Monthly Archives: September 2010

Hard drive recovery FAIL

Posted on 16 September 2010 by josephshoer

So a while ago, I realized I had too many digital pictures on my main laptop and bought a 500 GB external hard drive. I thought I got a good deal. However, for a number of reasons, that has turned … Continue reading →

Posted in Gadgets | 3 Comments

Europa Mission Concept Followup

Posted on 10 September 2010 by josephshoer

My Ice Fracture Explorer concept for getting a probe down into Europa’s subsurface ocean – one of the likely places in our Solar System to find extraterrestrial life – was just one way to dig beneath the ice crust. Other … Continue reading →

Posted in Concepts, Science, Space | 5 Comments

NASA went where I’ve gone!

Posted on 9 September 2010 by josephshoer

This year’s NASA Desert RATS exercise is taking place near Flagstaff, AZ. Here’s the view from inside one of the rovers after a traverse: RATS is a program in which NASA engineers, scientists, and astronauts take prototype equipment into remote … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology, Graduate school, NASA, Photography, Science, Space, Travel | Leave a comment

Workshopping the Reject

Posted on 7 September 2010 by josephshoer

Well. Since last February, I have been trying to get my sci-fi short story, “Conference,” published. So far, the score is 0 for 4. Asimov’s Science Fiction sent me a form-letter rejection. The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction sent … Continue reading →

Posted in Graduate school, Science Fiction, The Cathedral Galaxy | 4 Comments

Ithaca Brew Fest 2010

Posted on 5 September 2010 by josephshoer

Yesterday was the fourth annual Ithaca Brew Fest. This is an amazing event in which guests get to taste enormous amounts of beer from nearly 50 breweries ranging from New York State micros to national brands. It’s a fantastic way … Continue reading →

Posted in Graduate school, Potent potables | 2 Comments

Risk

Posted on 3 September 2010 by josephshoer

So, there’s been another explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. This got me thinking about risk and risk management. In the engineering sense, “risk” refers to the chance that a particular system will fail and how … Continue reading →

Posted in NASA, Politics, Social commentary | Leave a comment