Space and UCF

Although I won't be at the space themed game in person, I will be there in spirit. 

Today kicks off World Space Week, the largest annual space event that spans the globe.

The United Nations designated the week in 1999 to help build enthusiasm for the space workforce of tomorrow. The goal is to inspire the youth of today to pursue careers that support worldwide efforts to explore and learn about our planet and its place in the universe.

UCF's been doing that since 1963, when it opened its door to provide talent for central Florida and the growing U.S. space program. UCF's space-related research and our proximity to Kennedy Space Center, the birth of the space race for America, gives our students many unique opportunities.

Students have helped prepared experiments that have flown on International Space Station and on several commercial space flights. One undergraduate student working with our professor on NASA's OSIRIS REx mission played a role in helping identify the best location to take an asteroid sample. Many other students and post-docs are working with UCF faculty on NASA and European Space Agency missions while others work with private contractors involved in launch operations. Our students are also well represented in NASA's Pathways internship program with 19 students last semester alone.

UCF's efforts to prepare students from across all walks of life is well recognized. That's one reason why NASA awarded a team of interdisciplinary professors a half a million-dollar grant to create transformative space technologies that support space exploration. The grant means interdisciplinary teams of faculty and students will work on projects with industry and NASA centers.

This week you'll hear about some of the exciting missions UCF is a part of and about some Knights who are working on out of this world research. And don't forget Oct. 22 is UCF's Space Game when our football team takes on Memphis. This year's theme celebrates the 40^th Anniversary of the Space Shuttle program, including many Knights who worked in the program. You won't want to miss seeing the team's space-themed uniforms and special presentation.

https://www-ucf-edu.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.ucf.edu/news/ucf-celebrates-world-space-week-all-october-long/?amp

About the Miami Dolphins

This was the team I grew up watching and blogged about, hosted a podcast about, and enjoyed watching for a time.

Then I moved on.

And now. They suck. There's no sugarcoating it. And they're never getting better. It's just not going to happen.

They won back to back superbowls. Went undefeated. Had the NFLs all time win percentage heading into 2000. Had solid ownership and great coaching.

And now they are just astonishingly hard to watch.

Let's look a little deeper at what's gone on in the 20th century (since 2000):

* They have lost 20 more games than they have won (going 152-172, a 46% winning percentage)

* They have had 10 head coaches (and of those 3 quit or were fired during the season)

* 9 times they have had a negative point differential. One year the positive was by only a single point, and all 5 of wannstedts full seasons (in the first five years of this millennium) were positive.

* They made the playoffs 4 times (3 wildcard games losses, one divisional loss - in 2000)

* There has been no consistency at QB -
23 different players have started at least one game, in spite of two 5-year stretches with a named QB as the primary starter (Fiedler and Tannehill).

In summary: These last 21 years have just been atrocious. But I should also point out that the first 8, when there was absolutely more winning and when it still seemed like there was hope, H Wayne Huzienga was the owner. Stephen Ross took over in 2009, and nothing has been good since.

To those of you who are "diehards" and still with the team, you are suckers. Good luck.

That’s quite the headline.

Stephanie Grisham describes the Trump White House as 'a clown car on fire running at full speed into a warehouse full of fireworks'

https://www.businessinsider.com/stephanie-grisham-says-trumps-white-house-was-a-hot-mess-247-2021-10

How anti-vaxxers cling to centuries-old conspiracy theories

This is worth a few minutes of your time.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2021/09/30/anti-vax-history-reality-check-orig.cnn-business

Thinking about the virus

In what amounts to an inevitable outcome, it looks like covid-19 is here to stay for a while.

Various countries, and communities within the countries, have tried various approaches to dealing with this pandemic. And so far, no one has come up with a successful plan that is a shining example.

That's not to say we should stop trying, it's just that for now at least there's really no way to eradicate it.

And humankind isn't taking to the idea of "taking away freedom" and wants to return to a sense of normalcy.

So we'll just have to deal with it. We can (and should) make smart choices. We can (and should) get vaccinated. And then should continue to get boosters at intervals that make sense.

Maybe we can dispense with masks at some point, but certainly not yet. In spite of what some people will tell you.

And for those that choose to just throw their hands in the air, the transmission rate will remain the same, and the death rate among those infected will stay around 1.5%~2%

I guess we'll just have to move on with life and realize this is how it's going to be.

SpaceX shows off Inspiration4's amazing view of E…

Oh look. The earth is round. Shocking I know.

https://www.space.com/spacex-inspiration4-cupola-view-of-earth

Get vaccinated already. Sheesh.

Short. Sweet. To the point. That's the beauty Dave's iPhone.