Deb and I are just back from our trip through the Panama Canal. We are currently staying at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort located in the middle of the Country right along the canal path. So far we have seen many Jungle animals, rode the aerial Tram, watched a few lightning storms, rode through all of the locks on a day long boat ride through the canal, and the rest of the time has been spent eating or reading in the hammock! Tomorrow we head to Colon on the Carribian side of Panama to try out our timeshare there.
Hugo de Mango (A mango smoothy) has been the taste treat of the trip for me so far, but all of the food here has been very good. The Gamboa Resort is located right on the Canal in a protected rainforest and offers beautiful unspoiled views of the jungle covered mountains in all directions.
We are heading off to dinner soon...
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Don’t Pump Gas At Noon: “Hot Gasoline” Costs US Drivers Over $2.3 Billion a Year
You know gasoline prices are getting bad when it takes a physics lesson to make a point. So today class, we are going to learn why gasoline served “hot” ends up costing motorists as much as $155 milion a year in Arizona and almost $2.5 BILLION nationwide. First some facts:
–The state with the lowest gas temperature, according to federal data, is Minnesota. It has an average fuel temperature of 53 degrees, and its consumers pay $37 million less annually for gas. Source: AZCentral.com
–The state with the lowest gas temperature, according to federal data, is Minnesota. It has an average fuel temperature of 53 degrees, and its consumers pay $37 million less annually for gas. Source: AZCentral.com
Vietnam Sailing Ship
Here it is, the handmade wooden sailing ship brought home from Vietnam. This fine beauty somehow survived the assault it took in the belly of several planes, as the current security measures would not allow me to bring it home carry on.
There was some damage to the base, but nothing a bit of glue would not fix. The real challenge was getting all of the rigging back up without it becoming a tangled mess!
It is even bigger than 'The Rock' but does not even come close in the weight department. How much did it cost you ask? Only $35 dollars. I have vowed to Deb to get an even bigger one next time!Leaving For Panama
Deb and I are all packed up and heading off on our vacation to Panama. The camera is charged and ready, so if I can get an internet connection I will shoot some photos to the blog. We are leaving just as the finishing touches are being applied to the shop and landscaping. We hope that it will all be done by the time we return. The shop just needs a lock on the door and some final wiring to the furnace and we'll call it done. Landscaping needs plants on the water feature, boarders around all of the plant beds, drill seeded grass to be planted in the backyard and a final clean up for it to be done.
Monday, August 28, 2006
HK admits pollution is hurting business
Hong Kong’s chronic air pollution is hurting business in the territory, a senior government adviser said on Monday in the first official admission that worsening air quality is affecting companies’ investment decisions.
“Up to a year ago [pollution] really hadn’t hit our pocketbook,” said Victor Fung, chairman of the government-backed Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council. “But now people are not coming to Hong Kong to take that job because their kid has asthma,” he said at a briefing.
“Up to a year ago [pollution] really hadn’t hit our pocketbook,” said Victor Fung, chairman of the government-backed Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council. “But now people are not coming to Hong Kong to take that job because their kid has asthma,” he said at a briefing.
New York to L.A. in Two Hours
A new generation of supersonic private jets could trigger a boom in luxury high-speed flight -- without the sonic boom normally associated with breaking the sound barrier.
Lockheed Martin's advanced Skunk Works unit is designing a small, 12-seat passenger jet that would travel at 1,200 mph (Mach 1.8) but which would produce only a whisper of the annoying crack once emitted by the retired Concorde.
Lockheed Martin's advanced Skunk Works unit is designing a small, 12-seat passenger jet that would travel at 1,200 mph (Mach 1.8) but which would produce only a whisper of the annoying crack once emitted by the retired Concorde.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
How Far Did I Fly?
From: BOI (43°33'52"N 116°13'22"W) To: PDX (45°35'19"N 122°35'51"W) Distance: 344 mi
From: PDX (45°35'19"N 122°35'51"W) To: NRT (35°45'53"N 140°23'11"E) Distance: 4822 mi
From: NRT (35°45'53"N 140°23'11"E) To: SHA (31°11'52"N 121°20'11"E) Distance: 1142 mi
From: SHA (31°11'52"N 121°20'11"E) To: HKG (22°18'32"N 113°54'53"E) Distance: 764 mi
From: HKG (22°18'32"N 113°54'53"E) To: SGN (10°49'08"N 106°39'07"E) Distance: 925 mi
From: SGN (10°49'08"N 106°39'07"E) To: HKG (22°18'32"N 113°54'53"E) Distance: 925 mi
From: HKG (22°18'32"N 113°54'53"E) To: NRT (35°45'53"N 140°23'11"E) Distance: 1842 mi
From: NRT (35°45'53"N 140°23'11"E) To: SFO (37°37'08"N 122°22'30"W) Distance: 5124 mi
From: SFO (37°37'08"N 122°22'30"W) To: PDX (45°35'19"N 122°35'51"W) Distance: 550 mi
From: PDX (45°35'19"N 122°35'51"W) To: BOI (43°33'52"N 116°13'22"W) Distance: 344 mi
That is a total of: 16,783 miles!
More than 33 hours of flying!
Code - Location
BOI - Boise [Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field], ID, US
PDX - Portland [Intl], OR, US
NRT - Tokyo (Narita) [New Tokyo Intl], Honshu, JP
SHA - Shanghai [Hongqiao], CN
HKG - Hong Kong [Intl (Chek Lap Kok)], HK
SGN - Ho Chi Minh City [Tan Son Nhat Intl], VN
SFO - San Francisco [Intl], CA, US
These flight paths where generated using ETOPS.
Er, what is an ETOPS?
ETOPS is an acronym for Extended-Range Twin-Engine Operations.
Without an ETOPS rating, an aircraft with only two engines must be able to get to an airport where it can safely land within 60 minutes if an engine fails in-flight. ETOPS extends this "rule time" to 90 minutes or more, up to a maximum of 180 minutes. Obtaining an ETOPS rating requires certification of the reliability of an airframe/engine combination as well as an airline's flight operations and maintenance. Usually extra equipment is required as well, such as additional backup systems for electrical power. ETOPS does not require over-water equipment (e.g., life rafts) or additional fuel tanks, though these are usually required for the typical missions of ETOPS-rated aircraft.
Some pilots claim ETOPS really means:
"Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim."
From Above
Note: Most of the shots below are zoomed in croppings of much larger images, so if you view time full screen they will not be very clear.
Somewhere in Shanghai. This is a cloudless day, so the 'fog' you see is smog! This is how most of China looks, covered in constant pollution.
Shanghai Construction
Rex Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Taiwan coastline
Time for some Tai Chi in Shanghai
Somewhere in Shanghai. This is a cloudless day, so the 'fog' you see is smog! This is how most of China looks, covered in constant pollution.
Shanghai Construction
Rex Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Taiwan coastline
Time for some Tai Chi in Shanghai
Good To Be Home!
It was a tough 28 hours, but it's over! I made it home at around 5:00pm Boise time yesterday. I managed to shower, eat and walk the yard before I crashed at 7:30. Now, here I am at 4 in the morning rested and wondering why the rest of the world is sound asleep?
Security was quite robust as soon as I started to get on planes heading even remotely in the direction of the United States. It started in Hong Kong with a full body pat down, any carry on thoroughly searched, and then searched again before boarding the plane! I had my laptop swabbed for explosive residue, and was forced to check my Vietnam wooden ship the whole way home. The ship made it home though, with some minor damage to the stand that can easily be fixed with some Elmer's glue. All in all, I thought that the airports did a good job making sure the flights were safe and I had no worries.
It feels strange to not have humidity! For the last 2 weeks I have been perpetually wet! Humidity ran at 90 percent or higher the entire trip, often with temperatures 85 to 95 degrees. I sweated in places you didn't know could sweat. Between your fingers, top of your hands, behind your ears, they all can do it, you just need air as thick as yogurt to make it happen. It seems odd to be sitting here in the dark by an open window letting in a cool dry breeze. Hell, I even have a blanket wrapped around me! 48 hours ago I was sitting in a Hotel with the A/C set to as low as it would go, fan on high and I couldn't see out the window because of the condensation on the outside of the glass!
Mishra has been my constant companion since I arrived home and even now she appears to be proof reading everything I type. The problem is, she also reaches out with a paw from time to time pressing on the keyboard to add some extra letters. And since I have digressed into random musings, might I also mention this. Hard wood floors are living beasts! I have the window open in the dining room letting in a 55 degree breeze here at 4 in the morning. About every 5 minutes as the floor cools the contracting wood will give off a loud snap that if you don't know what it is will wake you up and cause you to walk the house looking for an intruder. I just got up from my typing and walked around on the floor to a symphony of loud pops and snaps so I can type in peace for the next half hour.
I am off to start cleaning up the next round of photos to be posted.
Security was quite robust as soon as I started to get on planes heading even remotely in the direction of the United States. It started in Hong Kong with a full body pat down, any carry on thoroughly searched, and then searched again before boarding the plane! I had my laptop swabbed for explosive residue, and was forced to check my Vietnam wooden ship the whole way home. The ship made it home though, with some minor damage to the stand that can easily be fixed with some Elmer's glue. All in all, I thought that the airports did a good job making sure the flights were safe and I had no worries.
It feels strange to not have humidity! For the last 2 weeks I have been perpetually wet! Humidity ran at 90 percent or higher the entire trip, often with temperatures 85 to 95 degrees. I sweated in places you didn't know could sweat. Between your fingers, top of your hands, behind your ears, they all can do it, you just need air as thick as yogurt to make it happen. It seems odd to be sitting here in the dark by an open window letting in a cool dry breeze. Hell, I even have a blanket wrapped around me! 48 hours ago I was sitting in a Hotel with the A/C set to as low as it would go, fan on high and I couldn't see out the window because of the condensation on the outside of the glass!
Mishra has been my constant companion since I arrived home and even now she appears to be proof reading everything I type. The problem is, she also reaches out with a paw from time to time pressing on the keyboard to add some extra letters. And since I have digressed into random musings, might I also mention this. Hard wood floors are living beasts! I have the window open in the dining room letting in a 55 degree breeze here at 4 in the morning. About every 5 minutes as the floor cools the contracting wood will give off a loud snap that if you don't know what it is will wake you up and cause you to walk the house looking for an intruder. I just got up from my typing and walked around on the floor to a symphony of loud pops and snaps so I can type in peace for the next half hour.
I am off to start cleaning up the next round of photos to be posted.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
We Might Have A Problem...
Here I sit in Japan waiting to catch my delayed flight to San Francisco. This delay has a strong chance of trapping me in San Fran with no hope of getting home until Sunday! How much this sucks can not be properly described because even if I don't get stuck, it will take me over 24 hours to get home!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Heading Back To Hong Kong
Sitting here at the airport waiting for the flight back to H.K. It has been a good trip in Ho Chi Minh City with lots of good photos. Very hot and sticky here so far! Laundry will be the first thing on my list as soon as I hit the Hotel tonight.
Oh, I bought a ship... A large hand made wooden ship with sails and everything! The masts fold down so the whole thing fits in a box and I can get it home. It is still going to be a challenge to get in the overhead, but after the 'Rock" from last time I feel I am up to the challenge!
I am off to eat some strange food here in the lounge and then board the plane.
Oh, I bought a ship... A large hand made wooden ship with sails and everything! The masts fold down so the whole thing fits in a box and I can get it home. It is still going to be a challenge to get in the overhead, but after the 'Rock" from last time I feel I am up to the challenge!
I am off to eat some strange food here in the lounge and then board the plane.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Company Claims To Have Developed New Technology That Provides Unlimited Free Energy
From The Article:
“We are under no illusions that there will be a lot of cynicism out there about our proposition, as it currently challenges one of the basic principles of physics. However, the implications of our technology go far beyond scientific curiosity: addressing many urgent global needs including security of energy supply and zero emission energy production. In order for these benefits to be achieved, we need the public validation and endorsement of the scientific community”.
“We’re playing our part in making that happen by throwing down the gauntlet with today’s announcement – now it’s over to the scientists to ensure that the real potential and benefits of our technology can be realised.”
“We are under no illusions that there will be a lot of cynicism out there about our proposition, as it currently challenges one of the basic principles of physics. However, the implications of our technology go far beyond scientific curiosity: addressing many urgent global needs including security of energy supply and zero emission energy production. In order for these benefits to be achieved, we need the public validation and endorsement of the scientific community”.
“We’re playing our part in making that happen by throwing down the gauntlet with today’s announcement – now it’s over to the scientists to ensure that the real potential and benefits of our technology can be realised.”
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Hello From Ho Chi Minh City!
Just arrived in Ho Chi Minh and all is well. This stop is for 2 days, with the goal of buying large planter pots for next summer. I have already consumed a Vietnamese Iced Coffee, which is a brew of very strong esspresso and sweetened condensed milk over ice. Very strong and really good! As usual the van ride from the airport to the hotel made for some great photos and I expect to get quite a few while I am here in Vietnam. I have almost finished the lightning storm video and will upload it when I get a chance.
As usual, my desire to update my blog is directly related to how much interest (that means comments) I get from you all! So, I'll leave it up to you...
As usual, my desire to update my blog is directly related to how much interest (that means comments) I get from you all! So, I'll leave it up to you...
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