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the lunar eclipse of 2008

ran outside in the snow about 5 times last night in my shorts to get these pics. parts of my body started freezing while I waited for a break in the clouds. more information on the eclipse after the pics.

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lunar-eclipse-2008-018-1.jpg
lunar-eclipse-2008-028-1.jpg
lunar-eclipse-2008-030-1.jpg

A very large timelapse image from wikipedia.com: lunar_eclipse_02-20-08.jpg

A lunar eclipse occurs whenever the moon passes through some portion of the Earth’s shadow. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, the Moon is always full the night of a lunar eclipse. Every year there are usually at least two partial lunar eclipses, although total eclipses [like the one on February 20th] are significantly less common.

Want more info? Get it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_eclipse

Are you smart or into astronomy? Then you might find this image useful:

le2008feb21t.GIF

Not into astronomy? Or perhaps you like the moon, but prefer things a little less technical? Then you might like this book:

MoonPie: Biography of an Out-of-This-World Snack

Nerf Commando of the N-Strike Team

Got the N-Strike Longshot CS-6 for father’s day this year. I had been drooling over this since the end of last year. After I got one, I ran some tests to see if the rifle could live up to all the hype.

Nerf N-strike Longshot CS-6 at Hasbro website

Nerf Guns 001

Nerf Guns 006

Why the Longshot CS-6 will make you drool
The gun makes you feel like a real sniper.

  • Bolt action.
  • Collapsible Bi-pod.
  • 2-position adjustable Shoulder rest.
  • Detachable blaster (simulates a grenade launcher).
  • Removable Scope.
  • Ambidextrous

Nerf Sniper Rifle 002

ready to teach youngsters the basics of sniper rifles


Nerf N-Strike Longshot CS-6 Manual

Nerf Ammo Chart

Bipod
Taking this outside, and resting the bipod directly on the ground, there is not enough arc for the darts to go far. Definitely need something to prop it on.

Scope
Even though the scope is made of a couple plastic lenses, it’s fun to use as a sight. You have to aim a little high to hit your mark.

Nerf Sniper Rifle 003

If you are sighting in for a groin shot, the dart will hit mid-thigh.

Darts
The foam darts are about 2 7/8″ long. If you are trying to rapid fire the gun, or load the magazines too fast, the gun will jam, and the dart could get a little mangled. So far I have still been able to run the roughed-up darts through without a problem.

Nerf Sniper Rifle at Work 019

Magazines
There are 12 darts given with the gun, 6 for each of the magazines. However, the magazines will hold 7. perfect for getting that last shot in when your opponent doesn’t expect it.

Nerf Guns 016

Detachable Front Blaster
The detachable “grenade launcher” in the front of the gun is mostly for looks. It shoots one hand-loaded dart, and not very far. Especially if the dart is not pushed in correctly.

Nerf Sniper Rifle at Work 006

loaded front blaster - nothing to be afraid of

Distance and Accuracy
The rifle is really accurate to 30 feet. At 20 feet, I can get a 3 inch group. If you are outside, the wind can greatly affect the accuracy. If you shoot at a 45 degree arc, you can reach distances of over 50 feet. The darts will get the attention of your target, but even at point blank, it doesn’t sting. Unless perhaps, you find a piece of back-flesh to hit.

CAUTION: Do not aim at eyes or face.

TO AVOID INJURY: Use only darts designed for this product.
Do not modify darts or dart blaster.

CAUTION: Do not look directly at the sun. This is not a protective device.

CAUTION – Do NOT at aim at eyes or face. To Avoid Injury: Use only darts designed for this product. Do not modify darts or dart blasters. Always wear Vision Gear provided.

Lately, I’ve been laying at the top of my stairs, sniping at people downstairs in the living room…

The Longshot on Amazon.com

gallery2 problems

my image gallery will be down intermittently over the weekend because i started having permissions problems.

boring details:

The GD Graphics toolkit wasn’t handling large images well, so my albums were getting messed up. switched to NetPBM. might just have something to do with my lousy web host.

I tried to upgraded to the new version of Gallery2 (2.2.1), and then permissions got all messed up when using “hide album” or item passwords.

i’m setting up a new installation to run in parallel until i get everything copied over.

update:
new gallery is up and running better than the first one ever was. makes me think that something was wrong with the initial install.

Appalachian Trail Hike 2007

Took my third annual Appalachian hike/camp-out last weekend (May 20th). There wasn’t much information about the part of the trail we hiked, so here is a picture guide to the ~10 mile section in PA between HWY 645 and 81.

Appalachian Trail Hike 2007 Map
map printed from topozone.com - great place for maps because their topographical maps have the trail labeled on them.

We started at hwy 645 heading west, and the trail began very wide and well maintained.

Appalachian Trail 2007 012

After a few hills and about 2 1/2 miles later, we reached the William Penn Shelter. The shelter was off the trail about 1/10th of a mile down the side of the mountain. About half-way down there was even an outhouse.

Appalachian Trail Shelters

Appalachian Trail 2007 014

Appalachian Trail 2007 020

The trail got a little narrower, and rocky as we continued.

Appalachian Trail 2007 033

A few miles from the Shelter, there was an overlook labeled by an “Abandoned Power Line” sign.

Appalachian Trail 2007 047

The trail became a little treacherous after this.

Appalachian Trail 2007 064

Appalachian Trail 2007 073

Eventually, we were able to hear the traffic on interstate 81, and soon, we were overlooking the Lickdale exit.

Appalachian Trail 2007 077

After another mile or two winding down the mountain we went under Interstate 81.

Appalachian Trail 2007 086

After being rained on, we ended the hike there. Our ponchos kept the gear dry, but our feet were wet, and the thought of sleeping “under the stars” while worrying about more rain made us long for our dry beds at home again.

my dream car is now my family car

not usually a sucker for dumb quotes on tees, but now i own a shirt with this on it. and i wear it. and i try to live by these words.

minivan megafun

by the way, i’ve wanted a minivan since i was in college. i was geeky like that.




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