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We've had the release date for a while now - my Amazon pre-order was placed last October. 
(I was sure I mentioned it on here somewhere, but I can't find the message now.)
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer
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Hopefully this isn't a leslie, but I've been streaming NASA's "EarthLive" via Roku.
It has a bunch of animated views of the earth weather from space, but the neat stuff is the live real time view of the earth from the ISS. Looking out the window at over 17,000 mph. I did some quick tours of Australia, particularly the Outback, whilst sipping coffee.
Now, if you do this it takes a certain amount of patience. As often as not, obviously, it's over a nighttime side of the earth. When in the daylight, much below it is sea and clouds - but a little map in the lower left shows you progress for part of the (ca. 53° NE) orbit trip (line wobbles as we project a circle around a sphere on a plainer representation of earth). Sometime, you see it coming, and you can travel over things like the Rocky Mounties in clear weather. At night, with some luck, you fly over major cites and see the lights (NE corridor of US looks neat for it's few seconds). I've had much less luck with Europe and Asia, a bit of luck with North Africa, including a dramatic crossing into the Mediterranean Sea). Now and then, the image is replace by text - it'll go in a few minutes. Loss of ground contact. This is the HD view; there's a lower resolution wide view wherein you can see the earth's curvature. Also, a good navigational aid at time as it give you a look-ahead (or behind, or sideways). On the HD version, you're moving to the left, which is either NE or SE, depending upon where your are in an orbit.
The endless varities of clouds over blue waters - it's both calming and addicting.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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W∴ Balboos, GHB wrote: at over 17,000 mph
The only way to see the Australian outback.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity -
RAH
I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP
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Even funnier than seeing it: Reading about it! Bill Bryson: Down Under[^]
That book got me really hooked on Bill Bryson, and also really made me want to visit Australia!
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Australia is a wonderful place, we have managed to keep the majority of the population in the cities so there are some fantastic wide open spaces. Despite it's rep for nasty little buggers that will kill you we don't have bears, wolves, puma/tiger/lions and all those African beasties that will EAT you.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity -
RAH
I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP
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Yup - Australia is the the only place in the universe trying harder to kill you than the universe itself.
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It probably works better on Saturday Night! 
The barbarians are inside the gates!
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Ahh - you've birthed an idea! "Samurai Astronaut" !
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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There's a certain degree of chaos I bring along with me - probably some sort of protection against accepting reality. Anyway, this is not meant to "gross anyone out" but the full context, short though it may be, is necessary.
So, yesterday I picked up the containers and today I returned some fecal specimens. When I entered the little satellite lab (collection area) the female in the lab coat got off her self phone and asked me if she could help me.
Me: "Dropping off a specimen."
She: Holding out pink box for me to drop the bag of jars in "is your name on them"
Me: "Of course. An artist always signs his work."
And then I departed - she, it seems, just a bit sh*t-faced by that reply.
Edit: fixed spelling per first response post
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
modified 28-Jan-21 10:46am.
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W∴ Balboos, GHB wrote: protection against accepting realty
Does that mean you don't live in a house?
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Although my house and myself have a mutually amicable arrangement, which I am not at liberty to disclose, indeed, I do live in realty. And will fix my typo so as not to distract from the thread.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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If you're not careful, your face will be on an "unwanted" poster in every ER and outpatient clinic in the country.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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W∴ Balboos, GHB wrote: got off her self phone
The technological singularity has begun!
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W∴ Balboos, GHB wrote: There's a certain degree of chaos I bring along with me - probably some sort of protection against accepting reality
Overrated. Reality is a place you don't want to be.
W∴ Balboos, GHB wrote: So, yesterday I picked up the containers and today I returned some fecal specimens.
You dropped of some sh*t.
W∴ Balboos, GHB wrote: And then I departed - she, it seems, just a bit sh*t-faced by that reply.
She didn't expect sh*t from customers?
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
"If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
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You may not know it, but by representing your own sh*t as a work of art, you are treading in the ... errr ... footsteps of the artist Piero Manzoni, who sold small tins which he claimed contained his own faeces, to eager collectors. In August 2016, at an art auction in Milan, one of the tins sold for €275,000.
Don't get your hopes up thinking you can do the same, though. In the world of post-modern conceptual art, you can only do something once.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist%27s_Sh*t
(Edit link appropriately).
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Two things:
Artist's Sh*t - Wikipedia[^] which is a Wkikipedia subject I'd not have looked for had you not intervened in my happiness.
and,
Now I fully understand that European Cultural Mystique as never before, going above beneath and beyond even my lowest expectations.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Do you only get chipmunks because female rodents aren't generally religious?
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Have you forgotten the Church Mice, or just don't give a rat's ass about them?
(And no, I don't know the religious leanings of our hoofed friends)
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Do praying mantises believe in a supreme insect?
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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Daniel Pfeffer wrote: supreme insect?
That is clearly a political reference. I'll bet you meant the 'R' word, too (i.e., Roach).
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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No, it's the other "R word" (Religion). 
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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In the US, as you can easily tell, we mix your "R" word with another "R" word whereby politics has, in fact, become a religion.*
* i.e., openly - it's not really that new - just that much more obvious.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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