Teleidoscope

Mon, Jun 02, 2008

Earth-sized Extrasolar Planet Detected

Posted at 5:35 pm MDT to Current Events

According to Stein at the Dynamics of Cats Sci Blog, there has been a report at the AAS meeting of a small planet orbiting a very small star about 3000 light years from here. The reported probable size is 3.3 Earth masses (With a range of probable size from 1.7 Earth masses to 8.2. The gravtity lensing was pretty fuzzy.).

If someone had told me when I was taking astronomy classes back in college that we would be detecting Earth-sized planets 3000 lightyears away in my lifetime, I would have thought they were nuts.

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Powerlines -- the Saga Continues

Posted at 4:33 pm MDT to Miscellaneous

Gaahh.

Friday I got a call from the electrical contractor company. From the boss. He wanted to know if they could come dig up my driveway today, with the expectation that Xcel would do their thing tomorrow and the hole would be filled back in Wednesday.

I was psyched. I thought I would finally get those stupid power lines done and then be able to get some other work done around the house and yard.

This morning I got a call from Art at the electrical contractor. He wasn't able to get the equipment delivered for this morning, and would I be home at 4 pm to sign for the equipment when it is delivered.

I said, "Fine. I'll be home and I can sign for it."

At 3 pm I got another call from Art. XCel has decided they can't do their thing until the 16th. Which means the trench is now scheduled to be dug on the 13th (Friday the Thirteenth) and my driveway will be unusable over the weekend.

Xcel keeps contacting me, wanting me to let them install a gadget that lets them control my AC remotely on the hottest days in return for a $25 dollar per year credit. Considering that as far as I know they still after 9 years don't have location of my house in their records correctly, and they seem to be incapable of scheduling and finishing a job where their part should only take a couple of hours, there is NO way I am letting them any closer to my equipment than I have to. Give them control. I think not. Bozos.

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