In Honor of the Moon Landing Anniversary
We choose to go to the moon
We’re back!
The Daily Procrastinator writers missed a lot while we were out for the month of July, not the least of which was the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. Unless you were living on a deserted island, you probably already learned nearly everything you needed to know about this historical event. But just in case you didn’t, I’d like to direct you to a favorite site of mine, Badass of the Week. In honor of the moon landing, I present Buzz Aldrin, Badass.
That’s All She Wrote?
In a past life, I worked for a trade magazine that has been in continuous publication since 1869. As with the rest of the publishing industry, the parent company of this magazine has been hit hard, and yesterday they decimated the ranks of experienced writers, sales reps and business staff, leaving only a skeleton crew. There is no reasonable way that the remaining staffers can keep this magazine afloat, and I find myself wondering if this is just the last step before shutdown after their big trade show in June.
For perspective: Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge began in 1870, and wasn't completed until 1883. This tower of the bridge was constructed in 1875.
While it’s been years since I had anything to do with the magazine or even that industry, I can’t help but be filled with a terrible sadness for the demise of something that has been a stable presence for generations of skilled craftsmen in a very close-knit industry.
I know that the world is moving on and getting its information in different ways, but to be on the verge of losing something that’s been in existence since Ulysses S. Grant was president saddens me in ways that I can’t even begin to explain.
Weekly Wrap-Up: Feb. 14 – Feb. 20
We’ve had another busy week at The Daily Procrastinator, and now is the time to make sure none of the articles escaped your notice!
The week began appropriately with a heart-related post on Valentine’s Day, when TallGirl offered her thoughts and reminders about congenital heart defects in babies, particularly the condition known as tetralogy of fallout.
The Procrastinator also served up a piping-hot plate of tasty tidbits for sports fans this week. BigRedPoet took a satirical look at the criminals of the NFL, while Juggernaut voiced his thoughts on A-Roid’s recent admissions.
FlashCap posted the second installment of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the Zombies, in which the first Zombie rears his ugly, undead head. If you missed part one, check it out before reading this week’s installment!
TallGirl pondered many aspects of modern life this week, including her love of reading, an amazing website that offers aerial photographs from across the decades, and finding extra time in the day by watching less television.
Finally, BigRedPoet wrapped up the week with an announcement concerning National Margarita Day.
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The Daily Procrastinator: Contributing to the Dramatic Reduction of Your Personal Productivity
Looking Back Through Time
Someone pointed out this cool site, Historic Aerials. You plug in an address, just like you would with Google maps, and in addition to a fairly recent shot of your chosen address, you can also look at the same site through time. For example, I can look back at my current address through 10 other years dating back to 1946, a reminder that this area was once nothing but farm land for miles around.
But the big shock for me was to look at my childhood home. Yes, the homes themselves have been there since the 1930s, but I was stunned to find that the giant oak tree from my backyard was already enormous in the oldest photo from 1958. It also appears that the property that my high school was built upon was once a farm, improbably located just outside Philadelphia in the middle of a densely populated county.
If you want to get an idea of the staggering growth of Silicon Valley, do a search for 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, California, home of Apple Computer, and pan around to see the surrounding area. It wasn’t all that long ago that the entire Valley was an orchard. Now it seems that only iPods grow on trees.