you have stumbled upon a slowly evolving mediated space which is the next online evolution of the original neoscenes archive and network presence. it has subsumed the entire neoscenes travelog which began back in 1995. it rolled over to a frames-based site in 1999, and then to a php-based site in 2004, and now onto WordPress as of 2009. later in 2011-2, it will also extend greatly that time span with images, audio, and video from the long-standing off-line neoscenes archive. what’s this 1961-1962 “50 years on” material? it is one dimension of the use of the (b)log as the accompaniment of the text of my Ph.D. thesis which touches on many of the topics surfaced here combined with my creative media practice. there is an evolving ‘about‘ page which will soon contain more background on the whole project.
******
NEW FROM THE ARCHIVE
slowly starting to upload documents of performances like Open Air Radio Barcelona and DEAF03 – Interfacing / Radiotopia / Keyworx. also in the process of figuring out how to add the thousands of scanned black&white negatives that cover a period of time from 1976 through 2000 when I quit wet darkroom work. (a few (88, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95) of the 4000+ portraits that will eventually migrate to these pages). and hope to include many documents like this over the next months to enrich the overall blog experience, so stay-tuned here for new announcements. of course, there are always new field recordings for the aporee maps project.

LCH came in about 10:30 and we left about 11 AM, after paying the hospital. NJH was with her; she (NJH) fainted while I was getting ready to go. We picked up DCH who had been at the Radio Shack on Commonwealth Avenue.

It was good to get home; my jaw is quite sore.

to watch the movements of any body, while in mind is the recollection of an other one dying, and while snow falls heavy on the greenhouse glass outside, and the pipes rush with water somewhere in the house. it’s all too much.

Let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each others cup but drink not from one cup. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow. ― Kahlil Gibran

Dr. T. removed the lower traction bar; he came in while I was eating breakfast. Since I couldn’t sleep last night the nurse gave me a sleeping shot & pain killer at 0220 this morning. After this I did get some sleep. Dr. T. said I could go home tomorrow.

Dr. T. removed the upper traction bar & the stitches at 0845. I’m now on a semi-liquid diet. The removal of the wires was less painful than by Dr. Lyons at Framingham last June; Dr. T. more skill than Lyons & the others. The dietitian filled my honey jar also. LCH called at 0745, but I was in the Library & the phone operator didn’t page me. She took DCH to the dentist and so would not be home when I called.

Between instances of ‘seeing’ someone, it is easy to believe that perhaps we have no ‘contact’ or influence, or other expression of presence on that Other. But this seems not at all true, and is only a perverse influence of a close-to-pure material culture. In the moments, hours, days between the face-to face encounter, I am, first off, already at the effect of our prior encounter. This has changed me, fundamentally. I am elsewise already, as I depart from your immediate presence. It’s not merely a question of persistence of this change: it is far more profound than merely the ‘propagation’ of something with in my Self, being elsewise means that I am change(d). As I draw away, the change persists in the now-transformed Self. This new Self moves along, it is engaging the flow of life in a way that is different than if it had not encountered the Other: you are there. Maybe this is only another framing of memory, but what, indeed, is memory but the persistence of the effects of encounter: an effect of the change that comes from open encounter. Still seems that this could simply be labeled as ‘presence’ as it is a persistent effect of presence, and that (Cartesian) proximity is irrelevant.

This whole scenario reminds of the multi-verse theory of reality, but one question would definitely be, what is the granularity of the splitting off of a new universe? How ‘often’ would it occur — it would have to be an any juncture of change, or so… Which would seem to be asymptotically close to infinite, which I suppose is what string theory suggests, etc., etc.

Tom Erickson in with a report on the annual meeting last night at Park Street. The annual mtg. itself was over at 8:30 PM, and then an hour was devoted to the problem of expansion. Expressions from the congregation seemed to affirm. A panel put in selected arguments for expansion, Mr. Kenney, Mr. White, Ken Olsen, etc. To my surprise, Dr. O. came in at 5:45 PM for 20 minutes. He had two proposals, one to buy the bank, the other to buy H-M & put up a 6-story building, leaving part of it to them, with 4 stories for the use of the church. I had concluded after talking to Tom A. that it would do well to try to buy the bank first & the H-M property second.

Had 5 or 6 x-rays this morning after a discussion with Dr. T.; he wants to see if my frontal sinus cavities are infected; as I have some nasal discharges. I suspect they are infected. Had some discussion with the supervising chef who blenderized a sirloin steak with potato; my it was real good! The Herald had an article today on cutting enrollment at Boston Latin (founded in 1635 to prepare boys for Harvard); it has 2600 now with 7th, 8th, & 9th grades. A committee of 3 recommended to cut it to 2000! LCH called this AM. MM called in the afternoon. Dinner was quite good also; I’m sure glad I saw the chef.

Had lengthy discussion with Dr. T. who described the operation rather completely. The muscle on the outside is cut off the bone, so it is possible to have access to the bone & joint without disturbing the facial nerve. After the manipulation the muscle is stitched back on. Sat in sun for about an hour, shaved and combed my hair; as a result I felt more civilized. The food consists of soups, juice, eggnog, etc. The dietitian is ill, so I can’t seem to get across the idea of consomme & baby food. Rec’d a card from the Sussman’s; it must have been delivered personally, as it has no stamp on it.

Vision is a remarkable process by which we are able to interpret an image from light the eyes receive from the objects around us. Although this process depends on the interplay of many different factors (including the optics of the eye, the isomerization of retinal, nerve impulses, and the brain’s ability to reconstruct the image), vision is fundamentally based on the change in the molecular orbitals of retinal that occurs when the molecule absorbs energy in the form of light reflected off of the objects that we see. When visible light hits the chromophore (retinal), a p electron is promoted to a higher-energy orbital, allowing free rotation about the bond between carbon atom 11 and carbon atom 12 of the retinal molecule. About half the time, this rotation leads to the isomerization of retinal when the p electron returns to the lower-energy orbital. When retinal isomerizes, a conformational change in the protein opsin occurs. This conformational change initiates a cascade of biochemical reactions that result in the closing of Na+ channels in the cell membrane. When the Na+ channels are closed, a large potential difference builds up across the plasma membrane, and the potential difference is passed along to an adjoining nerve cell as an electrical impulse. The nerve cell carries this impulse to the brain, where the visual information is interpreted.

or

The retina is lined with many millions of photoreceptor cells that consist of two types: 7 million cones provide color information and sharpness of images, and 120 million rods are extremely sensitive detectors of white light to provide night vision. (The names of these cells come from their respective shapes.) The outer segments (tops) of the rods and cones contain a region filled with membrane-bound discs, which contain proteins bound to the chromophore 11-cis-retinal. (A chromophore is a molecule that can absorb light at a specific wavelength, and thus typically displays a characteristic color.) When visible light hits the chromophore, the chromophore undergoes an isomerization, or change in molecular arrangement, to all-trans-retinal. The new form of retinal does not fit as well into the protein, and so a series of conformational changes in the protein begins. As the protein changes its conformation, it initiates a cascade of biochemical reactions that result in the closing of Na+ channels in the cell membrane. Prior to this event, Na+ ions flow freely into the cell to compensate for the lower potential (more negative charge) which exists inside the cell. When the Na+ channels are closed, however, a large potential difference builds up across the plasma membrane (inside the cell becomes more negative and outside the cell becomes more positive). This potential difference is passed along to an adjoining nerve cell as an electrical impulse at the synaptic terminal, the place where these two cells meet. The nerve cell carries this impulse to the brain, where the visual information is interpreted.

LCH, JAH, NJH, JCH, & MCM in for an hour or so. It was good to see them. DCH at Brookwoods.

…[T]he last 15 years have witnessed the ascent of an alternative view, that of embodied or enactive cognition. This new wave arose because the computationalist doctrine failed to account even for the most elementary coping with the world: walking, perceiving object in a natural setting, imagination. Slowly the cards turned into considering that the basis of mind is the body in coupled action, that is, the sensory-motor circuits establish the organism as viable in situated contexts. From this perspective the brain appears as a dynamical process (and not a syntactic one) of real time variables with a rich self-organizing capacity (and not a representational machinery). So in this sense the mind is not in the head since it['s] roots [are] in the body as a whole and also in the extended environment where the organism finds itself.

- Francisco Varela, Cosmos Web Forum letter 12e (1998?)

King Soopers #645, 12350 West 64th Avenue
10.683 gallons
$2.969/gallon
$31.72

Feel pretty low, but have good care. Am getting antibiotic shots, my hips are quite sore. Dr. T. put a new dressing on.

Rode in with HS. Left the Lab on the 10 AM shuttle for Dr. Thoma’s office & Brooks Hospital for the operation on my jaw. See other diary for details.

Was awakened at 0545 for a shot & about 0715 & told to wash, which I did. No breakfast, & no fluid is allowed. Given a sedative at about 0845 and was in the operating room at 1045. Operation took about 3 hours. Dr. Thoma was unable to put the condyle into place as the joint surface was gone. I was given a pint of blood. They also gave me glucose. LCH was in at 5:45 PM and I recognized her.

Operated on at 1045 — starting time — at Brooks Hospital, Brookline. Operation 3 hours long — came to about 6 PM.

Finished the document with the AMR test data. It has the #PA-631; gave it to Joanne for a cover & title sheet. JLV has taken my advice & gone into hiding to finish his report. I’d like to see it. Left on the 10 AM shuttle for Dr. Thoma’s office, where he put on the traction bars on my upper and lower jaws. It took 75 minutes. Left his office at 1 PM and walked up to Brooks Hospital at 227 Summit Avenue in Brookline, where I checked in at 1:40 PM and went to bed. As I didn’t have any lunch, I was given a glass of milk and a dish of custard. Blood and urine samples were taken, and a capsule of medication. Visited by a Dr. Kaufman who asked routine questions of medical history.

Rode in with HS. Left the Lab on the 10 AM shuttle for Dr. Thoma’s office & Brooks Hospital for the operation on my jaw. See other diary for details.

At JLV’s request, I went through the 7000 L+L-note cards to update the Site 12 TTR bibliography.

Abstracted and put in one volume, seven sets of Site 12-16 Performance Data, obtained a Pen Aids file number for it so it can be used as a reference document.

Decided at 0600 today to write to the FAA Admin & Brad Morse, our Congressman from the district we live in.

When I stopped for HS this morning he said he had decided to attend the Shockley lecture at MIT tonight, so would drive in himself.

Rewrote Bob Davis’ paper on Simulation, making it shorted and more precise. He has a good outline.

Clear, cold

Drove in; HS is going to the Shockley lecture tonight.

Went over to Lexington to Dr. & Mrs. [??] home to the Park Street area mtg. Dr. Ockenga answered questions, the discussion turning to Catholicism and related topics — including a few comments on Determinism by John Ossepchuck.

Harry’s and my offices were moved over the weekend to L275-77. They are quite pleasant — but have no windows!

JLV & JU worked thru the weekend to generate a draft of the Committee Report to Walt. I wrote a draft of the objectives and then proofread part of the writeup on system description. After some discussion with JLV & JU late in the afternoon, JLV started to rewrite the objectives.

40°F clear

Rode in with HS.

Put the side panels and 2 seats back in the jeep with LCH’s help. It is beginning to look quite good.

Warm, clear

Took family to SS & church. A few people were glad to see me, as an erroneous report that I was or had been in the hospital was put in the church calendar.

Went to bed quite early.

Warmer, clear

Sprayed Jeep floor in the afternoon. I got too much on some of the vertical surfaces. Also sprayed the window frames with aluminum paint from two spray cans.

Wrote up my contribution to JLV’s paper; it turned into 5 pp. of longhand, describing the data collection and reduced data output for Site 12. I took most of it from 3 BTL references, citing them.

This Koh-i-noor pen works quite well.

Clear, -5°F

Went home in PM, I still don’t feel good.

Cleaned my electric razor; after soldering a wire on and lubricating the bearings, it ran like new. I can now get a shave in about 8 minutes.

The pleroma is both beginning and end of the created beings. It pervadeth them, as the light of the sun everywhere pervadeth the air. Although the pleroma prevadeth altogether, yet hath created being no share thereof, just as wholly transparent body becometh neither light nor dark through the light nor dark through the light which pervadeth it. We are, however, the pleroma itself, for we are a part of the eternal and the infinite. — C.G. Jung

Jung, C.G. & Jaffé, A., 1965. The Seven Sermons to the Dead. In Memories, Dreams, Reflections. New York, NY: Vintage Books.

Had a conversation with JLV — in which he gave me this Koh-i-noor Rapidograph pen — in which he asked me to provide him the list of data to be recorded at Site 12, and the list of processed information with supporting comments. He is writing a report for WW on what to do at Site 12. He was asked for his opinions of the PA Project, and he said he didn’t think well of it. The “oldtimers’ here, those who stayed rather than going with MITRE, are getting the supervisory positions. The organization chart shows no staff at all; Wells & Nolan became line supervisors; Nedzel & Ward the “middle management.” It is odd that they don’t have any staff.

Had two tables typed up in draft form to show the data & processed information.

Clear, Cold

Went to work in PM.

Went to Abbott Spray to pick up the Toro Short block, going on into Elbery Mtrs for Ford parts & to Mantague-Brown at 124 Harvard avenue, Allston, for enamel for the Jeep. They were able to match it.

Put the Toro together and found that it runs.

LCH went in to Park Street to a SS dinner; Jim Peterson brought her home.

The deepest problems of modern life derive from the claim of the individual to preserve the autonomy and individuality of his existence in the face of overwhelming social forces, of historical heritage, of external culture, and of the technique of life. The fight with nature which primitive man has to wage for his bodily existence attains in this modern form its latest transformation. The eighteenth century called upon man to free himself of all the historical bonds in the state and in religion, in morals and in economics. Man’s nature, originally good and common to all, should develop unhampered. In addition to more liberty, the nineteenth century demanded the functional specialization of man and his work; this specialization makes one individual incomparable to another, and each of them indispensable to the highest possible extent. However, this specialization makes each man the more directly dependent upon the supplementary activities of all others. Nietzsche sees the full development of the individual conditioned by the most ruthless struggle of individuals; socialism believes in the suppression of all competition for the same reason. Be that as it may, in all these positions the same basic motive is at work: the person resists to being leveled down and worn out by a social-technological mechanism. An inquiry into the inner meaning of specifically modern life and its products, into the soul of the cultural body, so to speak, must seek to solve the equation which structures like the metropolis set up between the individual and the super-individual contents of life. Such an inquiry must answer the question of how the personality accommodates itself in the adjustments to external forces. — Georg Simmel

Simmel, G., 1950. The Metropolis & Mental Life. In The Sociology of Georg Simmel. New York, NY: Free Press.

reported the $15 to Mr. Huntington so he can authorize a payroll deduction.

Clear +5°F

Went in to the Lab in the AM.

Went home after lunch.

Worked on 1961 accounts; I’ll try to start on income taxes tomorrow.

Started NJH on trying to learn to write decently.

Rec’d a check for $15 from Liberty Mutual for the ambulance fee that I paid recently.

Clear – Cold

Stayed in bed all day — read part of the IRE proc. on plasmas. It’s quite instructive.

Call from a Mr. Don Hastings at Park Street — Shirley B. took call — Call Elbery Motors re: w.washer parts.

Now attempting the abstract which should have been in last week for the formal Notification of Intention (to submit). Words are reified by applied meanings (to their largely abstract sounds); yet words can be made to have other meanings. Where on this Occam’s razor is the sitting more comfortable? Or is it time to just jump off and risk coming into contact with the blade in the process, but otherwise escaping the challenge of making meaning so ‘simple’ that is ‘acceptable.’ I like to think that I say what I mean, and it just happens sometimes that the meaning is not so common, so I bear mis-understanding as a price for this act of saying. This is a prime example of the lossyness of mediatory carriers. The OED (Oxford English Dictionary) has been a constant companion since I realized I had free (university) access to it. I like the Old English and Norsk usage examples which are given for some words going back to the 8th Century or earlier. Thanks to knowing Icelandic! Best of all are the full etymologies which trace the lineage of shifting meaning as attached to these bits of symbolic chicken-scratch. ‘Commonsensical’ meanings are nothing more than the dominant understanding (or lack thereof) of the shifting sands of language. For example, the OED definition of ‘common sense,’ see below, m’gosh!
(more …)

Went to office in AM.

Dense fog – 25°F

There was ice on the streets this morning, making driving quite hazardous. Went home after lunch and to bed for the rest of the day. I feel quite shaky.

The Toro engine block will be available in about 2 weeks.

Made arrangements to go into the hospital on 25 January; I’ll stop first at Dr. Thomas office to get traction bars put on my teeth.

Clear – overcast – cold

LCH took the children to SS & church.

I listened to HJO on the radio; he had a good sermon on the 91st Psalm.

Wrote to Winchester, New Haven, John Legg re: insurance.

DCH stayed in so he could go to the youth group tonight; he wasted all of yesterday, and has done no studying since Thursday night. LCH picked him up at Concord at 0850 PM.

Clear – cold

Stayed in bed all day; the nasal discharges are decreasing; perhaps I’ll be able to go to the hospital on Tuesday.

My W-2 form came; $15,850.71 in come last year; this after the deductions for compensations from the auto accident; total income taxes were $2271.73.

LCH took the children skating in the afternoon before taking her Brownies to hear “Peter and the Wolf” at the Community Center.

Continued to read on Wisdom.

Home in bed.

It occurred to me that a MOE would be useful wherein, for example, the range given by the in-flight msg. would be the basis of comparison with that given by the TTR as follows:

[ed. small hand-drawn graph perhaps included at a later date!]

This would immediately show violent excursions from the in-flight by the primary tracking & acquisitions gate. It might be useful to compute “R” and the differences in the rates of change of the angles also; perhaps consideration should be given to display of these quantities for use by the operator.

Clear, cold

Stayed home in bed most of the day.

LCH took JAH in to the Cadets at Park Street, leaving on the 5:08 PM train.

I cleaned and put up the 2-lamp fluorescent fixture, and for the first time have adequate illumination over my work bench.

Read the IBM General Systems Simulator program; I don’t know whether the Army’s CCIS could be simulated or not; I suppose it could.

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. — Matthew 10:8-14

Home in bed.

Clear 0°F
Stayed home in bed. The cold seems to be breaking.

Harry brought a belt buckle left by Mike Bavaro or Gene Small. It was for a 2″ belt & doesn’t fit.

1st Stop #6015, 11185 Ralston Road
10.635 gallons
$3.119/gallon
$33.17

What people are contemplating on their word-processor screens is the operation of their own brains. It is not entrails that we try to interpret these days, nor even hearts or facial expressions; it is, quite simply, the brain. We want to expose to view its billions of connections and watch it operating like a video-game. All this cerebral, electronic snobbery is hugely affected – far from being the sign of a superior knowledge of humanity, it is merely the mark of a simplified theory, since the human being is here reduced to the terminal excrescence of his or her spinal chord. But we should not worry too much about this: it is all much less scientific, less functional than is ordinarily thought. All that fascinates us is the spectacle of the brain and its workings. What we are wanting here is to see our thoughts unfolding before us – and this itself is a superstition.

Hence, the academic grappling with his computer, ceaselessly correcting, reworking, and complexifying, turning the exercise into a kind of interminable psychoanalysis, memorizing everything in an effort to escape the final outcome, to delay the day of reckoning of death, and that other—fatal—moment of reckoning that is writing, by forming an endless feed-back loop with the machine. This is a marvelous instrument of exoteric magic. In fact all these interactions come down in the end to endless exchanges with a machine. Just look at the child sitting in front of his computer at school; do you think he has been made interactive, opened up to the world? Child and machine have merely been joined together in an integrated circuit. As for the intellectual, he has at last found the equivalent of what the teenager gets from his stereo and his walkman: a spectacular desublimation of thought, his concepts as images on a screen. — Jean Baudrillard

Baudrillard, J., 2000. America, London, England: Verso.

It occurred to me last night that the best, or at least one of the most appropriate ways to estimate the pay-off from automation in the Army CCIS is to see what it does to the reaction time compared to the same situation without automation. This has the added advantage of being immediately intelligible to the senior Army officials. I mentioned this to JFN.

Rec’d my permanent loan copy of “Modern Physics for the Engineer.” It is amazing what is now the province of the engineer.

Reported the $132.86 to Mr. Huntington at Div. 2 office; he will authorize a payroll deduction.

Discussed the Site 12 job with JLV & JV. BTL has asked for help out of the 1206 at Site 12. I suggested that their desire for help should be viewed in relation to an overall ops&trp procedure at Site 12. They now need a lower level of flow diagrams than I made originally. I suggested that he proceed now on the basis of comparison of RAE from -16 & TTR.

Overcast, cold +10°F

I told DCH that his staying on the school rifle team would be contingent on his getting on & staying on the honor roll; a few minutes later he brought in a time schedule. Perhaps he means business this time; I hope so.

Ordered a short block for the Toro from the Abbott Spray Company — it should be available Friday. Went home early & to bed.

Went to BSA Committee mtg. — raised the question of holding badges until the Court of Review comes. The Scout Master needs to ride herd on the boys for the cold weather activities.

Went into office for half a day. JLV gave me the map they brought back from Patrick. JV is going ahead with the coord. comb., he has found a program, several years old, that converts x-y-z to spherical polar. It is new at MITRE.

Reported to First Aid Room for some cold pills, and that I expect to undergo corrective surgery on my jaw. Also mentioned this to WLZ.

Larry Globus in to say that Dr. Wells spoke yesterday of a reorg. of the PA work into 8 areas.

Rec’d another check from Liberty Mutual/Industrial Accident Department, this for $132.86.

Clear +20°F

Called Dr. Thoma’s office to report my cold (LO6-3324). He was busy with surgery at 11:30 AM. His secretary called later at home to say that I am not to go to the hospital under any circumstances with a cold.

Went home at 1:30 PM. Tried to get a Toro engine short block at Mill Dam, but he didn’t have one. Bought a two-tube used fluorescent fixture @ $5; will put it in the shop.

LCH took DCH to a high school rifle team meet at the Concord Armory.

Home in bed with a cold.

Started to go to work, but found I had 1/2° of fever so went back to bed.

Drank vinegar and honey.

LCH picked up some comb honey and the chewing of the wax seemed to shrink the sinus membranes. I’ll have to get some capping and chew it regularly.

What is being destroyed more quickly than the ozone layer is the subtle layer of irony that protects us from the radiation of stupidity. But, conversely, we may also say that the subtle film of stupidity, which protects us from the lethal radiation of intelligence, is also disappearing. We are secreting information at such a rate that it is polluting the higher layers of the mental atmosphere with its non-degradable waste, gradually destroying the kind of atmospheric girdle which protects us from our secrets being totally dispersed into artificial intelligence the way molecules are protected from totally dispersing into space. — Jean Baudrillard

Baudrillard, J., 1996. Cool Memories II, 1987-1990, Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

Freezing rain

LCH took DCH, JAH, & NJH to SS & church. I listened to HJO on the radio; he had a fine sermon on John.

Drank water copiously.

Rain, 32°F

Stayed in bed. Apparently I over-exposed myself to the cold yesterday. Don’t have a fever. Read in Great Books on the differences between the kinds of wisdom; that of divine insight and practical knowledge.

JCH has an intestinal disorder.

Rod sent an invite along from Nate Larson for another one of these evolved digital projects — screen shots of artist’s computer desktops.

Overcast
Cold +10°F

Stayed home to work on the car and Toro. Changed the ignition points (used a set with a nylon brush); it runs much better. In taking the Toro apart, I found the flywheel key had sheared: this allowed the ignition timing to be completely off. I took it to the Central Garage in Stowe — a B&S agent — and had a new key and washer put on. It ran for a time, but when it ran against a bit of ice outside, it stopped again. I think I’ll not fool with it anymore but get a short block.

Put radio back in the car; it still cuts out. Fixed clock in car; its winding contacts were pitted.

Some discussion with JLV re: the correlation of TTR & in-flight msgs with -16 data.

Called a Mr. Mike Saliba at PAFB (UL7-6826) re: the availability of a large scale map showing the site in MILS NET; he has it, it is unclassified and he will give us a copy. He also has a program or process for converting MILS data to -16 data. The need is for the NIP to be expressed in terms of FPS-16 coordinates & vice-versa.

Also talked to Mr. Ashcroft @ MTLPS at Patrick re: a large scale chart of Site 12 with both UTM & LL. He will look into it, and if one is available, will have it for JLV tomorrow.

Bob Mills at PAFB (UL7-6826) said they use 6076.1033 = one nautical mile.

The map from Mr. Saliba is entitled MILS Area 12 Target Array.

Called Lt. Col. Kenneth Young FAA/BRD (ST3-2100/3604) for the name of the set of books on civil a/c characteristics.

Clearing

Rode in with HS.

Veteran Statistics
– There are approximately 25 million veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces alive today (7.5 % are women).
– Some 7.2 million of those veterans are enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system; approximately 5.5 million receive health care and 3.4 million receive benefits.
– Since October 2001, approximately 1.6 million members of the Armed Forces have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. As of December 31, 2007, more than 800,000 veterans of these conflicts were eligible for VA health care.
– There are about 37 million dependents (spouses and dependent children) of living veterans and survivors of deceased veterans. Together they represent 20% of the U.S. population.
– Most veterans living today served during times of war. The Vietnam Era veteran, about 7.9 million, is the largest segment of the veteran population.
– There are approximately (as of October 2007) 2,911,900 WWII veterans alive, but they are passing away at a rate of 1,000 per day (approx. total today 2,583,400)
– In 2007, the median age of all living veterans was 60 years old, 61 for men and 47 for women.
– Median ages by period of service: Gulf War, 37 years old; Vietnam War, 60; Korean War, 76; and WW II 84.
– The percentage of the veteran population over 65 is 39.1%.
– Sixty percent (60%) of the nation’s veterans live in urban areas and six states account for about 36% of the total vet population. They are California, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio, respectively.
– Veteran Population by Race: White 80.0%; Black 10.9%; Asian/Pacific Islander 1.4%; Hispanic 5.6%; American Indian/Alaska Natives 0.8%; Other 1.3%
– Approximately 150,000 of our nation’s veterans are homeless.

Suicide Rates
– Veterans are more than twice as likely as non-veterans to commit suicide and the “Katz Suicide Study,” dated February 21, 2008, found that suicide rates among veterans are approximately 3 times higher than in the general population.
– The VA’s own data indicate that an average of four to five veterans commit suicide each day.
– A document from the VA Inspector General’s Office, dated May 10, 2007, indicates that the suicide rate among individuals in the VA’s care may be as high as 7.5 times the national average.
– According to internal VA emails, there are approximately 1,000 suicide attempts per month among veterans seen in VA medical facilities.
– The VA has hired suicide prevention counselors at each of its 153 medical centers to help support the national suicide prevention hotline.

PTSD
– Approximately 300,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars – nearly 20% of the returning forces – are likely to suffer from either PTSD or major depression, and these numbers continue to climb.
– An additional 320,000 of the returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan may have experienced traumatic brain injuries during deployment.
– By fiscal year 2005, the VA’s own statistics indicated that PTSD was the fourth most common service-related disability for service members receiving benefits.
– While there is no cure for PTSD, early identification and treatment of PTSD symptoms may lessen the severity of the condition and improve the overall quality of life for veterans suffering from this condition.

Worked out distance but not TTR & FPS-16 at 15,280′.

Some discussion with Mike Bavaro re: the UTM to Lat/Long conversion. He suggests a map with both kinds of coordinates on it. This would be fine if I had it. I’ll call Patrick AFB, Mr. Ashcroft tomorrow.

Overcast

Took HS to Waltham to get his auto registration application , and to Watertown to the Registry of MV to get his registration.

Went to Scout Court of Honor. It was combined with a so-called Father & Sons Dinner, served by the Girl Scouts; the food was delicious. The rest of the evening was devoted to awarding badges, with Ian Miller getting his Eagle Award.

Call from Mr. McKeown at AMS in Warick, R.I. They have had trouble in making the conversion from UTM to Lat-Long. I don’t have the origins. He spoke of support from Washington.

Told JLV I would delay going to the hospital unti I had done something about the comparison of pre- and in-flight data with the data we brought back from Patrick AFB.

Mailed a letter to M. N. Bradford of Liberty Mutual re: the $15 compensation to the Ellicott City Fire Department ofr ambulance service on 04 May 1961. Also mailed a copy to INA at Baltimore.

Turned in my Activity Report for December, including the proposal I made on 13 December in my trip report for a systems checkout or Operations & Training procedure. Site 12 had only 12 chances to lock on in the period July ’60 to June ’61; @ 3 min. each, this isn’t enough to learn how to operate the gear.

Call from McKeown:
SLat=7°54’25.254″
WLong=14°24’9.981″
Range 6,377,984.925 meters

Overcast

About 1/4″ of snow fell last night; storm warnings were up in most of the NE, but it bypassed us.

Rode in with HS.

Wrote a letter to Dave Cook re: his source of the single cyl. 110v 60 Hz generator.

Wrote to Willys Motors re: the correct color for Jeep.

Wrote letter to 1) INA & 2) Liberty Mutual to get my $15 back for ambulance service on 04 May; advising both that I could expect to enter the hospital soon for corrective surgery.

Clear in AM

Stayed up reading Thomas Aquinas until midnight last night. DCH worked on a chassis until 1 AM. We all — except DCH got up around 0830.

I masked the jeep wheels — with Janet’s help on two — and part of the interior for spraying, and then found that the vacuum cleaner wouldn’t do it. Borrowed Mr. Hosea’s, and did it in a few minutes. The color has too much blue in it. I’ll try it again.

Worked on the summary of my financial condition for American Institute for Economic Research.

Merry New Year, folks! All the best for 2012. The last year of planet Earth, rumor has it…

Clear, 0°F

Took family to SS & church. HJO had an excellent sermon on John as the predecessor of Christ; he gave a most graphic and moving picture of John.

We took our lunch over with John & May as Mary is in New Hampshire on a skiing trip. We went in to the youth groups & then home for a quiet evening.

Read some on wisdom in Thomas Aquinas, who said that “the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God.”

Snow is forecast for tomorrow night.