So what to do with this blog? (Or "so I bought a new keyboard".)

This whole blogging thing seems to only grab my interest periodically.  Do I force myself to blog everyday to get in the habit?  Or do I just blog when I feel like I have something worthwhile to say?  Good question.  Hell, I'm only writing this right now because I got a new keyboard a few days ago and I love the thing.  Screw cherry mechanical switches.  I know they're all the rage right now but damn I hate them.  I'd been using a Logitech K740 for years but it had issues.  Or rather it had issues with my cat.  So my cat likes to go outside all the time and he comes in covered in dirt,twigs, etc.  He's got medium length hair and loves to roll in the dirt for some reason.  Anyway, he'll come in from outside for a "recharge"  (pets and ear scratches) and his favorite thing is to walk across the keyboard if I happen to be on the computer.  Dirt and stuff raining into scissor switch keys. . .well, typing becomes a grinding, fingernails-on-chalkboard affair.  So I decided I needed something different.  So I bought one of the new DAS keyboards with Cherry blue switches.  Ye gods, what a horrid experience.  Not only did my typing slow to a crawl, but the noise.  Anyway so I threw it in the closet and went back to my old Logitech.  In the meantime I'd seen the new Corsair RGS and Razer Chromas and man, they look sweet.  But I didn't want to get bit again so I thought "well, maybe cherry reds or browns".  Well I wasn't going to spring for another keyboard only to find out I didn't like those either so I went here:

http://www.maxkeyboard.com/

and bought one of these for ten bucks:

Turns out I don't like any of them.  So what to do?  Well, I got looking around and for about 1/3 the price of a Corsair K70 RGB or Razer Chroma I picked up a Razer Deathstalker.  And I love it.  Sure it would be nicer if it were made of aluminum but I'm not complaining.  I love the keys and the overall design so I'm happy.  (My luck they'll announce a Chroma version of the Deathstalker next week. . .)

So. . .what the hell?

Lots of posts for "posting everyday" huh?  Seems to be the story of my life these days.  Z-E-R-O in the motivation department, and nothing seems to be grabbing my interest.  I have a few ideas I've been kicking around but damn, sometimes life just takes it out of ya.  By the time you get home from work you just want to tune out the world.  Ya know what I mean?

Here's a pic from better days:

Convair Aerospace Plane

Too true. . .

The Daily Show

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Intro / What the hell, I thought this was a tech. blog?

   Yes, the header would seem to imply this blog will be about things pertaining primarily to technology, science, etc.  Yet so far all there is is a bunch of posts with military videos in them.  Guilty as charged.  My first interest is military technology however it all interests me.  I'm an information junkie.  However I'm also very busy and, while I've wanted to do a blog for a long time, I need to get in the habit of working on this EVERY DAY.  That means at least for the next few weeks (maybe less) posts are going to be short and sweet and focusing on my primary interest.  As I've gotten some of these out of my system, and got in the habit of posting, the intent is to branch out and incorporate technology and science in general as well as politics.  Subjects will generally be more broad in nature rather than focusing on a specific item.  For example, I honestly don't give a damn who's producing the best smartphone today.  That kind of stuff is so transitory that one wonders why anybody would even care beyond the basics (unless you're working in the business of course). 
   This blog is mainly for my own entertainment, and a place to well, not vent, but I'm not going to lose sleep over the occasional swear word.  And while I've certainly got opinions, I'll generally try to temper them here.  (No need to send the paddy wagon to cart me off in a straight-jacket! :-) )  That said, feel free to let me know what you'd like to see more of or less of and we'll see where this thing goes.

Regards,
Scott Ferrin

Back when we did stuff.

DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class Destroyer

     What can one say about the US Navy's new class of destroyer?  So many thoughts. "Groundbreaking", "disappointment", "the way forward", "typical government stupidity run wild".  They all apply. 
     The Zumwalt class has a long and torturous history and now, just as it's coming to fruition, the class is being cut to just three units and even the 3rd won't be up to the standards of the first two.  Undoubtedly I'll expand upon this in a future post but for now here are some pretty nice videos of the first.

 

The F-15 Eagle. Still going strong after 40 years.

     Just a few of the higher quality video clips of the F-15 that stand out for me.

Here's one from the Russian airshow MAKS 2011.  Note the skin departing the aircraft at 3:34.  It came from the inside surface of the starboard vertical stabilizer and can be seen at 5:20.  This is one clip I've seen where they really seem to cut loose (though still not to the degree the aircraft is capable of for airshow safety reasons). 

And a few others. . .

 

 

The F-15K Slam Eagle.  One of the few F110 powered Eagles.

 

 

 

And last, but not least, Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson's ride in an F-15E.

 

Space X

     For me, one of the most interesting things is the way we end up using technology for things we'd never imagined.  In this example, what started as a toy ends up giving us a view of flight testing we've never had before.  Couple this with the ground-breaking work Space X is doing and it adds up to two very interesting videos.

5th Generation fighters.

     While there is some controversy around what constitutes a "5th Generation Fighter" (that is a story in itself) the general consensus is that the F-22A, F-35, T-50 (PAKFA), and J-20 appear to fit the bill.  (IMO the jury is still out on the J-31.)  For now, here are the contenders.  While there is a bit of national pride and corporate propaganda at play here, it must be admitted these are some pretty sweet aircraft all things considered.

First up, the American F-22:

Next, the American F-35:

  

 

 

Next, the Russian T-50:

 

 

 

 

Last up, the Chinese J-20: 

 

 

 

 

 



PAC-3 does a pretty good job against planes too.

     There has been a lot of print about how good PAC-3 is doing against missiles in MDA testing.  What hasn't really received much coverage however is how deadly it is against aircraft.  A plane gets hit by it and the pilot probably isn't getting out of the aircraft.  In neither unfortunate blue-on-blue incident did the pilot make it out and the following two videos pretty much show why.

PAC-3 against a QF-4 Phantom from 2000:

PAC-3 MSE against a Lance TBM and QF-4 Phantom from 2013:

What's happening.

To whom it may concern.  I lost interest in this pretty quick but it seems the bug has me again.  I'll be playing with the format of this for the next little while and then start back up with posts.  Should be something more substantive.  Here's a little something to entertain for a bit.

French supersonic VTOL from back in the day.

French VTOL Mirage III and one of the few supersonic VTOL aircraft ever to fly.

F-22 & F-35 together at last.

Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity Rover) Mission Animation

For more information on the projects see the link at the end of this post.  This is the kind of thing that I think we need more off.  We need to inspire the next generation to get out from in front of the PlayStation and see what's out in the world.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html

Bernanke's Impossible Inflation Challenge 2011

The train is headed for the cliff and the engineer driving says, "full speed ahead!"  It'll be "interesting" to see how / if the country comes through the other side.  Frankly, I'd rather live in boring times.

Should be mandatory viewing in US grade school science classes.

Ephemeral Isle

I've added a link to the Ephemeral Isle blog to my list of News & Technology blogs.  It's not really a news or technology blog but a geekfest of a little of both with a good dose of fiction to boot.  Rather than create a seperate section for "other" blogs at this time I decided to put it here.  (Though if I do decide to add more blogs of an entertainment nature I may just create a seperate category.)

Just a few things that caught my attention today. . .

Nanoparticles successfully take down MRSA bacteria

"The nanostructures were effective against Gram-positive bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, and had an efficiency comparable to that of conventional antimicrobials at their best, all while leaving red blood cells alone."

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/04/nanoparticles-successfully-take-down-mrsa-bacteria.ars



San Francisco International Airport's Terminal 2 will be home to both Virgin America and Virgin Galactic

"Even by Virgin's standards it was a markedly grand opening ceremony.

The new Virgin America A320 Airbus yesterday flew over San Francisco in tandem with WhiteKnightTwo, a carrier aircraft holding SpaceShipTwo, the world's first commercial passenger spaceship."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1374331/Virgins-spaceship-Airbus-soar-San-Francisco-en-route-new-238m-airport-terminal.html

Today's ramble.

This thing isn't "live" yet (well I guess it is but I'm the only person who knows it exists) but I thought I'd post here if only to begin establishing the habit.  I am typically a pretty outspoken individual and am not shy about sharing opinions, but I thought I would start this blog to try to. . .consolidate some of my thoughts and opinions.  (Not that I think they're particularly noteworthy or unique but hey, why not?)

I'm not even sure what format this blog will take.  I recently read one of those "demotivational" posters that seemed particularly insightful,  "You can do anything you want but you can't do everything you want".  There are so many things to do or that can be done it's tough to decide what is worth doing sometimes.  What is "fun"?  What is worth doing?  Can anybody do anything truly unique that will stand for all time?  Ideas come and go.  People come and go.  Even history changes over time until much is forgotten or relegated to rumor.  Will anybody remember Gutzon Borglum?  "Who?" you say.  The sculptor who lead the team who created the carving on Mt Rushmore.   How long until the names of the figures on the monument are forgotten, let alone who did the carving?   Will they be torn down by erosion, by man, or by natural disaster?  Who knows?  My point is that for me at least, at times it's tough deciding if something is worth doing.  Why do it?  What will come of it?  Will it matter in the slightest in the long run?   Maybe it doesn't matter if I'm not the guy who cures cancer or walks on the moon.  Maybe if all I do is do my part that is enough.

The obligatory cat picture.

Wallpaper #1

A nice view of the Milky Way from my favorite wallpaper site.