Author Archives: James

Gov. Rick Perry’s comments on the last shuttle flight

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, probably a Republican presidential candidate soon, noted the shuttle’s demise will cost Houston’s manned space flight headquarters alone some 4,000 jobs “forcing NASA away from its original purpose of space exploration and ignoring its groundbreaking past and enormous future potential.”

In his strongly-worded Thursday message, Perry added:

Forty-two years ago yesterday, America captured the world’s imagination by putting a man on the moon, highlighting an era of excellence in space exploration.

Unfortunately, with the final landing of the Shuttle Atlantis and no indication of plans for future missions, this administration has set a significantly different milestone by shutting down our nation’s legacy of leadership in human spaceflight and exploration, leaving American astronauts with no alternative but to hitchhike into space.

Atlantis’ final landing, as seen from space

Atlantis landing as seen from the ISS(Click for larger image)

We’ve all seen five-million-pound U.S. space shuttles launch, 135 times to be exact.

We’ve all seen them land back on Earth in Florida or California, 133 times to be exact.

But not until the very last space shuttle flight did we ever get to see what the giant craft’s return to the atmosphere looks like — from space.

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Engineering in Hell

An engineer dies and reports to the pearly gates. St. Peter checks his dossier and says, “Ah, you’re an engineer — you’re in the wrong place.”

So, the engineer reports to the gates of hell and is let in. Pretty soon, the engineer gets dissatisfied with the level of comfort in hell, and starts designing and building improvements. After awhile, they’ve got air conditioning and flush toilets and escalators, and the engineer is a pretty popular guy.

One day, God calls Satan up on the telephone and says with a sneer, “So, how’s it going down there in hell?”

Satan replies, “Hey, things are going great. We’ve got air conditioning and flush toilets and escalators, and there’s no telling what this engineer is going to come up with next.”

God replies, “What??? You’ve got an engineer? That’s a mistake — he should never have gotten down there; send him up here.”

Satan says, “No way. I like having an engineer on the staff, and I’m keeping him.”

God says, “Send him back up here or I’ll sue.”

Satan laughs uproariously and answers, “Yeah, right. And just where are YOU going to get a lawyer?”

Mission Complete: Atlantis lands, closing out an end of an era

Atlantis Returns

Atlantis returned to Earth this morning, marking the end of NASA’s 135th and final shuttle voyage, and closing the era of re-usable space vehicles.

Best “Out of Office” Messages Ever!

1. I am currently out of the office at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Please be prepared for my mood.

2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn’t have received anything at all.

3. Sorry to have missed you, but I’m at the doctor’s having my brain and heart removed so I can be promoted to our management team.

4. I will be unable to delete all the emails you send me until I return from vacation. Please be patient, and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.

5. Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.

6. The email server is unable to verify your server connection. Your message has not been delivered. Please restart your computer and try sending again.
(The beauty of this is that when you return, you can see who did this over and over and over…)

7. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.

8. Hi, I’m thinking about what you’ve just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.

9. I’ve run away to join a different circus.

10. I will be out of the office for the next two weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as ‘Lucille’ instead of Steve.

Atlantis brings home the final shuttle landing at 5:56am tomorrow

“It may seem like a sort of an ending, and I suppose to a degree it is. The space shuttle has been with us at the heart and soul of the human spaceflight program for about 30 years, and it’s a little sad to see it go away,” commander Chris Ferguson said as the crew sat for a series of TV interviews Wednesday.

In the United States, millions of Americans have witnessed no other form of human space transport in their lifetime.

Commander Ferguson called on Americans back home to tune in to the final landing.

“Take a good look at it and make a memory,” he said, “because you’re never going to see anything like this again.”

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jY348ma7RrPZF7RbTh1_xyVS-WxA?docId=CNG.4bea07f2d1bea1226be3abfc28759ac1.b51

No Chocks!

Lost My Job Today

Hillbilly

A pompous minister was seated next to a hillbilly on a flight across the country.

After the plane was airborne, drink orders were taken.

The hillbilly asked for a whiskey and soda, which was brought and placed before him.

The flight attendant then asked the minister if he would like a drink.

He replied in disgust, “I’d rather be savagely raped by brazen whores than let liquor touch these lips.”

The hillbilly then handed his drink back to the flight attendant and said, “Shit, me too. I didn’t know we had a choice.”

Gun Safety Tips

Gun Safety Tips

Life Line

I was feeling a bit depressed the other day, so I called Life Line.
I was put through to a call center in Pakistan.
I explained that I was feeling suicidal.
They were very excited at this news and wanted to know if I could drive a truck or fly an airplane…

6 year old at a nude beach

A mother and father take their 6-year old son to a nude beach in Tampa.

As the boy walks along the sand, he notices that many of the women have boobs bigger than his mother’s, so he goes back to ask her why.
Read more »

Legitimate Strategy

Legitimate Strategy

Pulling Teeth

The Dentist pulls out a freezing needle to give the man a shot.

‘No way! No needles! I hate needles,’ the patient said.

The Dentist starts to hook up the laughing gas and the man objects.

‘I can’t do the gas thing. The thought of having the gas mask on is suffocating me!’

The Dentist then asks the patient if he has any objection to taking a pill.

‘No objection,’ the patient says.

‘I’m fine with pills.’

The Dentist then returns and says, ‘Here’s a Viagra tablet.’

The patient says, ‘Wow! I didn’t know Viagra worked as a painkiller!!!’

‘It doesn’t,’ said the Dentist, ‘but it will give you something to hold onto when I pull your tooth.’

Tootsie Rolls

Tootsie Rolls

Formula for a S’mores

Formula for a S'Mores

Transformers Outtake

Transformers outtakeClick for larger image

Secrets of Yellowstone

Secrets of Yellowstone

Scrabble Keyboard

Scrabble Keyboard

Datamancer was commissioned to build a computer keyboard for some friends who are Scrabble fans. Most of the keys are actual Scrabble tiles, and the ones that had to be custom-made look just like the real thing.

Product Page – I don’t believe it is available any longer, but it is cool!

They now have a Diviner Keyboard which is awesome!

Atlantis Blasts off on Final Shuttle Mission

Space Shuttle Atlantis last launch
The space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center Friday, July 8, 2011, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Atlantis is the 135th and final space shuttle launch for NASA.

Space shuttle Atlantis displayed its power and majesty one final time, rocketing into space from Kennedy Space Center at 11:26 a.m. ET Friday morning despite threatening weather — marking the final launch after 30 years for NASA’s storied fleet of shuttles.

Seven million pounds of thrust from the shuttle’s rocket booster carried the vehicle into orbit one last time, at speeds of up to 19,000 miles per hour, for an expected meeting with the International Space Station on Sunday.

 It was a bittersweet moment for everyone involved.

“The sense of history, the legacy of what has happened here over three decades, is palpable,” a Mission Control spokesman said before the launch, noting that “30 years and three months ago, it was Columbia on the launch pad awaiting lift off.”

“America will continue the dream,” the launch director said as Atlantis lifted-off on its 33rd and last flight.

The crew — Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus and Mission Specialist Rex Walheim — had arrived at the launch pad’s White Room at 8:06 a.m. ET for the boarding process, undeterred by reports that there was only a 30 percent chance of favorable weather for blast off.

“For the final time, good luck, godspeed, and have a little fun up there,” launch director Mike Leinbach told the shuttle crew before lift off.