Tuesday, September 29, 2009 - No Tsunami, Staying Busy
There was a massive earthquake in Samoa earlier today, which triggered a 10 foot tsunami locally that washed up 100 feet up the coastline of that island nation and claimed at least 14 lives. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a Tsunami Warning just after the quake was detected, but was reduced to a Tsunami Watch a few hours later. In between, there was definite concern in the Hawai‘i Island community and beyond, with folks taking precautions and pulling their kids out of schools within inundation zones, and making evacuation plans. Me? I was wondering which surfboard I should use - a Rhino-Chaser for anything over 10 feet, or my 8‘2" squashtail thruster for anything smaller. Of course I‘m being facetious. I don‘t have a Rhino-Chaser, and would use my 9‘ longboard instead. Seriously, it is very fortunate that no tsunami of significant size was generated from the quake, and that more lives will not be lost because of this natural event. In the meantime, I really haven‘t missed a beat, as I have completed all of the posters for my Kalākaua poster series project and sent them to get laminated at a local shop. I also finished packing some large ebay auction items that I sold over the weekend, and shipped them out parcel post at the Post Office. I also dropped off a large map of the Hilo Bayfront area circa 1891, to a shop to mount and frame for a contract I have with a local businessman. Finally, I was able to get my PT Cruiser safety checked and vehicle registration renewed, but not before discovering that the battery had died. That was an easy fix because I just jumped the PT‘s electrical system with the battery from my XTerra, let the PT idle for a bit. This afternoon, I am picking up Kaipo a little early so that we can go over his homework. His mother and I were both astounded that he did not know how to do long division, and had spent a good portion of last night getting him up to speed. As he gets older, it is quite apparent that we as parents will need to be more diligent in our involvement with our son‘s day-to-day learning. There‘s no such thing as cruise control for kids - you‘ve got to be actively engaged with their learning and growth (both physical and metaphorical).
Monday, September 28, 2009 - Crunch Time
This is going to be a killer week. Not killer in the good sense, but what work may end up doing to me. I have mountains of deadlines and a limited amount of time in which to meet them all, so death could be interpreted as a good outcome (as opposed to a prolonged torture). Things are tough right now with budget cuts and workforce reductions, but we've got to keep moving forward and persevere. We are so busy, I'm not really sure why I am even taking the time to publish my thoughts as I could be using my time much more productively toward accomplishing something. But in a way I suppose I am achieving objectives as there is something strangely therapeutic about doing this instead of going postal or losing myself in a bottomless bottle. My project over the weekend was to come up with a concept for a poster series that will adorn the walls of the Institute for Astronomy Hilo auditorium. Currently there are astronomy-specific posters that I had created several years ago, and it is time for an update to some of the content. This time around I get to focus on King David Kalakaua, the Merrie Monarch. Everyone knows Kalakaua by the International Hula festival that bears his moniker. But what people don't realize is that Kalakaua was a proponent of science and technology, had sent the best and brightest young Hawaiian men and women to study around the world, and had more than a passing interest in astronomy. With a teacher professional development workshop taking place in our Institute's auditorium next week, the posters will be a nice touch of informational decoration for the interior walls of the venue.
Sunday, September 27, 2009 - Working On the Weekend
I managed to get out of the office long enough to videotape my son Kaipo's soccer game at the Hilo Bayfront soccer fields yesterday. They played a tough team, and were a player short (as luck would have it, one of their better players). Although they played good, the offensive attack of their opponent was more than they could hold back, and they took their first loss of the season 5-2. Then it was back to the office to attend to my weekly ebay auctions, which end on Saturdays. This week's offerings were well received, and like most weeks sold out at or exceeding my break-even point. As the auctions end, I list new items, and it is good to know that people are following my sales because as soon as I post them, I usually have watchers and bids. When the last week's auctions are finished, I send out invoices, and for those who pay immediately, I am able to safely pack and mail out their specimens at the local Post Office. Next, on the agenda is to work on a series of posters on King David Kalakaua for a contract I am working on. The posters have to be completed in time to get laminated and hung before the teacher professional development workshop that will be held in our IfA auditorium on October 5-6. Next, work on a pair of Hawaii Island Senior Institute lecture I am to give this coming Thursday, October 1st, and the following Thursday, October 8th. For the most part I am searching for material I had used several years ago, but am discovering that these resources are nowhere to be found (which means I will have to develop the presentations from scratch). Today was mostly spent photographing next weekend's ebay auction items, writing up descriptions for them, and printing out Certificates of Authenticity for them. I was also able to print out 3 large Kind Kalakaua posters that I had completed last night - 3 down, 7 to go.
Thursday, September 24, 2009 - Projects in the Community
I had a visit from Connections Public Charter School Principal, John Thatcher today. John and his school have been busy of late, and I have been following their progress through articles in the local newspaper. John came by to apprise me of a couple new projects that he thought would be interesting to me. The first is a Makery Cloud project that will involve three charter schools: Connections, Hawai'i Academy of Arts and Science, and West Hawaii Exploration Academy. I can't offer specifics, but suffice it to say that it involves computer aided design (CAD) and rapid prototyping. I hope to get the Institute for Astronomy involved by offering a tour of our machine shop to demonstrate real world application of the skill sets they will develop during the project. The second project is a campus extension that will place environmental studies in a wooded area off Kaumana Drive. Its good to see old friends to catch up on what they are doing and to see if there may be a way to work together on a project. In the meantime, I offered my science inquiry activity using real meteorites to his school in hopes that I can visit his school in the near future.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - Multitasking
I've been trying to get back on top of things here at the Institute for Astronomy office of Science Education and Public Outreach, so today I've been jamming on two computers. I am working on compiling an AstroDay Festival event portfolio on my Macbook Pro 17, and designing some posters on my Macbook Air. While one task is spooling up, I switch over to the other one … repeat as needed until done. The light looks real small at the end of the tunnel, but I know that if I just keep chugging along I will get out of this backlog of work in due time (like the little train that could). Earlier today, I managed to photograph a few more of my meteorites that I will be listing on eBay. I've found that if I maintain my eBay auction presence with good quality stock at low starting bids, that people will keep coming back as return customers. Of course, I need to keep things fresh so I rotate my stock from time to time to offer some variety. By photographing my inventory and cataloging them, along with a "lineup sheet" for each week's offerings, I can streamline the process so that I can maintain some uniformity and consistency, and expedite the inputing and uploading of data to the eBay website. Its been a bit of work, but fun and profitable while still being able to provide the meteorite collectors quality specimens at affordable prices. My back is still not fully recovered, as it groans in protest from time to time. Most of my difficulties occur in the morning when the back is cold and stiff, so care has been given to provide some support and heat for my torso after waking up. It goes without saying that this protocol doesn't lend itself to resumption of my dawn patrol surfing sessions, and being out of the water now over two months has been somewhat demoralizing. Perhaps I should consider mid-day sessions or afternoon ones that keep me in warmer climes and during a period after which my back has suitably loosened up. Okay, back to work … talk to you later.
Monday, September 21, 2009 - Back in Hilo
Wow, where does the time go? Things have been a bit of a blur since the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) conference ended last week Wednesday. I've been back in Hilo and trying to catch up on my work, which has been accumulating since my absence. With the departure of my assistant, and the elimination of his position (due to the economic downturn), my workload has expanded, requiring 10-12 hours of attention each day. This is nothing new, as I had invested two and a half years building this office on 12 hour days when I first started at the Institute for Astronomy. Its just a little discouraging that it seems I am back to square one, building the program up again. The good news is that I am not building it up from scratch, but have a working template of projects and programs with proven track records. So its back to the grindstone with a need for being a little more selective, and to assign priorities in order to maintain some semblance of sanity here.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009 - Sky High
That's how I feel after attending last night's Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) public lecture featuring Astronaut Dr John Grunsfeld. Besides having flown Space Shuttle Missions STS-81 (1997), STS-103 (1999), STS-109 (2002), and STS-125 (2009), Grunsfeld was also given a summit tour of the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility in 2004 by me. If you just clicked on the previous link, you would have been treated to a soundbyte of Grunsfeld while in orbit above Hawai'i, as he mentions Mauna Kea Observatories. Grunsfeld's presentation tonight was about the Hubble Space Telescope Service Mission 4 - to repair an ailing space-borne observatory. To rejuvenate it's aging and broken components. To upgrade the capability of its imaging cameras and spectrographs. Service Mission 4 was slated to be scheduled for a launch date when the Columbia disaster occurred, which cancelled the mission due to risk. But several years, a new Director, and a public outcry set about a change in policy and reinstatement of the mission. Space Shuttle Atlantis facilitated that mission during STS-125, launched May 11 and touching down May 24. In between those dates, Atlantis' crew worked together to complete the tasks, but not without incident. Grunsfeld's story is punctuated with humor and an insider's view into the a NASA space mission: the good, the bad, and the funny. For this talk, a teacher's son (who happens to be attending college nearby) was interested in attending the lecture, so I invited him up, and got us the worse seats in the house (sorry Keao). But back-of-the-room seating notwithstanding, the presentation didn't suffer a lick from where we sat, and when it was over I asked if he waned to meet the astronaut. Silly question, as we we both swam upstream a river of people leaving their seats for the exits, to make our way to the front of the stage. There, a small crowd had congregated to surround the astronaut with questions. My guest and I waited patiently off to the side, until I noticed conference brass moving forward to clear a path for Grunsfeld's retreat. Quickly I made my move out to greet him, and introduce myself and somehow managed to get him to pose for a photo with my guest and me. I think it was pretty cool for my friend's son. He seemed to be happy, and before we knew what happened, the astronaut was whisked off backstage in a flash, as the crowd slowly disbursed. I don't know about my friend's son, but I am still floating on cloud 9. I've met a number of astronauts in the past, and each one is a special moment. But this one holds something even more special than all the others. Not that John Grunsfeld is any better than any of the other astronauts I've had the pleasure and honor of meeting. No, I think this time was better because of what it offered a young person in terms of their special moment of inspiration. It made me feel good to make someone else feel good. And I like that.
Monday, September 14, 2009 - Sunny and Clear
The sun made an appearance today in Millbrae (near San Francisco) for the first time since my arrival last Friday evening. Its a beautiful day in California, as I join my colleagues from Mauna Kea Observatories and the University of Hawai'i at Hilo for the Astronomical Society of the Pacific annual conference. The Hawaiian contingent includes IfA colleague Mary Kadooka, Janice Harvey (Gemini Observatory), Inge Heyer (Joint Astronomy Centre), Kumiko Usuda (Subaru Telescope), John Hamilton (UHH Physics & Astronomy), Caroline Kaichi and me. Other than California, Hawai'i is probably one of the best represented states at this year's meeting and it is certainly good to see so many familiar faces from home here. Of course there are familiar faces from everywhere else that are also a welcome sight to see, and I am reacquainting myself with them. Maybe due to my poor vision or my bad memory, a lot of people are recognizing me before I can them. This can be a source of embarrassment, but I can usually fake it pretty well (although my side-eye glance to spock their name tag isn't what it used to be). Everyone who submitted poster papers were able to give a 60 second pitch to come visit their station in the poster hall, and I must have done okay because there were more than a few people who came to learn more about our AstroDay Festival. Tomorrow I join Janice, Inge, Kumiko and John during a 45 minute breakout session on astronomy outreach in Hawaii. On Wednesday, I'll be on a discussion panel that focuses on remote observing in education. Seems like I'm working more at this year's event ;^)
Saturday, September 12, 2009 - Cloudy and Overcast
Wow, just like home! Well San Francisco is a little bit cooler with temps in the 70's, which is fine with me as I dash this off on my Air in my hotel room. I'm attending the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) conference, along with colleagues from Gemini Observatory, Subaru Telescope, Joint Astronomy Centre and UH Hilo Astronomy and Physics Department. When I flew into SF yesterday, I had noticed some booms throughout the early morning hours and was shocked to learn that there was a large lightning storm that had started several wildfires in the dry wooded areas inland of the bay. Today the storm has subsided, but the clouds remain and paint the area in a pale, pastel of subdued hues. Having no rental car, I've taken walks around the area but am a little disappointed to discover that the hotel is situated in an industrial area for the most part, so I'll need to broaden my exploration through the use of the BART system. Today's informal science educator workshops have been interesting. I have been inspired by Jay O'Callahan, storyteller in a workshop that focused on telling science through storytelling - an interesting concept that hits close to what I have been working on with regard to my anthology of Pacific-Asia sky stories. O'Callahan has a magical way of inviting one to step into his world while he spins tales that incorporate science unobtrusively. I have also met several of my contemporaries at various organizations in attendance at the conference, and am meeting new ones. Maybe this conference is just what I needed to refocus my perspective and rejuvenate my energies to a new kind of outreach.
Thursday, September 10, 2009 - Keep On Keeping On
I don't know if that title makes any sense. I must have read it somewhere, perhaps in a comic book during my youth, or a sitcom during my adolescence. It's funny how things and events can mark time in your memory banks, like how a phrase or a musical passage can bring you right back to where you were when you first experienced it. I thought that the saying was in reference to perseverance. On how one overcomes adversity, against all odds, to attain a goal or objective. Its a syrupy recipe of moral values that is woven into the fabric of American society, as well as the script of just about every film I saw growing up. Lately I've been having a little difficulty keep on keeping on. I've been fighting the fight for a while now, and the fruit of my office's labor have left its mark in the community (but nothing a little soap and water couldn't clean ;^) Well maybe its because I'm tired of fighting on the outreach front without much organizational support. Today when I brought my Photoshop file over to print my ASP conference poster, I had a remarkable conversation with a friend who works in a different organization. I wish I could say old friend, but I've only known him for a couple years. I wish I could say that he was a close friend, but I can't because we rarely run into each other (unless its in the lineup at Honoli'i). But the conversation would seem to bely a casual relationship in its insightful clarity and piercing introspection. Kinda scary at times but truth they say can be scary. Well suffice it to say that the cause of my back ailments may not strictly be physical but the manifestation of some other problem(s) in my life. Family life - beautiful; personal life - other than being drydocked from surfing, pretty darn good; professional life? Hmmm. There are other opportunities out there for me to express my creativity and skills without giving up my integrity for what I'm doing - something that I cannot say I am experiencing currently.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009 - New Meteorite Shipment In
My latest shipment of meteorites from North West Africa came in late today by FedEx, and most of the specimens have met or exceeded my expectations. Buying meteorites from dealers in Morocco may sometimes seem like a crapshoot, as you're going on pictures and their reputation (and maybe a little faith too). Luckily my contacts have been honest and trustworthy, and some have even offered some schooling in the ways of the Berber. The shipment came in a big 10 kilo shipping box, and I opened it with great anticipation. The achondrites I ordered are gorgeous, perhaps even better in person than their two-dimensional images could have hinted at. A possible CV3 carbonaceous chondrite looks fantastic despite my buyer having second thoughts about classification. So for this piece, I am contemplating having it analyzed at the UH HIGP non-destructively for mineral makeup first to reduce or eliminate any question of its pedigree. My lots of Chergach and Bassikounou are made up of complete individuals with fresh, dark fusion crust. I'm glad no one has purchased these lots yet, as I will be doling them out through eBay, where they should fetch a good price, while still remaining affordable as a good deal to the small or new collector. Since starting to import and deal meteorites to help support my educational outreach non-profit, I have gotten to know people I've known for years a whole lot better. There are a few closet meteorite collectors in Hawaii, and maybe now we can start inspiring more people to begin this wonderful hobby centered around these strange black rocks from space.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - Time Keeps on Slipping
Where did the time go? Its strange how time keeps on slipping into the future. As hard as we may try, we just can't put a stop to it, or even slow it down (although it would be nice from time to time). As I write this entry, it occurs to me that its been a couple of weeks since my last post, and although I have maintained a somewhat active presence on Facebook, this site has languished a bit, and for that I apologize. There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to accomplish all that I would like, and with the reduction of staffing within my office, I am challenged even more so. I just can't seem to keep up with things, and deadlines are constantly slipping. The circumstances under which I am operating now are not dissimilar to those under which I was working when I first started up this office of Science Education and Public Outreach (SEPO). Seven years ago, SEPO was created with little more than a vision, a small budget, and a deep commitment to serving the Hawai'i Island community. The first three years were heavy with 12 hour days, and countless miles on the dogs as I beat the pavement to carve out a place for IfA outreach. Since then I believe we have come a long way to establish a standard of quality educational outreach for Hawai'i Island and beyond. Gotta thank my colleagues at the observatories on Mauna Kea for being right there to support and collaborate on building not just my program, but theirs as well. Collectively, the astronomy community of Mauna Kea has built one of the most comprehensive educational outreach schedules in the world. And for that I am deeply honored and appreciative to be a part of this team. When we started the IfA program in 2003, there was only the Hawai'i County fair and our signature AstroDay Festival coming off a successful inaugural event. Now there's a plethora of activities, events, formal and informal educational support almost island wide. So despite a reduction of budget and manpower within my office (which will result in a reduction of services and scope), the overall landscape of outreach here on Hawai'i Island has never been better.