Category Archives: Administrative

Administrative

Back To CA

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After an exhausting two weeks of house renovation (plumbing upgrades, bathroom tearouts, painting, electrical, etc.) in Colorado, we’re on the road back home to LA. Stopping for the night in Glenwood Springs, and hoping to get home later tomorrow night, with an early start. Regular blogging may resume thereafter.

Administrative

On The Road Again

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Heading out of Vegas north to Arizona, Utah, and eventually Colorado. I may check in from the road, since I bought myself a Verizon Aircard for Christmas. Hope Santa was good to everyone…

[Late evening update]

The plan had been to make it all the way to Denver tonight, but we got a late start from Vegas, and we would have gotten in very late, so we stopped in Grand Junction. Looking at the weather in the room, it looks like it was a good move, because there’s a lot of snow on the road up ahead at the Divide. I hope it will be better in the morning.

[Saturday morning update]

Well, it’s better this morning, but still looks like a slow drive. The snow isn’t blowing any more, but there are icy patches and packed snow ahead. I’m guessing five hours, but maybe we’ll be able to do better.

[Evening update]

We made a lot better time than I hoped — about three and a half hours. The only places where the roads were a little iffy were in Vail Pass and climbing up the the RooseveltEisenhower tunnel, but it generally moved at better than sixty and eighty for much of the trip. The nice thing was that there was little traffic, and virtually no trucks, doubtless due to the holiday.

Are there any Denver-area blogger parties for New Years?

Administrative, Space, Space History

Made It To Vegas

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…but a lot later than we wanted, due to hellacious traffic getting out of LA. Things didn’t really start to move until we got halfway up the Cajon Pass. So, later dinner at Mandalay Bay, and then on to Colorado in the morning. But Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. I’ll leave you with a video from another Christmas eve, forty-one years ago.

I had a piece on this story last year, on the fortieth anniversary. Hard to believe it’s been a year since I wrote that.

Administrative

Drive-By Morons

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The post on the Virgin Galactic rollout problems seems to have attracted some trolls. I just got a comment there, that was held in moderation, from some creature calling itself “Joe PAO” with an email address (probably fake) of “joe@nasa.gov.” But the IP address is from an AT&T account in mid-town Manhattan.

I’m not going to approve it, or repeat it here, because it consisted of nothing but a completely baseless personal attack on me and my journalistic integrity. But it is strange to see which posts bring these cretins out of the woodwork.

Administrative, Space

Off To Mojave

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I know posting has been a little slow this weekend. Dale Amon is visiting, and helped me get a lot of things done around the house that I’ve been putting off since we moved back, not to mention cleaning up the fall leaves on the roof and patio in anticipation of the first winter rainstorm here, which is likely to put somewhat of a damper on today’s festivities. They’ve scheduled the rollout for later afternoon (after dark, actually), probably with a light-show extravaganza, but that’s when the rain (and up there, perhaps snow) is likely to be heaviest, according to the forecast. On Saturday night, we attended Alan Boyle’s book signing up in the Fairfax district, and Dale reported on it at Samizdata.

Anyway, we’re driving up to Mojave this morning to see it, and other things (reportedly there will be spill-over parties at XCOR and other places). If the weather permits, we’ll be back late tonight.

[Update a few minutes later]

I wonder why they chose Pearl Harbor Day as the rollout date? I assume they did so despite, not because, or perhaps they didn’t give it any thought. But that’s strange, because Virgin (or at least Burt) are quite into anniversaries. I would have thought they’d rather do it on the 17th, the 106th anniversary of the Wright’s first flight.

[Update a few minutes later]

Clark Lindsey has a roundup of related links.