My Geek Side

I've been following the Mars Phoenix Lander on twitter, and was sad to learn today it's more than likely gone to sleep for the last time.  It does not have the energy to awaken due to the extreme cold.  It has a Lazarus mode, which could awaken it if it survives the winter, but it is unlikely.  The poor bastard will just sit there for a million years until it is "rescued".

After watching a story on Spirit and Oppy (Opportunity) last year, my brother and I were surprised how sad we were when it portrayed their inevitable demise (a rather dramatic scene with the rover lowering it's head as the sun set behind it). They were like little people out there, stranded all alone in the freezing temperatures of Mars.  Although they have long outlasted expectations, their time is numbered, too. 

You can follow them here. 

Why do I care?  Grease, of course.  (There are some really neat pictures in that link)!

Should I Sell?

I was lucky enough to get chosen for the opportunity to purchase World Series tickets by registering at phillies.com.  I now have 2 tickets to game 5 on the 27th of October.  After looking at ebay, it is tempting to sell them.  I'd like to go, but it is so hard to get a babysitter here.  It's a Monday night, and we would not get home until midnight or so.  Heather isn't too excited about going, and has already told me to sell her ticket.  I, on the other hand, would like to go.  How often will you get a chance to go to the World Series??  But, I could make at least $500 selling them.

I'm looking for your opinion.  Vote on the right hand side of this page, and let me know what YOU think I should do.

Love is a Four Letter Word

Ainsley singing Metallica.

Maybe I should take her to the concert instead of Heather.

It's the end of the world as we know it.

So I came home today to check my RSS feed.  Here's the first few stories I saw.

• Google Inc. shares fell $25.20, or almost 7%, to $346.01 and put in their lowest close in more than two years. 
• On Monday, Russian equities suffered one of their worst daily losses ever -- the RTS index plunged 19.1% and the Micex index tumbled 18.7%.  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday that the government has decided to allocate 950 billion rubles, or about $36 billion, in subsidized credits to a number of Russian banks for a period of no less than five years 
• U.S. Stocks Battered; Dow, S&P 500 Close At 5-year Low 
  
• British officials could announce a financial bailout plan for its troubled markets as early as Tuesday evening, The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site Tuesday. The plan could cost up to 45 billion pounds (about $78.64 billion). 
• Speaking to the National Association of Business Economists, Bernanke said, "The combination of the incoming data and recent financial developments suggests that the outlook for economic growth has worsened and that the downside risks to growth have increased.” 
• the Energy Information Administration projected that the average household fuel oil expenditures will be about $2,388; nearly $450 more than last season. Homes that use natural gas will also spend about $155 more than last year. 

And some good news:

• Crude prices will likely average $126 per barrel in 2009, according to a monthly report from the U.S. Energy Department's Energy Information Administration released Tuesday. 

Add to this the fact I'm reading Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America and I just got done reading The Post-American World, and I'm starting to think it's the end of the world as we know it.  And that ain't no song.

All of these stories were posted within a few hours of each other.



We have no reason to fear for ourselves...but fear for our children, we should.