Boom

I like explosions. I like to watch things blow up and I really like to blow things up. Incendiary grenades are some of the most fun things in the world to play with. But, I just had a rocket explode about 300 to 400 meters away from me. I know it was a rocket because it did not have the sharp crack of a mortar or the distinguishable sounds of an RPG and it certainly wasn’t loud enough to be a VBIED. I was about to write this post when it exploded so I had to run to the bomb shelter about 50 meters away from me in case there were more.

Booms are also occurring in Lebanon. Not good. I know a few Lebanese and all of them are sane. One of my buddies in Dubai had to cancel his vacation planned in Beirut due to the war. I hope they sort this out soon. I sort of hope they don’t just so we get the chance to get into a bigger war in the Middle East. I am not 100% convinced yet, but I am getting very close to making the statement that if we do launch into war with Iran or North Korea that I am going to go back onto active duty. I have not resigned my commission and could get back in as a Captain. And quite frankly Captain is where you want to be. Or Platoon Leader. You are with the troops and are actually effecting change rather than sitting around making PowerPoint presentations and worrying whether or not you are going to make “full” Colonel. I can skip that part, keep me as a Captain. I am not sure because to put it quite frankly, I am tired of booms and I feel I have done my part. I think 10 years in the Army, including a year in Iraq, counts as doing my part.

But the title of this post is not really meant to be about war. It is about the sonic boom that will be heard in about a half an hour when the shuttle re-enters from orbit. I am in awe of the accomplishments made in modern science and the shuttle is just a small part. We actually landed a satellite on a meteor. I cannot wait to see what advances are made in the coming decades. I want to see nano-technology grow and I really want to see us being able to manipulate genes. I would really like to determine if my child would be born with blue eyes or green eyes. There are some scientists that even think it may be possible to cause humans to see infra-red light. Sign me up for that operation.

A good friend of mine is a scientist. He is working on a project that originates in space. He's working on using cosmic rays to x-ray Maya pyramids to make a map of the ruins. Yes, very cool. Here is the link:

http://www.hep.utexas.edu/mayamuon/
http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~schwitte/UTmaya-muonsHO.pdf (cooler link)

So here’s to the boom! May the only decent space ship on our planet land in the greatest country on Earth safely and let us see what advances their short space mission can offer to future generations.

Cheers,
Walt

Here is a pic of me near some distinctive towers.