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Have a Happy Thought: Sometimes you hear a phrase and think it must have come from a philosopher, or famous author… And then you look it up and find out it has a way more mundane (and possibly therefore more interesting) origin story. Some of these are amazing no matter their context, sometimes it is the context itself that makes the phrasing so incredible. Some phrases that have struck me thusly lately:   And what is the purpose of a living man if he lives not for the ones he loves?           ~from a silly youtube skit about playground drama   I was happy in the eyes of a drunken owl. ~misheard lyric from Heaven Knows I’m miserable Now by The Smiths   The circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are. ~ Pokemon (cartoon character) Mewtwo.   Luck favors the prepared. ~ Edna Mode in The Incredibles (kids movie)   Thi...

Have a Happy Thought: Sometimes the only way to keep your sanity (or hearing!) in a noisy environment is to wear noise-cancelling headphones. Sometimes you just want to wear noise-cancelling headphones to hear your music/podcast/phone call/whatever more clearly. Either way, if you are out and about while wearing these, you may find that you are missing some important noises that you wish you had heard. This is increasingly a problem where bicyclists and pedestrians share spaces.  One car company (yes, you read that right) has come up with a solution: a two-toned bike bell that can cut through the noise-cancelling technology and let you hear the “ding” anyway. Without making the bell louder. You see, Noise Cancelling headphones work in a couple of different ways. First, the big foam earcups or well-fitting silicone or foam earpieces. These physically insulate your ear canal from sounds coming from the environment. Then, you can have Active Noise Cancelling – and th...

Have a Happy Thought: Humans are heading back to the moon (what else would I have written about today?!) I still tear up watching humanity's early steps into space.   What really caught me today was the juxtaposition of this transmission from Artemis II / Integrity commander and the NASA commentator's words just after.   Integrity: "We have a beautiful moonrise, we're headed right at it."   NASA commentator : "Commander Reid Wiseman confirms he has visuals of his destination."   Me: 🥹   This exchange takes place at around T+0:05:00 (5 minutes after liftoff / 7.5 hours into this coverage https://youtube.com/watch?v=m3kR2KK8TEs) Image: Artemis II Launch: Watch NASA Send Humans Back to the Moon (Live)   Thanks to NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and all of the NASA partners in the USA and abroad for helping us all lift our eyes to the stars.