Category Archives: English

Remembering Wernher von Braun

Today would have been Wernher von Braun’s 100th birthday. He was the greatest rocket engineer of all time.

Recommended book:

Von Braun – Dreamer of Space / Engineer of War

by Michael J. Neufeld, chair of Space History Division of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

© Smithsonian Institution 2007. Published by Alfred Knopf, New York.

ISBN:  978-0-307-26292-0 (hardcover) or  978-0-307-38937-4 (paperback).

 

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Windows 8: Is Microsoft Kidding?

So this is apparently the new Windows 8 Metro start screen (for mobile devices, but also for the computer desktop).

(click to enlarge)

Apart from the dull and dated 1990s look and the clashing colors, how is one supposed to read the tiny lettering on the control surfaces?

Did Microsoft outsource their design to India? Are they kidding? They want to compete against Apple’s iOS 5 and Android with this??

I almost feel bad for them. I was hoping that Microsoft would come up with something serious, because I believe Apple must have competition to thrive. (Android hardly counts, because Apple users won’t even consider touching it with a pole).

If this is all Microsoft is still able to cook up, I am afraid they are done.

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R.I.P. Jerry Brown, 1930 – 2012

A most interesting and unusual man was lost on February 10, 2012. I had the pleasure of meeting Jerry Brown through our mutual passion for astronomy, and considered him a grandfatherly friend.

Here I am visiting Jerry Brown (left) in his workshop in 2009. The machine to the right is one of many he built. Reinhard Kargl, 2009. Click to enlarge.

Jerry was a quiet and introverted man who preferred the solitude of his home and workshop to the hustle and bustle of the world. His demeanor was somewhat eccentric (which is precisely why I became interested in him), but Jerry’s humble, unassuming ways did not advertise the genius he really was.

After his parents passed away, Jerry continued to live in his boyhood home in Culver City, California. He himself suspected that he might have “a mild case of autism”, to which he attributed his lack of desire to be more social, marry or have a family. He lived frugally and all by himself until the end, and he liked his usual routines so much that he viewed any change with suspicion, and as a possible nuisance. He said he was afraid of dying, but even more so, of languishing in a debilitated state.

After a stint in the Army, during which he was trained as a radar technician (and which, as far as I know, was the only time he really travelled over a great distance) Jerry held mechanical jobs in the Californian aerospace industry and at a model shop.

But the things Jerry was really interested in were happening in his free time — in the evenings and during weekends. Having had an enormous fascination with machines since childhood, Jerry had started to construct his own.

A corner of Jerry Brown's workshop, which seemed like a place from another time. Photo: Reinhard Kargl, 2009.

In the process, despite lacking an advanced technical education, Jerry taught himself drafting and engineering and acquired a broad variety of mechanical and metalworking skills. Being particularly interested in steam engines, Jerry designed and built his own — entirely from scratch. His workshop contained a metal foundry, all sorts of metal working machines (many of which he constructed himself, because he could not afford to buy them). For his steam engines, he manufactured gears, boilers, pistons and most other parts all by himself.

Jerry Brown in the 1970s. Photographer unknown.

In his own essay, “The Making of a Model Engineer”, Jerry wrote:

“After acquiring a standard lathe and milling machine I was ready for a serious project. My goal was to build, from scratch, an engine big enough to do useful work. Perusing old steam engineering books, I was able to design what I wanted—a 1.25″ bore x 2.25” stroke engine similar to those that powered mills and factories in the 19th and early 20th centuries. I made wood patterns to form sand molds, and poured metal castings for the major parts. After everything was assembled I tried a test run on compressed air. No problems, so next was a steam test (with borrowed steam at a club meet, since I had no boiler.) It ran fine, with no leaks, which an onlooker said was rare for a first-run on steam. I subsequently had a boiler built, and mounted it with the engine on skids for portability. After some 40 years it’s still running as well as ever, powering a grain mill which grinds corn for my pancakes. Fired with scrap wood (or corn cobs) it’s a big attraction at antique engine shows.

Despite these accomplishments, I still hadn’t fulfilled my childhood dream of building a steam-powered miniature revolving crane/excavator. These were all gone from the construction world in my time, except for some that survived into the 1970s as pile drivers because their boilers could supply steam for the hammer. I always liked watching these things. If I were a musician I’d have to be a percussionist because, like the legendary John Henry, I love to hear that cold steel ring. In 1972, working for a company that made live-steam miniature railroad equipment, I figured the time had come and I’d best not wait any longer. The crane would be a vastly more complicated project than a plain stationary engine, but I plunged in, learning as I went. It was a labor of love, culminating in1978 with the first steam-up. Thirty years later it’s still going strong, digging in my garden and demonstrating at shows what steam power once did (like building the Panama Canal.)”

It took many years, but eventually Jerry was successful. Here he is with his masterpiece:

Jerry Brown and his steam powered shovel, some time in the 1970s. Photographer unknown. (Click to enlarge).

Jerry’s other great interest in life was science, especially astronomy.

“Physics is said to be the basic science; I think astronomy/cosmology is a close second. I like the way Stephen Hawking put it when asked of what use was his work: It won’t make your wash any whiter, but we need to know what we are and where we came from. It’s rewarding be associated with people having a common interest in these subjects.

I think my interest in astronomy began around 1940 when I read a science column in the old original Los Angeles Daily News (I guess that pretty well dates me.) It mentioned some stars being so dense that a spoonful of their material would weigh tones here on Earth. At age 10, that was mind-boggling. (It still is.) I went on a 7th grade field trip to the Griffith Observatory, and still remember my “first contact” with the Foucault Pendulum. Also, the electromagnetic spectrum chart showing the narrow band we know as visible light. In high school I built my first telescope using lenses that came with a science book I’d bought. They weren’t color-corrected, so you can imagine the images I got. But it was enough to tell me there was a lot out there I wanted to know about.

In the Amy (1950) I read Fred Hoyle’s book describing his steady-state theory. That kept my interest alive. In the middle 60s, thanks largely to a neighbor who was interested in astronomy, I built a better telescope (which is still in use.) Together we built a 3″ reflector from scratch. Around 1990 a sort of philosophical crisis motivated me to renew my too-long dormant interest in science. It has been the most intellectually rewarding experience of my life. I think that I have finally, to use Timothy Ferris’s phrase, come of age in the Milky Way. Took a long time, but better late than never.”
(J.B., via e-mail, 2011-11-11).

In addition to working on his machines, Jerry was active with the Santa Monica Amateur Astronomy Club, and the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum. He was also a member of FOTO (the Friends of the Griffith Observatory), the Southern California Home Shop Machinists, and the Center for Inquiry. He also has a keen interest in pipe theater organs and attended shows whenever he could.

Jerry was not a religious man. Indeed, he viewed “organized religion” with a measure of disdain. On the other hand, he was a compassionate humanist who had respect for all living things, to the point of becoming a vegetarian. I would say that the Golden Rule, and a desire to do no harm were the most important maxims in his life.

His steam shovel, the crowning achievement of Jerry’s life, has continued to be an attraction at shows and events for several decades now, and Jerry enjoyed operating and exhibiting it in public. He even made the fuel (most currently a biodiesel he made from spent restaurant cooking oil).

Jerry Bown and his steam shovel at the Spring 2009 meeting of the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum. Photo: Matthew Swain. Click to enlarge.

The last few weeks had been unkind to Jerry’s health. His heart and cardiovascular system had already been weakened over the last few years, and now, he was becoming dehydrated and exhausted from a lack of sleep, which he attributed to a “stomach flu”. But he seemed to be getting better.

I was expecting to see Jerry on Friday, Feb. 10, at a meeting and science lecture in the evening. But the day before, Jerry e-mailed:

“Much as I hate to, I’ll very likely have to miss it. Whatever hit me last month has returned with a vengeance, this time with hiccups like 2 years ago which will preclude sleep tonight.”

Little did I suspect that it was to be his last message. Jerry was taken to the hospital on Friday morning and passed away later that day.

Attending astronomy lectures without him will be sad. He had been a fixture for so many years. My only consolation is that Jerry’s very worst fear did not come true: he did not have to languish in a semi-vegetative state.

Jerry had no family. As of this time, no funeral arrangements have been publicized. I will make updates here as soon as details come to my knowledge.

The story of Jerry’s masterpiece is recounted in detail, and with many pictures, on this page:

http://craftsmanshipmuseum.com/JBrown.htm

Although Jerry is gone, his masterpiece will remain. Photographer unknown. Click to enlarge.

It is only fitting that Jerry should have the last word:

“Why did I build it? Why does one swim the Channel or build a Brooklyn Bridge from toothpicks? In this case, as I say, it was a lifetime ambition. I’ve always liked to watch the wheels go ‘round, especially when they’re steam powered. And maybe because this machinery is kind of a reminder of a time long-gone when some of our present problems hadn’t even been thought of. In any event, I’m glad I did it when I did. One thing I’ve learned is that if you want to do something, do it as soon as you can because you never know when it will be too late. Watching the clam pull itself into the ground as the closing line snakes through all those sheaves to the sound of the engine and smell of steam and hot oil made it all worthwhile. Not to mention the amazement of spectators, most of whom never saw the big ones at work. And the small boy, growing up in the plastic, throw-away age asking sort of awe-struck, “Is that made out of metal?” Steam machinery buffs will understand.”
(From: A Miniature Live Steam Crane, by Jerry Brown. Australian Model Engineering magazine, March/April 2008).


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SOFIA

Last year I became one of the first journalists to fly on a science mission aboard SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) developed and operated by by NASA and the German aerospace agency DLR.

In essence, SOFIA this is a giant, state-of-the-art infrared observatory packed into the aft fuselage of a highly modified Boeing 747SP. By making airborne observations high in the stratosphere, SOFIA’s instruments can gather light above 99% of our atmosphere’s water vapor. The flying observatory is now beginning to enter full scale scientific operations.

Our 10-hour long flight (dubbed Basic Science Flight 2) took off from U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. Most of our circuitous flight took place over the Pacific Ocean. After about 10 hours in the air, during which we reached altitudes of 43,000 feet, we returned safely to Palmdale.

The mission consisted of tests and observations on the GREAT instrument (the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies), which were successfully carried out.

It was a thrilling experience, and I was most impressed with the professional workmanship of the entire NASA crew. Keeping this highly complex, unique aircraft operational and flying in a reasonably safe manner is no easy task requiring much coordination and teamwork.

My detailed report was published in the January February 2012 issue of Gruner+Jahr’s popular German science magazine, P.M. Magazin. An excerpt (in German) can be read here. (The magazine will continue to be available online in both print and iPhone/iPad app editions).

Click the image below to see my photo album:

 

Links:

SOFIA on Wikipedia

NASA’s SOFIA Page

DLR’s SOFIA Page (English)

DLR’s SOFIA Seiten (Deutsch)

Deutsches SOFIA Institut (DSI)

SOFIA Science Center (USRA Page)

 

 

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The Artist

Finally, I have made it to the theater to see The Arist. And, oh my, I was not only floored, but also almost speechless! This is one of the most perfect movies I have ever seen! When I close my eyes, I think I can see Charlie Chaplin smiling. It is a masterpiece.

With no less than ten Academy Award nominations, so much has been written about this movie that I don’t feel the need to add a lot more. (If you are so inclined, read the detailed reviews by movie critics Roger Ebert or Kenneth Turan).

Just this: if you think you don’t care for silent movies, do not be deterred. See it anyway! First of all, the movie is not “silent”. Secondly, there is a reason why the story was told this way. Go and find out! (But see it in the theater! It is meant for the big screen!)

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Etta James, 1938 – 2012

Jamesetta Hawkins, born January 25, 1938 in Los Angeles to a teenage prostitute, never knew her father and grew up in various foster homes. She became a major recording and performance artist under the name “Etta James”. She passed away on January 20, 2012 in Riverside, California.

Etta James on Wikipedia

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Trouvelot: Astronomical Drawings And Invasive Species

In June 1881, a brilliant comet streaked across the skies of the northern hemisphere. This image is part of a recently digitized series of illustrations by the French-born artist Etienne Leopold Trouvelot (1827-1895).

Other images show Jupiter, Saturn and details of the Moon and Sun. Another records a meteor shower that lit up the skies one night in November 1868. [See Trouvelot’s Astronomy Illustrations]. All images were made available by the New York Public Library.

Trouvelot was less known for his astronnomical drawings, but more for his work as an amateur entomologist. This, however, had unintended results. As part of an attempt to produce silk in America, Trouvelot brought in gypsy moths from Europe — to be bred in the United States. Things went awfully wrong. Some larvae escaped and became an invasive species. To this day, gypsy moths are a devastating pest in America, destroying forest foliage in parts of the Southeast and Midwest, and in the northeastern United States.

I wish Trouvelot had stuck to drawing astronomical objects.

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Good-bye, Hal Takier (1917 – 2012)

Portrait of Hal Takier

Unfortunately I only met Hal in his old age, but I am grateful for the time we were able to spend together. Hal was one of a few remaining witnesses of a very special time in popular culture, and American history: the Swing Era. Always gracious, supportive, friendly and willing to share from the wealth of his experience, he and his wife Marge were regular attendees and contributors to a series of public events I co-produced and directed.  I will miss him dearly and remember him fondly. Hal left behind his wife of many years, Marge Takier.

Below is the first part of a three part mini-documentary made in 2001 of legendary Southern California swing dancers Hal Takier, Jean Veloz, and Freda Angela. Interviews were filmed by Erik Robison, Tip West and Mike Mizgalski and edited by Hilary Alexander. (Provided via YouTube):

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Journalist Toll Of 2011

Given the public uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, the military campaigns in Afghanista and Pakistan, and the drug conflict in Mexico, last year was particularly bloody. Reporters sans frontières has released its annual tally.

66 journalists and 2 assistants were killed in 2011, which is slightly more than in 2010.

1,044 journalists were known to be arrested, which is almost double the number of 2010. The hotbeds were certainly the events of the “Arab Spring” during 2011. But reporters were also arrested, summoned to court and interrogated in connection with the demonstrations in Greece, Belarus, Uganda, Chile and the Occupy Wall Street protests in the USA.

“In some countries, bloggers have taken on a central role,” says Michael Rediske, the head of the German section of Reporters Without Borders. “Especially when conventional media are strongly censored or international journalists are not allowed into the country.”

But the organization warns that Internet activists reporting in blogs, on Twitter or via Facebook have increasingly attracted the scrutiny of authorities and of violent groups. Five Internet activists are reported to have died in 2011, three of them in Mexico. 199 bloggers were arrested, and 62 were physically assaulted.

Rediske also points out that the number of countries with Internet censorship has risen from 62 to 68.

The most dangerous countries for journalists in 2011: Pakistan, Iraq, Libya and Mexico.

Link: Reporters Without Borders (English Site)

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