Out Of This World
In my first ever poll here at Life is RANTastic, I asked my readers to vote on what they think of my new digs and 70% said they loved it! That’s just out of this world groovy, baby and good enough for me!
Do people actually visit blogs anymore or does everyone use a reader? I refuse to use a reader. People put a lot of effort into their blog templates and I think they deserve to be visited. Just my opinion :)
Speaking of out of this world, I was watching the coverage of the landing of the Phoenix Mars Mission on The Discovery Channel Website. It’s unbelievable to me that they can send a probe like that to another planet and have it not only arrive intact, but within fifteen minutes or so of landing, NASA was receiving images being taken by Phoenix.
Phoenix’s mission, from what I understand, is to do some studies on the climate and geology of the Red Planet and to determine if there was ever life on Mars. I think they do this by determining if there was ever water there since all life forms on earth require H2O.
As an amateur summertime star gazer, I think about this quite a bit while I’m scanning the universe with my telescope or my astronomy binoculars. I believe there are other life forms out there. I just don’t know that we’d recognize them right now even if we found them. Life on earth may require water, but who knows there isn’t life elsewhere that requires methane gas.
I don’t know. I’m sure nobody knows, but I think it’s incredible to see the images that come back from these probes and missions they send out there and just imagine the things out there we haven't even discovered yet.
While I was looking through the Phoenix photos, I discovered this beauty taken sometime last week.
Isn’t it spectacular? It’s a flare from a star called EV Lacertae, which is actually one of the closest stars to us. It’s awesome to see what those little blips of light I’m trying to focus in my telescope (never successfully, of course!) actually look like and what they do! To me, it’s just out of this world!
So, I pose my next poll question. How interested are you in these outer space missions?
9 comments:
If I didn't use a reader, I don't know that I would remember to visit the blogs I like the most! But that doesn't mean that your blog template efforts are in vain. If I want to comment, I still come to the site to do so!
As for the space missions, I think that pictures from space are unbelievably cool to look at, and given the opportunity I MIGHT just take a trip out there myself, but honestly I don't follow the space missions all that much. So...my vote for take it or leave it really stems from the fact that I don't follow the news on it.
I have pondered many times just how horrific it would be to be on a space mission and have something happen that caused me to lose my physical connection to the shuttle or spacestation or whatever. It's quite a frightening concept to think about just drifting off into space somewhere. Talk about "Free Fallin'".
I only discovered ease readers about 4 months ago but now I can't imagine living without it. Not only does it sort out my blogroll for it, but it means I can scroll through the dozens of blogs I read without having to wait fro them to load all the time and clicking on dozens of links.
I still get to see the blog when I comment, and the feed gives me a chance to work out if I want to.
Space is so totally awesome. I love the pictures that Nasa gets, it's so humbling to think there's whole other galaxies out there, carrying on on their own, and that we're just the tinyest dot in the sky
We watched the landing live on Science HD channel. It was so exciting and thrilling. (Why, yes we are nerds).
I like your new layout. Did I already tell you that? I can't remember much I do anymore.
Hope you are having a wonderful Memorial weekend.
Dustin: perhaps I was too harsh about blog readers. After all, it is content that keeps people wanting to read you blog, right? You can have the most beautiful website, but if you're not writing anything...well....
I just bookmark my fave sites and click and go from there. If there's no new content, I just click to the next one.
I think these people who get into rockets and get blasted off the earth are unbelievably brave! I could never do it for exactly the same reason you just said! It is awesome to look at with my feet planted on the ground, though. LOL
Freelance: see, I'm still just on the bookmark and click method. I tried a reader once, but I guess I like the personality of the blog design along with the entries. Strange, right?
I agree, it's totally humbling. I'm just hoping in our lifetimes other life forms are discovered. I know that something is out there!
Vixen: I wanted to see it live but we were out to dinner with the extended family celebrating all the birthdays this week! The hubby and I are total nerds that way, too! They've had some awesome planet shows on the science channel lately, too. Fascinating! Thanks for the compliment on the layout! I'm really liking it, too!
I have never used a reader!! I faithfully visit my favorite sites :) I enjoy "visiting" the blogs :) I don't always comment as much as I should or want to, and if I used a reader I think I would even less.
That star is gorgeous!! To be honest I am not very interested in the outer space missions. I think it's cool, the pictures are amazing, but, well... I'm not going to go out of my way to follow anything about it. Should you decide to dedicate your blog to details about outer space missions I would still read and comment ;) But I already read your blog - so I wouldn't be going out of my way!
Oh - and since you are no longer on the receiving end of grocery store tips since your kids are older you have the right to start dishing it out since it was given to you ;)
I'm sure you run into people who look like they could use a few tips... so in reverse of what I wrote - if you could give out advice to the people you see at the grocery store who would they be and what would you tell them?
Guilty- I like my google reader. What's even cool, is that my son's track meets show up on it. I do go out to the blogs to comment.
I like your layout, it's like a fun, newspaper layout. Did you do it all yourself?
Space- Love to look at it, would never have the guts to go.
jessica: don't worry, I'm not devoting my blog to space missions. What I know about space would fill maybe three posts. Not very interesting :) LOL I love your grocery store response idea!! I'm going to write a post about it!! (and dedicate it to you, of course!)
Jenny McB: I know everyone really likes these readers. You dont have to feel guilty :) Thanks for the compliments on the layout. I started with the regular old Minima layout and then coded in another column and did some artwork for the header. I like it, too! I was never crazy about the colors in my other one.
I'd never have the guts to go either. I have a hard enough time with airplanes! LOL
I'm a sucker for astronomy shows and all interplanetary probe type stuff going on.
I love the blog's new look. It's stylish but simple. Having gone to Louisiana public schools, I think simple is best.
If you go to a black background with blue text, I'll be gone. I hate it when people do that.
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