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Scenes from Space #18

This image of Saturn's moon Dione was taken by the Cassini spacecraft, which arrived at Saturn in July 2004. In this image, you can see Saturn's rings edge-on, and the shadows they cast on the planet itself. Dione is 1,118 kilometers across and lies about 300,000 kilometers from the ring's edge.

Posted under News by Joel on December 30, 2005 01:22 AM | Comments (0)

Recent Woodworking Projects

I'm finally getting back into woodworking, after a long hiatus. The last time I built anything was before Sean was born. So, by popular request (well, maybe only Dad's request), here are some pictures of projects that I've been working on.

This first pair of picures are of a toybox I've been making for Sean. It's made of pine, and only needs a couple coats of poly and some hinges before we can put it into use. It's my own design, simple as it is. It came out much bigger than I had pictured it in my mind, but that just means more room for toys!

This next set of pictures are of a Morris chair that I am making. It is getting pretty close to done. I need to attach the back to the rest of the chair, install a bottom to support the cushion, and cut some decorative brackets to go between the arms and the legs. Then I will need to sand, finish, and make some cushions so I can try it out! It's made of solid black walnut. Some of the pieces of walnut have some great figure. I've wiped a few spots down with mineral spirits to give you an idea of what it will look like under finish. This chair is pretty big - Sean will be able to sit in it with me until he's 4 or 5, probably.

These next two pictures are of a steel string guitar that I had started over a year ago, before Sean was born. I still plan to finish it someday. The back (and sides, eventually) are quartersawn bubinga, with some decorative stripes of maple and ebony. The top is bearclaw sitka spruce. The rosette is made of spalted maple and bubinga, with trim of maple and ebony. I am especially proud of the rosette. Not only is it the most complicated one I have ever made, but it is also the best quality. All of the pieces fit together tightly, with no gaps anywhere. I can't wait to finish this one someday.

This last picture is of a decorative box I made over a year ago. It wasn't meant for anything specific - I was just noodling around in the shop one weekend. It was inspired by a photo I saw in a book. All I really need to do is trim the pivot pins and apply a finish, and it would be done. I'd like to finish it and keep it on my desk at work, and maybe put some candy or something in it. I don't have anything I've made at work, and people have asked me what kind of stuff I make. I'm kind of proud of this little box, so maybe I should show it off.

Posted under Projects by Joel on December 24, 2005 08:43 PM | Comments (1)

Memoirs of a Strategically Placed Ducky

Here's some recent pics of Sean getting a tubby. Somehow, he worked it out so that the ducky blocked his manhood in every shot - otherwise these photos would have made men jealous and ladies swoon.

Posted under Photos by Joel on December 24, 2005 08:15 PM | Comments (0)

We Love The Chronic! What?

This has got to be one of the funniest things I've seen in the last few seasons of Saturday Night Live. Chris Parnell is severly under-rated and under-used on the show. That white boy was born to drop rhymes! Check it out, yo!

Posted under News by Joel on December 24, 2005 08:02 PM | Comments (0)

SwRI Staff Profile

I had to write a staff profile for work recently - the management claims "it's a good way for us all to get to know each other". Well, I'm not sure whether the profiles actually -do- that, but I wanted to share it with you guys. Some of you may not know all the stuff I put in there, and the rest of you might get a little kick out of it. It's in an Excel spreadsheet, but I assume everyone has MS Office. Enjoy!

My Staff Profile

Posted under Stories by Joel on December 23, 2005 11:40 PM | Comments (0)

Scenes from Space #17

In December 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 became the first humans to visit the Moon. They didn't land on the surface, but paved the way for those who did. They also took the first photographs of the Earth from deep space. This photo of the 'rising' Earth was taken from their orbiter during that mission.

Posted under News by Joel on December 23, 2005 11:16 PM | Comments (0)

Stand Tall!

I've been telling all of you that Sean has been standing up a lot lately. But with no new pictures on the website, you must wonder if I am full of it. Well here is some photographic evidence! :)

Posted under Photos by Joel on December 20, 2005 06:47 PM | Comments (0)

Scenes from Space #16

Check out this panoramic shot taken by the Spirit rover on Mars! This picture was taken from the top of of a spot called "Husband Hill". It's amazing to think about the fact that you are looking at another planet. Really - aside from the sky color - it doesn't look that different from a few places on this planet.

Posted under News by Joel on December 2, 2005 06:55 PM | Comments (0)