Killing the Messenger

Sheesh, you pass on that you think Michael Johns and Amanda Overmyer didn't look so hot a few days ago and people call you the Anti-Christ! To those AI-obsessives I say, "Jeg er faktisk matte-type!" or as you say in English: Get a Life! Did you not see the title of this blog?!?

Besides, I said they were all very nice when I met them. Didn't you read that part? Or Buzz0001, SK, Susan, Jetfan56, Beckeye, and Swork47, in your cases, didn't the person reading the passage to you read that part?

My prediction on this AI crew, the final word, is that David Cook has the only chance at making it in the music business. The others may do well on Broadway or the fair tours or singing the national anthem at ballgames, but they won't make it as part of a music group.

Anyways, we've been very busy at NASA this week. I can't say exactly, but there have been some exciting developments.

That's all I have for you.

Meeting Celebrities

One of the perks of my job with NASA is meeting famous people who are given a tour of our facility. Recently, the American Idol Tour singers came through to check us out. If asked, "What are they like?" I have to say, they were all very nice, and they all acted like they did on television. The two Davids couldn't have been nicer or more grounded.

If I did have one criticism, it would have to be that two of the AI crew have let themselves go, rather quickly, I might add. I know this sounds harsh saying that, but I have a lot of outside interests too, and I always find time to get to the gym. Amanda Overmyer looks at least 10 years older as a result of putting on about 20 pounds. Michael Johns - yikes - has put on at least 40 pounds since the AI finale. I don't know what's going on there, but he reminds me of a To-Fooly phrase "racka-nocka-chomba neech" which is the punchline of a fable about a cannibal, a goat, and a school of homosexual piranha. It doesn't translate well, but it refers to a man who is 9 months pregnant.

He was very nice, though, and I thought he was a good singer from the few episodes I caught this year. I talked up Syesha, and Chikezie and Brooke a bit as well. All were very nice to me. Coming from such a strong musical background, I would have tried out years ago myself, if only I could sing. Learning a new instrument - easy. Singing on key - impossible.

The First Ever Unofficial NASA Award for Blogging Excellence

My coworkers and I, on our free time of course, have been debating whose blogsite we like the most. Ten of us decided to list our 3 favorite blogs using a 3-2-1 point system.

I'm pleased to announce that our favorite blogger, with 22 points, is: (drumroll please) Mathdude! Yes, Mathdude. Keep up the good work, bro. We love your music critique and your great stories. Coming in second, with 20 points is Pistols at Dawn. Rounding out the top 3 with 18 points is Ginormous Boobs. Get it? Rounding? Ha, we Scandanavians are such comedians!

Sex And The City Movie

In Norway, most American TV shows are eventually translated into Norwegian and broadcasted. The episodes just might be a few years old, though. Here's the thing I've found about translating: the phase "Lost in the translation" is completely legitimate. I know a great Norwegian joke about a chicken, a goat, and an elderly farm woman with dementia for instance, but it isn't funny in English.

When the TV show Sex In The City started broadcasting in Norway, we just didn't get it. You can go to any small town in Norway and find beautiful, tall, slim, blonde Norwegian women that are 10 times sexier than the actresses in SITC. We had a good laugh at you Americans for thinking this was a good show, like Baywatch, starring Norwegian/American Pamela Anderson (Anderson is like "Smith" in Norway you know). When I saw a few episodes of the show in English, I expected it to be better, thinking it's allure had gotten "Lost in the translation", but no, it pretty much stunk in English, also.

Now the movie version has come out, and...I still don't get it. I'm not going to go watch it. The reviews I've read make it sound like the same as the TV show. Can someone explain this to me?

5 Best Live Performances

I was at a fund raiser a few nights ago, and I was seated next to Dave Ricketts, an associate editor of Rolling Stone. We talked about live performances since Bruce Springsteen was going to be playing at our event. We agreed that these were the 5 Greatest Live Performances:
5) Nightwish - Sleeping Sun (OK, this was my idea)
4) Kiss - Duece
3) Peter Frampton - Do You Feel Like I Do?
2) Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
1) UFO - Rock Bottom

We were really looking to do a Top Ten List, but Bruce's bass player got food poisoning, and I had to fill in. It was all very exciting!

Greetings From Lars

Hi, my name is Dr. Lars McManus, and I work for NASA as a Space-Time Logistician on the Mars Phoenix project. You see, it takes 15 minutes to receive a radio signal from Mars and 15 minutes to send one back, so there is always a 30 minute window in which we really don't know what's going on. That's where I come in. I take the 15 minute old information we receive, and I predict what the Phoenix will do 30 minutes later and use that prediction to send instructions. It's all very complicated, I know, but I really enjoy it. I hope you find my blog enlightening!