Opportunity: The Little Rover that Could

Dear NASA, JPL and Opportunity,

Happy tenth anniversary on Mars! There are not enough exclamation points to express just how amazing it is to have a machine designed for a 92-day mission headed into day 3,654. I love Opportunity's celebratory selfie!

I'm glad Opportunity has company in the form of the comparatively huge, nuclear powered Curiosity. I hope a good wind knocks some of the dust off these solar panels.

Many people have forgotten the harrowing encounter at Purgatory Dune in 2005. The mission could have been over had it not been for patience and ingenuity.

Barring gimpy motors and power shortages, it just seems this little bot will keep on ticking. I'm amazed. Not quite to the point of Voyager amazed, but amazed nonetheless.

Keep up the great work!

Love, 

Vintage Technology Obsessions

P.S. True space geeks must visit the tenth anniversary image collection. My ode to Opportunity's eight birthday is here.  It seems the solar panels were a bit cleaner at the the time. I also nerded out on Voyager as it hurtles into interstellar space and continues to send back data with technology dating to when Star Wars, AMC Pacers and Apple IIs were shiny and new. That was a simpler time when Han still shot first and you could see the matte lines around tie fighters.

P.S.S.  This blog still isn't dead. It just isn't getting much attention given my love of the photographic community and near daily postings on Google+

Christmas Leftovers

Happy New Year! I started the year off with a visit to one of my local antique malls. What didn't sell before Christmas is still there for a reason. Stick with me through the terrors to follow as I also spotted some typewriters!

"Oh, no!" Santa said to Santa, "Dwayne promised us typewriters! Where are they?"

Never fear, for here are the typewriters of Winter. They appeared from storage somewhere since garage sale season was at least sixty degrees Fahrenheit warmer than today in the Kansas City area.

As amazing as the Corona looks from a distance, the undercarriage is a bit rusty and the machine reeks of mold and mildew. It is unloved and unsold after a year.

And here is the one that sorely tempted me. It didn't smell moldy and still had circa 1958 receipts in the case.

The New Year is a time for resolutions. But that isn't my style. The closest I will come is in attempting self-restraint. I need another machine like I need a hole in the head. This awesome Underwood will haunt me. (insert pained sigh).

In the meantime, I have temporarily resolved to get by with the old beater Sony NEX-3 after partially drowning the NEX-6 last month. Yeah, pity me - a beach and a wave were involved.

As Christmas is just 12 months away, I will leave you with an exhortation to have a good New Year and the gift of a terrifying visage of angel tree toppers gone wrong. This thing scared my 13-year-old to the point where she would not go in the living room. It is now my office mascot ;-)

Yes, I have a thing for lightsabers.

On the bright side, I started 2014 with a really odd street photo and an all too seldom post on this blog. I wish all of you happy blogging, typing, writing, crafting and image making.