Odd

Saturn's north pole is currently coming out of its long winter. This has allowed the Cassini space probe an opportunity to take visible light photographs of the region. First spotted by Voyager in 1980s, an unusual wind pattern circulates around the planet's northern pole and has been recently imaged once again. Hexagonal, not circular, in nature, a jet stream zips around Saturn at about 77 degrees north latitude.

I don't know much about the mathematics of weather systems, but I would have never guessed a hexagon. To see a short 3 frame animation of the wind pattern, check out NASA's mission page for the Cassini spacecraft.

An Image from the Past

Sometimes it's difficult to put things into perspective. I believe this is certainly the case with our place in our star system. Earth is such a wonderful little planet for us and then there are all these other wild extreme places nearby. We have sent and are sending spacecraft to visit them.

Originally launched in 1977, Voyager 2 is the only man-made spacecraft to pass by Uranus and Neptune. Back in 1989, it passed by the outer planet named after the Roman God of the Sea. An image showing a crescent Neptune and Triton was recently shown on NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day. Check it out.

December 3rd, First Snow

I've noticed, looking out the window while I work, that a few flakes of snow have been falling. It's chilly. It's gray. The leaves have left the trees.

Time for snow.

This feels right for the season.

Driving Stories

I came across this article, Are drivers out to prove Darwin's theory? on Comcast's Vehix site. While some of the little anecdotes were sad, this one I thought was funny.

Pictures Speak a Thousand Words
A driver in Campbell, Calif., got a $45 ticket after his car was caught on photo radar. In response, he sent the Campbell Police Department a photo of $45. The police chief then sent the driver a photo of handcuffs. The driver paid.

Warnings Gone Wild

Back when we took our trip to New Glarus, we bought some things we wouldn't ordinarily buy. One of these included the Fat Squirrel:



Small Thingee From a Trip

I understand having warnings on items. Drinking too much beer will impair motor skills and judgment.



Stock Warning

But...



It's Soap!!!

...it's not made for human consumption!

That's a bit much...

Starting the Month

Yesterday actually turned out well for the beginning of December. Of course, 50 degrees and sunny wouldn't have quite cut as a good day five months ago. July has its own set of comparisons, but for the final month of the year, the day was rather nice.