Just a quick note to say that I didn’t die. I am in the process of selling my home for one thing, studying my last SQL test for my performance appraisal (which crept up on me), and a custom Fourth Law WordPress theme. Oh yeah, and some audio projects.

If you haven’t seen the end of Battlestar Galactica, Season 3 and plan to do so–then I’m about to drop some spoilers. So stop reading.

Begin BSG Speculation

I wanted to go on record and say that I DO NOT BELIEVE the 4 at the end of the last episode are actually Cylons. My take is this–the maelstrom on the planet’s surface is actually the terminus of a wormhole (insert jargon here) that links up to the next spiral arm over (where Earth resides). Since one end was located on a gas giant, I actually can conceive of the other end somehow tying to Jupiter’s Great Read Spot.

That is why Starbuck appeared to die. And how she came back in the same location. She did in fact visit Earth. Oh, and don’t forget, a Viper does not have jump capacity, so if she went to Earth, she would have to have ended up close by…

That is also why the four on Galactica are hearing “All Along the Watchtower” in their heads–it may be purely physical/natural (as the radio’s involvement might indicate), or more likely they were born simply more “sensitive” in, I hesitate to say, a psychic way. Therefore, they literally were getting a vibe from Earth.

I will go further and speculate that all the events of BSG are happening in the distant past, and that the humans of Earth will possess the technology to aid in the fight against the Cylons. And that this battle will destroy the culture of both races, and that the “humans” of today (us) will be the result of a Colonial / Cyclon offspring.

At the end of Season 3, they need at least 20minutes to spin up their jump drives. It is obvious that they simply will not be able to run. One option is to fight, but they are hopelessly out numbered and have the entire fleet to protect. I believe that Episode 1 of Season 4 will essentially be Starbuck saying “follow me down the rabbit hole”.

It will be the only option left. I do not think the Cylons will immediately follow, as it will look like they were destroyed.

Of course, I could be wrong

End BSG Speculation

Ok. Glad I got that off my chest.

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Please please please, do your brain a favor and listen to the Astonomy 161 lectures by Richard Pogge (Ohio State).

Astronomy 161 - An Introduction to Solar System Astronomy

Astronomy 162 - Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, & the Universe

Great stuff!

In other news, Endian remains the bomb-diggity.  Three minor-ish criticisms: 

1. The out-going firewall interface needs the ability to create rulesets with a range of ports, rather then just by one at a time.  This was somewhat mitigated by the discovery that I can acually put an FQDN into a rule…Stupid Microsoft Streaming Media Services (SM SMS).
2. Ident, port 113 is enabled, but closed, by default.  What?  So, I’m in stealth on all the well-known ports…except 113?  I mean, come on!  Let me open it up if I need it.
3. Why, oh, why does it reply to ICMP (ping) on the external interface!?!??!  What in the world!?  Oh, and how do you turn it off?  What?  No one knows??!?!?  Give me a break, here, guys.

I need to do some more testing with OpenVPN to see if I hate it as badly as I think I do…

These are relatively minor complaints.  As far as a firewall goes, and a proxy, it’s running REALLY well.  50-billion or so times more secure than my little Belkin.

Point three above though, is the most troubling.  I’ll probably have to do some M4D ipchains hax0ring to fix it.

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Wow…post a little article on rec.models.rockets and a KCAR member immediately responded.  Now that’s diligence!

I have some new shots of the Sirius to put up under the project.  I’ll try to get that done later this afternoon.  Mike Cummings came through with a loaner dremel for me to chew out the fin notches, for which I threw him a fish.  So, as soon as I can get an answer on the lug vs. button question I’ll be able to complete my last fillet and start on the finish. 

Maybe I can decide on a color scheme before I get done filling the spirals and priming it.

In other news, I’m becoming a m4d SQL h4><0r.  I should have developed my DB skills long ago–it isn’t the mystery I thought it was. 

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There are new construction photos of the Sirius under the project link of the main site.  I sent an email to the St. Louis Rocketry Association begging to launch with them some time. 

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