Steller's Sea Eagle
Steller’s Sea Eagle, Georgetown, Maine. January 2, 2022. Photo by PhD*Son who made the trek to see it. This eagle, with 8' wing span, normally lives in Asia or Russia, and has been spending time in the Canadian maritimes after crossing the continent from Alaska. Currently it's hanging out in Maine. Amazingly rare, this was a Life Bird for PhD*Son! Read all about it here: Press Herald article
And! Here's a video presentation that is really well done. https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/rare-stellers-sea-eagle-spotted-in-midcoast-maine-audubon-russia-five-islands-georgetown/97-52cc6511-fd40-47c1-a027-2ec00619d92b?fbclid=IwAR32KJ2pAO2Ll72mb-vpWSBsE3O6DgE150UunMR1s5cQaFdVXPQDfudQkM
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope crew DID IT!
Full Deployment!
https://www.npr.org/2022/01/08/1071563942/nasas-james-webb-telescope-completes-its-final-unfolding-in-space
Eight foot wingspan--that's BIG! Almost as big as a condor.
ReplyDeleteJames Webb Space Telescope
ReplyDeleteNASA Blogs Home
Starboard Primary Mirror Wing Deployment Underway
The Webb mission operations team has given the ‘go-ahead’ to move forward with the extension of its starboard primary mirror panel. This is the last of the major deployments on the observatory, and its completion will set the stage for the remaining five and a half months of commissioning, which consist of settling into stable operating temperature, aligning the mirrors, and calibrating the science instruments.
Live coverage of the deployment, from the Webb Mission Operations Center at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, will stream on nasa.gov/live starting no earlier than 9 a.m. EST.
Watched some of it.
DeleteThey're about to do the finale!
DeleteStarboard wing primary reflector deployed and locked just now. Done!
DeleteRoyals await anxiously the fallout from Prince Andrew’s disgrace [Click]
ReplyDeletePrince Andrew lives a billionaire’s lifestyle on £270,000 a year – so where does all his money come from? [Click] From The Sun, which is a notorious muckraker, but it sure does make it sound like he ought to be able to pay his lawyers and other legal expenses without more gifts from his mother.
NYT: Why Tesla Soared as Other Automakers Struggled to Make Cars [Click]
ReplyDeleteSame story, no paywall [Click] “The yawning disparity between the performance of the electric car company and established automakers last year reflects the technological change roiling the industry.” The reporter (and editors) seems oblivious to BYD, to mention but one other notable competitor.
BYD?
DeleteWikipedia article on BYD Auto. [Click] They are a broader-based and more vertically integrated electric vehicle manufacturer than Tesla. Tesla started making high-priced EV’s and is working its way down, while BYD started with less expensive ones and is working both up and down at the same time. Warren Buffett is a major stockholder in BYD because he judged them to have more long-term potential than Tesla. Incidentally, Tesla buys batteries from BYD for some of its autos. There are reports that Toyota will be buying BYD autos and selling them as Toyotas. BYD will probably stop making gas-powered cars altogether this year, and is decreasing its output of hybrid electric autos. Aside from electric buses (made in Los Angeles by a unionized workforce) BYD isn’t yet making or selling electric vehicles in the US, but they are definitely coming. It seems very likely that BYD and Tesla will be the two biggest electrical vehicle makers (= the two biggest vehicle makers) in the world within a few years; there is speculation that Volkswagen Group (which has a lot of brands —15 or 20 I think) is likely to be Number 3. On YouTube call up Electric Viking, scroll down to “Show more” and scroll through for BYD-related videos if you want some more information. Chances are we will never purchase another automobile, but if we do I would like to have BYD as a choice.
DeleteI would also like to at least peruse ORA autos as well, including but not limited to the ORA Cat.
DeleteI forgot to mention that BYD has had no problems with either batteries or computer chips, since it is an established manufacturer of both.
DeleteThanks for the explanation, Alan. I'd love to have an electric vehicle, but they're going to have to be a lot less expensive before that happens. We'll have to stick with cars that have 40+ mpg...which I've had for 15 years so far.
DeleteYou and me both, listener. But it is interesting to see the evolution of the auto business that is going on. The sort of vehicle I have longed for since I was a kid (but which I need like another hole in my head) is a 1945-50 Dodge Power Wagon, or maybe a Carryall (that would be more practical). If one wants bragging rights seriously enough, a Pierce Arrow would do the job admirably.
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