Not Again!

Nader '08? Oh, Christ.

Yep, this broken record keeps spinning. C'mon Ralphie, even a lunatic like Ross Perot only gave it a second try.

Ralph Nader announced yesterday a fresh (really?) bid for the White House, criticizing the top contenders as too close to big business and dismissing the possibility that his third-party candidacy could tip the election to Republicans.

Nader said most people are disenchanted with the Democratic and Republican parties due to a prolonged Iraq war and a shaky economy. He also blamed tax and other corporate-friendly policies under the Bush administration that he said have left many lower- and middle-class people in debt.

"You take that framework of people feeling locked out, shut out, marginalized, disrespected," he said. "You go from Iraq, to Palestine/Israel, from Enron to Wall Street, from Katrina to the bungling of the Bush administration, to the complicity of the Democrats in not stopping him on the war, stopping him on the tax cuts."

Nader, who turns 74 later this week, announced his candidacy on NBC's "Meet the Press." In a later interview, he rejected the notion of himself as a spoiler candidate, saying the electorate will not vote for a "pro-war John McCain." He also predicted his campaign would do better than in 2004, when he won just 0.3 percent of the vote as an independent. Shit, I can do better than that.

Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton quickly sought to portray Nader's announcement as having little impact.

"Obviously, it's not helpful to whomever our Democratic nominee is. But it's a free country," said Clinton, who called Nader's announcement a "passing fancy." Obama dismissed Nader as a perennial presidential campaigner. "He thought that there was no difference between Al Gore and George Bush and eight years later I think people realize that Ralph did not know what he was talking about," Obama added.

Republican Mike Huckabee welcomed Nader into the race, even if he's barely in it.

"I think it always would probably pull votes away from the Democrats, not the Republicans." Always would probably? Oh, you're presidential material.

Nader said Obama's and Clinton's lukewarm response was not surprising given that both political parties typically treat third-party candidates as "second-class citizens." Well, they are. Nader said he will decide in the coming days whether to run as an independent, Green Party candidate or in some other third party. Ah, the power of being a crackpot - so many choices!

"If the Democrats can't landslide the Republicans this year, they ought to just wrap up," Nader added. Hmmm...maybe he has a point.

Oscar!

In a night that many called especially important for the industry now that the writer's strike is over, the 80th Academy Awards went on as scheduled.

The big prizes:

Best Picture - No Country for Old Men
While it certainly wasn't their best picture, it's good to see the Coen Brothers win the top award. If you liked this film, you have to see their debut Blood Simple, which unlike No Country, was really shot in Texas in the 80s. It's a brilliant piece of modern noir.

Best Director - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Like David Lynch and David Cronenberg, the Coen Brothers are filmmakers who I consider to be among my favorites, and whose career output has formed a substancial part of my movie collection. Their style is very specific, and whether you're watching The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, or Fargo, you know you are watching one of their films. Sadly, Roger Deakins, their DP of choice over the last 15-plus years did not win for his work on No Country, or even for The Assassination Of Jessie James (etc.).

Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis

The moustache alone is Oscar-worthy.

Best Actress - Marion Cotillard

Even though I think Edith Piaf is okay, I never went to the arthouse around the corner to catch this flick. But damn, that's one hot French muffin!

Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem
Since we're giving out awards at IOvUF for hair, Bardem's Anton Chigurh rules.

Supporting Actress - Tilda Swinton

This is exactly all I've seen of the movie she won for.

Original Screenplay - Juno (Diablo Cody)
Former stripper who wrote a script about a superhip teen getting pregnant gives us this year's Little Miss Sunshine.

Find the rest of the winners and the other nominees here.

Echo Location Weekend

More shameless promotion for MAGNA and their Echo Location CD release party, which is being served up at the awesome Cannibal Flower. A multimedia show with live music, art, and weirdos? Yeah, that's a good thing to plan your weekend around.

Do You Like?

Stuff White People Like is, well, exactly that. If you're white, add to the scientific method and see how many things they peg you'd like. And if you're not white, see how many things you do like...maybe you are white.

Act Sexy

Just in time for the Oscars, Premiere magazine is naming it's 100 Sexiest Movie Stars of all time. As expected, the results paid homage to the icons of Holywood, as Brando and Monroe were the top of the list. The highest ranked modern male and female actors to make the cut were Angelina Jolie (number 5) and Brad Pitt (number 9) - maybe they ought to hook up or something, and Denzel Washington and Hallie Berry (numbers 18 and 10) show that black is beautiful in tinseltown.

Maligned as usual, Clint Howard, Vincent Schavelli, The Goblin, and Fivehead.

I Got A Gesture For Apple

If the style over substance motto of Apple wasn't enough to make me hate them, this would have pushed me over the edge.

Lawyers and other well paid douchebags for the computer and gadget manufacturer are pushing to answer the question "is pinching proprietary?" with a resounding yes. Inspired by the success of Apple's iPhone, many companies are releasing their own multitouch-enabled laptops, smartphones and tablets. And by doing so, these companies (including RIM, Nokia and Synaptics) may run afoul of multitouch patent applications recently filed by Apple.

"If Apple's patents are granted, the company could absolutely stop others from using similar technology," says Raj Abhyanker, a patent lawyer who used to write patent applications for Apple. "They'd also be in an especially good position to stop others from including certain features. Apple could stop [their use] not only on mobile devices but also desktops." Patent experts have stressed that the patent office can take four or more years to grant patents, and Apple is far from certain to win these patents. Other companies, including BenQ-Siemens and Nokia, have also filed patent applications on a series of gestures and touch applications for multitouch devices. However, with more than 200 patent claims for the iPhone alone, including several multitouch-related patent applications, Apple is clearly seeking to control as much of the multitouch world as it can.

Multitouch technology itself is far from being an Apple invention, but the iPhone is arguably the first mainstream gadget to successfully implement a set of concrete touch gestures and link them to specific functions. And that's where the sharks smell blood in the water. Pinching zooms in and out. Double tapping initiates a "smart zoom" that hones in on a particular area of the screen. While a gesture like "the pinch" in and of itself is not patentable, if you connect that motion to a specific function on a popular device, it is possible, as Apple reasons, to argue that other devices using the same technique are infringing.

Years before the iPhone and iPod Touch were introduced, the sneaky bastards at Apple began quietly filing detailed patents pertaining to the technology and user interface of its capacitive multitouch interface on the iPhone. Of course, they didn't innovate the process - the company is thought to have secured much of its multitouch and gesturing technology by acquiring a company called FingerWorks. As far back as 2004, Apple had begun filing applications for multipoint touchscreens and gestures connected to those touchscreens, including the pinch as well as other important usability features. All together, there are around 200 patents filed for the iPhone alone. This week, Apple filed yet another multitouch patent, this time for an advanced multitouch gesturing-control panel to be used in conjunction with Mac OS X.

At a basic level, winning a patent requires the development of "a new and useful process, machine or a composition of matter," according to the patent code. But there are other factors that weigh heavily in awarding a patent. Popularity often becomes a component in awarding some patents. There have also been cases where patents were awarded to companies who came up with novel uses or implementations for older technologies. While it would be hard to patent a simple flicking motion, the pinch in particular raises a red flag for some patent experts, who say that Apple could claim infringement if it is eventually awarded the patent.

All indications are that the company is very serious about this technology. On the same day the iPhone launched, Apple even applied for a trademark in a Far East intellectual property office for the term "multi-touch." Anybody still worried that Microsoft is the only evil empire?

The Gentle Giant

Today, back in 1918...

Robert Pershing Wadlow is born in Alton, Illinois. At the time of his death 22 years later, he stood 8 feet 11 inches - the tallest human being in recorded history.

Wadlow, the oldest of five children born to Harold and Addie Wadlow, was a normal sized newborn (8 pounds, 6 ounces) who began his rapid growth almost immediately. At 6 months old, he weighed 30 pounds, and at 18 months he was tipping the scales at 62 pounds. Wadlow was a six-footer at the age of 8. At 10, he was 6 feet 5 inches and weighed 210 pounds. At 13, he was "the world's tallest Boy Scout," standing 7 feet 4 inches. He was 17 when he topped 8 feet. At the time of his death, Wadlow, nearly 9 feet, weighed 440 pounds -- and was still growing.

Wadlow had designs on studying law, but a 1936 tour with the Ringling Bros. Circus made him a celebrity. He spent the rest of his short life making public appearances. His placid nature earned him the nickname "Gentle Giant."

As might be expected, Wadlow's enormous size put a lot of strain on him physically. He required leg braces to walk and had very little feeling in his lower extremities. One of his leg braces caused a leg blister to form, which eventually became severely infected. Despite blood transfusions and surgery, Wadlow's condition worsened, and he died July 15, 1940. He was entombed in a coffin weighing 1,000 pounds, requiring a dozen pallbearers and eight other assistants.

The reason for Wadlow's incredible growth, finally revealed at the autopsy, was found to be hypertrophy of the pituitary gland. The effect of that condition on the pituitary gland results in excessive production of growth hormone.

The tallest person currently living is believed to be the 8 foot 6 inch Leonid Stadnyk, a veterinary surgeon from Ukraine.

I Love Movies

Comedian Doug Benson has a column on the Bob and David site where he pretty accurately boils new releases down to their essence. Podcasts are available at Handheldcomedy.com and starting March 7 on he'll be doing a weekly feature at Superdeluxe.com!

In the meantime, check out his most recent B+D post:

THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL
Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johannsen star in a costume drama that should have been called WHICH ONE WOULD YOU FUCK? (I know my answer!)

JUMPER
If I had Hayden Christensen's ability to transport myself through space and time, I'd jump into Rachel Bilson.

ABSOLUTELY, MAYBE
Will I see it? Definitely, possibly!

WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS
Take that, Black History Month!

THE HOTTIE AND THE NOTTIE
I refuse to believe that this movie exists.

FOOL'S GOLD
Just in time for Valentine's Day - take someone you hate.

HOW SHE MOVE
I give up. How?

UNTRACEABLE
Replace TRACE with WATCH.

INTO THE WILD
The story of some asshole who decides to go live in the Alaskan wilderness without letting his family know where he went. (I have abandonement issues!)

MICHAEL CLAYTON
Not based on a true story. Or an interesting one.

P.S. I LOVE YOU
Dear Hilary Swank,

Hw dare you try to be the new Jessica Alba! One actress who shouldn't
be doing pratfalls is enough.

Love,
Doug
P.S. I like you.

NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS
I don't like books.

CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR
Laugh it up at the crazy antics that helped to make 9/11 happen!

THERE WILL BE BLOOD
There will also be boredom.

SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
There will be a lot more blood than in THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Plus gay ss singing!

Rat Breeder

Jennifer Lopez loosed twins from her diva uterus, making the bubble butt singer and rat-faced husband Marc Anthony the parents of a boy and a girl (both are allegedly human, a surprise given the parentage).

The thought of those two copulating sends shivers down my spine. I thought there were laws against bestiality. And I'm pretty sure that Marc Anthony is still used in tales of the boogeyman to childeren in Central American villas. Proud parents Lopez and Anthony were in negotiations to sell exclusive photos of their babies for as much as $6 million to People magazine, which just goes to show they’re not willing to exploit their litter. And what a waste of money too.

Pinback w/ MC Chris

It was a pretty odd but supercool bill.

Pinback are indie rock nerds and MC Chris is a rap nerd, so naturally Rybot and I were going (we're nerds for that kind of nerdism). The show was at the Avalon (once know as The Palace) in Hollywood, while I haven't been there in years, they made improvements to the interior so that it has a classier, restored look (much like the renovations to the El Rey).

MC Chris may be better known to Sealab 2021 fans as Hesh Hepplewhite, or as MC Pee Pants on Aqua Teen Hunger Force. He kicks it old school, or as he'd say "I kick the crap outta that school". His rap style is rapid fire and as funny as it is full of pop culture references. Like most rap shows, the music is prerecorded and the charisma of the MC is what carries the performance, and Chris owned the stage. Considering that indie rock and rap don't usually mesh, the crowd was pretty into it.

Pinback is now entering their 10th year together, although the band itself is mainly thought of as songwriters / multi-instrumentalists Armistead Burwell Smith IV and Rob Crow. This was the last stop of their tour before heading off the Japan for a series of dates, and then likely a series of side projects over the next year or so before working on the next Pinback album.

Their albums tend to focus on precise tonal and instrument quality, so it was nice to see that once their soundman woke up after a few songs and got the mix together, it was as I had expected them to sound. The set was a mix of old and new songs, and they ended the show on a terrificly high note with a sped up version of "AFK", which is is probably my favorite song of theirs.

And in an unrelated note, two pedestrians jaywalking across the road in the rain got hit by the car driving in front of us when we left the show. We're pretty sure the guy that went legs-up stuntman style over the hood died. Police were across the street at the time of the accident so there was an immediate response, but we don't know for certain what happened in the aftermath.

Black Hole

Reports are that David Fincher will direct the adaptation of Charles Burns’ horror comic Black Hole.

Awesome! This is the Reese Peanut Butter cup of combinations to me - two great tastes that taste great together.

Fincher, whose pedigree includes Fight Club, Zodiac, and Se7en, is picking up the property from Alexandre Aja, (Haute Tension) who was previously attached to direct. Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction, Killing Zoe) and Neil Gaiman (Sandman, American Gods) were involved with the screenplay, and it remains to be seen if their version gets changed with the addition of Fincher.
.
The 12 issue series centered around a group of teens in ’70s suburban Seattle, who contract a mysterious sexually transmitted disease that triggers bizarre physical mutations.

The Smell Of Space

Don Pettit is the science officer onboard the International Space Station, and has been posting his observations and notes on his time orbiting the Earth. Since you can’t dig up the 250K to get a ticket on Virgin Galactic to make it into space and then have the misfortune of losing pressure, here’s a look at the stank of the void.

Few people have experienced traveling into space. Even fewer have experienced the smell of space. Now this sounds strange, that a vacuum could have a smell and that a human being could live to smell that smell. It seems about as improbable as listening to sounds in space, yet space has a definite smell. Being creatures of an atmosphere, we can only smell space indirectly. Sort of like the way a pit viper smells by waving its tongue in the air and then pressing it to the roof of its mouth where sensors process the molecules that have been adsorbed onto the waggling appendage. I had the pleasure of operating the airlock for two of my crewmates while they went on several space walks. Each time, when I repressed the airlock, opened the hatch and welcomed two tired workers inside, a peculiar odor tickled my olfactory senses.

At first I couldn't quite place it. It must have come from the air ducts that re-pressed the compartment. Then I noticed that this smell was on their suit, helmet, gloves, and tools. It was more pronounced on fabrics than on metal or plastic surfaces. It is hard to describe this smell; it is definitely not the olfactory equivalent to describing the palette sensations of some new food as "tastes like chicken." The best description I can come up with is metallic; a rather pleasant sweet metallic sensation. It reminded me of my college summers where I labored for many hours with an arc welding torch repairing heavy equipment for a small logging outfit. It reminded me of pleasant sweet smelling welding fumes. That is the smell of space.

WTFerrell?

Will Ferrell is pretty funny and knows how to get a laugh, but I don't have any idea what he's going for here...

Pissrubber

A material that is able to self-repair even when it is sliced in two has been invented by French researchers.

The as-yet-unnamed material is made from vegetable oil and a component of urine, forming an artificial rubber. When cut, the surface of the substance retains a strong chemical attraction, and pieces of the material join together again as if never parted without the need for glue or a special treatment.

The trick was to replace the covalent bonds in rubber with weaker connections known as hydrogen bonds. These are like hands on neighboring molecules that can clasp together, but let go when broken. Once this had been done, not only could the new rubber could be recycled and remolded many times over, but the chemical hands at the fresh surfaces would be ready to bind again.

Using a razor blade in a demonstration, a thin strand of the yellowish material was severed and then pressed them together. Almost immediately, the grip was strong enough to hold the sample just at one end. Within an hour the bonds had rebuilt themselves so thoroughly that it was possible to stretch the strand to twice its length without any sign of weakness where the cut had been made.

The material was developed with the support of the French company Arkema, which is determining potential uses and commercial products.

The Start Of A Fire Sale?

In the first of what the sports outlets think will probably be a series of moves by the Los Angeles Kings before next week's NHL trading deadline, defenseman Jaroslav Modry was sent to Philadelphia in exchange for the Flyers' third-round draft pick in June.

Uh, no surprised here...ever since my team got comfortable at the bottom in the first third of the season, it's been question marks as for who will make it to the end of the year and who will have their gear on clearance at the Team LA store. But damn, a 3rd round draft pick for an active player is a notch above a roll of stick tape and some skate laces.

Modry, along with fellow defenders captain Rob Blake and Brad Stuart, are attractive tradebait due to unrestricted free agency at the end of the season. But Blake, who's currently sidelined with a broken ankle has stated he will not waive his no-trade clause. Stuart, who was only signed to a one year contract, may not have impressed enough to merit retention and could still find himself in another uniform next week..

It's no secret the last-place Kings are sellers, not buyers going into the deadline, but having a hearty crop of young talent poised to carry the team for many years, what are they willing to give up to get the final crucial elements to make them a competitor come the playoffs? Getting a top-10 (or even 15) goalie would be a huge move, especially after sinking $6 million into the injured and failing Dan Cloutier, but a lesser netminder could still be helped with a solid D-man or two.

The strange trade last season of then-captain amd defenseman Mattias Norström for Modry was a sign of the organization trying to shake things up as they slipped out of playoff contention, but was virtually an even swap. Both veteran players and a young prospect switched teams, and a 3-2 exchange of draft picks was the only minor difference. Even Blake called Matty the heart and core of the team, declining the captaincy from Norström when he came back to the Kings in 2006, so his trade was sad and shocking.

I wouldn't be surprised if a few players got their lockers packed, but there are a lot of assets the Kings have to hold on to, and after those players, there isn't a huge field to draw from that other teams will find attractive. Plus any team heading into the postseason isn't going to part with someone valuable, so as sellers the team will be on the losing end. I just hope the team is going to spend money to get the big free agents in the offseason and still have something of a team after the trades start flying.

Between Sun And Moon

Famous Sister called to mention the lunar eclipse, which has a cameo appearance by Saturn and the star Regulus on either side of the full moon.

This will be the last eclipse of the moon until 2010. "Total Eclipse Of The Heart", however, will be played every weekend at bars throughout the boystown portion of West Hollywood.

Skywatchers viewing through a telescope will have the added treat of seeing Saturn's handsome rings. I don't think they're handsome, but that's how they're being described.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon passes into Earth's shadow and is blocked from the sun's rays that normally illuminate it. During an eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, leaving a darkened moon visible to observers on the night side of the planet. The moon doesn't go black because indirect sunlight still reaches it after passing through the Earth's atmosphere. Since the atmosphere filters out blue light, the indirect light that reaches the moon transforms it into a reddish or orange tinge, depending on how much dust and cloud cover are in the atmosphere at the time.

Tonight's total eclipse phase will last nearly an hour. Unlike solar eclipses which require protective eyewear, lunar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye. That's because it's a rock reflecting light and not a massive burning nuclear reaction that at 63 million miles away can still burn you - duh!

Rush, "Between Sun And Moon"

Cock A Doodle Dead

Drug hitmen have killed a popular Mexican singer along with his manager and assistant near the U.S. border. It is the latest murder among musicians who sing "narcocorrido" ballads glorifying drug traffickers. Hmmm...something about that doesn't make sense. You don't kill your fans and people giving you praise.

The body of Jesus Rey David Alfaro, known as "The Little Rooster," was one of six that turned up tortured, murdered and pinned with threatening messages for Mexico's army last week in Tijuana. Couldn't they have made a phone call or sent an email?

It was believed Alfaro had links to the Arellano Felix cartel, one of Tijuana's main drug smuggling groups, who are fighting a gory turf war with traffickers from Sinaloa and a cartel led by Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman (who is Mexico's most-wanted man).

At least half a dozen Mexican folk singers, who play narcocorridos and upbeat, brassy "grupera" music, have been killed since Mexico's drug war flared in 2006. It's like the East / West rap feud, except having nothing to do with any of the real issues they had beef with.

Alfaro was found covered in a blanket in wasteland on the edge of the city with rope marks around his neck, suggesting he was tortured before he was shot in the head. Drug hitmen pinned a message on his body saying "You'll be next," a taunt aimed at the thousands of soldiers sent by President Felipe Calderon to Tijuana to crush the drug gangs and clean up police forces working with the cartels.

More than 2,500 people were killed in drug violence in Mexico last year and at least 320 people have died so far this year. That's statistics or something, so do what you will with it. All I know is that it's easier to kill your enemy than kill your enemy's favorite musicians. Makes a more powerful message too.

yes, you should sing along
NARCOCORRIDO DE BENIGNO MAQUIEIRA

Era Benigno Maquieira
el rey de toda la ría,
fuerte, sin miedo y galante,
y también contrabandista

Le llamaban El Fariña
porque en su planeadora
repartía cocaína
por toda la ría de Arosa
y tenía su guarida
en un bar de Vilanova

Benigno tenía una novia
con la que se iba a casar
que se llamaba Maruja
y era linda como el mar

Sólo tenia en la vida
a Maruja y sus Yamahas
y sólo tenía un amigo
que se llamaba Patacas,
y Benigno no sabía
que éste lo traicionaba

Era una noche de luna,
la lanzadera esperaba,
con Chan e Moncho o da Illa
la ultima copa apuraba.
Maruja allí le decía,
Maruja allí le rogaba
que no saliera esa noche,
que vigilancia rondaba:
la Guardia Civil del Mar
se la tenía jurada.

Benigno le contestaba:
"Todo lo haría por ti,
pero non son un cobarde
e ademáis nunca morrín."

Ya van cruzando las olas
con las luces apagadas
los tres narcos arousanos
cerca ya de Cortegada
cuando divisan a popa
la lancha de Vigilancia.

Pedro Carballo era el nombre
del temido comisario
de mirar inexpresivo,
cetrino, cruel, despiadado.

Le apodaban Freddy Krugger
porque a un hombre había matado
porque le llamó "flojito"
delante de todo el barco,
También le llamaban Bush,
ya podéis ver si era malo.

Llegó su oportunidad
que se lo dijo Patacas,
que esa noche iba a salir
Benigno a quien tanto odiaba.

Ya empieza la balacera
desde las veloces lanchas,
con revólveres Benigno
pero Pedro ametrallaba.
Al pasar cerca de El Grove
a Benigno lo alcanzaban.
Cinco balazos tenía
en su pecho de varón
y otros cinco le metieron
hasta que al fin se murió.

El comisario Carballo
chocó con una batea.
Si es que el infierno existe
- además del de la tierra --
se han de ver en el infierno
pa repetir la pelea.

Está el mar tinto de sangre
de Cambados a Ribeira,
donde los mújeles beben
y los bolos chapotean.

TODO POR UN POLVO BLANCO
QUE NI ÁCAROS TENÍA,
Y POR UNA HIERBA RARA
QUE NI LAS VACAS COMÍAN
Y ES QUE EN LO DEL CONTRABANDO
NO HAY AMIGO SIN CODICIA.

Eggs Over Uzi

Rybot enjoys eggs. And uzis. Now he can have both.

Target Practice

The Pentagon plans an unprecedented move as it attempts to shoot down a dying U.S. spy satellite, calling it a potentially deadly threat.

Using a souped-up missile fired from a ship in the Pacific, the military plans on blasting the bus-sized satellite apart and letting the freagments burn up as it enters the atmosphere. But to be a success the missile must obliterate the onboard tank carrying a half ton of hydrazine, a toxic fuel.

In order to succeed, the military must have a combination of favorable factors: steady seas around the Navy cruiser firing the missile, optimum positioning of the satellite as it passed in polar orbit, and the readiness of an array of space- and ground-based sensors to help cue the missile and track the results.

The fuel, unused because the satellite died shortly after reaching orbit in December 2006 — could be hazardous if it landed in a populated area. The government has hazardous materials teams standing by (under the code name "Burnt Frost"...and why is there a code name to an internationally known situation?), prepared to be flown to the site of any dangerous debris, wherever it may land. Six federal response groups are also positioned across the country by FEMA as a purely precautionary measure.

The attempted shootdown, however, is seen by some as blurring the lines between defending against a hostile long-range missile and targeting satellites in orbit. Much of the equipment used in the satellite shootdown is part of the Pentagon's missile defense system, a far-flung network of interceptors, radars and communications systems designed primarily to hit an incoming hostile ballistic missile fired at the United States by North Korea. But the equipment, including the Navy missile, has never been used against a satellite or other such target.

The three-stage Navy missile, the SM-3, has chalked up a high rate of success in tests since 2002 — in each case targeting a short- or medium-range missile. A hurry-up program to adapt the missile for this anti-satellite mission was completed in a matter of weeks; Navy officials say the changes will be reversed once this satellite is down. We'll see about that...

Officials will know within minutes whether the missile has hit the satellite, but it will take a day or two to know whether the fuel tank has been destroyed.


UPDATE: A hit! But...

"Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available within 24 hours," the Pentagon said.

Black Fives

Converse turns 100 this year, and they are celebrating with a trio of vintage kicks.

Here a little history:

In his late 30s, Marquis M. Converse, who was previously a respected manager at a footwear manufacturing firm, opened the Converse Rubber Shoe Company (also known as the Boston Rubber Shoe Company) in Malden, Massachusetts in 1908. The company was a rubber shoe manufacturer, providing winterized rubber soled footwear for men, women, and children. By 1910, Converse was producing 4,000 shoes daily, but it wasn't until 1915 that the company began manufacturing athletic shoes for tennis. The company's main turning point came in 1917 when the Converse All-Star basketball shoe was introduced. Then in 1921, a basketball player named Charles H. "Chuck" Taylor walked into Converse complaining of sore feet. Converse gave him a job. He worked as a salesman and ambassador, promoting the shoes around the United States, and in 1923 his signature was added to the All Star patch. He tirelessly continued this work until shortly before his death in 1969. Converse also customized shoes for the New York Renaissance (the "Rens"), basketball's first all African American pro basketball team. The Converse brand is generally considered to be synonymous with basketball shoes.