Yoga

Last night I started going to yoga class. An hour into it time lost all meaning. I can’t say for sure if it was the swirling incense, the faux-Indian music, or my blurring vision, but as I held myself in some inhuman position, sweat generously running down my nose, chin, and earlobes, my body shaking like a cold Chihuahua... I came to an ultimate truth: I am soft in the middle.

Now this isn’t a spiritual truth, although I’m sure it wouldn’t be too far off the mark, this is harsh, material truth. For all my running and working out my abs and lower back are so soft and weak that even Lord Ganesh himself had to laugh.

I think I’ll stick with yoga, if only to strengthen my core… And you never know if that strength will eventually translate to another plane.

Up, Up, and Away!

"You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior. But every day I hear people calling out for one." - Superman

I've been holding back on posting political stuff on here since this blog is mostly reserved for general geekery, but I have to admit, I totally geeked out when Barack Obama finally won the presidential nomination. I'm not the sentimental type, but I got goosebumps. The U.S. has come a long way in the last 40 years and this is actual, tangible proof that we live in a better world.

Now on to save the day from the rich, white guy in the expensive suit.

Lots of Space: Both Real and Fictional

Wow, I can't believe I let the month of May go by without posting. Is it me or does time seem to be speeding up? I have been very busy lately, first with my Spring semester finals and then with starting my hectic and final Summer semester, so I’m sure it’s not due to some temporal anomaly of some sort. On to the post:

Despite my crazy schedule, I still find time to read regularly. I’ve been making my way through Alastair Reynolds’ Revelation Space series. So far, I’ve read the novels: Revelation Space, Chasm City, and Redemption Ark and I’m currently reading the novel Absolution Gap and the anthology of short stories, Galactic North. The series is great. Lots of big, insane ideas with realistic characterization. If you like hard science fiction mixed with a healthy dose of space opera, you'll love these books.

On the “real” space news front, lots of interesting things are happening. First, the Phoenix Lander arrived on Mars and almost immediately found ice, which is no big deal on Earth, but is huge for the potential past and present life on Mars, not to mention future life (i.e. us). Analysis of the soil and ice should begin next week.

Also, astronomers have discovered 45 Super-Earths around other stars. These are rocky planets that are slightly bigger than Earth as opposed to the gas giants they’ve been finding. This means that planet finding techniques are becoming more refined and it’s only a matter of time before we find an Earth-like planet. So far the smallest planet found is MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb, which is 3 times the mass of Earth. The article tantalizingly hints that the planet might be covered in an ocean, but doesn’t really go into detail. Bastards!