Posts Made By: jess tauber

Hangin' with the Homies? Maybe he'd like a little company? I hear some of the folks in DC are free...

Jess Tauber

See http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20070106/cm_huffpost/037954

Jess Tauber

I'm curious as to what the biggest objectives are in privately-owned scopes you folks have ever heard of- any type of scope. And recent things, not the famous ones of bygone years. Does anyone own something at 40 in., 50? Bigger?

Jess Tauber

Assuming one could balance forces as they do with 'floating' globe toys, maglevs, etc., could one make a stable, ultralightweight thin secondary for a reflector that had neither window nor spider mounting of any kind? Would one be limited by aperture (given how much strong magnets weigh, unless the magnet is in the secondary itself)? Or would vibrations kill the idea, assuming the engineering aspects would work?

Jess Tauber

In a story leaked today by White House insiders, President George W Bush will soon announce new intelligence findings that definitively link global climate change to radical Islamic terrorist movements.

Newly appointed deputy Environmental Secretary Egon Faith will then speak to reporters gathered to hear the President, and bring them up to speed with regard to these findings.

According to one reporter who had seen internal White House memoranda, a secret study authorized by both the CIA and the Joint Chiefs had found proof that Saudi, Iraqi, and especially Iranian oil interests had been bankrolling, beginning in the early 1980's when Osama was fighting the Russians in Afghanistan, efforts to increase sales of oil to the Western nations.

As is only now being realized, burning oil-derived products might actually be increasing greenhouse emissions which in turn raise temperatures globally. These increased temperatures then support creeping desertification, specifically in and adjacent to states controlled by Muslim majorities already adapted to such rigorous conditions.

The White House believes that such climate induced spread of deserts, pointing out that the US was responsible only for a tiny fraction of total emissions, could then facilitate the spread of radical Islamic movements. They point out that since the late 1970's large numbers of Muslims, prompted by surging populations at home, had emigrated to parts of the world already affected by warming climate, bringing with them seeds for radicalism. Large scale acts of terror often involve explosions and fires, further increasing the effect on the atmosphere.

This reporter was told by a person close to the President who asked that his name be withheld that he thought that the government and its allies in the oil industry had been duped into believing that their products were environmentally benign, with huge profits reaped blinding them to the possibility that they were being taken in. 'They just put their arms around our shoulders and told us not to worry!' he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

One oil company president said that now that all that messy Iraqi business had been settled, it was high time we took care of that pesky Mahmoud Ahminawhatsits guy, before sandy terrorist highways extended into all the major capitols of the civilized world. The oil there in Iran had to be protected, before somebody burned it and raised atmospheric temperatures even further.

Asked what alternative energy sources the US and its allies might substitute for oil products now that the dangers were known, he replied 'Ethanol. I've always liked ethanol.'

Just before this piece went to press one well-known televangelist, when briefed about the upcoming report, offered this: 'You know who those guys worship- all that heat and violence'.

Thorne LeGemente for CN

Followup on earlier thread, see http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070207/ap_on_sc/kenya_fossil_debate

Soon they'll have to send in the troops.

Jess Tauber

I recently read (on the auction site that must not be named) that WWII era Erfles sometimes had the same type of radioactive elements one often finds in aerial lenses of the same period.

Does anyone know anything about this? Do old war surplus Erfles (such as from Edmund, or Surplus Shed, etc.) also have these elements?

I've read that though the actual PARTICLE emission is relatively weak, decay creates isotopes which then release gamma rays, which will punch through just about anything (or anyone).

The last thing anyone needs is brain cancer from their favorite vintage ep's.

Jess Tauber

I'm curious to know what the range of focal lengths is/was for commercially produced erfles. I have two myself- both older Celestron models- a 20 and a 32mm.

Jess Tauber

It's been reported in the press the past few days that wild chimpanzees have been observed hunting bush babies WITH SPEARS. An attorney for Kevin Federline indicates that this is just one more reason that custody of their children should go to his client.

Jess Tauber

As some of you may remember (where is Herbert Highstone???) I've been playing with gradient index for refractive optics. After reading the oil- versus air-spaced thread I started wondering about mixed glass/gradient systems (like, for the past three minutes... ).

Since liquid lenses between glass have been used in the past, would there be any issue about using a relatively soft gradient element between two traditional glass lenses? Could this be used to create an APO effect?

Jess Tauber