Monthly Archives: January 2017

Butcher’s Tip

Darth Gates

In Case of Fire

In Remembrance – Space Shuttle Challenger & Crew

On January 28, 1986 at 11:39 EST, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds into its flight after an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster (SRB) failed at liftoff.  All seven astronauts on board were lost.

Challenger STS-51 at Launch

Challenger launches on its final mission, STS-51.

Challenger STS-51 Crew

The crew of STS-51. Front row, from left to right: Smith, Scobee, and McNair. Back row, from left to right: Onizuka, McAuliffe, Jarvis, and Resnik.

Challenger STS-51 Mission Patch

STS-51 mission patch.

Wikipedia Link

Mike Connors, ‘Mannix,’ Dies at 91

Mike Connors (August 15, 1925 – January 26, 2017)

Mike Connors (born Krekor Ohanian) was an American actor best known for playing detective Joe Mannix in the CBS television series, Mannix. Connors’ acting career spanned six decades; in addition to his work on television, he appeared in numerous films.

Connors died just a week after being diagnosed with leukemia, at the age of 91.

Wikipedia Link

50th anniversary of Apollo 1 fire

Grissom, White, and Chaffee in front of the launch pad.

Grissom, White, and Chaffee in front of the launch pad.

On January 27, 1967, Command Pilot Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward H. White II, and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee lost their lives when a flash fire consumed the Apollo 1 capsule they were in.

Apollo 1 Wikipedia Article

Farewell Mary Tyler Moore, Adieu Laura Petrie

Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017)

Mary Tyler Moore was an American actress, known for her roles in the television sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977), in which she starred as Mary Richards, a thirty-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis; and The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966), in which she played Laura Petrie, a former dancer turned homemaker, wife and mother.  She died from cardiopulmonary arrest because of pneumonia at the age of 80 on January 25, 2017.

Wikipedia Link

Ray Stevens

Ray Stevens (born Harold Ray Ragsdale) is an American country music and pop singer-songwriter known for his novelty songs. His two most-popular songs are “Everything Is Beautiful” and “The Streak”.

Ray Stevens

Harold Ray Ragsdale (January 24, 1939 – )

 Wikipedia Link

2018 Ford Mustang – What’s Changed

Northern Lights from 35,000 feet

Benny Hill

Alfred Hawthorn Hill, better known as Benny Hill, was a prolific English comic, actor & singer, best known for his television program, The Benny Hill Show. Since its debut in 1955 his television show has been sold to over 140 countries worldwide, with viewership in the billions.

Benny Hill

Alfred Hawthorn Hill (January 21, 1924 – April 20, 1992)

 Wikipedia Link

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was an American poet, short story writer, editor, critic and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of the macabre, Poe was one of the early American practitioners of the short story and a progenitor of detective fiction and crime fiction. He is also credited with contributing to narrative forms of the emergent science fiction genre.

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849)

Wikipedia Link

A. A. Milne

Alan Alexander Milne, also known as A. A. Milne, was a British author, best known for his books about the teddy bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, and for various children’s poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.

A. A. Milne

Alan Alexander Milne (January 18, 1882 – January 31, 1956)

Wikipedia Link

Checks in 2017

Ice Circles

Bob “Gilligan” Denver

Bob Denver

Robert Osbourne “Bob” Denver (January 9, 1935 – September 2, 2005)

Robert Denver was an American comedic actor best known for his role as Willy “Gilligan” Gilligan on the television series Gilligan’s Island.

In later life it was rumored that he hated being known as “Gilligan,” but he’ll always be Gilligan to most of us.

In tribute to a wonderful set of memories, my picture is subtle, “Gilligan”-esce, but with style.

I hope he wouldn’t mind.

Elvis (thank you very much)

Elvis Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977)

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as “the King of Rock and Roll”, or simply, “the King”.

For Real ‘mech

Behold the 13-foot tall 1.5-ton “Method-2,” brainchild of South Korean robotics company Hankook Mirae Technology, which is taking its first “baby steps” under the watchful eyes of about 30 engineers and members of the media this week.

Article at Jalopnik: here

It’s a Wonderful Life

It’s a Wonderful Life is a 1946 Frank Capra film, produced by his own Liberty Films and released originally by RKO Radio Pictures. Dubbed by the American Film Institute one of the best films ever made, it placed #1 on AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Cheers, a list of the most inspirational American movies of all time. It ranks 11th on AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies, a list of the greatest American films. The film has also been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
The movie is the story of the life of everyman George Bailey, as told to his guardian angel Clarence Oddbody, who has been recruited to save him in his moment of need.

It's a Wonderful Life

The film premiered on December 20, 1946 in the New Globe Theater on Governors Island.

The film was released in theaters January 7, 1947.

 

Dear George:
— Remember no man is a failure who has friends.
Thanks for the wings!
Love
Clarence.  

Why aren’t there “B” cell batteries…

To find out we have to go back to the 1920s, when battery cell sizes were standardized by the government agencies, War Industries Board and American battery manufacturers working to create a uniform product:

In 1924, industry and government representatives met again to figure out a naming system for all those cells and batteries they had just standardized. They decided to base it around the alphabet, dubbing the smallest cells and single-cell batteries “A” and went from there to B, C and D. There was also a “No. 6” battery that was larger than the others and pretty commonly used, so it was grandfathered in without a name change.

As battery technology changed and improved and new sizes of batteries were made, they were added to the naming system. When smaller batteries came along, they were designated AA and AAA. These newer batteries were the right size for the growing consumer electronics industry, so they caught on. C and D batteries also found a niche in medium- and high-drain applications. The mid-size A and B batteries simply didn’t have a market and more or less disappeared in the U.S..

While you typically won’t see either A or B batteries on American store shelves, they’re still out there in the wild. A batteries were used in early-model laptop battery packs and some hobby battery packs. B batteries are still sometimes used in Europe for lanterns and bicycle lamps. According to Energizer, though, their popularity is dwindling there, too, and they might be completely discontinued.