' Bear" Harrison, a local boy making good as a aerobatic performer at regional airshows in his Czech built Zlin 50. And a good talker He really is 'of the people'. But I tell you that to tell you this: Two year ago Rob has a serous accident during his routine. One of the maneuvers is to do a loop on takeoff. The problem was that Rob hit the bottom of the loop about one foot too low. He was severely beat up with bruised and broken bones all over his body. The plane was destroyed. Some one asked him if he remembered most of the accident and he replied in the negative. Which reminded me of the numerous attempts I made failing to recall the part of the accident between being on short final and getting out of the upside down plane. The first thing I remember after being place on a gurney in a field in Southern California was being restrained in a hardware store while I shouted loudly at the nurses demanding my Constitutional right to be released. IMMEDIATELY! And all the nurses would do is call for doctors instead of lawyers. What the Hell was going on? I was getting angrier and more frustrated by the second as I was pointedly ignored in my repeated demands. Then just as I reached my peak, around the corner came...... daughter Deb. All my emotions immediately changed from anger and frustration to peace. Everything was going to be all right. I didn't know how or when but I knew. I still get tears in my eyes while I type this. It's been over two years and I remember it as if it were yesterday.
Remembrances are proof that we're all on this flight together.

Dick

In a message dated 9/23/10 10:07:24 AM, PENNYLAHB@aol.com (brother Bob) writes
Diane was inducted into the Senior Softball Hall of Fame last Thursday evening (editor: that would be August 16 for the calendarly challenged) at Gallatin, TN. The ceremony took place on the eve of a three day SPA (Softball Players Association) women's tournament. There was a large crowd of friends, relatives, teammates, and players on hand to honor Diane, and the other five inductees.

The Hall of Fame ring previously shown (this blog August 19) is now official. The congratulations are also official now.
There's music in the air so it must be Saturday. I'm off to Historic Flabob Airport in a few minuutes. Today is open house of EAA Chapter One. With a pancake breakfast it should be aviation fun. No aerobatics but lots on the ground. The weather is forecast to be 100 degrees. Ouch!

Hall of Fame inductions are proof that we're all on this flight together.

Dick

The Spot Price of Gold is $ 1299.60

The Spot Price of Gold is $ 1299.60, a new high on the way to $1500/oz. Let's all buy gold then elect the Republicans in November and wait for the national debt to triple as it has under each of the last three Republican presidents. That should drive up the price of the gold as the dollar is devalued (a joy for all us Seniors on fixed incomes ). And what do the insurance companies add to our health care anyway? The cost of which is free to go up.

The space immediately above is an artifact of the Uncertainty Principle. I am often disturbed by a person's use of the I and me. To say "This belongs to you and I" is just as wrong as to say "This belongs to I". Sounds weird doesn't t? I'm not enough of a grammarian to assign the correct grammatical name to each word but I know what's right.

The space immediately above is an artifact of the Uncertainty Principle and further proof that we're all on this flight together.

Dick

The space immediately above is an artifact of the Uncertainty Principle.

It's a beautiful day.

It's a beautiful day. Just a little on the cool side but really very nice. Ceiling and visibility unlimited. With no wind it's a perfect day to fly. I suppose I'll have to get my simulator running again. That way if I run out of gas I can just access the tankage electronically and fill it up. Normally not possible 3500 feet in the sky. I suppose I could arrange for air-to-air refuelling. Wouldn't that be fun?
I saw no cats on this mornings walk but did see two aeroplanes pass overhead. There were no sizable earthquakes reported so the correlation between any events for the day is p=0.00. At least the lack of correlation is consistent.
Consistency is proof that we're all on this flight together.

Dick

Quantum Mechanics and String Theory as the Truth.

The spot price of gold is up again and the Flying Spaghetti Monster once again demonstrates his/her transcendency. His/her generosity is clearly shown in the accompanying graphic. I believe that Intelligent Design should be taught to everyone. All religions from Astroism to Zoroastrianism (including the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster) should be included. Although there is sufficient evidence to prove that the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is the One True Path to the Truth, we are open minded enough to encourage others to pray to whomever they choose. We even encourage those who choose wrongly. Especially those who choose Quantum Mechanics and String Theory as the Truth.
Secular spaghetti is proof that we're all on this flight together.

Dick

Meditational musings.

Meditational musings in the morning. In the background the FM radio is playing Alive & Picking with guest host John Davis. I realized that I have listened to John and his wife until he left the air in the early 2000. John and his Heartfelt Music is probably the oldest contact I have in So Cal. The list of performers, writers and their music is too long to list but be assured that I have often been affected by the music they played. And I've never met John personally but feel I know him better than I do most people. Thanks for the music John.
Being affected from afar is proof that we're all on this flight together.

Dick

I choose not to run.

I choose not to run. Actually I choose not to walk today. Today only. The new Plane & Pilot magazine arrived yesterday so I got distracted reading it this morning.
The good news is that Gold is up. Reaching a new high the spot price today is over 1278 $oz providing a lesson in economics 101. Recall that this price has more to do with the value of the dollar than the intrinsic value of gold.
Although it keeps getting harder and harder to complete the walk it is rather pleasant with the Sun just up and the temperature almost warm. Not quite T-shirt weather.
Both cats are choosing to spend the nights out doors. I hope that changes before the weather turns cold or I'll have to trick them indoors each night, a hopeless undertaking. That kind of trickery will quickly teach them what's coming. It's a humbling thought that I can't even out think a cat.
Being out foxxed by a cat is proof that we're all on this flight together.

Dick

My friend Suzi.

I passed an usually high number of cats out during my morning walk today. All were in the normal state of cat stand-offishness. One of them was off leash with a lady and her dog(on leash). Which reminds me of the few months I spent in Texas with my friend Suzi. She had 7 cats. 6 were part of the house group and 1, Stanley, was his own man so to speak. Stanley would disappear for days at a time then out of nowhere he'd show up for dinner. I frequently sat at a picnic table outdoors in the morning just picking the guitar. More often than not good old Stanley would show up with his nose poking under my picking arm. Always marching to is own drummer. Bless you Stanley wherever you are. All the cats were tragically lost in a house fire while Suzi was later living in New Orleans.
Suzi and her beloved cats are together in Heaven which proves that we're all this flight together.
Dick

A day that will live in infamy.

September 11, a day that will live in infamy. It should be remembered for the Rights we sacrificed for a needless war. The first act of congress was to pass the Patriot Act which severely changed the landscape of our civil rights. A Right once lost can be recovered only through drastic actions.
Our Rights continue to be eroded through the vehicle of continuing wars around the world, for Gods sake we still have military bases in Europe left over from WWII. And an ongoing warm war on the Korean peninsula. Our unconditional support of Israel assures a constant strife in the Middle East. All intended to maintain the citizenry in a state of fear. Yet we all recognize a peaceful world would be the choice of any reasonable person.
FDR was right in 1941 and he's right today. "We have nothing to fear but fear itself". Yet here we are.
Questioning authority is proof that we're all on this flight together.

Dick

The 5th dimension is time.

We know time is perceived differently under different circumstances. If the 5th dimension is time, Time Two varies about zero value causing time to flow like a fun house mirror. Why couldn't one of the extra dimensions be time rather than spatial? That would allow us to explain several time related paradoxes.
The big story a few months ago was the oil disaster in the Gulf. Last week the big story was the explosion in San Bruno at a PG&E installation. Then there have been the mine cave-ins and several other problems most of which have resulted in multiple deaths. The common thread running through all of these accidents is the inattention by the owners (read irresponsible corporations) to designated safety issues. In most cases the corporations involved accepted penalties as a cost of doing business and went on using the dangerous equipment, further risking lives. In the end, even when stuck with reasonable fines, the fines are never paid but as in the case of the Exxon Valdez oil spill the fines were substantially reduced to 10 % of the assigned fine by corporate owned judges on appeal and even then the pay out was stalled as long as possible before the citizens who were harmed finally received the pittance due. All the result of Bush Cheney administration policies.
Corporations that have no end are proof that we're all on this flight together.

Dick

When I awoke...

When I awoke this morning my knee was more bothersome than usual. As a consequence I decided to ingest my Prop 215 medication before my meditation, something I've not previously done. It turned out to be an interesting experience. Ordinarily my mind would follow the thread of an idea to its end or the mind would be devoid of anything (the goal). Today, however, ideas flowed through my consciousness in bits and pieces, single words or parts of sentences each concerned with a different idea. With the speed of light I went from Santa Claus to Santa Cruz to Monterrey to Austin,Texas to Sausalito and so on. People or events associated one idea to the next. But I'm not sure it got me any closer to Nirvana or wherever I'm headed.
And my knee never bothered me.
Random ideas are proof that we're all on this flight together.

Dick

It's overcast..... again.

It's overcast..... again. I'm sure this will burn off well before noon and the temperature is forecast to be in the 70's. Perfect! Maybe the cooler evenings will encourage the cats to come in out of the cold (paraphrasing a cold war term) nights. Budda has taken to calling to me from outside at 5 am. I don't think the neighbors will be real thrilled with that. Meanwhile Tigger endures the cooler nights with dignity and quietudinous peace.
Or not.
Individual quantum mechanics are proof that we're all on this flight together.


Dick
Note: No trees were killed in the sending of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

The day is Saturday.

The photo is of an HO gauge modelled turntable used in the real world for the storage and repair of locomotives. Each stall is filled with a beautifully hand crafted locomotive. The pic was taken at the Fullerton Railroad Festival held in Brea earlier this year. I like the symmetry of the whole thing.
The day is Saturday and "Alive and Picking" is starting with the music of the day on the FM radio. The music will continue on and off until 8 o'clock this pm with the Cumberland Gap Bluegrass Festival on the electric TV. Lot's of guitars and mandolins and enough harmony singing to satisfy the most demanding of listeners. All day long.
There is a small town in western Pennsylvania named Harmony. Never until this very moment did I connect the name with music. Just wondering.
Harmony with all its meanings is proof that we're all on this flight together.

Dick

Quantized space and the morning walk.

The morning walk has been pretty sterile as of late. The only major event in my life in the last two weeks has been the mysterious movement of my trash can from the curb to it's proper place on my property.Unaware of any form of a garbage can fairy I could only assume that a real person had graciously done the deed. Indeed the deed was done by Deed (Dave) a real person. Neighbor Dave from next door had put the can in place. Mystery solved and credited.
Planck length is the only length that can be formed from the constants c, G, and ħ, dimensional analysis suggests that lengths of special significance in quantum gravity are likely to be small multiples of the Planck length. Those small multiples are the quantization of space. One less ponderable conundrum to be pondered.
Or not.
Mysterys are proof that we're all on this flight together.

Dick

I just don't feel like it!

I ain't gonna write today. I just don't feel like it!
Occasionally choosing not to write is proof that we're all on this flight together.

Dick