Saw it today in the Smithsonian Air & Space museum Imax theater. Nice big screen , good sound system, good seats. It was in an annoying three D, glasses required. This three D system had a terrible depth of field problem. Everything in the foreground or background was really blurry, only the middle ground was sharp. PITA. Camera work was only fair, too many superquick shots, cut too fast. Too many scenes poorly lit.
Other than that, it was a decent flick, Better than the last one, far better than the three followon movies. The story is set before the time of the first Star Wars (A New Hope) and has a whole new set of characters, no reviving of the old traditional cast,except Darth Vader. The story line is the Rebel Alliance obtaining the Death Star plans that Luke and Leia will deliver in A New Hope. We have a dynamic and pretty heroine, Jinn sonething-or-other who has a good role and plays it well. We have a handsome hero, whose name escapes me, (whole flick was weak on names) who has a good role but Jinn has a better one. We have a blind and somewhat crazy Jedi master who is into whacking down Storm Troopers with a staff. We have a big ugly mercenary, with a heart of gold and a taste for heavy weapons. And a big long armed long legged Droid with a sense of humor. Lots of booms amd blasts and space combat and special effects, all nicely done. The flick keeps things moving and isn't too long.
A good Christmas flick.
Monday, December 26, 2016
Friday, December 23, 2016
On the road for Christmas
Posting may be a little thin, perhaps nonexistent for Christmas week. I am going to spend the holidays with my children, and may not get around to posting til I get back.
Rehashing Ancient History on NHPR
Way back in 1953, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were tried, convicted and executed for passing the secret of the atomic bomb to the Russians. As far as the judge and the jury were concerned, the Rosenbergs had given the secret of the ultimate weapon to our mortal enemies. The Left (we called them communists back then) in those days called the Rosenbergs innocent victims of a judicial murder. In later years declassification of the "Venoma Papers", intercepted communications between the Soviet embassy and Moscow, showed the Rosenbergs guilt.
And so, better than 60 years later, NHPR ran a lengthy piece, rehashing the whole affair. Apparently there are two Rosenburg children, still alive, who are petitioning Obama to posthumously pardon Ethel Rosenberg, their mother. They feel she is innocent, and apparently, since they are only asking in her name, they finally think Julius, their father, was guilty as charged.
I'm so glad NHPR brought this bit of ancient history back to life, and as befits NHPR's rather lefty stance, they give the Rosenbergs a very sympathetic treatment.
And so, better than 60 years later, NHPR ran a lengthy piece, rehashing the whole affair. Apparently there are two Rosenburg children, still alive, who are petitioning Obama to posthumously pardon Ethel Rosenberg, their mother. They feel she is innocent, and apparently, since they are only asking in her name, they finally think Julius, their father, was guilty as charged.
I'm so glad NHPR brought this bit of ancient history back to life, and as befits NHPR's rather lefty stance, they give the Rosenbergs a very sympathetic treatment.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Executive Action by Tom Clancy
I wonder if Donald Trump has read it? In this novel, Tom Clancy's hero, Jack Ryan, becomes President of the US. Ryan receives plenty of sage advice on how the Presidency works, and the good guys win in the end. Plenty of US political ideas get tossed around, and in some cases nailed to the carpet. It's a fun read.
Should you warm up your car engine in winter?
Popular Mechanics and Road & Track are saying "NO!" I say yes. In proper cold weather, say below zero, your engine oil gets stiff and sticky. The oil pump may be be able to force enough thick and sticky cold oil thru the engine bearings to prevent damage to the engine. And, the defroster won't throw any heat til the engine warms up.
What you ought to do, is give the engine 20-30 seconds at idle to get the deep chill off it. Then drive away gently, no foot to the floor acceleration, until the temp gauge gets up somewhere near normal, or the defroster starts throwing a little heat. Takes a few minutes and then all is well.
There is no need to leave the car idling for 10-20-30 minutes before driving it, but you do want to keep your foot out of it until the engine is warm.
What you ought to do, is give the engine 20-30 seconds at idle to get the deep chill off it. Then drive away gently, no foot to the floor acceleration, until the temp gauge gets up somewhere near normal, or the defroster starts throwing a little heat. Takes a few minutes and then all is well.
There is no need to leave the car idling for 10-20-30 minutes before driving it, but you do want to keep your foot out of it until the engine is warm.
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
The NRA counts coup
The new American Rifleman magazine, the NRA house organ, got to me today. In it, the NRA leadership spent several pages patting themselves on the back for Donald Trump's win. NRA backed Trump from the very beginning and are overjoyed at his win.
Aside from a few Democrats bad mouthing the NRA, the MSM hasn't let out a peep about how effective they were. Actually, the NRA has several million dues paying members, mostly single issue, support of second amendment voters. The NRA magazine goes to all of them. Every election American Rifleman will have a two page center spread, listing every office in each state, from US senator down to dogcatcher, and naming all the candidates, and giving each candidate a grade, A thru F, on where they stand on the second amendment. The membership reads the magazine and finds it highly credible, much more so than any of the MSM.
I'm thinking that several million motivated single issue voters swung more weight in the election than anything the Russians could even think of doing. Funny that the MSM never writes about it. Probably the MSM writers are all city boys who don't like guns.
Aside from a few Democrats bad mouthing the NRA, the MSM hasn't let out a peep about how effective they were. Actually, the NRA has several million dues paying members, mostly single issue, support of second amendment voters. The NRA magazine goes to all of them. Every election American Rifleman will have a two page center spread, listing every office in each state, from US senator down to dogcatcher, and naming all the candidates, and giving each candidate a grade, A thru F, on where they stand on the second amendment. The membership reads the magazine and finds it highly credible, much more so than any of the MSM.
I'm thinking that several million motivated single issue voters swung more weight in the election than anything the Russians could even think of doing. Funny that the MSM never writes about it. Probably the MSM writers are all city boys who don't like guns.
How "Identity Politics" failed Clinton
"Identity Politics" as played by Hillary, amounted to identifying some group[s], blacks, women, Hispanics, LGBT, and others, naming them, and asking them to vote for Hillary. Some did, just being named is powerful, but many did not, because Hillary never addressed their wants and grievances. She just asked for the votes. No quid pro quo. No campaign promises.
In some cases, the "identity group" wants something repellent to the rest of the country. Hispanics want easier immigration and a path to citizenship for the illegals allready in the country. This is anathema to large number of regular voters. Women want free contraceptives and abortion on demand which is anathema to large numbers of voters.
To do "indentity politics" well, you need some genuine members of the group, leaders, come out and campaign for you. Hillary didn't have any prominent blacks, hispanics or LGBTs on TV, calling for Hillary's election. Actually The Donald did better in this respect. He had Ben Carson, a highly respected black man, come out and publicly support him.
My advice to the Democrats in the aftermath of this year's election, is to go back to political basics, come up with a party platform, that states issues, that actually mean something real to voters. This requires some head banging within the party to accept some controversial issues. What to do about pipelines and transmission lines, oil exploration, charter schools, taxes, law enforcement, and more are all controversial inside the Democratic party. One reason Hillary never campaigned on any of them is that doing so would have brought a storm of criticism down on her from the numerous opponents of each and every issue.
In some cases, the "identity group" wants something repellent to the rest of the country. Hispanics want easier immigration and a path to citizenship for the illegals allready in the country. This is anathema to large number of regular voters. Women want free contraceptives and abortion on demand which is anathema to large numbers of voters.
To do "indentity politics" well, you need some genuine members of the group, leaders, come out and campaign for you. Hillary didn't have any prominent blacks, hispanics or LGBTs on TV, calling for Hillary's election. Actually The Donald did better in this respect. He had Ben Carson, a highly respected black man, come out and publicly support him.
My advice to the Democrats in the aftermath of this year's election, is to go back to political basics, come up with a party platform, that states issues, that actually mean something real to voters. This requires some head banging within the party to accept some controversial issues. What to do about pipelines and transmission lines, oil exploration, charter schools, taxes, law enforcement, and more are all controversial inside the Democratic party. One reason Hillary never campaigned on any of them is that doing so would have brought a storm of criticism down on her from the numerous opponents of each and every issue.
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