If you're not a space geek, let me back up a second since NASA isn't even on most people's mind these days and fill you in on what's going on.

The short short version.

We've had this space shuttle since the 1980's.  Technologically amazing, but pretty boring from an exploration standpoint.  As a result, the fine folks at NASA have performed amazing feats of technological greatness and the public has met this with a collective "ho hum".

In 2004, President Bush announced a pretty bold plan to phase out the Shuttle and reach towards returning to the moon by 2020. Programs are established, committees ensue, congress under-funds the whole thing and  5 years later, they are pretty behind. And by pretty behind I mean there is no freaking way it's going to work.

President Obama commissions a committee headed by Norm Augustine, a longtime space industry player, to put together a group to evaluate the current state of the program.

To put it mildly, things don't appear to be going well.

As a member of the general public, one might have caught a few minutes of the Senate Hearings on the matter last week and thought "uh oh.  Oh.  Wow, did she just say that?".

As an advocate of space exploration, I was actually a little embarrassed by the whole thing.

So today, NASA would like 3 billion dollars a year MORE in funding to put their goal back on track.

All week, I've been hearing rumors about the President making an upcoming John F. Kennedy style epic call to return to space exploration.

I really, really want for us to return exploring space.

Bad.

But if this whole thing was a movie, this would be the part when the scientists all throw popcorn at the screen and cry "Oh, come on." and "How convenient that they found water on the Moon right at that point."

I'm no conspiracy theorist, but my BS radar just went into high gear. For starters, what exactly does "significant" mean?

Here's to hoping I'm wrong.

You know you were just thinking "I like it when the girls stop by.  To my lab."

Come on, you know you were.

Doc Searls has the skinny.

I think the internet doesn't really exist, but what do I know.

People are wierd.

1. Take a picture of yourself right now.
2. Don’t change your clothes, don’t fix your hair…just take a picture.
3. Post that picture with NO editing.
4. Post these instructions with your picture.

The new ones are a direct dig on Apple's Mac/PC ads (finally) and have some interesting tidbits like "I'm a human being, not a human doing, not a human thinking. A human being".

A least these are interesting. Microsoft still looks like they want to be the cool kids but know that Apple actually is, but at least these are direct and don't involve shoe stores or and underwear adjustment by Gates.

I just sat down to look at this ZR200 again and googled the problem.  More than 10 forums reported the same problem with this camera.  The solution:  >> Turn camera on side - thump on side opposite the screen. <<

So I sighed thinking "no way is this gonna work", but "thumped it" anyway.
Sure enough, problem solved.

I wonder what would happen if I beat the crap out of it... maybe it'll become a high definition camera.  Hmm.

I don't know why, but I think that's funny.

Yes, I'm a dork.

I'm doing some work on testing a SSL vpn solution and need to understand the Vista user experience.

The install was pretty simple and my first impression is that Vista seems fine, not sure what the fuss is all about. Of course, I don't have things like non-working video drivers or anything like that.

Yes, this is the day when you're supposed to switch off your CSS on your sites and let them roam around in the buff.

Alas, I have missed this day once again (it was yesterday), so I'm off in search of something else to make naked and create my own naked day.