Mang NOT seen hitchhiking at Kenedy Space Centre.

STS-119 launched yesterday at sunset on a mission to bring a new solar array to the International Space Station.

Rumors persist that Mang, a well known bat, hitched a ride on the orbiter after his recent return from space where he was piloting a space telescope. Despite evidence including photos, here this was not Mang but another bat named Brian (according to Dr Ian O'Neill).

Also, Brian clearly was not a Scout as can be seen from the lack of protective gear for either the journey or the last minute escape.

Either way, we suspect that Brian may have Gone Home (i.e. he's an ex-bat)  if he didn't get away well before launch.

Good luck Brian, where ever you are!

Update:  It seems that Brian indeed has gone home.  Reports indicate that he did not fly away, was not frozen, and was observed clinging to the external fuel tank of the orbiter as it lifted from the pad. It is believed Brian may have been injured and could not fly away.  For more info, photos, and even a song (Major Tom) adapted to honor him - see here and here.  (Strangely I have an image from the movie Toy Story stuck in my head - the vibrating face of Woody the Cowboy as he, RT and Buzz strapped to a rocket blast off from the road in pursuit of the moving van - only this time it's Brian face).  It's not known how long he could have held on but we can only hope.

God speed, Brian - the world's first hypersonic space bat.

Tipsy Orion

Real Orion Image courtesy of NASA APOD (Credit & Copyright: Matthew Spinelli)

The other day I walked into a local wine store and noticed the "Orion" brand of Port and Sherry. I immediately noticed that a few things were not right with our mythic hero of old.  Above is a photo of the label contrasted with a real photo of Orion.

Firstly, his left foot (Rigel) is out of place. His belt is too loose (from too much Turkey dinner perhaps). In fact, it's right out to his bow! And he seems to be having an outbreak of some sort around his right shoulder (Beteleguese).  I expect the poor fellow will fall flat on his face.

BTW. It's that time of year again as Orion returns to the evening sky.

TD Coin Counting Machines Pass Scout Apple Day Workout!

Apple Day is one of the biggest fundraisers for many Scout groups. Every youth has a donation tin. People donate their spare change, loonies, toonies, and some even donate bills. Many do not even take an apple or the little button hole donation card. (When we used to go door to door, one elderly gentlemen actually donated an apple to us!)

Every year it has been a large effort by people in the group to count and roll all the coins in all those tins and get them to the bank and make a deposit. This year after a couple of personal test runs, I can report back that the TD's coin counters are robust and reliable. We counted over 40 tins worth of change in just over an hour. It would have been faster if we were not concerned with a per tin tally. We were duly impressed by the performance and reliability of equipment.

In addition to the things I learned before (see Free Coin Counting Service!), here are a few more things, I found out about the machines:

• They don't take 50 cent pieces (neither does the bank because they can't give them out).
• The blue lights mean the bin is full.
• When you have a lot of coins, very occasionally good coins will get rejected. Put them through again.
  
• It seems to know when you've checked for rejected coins. And don't rush it at the end of a cycle.
  

In addition to the 2002 Canadian 50 cent piece that I bought back from the group. I also have a 2004 British Penny, and a 2000 Albanian 5 Leke piece.

I also wish to thank the staff at the 1440 Royal York branch and the patient customers behind us (who all said they'd wait for us to finish).

Spaghetti Western Orchestra?!

This past weekend I had the chance to see the Spaghetti Western Orchestra at Harbourfront.

The Spaghetti Western What-estra? I hear you thinking. Orchestra is a bit of an overstatement if you judge by their number of performers (5), but perhaps not by the instrumentation (100+) or talent they bring.

In addition to the copious array of traditional instruments, you will find a Theremin, beer bottles, corn flakes, baby boots, rubber gloves, scripts, clocks, plants, coat hangers, and many many more.

The show combines a story line based on the old spaghetti westerns; the music of the composer of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly; sound effects; comedy; audience participation; and sing-a-long. Even the mistakes are choreographed. It's well put together and enjoyable.



For more on the SWO including more video clips and their US tour schedule, check out their web site.

Custom Jigsaw Puzzles

While I was on vacation this summer I visited one of my favorite stores and found they had a very cool new product - custom jigsaw puzzles from digital photographs!

The possibilities for this are just about endless. There are the usual applications like Christmas Cards, Vacation Photos, and Art Photos.

The store has some recommendations on their web site for what makes a good puzzle and an order form. If you want more information check out Board Silly in Old Orchard Beach Maine.



Hopefully it will be used only for good and no one will bring back the "Purple Dread" - a 5000 piece puzzle of pure hideous unvarying purple. :)

Free Coin Counting Service!

Lots of people throw their spare change into jars and boxes for a rainy day. The problem has always been that at some point you have to sort it and roll it, before you can take it to the bank.

While there are personal sorting and stacking machines available to do this, the inexpensive ones aren't very good and the good ones aren't very inexpensive.

Another alternative are commercial coin counting machines such as the Coin Star at the local Dominion Metro food store on Lloyd Manor. The problem with these is that they charge a high percentage (over 9%) for the service. I have enough distant Scottish ancestry to make this quite unpalatable.

Recently a new alternative came to light. A free coin counting service! TD Canada Trust has introduced this as a pilot project. Better still, you don't even have to have an account with the bank! I've heard that it's in about 10 Toronto area branches but I'm not sure if there are more outside the GTA. I couldn't find anything on the TD website and the only information I have is a single glossy information sheet of unknown origin. If you're looking for other locations, you'll need to make some phone calls see below.

The counting machine is located inside the branch and it looks like a standalone ATM. It has a touch screen and a small conveyor belt. Simply pour your coins onto the belt and it counts them. It rejects foreign currency as well as coins that are rusted or in bad condition. When you're done you get a receipt from the machine. Make sure you must present the receipt to a branch teller on the same day to get your money.

Fortunately, one of these pilot machines is located nearby at the branch on Royal York Rd at Summitcrest Dr (north of Eglington and La Rose).

I tried it out a couple of weeks ago and found it to be easy to use, fast and accurate. Even if you're only throwing in pennies, nickles, and dimes, a 750 ml sized jar can easily yield $30 or $40.

BTW. If you find other branches piloting these machines, please post the location in a comment on this article!

Update: Thanks to Dan Matan for getting a list of pilot branches. His original article can be found here.

• 1440 Royal York Road (at La Rose north of Eglington) Etobicoke, ON M9P 3B1
• 10908 Hurontario Street (at Wanless) Brampton, ON. L7A 3R9
• 808 York Mills Road (at Leslie) Toronto, ON. M3B 1X8
• 5000 New Street (at Appleby Line) Burlington, ON. L7L 1V1
• 5887 Main Street (at West Lawn Cr) Stoufville, ON. L4A 1N2
• 1684 Danforth Ave (at Woodington) Toronto, ON. M4C 1H6
• 1119 Fennell Ave E. (at Upper Ottawa) Hamilton, ON. L8T 1S2
• 1260 Commissioners Rd W (at Boler) London, ON. N6K 1C7
• 1005 Ottawa Street N (at River Road) Kitchener, ON. N2A 1H2
• 1365 Fanshawe Pk Rd W (at Hyde Park) London, ON. N6G 0E3

More Scouting possibilities in Hut 33?

I got to thinking about how Scouting and Guiding worked into the plot of several Hut 33 episodes. That led naturally to thoughts of future possibilities and connections.

All of this depends on the biographies of the main characters, which haven't been published. Writers need some kind of biographical outline of their characters but unless they're writing a complex novel it doesn't make sense to make them too detailed. In fact too much detail could stifle creative possibilities. What we need is to get an idea of the age of the characters to see if they could have fit into early Scouting. So let's see if we can read between the lines ...

We know Gordon is 17, born in 1924, and his involvement in Scouting is alluded to in "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" and firmly established in "Royal Visit". But the facts about the other characters are not so well established.

• My first thought was that Charles was probably too old to be in Scouting. We know from "Careless Talk" that he had travelled to the Balkans in 1914. However, assuming he was at least 18 and probably in his early twenties at the time, that would make his birth before 1897 and leaves him about the right age (11-16) to become a Scout in 1907. Charles might be older, but he could still have been involved even if he was born as early as about 1890. That would put him between 44 and 51 in 1941. My guess is that he was born in 1892. This leaves the possibility of a 50th birthday party in 1942 and that he could have been one of the first Scouts at Brownsea Island! Both possibilities could provide fertile ground. Where would he sew on all those language strips?
• We know Josh is a Capricorn, but beyond that we have few clues as to how old he is. We know he's younger than Charles who was a professor when Josh attended school. We know a bit about his military family and father, the General, all of whom got to their positions without merit. I'll guess the General is very close to retirement age and that Josh was born in the few years just before WW I, say around 1911-1912. We know from "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" that Josh is familiar with the Jungle Book; although, this is meager evidence. In any event, his Scouting experiences could be hilarious. Besides the series really could use a variety of other Josh gaffs.
• When Archie applied to Cambridge, he was rejected by Charles. I seem to recall this was given as 1927 (but I could be imagining it) 1928 (as we find out in "Where Boffins Dare"). This would put Archie's birth around 1907 or later which would give him ample time to be a Scout. There is the issue of Archie's atheistic or agnostic non-belief and if it would have been a problem in early Scouting. However; he could easily have come to that after he started Scouting.
• We know virtually nothing about Winstanley's background. In fact, have we seen him since series one?
  
• Mrs. Best must be close to Charles in age. But is she younger or older? We know she was in Berlin in WW I and in Paris in the twenties. An early date for her birth would be about 1890. Girl Scouts came in 1909 but there was experimentation with (or at least debate around) girls in Scouting during the early years. I'd guess her birth was between 1890 and 1898. For her to be involved in the Girl Scouts, she'd need to have been born later in this time frame. Somehow, part of me wants to see that she and Charles share a birthday. While there are hilarious possibilities here, we've already had a reference to Mrs.B and BP.
• Lastly we have Minka. On one hand she doesn't seem all that familiar with Scouting having seen them as a junior defence league. But that could just be her tilted perspective. We know that Poland had a healthy pre-war Scouting movement. And there is a possible heroic role model for her in Olga Malkowskamay. Again, frighteningly hilarious possibilities exist.

Of course, I've been thinking of the characters direct involvement as youth or young assistant leaders. A broader canvas is available if their potential roles as adult leaders is considered.

I hope that James Cary will further explore Scouting connections in season three. I think there are some very funny possibilities here.

Hut 33 and Astronomy

Hut 33 (and here) is a BBC radio comedy set in 1941 at the super secret code breaking organization at Bletchley Park. Although fictional, the code breakers of the Hut are brilliant and occasionally quirky much like the real people who worked there. This group is a bit more dysfunctional.

In the inaugural episode of Hut 33, a young and naive Gordon (the prodigy) found himself on a Valentines day date with Minka. A very nervous Gordon seeks advice on this sensitive topic. On Mrs. Best's advice to talk about the stars and her eyes, Gordon prepares himself.

Just before the date, Archie asks Gordon about how he's prepared for the date. Gordon indicates he has lots of material about the stars and eyes ... "They're created through an equilibrium between the compressional force of gravity and the outward pressure of radiation ...". Panic and hilarity ensue.

In later episodes we find out Gordon was a Cub Scout. See "Hut 33 finds Mowgli" and "Hut 33 returns with more Scouting connections".

Great news, Hut 33 was just approved for a third series.

Update: Hut 33 Series 1 is being replayed on BBC4, see here. Episode 1 is set for August 5th @ 6:30pm. Episode 2 will play on the 12th. Presumably episodes will play weekly. You can catch up for up to a week on "Listen Again" off the series page or here.

Hut 33 returns ... more Scouting connections

Hut 33, the BBC radio comedy, has returned for a second season.

In the final episode of season one, we find out enough to suspect that Gordon had been a Cub Scout, here. We also know that Archie and Josh were either in Scouts or at least acquainted with the Jungle Book.

In season two's opener, "The Royal Visit", we find out more about Bletchley's scouting and youth group connections:

• Gordon was indeed a Cub and earned every badge but one. There's one like him in every pack. (Well almost.)
  
• Minka gets involved with a Brownie group and brings her efficiency and unique interpretations to the movements principles. (Be very afraid Brown Owls.)

The entire Scouting and Guiding sub-story is hilarious. I just can't say more without giving away too much.

A word of warning to parents: Hut 33 is typical of a number of British radio comedy shows having some risque bits.

For more on Hut 33 see: the BBC page, this Wikipedia page, this comedy page, and the Hut 33 blog.

I can't help but wonder if we won't hear more about Scouting later in the series.

Hut 33 finds Mowgli

The BBC premiered a new radio comedy called Hut 33 based on a group of code breakers at Bletchley Park in 1941. Very funny stuff from James Cary.

Here's a snippet from episode 6 "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" where we find out that Gordon may have been a Cub. Gordon and Archie are both codebreakers. Josh, the head of the hut, has a good heart; although, he's a bit out of his depth when it comes to details, concepts, directions, and codebreaking.

Gordon: Archie's very cynical about religion.
Josh: But Archie, our whole fabric of society is based on the teachings of the Bible. There's a very inspiring story of that baby who grows up to be really really famous.

Archie: You mean Jesus.
Josh: No, no, no, no. It starts with an M. I think he's separated from his parents and brought up by wild animals.
Gordon: Are you thinking of Mowgli!?
Josh: That's it! Which book is that in?
Archie: Jungle Book!
Josh: You mean, The Book of Jungle. Is that the old or new testament?

Hut 33 was extended for another season.