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Here’s Neil deGrasse Tyson’s interview from the Colbert Report a few nights ago.  He makes a good point about maintaining a manned exploration program at NASA.

Thought I would share some commentary on a few salient topics of the day…

1. I didn’t say that I liked the iPad, or that I thought it was cool, or that I wanted one.  I said that I think it will sell.  Granted, Apple is trying to carve out what I think is a pretty narrow niche in this handheld Internet device market, but for all the geeks I’ve talked to that can’t imagine how they would possibly use it or why they would want one, there are 2 or more parents that I think could.
2. I think cutting off funding for NASA’s Constellation program is stupid.  Trying to encourage more funding in space exploration from private companies is one thing, but effectively giving up on a US presence in the future of humanity in outer space is another.  While we’re at it, let’s graduate a few thousand more physicists, chemists, engineers, and other scientists from overseas at OUR universities, then send them back home.  We obviously won’t need them to work at Starbucks or drive a bus or answer phones in a call center.  Those are them nice American jobs.
3. On the other hand, at least there are some thoughts and ideas coming out of the White House this week after that State of the Union enema.
4. I have been frustrated with the samba client and network manager on Ubuntu for long enough.  I finally found a fix that works for me (for now).
5. After taking a stroll around our local Best Buy store, I’m realizing that a TV is one purchase decision that’s awfully hard to make exclusively on the Internet, no matter how hard I try.  You really have to see the screen, compare the sizes with your eye, and test drive them a little bit.  It also makes you antsy for one when you come back home to your 27″ CRT.

Other than that, had a straight-up weekend.  We went to Milwaukee on Friday evening for Tina’s birthday and had a nice time at Water Street Brewery & The Harp.  Saturday we stayed in, and Sunday was for housework.  Got the Super Bowl coming up next weekend, but I’m not sure it’s going to play too huge in these parts.  I am interested, but not riveted.  Speaking of the Super Bowl and TVs– have you noted the marketing blitz around this football game that all your electronics vendors are pushing?  Is it worse than ever, or have I not noticed it in the past?

This week on the podcast, Kyle and I ended up talking about some issues that the new Obama administration may (or may not) need to work on once he takes office next week.  We also talked about the nearly-innumerable number of social networks on the Internet, and how people in the 21st century will settle on a standard.

As always, you can listen here, or feel free to download.  For links to the stories we’ve been reading (and some others that could be featured on a future show), consult the podcast blog.

[podcast]http://radiocitymke.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/kbpodcast_011109.mp3[/podcast]

download the mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (19.0MB)

This week on the podcast, Kyle and I got together to talk with our friend Dave about issues surrounding NASA and the aerospace industry as a new presidential administration is preparing to take office, and our country’s financial future is as uncertain as ever.  Some notes for this week’s show:

• NASA’s Black Hole Budgets, from the New York Times
• Beyond the Moon, a study from the Planetary Society, via New Scientist
• R2-D2 and Other Lessons From Bell Labs, from the New York Times
• EAA
• SpaceShipTwo

As usual, the show is playable here or via download.

[podcast]http://radiocitymke.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/kb_podcast_121308.mp3[/podcast]

download the mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (24.0MB)