Life in 2089

According to this recent poll by the Pew Research Center, 38% of respondents would personally want to live to age 120, while they thought 68% of most respondents would like to live to that age.

That got me thinking, would I like to live to 120? I think I would, as long as I'm healthy enough to live fairly independently.

My 120th birthday is May 19, 2089.  This means that I will have lived through (most of) the second half of the 20th century, and almost all of the 21st. That is pretty cool. Let's take a quick look ahead at how life will be then:

Technology

With home TVs getting bigger and bigger, and more 3-D technology coming out, we actually have the long awaited (by me, anyway) Star Trek style holodeck/suite.

Robotics have advanced to the point where they  really have some human personality traits and emotions. They are used for all manner of civilian and military purposes. There are some who abuse our robotic tech, but thankfully there has yet to be rebellion.

Transportation

We finally got the flying cars we were promised so many years ago- and it's self driving, which is good. I can work on my 20,000th blog post and 10th book along the way. (I'm writing more since I retired back in 2035.)

We have self driving trains too. And transporters.

Space Travel

Sadly, I have to say that we still have not started a manned mission to Mars. But Virgin Galactic and US Spaceways are going strong, with many daily round trips to the Moon. Both companies have hubs in Boston, Las Vegas, and the Kennedy Space Center.

Politics

Soon, I will be voting in my 25th presidential election. Haven't missed a vote yet.

Medicine

Except for the common cold, all the major diseases are cured, and we have long had the tech needed for an old friend's cryogenic-frozen head to be attached to a new body.

Entertainment

With the holotech we have now, Reality TV has taken on a whole new meaning--yes, this type of show is still on the air, and it sucks worse than ever.

As for me personally, as one might expect,  I'm still volunteering at the Museum of Science-Boston. It must be, what, 80 some-odd years now.



Overall, life is pretty good here. There are still conflicts and problems--we are human, after all. But life has gotten better. We finally got a hold of what our technology and we ourselves can do.



Well, that's my little look at what life may be like in 2089. How about you? Do you even want to live to 120? If so, what do you think life will be like? The comments page is open.

Rocket Girl by George Morgan

Mary Sherman Morgan was born a poor farm girl from North Dakota. She would grow up to singlehandedly save the American space program.

But before we get to that, we have to start at the beginning--Mary's funeral. That's where George Morgan, Mary's son, met Mary's long ago co-worker Walter. "You need to tell her story," Walter told him, "You need to let people know the truth. Don't let her die nameless."

George, the Playwright in Residence at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) took up the challenge. He didn't know much about his mother, she didn't allow many photos to be taken of her, and "the Morgans are terrible record keepers". After years of painstaking research, the play Rocket Girl was staged at the Institute. The play got very positive, and a great amount of, press. The people wanted--needed-- to know more. Thus, this book, Rocket Girl: The Story of Mary Sherman Morgan, America's First Female Rocket Scientist was born.

The book is written as a novel in  the creative nonfiction style. This means that the story and people are real, but some of the details and dialog have to be "created", made up, by the writer.  For me, this made this one of the most readable biographies in the last few years. If I didn't know that it's a biography, I would believe it just as a good novel.

It is a well written and researched book. George spoke with many of Mary's collegues, friends, and relatives, and searched records in the US, Germany, and Russia. Rocket Girl is also an important book. As Dr. Ashley Stroupe of the  Jet Propultion Labratory talks about in the forward, Mary worked during a time when most men were off to war. When they came home, women were expected to leave work and go back home (or into teaching). Mary refused to do this, and she was accepted for it. Dr Stroupe herself continued Mary's legacy, becoming, in 2005, the first woman to remotely drive a vehicle on an extra-terrestrial body.

But this is not simply a biography of one person, it is a biography of the early days of the space race itself.  As World War II ends and the Cold War begins, we see the two sides lining up. On one side, we have Mary, the US military, and Wernher von Braun; on the other, Stalin, the politboro, and Sergei Korolev-the USSR's answer to von Braun. As we all know, the Soviets won the first shot with Sputnik, but thanks to Mary and her team, we quickly caught up.

And, what exactly did she do? As a chemical analyst with  North American Aviation--now Aeorjet-Rocketdyne--she came up with the perfect fuel for von Braun's rocket. (We learn from another co-worker that an "analyst" is an "engineer" with no college degree. Same job, less pay.) This is something even von Braun's own people couldn't do. North American Aviation called it HYDYNE. Along the way, we learn much about the inner workings of rocket science, government contracts, and working for a company under government contract.

By reading this book, I learned alot about the "science" in "rocket science", but more importantly, I learned about one of the unsung scientists in the first half of the 20th century. Without Mary Sherman Morgan, who knows how long it would have been before there would be a NASA, a space shuttle, or any kind of US space program. Furthermore, it shows how much times have changed-for the better. There were women in science before Mary Morgan, but not many. That is not the case today.

George Morgan accomplished his goal. His mother did not die nameless.

The 25th High School Reunion

Go Blue Devils!

My high school class--Salem (NH) High School class of 1988--recently held our 25th reunion. It was for me, in a (good) way, a bit of a surreal experience.

After spending fourth through eighth grades at a private Catholic school, my friends all went on to area Catholic high schools. On the other hand, I was moving to the regular public school, which of course meant essentially starting over again. 

This was not easy for a very shy -I recently heard a term I like better--"self-sufficient"- person. (Still am to some extent, however progress is slowly being made.)  I still had my best friend, but he moved away after a couple of years.

So it was for the next four years. But don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for my shot on Dr Phil. Nor did I  have any problems with my classmates, I did have 3 or 4 friends I'd hang with at lunch; that's just the kind of person I was.  I was most comfortable just doing my work and going home. After graduation, I didn't keep up with anyone, nor did I go to any of the previous reunions. I guess my attitude, for whatever reason--good or bad---was: OK, high school is over. Moving on. What's next?

Given all of this, what caused me attend my 25th? Well, it all started with a blast-from-the-past phone call my parents got at their house one morning a few months ago. I just happened to be there. It went, in part, something like this:

Dad, answering phone: Hello. (pause) Yes, he just happens to be here having breakfast. (To me): Bill,it's for you.

Me: For me? I haven't lived here in years, who would call me here? (Picking up phone): Uh, hello?

Caller: Hi, it's -----from high school. How are you?

Me: Uh, I'm good. How are you?

Caller: Good, thanks. I'm calling about our 25th reunion. You were on our "missing" list. The reunion's going to be at the end of July. Can I get a current email and I'll send you the information?

Cut  to July 27th, 2013. 7:00pm. I'm arriving at the Executive Court Banquet Facility in Manchester, NH. The food is out, the bar is open, and the DJ is at his post. And even before I check in, the folks at the table know who I am, and I remember them too.

After all this time, I remembered more people than I thought I would (of course the name tags helped.) But it was a good time. Never mind that it was a reunion, we were just getting together for a party. Talking about kids, work, vacations.  We all did pretty well for ourselves; they were impressed with my work at the museum, I was impressed with all their accomplishments. We even have a local celebrity in our ranks.

It had taken me so long to decide if I was actually going to go that I  missed the early bird rate for the ticket. But I'm glad I did attend. Maybe it's just a matter of perspective; sometimes you can't see the truth of a situation while you're in it. We were just kids then.

In the end, from twenty-five years out, my class is a great bunch of interesting, talented, fun people. I'm off the "missing" list, and looking forward to the 30th.



 

The National WWII Museum--New Orleans, LA

The National World War II Museum is quickly becoming an important historical repository. According to 2012 statistics, the Department of Veteran's Affairs estimates that there are roughly 1 million WWII vets still alive. However, at an average age of 90, the "Greatest Generation" will unfortunately soon be gone.

 

This is why the Museum, housed in a sprawling campus along Magazine Street, is so important. Its  buildings (with two more on the way--the Liberation Pavilion, and Campaigns of Courage: European and Pacific Theaters), Victory Garden, and other outdoor displays cover all aspects of the war: land, sea, and air. Both at home and abroad.

The Victory Garden
 

There are also three choices for food services, and every building has a ticket counter and gift shop.

The main exhibit hall is located in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion. Here, we see the progression of America's involvement in the war from preparation through the surrender of Germany and Japan. The middle part of the presentation focuses on D-Day, military codename Operation Overlord, with the massive planning and execution of the Normandy invasion.

As you move through the different rooms, which has excellent flow, there are plenty of side-rooms where you can sit and listen to oral histories of actual soldiers and others. It's good to be able to hear them tell their stories in their own words and voice. You can hear the emotion as they tell you about their experiences. There are also other rooms which show short movies on various aspects of the war.

In a tiny corner of this building is the Soda Shop, which is in partnership with famed New Orleans chef John Besh.

The rest of the campus is located on the next block of Magazine. Here are Besh's restaurant The American Sector, Stage Door Canteen (a theatre room), along with Beyond All Boundaries, the US Freedom Pavilion/Boeing Center, and the outdoor Victory Garden display, from which food services gets some of their produce.

Beyond All Boundaries, known in my family as "The Tom Hanks movie", is a 48 minute, 4D show about the War. In the 8 minute preshow, narrator Hanks explains life in America leading up to the war, the causes, and the war's history up to American involvement. As the preshow ends, the Japanese have set sail and are making final preparations for their attack on Pearl Harbor. With that, we enter the main theatre, and for the next 40 minutes, experience the war like we are actually there. Snow falls as winter comes, the seats shake as tanks roll by and bombs go off, there's smoke as guns fire, and pitch blackness and perfect silence turns to bright light and a loud bang as the Hiroshima bomb detonates. On stage, set pieces magically come and go Disney style: an old-time radio, a German guard tower, the nose cone of a B-1 Bomber. And on screen, pictures and video are set along to the actual words from FDR, General Eisenhower, journalists such as Edward R Morrow, and soldiers and others.  It is an amazing experience.

After the show, it was lunchtime. I wanted something quick, so I skipped the restaurant and went right to the Soda Shack. The Shack has burgers, hot dogs, and ready made sandwiches and salads, along with ice cream and milk shakes. The food is quick and reasonably priced.

My final stop for the day was the Boeing Center. As you may expect, this is the aviation pavilion. Featuring a B-17E Flying Fortress named "My Gal Sal", there are many aircraft on display, along with a Sherman Tank and the museum's other interactive show,  Final Mission: The USS Tang Experience.

 

"My Gal Sal"

 

The USS Tang was America's most decorated WWII era submarine, under command of Richard O'Kane. When it was finally sunk, where were only five survivors. In this 11 minute experience, you and your fellow crew members recreate this final mission. Going into the theatre--it's really a set--each audience member is given a card with biographical info of a real crew member and his assignment on ship,

I played the role of Ralph Adams, a 19 year old from Camden, NJ. My position was station #5--loading the torpedoes, or "fish". As the mission begins, we are briefed by Commander O'Kane and we are on our way. Using special effects such as lighting, sound, and overhead projection (it is a sub, after all), you get a feel of what the crew experienced. Other people were positioned at the periscope, navigation, and engine room. In turn we did our job well but finally we are hit and sunk.

 My Character Card from Final Mission

A note on the staff. Every staff member and volunteer I spoke with were very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. As a nearly 20-year museum volunteer myself, I was very impressed with the professionalism they showed guests, and how respectful they were with the subject matter and the museum's mission.

Ultimately, there are so many things to see, do, and learn at the museum that I can really only give you a quick overview here. But if you ever find yourself going to New Orleans, take the time to go. You will learn a lot.

My Summer Cruise, Part 2: The Ports

Pier 1, Port of St. John. Our parking spot for the day.

On Thursday, June 6th, 2013, I woke to a bright, sunny day. It was about 6am EST, and looking out my porthole window, I start to see land. It's the second full day of the cruise and we are coming into the first of two port days: St John, New Brunswick.

St John--not to be confused with St Johns, they get very particular about that--is a small city with a population of 68,000 in the city proper; it is the largest city in the province. It is nice, but there's not much to do there except shop or head off for the Bay of Fundy. I did the bay last year, so I stayed in town. There are a good number of bars and restaurants, a craft fair, Farmer's Market, and the Brunswick Square Mall. There's even an old time General Store. The people are very friendly.


Since I had no particular rush to get off the ship as I was not on a group tour, I disembarked around 9. First stop, I needed to get to the mall as I heard about a store called the Little Shop of Science (those of you who know me well can see why this would be important.) And it's a little shop indeed, chock full of science toys, books and games.

After leaving the mall, I wandered around the park, past the University of New Brunswick-St John, and headed over to Barbour's General Store (www.barbours.ca) . This "old fashioned" general store and museum has been in operation for several generations and is a famous St John spot. Here I discovered something very delicious- and healthy- Barbour's own brand of almond butter with cinnamon. The roughly 14oz jar I bought cost $10 US, but it's definitely worth the money. So good.

Last stop, the Farmer's Market. This is a a great place to walk around and see some nice local crafts and food.

 

St  John Farmer's Market

You only need to be in town for a few hours to see it, in fact I was back on board in time for lunch, but it is a great place to take a break from the ship.

The next morning, Friday,  started with a bit of rain, but the ship's weather report said that it should clear early and be a sunny warm day--that, in fact, was the case. It's our second, and last, port day: Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Halifax, nicknamed by the locals as "Hill-ifax" or "The San Francisco of the North", is quite the hilly city with a population of 390,096 (2011 figures), is the largest city in eastern Canada, and is the seat of the provincial government. It's also home to the nearest North American airport to Europe.

Once again, I leave the ship around 9, but this time I'm going on a walking tour of the city. The tour, which will take about 3 1/2 hrs is lead by Jim, a former art teacher who grew up nearby.  We get on the bus for a quick drive to the Public Gardens, and will walk the rest of the tour from there.

 

Jim and the gang

The Public Gardens is a very beautiful place, although with my allergies, I wouldn't be able to spend the whole day there unless I planned ahead. The flowers and trees are perfectly manicured, however, as Jim told us,"Everything is left natural. No feeding, watering, or fertilizer or mulch. It either makes it or it doesn't". This is on purpose, he says. Once planted, the beds are manicured and weeded, but otherwise, nature just does what it does.

 

Halifax Public Gardens

The other interesting thing about the Gardens is down the center line, both sides are perfect mirror images.

As we leave the Gardens and head on the way to the Citadel, Halifax's old fort, we hear the story as to why Halifax has a close connection to Boston, Massachusetts.

They call it the Halifax Explosion. On December 6, 1917, 8:45am, the Belgian relief ship Imo was departing Halifax for New York when it collided with the French munitions ship Mont Blanc, which was coming in to wait for its convoy. The Mont Blanc was fully loaded and the resulting explosion killed nearly 2000 people and entire sections of the city were destroyed as the fire spread after the Imo crashed into Pier 9.

Boston's role here? Well, Boston was the first US city to send help. This is why Boston's official Christmas tree always comes from Halifax. Even all these years later the tradition continues as Halifax's way to say thank you. And it's a big deal for the Canadians too. If the tree comes from your land, you get to make the trip down to the States with the mayor for the lighting ceremony.

A few minutes later, we have climbed the hill to the Citidel and arrive just in time for the Changing of the Guard. In keeping with old tradition, the sentry at the gate is relieved every couple of hours and it is quite a show as the orders are given. Just before this (it's now local noontime) the ceremonial firing of the cannon takes place.

We didn't get a chance to actually go into the Citidel, but I certainly will when I go back. There are lots of great hotels in town, and it would be worth the trip to stay.

Changing of the Guard, Halifax Citidel

 



Working our way back down the hill to the boardwalk along the ocean front, you can see how the city's grid is laid out. All major roads work up the hill from the ocean, so it is easy to see where you are.

The tour has ended, but I'm not going back to the ship just yet; there is still one more stop to make. I have to get my Beaver Tail.

No, not an actual beaver tail...but the fried dough goodness that was probably the least healthy lunch of my life. I get a #9--peanut butter, chocolate, and Reese's Pieces. Yummy, yummy.                                                                                                 



With a full stomach, I wend my way a mile along the boardwalk and back to the ship. It was a good two days in Canada, and looking forward to going back.

In keeping with ancient tradition, the Nova Scotians see us off with a song on the bagpipes and drum.

My Summer Cruise, Part 1: The Ship

This is the first of a two part post. In Part 2 we will explore the Ports of Call.





The Carnival Glory--Home Away From Home

On June 4th through 9th 2013, I took a cruise out of Boston to Canada, with stops in St. John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia, aboard the Carnival Glory.

Given all the bad press Carnival Cruise Lines has had the past year or so, let me start with the really, really, very excellent news: this was an uneventful trip. There were no mechanical failures, fires, or epidemic illnesses (although I did catch a cold), and no one disappeared overboard. Even when we spent a day sparring with Tropical Storm Andrea, the ship remained steady and true.

Having said that, this cruise could be rated "OK" at best.

 First off, there are a lot of what I'll call "vendors" on board. In food service, there's Guy's Burger Joint, as in Guy Fieri, the Food Network personality.  The entertainment department has "Punchliners Presented by George Lopez", which are comics personally chosen by the veteran comedian. Also in entertainment, there's "Hasbro: The Game Show", life size versions of popular Hasbro games. Finally, the shipboard sports bar is called "EA Sportsbar", named for EA Sports, the popular sports video game company. These are the four most obvious examples. My point here is that Carnival seems to be starting to lose their own personality, almost like they own the vessels and simply rent out space.



Chocolate Shake from Creamers Coffee Shop

Although, when it comes to the food, I do have to admit the burgers at Guy's are excellent, as are the fries! The Carnival Deli is also a good choice if you want a simple, light sandwich. The Red Sail Restaurant, the buffet style food service on Lido Deck, for the most part is good, however the food was a bit cold on occasion. (One way around that at breakfast is to use the omelet station, where they are made to order.) As for the dining room for dinner, the portions are a good size and taste good, but one of the people I traveled with had to send back the food three times over the course of the week because it was cold. On the other hand, I am glad to see that Creamers Coffee Shop still had their chocolate shake--the single best ice cream-based food on the high seas.


As for the entertainment, I can't say anything about Punchliners as I didn't go to any of those shows, but I did see both sessions of Hasbro: The Game Show and frankly thought it's just plain stupid and made me wonder what happened to my childhood. There were three Broadway-style production shows; I did see one of them and it was canned music-no live band-and it is possible that even the singing was lip-synced.

Other entertainment around the ship included a couple of soloists with guitars (one of which really stunk), and a husband-wife piano and singing duet called Summer Breeze who are really good.  There was some bingo, but not as much as in past years, and tons of trivia contests. The movies chosen for the Seaside Theatre, the outdoor big screen on Lido Deck, was an interesting mix running from Gone With The Wind to Men In Black 3. In the end, the entertainment, under the purview of Cruise Director Matt, was a mixed bag.

A quick note on the staff. The crew members overall were excellent. From the cabin stewards to the dining room waitstaff and bartenders to (from what I can tell) the Camp Carnival (the children's program) staff. The one exception here, unfortunately, is the cruise director staff, including Matt himself. There was a real edge to this group. Matt was very sarcastic (all cruise directors are to some point), but he took it to a new level, almost to the point of  being just plain mean. One of the trivia contests I participated in was hosted by Jessie, and he seemed really bored.


With all that, one of the most disappointing bits of news came from Kai, the host of the Future Cruise Talk. One good thing about this itinerary is that, being from the Boston area, it is a good cheap vacation; no flights needed. Well, no more. Starting in 2014, Carnival will no longer be going out of Boston. Fortunately, other lines will still depart Boston.

I started cruising roughly 13 years ago, all but one on Carnival.  In fact, this is the same ship and itinerary as last year. (We actually got the same cabin, too.) But this is the biggest year-over-year change I've seen in the line. This "new" Carnival Glory is part of the company's "Funship 2.0" concept, and of course this is based on one voyage on one ship, but if this is what's happening fleet wide, then maybe Carnival has lost its way.



The view from Lido (Deck 9) down to the Lobby (Deck 3)

Trek Month Comes to a Close

As the unintended Trek month comes to a close here at DWT, I thought I would bring out an old piece of writing.

I wrote this poem for one of my college writing classes. Inspired by the movie Star Trek: Generations, it actually won an honorable mention in a national poetry contest. Enjoy!

ODE TO CAPTAIN KIRK

 

Captain Kirk, what a man.

Played as only Shatner can.

Traveling the universe in the Enterprise,

He was the apple of all the girls' eyes.

With Spock and Bones and the rest of the gang,

Sometimes even Uhura sang.

 

Then, one day, he entered the Nexxus,

Where he was taken away from us.

He died alone, as he knew he would,

Although Picard did all he could.

When you join Starfleet, sometimes death is a perk.

Long Live Captain James Tiberius Kirk!