Category Archives: Technology

UPS = Un-Professional Service

Apple, Rant, Technology, , ,

You be the judge

My wife has suffered from Multiple Sclerosis for decades. She is a shut-in with limited mobility. Her iPhone 5s began to reboot continually, and since it is her ONLY PHONE I decided to get her the latest iPhone Xs MAX. It was supposed to arrive this Friday (September 28 or later).

UPS (United Parcel Service) sent me an email notification over the weekend telling me it would arrive Monday September 25th between 3 PM and 7 PM. It needed to be signed for. HOWEVER the driver arrived a few minutes before 2 PM, knocked lightly on the door and immediately left one of those “stickies” saying they would attempt ONE more delivery on the next day.

So I called to complain. By the time I finally got through the automated phone system to a real person I was well and truly steamed. Although attempting to assure the person on the other end of the phone that I knew it wasn’t his fault, I asserted in no uncertain terms how I felt about their automated phone system and the difficulty in talking to a human being. I also explained the situation and asked when the package would actually be delivered. The advice given to me was to be ready at 1 PM.

So while I was at work, my wife dutifully began waiting by the door at 1 PM for the UPS man. At work I tracked the progress of the UPS truck on a map via the “handy” UPS tracking website. At around 3 PM his truck was on my street a few houses down and I FaceTimed my wife on her iPad (recall that her iPhone does not work) to let her know that her new phone was almost there. Then for some inexplicable reason the UPS truck left our neighborhood. I tracked it continually until 7 PM when it finally got back to our house. Throughout this time I texted and FaceTimed my wife with updates. She was ready when he came to the door.

When the UPS guy finally got to the door my wife met him and asked why he didn’t come to our house at 3 PM when he was right there. His answer … he was specifically told by his supervisor to make us the LAST delivery of the day. UPS was punishing me for complaining!

Think about that for a minute.

So I called back UPS, navigated the phone system, and got through to another human. I rehashed all of the above and asked if it was UPS corporate policy to retaliate against customers who have complaints about service quality. I was of course assured that this was not the case and that someone higher up the management ladder would get back in touch with me. That was 24 hours ago. Nothing nada zip zilch.

What would you do if you were in my position?

Nuclear Propulsion in Space (1968)

History, Space Travel, Technology, Video,

Note: this video was produced before Apollo 11 landed on the moon in 1969. NASA and the (then) Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) began work on the design of nuclear propulsion systems in the mid-1950s.

https://youtu.be/eDNX65d-FBY

Everything old is new again …

https://www.bwxt.com/what-we-do/nuclear-thermal-propulsion-ntp

https://www.bwxt.com/news/2017/08/02/BWXT-Awarded-188-Million-Nuclear-Thermal-Propulsion-Reactor-Design-Contract-by-NASA

FH Launch in (( STEREO ))

History, Mars, News, Photography, Science, Space Travel, SpaceX, Technology, Video, Welcome to the Future, ,

This is really cool. It’s true – the sound is even more mind blowing than the imagery.

Listen with headphones.

https://youtu.be/ImoQqNyRL8Y

But … as impressive as the sound of the video above is with headphones on … you still miss the full body sensation of your innards vibrating from the low frequency rumble. Perhaps listening with headphones AND a really powerful sub-woofer?

360 Launch Video

Mars, News, Photography, Science, Space Travel, SpaceX, Technology, Video, Welcome to the Future, , , , ,

Everyday Astronaut (Tim Dodd) has posted his 360 degree video of his experience three miles away from the Falcon Heavy launch. He is standing exactly where I was at the final Saturn V launch of Skylab. This is very nostalgic for me and I understand the emotions he must have been feeling.

You can watch it here in full 360 degrees: https://youtu.be/tBhuSTXMCaI *

Tim is doing a fantastic job covering SpaceX and spaceflight in general. His videos are simultaneously highly informative – and – entertaining! His enthusiasm is contagious.

Please check out Tim’s home page (https://everydayastronaut.com) and his YouTube channel.

You can support him via Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/EverydayAstronaut)

Also be sure to check out his online shop (https://everydayastronaut.com/shop/)

If you have not already done so, check out A Blast (off) From My Past  for an accounting of my experience at the Saturn V launch, some 45 years ago.

Related: https://contrafactual.com/2018/02/06/a-blast-off-from-my-past-2/

* I tried to embed the video, but WordPress and/or iOS Safari wouldn’t support 360 in the embedded version.

Synchronized Landing

Mars, News, Photography, Reblog, Space Travel, SpaceX, Technology, Video, ,

Unless you have been living under a rock, you now know that yesterday SpaceX accomplished something spectacular. That being the launch and partially successful landing of the Falcon Heavy boosters and the delivery of “Starman” in Elon Musk’s vintage cherry red Tesla Roadster. Both side boosters landed successfully back at the Cape as shown below. Unfortunately the core section failed to initiate the final landing burn and crashed next to the recovery drone ship. YouTube, Reddit, and Twitter are replete with coverage and discussion.

I have selected a few choice (short) videos below for your enjoyments.

Note that even though the bottom videos from the returning side boosters shown above are supposed to be from each individual booster, someone goofed and we see the same video stream displayed on the left and right. SpaceX corrected this with a later video, but that is not currently available on YouTube.

Below is one of the better spectator videos of the landings. (There are many)

Let the New Space Race begin!

A Blast (off) From My Past

History, Reblog, Science, Space Travel, SpaceX, Technology, Video, , , ,

In honor of today’s Falcon Heavy Launch

Originally published https://contrafactual.com/2017/02/19/a-blast-off-from-my-past/

The image below is a screen capture from one the videos in the previous post on today’s SpaceX CRS-10 launch.


Life comes full circle. In a much earlier post I described what it was like to be standing at the water’s edge in the foreground at the last ever Saturn V launch.

  • The Saturn V F1 engines were the most powerful rocket engines ever made. Each one produced over 1.5 million pounds of thrust. The five F1 engines on the Saturn V made it the most powerful launch vehicle ever at over 7.6 million pounds of thrust. Just over forty years ago on May 14, 1973 [almost 44 years as of this writing], I was lucky enough to be among the press and dignitaries sitting on the bleachers or standing in front of the turning basin at the Launch Complex 39 Press Site for the last ever Saturn V launch. I was 19 years old. My best friend’s aunt was a professional photographer. She got each of us a press pass for the launch of the Skylab space station. For a teenage space fan, who had watched every manned launch since Alan Shepard’s first suborbital Mercury launch, this was truly “dying and going to heaven”. For several days before the launch we got to go on exclusive tours of the launch site. We were able to see Walter Cronkite’s broadcast booth. NASA loaded us up with press packets and thick tomes of specifications. I can not begin to tell you how totally cool this was.


On launch day I was one of the throng of people standing to the left of the countdown clock in the picture above.

  • I was just three miles away from the launch pad. When the engines fired up, the sound of the F1 engines was felt as much as heard. The low base rumbling seemed to reach directly into my chest and vibrate my heart and lungs [dare I say it was nearly orgasmic?]. As the Saturn V rose into the sky, I could smell the burned kerosene of the exhaust as I felt the waves of warm air wafting over me. 
  • This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

The SpaceX image inspired me to search the Internet and YouTube for Skylab launch images. I scored big time. The second image is screen shot from the video below. Back in the day I had a fetish for white jeans (probably expressing my inner John Lennon). Trust me – I am in there somewhere.

Full video from 1973

https://youtu.be/JzCXYd2v3xE

The Internet is amazing. Welcome to the future.



Links

https://contrafactual.com/2013/07/20/apollo-11-main-engines-found/

SpaceX 2018

BFR, Mars, Space Travel, SpaceX, Technology, Video, Welcome to the Future, , ,

Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX speaking at TAMEST 2018 Annual Conference AEROSPACE on the FRONTIER OF COMMERCIAL SPACEFLIGHT.

Also note that today SpaceX successfully relaunched a previously launched F9 booster to place the GOVSAT-1 satellite into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (http://www.spacex.com/webcast) This is the second launch this year. UPDATE – first stage was not intended to land on a drone ship but survived the water landing (“This rocket was meant to test very high retrothrust landing in water so it didn’t hurt the droneship, but amazingly it has survived. We will try to tow it back to shore.” https://mobile.twitter.com/elonmusk/status/958847818583584768)

FRONTIER OF COMMERCIAL SPACEFLIGHT

Note the last video shown is appears to be the first concept 2016 “ITS” video, NOT the 2017 somewhat scaled back “BFR” video.

Falcon Heavy is scheduled to launch this upcoming Tuesday February 6.

Musical Milestones

History, Internet, Music, News, Opinion, Rant, Stuff, Technology, Video, Welcome to the Future,

First there was 22,000 Days …

and now (just the music – no relation to the folks in the video)

because …

Side bar … although I own* many versions of “Birthday” – vinyl, cassette, CD, and iTunes – I can’t play it for you due to “copyright issues”, so I am forced to find the best cover on YouTube.

Welcome to the Future.

(Sigh)

* no longer sure I actually own them, but I sure paid for them

Relevant RANTS: HERE and HERE

SpaceX Texas

BFR, Mars, News, Space Travel, SpaceX, Technology, Video, Welcome to the Future, , ,

Ran into a guy a few weeks back wearing an Occupy Mars T-shirt and asked him if he worked for SpaceX. Turns out he was a machinist at the McGregor facility. I shook his hand and thanked him for keeping the dream alive. He protested saying he was just a machinist and I told him that every job mattered in building rockets.

I actually tried to visit the McGregor facility a few years ago on a road trip back from Denver. They had just installed the new guard shack at the entrance and they turned me away. Apparently you can schedule a tour in advance but I haven’t figured out how to do that yet. I suspect they have the occasional “open house” for the local residents of McGregor.

Lint

Apple, Essay, Stuff, Technology, Video,

So …

I have an iPhone 6s Plus. The lightning plug port had stopped charging – sort of. The plug wouldn’t stay in and I would have to carefully hold it “just so” to get it to charge. I had the same problem with my original iPhone 5s. It was the reason I upgraded to the 6s Plus.

So I called my local Batteries + Bulbs. $80 to replace the charging port. BUT the nice lady I spoke to suggested using a toothpick to clean out any lint. I used a toothpick and compressed air (computer dust spray) and cleaned out a fair amount of lint.

PROBLEM SOLVED

The charging plug snaps briskly in and charges. Son’s iPhone … same problem … same solution.

 
PS – I also cleaned out my old iPhone 5s … problem solved.

ICBT | SpaceX

News, Space Travel, SpaceX, Technology, Video, , ,

Inter-Continental Balistic Transport

From today’s SpaceX presentation (see previous post)

“Fly to most places on Earth in under 30 mins and anywhere in under 60. Cost per seat should be about the same as full fare economy in an aircraft. Forgot to mention that.” ~ Elon Musk via twitter

 

This will revolutionize travel.

This is how SpaceX funds the Mars missions.

SpaceX OTV-5

History, News, Science, Space Travel, SpaceX, Technology, Video, Welcome to the Future, , , , ,

SpaceX launch of the US Air Force “minishuttle” Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) X-37B

Another successful launch and landing for Falcon 9. It is beginning to remind me of watching planes take off and land at the airport.

 

 

Side note: the contract to launch OTV-5 was awarded to SpaceX directly, without bid

SpaceX Press Kit

List of Falcon 9 Launches

History, News, Science, Space Travel, Technology, Welcome to the Future, , , , , , ,

OK … somebody had to do it. The complete list of every Falcon 9 launch is on Wikipedia!

As of June 25, 2017

  • 37 launches
  • 2 failures (one in flight, one on the launch pad pre-flight)
  • 13 successful landings (8 droneship, 5 Landing Zone 1)
  • 2 resused Falcon 9 boosters (both of which re-landed successfully – one on droneship, the other at LZ-1)
  • 1 reused Dragon capsule

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Falcon_9_and_Falcon_Heavy_launches

 

So … compare this to the Blue Origin numbers also care of Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Origin)

  • 1 launch and crash landing of the New Shepard 1
  • 5 launches and landings of the same New Shepard 2 booster (up and down – no payload to orbit)

 

    Just sayin’

    80 Seconds

    History, News, Science, Space Travel, Technology, Video, Welcome to the Future, , , , ,

    Watch (almost) EVERY SpaceX Falcon 9 landing attempted … in 80 seconds 

    https://youtu.be/Gum4EVbg7_0

    And that doesn’t even count two back-to-back landings last week on an Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (Atlantic AND Pacific) plus the landing at LZ-1 at the beginning of June. Oh … and don’t forget the May 1st landing at LZ-1. So that makes it 18 landings?

     

    See also

    https://contrafactual.com/2017/06/25/spacex-iridium-2/

    https://contrafactual.com/2017/06/23/bulgariasat-1/

    https://contrafactual.com/2017/06/13/yaf9lv/

    https://contrafactual.com/2017/06/07/crs-11-falcon-9-landing-close-up/

    https://contrafactual.com/2017/06/04/crs-11-falcon-9-landing/

    https://contrafactual.com/2017/05/01/best-footage-ever/

    SpaceX – Iridium 2

    News, Science, Space Travel, Technology, Video, Welcome to the Future, , , , ,

    And another successful launch and recovery – this time from Vandenburg CA (polar orbit). Back to back launch and landings.

    New titanium grid fins (as opposed to the original aluminum grid fins) for better heat tolerance.

     

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_spaceport_drone_ship (ASDS)

    http://www.teslarati.com/spacex-set-second-weekend-launch-new-titanium-grid-fins-tested/

    http://www.spacex.com/news/2017/06/24/iridium-2-press-kit

    BulgariaSat-1

    News, Opinion, Science, Space Travel, Technology, Video, Welcome to the Future, , , ,

    SpaceX does it again … relaunch and landing of another Falcon 9

    Falcon 9’s first stage for the BulgariaSat-1 mission previously supported the Iridium-1 mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in January of this year. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will attempt a landing on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

    Link to the Press Kit

     

    Personal observation … I cannot believe the bozos who comment that this is all faked based on video dropouts. When I “watched” the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions live video was rare to non-existent after the initial live launch video.

    You go SpaceX!

    PS


    3rd Wave of E&P Software

    News, Science, Technology, , , ,

    Houston, TX, October 13, 2016 – Bluware Inc., Hue AS and Headwave Inc. will soon join forces to form the most capable and innovative organization in the field of geoscience and engineering software. The new company will boast more than 100 technology professionals spread across offices in Houston, Oslo, Paris and Vietnam.

    “Now is the time to move forward,” said Rick Jones, Bluware CEO. “We see major computing innovations in the form of Multicore Processing, GPUs, Cloud, IIoT, Analytics and Machine Learning. These new capabilities will drive the 3rd Wave of E&P software—bringing new solutions to current problems and empowering industry leaders to tackle a completely new range of challenges.”

    “Over the years the Industry has extracted great value from Nvidia technologies, but the GPU revolution has just begun. The full value of the GPU requires truly modern software architecture to enable interactive and intuitive workflows for rapid and more accurate decision making. We are delighted to see some of our best partners joining forces to extract and deliver more business value from our leading-edge technology investment,” said Paul Holzhauer, Director of Oil & Gas Segment for Nvidia.

    About BLUWARE

    Bluware is a software consulting firm focused exclusively on the upstream oil and gas industry. Founded in 1987, we have worked with the world’s leading operators to create software solutions that maximize the contribution of geoscience disciplines to the business of finding and producing oil. While many other consulting companies center their efforts on business operations, Bluware works with the people who drive the science behind the drilling. We are passionate about finding new ways to use computing technology in pursuit of a better well plan. Our software engineers understand the complex technical concepts involved in subsurface applications and data. Most importantly, we continuously strive to extend the impact of geoscience throughout the well lifecycle. For more information, visit http://www.bluware.com.

    About Hue AS

    Hue develops unique and tailored software and services to solve the most complex visualization and compute challenges for oil and gas E&P. Hue has developed HueSpace, the only software development toolkit created exclusively for E&P that combines exceptional data management, advanced compute capabilities, and state-of-the-art visualization into a single, easy-to-use toolkit, unified by a Core Engine. By working with Hue, oil companies can develop both in-house and commercial solutions that go far beyond what the market and users currently expect. For more information, visit http://www.hue.no.

    About Headwave, Inc.

    Headwave, Inc. is a US / Norwegian company, which aims to augment and ultimately replace the two preceding generations of geoscience software with the third wave geoscience software. The company is headquartered in Houston, TX with offices in Norway and Vietnam. The company recently introduced Headwave 3, the first Third Wave geoscience software product and Foundation for geoscience research, along with products for handling and interactive analysis of unlimited wide-azimuth datasets; stratigraphic and quantitative interpretation; pre- and post-stack interpretation and analysis; and velocity model building for domain conversion. The software is available on Windows or Linux, and takes full advantage of all compute resources (CPUs and GPUs). The Foundation provides fully documented APIs for geoscience and workflow R&D. For more information, visit http://www.headwave.com.

    • • •

    I usually don’t comment on technologies or companies related to my profession on this blog, but in this case I feel that the innovation that the merger/collaboration of these three companies brings to the table is worth commenting on. Just watch the four minute video below and realize that this type of data and performance can be accessed from the cloud. “[the] user only needs a browser … from anything … from an iPad, from a PC, from a Mac, wherever they are in the world.”

    From 2017 Rice Oil & Gas HPC Conference (March 15-16)

     

    This could well be a paradigm shift in oil & gas exploration. 

    Extant

    Internet, News, Opinion, Review, Science Fiction, Social Issues, Space Travel, Technology, Video

    Smart, sexy, intriguing sci-fi. Starring Halle Berry. Deep and multi-threaded. Well written and well acted.

    I’m watching it via AmazonPrime. You should watch it any way you can.

    http://m.imdb.com/title/tt3155320/

    On second thought don’t start watching it. You won’t be able to stop … and sleep will be a thing of the past.*

     

     

    * if you have the ability to binge-watch it as I am doing via AmazonPrime.