Monthly Archive for June, 2006

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Photoshop goodness

Published on 7 June 2006 in Astronomy and Photoshop/Illustrator. 0 Comments

More Photoshop imagery. I painted a large, dry, double-planet, orbiting an unseen star. In the distance, a typical binary star system shines. I used the LunarCell engine to render the planet’s surface, and my own processes for the other objects.

If you want the image for desktop wallpaper, choose your size and download:

Note: to find out which version to use, right-click on your desktop and select Properties. Click the Settings tab, and note the setting in the Screen Resolution box.

If you are using Internet Explorer, once the image appears, you must mouse off of the image. When you mouse back over the image, an Expand box will appear in the lower-right corner of the screen. Click it. After the image returns to 100%, right-click the image, and select Set as Background.

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Yay parenthood

Published on 2 June 2006 in Family and Humor. 2 Comments

“Look, Daddy! I have a penis!â€

Oh, lord, what now. I’m afraid to look at her. I turn to see her three-year old naked body arched back, her hands pinching her privates into a phallic mass. She is giggling, obviously pleased with her new trick.

Of course, it’s the most hilarious thing I’ve seen. Well, the funniest thing I’ve seen today, anyway. But one look from the wife tells me that I can’t encourage such behavior, so I clench my teeth and pretend not to be interested. “Yeah, neat, honey.â€

The child senses my struggle not to laugh, and adds a final sound effect. “Look! Pssshhhhh…†pretending to pee on the ferret. Now he looks at me.

It’s a familiar look.

“I swear to all that’s holy this comes from your family,†my wife says in exasperation.

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What’s up for June 2006

Published on 1 June 2006 in Astronomy. 3 Comments

For the past decade or so, I’ve been writing a monthly astronomy column for a large organization of amateur astronomers. The column was called, “What’s UP?” and it covered the stargazing highlights for a given month.

Recently, I’ve retired as the regular columnist to pursue other interests. However, since I’m used to penning a column every month, I see no reason why I can’t continue the same tradition here at monkeyPi. So, if you’re even a teeny bit interested in the night sky, make a note to stop by around the first of every month. I try to target audiences of all interest and skill levels.

The first part of the article is always called “What’s New,” and it usually covers sky events that anyone can enjoy. Typically, the highlights contained within this section can be seen with the naked eye or a decent pair of binoculars. You’ll read about the planets, the Moon, meteor showers, eclipses, etc.

The second recurring section is called “What’s Old,” where I discuss more advanced topics. Every month I will list the available Messier objects within a short distance of the meridan at local midnight, along with other notable observing opportunities. Most of these events require at least a good pair of binoculars to enjoy; many times you will need a telescope to see them.

So… with that introduction, here is the June 2006 “monkeyPi” edition of “What’s UP?”

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