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Capsule (Full commentary found immediately below Lead Picture):
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Well, I’ve done it.
Produced my first do-it-alone video.
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Lead Picture (Story below in Thumbnail section)
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Gene Kranz (born August 17, 1933) is an American aerospace engineer, former fighter pilot, and retired flight director and manager for NASA.
Photograph credit: NASA; restored by Adam Cuerden
Read more on the blog www.existentialautotrip.com
The blog? A daily three to four-minute excursion into photos and short texts to regale the curious with an ever-changing and diverting view of a world rich in gastronomy, visual art, ideas, chuckles, stories, people, diversions, science, homespun, and enlightenment.
Observing with wit and wisdom, Dom Capossela, an experienced leader, guides his team of contributors and followers through that world, an amusing and edifying conversation to join.
Note that the blog also publishes the "Hey, Dom!" and the "Hey, Dom! How're doin?" series of videos.
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Commentary
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Well, I’ve done it.
Produced my first do-it-alone video.
The best news is that I can post a video every day.
May miss some days but will use an older one in its stead.
Each post should now have a video.
The good news: the video works pretty well: lighting, foreground to background, makeup, music, smoothness.
The bad news: pretty well, not terrific.
But I am reminded that despite the weeks of preparation, I didn’t spend enough time on the length of the script.
Not a mistake I will repeat.
I note, too, that this is the first of the "Hey, Dom! How're doing?" series, taken from my Commentaries which, by definition are longer than the jokes.
Tonight I will post another video, a short one, from the "Hey, Dom!" series, jokes.
I’ll post it tomorrow.
How many can I do in a week?
I’m thinking three.
But hoping for more.
Hoping to get the library of ‘terrific’ videos up to twenty-four, at which point I will take a time out to redo my first entries.
You are very kind to bear with me as I tweak and push and pull and stumble.
God bless.
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A “Hey, Dom! How’re you?” video.
Friday, August 18, 2019
Simple Solutions, Melatonin
Moist and delicious.
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Friday’s Dinner posted on
Sunday, August 18, 2019
We served swordfish on Friday.
We used our own technique of Broiling and Grilling the fish at the same time.
Use a TB of oil in a fry pan.
Move the oven shelf to the top slot.
Turn the oven to Broil and set the greased pan on the shelf.
In 4 minutes that pan will be very hot (do not touch the handle with your bare hands.)
Brush oil on both sides of the fish and set it onto the fry pan.
Slide it into the oven where, if an inch thick, it will cook for 9 minutes.
Half way through I turn the fish.
Serve with lemon and fresh herbs.
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Chuckle of the day:
Sunday, August 18, 2019
A pirate walked into a bar and the bartender said, "Hey, Captain, I haven't seen you in a while. What happened? You look terrible," and he handed the pirate a beer.
"What do you mean?" said the pirate, "I feel fine."
"What about the wooden leg? You didn't have that before."
"Well, we were in a battle and I got hit with a cannon ball, but I'm fine now. Listen, it’s part of the life I lead."
"Well, ok, but what about that hook? "What happened to your hand?"
"That was a different battle. I boarded a ship and got into a sword fight. Just before I thrust my sword into his throat, he cut of my unarmed hand. It’s the life, you know? I got fitted with a hook. I'm fine, really."
"Really? What about that eye patch?"
"Oh, one day I was sitting on the dock, feet dangling, drinking a cold one, you know? I looked up into the sky at a passing flock of birds and one of them pooped in my eye."
"You're kidding," said the bartender. "You couldn't lose an eye just from some bird poop."
"It was my first day with the hook."
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Today’s Thumbnail
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Gene Kranz (born August 17, 1933) is an American aerospace engineer, former fighter pilot, and retired flight director and manager for NASA.
Kranz served as NASA's second chief flight director, directing missions of the Gemini and Apollo programs, including the first lunar landing mission, Apollo 11.
He is best known for directing the successful efforts by the Mission Control team to save the crew of Apollo 13; he was later portrayed in the major motion picture of the same name by actor Ed Harris.
He is also noted for his close-cut flattop hairstyle and the dapper "mission" vests (waistcoats) of different styles and materials made by his wife, Marta Kranz, for his flight director missions.
The lead picture, taken in 1965, shows Kranz at his console in the Mission Operations Control Room, Mission Control Center, Houston, during a simulation to prepare for the Gemini 4 mission.
Below is Mission Control Exterior
Kraft Mission Control Center
The MCC currently houses one operational control room in Building 30 from which flight controllers command, monitor, and plan operations for the ISS.
This room has many computer and data-processing resources to monitor, command and communicate with the station.
The ISS control room operates continuously.
NASA's Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center is the facility at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, that manages flight control for America's human space program, currently involving astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The center is in Building 30 at the Johnson Space Center which is named after Christopher C. Kraft Jr., a retired NASA engineer and manager who was instrumental in establishing the agency's Mission Control operation, and was the first Flight Director.
A second control room in the same building, which formerly hosted the Shuttle flight control team, can be set up for ISS operations should the need arise (e.g., during repairs or hardware upgrades in the main room), and also hosts training simulations.
In the event that the MCC-H is unavailable due to a hurricane or other unforeseen event, NASA has the option of quickly relocating to a temporary Backup Control Center (BCC) at a hotel in Round Rock, Texas, about 4 hours away, or a more robust but farther one at the Huntsville Operations Support Center at Marshall Space Flight Center for ISS operations.
Uncrewed US civilian satellites are controlled from the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, while California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages robotic US space probes.
In 2008 for Hurricane Ike, NASA activated both Backup Control Centers for specific duties.
A tip o' the hat (U.S. President Calvin Coolidge, 1924
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Acknowledgements
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Thanks to 61+ jokes for providing the material for today’s chuckle.
And to the regular contributions of:
Howard D for his unique perspectives, reservoir of knowledge, computer skills, those skills right now being applied to the blog’s nascent video program.
The Microsoft team at the Prudential Center for their unflagging availability to help with a constant flow of technological problems.
Wikipedia, the Lead and the Thumbnail sections of the Blog very often shaped from stories taken from that amazing website, truly worthy of public support.
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Good Morning on this Sunday, the eighteenth day of August, 2019
Did I ever mention I carry a piece of the moon with me?
And now? Gotta go.
Che vuoi? Le pocketbook?
See you soon.
Your love.