Red's Place

Yes, I'm still alive. I'm aware its been almost 2 months since I last posted, but I've been busy. :-)

Just got back from just under 2 weeks in southwest US, and it was very hot, the country seems to be melting over on the west. Saw one report on the weather channel that Seattle was getting weather approaching 100 (F). Now that's mad... :-)

The reference is because I've just bought "Short Circuit" on DVD, as it was going very cheap, and watched it. Found this reference on Wikipedia too:

"Unrelated films often have parallel ideas, and 1986 was the year of the "cute robot". Other precocious machines were featured in Flight of the Navigator, Rocky IV and Space Camp."

Now that's quite amusing. Wonder if any of them are also going for £2... :-)

Ok, so that's a quote from my mate's Marvin the Martian T-shirt (a cartoon I've still never seen), however it seemed apt.

After blogging last week about my trip to the southwest USA, this caught my eye... some photos and a couple of blogs about "SpacePort USA, new mexico". Yes, we drove through landscape like this, and we stopped in Truth or Consequences (TorC) for lunch. Saw the sign on the freeway too. Its a very isolated place, with one of the biggest missile ranges to the east, and mountains, plus flat lands with only abandoned "towns" (villages at best) in the middle of dust roads. I guess abandoned due to the harsh landscape. (For UK readers, this is at almost 5000 feet, so the sun is very strong, lots of UV, factor 30+ sunblock needed). A great picture shows pretty much what southern NM looks like. Pretty barren, but amazing.

Now the SpacePort pictures and SpacePort blog

Then you come to read the comments on the blog, and this stands out:

With rampant alcoholism, poverty, poor education, bad roads, water problems,and sagging economy is a Space Port the most important thing New Mexico needs? I can't even get DSL for my computer. Lets got New Mexico into the 20th.century, before we try for the 21st. and beyond.
David A. Sweetapple | 04.04.07 - 4:06 pm | #

He's right, the state of 1.5million people does seem to be very poor compared to other parts of the US that I have visited. Its quite interesting to see in a first world country. I prefer the EU approach.