I’m Bored So YOU Suffer!

We learned two very important lessons way back in the 2200’s when Hyperdrive was first invented and being refined. 1) DO NOT go through a Sun or other planetary body, so 2) Stop about half way and modify/refine your course.

The 3rd Hyperdrive ship was dispatched to Betelgeuse to finally check if the thing had gone, or was about to go, nova yet. It could have but the event just not visible from Earth. We wanted to know. And it’s only 4 days away at HS.

So, HS (Hyper-Ship) 3 aimed, fired, and obliterated Betelgeuse like an old .46 cal (see GalacticaPedia: Pistol, ancient history) shot to the head. Small entrance hole, large, messy, exit wound.

We have no idea why HS3 hit Betelgeuse at Hyper Speeds. Hell, we didn’t even know they’d done it until HS 53 went to check it out almost 40 years later. HS3 hit and made a small (8-10 Earth sized) hole in the front. And complete blew out the back. Left several 40-50 Earth sized “blobs” of white hot plasma (one of which enveloped the only planet to be found in orbit) and a 65 BILLION kilometer “streak” of star stuff pointing out into the galactic void. It’s been estimated that this will fade in a million years or so.

Betelgeuse itself will probably not nova now. We just don’t know. And we won’t even be able to see the damage done from Earth for another 600 million years.

But the Government will keep an eye on it. Just in case.

Then there’s the “boner” problem with HyperSpeed. HS affects the mind, no, let me rephrase that: HS affects Male physiology such that about 4 minutes into a “jump,” every male onboard will get an erection. Said erection lasts until about 4 hours after the trip is over.

Scientists have proved unable to find a reason why. There are no (known) treatments for it. Nothing works to get rid of it except ending the exposure. They’ve tried chemicals, sex and masturbation, adverse environmental conditions, enclosing their “members” in bags of ice, even surgery and posting pictures of ex-wives on bulkheads. Nothings worked. Just resign yourself to the fact that, if you get onboard a HS ship, you’re going to get a boner.

There are small companies that have 2-day “excursions” for the older gents crowd. One  day out, one day back for you and your lovely-young-bride/partner with specially padded null-G staterooms where your imaginations are the only limiting factor. And your heart.

I had a friend that used to tell female first-time HS passengers that it was their fault and they needed (needed!) to do something about it. That they were the only one that could do anything about it. He was surprisingly successful. Got strangled by a jealous husband on the way to Alpha Centauri 5.

But don’t get me started.


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That Was Kinda Awesome!

Raining fairly hard this morning. Stepped out on the deck and the sound slammed me in the face. Not the rain, but a zillion raindrops hitting a zillion dry leaves. Kind of a muted roar. Almost sounded windy but there was none. Neat!

So the Dog and I did our usual mile anyway. You just dress for it. Me in my poncho and him in his yellow raincoat. I was stationed with the Marines far too long to let bad Wx stop me from going out and the Dog doesn’t care. Rain, shine, snow, wind, it don’t matter. (Although I do wear my hard hat when it’s really windy cause I saw on the Internet that that’ll stop that tree falling on me from injuring me. You know: like our covid masks keep us from getting the covid.)

Otherwise, not a lot going on around here.

My Network/Internet connection started going slower and slower until, finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I mean: 8 hours to transfer a 1.2 Gig movie to my NAS. Rebooted a lot. Rebooted these wall-wort things I have that give me connectivity through the power lines. Rebooted the modem. Didn’t work.

So I ran a 50 ft cat-5 cable (don’t ask) to check if it was my computer or what. Wasn’t my computer. Soon as I plugged the line in and my computer found the connection everything jumped back up to normal. Yeah, that same movie file took 8 whole minutes but that’s way better than 8 hours.

Now we have a 50 ft cat-5 cable running along the wall from the living room to my room. Taped down across doorways, of course. And that’s probably going to stay there until I learn how to make my own cables (I have 500 feet of it I got at St. Vinnies for $15 and all the “stuff” to make them) then I’ll check into wiring my whole house. Come up from the basement or down from the attic?

Uploading all my “local events” pictures to Google Photo’s. I really need to pick one place and upload my pictures that I want to share to ONLY that one. I’m spread all over the place. Was supposed to be Flickr but they went expensive. Google Photo’s is actually easier than Google Drive. Way easier than my photo site that I maintain.

Anyone interested in pictures of old cars and planes?

Election Day. I have Q13 on in the background (only channel we get out here) and glance at it occasionally. Lots of businesses boarding up for the after-election violence that’s been promised by various factions. I really hope Trump and the Republicans win by overwhelming majority that can’t be disputed. Won’t happen, but I can hope.


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