Tethys emerges from Titan's haze

No, it’s not the Enterprise emerging from Titan’s clouds, it’s Tethys, seen in the distance through the larger moon’s outer layer of hydrocarbon haze. Tethys’ giant Odysseus crater is easily visible adorning its north pole and slicing into its terminator.

This image was taken on November 26, 2009 by the Cassini spacecraft at a distance of nearly 650,000 miles from Titan.

The original raw image was black and white…..I colored it in Photoshop using other color-calibrated images of Titan as a reference. I also extended some of the black sides to frame it better.

Image: NASA/JPL/SSI/J. Major

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Científicos de la Nasa han llegado a la conclusión que al menos uno de los lagos mas grandes que se observan en Titan contiene hidrocarburos en estado líquido y han identificado también la presencia de Etano. Con este hallazgo Titan se convierte en el único cuerpo celeste de nuestro sistema solar (de los conocidos por el hombre y aparte de la tierra) que tiene líquido en su superficie.

Los científicos realizaron este descubrimiento utilizando datos provenientes del instrumental a bordo de la sonda Cassini. Para poder identificar el liquido se realizaron distintas pruebas con materiales que absorben o reflejan luz infrarroja.

Antes de la llegada del Cassini, se pensaba que Titan podría estar formado en su totalidad por océanos compuestos de metano, etano y otros hidrocarburos livianos. Luego de mas de 40 viajes realizados por el Cassini alrededor de Titan mostraron que no existe un gran océano sino cientos de formas oscuras con características similares a lagos, y hasta ahora no se sabía si eran líquidos o simplemente un material sólido y oscuro.

“Esta es la primera observación que realmente respalda y prueba que Titan posee un lago superficial líquido” comentó Bob Brow, líder del equipo de gestión del instrumental visual y de mapeo del Cassini.

La atmósfera de Titan está formada en un 95 % por nitrógeno y un 5% metano. También podemos encontrar etano y otros hidrocarburos que son producto del encuentro del metano y los rayos de luz. Estos hidrocarburos reaccionan y generan un neblina de finas partículas que dificultan la identificación de los materiales que conforman la superficie de Titan.
Para detectar el etano líquido se utilizo una técnica que quita la “interferencia” del los hidrocarburos presentes en la atmósfera. El instrumental del Cassini observó un lago en la región polar sur, llamado Ontario Lacus, que mide aproximadamente 7800 metros cuadrados, ligeramente mas grande que el lago de Norteamérica Ontario.

El etano se encuentra en una solución líquida compuesta también por metano y otros hidrocarburos. Debido a las bajas temperaturas de la superficie de Titan (aprox de 300 grados F bajo cero) estas sustancias pueden existir tanto en estado liquido como gaseoso. También se pudieron observar evidencias claras de evaporación, lluvia y canales tallados por la circulación de fluidos hacia el lago de hidrocarburos líquidos.

La Tierra posee un ciclo hidrológico basado en el agua, el ciclo de Titán se basa en el metano. Los científicos excluyeron la posibilidad de que exista agua (hielo), amoniaco y dióxido de carbono en Ontario Lacus. Las observaciones también sugieren que el lago se esta evaporando,  ya que en sus costas se puede apreciar una playa oscura y brillante que se fusiona con el lago de color negro.

“En los próximos años, una gran cantidad de lagos y mares en el polo norte de Titan serán iluminados por la luz del sol y así los instrumentos infrarrojos del Cassini revelarán los cambios estacionales de los lagos de Titan” comentó Soderblom.

Fuente: http://www.lareserva.com/home/lluvia_de_metano_en_titan

Mas información disponible en: http://www.nasa.gov/cassini, http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and http://wwwvims.lpl.arizona.edu

Imaginad un mundo en donde la temperatura media diurna  es -179 ° centigrados, y lluvias torrenciales de metano líquido caen del cielo, formando grandes lagos y hasta inundaciones. Esas condiciones se las puede encontrar en Titan, el mayor satélite de Saturno, y el segundo satélite más grande del Sistema Solar.

Estas observaciones se producen a través de la nave espacial Cassini de la NASA, la que ha explorado Saturno y sus satélites desde el 2004. Dentro de sus últimos descubrimientos, los científicos han determinado que Titan sufre feroces tormentas que alimentan los lagos de metano. “Vemos que las nubes se comportan en gran medida como las nubes en la Tierra, y vemos evidencia de inundaciones en la superficie”, dijo Elizabeth Turtle, de la National Geographic.

El origen de los lagos de metano aun es un misterio. Según los investigadores, lo mas probable es que el metano se encuentre tambien debajo de la superficie de la luna. Puede haber liberación por medio de los volcanes, los cuales emanan metano en lugar de lava.

La atmósfera de Titan está compuesta en un 94% de nitrógeno y es la única atmósfera rica en nitrógeno, en el sistema solar aparte de nuestro propio planeta, con rastros significativos de varios hidrocarburos que constituyen el resto (incluyendo metano, etano, diacetileno, metilacetileno, cianoacetileno, acetileno, propano, junto con anhídrido carbónico, monóxido de carbono, cianógeno, cianuro de hidrógeno, y helio).

El metano cumple el papel del agua en la Tierra, forma nubes en su atmósfera, cuando condensa sobre los aerosoles forma una lluvia de metano con partículas que llena los torrentes con un material negro que fluye.

Previamente el 27 de julio de 2006 investigadores españoles de la Universidad del País Vasco en Bilbao, Ricardo Hueso y Agustín Sánchez-Lavega, publicaron en la revista Nature un artículo estudiando la formación de tormentas de metano líquido en Titán. Según este estudio se producen cada cierto tiempo, cuando se dan las condiciones apropiadas de humedad y temperatura.

Fuente: http://www.lareserva.com/home/lluvia_de_metano_en_titan

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When I woke up, I immediately flipped open my antiquated  workstation from where I lay in bed. It sprang to life with renewed vigor, a needlessly complex reformatting was still treating the Z-140x as well as one would expect within the first week. All that mattered was that I could access a network again, and within seconds I was connecting to the Magnate family’s portal. Though Allan and Rikka’s terminals were silent, and Ploki was still asleep, his porti was downloading a large file, so there was a little latency in the sphere.

After sliding through the various social webs I keep a profile in, checking my multiple inboxes and even the dashboard control panel for this tlog, finding no new messages in each, I hovered purposelessly in the internet for a few moments, idly rapping my fingertips on the case of the computer. I’d hoped by then I would have at least received word back from Olympus Coast College about my application or student financial aid. Not knowing what else to do, I brought up a window from an interplanetary newsource, probably based on Earth. The stark headlines it launched at me in grim menacing boldface startled me at first.

– [FLU DEATH TOLLS IN THE UNITED TERRITORIES ESTIMATED AT 3,900] –

– [NEPTUNIAN PIRATES FAIL TO CAPTURE IONIAN CARGOSHIP SECOND TIME] –

– [TIPS TO SURVIVE BLACK FRIDAY AND SHOPPING BATTLEGROUNDS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON] –

Suddenly concerned for my health, and worried that all those months of not worrying weren’t going to pay off, I thumbed over the article. I truly detest the tricks these fear mongering, ad-savvy newsources use to optimize search results to generate some more hits each day. The report is contrary to the one just a couple of days ago which calculated deaths to be closer to 130, so I just figured they wanted to claim that all of the regular annual flu deaths had been attributed to the H1N1 virus. I closed the window before I could see how many of those confirmed deaths were on Mars, lest I become a victim of the pharmaceutical industry’s scare tactics.

The next window informed me pirates had been thwarted in their attempt to gain control of a ship leaving the orbit of Galatea. Either by coincidence or the attractiveness of the damn thing, it was the same ship hijacked last spring near those same waters. These marauders from the sixth moon of Neptune have reportedly captured over 50 vessels, and seemed to have a pretty good reputation until the Euxine Carolina was rescued by UT marines earlier this year. This time, the enhanced security placed onboard the hundred-ton spacefreighter was able to resolve any issue before it even developed into one.

I didn’t care about holiday bloodbaths or a house with a bunch of dead people in it. I couldn’t be compelled to look too deep into the stories reported by the Ganymedean newsource or an associated feed I’d brought up in the background while I digested these either. I really didn’t care about Earth’s prison camp or the election being gorked up on Ceres, or any of the other news they don‘t often openly address in Earth media. I’m usually enthralled with that sort of stuff.

I brought SpaceBook, my main social network, back into focus and updated my status to something disparaging to human nature for letting the media get so commercial, and closed my clunky old porti.

As if stirred by a ripple in a pond, Ploki Magnate rolled over in his bed. As he rested, he’d probably been able to sense so many similar, relatively tiny waves just and slept right through it. But a rock being thrown into the pond from so close may have felt like a surge against the barriers of his constant digital stream. He sat up, rubbing the side of is head.

“Oh, good morning, Ploki,” I said, realizing I hadn’t actually spoken a word to anyone when my voice cracked. The name already sounded a little strange to the tongue since it was a throwback to old hacker slang from days when a keyboard similar mine would still have been used. It was the handle that he chose to go by in all of his social avenues, virtual or not.

“Morning,” he said, not looking up from the glow of the button already alight in his hands. It illuminated his sharp face and the accentuated Ganymedean features. If he had antennae or pointy ears I would have seen them in the wash of blue light, but his head was framed only by a short haircut and a little scruff of beard.  “What’s this about the news?” he asked me, responding to the notification that woke him.

“Huh? Oh, well ther-” I began before he cut me off, he’d obviously brought up the headlines.

“Pirates…prison camp…experiment demonstrates possibility of life in Centauri?” he read aloud, a questioning tone as he wondered if he’d already heard that somewhere.

I was rising off my futon bed and walking as I replied. “I think that whole thing’s a ruse to get more scientific funding for exploration,” I grumbled as I stepped into the kitchen to scrounge up something.

“So it’s better we don’t find life outside the Solar system? You’re so cynical, Klay.” He was beginning to wake and warm up, getting out of bed only to settle into his computer chair.

I spoke to him over the kitchen counter, his workstation setup just on the other side. Anyone who used this kitchen couldn’t help but feel watched if he was seated there, though his eyes hardly rose from his screen. “No, I just think it’s going to be a huge bust if it turns out we went all the way there again and didn’t find anything … again,” there was little I came across in the fridge that screamed edible to me.

“Well it won’t be any bigger of a waste than if that money went to the defense budget,” his sleek porti connected to the portal the second he touched it, and in moments he was tangled in his various webs. “They got something like 700 bil for the military, just for a single year. That calculates to almost 2 billion a day.”

“Gork,” I exclaimed, slamming an unyielding cupboard. “Nothing’s looking appealing to me in here, wanna start the vaporizer?”

He glanced at the time and yelled “Fire it up!”

«←→»

Hunger was of the few things that could involuntarily force someone out into the big, scary world; and even then there are the options of fast food, take-out and delivery services to minimize a given human’s exposure to the outside as much as possible.

Ploki and I trod along the broad walkways of Newport’s Style Isle. Fashioned by The Caspian Company after a cookie-cutter Ionian Mission, it was a way to disguise their corporate headquarters as an outdoor shopping mall and gain a little extra revenue. It’s not actually an island, just a small mesa overlooking the Amazonian Ocean, and was used by natives in the past for their jamborees. Glancing back over my shoulder, I could see it twinkling like a thousand diamonds in the midday light, beyond the rows of fancy crawlers, oily parking spaces and pristine, artificial palm trees.

I used to work here. Tucked away in the digital media section of Style Isle’s outdated bookstore, I toiled the first year I lived on Mars. The commute to Newport from Fender was treacherous at the least, a whole 30 minutes. It was enough to make the job feel not worth it to me, spending the entirety of my only raise on the fuel it took just to get to work late every day.

We wove amongst the flow of shoppers, consisting mostly of wealthy women who didn’t need to be making any more money. It always felt a little strange, walking amongst the same people I used to serve, calmly passing them decked out in their most splendid weekday attire. From the hottest trends off the runways in Mihr Patera to soft velour sweat suits encrusted in rhinestones. Large embellished sunglasses, gaudy jewelry and any number of insanely eye-catching accessories glinted and dangled in the red sun.

Anything they could afford to distract or cover up the seams between cosmetic surgery and plastic treatments. Neck-tucks and antenna-removal scars can still be tricky to hide, and that’s where expensive bronze and ivory make-up assisted. They perfectly mimicked the exemplary mannequins, stiff in the windows beside them but so posh. I cringed to think what these reptiles would look like without any mods.

Just a few minutes there and I’d already seen  too many aged women showing off their new breasts and arms, many of which still needed some tightening and laser treatments to erase the damage of decades of sun exposure. Gray roots hid under platinum blonde, deep crows feet under cakes of eye shadow, and I’m sure I would have noticed the stench of death if it weren’t for the aroma of nail polish and hair products. I just wanted to find the cheapest place to grab a bite, then get the hell out of this commercial trap.

“I’m so excited for my appointment next week!” Ploki said, grinning ear to ear. “I’m going to get my license, and then my new toy will be completely legitimate,” there was so much glee behind his eyes as he said this.

“I just hopes it work’s out for you, it would suck if you were denied cause you didn’t qualify,” I pointed out, though that would be just as upsetting to all of us.

“Seriously,” he replied and winced with his blue eyes, tryinag not to imagine that possibility.

I turned to my Martian friend as we rounded a corner near the geyser fountain. “Hey, Ploki, can you look something up for me real quick?”

“Yeah, sure,” he said, slid his button out of his pocket and unlocked the palm-held device. The flat, blue screen lit up in broad daylight, appearing a few inches above his hand.  It rested on a faint laser cone, projected from the solitary LED eye; simplicity was the only identifying feature of an AM-3Gi button. He called up a search application, and looked at me, asking “What do you need?”

“Gork, that was fast. Don’t you still have to connect to a network with that thing?”

“No, I canceled that basic service that came with it.” He pointed to his temple with his free hand, saying “I’ve been auged.”

“Ahh, now it makes sense, you are your own sphere,” I looked at him again as if I’d be able to see it’s sheen around him now. “That’s astro, I’d love to get a chip one day,” I said quietly.

The cyborg’s eyes locked on me in disbelief. “What? You haven’t been auged?” the question rang loud here, even outside. Any sort of alterations, whether internal or external, are regarded highly by those of status, and I’m sure any of the women who could afford a boost in confidence could pay an extra few thousand to have a little silicon implanted in their heads, too.

I looked around at no scowling faces or judging eyes, surprisingly. “No, what makes you think I have?”

“I totally thought you were. You don’t have extra memory in there?” he asked, genuinely amazed I hadn’t undergone any sort of capacity upgrade.

“No, not at all,” I said with as little pride as I could show these technophilic Newpsies.

“Huh, I could have sworn. Hmm…well I guess you just have a good memory then,” he said, adjusting to the idea of my head being emptier than his.

“Thanks, I’ll take that as a compliment…especially coming from a machine,” I said facetiously.

He protested “Hey, I’m still mostly human!”

“Whatevs, Robot. Find me the cheapest food around,” I commanded.

He grumbled, and returned his gaze to the screen, manipulating the flattened beam that the browser was illustrated upon with the swish of his fingertips. He looked up, over to the other side of the food court we had just meandered into. “There. The pizza place has the lowest cost here,” he said at once.

“Wow, you found it that quick?” I said, astounded by his technology again.

“No, I just remembered,” he said with a grin, adding “Gorker.”

After we finished our two-dollar slices of pizza pie, and made our way back through the mess of grotesque human facsimiles, we found ourselves at his little, cerulean crawler. The two-door hatchback always reminded me of my elusive vehicle, though his wasn’t built on Ganymede.

His Saturnian-made Polaris was probably of a finer construction than my rodent. The interior had been optimized for comfort and visibility, so much so that even the HUD cowling had been displaced to the center of the dashboard, creating more storage areas.

At the press of the ignition switch, the engine whined and instruments illuminated with bright blue light, similar to the glow of the Ploki’s button, which now rested in a crèche on the center console. It supplied music from it’s harddrive to the entertainment system, and the driver or passenger could easily control media with the interface on either end.

We hurried home, where Allan waited for our return. He’d sequestered himself into his room, determined to make full use of his burgeoning class-load by doing everything he could to pass them all. Little had been seen of him, except when he needed transit to and from campus, or when there was a bi-weekly jam, or if Nymh had come over to lure him out, though she just as often did nothing to make him want to leave the room.

Similar could be said of the youngest of the Magnate siblings. Rikka was often out of the house since she was usually working one of her two jobs, and only appeared in sharp, semi-formal outfits when she was home from either, or on her way to an interview for a third. Attention seeking and a hypochondriac, she was currently fighting a bout with the deadly flu upstairs in her quarters, and no one could tell if she were actually sick or not.

I’d become good friends with Ploki over the previous weeks, finding similar interests was easy for us; or something like that. It could have been something to do with being the same age as me, or that he was easier to tolerate for an entire day than his often boisterous older brother. Perhaps it was because we had planned to move to that ski resort in Cyane this winter and had begun pre-roommate rituals of bonding. But it’s probably just because we both share the ground level of the house, he and I sleeping in the living room and family room, respectively.

We arrived back at his house in the mid-afternoon and immediately return to our positions in front of our workstations. Using some sort of control on his terminal, he remotely activated his brand new vaporizer, allowing it to warm up the 600 seconds so it will work properly. He then sent a message through the sphere to let Allan know he’d have about ten minutes to find a stopping point.

By force of habit, I brought up the newsources again with my renewed net connection, feeling warm with this novelty: the privilege of fresh information afforded only to those who have the technological means. By the look of the new banners, it seems healthcare reforms were stagnated by both sides of UT government, Earth’s new president visited Titan, and strife continued between warring factions on little Davidia.

A terrorist plot on another Earth skyscraper was foiled, a fusion plant in New Ganymede almost meltdown again and AM would probably release a new model of the button over the holidays. Students protested an increase in tuition rates at University of Mars campuses, a ferry crash in The Rings left 26 dead and the sequel to that stupid teenage-heartthrob-vampire movie broke box office records this weekend.

I closed all the windows at once and brought up one of my bookmarked links: a streaming, real-time image of the star Sol. I zoomed in partway, only until I spotted the well recognizable shapes of the gas giants, the thin haze of asteroid belts and the glint off the terrestrial worlds orbiting close the yellow main-sequence star. If it weren’t for a ticker running the time at the bottom you would have sworn it was just a still image, captured by a traveler from some rocket’s window.

I attempted to imagine for a moment that I was peering out of that porthole at the static but majestic view. I tried to picture myself away from any apprehensions of holidays, pirates, finances or vaccinations. It wasn’t working.

I collapsed the screen of the outdated porti. “Hey Ploki,” I called as I stood up, “I’m getting Allan whether that machine of yours is ready or not.”

]]> http://skyweek.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/cassini-kann-es-nicht-lassen-neue-dramatische-bilder/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:51:23 +0000 skyweek http://skyweek.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/cassini-kann-es-nicht-lassen-neue-dramatische-bilder/

Jeden Tag werden derzeit neue dramatische Bilder aus dem Saturnsystem veröffentlicht: vorgestern und heute verrückte Schwerkraft- und Lichteffekte in den Ringen und gestern eine Animation von Saturns Polarlichtern.

Hier hat der 86-km-Mond Prometheus nicht nur bemerkenswerte Muster im F-Ring (links) produziert, sondern wirft – nur eine Woche nach dem Äquinoktium im August – auch seinen Schatten schräg über den A-Ring.

Die nur 8 km große Daphnis (der helle Punkt) hat hier ein Wellenmuster im A-Ring an der Keeler-Lücke erzeugt, das schon im Juni vorgestellt worden war – aber nur eine Woche vor der Äquinoktium sind die Schatten der “Wellenberge” noch viel länger.

Und dies ist eins von 472 Bildern aus einem Film, der die Entwicklung der Polarlichter Saturns (im sichtbaren Licht aber in Falschfarben dargestellt) über 81 Tage verfolgt – mit 1200 km über den Wolken sind sie die höchsten des Sonnensystems (weil hier Wasserstoff zum Leuchten angeregt wird, der leichter als die bei irdischen Polarlichtern leuchtenden Gase ist).

In Sachen Saturn sorgt überdies noch ein Paper für Aufsehen, in dem anhand der – direkt von Cassini gemessenen – Atmosphärenchemie des Titan auf die Zusammensetzung seiner Seen geschlossen wird, über die es keine direkten Daten gibt. Das Gebräu könnte dank Ethin (Trivialname Acetylen; Anteil ~1%) überraschend ‘nahrhaft’ sein, für sehr spezielle Mikroorganismen, deren Existenz natürlich hochspekulativ ist …

I had a wee bit off an accident, but I think I took care of it quite nicely.  What do you think?

Before:

During:

After:

Side-by-side comparions:

 I am pleased with the result although saddened by the paint chipping as a hammered out the dent.  No way around that I guess.  I definitely saw a real life example of why I weightlift though.  As you can see, on the left the bumper is bent at a decent angle.  To fix this, I basically did a modified rack pull and deadlifted the bad angle out.  Also the rear quarter panel (Is it called that on trucks?) was bent some and I sat down and pulled like I was doing a sitting low row and pulled the dent out.  You can see the obvious results on the right.

It took some sanding and some patient repainting of my bumper, but you would never know what happened (and never will, so don’t ask) if it wasn’t for the split paint.  Although a body shop would have fixed it as good as new, I would have been out several hundred dollars.  My fix cost me a can of Rust-Oleum flat black, and some wet/dry fine grit sandpaper.  Total?  Less than $10.

Esse video é a coisa mais impressionante que eu já vi, o autor do projeto, Stephane Benini, conseguiu captar TODA a aura que envolve o mundo de quem é ligado com carros e conseguiu transformar isso em video. Essas imagens parecem saidas dos meus sonhos, é como se a maior parte da minha alma estivesse nesses seis minutos de imagens e sensações capturadas, fantástico!Imaginem o filme completo o que não irá nos proporcionar? Espero anciosamente para descobrir!

Thiago Marinelli

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Image credit: NASA/JPL/USGS

At first sight, Titan might not appear to be the most astrobiologically interesting body in the solar system; however, new research suggests that hydrocarbon lakes on the Saturnian moon may contain acetylene, a chemical which, when combined with hydrogen, can provide the energy organisms need to survive. Current NASA/ESA plans for a mission to Titan (to be launched some time post-2020) include deploying a floating probe which would study these lakes for several hours.

I’ve decided I want something different than just another 2,000 point army, so I’m going to make an addendum to my Drop Pod list and make another, oh, shall we say, 3,000 points for playing Apocalypse?

I think it’ll work. 2,000 points of drop pod troops to take objectives, coupled with some super-heavies or even titans to support them in the field! I can feel my wallet crying in anticipation! First update to come shortly I hope!

Rhea and Titan, Saturn’s two largest moons, align in Cassini’s lens in this image taken on November 19, 2009. I level-adjusted and rotated the original raw image file…”north” would be to the right in this view.

Rhea is 949 miles wide, cold, icy and airless. Titan, 3,200 miles wide, is also frigidly cold but is covered by an opaque atmosphere ten times denser than Earth’s, where hydrocarbon rain drizzles over ice mountains and collects into methane lakes. These two moons, over 430,000 miles apart in this image (that’s almost twice the distance between Earth and our Moon), couldn’t be more different but for the fact that they are locked in orbit around the same planet.

The Cassini spacecraft will be taking a closer look at Rhea in the next few days…stay tuned for new images to be posted from the upcoming encounter!

Image: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute/J. Major

Some creatures come into sentience on the moons of large planets, mostly gas giants. Unlike humans, who often develop centrist cultures that perceive their world as the only or as the center of all worlds, those who evolve in revolution around massive objects tend to have a more humble paradigm.

Imagine, if you will, living your entire life in the shadow of Jupiter. Imagine living in a place where the seasons are just as dependent on that giant as they are on the sun. Imagine how difficult it would be to believe in a God that caters only to you or to your people. Surely there is nothing particular special about you. Anything that seems so is nothing more than luck. The orb on which live most likely isn’t even the only satellite in the planets orbit.

I hope that when we encounter creatures like this we have acquired the ability to be at least half as humble as they surely are.

I went to Emma’s field trip to the Minneapolis Orchestra Hall this week. Cousin Titan (who is now in her preschool class) was also there. The three of us had a lot of fun!

They run an amazing operation there. I counted at least four field trips all going on simultaneously, which took an amazing amount of traffic control.

There were a LOT of kids there from Salem. I think they had all of the preschool classes and the kindergarten class. I hadn’t anticipated the amount of work that is!

The kids got to go on stage for a personal concert. The gal who did the warm up (below) taught them to say ‘Bravo!’ when the clapped. That turned out to be one of my favorite parts, as the kids yelled it after every single note was played. The orchestra has never had such a good audience.

Each person in the orchestra came out and explained how his or her instrument works (highlighting some varied levels of skills with children). The percussionist and the harpist were the big hits of the show. My favorite was the oboist who played amazingly beautifully. We got a stern and passionate lesson on the difference between xylophones (which have wooden keys) and glockenspiels (which have metal keys), and were told that “the children’s books have it all wrong”.

Afterward, the kids got to go to the rehearsal room where they got to try to play several instruments:

…a drum (Emma’s favorite)…

…a violin…

…a cello…

…and (of course) a glockenspiel.

It was wonderful to get to spend the time with Emma and Titan. Titan is a great kid and he and Emma have become best friends, which I hope will last a lifetime for them. Both of them were VERY well behaved, which made me proud.

Anyone who travels or pulls a payload knows that factory-equipped fuel tanks in diesel pickups limit range. So why not end the headaches that last for miles! Save time,  improve range, cut fuel costs, and fill up when you want with Titan Diesel Fuel Tanks!!

Titan extra heavy-duty cross-linked polyethylene fuel tank. Titan Diesel Fuel Tanks come complete with powder-coated cross-member bracket and steel strap set, rubber mounting bushing, vent hoses, rollover safety vent valves, seals and required clamps.

Titan Diesel Fuel Tanks utilize common sense design features, which simplify installation. They re-use most of the stock components, including the existing sending unit. The tank itself is nearly indestructible, but light enough to be handled by one or two people. You may think a vehicle hoist and transmission jack are ideal, but hand tools will get the job done!

Titan, the Best you can buy:

• Made of High-Density Cross-Linked Polyethylene
• Corrosion Proof, Durable, Lightweight (approx. 45 lbs.)
• Easy to Install (2-4 hours)
• Works with Existing Fuel Gauges
• No Vehicle Modifications Necessary! (Mounts easily underneath.)

How much will a Titan Diesel Fuel Tank save me in a year?
On a cost-basis alone, a Titan Diesel Fuel Tank will pay for itself within 1-3 years,* depending how you use your truck.

*The range above only looks at the expected savings for those who use their trucks for business and pleasure. It does not take into account the convenience, safety, or efficiency that a Titan Diesel Fuel Tank offers.

Visit www.OCDiesel.com for all your diesel needs!

‘Gentle soul’ is blind, deaf and epileptic — and he stands 42.25 inches high

updated 7:23 a.m. PT, Fri., Nov . 13, 2009

LOS ANGELES – The Guinness Book of World Records officially says an ailing 4-year-old Great Dane named Titan from San Diego is the world’s tallest dog.

Owner Diana Taylor says Titan is blind, deaf, epileptic and undergoes acupuncture and chiropractic adjustments every three weeks.

He is also a gentle soul who is often mistaken by young children as a horse.

The announcement came during a ceremony Thursday.

Taylor says Titan stands 42.25 inches from floor to shoulder, weighs 190 pounds and doesn’t stand on his hind legs because it isn’t good for him.

Titan took over the title from Gibson, a 7-year-old harlequin Great Dane from Grass Valley who died earlier this year after battling bone cancer.

Have you seen this video of Bud Adams, owner of the Tennessee Titans, paying tribute to Buffalo fans on Sunday? It reminds one of the good old days – when sports owners were aggressive risk takers who didn’t play the PR games that are expected of bosses in the PC era.

The NFL has fined Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams $250,000 for making an obscene gesture at Bills fans.

It happened Sunday in Nashville.  After the Titans beat the Bills 41-17, Adams was seen “flipping off” fans from his luxury suite at the stadium.

That’s what made the tar and feathering of Rush Limbaugh so humorous – when there are owners like this, they object to a potential owner for daring to tell the truth about politics!

“I do realize that those types of things shouldn’t happen,” Adams said in a statement. “I need to specifically apologize to the Bills, their fans, our fans and the NFL. I obviously have a great deal of respect for Ralph Wilson and the history we have shared. I also understand there will probably be league discipline for my actions and I will accept those.”

I wish he’d told the NFL to go screw.