Sky's the limit in search for E.T.
Denounced a decade ago as misguided in their efforts to find "little green men", scientists searching for extra-terrestrial intelligence are returning to the hunt with a new, more powerful telescope and the backing of some of Silicon Valley's top titans and techies.
http://g.msn.com/0MN2ET7/2?http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8029534&&CM=EmailThis&CE=1
And then you can come back down to earth and visit "copperpenny22" at these great auction/marketplace sites:
http://www.yahooauctions.com
http://www.eBuysUSA.com
http://www.bidchaser.com
http://www.wodauctions.com
http://www.oldandsold.com
http://www.ioffer.ca
http://www.bidville.com
http://www.livedeal.com
http://www.iOffer.com
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Saturday, May 28, 2005
PRIVACY INVASION VS FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES
Hello All:
There is a link to a website where if you type in your first and last name
and pick the state you live in, it will pull up your address or your parents
address with your birthdate or birth year. It also has options where you
can obtain maps to that person's house. And for $20.00, they will provide
a background check to anybody that requests it!
The link is http://www.zabasearch.com. In order to request your information be
deleted from their database you need to send an e-mail too
info@zabasearch.com.
This is disturbing to know that all someone needs is your name and home
state and they can find out your birth year and your address and even have
resources provided to them to find it.
In addition, when you send them an email request to be deleted, you get an
automated email message saying that you have to put your request in writing.
Surely, something should be done to stop this nonsense. See the linked article
for one legal opinion. http://writ.news.findlaw.com/scripts/printer_friendly.pl?page=/ramasastry/20
Anybody have any good ideas?
And pass it on!
There is a link to a website where if you type in your first and last name
and pick the state you live in, it will pull up your address or your parents
address with your birthdate or birth year. It also has options where you
can obtain maps to that person's house. And for $20.00, they will provide
a background check to anybody that requests it!
The link is http://www.zabasearch.com. In order to request your information be
deleted from their database you need to send an e-mail too
info@zabasearch.com.
This is disturbing to know that all someone needs is your name and home
state and they can find out your birth year and your address and even have
resources provided to them to find it.
In addition, when you send them an email request to be deleted, you get an
automated email message saying that you have to put your request in writing.
Surely, something should be done to stop this nonsense. See the linked article
for one legal opinion. http://writ.news.findlaw.com/scripts/printer_friendly.pl?page=/ramasastry/20
Anybody have any good ideas?
And pass it on!
Thursday, May 26, 2005
EBAY LISTING STATS
Back in February, during the one-week eBay boycott by eBay sellers, eBay listings fell from 19,000,000 to 12,000,000. Many eBay sellers closed their eBay stores at that time, but continued to list their auctions under a 120-day listing plan, to avoid the increased listing fees that went into effect in February.
The 120 days has passed; and a revisit to www.quotetracker.com indicates that current eBay listings are back to the boycott week level of 12,000,000, a sure sign that those Sellers who left in February are still having an effect on eBay listings.
Go here to see the eBay stats:
http://www.medved.net/cgi-bin/cal.exe?EIND
The 120 days has passed; and a revisit to www.quotetracker.com indicates that current eBay listings are back to the boycott week level of 12,000,000, a sure sign that those Sellers who left in February are still having an effect on eBay listings.
Go here to see the eBay stats:
http://www.medved.net/cgi-bin/cal.exe?EIND
AUCTIONS NETWORK USA NEWSLETTER BLOG
For the latest news from Auctions Network USA, you can sign up to receive the Auctions Network USA Newsletter.
http://auctionsnetworkusa.com/News_05_15_05.htm
And you can shop 'til you drop at The Network Partners:
http://www.eBuysUSA.com
http://www.Addabid.com
http://www.ePremio.com
http://www.bidchaser.com
http://www.wodauctions.com
Visit soon and often!
http://auctionsnetworkusa.com/News_05_15_05.htm
And you can shop 'til you drop at The Network Partners:
http://www.eBuysUSA.com
http://www.Addabid.com
http://www.ePremio.com
http://www.bidchaser.com
http://www.wodauctions.com
Visit soon and often!
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
WEAR RED ON FRIDAYS
You will soon see a lot of people wearing Red on Fridays. Here's why:
The Americans who support our troops, are the silent majority. We are not
"organized" to reflect who we are, or to reflect what our opinions are.
Many Americans, like yourself, would like to start a grassroots movement
using the membership of the Special Operations Association, and Special
Forces Associations, and all their friends, simply, to recognize that
Americans support our troops. We need to inform the local VFW's and
American Legion, our local press, local TV, and continue carrying the
message to the national levels as we start to get this going. Our idea of
showing our solidarity and support for our troops are -starting Friday,
and continuing on each and every Friday, until this is over, that every
red - blooded American who supports our young men and women, WEAR
SOMETHING RED.
Word of mouth, press, TV -- let's see if we can make the United States,
on any given Friday, a sea of red much like a home football game at a
University.
If everyone of our memberships share this with other acquaintances,
fellow workers, friends, and neighbors, I guarantee that it will not be
long before the USA will be covered in RED - and make our troops know
there are many people thinking of their well-being. You will feel better
all day Friday when you wear Red!
Let's get the word out and lead by example; wear RED on Fridays.
I sent this out to everyone on my email list; hopefully, you will too.
Please forward this to everyone you know!!
Wear Red on Fridays
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, BECAUSE OF THE
BRAVE. FOR US, THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED!! GOD BLESS AMERICA.
(Author Unknown)
The Americans who support our troops, are the silent majority. We are not
"organized" to reflect who we are, or to reflect what our opinions are.
Many Americans, like yourself, would like to start a grassroots movement
using the membership of the Special Operations Association, and Special
Forces Associations, and all their friends, simply, to recognize that
Americans support our troops. We need to inform the local VFW's and
American Legion, our local press, local TV, and continue carrying the
message to the national levels as we start to get this going. Our idea of
showing our solidarity and support for our troops are -starting Friday,
and continuing on each and every Friday, until this is over, that every
red - blooded American who supports our young men and women, WEAR
SOMETHING RED.
Word of mouth, press, TV -- let's see if we can make the United States,
on any given Friday, a sea of red much like a home football game at a
University.
If everyone of our memberships share this with other acquaintances,
fellow workers, friends, and neighbors, I guarantee that it will not be
long before the USA will be covered in RED - and make our troops know
there are many people thinking of their well-being. You will feel better
all day Friday when you wear Red!
Let's get the word out and lead by example; wear RED on Fridays.
I sent this out to everyone on my email list; hopefully, you will too.
Please forward this to everyone you know!!
Wear Red on Fridays
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, BECAUSE OF THE
BRAVE. FOR US, THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED!! GOD BLESS AMERICA.
(Author Unknown)
Sunday, May 22, 2005
SHOOT IT, SISTER!!
If You Are a Blogger, Read a Blogger, Love a BloggerHelp them to keep the FEC outta their business. Red State tells you how. It only takes an e-mail, and I know for a fact you're already at your computer.[05:17 PM 20-May-05 Mary Katharine Ham Comment]
Shoot It, Sister!
Just saw Sandy Froman speak. For those of you who don't know, that's Sandy Froman-- a Jewish native of San Francisco, graduate of Stanford undergrad and Harvard law, and President of the NRA. She said she gets this reaction a lot: "What's a nice girl like you doing involved with guns?"
And she admits she might not have been involved with guns had a 3 a.m. break-in not forced her to get involved. Froman was a 20-something lawyer in L.A. when she woke up to a strange noise at her front door. She looked through the peephole and saw a strange man crouched with a screwdriver at her lock. She pounded on the door and screamed, thinking surely he would leave once he knew someone was home.
To her horror, she saw him stand up, look through the peephole back at her, and bend back down to go to work. She called both her nextdoor neighbors. No one answered. She called 911 and they told her to lock herself in her bedroom until the police got there. She told them she had no lock on her bedroom door. She ran around the house turning on every light, the stereo, the TV to draw attention to the house. She checked the peephole--he was still there. Between the last time she looked and the time the police got there, the man finally fled, unable to bust the lock.
"The next day, I was a woman on a mission," she said. She said she went to a gun store, which was quite an achievement for this West Coast-dwelling, Ivy League-educated lawyer, she said. She told the gun store guy (what are they called? 'Clerk' sounds too delicate.) she needed a gun. When he asked which gun, she said "any gun." He promptly suggested she get some firearms training first, which she did.
"I found that shooting a gun wasn't that hard, and it was fun when I hit the bullseye," she said. She became a great shot pretty quick, practicing every weekend. After diving into her new firearm hobby, she noticed people she knew (some of whom were her fellow lawyers) thought anyone who owned a gun was a dangerous criminal. After asking some of her range-friends why some of her lawyer-friends thought that way, they suggested she join the NRA to learn about the politics of the 2nd Amendment.
Since then, she has served as a board member (in an organization of mostly men, she got a higher vote total from members around the country than any other board member ever has), Second Vice President, First Vice President, and now NRA president (the second woman to hold the job).
Froman, elected in April, said her two big issues for the year are encouraging the NRA's self-defense classes, particularly for women. The Second Amendment was written for the preservation of liberty-- when it is threatened by a foreign power, a domestic faction, or by a criminal on the street, she said.
"Every woman is entitled to such security," she said. "Everyone is safer when the criminals don't know who's armed."
Her assertion is supported by the sharp drop in gun violence in every state that has adopted a concealed-carry law (38 so far!). She also pointed out statistics that show concealed-carry permit holders are, on average, some of the most law-abiding of any citizens. Her second big issue is the federal judiciary. Judges who understand the 2nd Amendment are crucial because all the good legislative work that is done for gunowners can be undone by an activist judge's one ruling, she said. And Supreme Court justices are the ultimate guardians of the meaning of the 2nd Amendment.
Froman took a few questions, urged young women in the audience to give firearms a shot and decide for themselves if they like them. They're not necessarily for every woman, she said, but it's senseless to decide how you feel about them before you even touch one. She also encouraged college women to bring together like-minded women on their college campuses for shooting clinics and safety classes. Froman said she finds many more women are curious about firearms than are hostile toward them, regardless of their political beliefs.
The President of the NRA was without a gun today because she was speaking in the District of Columbia, where, as I've said before, you can't carry a handgun. Luckily, another D.C.-dwelling woman, Kay Bailey Hutchison has proposed the D.C. Handgun Ban Repeal. She's getting an assist from Sens. Cornyn and George Allen, and has gained sign-ons from 26 Senators, two of them Democrats. Allen cited his reason for supporting the bill--
Allen explained that the city's homicide rate is up 200 percent since the ban was enacted, compared to a national rise of 12 percent. Hutchison said Washington had 248 homicides in 2004 and the highest per capita homicide rate.
Despite the stats, Mayor Anthony Williams and some relatives of murder victims are opposed to the legislation.
"I am incensed by any proposal that is an insult to the memory of the people who have died in this city due to gun violence, in particular the three children who have died from gun violence this year," Williams said.
Well, I am incensed by a ban that is an insult to the people just trying not to be made into memories in this lovely little "gunless" town, Mayor Williams. In the meantime, I sure am glad to know that you'll be protecting my memory from insult after I'm gone. [03:04 PM 20-May-05 Mary Katharine Ham Comment]
Shoot It, Sister!
Just saw Sandy Froman speak. For those of you who don't know, that's Sandy Froman-- a Jewish native of San Francisco, graduate of Stanford undergrad and Harvard law, and President of the NRA. She said she gets this reaction a lot: "What's a nice girl like you doing involved with guns?"
And she admits she might not have been involved with guns had a 3 a.m. break-in not forced her to get involved. Froman was a 20-something lawyer in L.A. when she woke up to a strange noise at her front door. She looked through the peephole and saw a strange man crouched with a screwdriver at her lock. She pounded on the door and screamed, thinking surely he would leave once he knew someone was home.
To her horror, she saw him stand up, look through the peephole back at her, and bend back down to go to work. She called both her nextdoor neighbors. No one answered. She called 911 and they told her to lock herself in her bedroom until the police got there. She told them she had no lock on her bedroom door. She ran around the house turning on every light, the stereo, the TV to draw attention to the house. She checked the peephole--he was still there. Between the last time she looked and the time the police got there, the man finally fled, unable to bust the lock.
"The next day, I was a woman on a mission," she said. She said she went to a gun store, which was quite an achievement for this West Coast-dwelling, Ivy League-educated lawyer, she said. She told the gun store guy (what are they called? 'Clerk' sounds too delicate.) she needed a gun. When he asked which gun, she said "any gun." He promptly suggested she get some firearms training first, which she did.
"I found that shooting a gun wasn't that hard, and it was fun when I hit the bullseye," she said. She became a great shot pretty quick, practicing every weekend. After diving into her new firearm hobby, she noticed people she knew (some of whom were her fellow lawyers) thought anyone who owned a gun was a dangerous criminal. After asking some of her range-friends why some of her lawyer-friends thought that way, they suggested she join the NRA to learn about the politics of the 2nd Amendment.
Since then, she has served as a board member (in an organization of mostly men, she got a higher vote total from members around the country than any other board member ever has), Second Vice President, First Vice President, and now NRA president (the second woman to hold the job).
Froman, elected in April, said her two big issues for the year are encouraging the NRA's self-defense classes, particularly for women. The Second Amendment was written for the preservation of liberty-- when it is threatened by a foreign power, a domestic faction, or by a criminal on the street, she said.
"Every woman is entitled to such security," she said. "Everyone is safer when the criminals don't know who's armed."
Her assertion is supported by the sharp drop in gun violence in every state that has adopted a concealed-carry law (38 so far!). She also pointed out statistics that show concealed-carry permit holders are, on average, some of the most law-abiding of any citizens. Her second big issue is the federal judiciary. Judges who understand the 2nd Amendment are crucial because all the good legislative work that is done for gunowners can be undone by an activist judge's one ruling, she said. And Supreme Court justices are the ultimate guardians of the meaning of the 2nd Amendment.
Froman took a few questions, urged young women in the audience to give firearms a shot and decide for themselves if they like them. They're not necessarily for every woman, she said, but it's senseless to decide how you feel about them before you even touch one. She also encouraged college women to bring together like-minded women on their college campuses for shooting clinics and safety classes. Froman said she finds many more women are curious about firearms than are hostile toward them, regardless of their political beliefs.
The President of the NRA was without a gun today because she was speaking in the District of Columbia, where, as I've said before, you can't carry a handgun. Luckily, another D.C.-dwelling woman, Kay Bailey Hutchison has proposed the D.C. Handgun Ban Repeal. She's getting an assist from Sens. Cornyn and George Allen, and has gained sign-ons from 26 Senators, two of them Democrats. Allen cited his reason for supporting the bill--
Allen explained that the city's homicide rate is up 200 percent since the ban was enacted, compared to a national rise of 12 percent. Hutchison said Washington had 248 homicides in 2004 and the highest per capita homicide rate.
Despite the stats, Mayor Anthony Williams and some relatives of murder victims are opposed to the legislation.
"I am incensed by any proposal that is an insult to the memory of the people who have died in this city due to gun violence, in particular the three children who have died from gun violence this year," Williams said.
Well, I am incensed by a ban that is an insult to the people just trying not to be made into memories in this lovely little "gunless" town, Mayor Williams. In the meantime, I sure am glad to know that you'll be protecting my memory from insult after I'm gone. [03:04 PM 20-May-05 Mary Katharine Ham Comment]
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
CW TRUMPS TEXT MESSAGING ON THE TONIGHT SHOW
CW Ops Whip Whippersnapper Text Messengers on National Television
NBC dressed CW champs Chip Margelli, K7JA (left), and Ken Miller, K6CTW, as old-time telegraphers. Both are ARRL members.
Text-messaging champ Ben Cook, 17 (left), and his friend Jason.
NEWINGTON, CT, May 16, 2005--It might have been Friday the Thirteenth, but it was a lucky day for Morse code--and particularly for veteran CW contest ops Chip Margelli, K7JA, and Ken Miller, K6CTW. During a May 13 appearance on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the pair was able to pass a message using good old fashioned Morse code more rapidly than a pair of teenaged text messengers equipped with modern cell phones. The victory, which replicated a similar challenge that took place recently in Australia, has provided immense encouragement to Amateur Radio's community of CW operators, who've been ballyhooing the achievement all over the Internet. The text messaging team consisted of world text-messaging champ Ben Cook of Utah and his friend Jason. Miller said afterward in a reflector posting that the CW team won fairly handily.
"Ben was just getting ready to start entering the last two words when I was done," he said on the Elecraft reflector in response to various questions he's received following the TV appearance. "I already knew that 28-30 WPM would easily keep us in front of even the current world [text messaging] record holder, and also it is the fastest speed that I can make nice readable copy on paper with a `stick' [pencil]." Miller said it was decided he'd be on the receiving end because he wasn't distracted by the noise in the studio.
Margelli recalls that he was sending at 29 WPM. "I believe the goods were suitably delivered," he told ARRL. "CW and old guys rule!"
Ken Miller, K6CTW (right), raises his hand to indicate "game over," as Jason looks on in astonishment.
What the viewing public didn't know was that Margelli and Miller had, in Miller's words, "smoked 'em every time" during three pre-program rehearsals. Even so, during the real thing, when Miller raised his hand to signal he'd copied the CW message successfully, Jason's jaw dropped. None of the players had any idea of the text they'd be sending, Miller noted. The message? "I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance."
As with many Tonight Show bits, this one involved a member of the audience, a young woman named Jennifer who predicted--incorrectly as it turned out, that text messaging definitely would top 170-year-old Morse code. She walked away with a gift of restaurant tickets anyway.
Margelli says the CW team used Yaesu FT-817 transceivers--one of his own and another owned by Dan Dankert, N6PEQ. Backup units--not needed--were provided by HRO; Margelli's wife Janet, KL7MF, manages an HRO store. They ended up using 432.200 MHz as an operating frequency in order to avoid RFI from the plethora of TV equipment in the studio and to avoid interfering with NBC's gear. They ran the little transceivers at their lowest power level and with the antennas disconnected--although they were mounted on the back of each unit--no problem given the close proximity involved. Margelli sent with a Bencher paddle.
Hamming it up, Margelli pretends to blow the smoke from his speedy fingers after his and Miller's win over the SMSers.
To add a little atmosphere to the affair, NBC producers attired Margelli and Miller to look like 19th-century-era Western Union or railroad Morse telegraphers. The costumes came complete with green visors, white shirts, sleeve garters, vests and bow ties. The teenaged SMSers wore T-shirts and jeans.
Cook told Leno that he'd managed to send a 160-letter message to his friend using his cell phone's short message system (SMS)--the formal term for text messaging--in 57 seconds.
A member of the Morse Telegraph Club and a QRP enthusiast, Miller said he'd been using CW for 38 years. Margelli told Leno he'd been using Morse "for 43 years in ham radio," a phrase Leno echoed. That was the only plug Amateur Radio got during the appearance on the show's "Dinner for 4" segment. Miller says that during rehearsal, the pair had come up with a few lines to promote ham radio and telegraphy, but they were cut during the final dress rehearsal in the interest of making the segment fit its allotted time slot.
A video clip of the CW vs text messaging competition is available on various Internet sites.
During the Australian competition in April, a Morse team consisting of 93-year-old former post office telegrapher Gordon Hill--the sender--and 82-year-old Jack Gibson--the receiver--topped 13-year-old SMSer Brittany Devlin. In that event, Hill spelled out the message in full, while Devlin used text-messaging shorthand. In that competition, held at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Hill took 90 seconds to send the message, 18 seconds faster than Devlin's message took to reach her friend's cell phone.
Miller encouraged all who enjoyed the CW-vs-text messaging segment on NBC to contact The Tonight Show to let the producers know about it--with an eye toward having the network schedule a more elaborate segment "next time."
"Thanks for the kind comments from all," Miller concluded, advising "let's keep on having fun!--It is a hobby after all."
Commented Margelli to ARRL: "I completely agree with my fantastic teammate, Ken Miller. It was a lot of fun, just like ham radio, and the show also delivered an important, if subtle, message about the benefits of the `basic' communication infrastructure that Amateur Radio provides."
NBC dressed CW champs Chip Margelli, K7JA (left), and Ken Miller, K6CTW, as old-time telegraphers. Both are ARRL members.
Text-messaging champ Ben Cook, 17 (left), and his friend Jason.
NEWINGTON, CT, May 16, 2005--It might have been Friday the Thirteenth, but it was a lucky day for Morse code--and particularly for veteran CW contest ops Chip Margelli, K7JA, and Ken Miller, K6CTW. During a May 13 appearance on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the pair was able to pass a message using good old fashioned Morse code more rapidly than a pair of teenaged text messengers equipped with modern cell phones. The victory, which replicated a similar challenge that took place recently in Australia, has provided immense encouragement to Amateur Radio's community of CW operators, who've been ballyhooing the achievement all over the Internet. The text messaging team consisted of world text-messaging champ Ben Cook of Utah and his friend Jason. Miller said afterward in a reflector posting that the CW team won fairly handily.
"Ben was just getting ready to start entering the last two words when I was done," he said on the Elecraft reflector in response to various questions he's received following the TV appearance. "I already knew that 28-30 WPM would easily keep us in front of even the current world [text messaging] record holder, and also it is the fastest speed that I can make nice readable copy on paper with a `stick' [pencil]." Miller said it was decided he'd be on the receiving end because he wasn't distracted by the noise in the studio.
Margelli recalls that he was sending at 29 WPM. "I believe the goods were suitably delivered," he told ARRL. "CW and old guys rule!"
Ken Miller, K6CTW (right), raises his hand to indicate "game over," as Jason looks on in astonishment.
What the viewing public didn't know was that Margelli and Miller had, in Miller's words, "smoked 'em every time" during three pre-program rehearsals. Even so, during the real thing, when Miller raised his hand to signal he'd copied the CW message successfully, Jason's jaw dropped. None of the players had any idea of the text they'd be sending, Miller noted. The message? "I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance."
As with many Tonight Show bits, this one involved a member of the audience, a young woman named Jennifer who predicted--incorrectly as it turned out, that text messaging definitely would top 170-year-old Morse code. She walked away with a gift of restaurant tickets anyway.
Margelli says the CW team used Yaesu FT-817 transceivers--one of his own and another owned by Dan Dankert, N6PEQ. Backup units--not needed--were provided by HRO; Margelli's wife Janet, KL7MF, manages an HRO store. They ended up using 432.200 MHz as an operating frequency in order to avoid RFI from the plethora of TV equipment in the studio and to avoid interfering with NBC's gear. They ran the little transceivers at their lowest power level and with the antennas disconnected--although they were mounted on the back of each unit--no problem given the close proximity involved. Margelli sent with a Bencher paddle.
Hamming it up, Margelli pretends to blow the smoke from his speedy fingers after his and Miller's win over the SMSers.
To add a little atmosphere to the affair, NBC producers attired Margelli and Miller to look like 19th-century-era Western Union or railroad Morse telegraphers. The costumes came complete with green visors, white shirts, sleeve garters, vests and bow ties. The teenaged SMSers wore T-shirts and jeans.
Cook told Leno that he'd managed to send a 160-letter message to his friend using his cell phone's short message system (SMS)--the formal term for text messaging--in 57 seconds.
A member of the Morse Telegraph Club and a QRP enthusiast, Miller said he'd been using CW for 38 years. Margelli told Leno he'd been using Morse "for 43 years in ham radio," a phrase Leno echoed. That was the only plug Amateur Radio got during the appearance on the show's "Dinner for 4" segment. Miller says that during rehearsal, the pair had come up with a few lines to promote ham radio and telegraphy, but they were cut during the final dress rehearsal in the interest of making the segment fit its allotted time slot.
A video clip of the CW vs text messaging competition is available on various Internet sites.
During the Australian competition in April, a Morse team consisting of 93-year-old former post office telegrapher Gordon Hill--the sender--and 82-year-old Jack Gibson--the receiver--topped 13-year-old SMSer Brittany Devlin. In that event, Hill spelled out the message in full, while Devlin used text-messaging shorthand. In that competition, held at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Hill took 90 seconds to send the message, 18 seconds faster than Devlin's message took to reach her friend's cell phone.
Miller encouraged all who enjoyed the CW-vs-text messaging segment on NBC to contact The Tonight Show to let the producers know about it--with an eye toward having the network schedule a more elaborate segment "next time."
"Thanks for the kind comments from all," Miller concluded, advising "let's keep on having fun!--It is a hobby after all."
Commented Margelli to ARRL: "I completely agree with my fantastic teammate, Ken Miller. It was a lot of fun, just like ham radio, and the show also delivered an important, if subtle, message about the benefits of the `basic' communication infrastructure that Amateur Radio provides."
Friday, May 13, 2005
CW CONTEST ON THE TONIGHT SHOW--DON'T MISS IT!
Hey, all,
Just had to pass this along to all of you, in case you hadn't heard.
Tonight.... that's Friday, May 13th, there will be an interesting competition featured on the Tonight Show that sounds worth missing your usual early to bed routine so you can stay up and watch the fun.
There's going to be a competition on message sending and receiving between a couple of seasoned CW operators and another team using cell phone text messaging. Representing amateur radio will be the team of CHIP MARGELLI, K7JA, and KEN MILLER, K6CTW, avid contesters and DX-peiditioners. I heard that a similar contest was held in Australia, and the CW operators won hands-down. Dunno about you, but my money's on the CW ops winning another one tonight....
While I have you ear, (eye?) let me also mention that another GA ham was recently stopped by a law officer for talking on his radio. The officer saw his ham tag and noticed him talking on the radio, and seemed to think that was reason enough to pull him over. However, the ham he pulled over is a lawyer, and he knows his laws. He politely suggested to the officer that he check his book of GA laws for Code Section 40-6-241 before writing a ticket. The officer went to his vehicle and spent a few minutes checking his book, and ended up telling our ham friend to "have a nice day" and went on his merry way. Point
is: this ham was privvy to the laws? Are YOU? Or would you have meekly accepted a ticket from this officer? Check our www.arrl-ga.org website for the applicable law. Be aware. Maybe keep a copy of this law in your car, just in case. And, please, be polite. The law provides for "proper use" of a radio, which requires "due care" while driving. So, if you drive unsafely, whether talking on the radio or not, you will not be exempt from getting a ticket. But be smart; be careful; and be aware.
Until next time, this is AF4FO, signing clear. Take care of yourselves.
And each other. 73, Susan
Just had to pass this along to all of you, in case you hadn't heard.
Tonight.... that's Friday, May 13th, there will be an interesting competition featured on the Tonight Show that sounds worth missing your usual early to bed routine so you can stay up and watch the fun.
There's going to be a competition on message sending and receiving between a couple of seasoned CW operators and another team using cell phone text messaging. Representing amateur radio will be the team of CHIP MARGELLI, K7JA, and KEN MILLER, K6CTW, avid contesters and DX-peiditioners. I heard that a similar contest was held in Australia, and the CW operators won hands-down. Dunno about you, but my money's on the CW ops winning another one tonight....
While I have you ear, (eye?) let me also mention that another GA ham was recently stopped by a law officer for talking on his radio. The officer saw his ham tag and noticed him talking on the radio, and seemed to think that was reason enough to pull him over. However, the ham he pulled over is a lawyer, and he knows his laws. He politely suggested to the officer that he check his book of GA laws for Code Section 40-6-241 before writing a ticket. The officer went to his vehicle and spent a few minutes checking his book, and ended up telling our ham friend to "have a nice day" and went on his merry way. Point
is: this ham was privvy to the laws? Are YOU? Or would you have meekly accepted a ticket from this officer? Check our www.arrl-ga.org website for the applicable law. Be aware. Maybe keep a copy of this law in your car, just in case. And, please, be polite. The law provides for "proper use" of a radio, which requires "due care" while driving. So, if you drive unsafely, whether talking on the radio or not, you will not be exempt from getting a ticket. But be smart; be careful; and be aware.
Until next time, this is AF4FO, signing clear. Take care of yourselves.
And each other. 73, Susan
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