Ronald Crittenden

Fears

I think it was the flying monkeys that really got me. A recent discussion online brought back to me a memory of the time when I was, I dunno, maybe six or seven, watching The Wizard of Oz on TV by myself. This was in the days when most televisions (including the one I wasContinue reading “Fears”

On the Webb

I was going to write today about the launch of Artemis on its way to the moon, as America renews its glorious leadership in the exploration of earth’s closest neighbor. Then, Boeing’s famously troubled rocket horked up a hairball on the launch pad. Oh well, maybe next week. At any rate, I decided this wouldContinue reading “On the Webb”

Space Opera

(Image credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), J. Bally/H. Drass et al.) Wowza. If you’re a space news junkie, you may already be familiar with this remarkable picture. It was assembled using imagery from ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile, and ESO, the European Southern Observatory. It was pictures like this that got me hooked onContinue reading “Space Opera”

The Climb

If you’re the sort of person inclined to visit my webpage, you were probably as excited as I was to see the Perseverance rover absolutely stick the landing in Jezero Crater on Mars this past week. It was a feat so monumental in scale and yet so flawless in execution that it really beggars anyContinue reading “The Climb”

Twilight in the Pacific

I just finished reading Twilight of the Gods, the third book of Ian Toll’s magisterial trilogy of World War II in the Pacific. Covering the final year of the war, the massive 944 page volume is monumental in both size and achievement. This is well-tilled ground, of course. Entire libraries of books have been writtenContinue reading “Twilight in the Pacific”

Haggis

[This is a post from 2017 that I re-up from time to time in honor of Robbie Burns Night.] Last night was Robbie Burns Night in Scotland. Burns is revered here as the national poet, and his life and work are celebrated annually on January 25th. To the Scots, Burns Night is kind of likeContinue reading “Haggis”

Just Birds

I love birds. Today, Carol and I set up a new feeder — a pair, in fact — to provide cold weather nourishment for the robins in our yard. Along with the standard tube-style feeder and the riotously popular fat ball vending station that already bring in dozens of visitors throughout the day, the newContinue reading “Just Birds”