Ok, ok, last blog entry for the evening...
I keep meaning to add useful tips to my blog, so here are two that have come up recently (and thanks to Jeff who introduced me to both of these... and set them up on my computer for me):
Google Reader allows you to put rss feeds from all your favorite websites (like this blog!) on one page. The idea is that rather than trying to remember to check each of your favorite news sites, daily cartoons, and friends' blogs, you can put a feed from each of them on google reader and quickly see which of them have new entries since you last checked. For news sites, it's an easy way to scan the titles of new stories. Also, if you're friends have google reader (like Jeff and I), you can see items that they share. If you come across something interesting, you can share it just by clicking a button. I'm not sure I'm doing a great job explaining, but check out the website to learn more.
ING Direct - ING is an online bank - it doesn't have any buildings you can go to and talk to real people, but it is FDIC approved and the money they save on buildings and people allow them to offer a really great interest rate. So, if you have savings, open an ING account and transfer it over to start making money quicker. (Also, I think they have a bonus if you're referred, so let me know if you're thinking of opening an account!)
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Thirty Pages of Space Weather
So, for the past few days I have been madly typing away trying to write the final report on "Space Weather, Aviation, and Space Flight" as a wrap-up to the research I did first semester and the workshop that I helped run in January. In the last three days I've written about 30 pages of space weather summary. (The final report is supposed to be about 50 pages.) Clearly, I've still got a ways to go, but I've been pretty proud of my productivity level. I basically wake up, work on space weather all day, and then go to bed. Some notable exceptions to this schedule:
1. Classes: I have classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, so each day I've had to take a break and interact with other people... which can be tough after a long day of space weather writing.
2. Email checking: I'm only human. Though I'm falling behind in responding to emails, so I must not be spending as much as usual.
3. End of a talk on Space Commercialization: On Tuesday, I caught the very end of a talk on space commercialization. Then I took 7 left-over subway sandwich pieces. See, Jeff's not the only one who makes dinner for us.
4. Cork Wine Bar: I took a brief break Tuesday night to chat with Al and Jeff at "Cork", a wine bar that just opened down the street. It was pretty crowded, but probably because it was the grand opening. It seemed nice though, - I'll have to check it out again on a quieter day.
5. Battlestar Galactica: I have Net Flix now (Jeff got it for me for Christmas), and I'm currently working my way through season 2.5 of Battlestar Galactica. So whenever a new disk comes, I have to take a four hour break to watch it. (It's really addicting.)
6. Chocolate City: Today after class, Jeff, Ransom and I saw this great documentary about a neighborhood in Washington, DC.
...and that's it. So now, back to space weather.
1. Classes: I have classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, so each day I've had to take a break and interact with other people... which can be tough after a long day of space weather writing.
2. Email checking: I'm only human. Though I'm falling behind in responding to emails, so I must not be spending as much as usual.
3. End of a talk on Space Commercialization: On Tuesday, I caught the very end of a talk on space commercialization. Then I took 7 left-over subway sandwich pieces. See, Jeff's not the only one who makes dinner for us.
4. Cork Wine Bar: I took a brief break Tuesday night to chat with Al and Jeff at "Cork", a wine bar that just opened down the street. It was pretty crowded, but probably because it was the grand opening. It seemed nice though, - I'll have to check it out again on a quieter day.
5. Battlestar Galactica: I have Net Flix now (Jeff got it for me for Christmas), and I'm currently working my way through season 2.5 of Battlestar Galactica. So whenever a new disk comes, I have to take a four hour break to watch it. (It's really addicting.)
6. Chocolate City: Today after class, Jeff, Ransom and I saw this great documentary about a neighborhood in Washington, DC.
...and that's it. So now, back to space weather.
First day at NASA
I just started an internship at NASA Headquarters. My first day was actually on Monday, so this post is a bit delayed. Anyway, I work for NASA Operations at NASA Headquarters, specifically on International Space Station stuff. Here's what I'm planning to do:
1. Publication of a professional paper in a peer-reviewed space policy journal: I'm going to write a paper on the subject of rationale for the ISS in terms of the benefits specifically to NASA and generally to the United States. the project includes all research, drafting, editing, final composition, and processing of the paper. The job of finding a journal and completing the process necessary to publish will be up to me.
2. Completion of a survey on operating practices for US National Laboratories: I'm going to research, review, and report on the operating practices used by other US government agencies that have responsibility for US National Labs. I'm trying to learn more about their management mechanisms, contracting approaches, staffing provisions, and selection and prioritization of research and development. I'm also trying to learn about best practices for management of federal R&D investment.
I tend not to blog about work issues, but I thought it made sense to say basically what I'm working on, I'm sure if when I publish the ISS paper, I'll be writing about that!
1. Publication of a professional paper in a peer-reviewed space policy journal: I'm going to write a paper on the subject of rationale for the ISS in terms of the benefits specifically to NASA and generally to the United States. the project includes all research, drafting, editing, final composition, and processing of the paper. The job of finding a journal and completing the process necessary to publish will be up to me.
2. Completion of a survey on operating practices for US National Laboratories: I'm going to research, review, and report on the operating practices used by other US government agencies that have responsibility for US National Labs. I'm trying to learn more about their management mechanisms, contracting approaches, staffing provisions, and selection and prioritization of research and development. I'm also trying to learn about best practices for management of federal R&D investment.
I tend not to blog about work issues, but I thought it made sense to say basically what I'm working on, I'm sure if when I publish the ISS paper, I'll be writing about that!
The State of Space Security
Last Thursday (I can't believe that was a week ago!) I went to an all-day conference on the state of space security. Anyway, it was about making sure that space stays accessible to all nations over time. It's starting to get a bit crowded in space, and we need to be careful to monitor where things are and minimize the amount of debris we create.
There were a bunch of speakers on the topic - discussing the views of countries around the world. Eruope is interested in promoting space situational awareness (knowing what's up there) and guidelines for space traffic (rules of the road for putting things in space). The US has typically been a bit difficult about committing to specific issues, but a speaker for the state department spoke about US interest in international cooperation. Everybody was pretty hard on China, because they conducted an anti-satellite test last January that resulted in an extraordinary amount of debris that is potentially dangerous to other space objects, and will take over 100 years to de-orbit.
More on the Space Security Conference is available on the Space Policy Institute website.
There were a bunch of speakers on the topic - discussing the views of countries around the world. Eruope is interested in promoting space situational awareness (knowing what's up there) and guidelines for space traffic (rules of the road for putting things in space). The US has typically been a bit difficult about committing to specific issues, but a speaker for the state department spoke about US interest in international cooperation. Everybody was pretty hard on China, because they conducted an anti-satellite test last January that resulted in an extraordinary amount of debris that is potentially dangerous to other space objects, and will take over 100 years to de-orbit.
More on the Space Security Conference is available on the Space Policy Institute website.
Chocolate City
Jeff and I went to see a documentary today called "Chocolate City". It is about the gentrification in Washington, DC, and focuses specifically on one neighborhood in Southeast DC. The public housing there was demolished to put in new, mixed-income housing. The residents were supposed to have the option to return, but prices were prohibitively high. In this way, a large number of people who have been DC residents their whole lives are being pushed farther and farther out of the city.
Check out the trailer: http://www.choc-city.org/trailer.html
The issue of gentrification is very interesting, and is easy to see day to day. Jeff and I moved into a neighborhood in DC that is already very different than what it would have been ten years ago. Walking down the street the other day, Jeff and I noticed a number of new stores and restaurants that had opened near us just in the few months we've lived here. Within the last month a new wine bar and chocolate shop have opened. There are still old buildings, with bars on their windows, but their numbers are decreasing as trendy new shops open up. On one hand, this is positive - the neighborhood is revitalized, safer, and inviting. But is it taking away from the sense of community and losing its history? The questions of how gentrification affects a city and understanding positive or negative effects are very interesting.
In low-income residential areas, like the neighborhood in the movie, is there a way to promote improved safety and public services and revitalization of businesses, without displacing the community? On one hand, people argue that "revitalization" is all about money - developers want to get rid of public housing and put in high-end condos to sell to wealthy people moving into the city. You could also argue that there are some people who are really interested in bringing down crime rates and improving living conditions. I'm curious if there have been cases of successful revitalization of cities without large displacements of poor residents.
The movie also made me consider my involvement in the community. In the movie, the women interviewed talk about how people in the community help each other out and look after each other. There is a very poignant moment when a woman describes her new living conditions, which aren't so much worse than the neighborhood she had started in, but she felt much less safe because nobody in her new neighborhood knew her, and she didn't know them.
Back in Minnesota, or in a college dorm, it's assumed that you know your neighbors. Now that Jeff and I live in an apartment, where people are constantly moving in and out, it seems like we don't know anybody. I wonder if new apartments and condos are fostering an environment in which people don't take any initiative to know their neighbors and care about their neighborhood. It's difficult in an environment like this to get to know the people that live around you. However, I'm going to try to make an effort to learn about the community here, and become a part of the city rather than just a visitor.
Check out the trailer: http://www.choc-city.org/trailer.html
The issue of gentrification is very interesting, and is easy to see day to day. Jeff and I moved into a neighborhood in DC that is already very different than what it would have been ten years ago. Walking down the street the other day, Jeff and I noticed a number of new stores and restaurants that had opened near us just in the few months we've lived here. Within the last month a new wine bar and chocolate shop have opened. There are still old buildings, with bars on their windows, but their numbers are decreasing as trendy new shops open up. On one hand, this is positive - the neighborhood is revitalized, safer, and inviting. But is it taking away from the sense of community and losing its history? The questions of how gentrification affects a city and understanding positive or negative effects are very interesting.
In low-income residential areas, like the neighborhood in the movie, is there a way to promote improved safety and public services and revitalization of businesses, without displacing the community? On one hand, people argue that "revitalization" is all about money - developers want to get rid of public housing and put in high-end condos to sell to wealthy people moving into the city. You could also argue that there are some people who are really interested in bringing down crime rates and improving living conditions. I'm curious if there have been cases of successful revitalization of cities without large displacements of poor residents.
The movie also made me consider my involvement in the community. In the movie, the women interviewed talk about how people in the community help each other out and look after each other. There is a very poignant moment when a woman describes her new living conditions, which aren't so much worse than the neighborhood she had started in, but she felt much less safe because nobody in her new neighborhood knew her, and she didn't know them.
Back in Minnesota, or in a college dorm, it's assumed that you know your neighbors. Now that Jeff and I live in an apartment, where people are constantly moving in and out, it seems like we don't know anybody. I wonder if new apartments and condos are fostering an environment in which people don't take any initiative to know their neighbors and care about their neighborhood. It's difficult in an environment like this to get to know the people that live around you. However, I'm going to try to make an effort to learn about the community here, and become a part of the city rather than just a visitor.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Three days in one room
I've been really busy lately - traveling around, going to workshops, starting classes, etc. So this weekend was my catch-up weekend. I stayed in my apartment from Thursday night through today just doing work. I'm pretty caught up on readings, part-time work, and all of that. On Saturday night Tim and Rachel came over and cooked dinner and played Scattegories, and right now Jeff and I are watching 'The Wire' - one of the best shows on TV.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Savannah - Day 3 - MLK Day
Monday was our last day in Savannah, and it also happened to be Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We had breakfast at the B&B, checked out, and left our things while we went to the MLK Day Parade.
It was a cool parade, but also very long, so after about an hour, we skipped out to go for a walk. We stumbled upon a tea shop that served lunch, and went there. It turned out to be a building that used to be an apothecary, and a lot of the original fixtures were still there.
We walked down Bull Street, and saw the Mercer House, which is featured in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil".
Before long, it was 2pm, and time to head back to the airport. The trip to Savannah was really great, and I can't wait for whatever we decide to do next year!
We walked down Bull Street, and saw the Mercer House, which is featured in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil".
Before long, it was 2pm, and time to head back to the airport. The trip to Savannah was really great, and I can't wait for whatever we decide to do next year!
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