The Atlantis space shuttle is here seen re entering the Earths atmosphere for the last time, as photographed by the six inhabitants of the International Space Station.  That looks like one steep, fiery and dangerous dive back to Florida.  

This is NASA's Helios experimental flying wing, powered only by solar panels.  Propelled by 14 electric motors, its 247 foot wingspan is larger than that of a Boeing 747.  Powered only by the sun, Helios eventually reached the height of 30,000 feet, which is a new record for non rocket powered flight.   In fact, at that altitude, it approaches the conditions for winged flight in the rarified atmosphere of Mars.  Hmmm, could something, perhaps, be in the works over there at NASA?

Whale sharks have now begun to congregate in their annual meeting of the coast of Mexico. Already, authorities have counted 250 of the massive beasts.  The all time record was in 2009, when 420 were recorded.  Looks as if whale shark populations are doing quite well.

In follow up to my recent post on the Stuxnet virus, it looks like another Iranian nuclear scientist has been assassinated, and once again it was done by men on motorcycles.   Must be a nervous time for people in Iran who are associated with their attempt to develop nuclear weapons.

A beautiful Finnish sunset, and not a single ripple on the docile Baltic Sea.

Hey, hope and change!  Thanks much 52%'ers!

How about some breakfast blogging?  Left to my own devices, I snatched up the old Griswold cast iron skillet, and cooked up a batch of farm eggs, sausage and green salsa to start the Saturday.  It's not just a breakfast, it's a Man-fast!

Farm eggs, anyone?   Compared to store bought, they have tougher shells, yellower, almost orange yolks, and they are "stiffer."  And they go really well with green salsa.  Thanks, chickens!

It appears that three tourists climbed over the barriers at the top of Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park, apparently to get a better photo, all three slipped and fell into the river, and went over the edge in front of a crowd of horrified onlookers.  So far, their bodies have not been found.  Here is a picture of the edge of the falls and the viewing area. 

Here is Vernal Falls in full spring runoff mode.  That's an obvious danger, especially standing right at the edge.

However, having been to the top of Vernal Falls myself, and having seen this area, there is a danger that is not obvious, and which I believe explains how three people could all go into the river and over.  The rock here is granite, and normally granite is rough and provides a great grip to hands or shoes.  In contrast to that, next to the river, the rushing water polishes the granite to a mirror smoothness, and if that polished surface get wet to any degree, it becomes unbelievably slippery.  I speak from experience here.

Further, the change from a rough grippy surface to a super slick one occurs in the space of just a few inches, and there is no obvious change in appearance to let you know.  In this case, these folks likely wanted to get a better, more dangerous looking picture, and being young, bold and a bit foolish, decided to climb the barrier and stand close to the dramatically rushing river.  They almost certainly unknowingly got onto the slippery and wet granite just next to the river, and when one fell in and the others started to scramble to help, they all went in one after the other.

Another danger from this river polished granite is that once you go in, it gives virtually no purchase to your hands or feet, so it is very hard to climb out, or sometimes to even stand up while you are being pushed by the fast moving water.  Image trying to climb up a wet, steep mirror. These folks, being so close to the edge, just didn't have time to even make an much of an effort to stop themselves.

Just up the river a short distance from the edge is a large swimming hole, and when I was there several years ago, probably fifteen people were swimming in it.  Even that is kind of a crazy risk, to my eyes at least.

If you are ever in the granite country of the Sierras, keep this in mind if you are around fast moving water.

Saturday porch pictures

"The fact that we're here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. Leadership means 'The buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better. I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America's debt limit."


Senator Barack Obama, 2006

What an enemy of the country this asswipe is today.

Oops!! One million dollars worth of wine dropped off a forklift by a fumble fingered driver in Australia, smashes on the ground and runs across floor and down the drain.

I guess they will load it in smaller batches next year. By hand.  Heh.

Keep your eye on the..uh....fish.

The latest word out on the Stuxnet virus reads like a Tom Clancy novel. Symantec employees investigating Stuxnet jumpy when motorcycles approach their car from behind.  Cyber sinkholes sucking up information the virus was sending back to its mysterious creator.  An international team of young cyber sleuths join up with a crusty and confrontational German investigator.  This is a must read from beginning to end.

Some more pictures from around the house.  Classic summertime stuff.

The fourteen year old is basically free at this point in the summer, with only minimal responsibilities, so today she used her time capturing images around the house.  Here are some of the best.

                                      This picture best epitomizes the maxim," it's a dog's life."

                                        A spider web can reflect light in a magical way.

   The Rhodesian prefers to doze the day away on the rug, just a few feet away from the morning light.