Tie-Dyed Brain Rays

Moon Above Earth Below

My on-air partner's cavalier attitude notwithstanding, much of the world seems focused on what may come in the way of great natural catastrophe. The news that Yellowstone National Park has been wracked by a swarm of over 400 earthquakes since Christmas makes "Super-volcano" the next contender for the title of Great Contingency. Fox News just published a list of the five most likely ways the Earth will be destroyed. The real culprit will probably be something we haven't even thought of yet, all pointing up the need to begin collecting the vital information to ensure our survival.

With that in mind, I'm hard at work fleshing out the notion of the Order of the Omega Tau, a cadre of emergency librarians who'll swoop in and save your ignorant asses with that most essential tool, a really good do-it-yourself book. But more than a survival manual the Omega Tau handbook will be a foundation for and  philosophy of the rebuilding of civilization. Yeah, I know what you are thinking, but you aren't the first person to call me a nut. Scoff if you must, but there is a huge gap between the shoot-em-dead-when-they-try-to-steal-my-canned-beans survivalists manuals and the move-the-government-into-the-big-shelter-and shoot-em-if-they-try-to-get-in plans. You know who stands in that gap? Us. You know who's thinking about the solution? Me. As I develop the concepts I'll share them with you, but I'm not ready to hatch that egg just yet.

In the meantime, instead of getting caught up in all the doom and gloom that the future may bring us, we should remember that the world is a place of wonder. Last night the moon was at its perigee, or nearest point in proximity to Earth making it appear as much as 14% brighter than usual. Last night's full moon was the biggest and brightest it will appear all year. Victoria Rose and I stood outside in the cold night gazing on it beaming behind the frosty clouds. A Wolf Moon they call it. We took a moment to reflect and share our hopes and dreams for the coming year.

And although the moon has now begun to travel away from us, it should be big and bright in the night sky for several days. Take a moment to stop, look up and reflect. This is a good time to take stock of your life and sort out your plans for the year, even if you aren't a resolution kind of person. If nothing else, taking a moment to pause and appreciate the celestial dance will make you feel more connected to the universe and more at peace with yourself.  

Dan Linehan: Spaceship One

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I spoke With Dan Linehan about his new book, "Spaceship One: An Illustrated History." If you are a space geek, a tech freak, or just somebody who wants to inspire their kid to grow up to be a rocket scientist, this is a must-have for your library.

Download my interview with Dan Linehan in MP3 format

Get In The Groove

Late 19th century American Ingenuity meets early 21st century Japanese innovation in the latest got-to-have toy that comes, shall we say, full circle? I'm a huge buff of vintage recording technology. My favorite family heirlooms is a 1917 Edison cabinet phonograph and the dozens of 78's that go with it.

Now a Japanese company has come up with a kit that that lets you release your inner Edison by cutting your own cylinders-- not out of wax, but out of garden variety plastic cups available from any store.

How cool is that?  And at $34.95, it would make a great birthday, Christmas, Arbor Day, Thursday present.

On Vox: Stephenville UFO Sighting

This past Friday Jesse Jones and I interviewed Senior MUFON investigator Steve Hudgeons and Erath County Constable Leroy Gaitan, an eyewitness, on the recent mass UFO sighting in Stephenville, Tx. Yesterday my brother and I went to the MUFON debriefing and news conference...

» Read more and hear the interview on Vox

Maker Faire Austin Video

A sampling of the wondrous creations at Austin's Maker Faire with interviews of Mark Frauenfelder, Mitch Altman, Bre Pettis and John P. Funk.

I interviewed some of the other makers too, but either the sound was too bad to use (I was recording with the camera's on-board mic and it picked up all the ambient noise.) or I had to cut them for time. Keeping the video within YouTube's 10 minute constraint was a challenge. I would have like the music montage at the end to be longer, for example.

See The Light

Tie-dyed Tehuti trips the light fantastic in Mitch Altman's Brain Machine. "It's full of stars!"

I'm still editing the video from our recent foray to the Austin Maker's Faire. We had a great time and met lots of interesting makers. I caught interviews with folks such as Mark Frauenfelder, Bre Pettis, Mitch Altman and John P. Funk. I'll have the highlights posted soon. In the meantime enjoy my recent radio interview with Mitch Altman.

Download My Interview with Brain Machine inventor Mitch Altman

I blogged Mitch's brain machine along with other mind-altering technology on Vox.

Brain Hacking Part 1

Brain Hacking Part 2

And in case you missed it, here's my interview with Make Magazine editor in chief Mark Frauenfelder.

Ky High

To talk to Ky Michaelson is to realize that there is no product of human endeavor that can't be vastly improved by the addition of a rocket motor. Just ask his son, eight year old Buddy Rocketman Michaelson. If Ky has his way, he'll soon attach a rocket to the lad and launch him, making Buddy the youngest rocketbelt pilot in the world. Buddy will be the next wunderkind in a long line of wunderkinder. The Michaelson family holds so many patents that Ky can't remember them all.

My Pal Hal

This is a guy I'm proud to say I know. You don't meet many characters like Hal Graham these days. The real deal with the right stuff, Hal is the original rocketeer. As the first pilot of the Bell Aerospace rocketbelt Hal demonstrated his mad rocketbelt skillz for the top brass at the Pentagon and flew for J.F.K. I caught up with Hal as he prepared to attend the Rocketbelt Convention this weekend in New York. He graciously agreed to an interview on our radio show this morning.

Download Hal Graham Interview 08-09-07

You may remember that I interviewed Hal after last year's Rocketbelt Convention. You can find that entry here. Check it out. There is a bit of background on Hal in addition to a little video of him in action.

Space Above And Beyond

Victoria Rose and I will be attending the 2007 International Space Development Conference in Dallas. I've applied for my media credentials and we've already reserved our room at the Intercontinental Hotel where the event is being held. It ought to be a blast-- a BLAST OFF, that is!

My old pal Buzz Aldrin will be in attendance. I interviewed Buzz last year for the radio station and it would be a huge thrill to meet him in person. I would like the chance to give him a CD of my interview and the Crystal Method "High Roller" mashup I made from it. In case you missed it, here is my blog entry where you can hear and download both.

They Promised Us Flying Cars!

Double-click the 45 to hear my interview with Vernon Porter and Clarence Kissell. (Pardon the abrupt start-- our esteemed producer cut off the first few minutes of the interview.

I was recently privileged to speak with Dr. Vernon Porter and Mr. Clarence Kissell, two gents from up the road in Murphy who are building a flying car. Dr. Porter is a retired TI scientist and Mr. Kissell is a materials expert. Their vehicle is dubbed the GT Flyer and is powered by A 232-horsepower Mazda RX-8 sports coupe rotary engine. They hope to have a buildable prototype in five years. I wrangled an invitation to the first test flight.

Read the Dallas Morning News Story here.

See video of the project here.

Here is the Wikipedia entry on flying cars.