Magic, Dolphins, Astronauts, Stars, and birthdays and things…

Posted on August 25, 2018 by chip

So the last couple of weeks were pretty epic. Li’l Bro Joe came out to visit for his birthday, we used tickets Mary Ann got for the Magic Castle, which is pretty cool by itself, but we also went on a whale-watching boat… er… didn’t see any whales, but the dolphins were great and I got one of my new favorite pictures… also the Perseid meteor shower was up so we went with a bunch of SpaceX people… I got to meet the astronauts we’re sending on our first crew missions… So many ellipses! I’ll let the pictures do the work:

 

Awesome Dolphin Jump Zoom

We got to meet Astronauts and ask them questions! And this very clear photo made it to Ars Technica – https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/08/spacex-reveals-the-controls-of-its-dragon-spacecraft-for-the-first-time/

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Posted in Family, Friends, Personal, Photography, SpaceX | 1 Comment

Falcon 9 Block 5 Flight 2 and Star Wars

Posted on August 6, 2018 by chip

There’s a passing comment in the San Francisco Chronicle’s original review – on May 27, 1977 – of Star Wars, that quips:

spaceships are beat-up and dirty (the nearest garage is light years away?)

I don’t remember when I first heard about why this was, but George Lucas apparently coined the term “Used Universe” when describing the decision. Many movies set in space have pristine looking spaceships that are brand-new looking even after zooming from planet to planet all the time. The Star Wars Prequels did this to a crazy degree.

This ship actually gets dirty. Weird how travel and space battles will do that to something.


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Birthday (and a Conference) in Seattle

Posted on July 29, 2018 by chip

Who am I to turn down a trip to Seattle for a Microsoft Conference on my birthday weekend when someone gives us a free pass? No one, that’s right, which is why we went!

Seattle is gorgeous — Paradise on Mt. Rainier, and Coldwater Lake near Mt. St. Helens are two of my new favorite places in the world. The ridiculous amount of photos we took are more easily consumed on Google here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/h2AFtkSkwcWGZyxg9 (Most everything) and here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yFKmc23SGv56m5yD6 (the Chihuly glass museum, which got it’s own folder just because).

But here are a few highlights:

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2018 Aerospace Games (aka Working Here Month 6)

Posted on July 28, 2018 by chip

Some pics from the 2018 Aerospace Games — Go SpaceX! Of note, half of these images are what happen when you accidentally forget that you set your camera on insane-ISO and Manual Focus last time you used it. But eventually the issue was identified and resolved! I’m not sure we won this year, but we had the best shirts unquestionably.

Anyway… I got the camera working for the pyramid competition and then sort of zonked out, but it was a blast! Great job everyone!

Posted in Competitions, Personal, SpaceX, Work | Leave a comment

Why I Move Jobs

Posted on April 18, 2018 by chip

A friend of mine who has a very fine job recently asked me, and a couple of other friends, how we decide when to take a new job. The issue came up because he was made an out-of-the-blue offer from a company he knows, but he isn’t looking and has, in fact, only been at his current job a relatively short while (less than two years).

It’s a good question, and since I made another jump early this year I thought I’d go through my list to review…

My current job is, I hope, a dream job. I don’t think there’s only one, but when I left my previous full-time gig, I made a list of the companies I wanted to work for. There were two companies on it: SpaceX and Disney, and SpaceX was far and away the #1. So I sent a resume, and about eight months later I started here.

That approach has, however, been an anomaly. It was actually fun to go remember why I take new jobs. For one thing, I can tell you, I’ve never left a job for more money (in fact a few of my moves were definitely pay reducing). I find that interesting. Here’s how the rest of my career path went, chronologically:

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Posted in Random Musings, Work | 1 Comment