adsii1970

Hey, folks -

Hang in there with me. I am having to take a trip out of town for research purposes. I'm sorry I have not been on line as much here lately, but when you teach one online class that has 73 students and two regular classes with 45 each, the job demands can get a little rough.

I'll be back next week... and will even share a new chapter of Kerny with you then!

Have no idea what happened. Cannot see any craft in the SPH nor can I save any craft there.

Can load craft from the runway, not understanding this at all.

Quote of the day:

I saw for the first time the earth's shape. I could easily see the shores of continents, islands, great rivers, folds of the terrain, large bodies of water. The horizon is dark blue, smoothly turning to black… the feelings which filled me I can express with one word—joy.

Yuri A. Gagarin
(Mar 09, 1934 - Mar 27, 1968)
As quoted in Life magazine, 21 April 1961
 

Yuri A. Gagarin  was a Russian Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on 12 April 1961.

Quote of the day:

"As soon as somebody demonstrates the art of flying, settlers from our species of man will not be lacking [on the moon and Jupiter]... Given ships or sails adapted to the breezes of heaven, there will be those who will not shrink from even that vast expanse."

Johannes Kepler
(Dec 27, 1571 - Nov 15, 1630)
Quote contained In a letter to Galileo, 1610

Johannes Kepler was a German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer. A key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution, he is best known for his laws of planetary motion, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican Astronomy. These works also provided one of the foundations for Isaac Newton's theory of universal gravitation. (Wikipedia Commons)

Quote of the day:

In the press grandstand where I watched Discovery rise against the cloudless sky, the media hit the abort button on cynicism. The Earth shook to the sounds of man, three miles away. The candle lit… only someone stripped of awe can leave a launch untouched.

Jonathan Alter
(Oct 06, 1957 -            )
Quote from his editorial in Newsweek, 9 November 1998 edition

Jonathan Alter is an American journalist, best-selling author, and television producer who was a columnist and senior editor for Newsweek magazine from 1983 until 2011, and has written three New York Times best-selling books about American presidents. He is a contributing correspondent to NBC News, where since 1996 he has appeared on NBC, MSNBC, and CNBC. Alter was one of the first magazine or newspaper reporters to appear on MSNBC. When the shows were on the air, he could often be heard on Imus in the Morning and The Al Franken Show on Air America Radio. Alter is currently an executive producer on the Amazon Studio's production Alpha House, which stars John Goodman, Mark Consuelos, Clark Johnson, and Matt Malloy (Wikipedia Commons).

Quote of the day:

"Mortal as I am, I know that I am born for a day, but when I follow the serried multitude of the stars in their circular course, my feet no longer touch the earth; I ascend to Zeus himself to feast me on ambrosia, the food of the gods."

Claudius Ptolemy
(c. 100 A.D. - c. 168 A.D.)
Quote taken from On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, circa 150 A.D.

Claudius Ptolemy was a Greek writer, known as a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in the city of Alexandria in the Roman province of Egypt, wrote in Koine Greek, and held Roman citizenship. Beyond that, few reliable details of his life are known. His birthplace has been given as Ptolemais Hermiou in the Thebaid in an uncorroborated statement by the 14th-century astronomer Theodore Meliteniotes. This is a very late attestation, however, and there is no other reason to suppose that he ever lived anywhere else than Alexandria, where he died around AD 168. (Wikipedia Commons)

Quote of the day:

"I think that space flight is a condition of Nature that comes into effect when an intelligent species reaches the saturation point of its planetary habitat combined with a certain level of technological ability... I think it is a built-in gene-directed drive for the spreading of the species and its continuation."

Donald A. Wollheim
(Oct 01, 1914 -  Nov 02, 1990)
Quote taken from his book, The Universe Makers, first published in 1971

Donald Allen Wollheim was an American science fiction editor, publisher, writer, and fan. As an author, he published under his own name as well as under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell. (Wikipedia Commons)

A random fun fact - scientists in history:

Archimedes

Archimedes was a Greek mathematician and engineer who lived between 287-212 B.C. His greatest contributions are in the field of geometry and in the development of war machines.

Legend has it that Archimedes discovered his famous theory of buoyancy while taking a bath. He was so excited that he ran naked through the streets of Syracuse shouting "Eureka, eureka (I have found it)!".

Another legend claims that Archimedes saved the city of Syracuse from a Roman siege by constructing a lens which focused the sun's light and burned Rome's fleet of ships.

(Wikipedia Commons)

While doing some research on a blog about Mars colonization, I discovered this site:

Deep Space Industries

What makes it so cool is the amount of animation and the fact some of the concepts look very Kerbal.

Quote of the day:

"I'm interested in man's march into the unknown but to vomit in space is not my idea of a good time. Neither is a fiery crash with the vomit hovering over me."

William Shatner
(Mar 22, 1931 -         )
Quote taken in an interview regarding an offer by Richard Branson to fly on Virgin Galactic, Daily Mail newspaper, 6 September 2006.

William Shatner is a Canadian actor, author, producer, and director. In his seven decades of television, Shatner became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T. Kirk, Captain of the USS Enterprise, in the Star Trek franchise. He has written a series of books chronicling his experiences playing Captain Kirk and being a part of Star Trek, and has co-written several novels set in the Star Trek universe. He has written a series of science fiction novels called TekWar, which were adapted for television. (Wikipedia Commons)

Thought of the day:

"If somebody had said before the flight, "Are you going to get carried away looking at the earth from the moon?" I would have say, "No, no way." But yet when I first looked back at the earth, standing on the moon, I cried."

Alan Shepard
(Nov 18, 1923 - Jul 21, 1998)
Quote said multiple times by Shephard, including an interview with CBS News (1974), LIFE Magazine, and National Geographic Magazine, 1972.

Rear Admiral Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. was an American astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot, and businessman. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Shepard saw action with the surface navy during World War II. He became a naval aviator in 1946, and a test pilot in 1950. He was selected as one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts in 1959, and in May 1961 he made the first manned Project Mercury flight, MR-3, in a spacecraft he named Freedom 7. His craft entered space, but did not achieve orbit. He became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space, and the first person to manually control the orientation of his spacecraft. In the final stages of Project Mercury, Shepard was scheduled to pilot the Mercury-Atlas 10, which was planned as a three-day mission. He named Mercury Spacecraft 15B Freedom 7 II in honor of his first spacecraft, but the mission was cancelled. (Wikipedia Commons)

Life on the university campus:
(Fall semester 2020, Fifth posting)

Reflections on the semester as final exams approach:

This semester has been full of challenges for the faculty, staff, and students of every university and college around the world. The COVID-19 virus has changed a lot of the academic world. In some cases, for the better and in others, for the worst. I am not only a teaching faculty member but an advisor to undergraduates majoring in the humanities.

Last week, I was sitting at my house. If this were a normal semester (sans COVID-19), it would have been during my office hours. But in good keeping with my normal semester schedule, I still maintain my scheduled office hours from the comforts of my living room. For the sake of my mental well-being, I even dress as I would if I were going on campus - jeans, a campus polo, socks, and sandals (yes, I will even wear sandals on days it rains and anytime the weather is above 30° F (-1.1° C). For me, being dressed as I would for work helps me when I am supposed to be doing work from home. I know it is a mental game and have learned that most of the things we do regularly are for our mental stability.

The end of the semester panic begins

Anyhow, a week ago today, I received a phone call from a student panicking about her grade. In the middle of our conversation, she said, "I thought college would be a lot like high school. You know, as long as I did good in a few things, I'd pass easily. But I'm failing three of my classes and have a D in the fourth..."

Sure, it is easy for me to blame the student's immaturity for her dilemma. But in all honesty, she is a product of the American public education system. Since the second week of the semester, the software our college uses for online courses will automatically email students when they have not logged onto the website in over seven days. When the student accumulates three warnings (21 days of not logging in to the online class), their advisor and the university's retention specialist is notified to begin intervention to get the student back on track.

During the conversation with the student, she let me know she simply didn't think much about the emails, deleted them, and went on about her routine. The high school where she graduated from is well-known in the tri-state area as being one of the worst schools. They have a social studies teacher who tells students to turn in blank assignments with their name on it. And he would give them a 50% score because they submitted something. So, for the past seven years, students from that school try the same thing in college, not realizing that a blank Word or RTF document with only their name on it gives them the same grade as if they submitted nothing: 0.

The same school has other teachers who will let students turn in assignments for full credit up to four weeks after the original due date. The student tried to argue with me that universities should also operate that way because it's easier for the student. She even tried to tell me that due dates do not matter in the workplace - it's about getting the job done! So, I referred her back to the syllabus where I state, Late assignments will be accepted up to 72 hours after an assignment is due but will be subject to a 20% reduction in the earned grade. Her response was priceless - "it's a bigoted system designed to fail students..."

No, your professor isn't out to make your life hell

In the past, I have students refer to me as either a gate keeper or a dream breaker. In reality, I am neither of those. I do not expect perfection from graduate or undergraduate students. But I do expect the best work they can provide. I need to see a student demonstrate above average historical competency for an A, moderately above average for a B, and simply average for a C. The rest you can figure out. I also tailor my classes for a variety of learning styles because not every student is the same. As I learn new strategies that work better, I change my course to be more supportive of students. But I still maintain a strong educational foundation in the course.

Many of the professors and lecturers I work with do the same thing. Sure, there are some who do see themselves as the "gatekeeper of higher education," but they are far and few between. Most of us want to see students put in effort into their courses. Ask questions, participate in discussions, and demonstrate you care about your performance in the course. We know your major is normally the class you're in and your only reason for being there is because it is a core class you're required to have. Again, at least make an effort to care.

A lesson from outside academia

When I enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 19, I knew I was going to need a lot of work. I was not the athletic type. I was known for being the nerd and head band geek in two high schools. So, during basic training, I took every opportunity to hit the PT field (physical training field) and exercise. In six weeks, I was able to excel in the PT test; no, I did not max it out, but I did extremely well - 52 pushups, 87 sit-ups (both in two minutes), and a 2 mile run in 13:35. I knew then, as I do now, that doing the minimum in anything will not always guarantee you the results you want. You have to do extra for that.

The same applies to formal academics and the workplace. Sure, you can go through your university courses and easily skate by and make Cs, Bs, and As in some subjects. But if you want to really get the most out of your education, you have to go beyond the classroom. You have to take control of your education - and this includes setting your standards higher than what even your professor does. I teach a lot of foreign exchange students and a few American home-schooled students. And for the most part, what makes them stand out, is they are driven not to just pass the course but to excel in the course.

If you are majoring in a subject do not rely on your courses to teach you everything about that subject. Do your own research and read more books. Most professors will gladly provide you a reading list to work through. You can also look up the references used in your textbook and try to find them at your university library, favorite bookstore, or Amazon. If you're not in college but are learning a trade, you can still apply the same philosophy. We all know there are mechanics, good mechanics, and really good mechanics - and this can be said of any field. It all boils down to how much ownership and responsibility do you want to accept for your own future.

Quote of the day:

"The Earth was small, light blue, and so touchingly alone, our home that must be defended like a holy relic. The Earth was absolutely round. I believe I never knew what the word round meant until I saw Earth from space."

Aleksei Leonov
(May 30, 1934 -               )
Interview with the Soviet news agency, TASS, on March 24, 1965

Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov is a retired Soviet/Russian cosmonaut, Air Force Major general, a writer and an artist. On 18 March 1965, he became the first human to conduct extravehicular activity, exiting the capsule during the Voskhod 2 mission for a 12-minute spacewalk. (Wikipedia Commons)

Love the new avatar. Looks sharp...

If you are bored this summer and want to be a permanent part of Kerny's journal, I have an opportunity for you!

It involves using Kopernicus to create a new star system... I'm in need of a blue dwarf star that can be seen during the night-time sky (and maybe during the day-time sky, too). Here are the list of requirements for this star...

• It must be compatible with Outer Planet Mod (OPM).
• Light emitted must be blue-white and be intense enough to be seen in the Kerbin night-sky.
• It must be a dwarf. Smaller than Kerbol yet no smaller than Kerbin. (Reference: https://www.reference.com/science/white-dwarf-form-5386a75a47c83762)
• No gas planets and no small rocky planets.
  • Blue white stars are formed, as so we believe, when either a red giant explodes and re-condenses or out of a nebula.
  • In the case of the story I am doing, it has been formed after the collapse of a red super giant.
  • Small asteroids are fine, but they cannot be any larger than the medium sized ones found in the game.
    • Remember, the explosive force of a star blowing and then condensing would destroy any gas planets and rocky worlds.
    • With the rocky worlds, I imagine only fragments of the rocky worlds would remain.
    • No more than three asteroids.
• Within reason, you'll have naming rights to the star you create.
  • No vulgar names. Must be rated "PG" friendly.
  • You can name any asteroids you have orbiting the star.

I've tried piddling with Kopernicus but because of the schedule I keep, I do not have the time needed to devote to becoming an expert at making planet packs and figuring out how to add another star. But if you want to give it a shot, this would help me tremendously.

Nice mod... just checked out the OP. Hoping to see more like this...

Quote of the day:

"Knowing what we know now, we are being irresponsible in our failure to make the scientific and technical progress we will need for protecting our newly discovered severely threatened and probably endangered species--us. NASA is not about the 'Adventure of Human Space Exploration,' we are in the deadly serious business of saving the species. All Human Exploration's bottom line is about preserving our species over the long haul."

John Young
(Sep 24, 1930 -          )
Quote taken from his essay, "The Big Picture" first published in 1978.

It has been a long two weeks. There are times I hate my job - and this happens to be one of those times.

What I did get done yesterday:

• Images for the 2017 TOTY and the images for the 2018 TOTMs.
• Chapter 55, "When It Rains It Really Rains" in Kerny Kerman's Journal.
• Syllabus for 101 (World Civilization to 1500, Internet) is now complete.

What I did get done today:

• Made a pot of homemade beef stew for tonight's supper. I wonder if the Yankee Candle Company has a beef stew scented candle...
• Ran some errands around town, including the post office.
• Contacted the American Legion's service officer for Kentucky - getting ready to do battle with the VA.

What I needed to get done but didn't:

• Practice the cornet.
• Update the syllabus for 109, U.S. history since 1865
• Update the syllabus for 101, World Civilization to 1500 (standard class).
• Laundry.
• Complete blog entry.

Debating on staying up to get a few of these things done. It's kinda hard to do any of them once the seven-year old gets home from school and the spouse gets back home from work.

Hey, I cannot find the railroad thread, but here's a beta game I love playing - and it is NOTHING but trains!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/598960/Mashinky/

The irony of listening to The Wall while grading rough drafts...

Illegal comment in a term paper. Loss of a passing grade. You cannot say "I hate this class" 97 times (yes, I counted) on a page and expect it to count as a part of the minimum page requirement for your project paper. 

Just one of those songs which is one of my go-to songs when I get a little down...

Life on the university campus:
(End of the Spring 2020 Semester edition - Part I)

This semester was a challenge for all of us - students, staff, administrators, and instructors. First, just like other community colleges and universities around the nation (and world), we faced the complications of the Corona-Wuhan (COVID-19) virus. Then, as if we needed anything extra, our area was hit by an EF-2 tornado. Any one of these issues can make a semester difficult on their own. But the two together - in one semester - made the spring semester a challenge to manage.

I've been teaching at the community college and university level since 2004. I've changed how I teach my courses a lot since those early days. But one thing has remained the same - I ask students to stay in communications with me as their circumstances change. For many students, they were able to complete the courses I teach just fine - they remained in nearly constant contact with me through email, text messaging, and in some cases, phone calls and Skype/Facebook video conferencing.

But for a handful of students, this would not be their strongest display of personal responsibility.

Staying in contact with your professors isn't optional.

I believe I speak for most college/university-level instructors when I say the most efficient use of your time is to remain in contact with your professor when things happen. If you miss a class, take the time to send your instructor an email. It doesn't have to be anything fancy; it does need to be truthful. A student who takes the time to send me an email, "I overslept this morning. I'm sorry." always gets the benefit of the doubt. And at the end of the semester, I'm more inclined to overlook it when it comes to grading. Why? Because you took the opportunity to let me know why you weren't in lecture. You took responsibility. You acted in a manner that I perceive you as being a serious adult concerned about their future.

We're human. We, also, have feelings. This semester, I had a young lady who has been the caretaker for her older aunt for the past ten years. Now, at the age of 32, she is finishing her degree and certification for her RN. In early April, she notified me she was having difficulties with getting her assignments completed for my course. Although she still had a week before the project paper was due, she explained in an email why it would probably be late -- her aunt had suffered a heart attack and then, less than three hours later, a stroke. Emotionally, she could not handle the stress of the project paper.

I share her story so I can share this -- because she was truthful with me up-front about her situation at home, it allowed me to do what I do best. It allowed me to act with compassion. Not only did I excuse her from the course's project paper, I also excused her from the third exam in the course. Her grade would be based off the work she had completed before her aunt's health declined. Had she waited until after the final grades were posted or had not told me at all, her grade would have been an "F" and there would have been nothing I could do for her.

So, today's message is to remain in contact with your instructors. When things at home shift in a way that will impact your ability to academically perform, inform them. If you miss a lecture, tell them why. Be honest in your communications, offer "proof" (doctor's notes, obituaries, etc) where needed. Don't expect anything from your instructor in return because you've been proactive and professional in your efforts to communicate with them. But do not be surprised to find your "C" somehow make its way to a "B" by the end of the semester.

Ok, so I was watching videos during office hours today and found this gem. And immediately I thought, that's  @Just Jim! And look, he's taunting a real Kraken! Yeah, so I guess I spend too much time in the KSP Kerbiverse!