Posts Made By: Rex Cox

Anthony, what gear did you use to take these?

I agree 100%!! In july, I was involved in an accident with a 16-year old girl who was not texting, but talking on her cell phone. She was pulling out into traffic, and never looked to see me coming down the road before she pulled out. I had nowhere to go, no room to stop, and I hit her right behind her door. If I'd hit her just two feet farther forward, she'd be worm chow. She had only had her license for less than 3 weeks! She got a ticket, but pleaded not guilty, after her insurance had already paid my claim against her. Her father got a lawyer, and they were banking on me not showing up in court as a witness. Her attorney had already made a deal with the judge prior to trial. Had I and the police officer not shown up, her case likely would have been thrown out. When the case came up on the docket the attorney said, "your honor, since the prosecution witnesses have come to court, we plead no contest. I was immediately dismissed, never got a chance to speak, and the girl got off with a "I'd better not see you in here again, or I'll let you have it lecture". I was madder than hell. >

In Oklahoma, 16 year old drivers have a restricted license. If they get cited for a moving offense during that first year, the restrictions are impossed for another one or two years. She was given no such punishment. That's the justice system for ya.

My nephews, who drive, and often go observing with me, know better than to get involved in a texting session when we're observing or if I'm in a vehicle they're driving because they know I'll let them have it. I've let them know in no uncertain terms that's a mistake. People with cell phones who have no sense of etiquette or decorum get no quarter from me.

I thought the first episode was pretty good, although I thought they would use at least a couple of episodes to set up the basic storyline. I'll give it two or three weeks to make up my mind about it. I don't want to get reeled in like I did with Lost. That one ended up being a clunker.

Did you happen to catch SyFy networks re-airing of the original V series this last weekend? That was a blast from the past!

Sweeeeeeet!

They'll probably end up getting Sam Bradford. Three Heisman winners to come out of the state of Oklahoma (Steve Owens, Billy Sims, and Barry Sanders) have been drafted by the Lions.

Hi Steve. You know, I printed the flyover information for the ISS and shuttle flying over Oklahoma City yesterday, and then completely forgot about it last night while I was running errands getting ready for today. The ISS passes over again this evening at 5:39pm and 7:14pm CST, although I don't know how close the shuttle will be to it. Hopefully, I won't be so preoccupied this evening. We're having Thanksgiving at my sister's house, so I may take my new refractor over there this evening and let the kids do a little sky gazing. Happy Thanksgiving.

Lee Spain said:

The University of Florida got new uniforms and they are the ugliest abominations ever. Instead of being orange with the trademark 'Gators' cursive scroll, the helmets are white and have a big "F" on them. Instead of being Orange and Blue, the uniforms feature more white than either color. There is no toothy Gator patch on the shoulder. In short, the new uniforms totally stink. They have no discernable connection to the historical uniforms worn by the Gators over the last 25 to 30 years. I hope some alumni with money are mad about these uniforms and demand a return to more traditional garb.

I've noticed several college teams during the last week experimenting with their uniforms. OU went to a retro uniform for the Texas Tech game. Must have been bad mojo, because OU got their heads handed to them. Missouri had some weird looking uniforms this weekend with flat gray helmets with a black "M" on them that was kind of odd. I believe Ohio State had a differnt uniform the weekend before Thanksgiving. And, you never know what Oregon is going to show up in--yuch!

david elosser said:

...what today is really all about?

David E

Pearl Harbor Day. My thanks to them, and God bless them all.

Kevin Carbonell said:

Hello., I bought a new Telrad and I am installing it on a Meade starfinder 12.5 When I tested it in the dark the circles appear blurry through the magnifier. I asked the wife to take a look at it and she said the same thing. Is it broken or am I nuts?

Hi Kevin. My Telrad gets a little blurry sometimes too. If you slide the the battery compartment lid open, you'll see the little black lightbox that holds the reticle. Sometimes the lightbox slides forward or backward out of position, causing the reticle to look out of focus. Just slide the box forward or backward while looking through the sightglass the way you would normally use it until the reticle appears to be back in focus.

The Telrad does have a lens that projects the reticle onto the sight glass, so the reticle/lightbox has to be in the right position to project the image properly, but you can get it there pretty easy. Also, if there isn't one there already, put a piece of foam between the lightbox and the battery. If the battery is sliding around loose, it can knock the lightbox out of position.

I think that on some Telrads, the lightbox is a bit loose in its hold on the sides of the case--it's a tension fit. I put a piece of paper in mine between the box and the inner wall of the case, and it seems to hold its position much better. You might give it a try.

You might try the David Levy planisphere. I like it much better.