Honshu and Okinawa

-
Image
I am back. I spent 10 days in Japan, 5 days for work on the main island of Honshu and 5 days of solo adventure in Okinawa. Travel is so invigorating dispite the uncomfortableness. Jetlag, anxiety, crowds, and other discomforts aside, it is mind-expanding and rewarding. Work went well. I flew a new airline (Skymark) from Tokyo to Naha. I am always wary of strange discount airlines and all the traps they set. However, I had a great expereince with "Sky". I was actually shocked. Super easy checkin at the airport, no extra fees even with extra luggage. The primary mission in Okinawa was to visit the Peace Park and the Suicide cliffs of Okinawa. At the end of WW2 the inhabitants were encouraged to commit suicide rather than surrender to the Americans and get tortured and eaten. They jumped off the cliffs at the souther end of the main island. If you have seen theoriginal color footage taken at the time. I am sure you were moved with mothers holding their babies jumping to th...
Post a Comment
-

The ANITA payload launched the other day. The next payload (BLAST) may launch tomorrow. You can check out ANITA tracking here: http://www.csbf.nasa.gov/map/balloon8/balloon8.htm

Looks like we are going to try for Mt. Terror again Monday. It may take weeks to get up there waiting for weather and willing souls.

The first picture is an area we have been blasting at to get ready for an addition to the building there. At 4:30 PM almost everyday we get the "kaboom". Blasting is also used to hunt for fossils. The fossil hunters look in very particular strata. Dynamite makes the job practical.

The second picture is observation hill here at McMurdo. I will walk up there tommorow for fun. There is a running race up and down "ob" hill on Christmas day. I may participate if my ankle feels up to it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Maine Coastal Islands

-
Image
As part of my recent Maine trip we decided to explore a little out on Vinalhaven (Vinyl Haven) Island. There is a ferry that runs out there. I was pleasantly surprised that it isn't totally about tourism out there. I daydreamed about buying a waterfront property and doing fishing and lobstering. The properties I found were somewhat affordable and essentially turn-key fishing bases. I also had to stop and take a couple fan-boy pics of some antique rolling stock. They must get snow up in Maine. I didn't see any in September.
Read more

LavaCon 2025

-
Image
I spoke at the LavaCon this week. My presentation was very well received. There were well over 100 folks who chose to attend my presentation. Afterwards we had a supplier meeting in Cartersville and a hike up Pine Mountain. https://www.lavacon.org/ It was good to enjoy some brief moments with a llama as part of the conference. And it was good to meet up with lots of folks I have got to know over the years.
Read more

Mostly in Georgia

-
Image
Gracie decided to give us a presentation regarding current world shipping issues. She thinks she is so smart. But she is wrong about port congestion. If we allow anyone to drive commercial trucks there will be no backup of containers moving inland. Gracie, a tip for public speaking, Never turn your back to the audience. We had "Demo Days" at work again this past week. I was busy on most of the days, but I went up to the demo site after the event was over on Friday and took a look at machines we have on site.
Read more
-
I am still connected getting the lunch menu from the ice. It is tough to decide. mactown food versus home. Hmmm... Mactown menu Thursday - February 1 | LUNCH 11am-1pm Roast Pork Loin w/Gravy Beef Chili Vegetable Ragout DINNER 5pm - 7:30pm Thai Beef Stir Fry Teriyaki Grilled Chicken w/Pineapple Vegetarian Buddha's Delite
Read more
-
Image
hamvention I am back from Dayton. It was 9 hours driving each way. The fuel mileage was a lot worse with the camper on the truck too. We have to expect that. I purchased a radiation detector, nicads, button cells, monitor, a generator for the exercise bike, connectors, tape, IC sockets, and an A/B box. I probably got a few other things too. All of which are part of existing projects! I started no new projects. The place is quite a draw. It is very large indeed. It is approximately 3 times the size of the Rochester hamfest. We met up with hams from around the country.
Read more