Monthly Archives: September 2007

Oops

Posted on September 5, 2007 | Comments Off on Oops

All that Hill Country rain yesterday has the Llano and Pedernales rivers running almost 4,000 cubic feet per second. Since both feed into the Highland Lakes, it’s just a matter of time before Lake Travis starts climbing again. In fact, the LCRA is predicting a rise of about half a foot by this evening. Fortunately that would be only about 683 feet msl, and the rain is expected to be over by tonight.

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Posted in Sailing, Weather/Climate

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Now that’s a legacy

Posted on September 4, 2007 | Comments Off on Now that’s a legacy

Enjoying reading John Stryker Meyer’s "Across The Fence: The Secret War in Vietnam." Picked up a visitor the other day who had Googled the book, and backtracking it I found this BlackFive eulogy of John Walton, one of the three billionaire sons of Sam Walton, Mr. Wal-Mart, who died in 2005 piloting an experimental plane. JW was an SF medic whose combat experience Meyer writes about in his book. I haven’t gotten to that part yet, but I’m looking forward to it now.

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Posted in Uncategorized

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Rain, rain go away

Posted on September 4, 2007 | Comments Off on Rain, rain go away

Some parts of the Hill Country have had almost three inches of rain since midnight. Much of it is under a flood watch until 7 a.m. tomorrow. The National Weather Service says the usual tropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico is being augmented by high-level Pacific moisture from Hurricane Henriette. The radar images certainly show it: masses of green and occasional blobs of yellow moving northeast from out of the southwest–in other words, in the direction of where Henriette is poking around on Baja California. I just hope it doesn’t start Lake Travis rising again.

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Posted in Weather/Climate

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Now it can be revealed

Posted on September 4, 2007 | Comments Off on Now it can be revealed

In tribute to the team that upset Michigan, the little-known Appalachian State University fight song:

Hi-Hi-y-ike-us
Nobody like us,
We are the mountaineers, mountaineers, mountaineers,
Always a-winning,
Always a-grinning,
Always a-feeling fine
You bet, hey!

I have it on good authority that hardly anyone at App State knows these words, let alone sings them. The band just plays the song at football games. So enjoy your inside knowledge.

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Posted in Scribbles

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Eliminating the battery

Posted on September 4, 2007 | Comments Off on Eliminating the battery

Mystery start-up EEStor of Austin is getting a lot of publicity–and got $2.5 million in seed money from venture capitalists last month–despite refusing interviews. Their revolutionary promise is to develop "technologies for (the) replacement of electrochemical batteries," via "ultracapacitors." Some experts at the University of Texas Center for Electromechanics are skeptical. But ZENN Motor Co. of Toronto, licensed the invention in 2005 and expects to start receiving units for its electric cars later this year.

MORE: From CNN. EEStor was talking a year ago, perhaps wildly, about replacing the internal combustion engine! Not just goodbye gas guzzlers, but goodbye gas. Wouldn’t that be sweet. But the commenters at Slashdot see lots of potential problems.

Via Instapundit 

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Posted in Science/Engineering, Scribbles

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Lookin’ ahead to TCU

Posted on September 4, 2007 | Comments Off on Lookin’ ahead to TCU

Did you know that Texas Christian has won five straight against the Big 12? That’s why the Longhorns better fix what happened against Arkansas State, in a hurry. BON thinks they will. Hopes, anyhow. We’ll find out Saturday. Meanwhile, the Tuscola Kid’s fans have a nice new site to visit.

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Posted in Texas Football

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Ain’t rocket science

Posted on September 4, 2007 | Comments Off on Ain’t rocket science

I’m tardy getting this up, but the Space Elevator Games are on for Oct. 19-21 in Salt Lake City. The Spaceward Foundation has a preview of what to expect. And, for the newbies, a FAQ.

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Posted in Space

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