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Astra 1K Communications Satellite now Space Junk
bachelor#3 writes "Astra 1K, which was to replace 3 other satellites, didn't make it. Launch services were being provided by International Launch Services. Here's a timeline, from T-minus 30 minutes onwards."
First post makes YOU!
Who cares?
First Post
1st post!
heheheh
satelheavy.
In presenting this delicate, dainty morsel to the imagination of the people, I believed that it could be realized. I viewed the machine that turned and raised the mamoth cheese, and saw the powerful machine invented by James Ireland at the West Oxford companies factory to turn the great and fine cheese he was making there. This company with but little assistance could produce a ten ton cheese.
Who hath prophetic vision sees
In future times a ten ton cheese,
Several companies could join
To furnish curd for great combine
More honor far than making gun
Of mighty size and many a ton.
Machine it could be made with ease
That could turn this monster cheese,
The greatest honour to our land
Would be this orb of finest brand,
Three hundred curd they would need squeeze
For to make this mammoth cheese.
So British lands could confederate
Three hundred provinces in one state,
When all in harmony agrees
To be pressed in one like this cheese,
Then one skillful hand could acquire
Power to move British empire.
But various curds must be combined
And each factory their curd must grind,
To blend harmonious in one
This great cheese of mighty span,
And uniform in quality
A glorious reality.
But it will need a powerful press
This cheese queen to caress,
And a large extent of charms
Hoop will encircle in its arms,
And we do not now despair,
But we shall see it at world's fair.
And view the people all agog, so
Excited o'er it in Chicago,
To seek fresh conquests queen of cheese
She may sail across the seas,
Where she would meet reception grand
From the warm hearts in old England.
The Christmas Pizza Postal Song
(To the tune of Jingle Bells)
Walking through the store,
Shotgun in his hand;
Employees on the floor--
It's Hamid's final stand!
Telephone starts to ring.
Outside, flashing lights.
Oh, what fun it is to sing
A postal song tonight!
(chorus)
Oh! Jingle bells!
Shotgun shells!
Hamid went insane!
He got behind
And lost his mind
Then blasted out his brain! (hey!)
(repeat chorus)
Chris dialed 911,
Hamid shot at Fred,
Brian began to run,
Screaming, ''Oh my God--he's dead!''
Orders piled high;
Drivers didn't show--
That's the reason why
His mind began to go.
(chorus)
Oh! Jingle bells!
Shotgun shells!
Hamid went insane!
He got behind
And lost his mind
Then blasted out his brain! (hey!)
(repeat chorus)
Cops surround the store,
Try to negotiate.
Hamid yells ''No more--
This time it's too late!''
Several shots ring out.
The cops fire back inside.
Then with a final shout,
And one more shot he died!
(chorus)
Oh! Jingle bells!
Shotgun shells!
Hamid went insane!
He got behind
And lost his mind
Then blasted out his brain! (hey!)
(repeat chorus)
By Chris Proto and Fredric Stewart. We came up with this song about a week before Christmas while the pizza place we worked at was in the middle of an incredibly busy dinner rush when we thought our boss, Hamid, was going to crack. He didn't crack, and he didn't kill anyone, but we made this all up anyway, just in case...
Satellite fells you!
Remember what Benjamin Franklin said:
"Those who would trade essential liberty for japanese cartoons deserve neither."
Really, why couldn't they strap lance and britney's X on the rocket. Damn, now we have to listen to more of their crap until they burn out and OD on cocaine.
It's really sad that even here on /., one of the most intellectual on-line community, there is so little knowledge about state of affairs in Russian space technology.
/.-ers - "only" about "dumb" russian space technology.
It would be understandable 15 years ago. But now books are written, space-related tours are offered and a lot of people outside of Russia actually have first hand experience what it is all about. So what? One of the greatest industries on Earth, in terms of consequencies for the future generations, slowly tumbling down, followed mostly by jokes of educated people, unfamiliar with the matter.
For 5000+ kg satellite on the GEO is a pretty big, complex, and avesome thing by nearly every standard. And even now, struggling with crisis - which isn't just a word, mind you, and which is incomparably deeper, than what USA have these days - Proton used to routinely haul those big things for a fraction of cost of every single competitor. The only reason the commercial prices on Proton are somewhat comparable with other heavy launchers are international treaties, made against it, to save the world launch market from free-falling prices. Everybody benefited but Proton, which lost the market. And that, of course, made the crisis even worse for rocket guys.
Fortunately, real specialists know the real price of russian space technology. It's just a pity that general public makes jokes about Moon fake landings as well as "dumb" russian space technology - and educated
From MacSlash, today's issue:
Compact Flash in Your Apple II
CrazyJoel writes "I found this on woz.org. And it seemed pretty neat. Basically, the guy figured out a way to put mass storage devices like compact flash on an Apple II."
Why would one do such a thing? The geek in question explains:
My reasoning for this project is described in detail in the Background section, but suffice it to say, I wanted to be able to pull out my old Apple II and use it from time to time to reminisce about the early days of personal computers. I wanted a reliable way to store my Apple II programs and data files for many years to come. Due to the long term reliability prospects of floppy drives, and my general laziness, I decided a mass storage device is what I needed.
Don't think that a small group of dedicated individuals can't change the world. it's the only thing that ever has.
I would like to see Slashdot record the browser/OS info from the "first posters/IN SOVIET RUSSIA/imagine a beowulf cluster/1.create 2.? 3.profit/i like to beat harp seals for fun and proft" and then publish the results. We could draw all kinds of oversimplified and prejudiced conclusions based off of that data.
Considering that all the *nix users would change their machines to report IE/Windows and all the Windows people would report Mozilla it would probably balance out in the end. --- oversimplified conclusion.