From Aviation Week:
"NASA's Kepler Exoplanet hunting observatory's instruments are working so well that the have given astronomers their first image of the glow of a hot gasbag planet larger than Jupiter as it circles the backside of a star.
The star, HAT-P-7, and its companion planet, P-7B, are located about 1000 lightyears from earth. Their existence was known but the precision of Kepler's observatory has encouraged astronomers as the undertake a planned three-year mission to look for Earth like planets, exoplanets, in the Cygnus-Lyra region of the Milky Way."
Wow. Star Trek here we come. Detected a planet 1000 light years away. Science fiction. Article accompanied by a really convincing graph of the light curve, showing a big dip as the planet crosses in front of the star.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
New Cadillac succumbs to the blands
Saw a brand new Caddy yesterday, had to be new, the black paint was flawless and shiny. It bore a "DTS" badge (Caddy doesn't call them DeVilles anymore) and "V8" badge but no "Northstar" badge. Caddy never seemed to get the respect for it's highly advanced engine that Chrysler gets for the low tech iron pushrod Hemi. Leaving off the "Northstar" badge shows Caddy has given up selling the Northstar. Caddy marketing droids probably figure that nobody cares about engines anymore.
It's shorter and blander than my '99 Deville. All new sheet metal, but after spending serious money on the dies to make it, the new one is much less distinguished and less distinctive than the '99. Most people who spend $43K on a car, want something that looks like it cost $43K. The new DeVille doesn't look like all that much. And it lacks the cavernous trunk of the '99. I can get six people into the car and 6 bags, or all the stuff one college student brings to campus, into the '99's trunk. That never will happen on the '09 Caddy.
In short the Caddy marketing droids converted a distinctive luxury car with a world wide reputation into just another four door sedan. Somehow I don't think that's gonna make GM profitable.
Over at Ford, the Lincoln suffers from being nothing more than a Ford Crown Victoria with a different grille. It shows. But at least the Lincoln is still a big car, which appeals to a lot of people who might otherwise buy a SUV.
It's shorter and blander than my '99 Deville. All new sheet metal, but after spending serious money on the dies to make it, the new one is much less distinguished and less distinctive than the '99. Most people who spend $43K on a car, want something that looks like it cost $43K. The new DeVille doesn't look like all that much. And it lacks the cavernous trunk of the '99. I can get six people into the car and 6 bags, or all the stuff one college student brings to campus, into the '99's trunk. That never will happen on the '09 Caddy.
In short the Caddy marketing droids converted a distinctive luxury car with a world wide reputation into just another four door sedan. Somehow I don't think that's gonna make GM profitable.
Over at Ford, the Lincoln suffers from being nothing more than a Ford Crown Victoria with a different grille. It shows. But at least the Lincoln is still a big car, which appeals to a lot of people who might otherwise buy a SUV.
Video of Jeanne Shaheen's Town Hall
Joey Daubin has good video of Jeanne Shaheen's town hall meeting. There were a bunch of people there, with video camera's and an attitude, but they were not violent, not shouting, and in general behaving as reasonable citizens.
By the way, there is a good crowd gathering in Portsmouth to give Obama a warm welcome. Signs, lots of signs. The Obama folks are hoping a delay and some rain will wear the crowd down. The event was announced for 9 AM, people started showing up really early. Fox News, while interviewing in Portsmouth, announced that the event doesn't start until 1 PM.
I gotta feeling a New Hampshire crowd has the patience to wait four hours, outdoors, in the rain. It's a warm rain at least.
By the way, there is a good crowd gathering in Portsmouth to give Obama a warm welcome. Signs, lots of signs. The Obama folks are hoping a delay and some rain will wear the crowd down. The event was announced for 9 AM, people started showing up really early. Fox News, while interviewing in Portsmouth, announced that the event doesn't start until 1 PM.
I gotta feeling a New Hampshire crowd has the patience to wait four hours, outdoors, in the rain. It's a warm rain at least.
Monday, August 10, 2009
If you build it they will come
Otherwise known as the Field of Dreams marketing plan. Manchester Airport was something like that. It's a nice little airport. Ten years ago they had virtually no scheduled air service. Drove down to pick up youngest son last night. Plane was late (thunderstorms in Illinois was the excuse this time). While waiting, they had 5-6 planes an hour coming in and going out. Now they have several flights a day to NYC, Baltimore, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia and Florida. In short Manchester now has pretty decent air service to the rest of the country. Things are so good they now call themselves "Manchester-Boston Regional Airport".
In actual fact, Manchester is as easy to get to as Logan for everyone on the north side of Boston, to say nothing of all of NH. Parking is cheap and plentiful.
You could start up a business in NH now and count on air service to get your salesmen and service techs out to customers, and get customers and vendors in to your site. Used to be a startup had to be on Rt 128 to fly out of Logan. Now a startup can be in NH, with lower taxes, and fly out of Manchester.
In actual fact, Manchester is as easy to get to as Logan for everyone on the north side of Boston, to say nothing of all of NH. Parking is cheap and plentiful.
You could start up a business in NH now and count on air service to get your salesmen and service techs out to customers, and get customers and vendors in to your site. Used to be a startup had to be on Rt 128 to fly out of Logan. Now a startup can be in NH, with lower taxes, and fly out of Manchester.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Sunday Pundits on Health Care
Newt Gingrich on the ABC Sunday show said that most employers would be overjoyed to stop buying health care in return for an 8% payroll tax. Howard Dean (same show, other side of the table) said this number came from an insurance company supported think tank and was false. Newt didn't object and the talk moved on.
Got to thinking about that. Family health care runs about $12K, and costs the company the same for new assembly line hires as it does for high paid executives. $12K is more than 8% of all salaries less than $150K. In short, 8% of salary would be cheaper than buying a family health insurance policy. Also less hassle to the company.
So, corporate America has no problem with an 8% payroll tax instead of company health care. It will save them money. In short, the health care bill will wipe out company paid health insurance, the kind of insurance most of us have. Leaving us to the tender mercies of Government Health Care, Inc.
Got to thinking about that. Family health care runs about $12K, and costs the company the same for new assembly line hires as it does for high paid executives. $12K is more than 8% of all salaries less than $150K. In short, 8% of salary would be cheaper than buying a family health insurance policy. Also less hassle to the company.
So, corporate America has no problem with an 8% payroll tax instead of company health care. It will save them money. In short, the health care bill will wipe out company paid health insurance, the kind of insurance most of us have. Leaving us to the tender mercies of Government Health Care, Inc.
Unemployment is down, Hurray
The official un employment figures show a slight (0.1%) improvement this month. Then the Lehrer Newshour spent a lot of time explaining about how this was a statistical fluke, and if you looked at the real figures things are worse, and on and on. Seems like the Newshour would have been happier with worse unemployment numbers.
For me, I want the un employment numbers computed the same way this month as they were last month and the month before. Doesn't matter if the method has some problems, I just want to see if the economy is getting better or worse. If you change the accounting rules, you change the results. I want the results to reflect changes in the real economy, not changes in the way the statistics are computed.
I wonder why the Newhour seemed unhappy that the economy might be getting better, or at least not still getting worse.
For me, I want the un employment numbers computed the same way this month as they were last month and the month before. Doesn't matter if the method has some problems, I just want to see if the economy is getting better or worse. If you change the accounting rules, you change the results. I want the results to reflect changes in the real economy, not changes in the way the statistics are computed.
I wonder why the Newhour seemed unhappy that the economy might be getting better, or at least not still getting worse.
Hunt for Red October, or calling Sean Connery
Sunday pundits (the Mclaughlin Group) were waxing indignant about Russian submarine operations in the Atlantic. While I'd just as soon the Russians stayed in port and let 'em rust in peace, they do have a perfect right to steam in international waters. It's called freedom of the seas, and has been a big thing in US foreign policy reaching all the way back to Thomas Jefferson's administration.
Used to be, international waters started three miles offshore. We held to that standard for a long long time. Only in the 1980's did the US finally assert the right to control fishing for 200 miles offshore. Not sure if that included the right to exclude ordinary shipping or foreign navies that far out, but even so, the Atlantic is 3000 miles across, and most of it is still international waters.
Used to be, international waters started three miles offshore. We held to that standard for a long long time. Only in the 1980's did the US finally assert the right to control fishing for 200 miles offshore. Not sure if that included the right to exclude ordinary shipping or foreign navies that far out, but even so, the Atlantic is 3000 miles across, and most of it is still international waters.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)