Going to try again...

We are leaving for the Desert/FAR about 6pm tonight.
We hope to hover the silver ball and get some performance measurements.
We will tweet results, we may post from the site in the evenings if our new MiFi works from there.

.

Accuracy...

It is very possible that there will be prizes determined by accuracy this year. I've spent the weekend working with the high precision RTK GPS and the helicopter.

If we can do the 180 seconds (big if) then I'm pretty comfortable beating the rumored 0.8m accuracy of Armadillo, beating the rumored 10cm accuracy of Masten is going to be a lot harder.

I still have a fair bit of work to do, but it looks promising. I'm not going to say much more about this as I don't want to give to much away. The chalange is in the vehicle dynamics, not the GPS.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from Magic. Multifrequency RTK GPS stuff is sufficiently advanced. When you realize your making sub 1 cm scale measurements over a 20000km distance in real time at many Hz it is stunning. That is 0.00000005 percent. or 0.0005 ppm.

The absurdity of the Summit

The G-20 this week was supposed to be an opportunity to showcase Pittsburgh. Instead, the city turned into a police state as 4,000 officers tried to fend off freaks run a muck. Obviously, we all expected this to happen, but it is very disappointing that many in the international press corps are expressing dismay that there aren't any real yinzers to interview. But would YOU go dahntahn and be immersed in the possible mayhem? These reporters have to be a little disappointed when they can only train their pens and notebooks on Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Steelerstahl.

Clearly, the most bizarre moment happened when a man in a bloodied seal costume crawled on the sidewalk with the anarchist mob. The Post-Gazette and their Big Story blog put it this way...

***The goal is to reach the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, where The G-20 is set to convene. How close they will get, even what route they will take, remains unclear. Nobody at the park had a clear idea, nor a single message.Near one entrance, a group of city bicycle patrolman watched a man dressed as a bleeding baby seal drag his way along the sidewalk.

"I think he's a seal," said the one officer.

In truth, he looked like a bleeding mushroom. The guy dragged himself until he got out of camera range, then got up and joined the others.***

(Here's the video that shows the ailing seal about one minute in)

I don't mind most of the protests, in fact, some are quite clever. But I sure hate those anarchists. Obviously, their title says it all. However, why do mom 'n' pop shops deserve their business windows smashed because their owners are trying to make a living? How are they a part of this globalization conspiracy when they're probably barely making enough money to keep the lights on? It's ridiculous, and I wish the anarchists many arrests during their recent vacation to Pittsburgh.

(Photo by Scott Beveridge)

Testing Results, mostly good...

For the next 36 days Updates will be short and probably not include much video or pictures, they just take to long to edit and prepare and I'm out of time.

We static tested the silver ball today, on the first static test we were expecting bright orange hydrocarbon flames(We were running gasoline as the fuel) . The exhaust was clear loud and steady. We though the fuel valve did not open and made some minor changes to the static test software refilled with peroxide and ran it again....

During the second run again clear loud steady rocket exhaust, but again no expected orange,
although about 10 seconds from the end of the run there was a noticeable change in the exhaust note.

On closer inspection the fuel tank was empty and there were signs of light soot on the thermal coating in the motor. Based on the run time and amount of fuel we loaded the pitch change at 10 seconds from shutdown would have been when we ran out of fuel. This is the first gasoline fueled motor we've ever seen fired so its possible the only thing wrong was our expectations.

We switched from kero to gas for more volatile fuel and slightly better (1 or 2 sec) ISP.

Given that we then prepared to try a tethered hover with the gimbals, and we ot bitten by small details. On the blue ball the only vent is the emergency vent we fill through the vent and have never had problems. On the silver ball during fueling for the two static tests the purge vent had been open from the main tank utalage to the motor. Before fueling for the potential tethered hover we closed that vent so we could slightly pressurize the vehicle, hang it and see if the roll control thrusters were working correctly. (They were) this caused us to leave the purge vent closed. Since the blue ball has no such vent we did not think it was an issue.
We put the fill tube down the vent with lots of clearance and started pumping.... a minute or so into the fill the hose comes flying back out and sprays everything with peroxide. We immediatly douse the vehicle, and perople with the standby water. This water deluge prevented any real damage, but also caused some of the electronics to be glitchy. So we called it a day and brought the vehicle home to dryout and test the wet parts.

The reason this happened is subtle, the main vent attaches to the tank with a 1.5" Sanitary fitting. A 1.5 inch sanitary fitting is very similar to a 1" sanitary fitting, ie they are identical other than the hole in the middle of the gasket. We had put a 1" gasket on the 1.5" vent. So when the 1" fill tube is shoved down into the vent it seals with this gasket.

Now that I'm home I will review the data in detail and look at the video.

Leaving for Test Site within the hour...

We are going out to static test and maybe over the silver ball.
News when we return.

Unreasonable Souvenir.

Garage Space is always at a premium. We usually take broken parts to the scrap metal dealer once a month. Since the rocket and camera died in such a fun way we thought we'd sell the pair on e-bay as a souvenir.


Also here is the promised picture of the silver ball in all its glory....

Silver Status...

I finished the integration testing on the Silver ball last night.
the GPS cable turned out to be an intermittent antenna problem.
Swapped out the antenna and all is well.

We ended up about 30lbs over the target weight, at least 10 of these pounds are in the new stainless motor. In the present condition using carefully calculated ISPs adjusted for under over expansion we get a hover time of 182 seconds. we never ever get theoretical ISP, so we will need to do something. Most likely a careful weight diet and the addition of some external pressurization so we can fill past 50% point. If we fill the tanks till we have a takeoff Thrust to weight of 1.2 I get a hover time (using our historically achieved ISP fudge factor) on the order of 200 seconds. Some Parts like the Motor are really massive,....



Some parts like the roll control thrusters are as light as I can imagine...





We hope to test this coming weekend.
If I get home before its dark today, I'll drag it out in front of the garage and try to take an overall picture of the beast.

With the blue ball the "vector" point for the vanes is on the bottom of the motor so that there is always an offset from this point to the center of gravity ie CG. With the silver ball this point is the gimbals hinge and with the heavy motor we were worried abut the this getting too close to the CG, so we mounted the payload up high, since we mounted it up high. The (easily removable) leg weights we use on the blue ball won't work. The silver payload are steel blocks bolted to the top of the vehicle. This combined with the increased weight makes the silver ball a lot harder to move around. My son and I can still carry it, but we cant lift it 3 feet in the air to put it in the truck without assistance.

UPDATE
I've done some thinking and calculating. If I leave the system as blow down and do all the weight reduction things I can think of its still pretty marginal. If I put a pressurization system on the vehicle I can add 30 more pounds and get 75% of theoretical ISP (This is 0.75 * the number beyond already accounting for over/under expansion etc...) and still do the task.
If this weekends test goes well it looks like engineering a pressurization system gives me the most bang for the time invested. It has the side effect of almost doubling my propellant usage and that makes my propellant supply look tighter than I'd want for through testing, but it still looks like the best path.

A side note on calculating ISP for over or under expansion...

For under expansion I just use the ISP I calculate when the chamber pressure is exactly right for proper expansion, thus I get no ISP credit for the actual higher chamber pressure.

For over expansion I take the theoretical ISP for perfect expansion at this pressure, then calculate the area difference between the actual expansion cone and the perfect one. I then calculate this difference in area as a thrust equal to the (ambient pressure * this area).. in the wrong direction and use tht as a reduction in ISP.

I have some C code that will run propep as a sub process and can make these calculations automatically. So as an excercise I varied the actual expansion ratio up and down searching for the flight performance maximum. It turns out the simplifying assumptions I made in January 09 blog post of using the average flight chamber pressure was withing 1% of the more rigorious method, well withing the uncertanty in all these numbers.

The small business plan

By Greg Tarr
BLB Guest Blogger

Last month, I wrote a little about an idea I had to use my photography skills to open a small business. Some readers asked if I knew what I was getting into when I announced my plans to start my own business with a heavy concentration on photographing weddings. They didn't question my ability to handle the wedding day assignment, but wondered if I knew what preparations are needed to start a new business.

To answer that question simply, yes. I am aware that the business plan is a very important step in launching a start-up business. I certainly am not taking this step lightly. That's why I'm working with the University of Pittsburgh's Small Business Development Center. I'm also tapping the brain of a friend who developed his own business plan a year ago to start his chiropractic practice. Luckily, there’s another friend who just opened up a bridal boutique in town. That's a great resource for me considering we'll be looking at attracting the same demographic. A lot of time and effort will be put into my plan before I executing it by going to banks and asking them to invest in my idea.

Right now, I am not a business man, but I am learning. Photographers who produce less than satisfactory work can make it if they are great business people, and even the most talented photographers can fail if they are not business savvy. I am preparing myself and not jumping into the deep end without knowing how to swim. I am trying to be cautious and calculated without being afraid of failure.

I am not getting into wedding photography solely to make money. Of course, that will be nice, but I am really excited to document the amazing and happy event of a wedding. I've talked to wedding photographers from other states and they all love it. Sure there will be stress involved and bumps in the road, but like I said in the past, I've worked under stressful situations and feel that's when I produce my best work. I'd also like to add that one of those photographers is from San Francisco and she has invited me out to assist her on a few weddings. I’ll take up her on that offer once I purchase my own photo equipment. She is an amazing photographer and I can't wait to learn from such a talented shooter.

I hope that begins to lay out my plan to anyone who may have had questions. Please feel free to ask me more questions if they arise. Some readers have stated that they have a real interest in entrepreneurship and small business start-ups. I'm looking for any and all help and constructive criticism from people in the know. Don’t hesitate sending me an e-mail with your suggestions. I would appreciate your help.

Greg Tarr previously worked as a staff photographer at the Observer-Reporter in Washington, Pa. The wedding photo above was shot by Tarr in May 2005. He can be reached by e-mail at gmtarr@hotmail.com

Beaten by a cable...

I expected to take the silver Ball to FAR on Friday.
I've worked for 18 hrs a day for three days and I'm still 3 hours away from being ready.
I think I have everything working except the GPS.

On The Blue Ball the GPS antenna sticks up and we've broken it off three times. So on the Silver ball I machined a real light aluminum dome that sits on top of the computer cover and the GPS antenna sits on that. It all lines up so it goes directly into the RF tight box the GPS lives in.

Nothing sticking out to break off.... alas every time you open or close the computer box you must unplug and replug the GPS cable. After opening the box 6 million times over the last few days the cable died. If I replace it with a different cable everything works, alas the mechanical fit is such that I can't assemble things with the different cable. We've passed all our integration tests except the last one a simulated takeoff, we can't do that without a GPS lock and no antenna == no lock. I could go and do a static test, but I think I'll wait a day or two and try again. I've been pushing too hard and I'm too tired to think clearly not the right state to be in testing a new system.

One of these days I will learn how long it takes to do vehicle integration.
When you have a pile of individually tested and roughly rocket looking parts you think you have 4 hours of work, alas its days or weeks of work, not hours.

A happy Saturday in the valley

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The stadium shook and the crowd roared every time Penn State marched into the endzone. And that was during a 31-6 snoozer against... Temple? I can only imagine what it feels like to witness an important college football game here when the Nittany Lions play a real opponent at Beaver Stadium.

These people take their football seriously. Of course, most college football fans do. I should know, coming from West Virginia University where there are no pro sports teams in the state. Each Saturday, people from all across West Virginia gathered at Mountaineer Field to watch their team play.

But Happy Valley is different. From the thundering "We Are ... Penn State" cheer where the students actually shout "Thank You" to the alumni, to a slow motion wave around the stadium following the Lion's first touchdown. It's pretty neat.

Then, of course, there's that goofy Lion mascot, who must have fleas becuase he's constantly scratching his ears. He crowd surfs through the student section, break dances on the field and directs the crowd to a chrescendo of cheers before kickoff. But with the game decided long before either team took the field, my girlfriend, Tiffany, and I spent most of our time watching him as he entertained.

It's just unfortunate, though, that Penn State and head coach Joe Paterno feel the need to play so many cupcake non-conference teams (Akron, Syracuse and Temple) rather than schedule a real rival, such as the Pitt Panthers. It's all about ticket revenue from home games, and they certainly packed the stadium. But it's sad that most left before the start of the fourth quarter. Oh, and as for that giant S in the middle of the student section? It melted into metal bleachers long before the game ended.

A glimmer of hope

Do you know this man? Probably not, but if I do my job well, you'll be hearing a lot more about Congressman Joe Sestak in the coming months. His campaign office this week hired me to work in the media relations department as Sestak attempts to unseat incumbent Arlen Specter in the U.S. Senate. The campaign is still in its infancy stages, so it could only afford to hire me on a part-time basis. But I see this as an opportunity to dabble in politics while also bolstering my resume for other public relations jobs.

Sestak is a retired Navy admiral who won election to a congressional seat outside Philadelphia in 2006. Last month, I contacted his campaign offering to volunteer for his race against Specter in the Democratic primary this May. After helping with a small campaign event in Scott Township, Pa., I marched with Sestak in Pittsburgh's Labor Day parade as he "zigzagged back and forth between the curbs lining the route" to introduce himself to local voters. Before the parade, I pulled him aside and talked to him for a few minutes before handing him my business card. A few days later, his campaign offered me a media relations position in Western Pennsylvania. Since he is from a Philadelphia suburb, promoting his candidacy in this part of the state will be a major challenge, and it is one that I embrace.

Politics fascinate me. As a reporter, I loved writing about government because of the policy debates between candidates. Now that I'm liberated of my journalist title, I will be able to participate rather than observe and report.

The job injects a few extra dollars into my bank account each month, but most importantly, it offers health insurance. This does not mean I will stop looking for a full-time job elsewhere. All options remain on the table as I balance the job hunt with the campaign. Blog posts on The Bread Line might slow down a bit, but I'll keep you updated on my progress. We'll see what transpires over the next eight months.

Congradulations to AA and good luck to Masten.

AA flew the 180 last week, and Masten is going to attempt the 90 second flight tomorrow.

I think that the 180 second event will be a stretch for both Masten and Unreasonable.
The 90 second event may come down to who has the best GPS equipment.

Toward that end I've recently purchased a pair of Trimble BD960 L1-L2 Glossnass RTK Rover and Base GPS units with all the accuracy enhancing options. I also got what I consider to be a very favorable ruling on from the judges on what can be counted as payload weight.

I've been flying with a very light L1 GPS from Crescent, its a nice GPS, and flies well,but as a L1 GPS its just not accurate enoough if the prize will be won or lost on GPS accuracy.

So I asked the judges the following question:
If a camera is carried and used to enhance landing accuracy, can it be counted as payload?
(The history here is yes it can be payload)
Since a GPS position reporting is also part of the required payload can I carry a 2nd really accurate GPS report its position for the payload requirements and manually use the information to correct my posiition, just like a camera. I expected them to rule that cameras used for landing accuracy could not be counted as payload, instead The answer I got back kind of suprised me, yes the 2nd GPS can be payload as long as it is not required for flight, and it does not matter how the data is communicated to the vehicle. So it can even be automatic. you might think that this is a lot of fuss over a few ounces of electronics, but to get really really accurate GPS you need a good survey grade choke ring antenna, a good one can weigh as much as 12 pounds or more.
Now I can count that as payload!!!!! This should give me accuracy in the 2cm range, if only I could control the vehicle that tightly. I've started working on that with the helicopter a so far I'm consistently better than what armadillo reported for accuracy on their flights. how much better I won't reveal until the end of October.(The Helicopter can't carry the weight of my really good antenna, so I'm using a lesser antenna hence the vehicle should be at least as good.)


A sobering though is that it would be possible to accomplish both the 90 and 180 second tasks and still walk away from the competition empty handed. If Masten,Unreasonable both accomplish their goals, its very likely that one of the three teams will get nothing.
For example:
Masten, Unreasonable and Armadillo all do the 180.
Masten and unreasonable are more accurate, Armadillo gets nothing. That is clearly the least likely scenario, but anything is possible.

Two years ago there was one team attempting and no winners.
This year its a real possibility that all the prizes will be won with more successes than winners.

Also today was the last possible day to register for the event, so we should also hear from Xprize in the next few days to learn if there are any surprise teams registering at the last minute.

Legal pad ambitions

“If a man constantly aspires, is he not elevated?”
-Henry David Thoreau

By Amanda Gillooly
BLB Guest Blogger

Like patience, time-management skills have always eluded me, as my BFF Candy remembers well. She had the misfortune of living with me during the most crammed time of my life – sophomore year of college when I was dealing with an 18-credit class load and leading the school newspaper as editor.

Now, while my classmates toted sophisticated planners, I had a veritable cornucopia of yellow legal pads for basically the same purpose. The lists would get updated as the hours wore on, with seemingly more “things” added to than crossed off. But by the end of that first semester, I had attained the dean’s list and managed not to burn the newspaper office down and/or alienate too many people during my tenure as neurotic, disorganized editor.

Failure was not an option. If I didn’t get the paper to the South Side by early Thursday morning, all the friends who helped put it to bed or design its pages wouldn’t get their due. If I didn’t get at least a 3.0, my Presidential Scholarship would be gone like the wind. If I didn’t get the story, it didn’t get told that day and worse, you might get beat. That is a travesty perhaps only another newspaper geek could understand (or really want to).

But there has been a peak and then a plateau on the motivation front during these past few post-layoff weeks. Yes, I have an occasional meeting to cover, and a few feature stories here and there to write. And my work with the Innocence Institute is the most challenging in my career. Even so, gumption is difficult to gather when you don’t have eight hours of your day automatically cordoned off for work.

Deny as you might, but I doubt I am the only person wallowing in an unemployment-induced lack of focus. For as much as I always argued that making people dress in crisp button-down shirts and khakis didn’t influence professionalism, I was dead wrong. It is far more difficult to center your writing chi in that getup, than say, a tank top, Capri sweats and fluffy slippers. Unlike coworkers, my cats don’t mind when I work sans mascara.

And as it turns out, “telecommuting” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. An inviting front porch, a case full of still unread books and a beautiful day complete with “Simpson’s” clouds each offer too many distractions for me. Don’t get me wrong: I’m no slouch. I apply for jobs and write for a local newspaper and volunteer for a nonprofit. I blog for two of my friends and colleagues and am The Most Awesome Aunt in the Universe.

But none of it is at the same intensity. When every day is an unpaid vacation, I have a tendency to relax too much. And I haven’t felt the same rush of adrenaline when you know you have the scoop of the day. I haven’t felt my heart pound when I submitted a story to an editor with a risky lead and waited for it to move through the gauntlet of editors. I guess the deadlines don’t feel quite so real or looming when you aren’t in a newsroom to observe them.

The point here isn’t to be nostalgic.

I suppose I’m just trying to remind myself and all the other bread liners out there that we have all the time in the world (OK, about 59 weeks) to improve ourselves and our crafts and get a new jobby job. For me, it is time again to focus on getting my awesome on.
Because I have noticed there is a tendency to sleep in a little later and drink a few more beers at night (because, perhaps, of said ability to sleep in). There is too much Internet surfing completed and too much football analysis consumed.

Well, for me anyway. And realizing the only corner of the universe I can change is my own, I’ve made a decision to revert to some of my pre-furlough, Type A tendencies.
But I won’t bore you with the details of my plan to again take over the journalism world. They are mine to mull and edit and perfect. And I figure even if I don’t get that plum job as a columnist for Maxim, at least I’m again competing.

Hard.

Because aspiring to be more is key. Almost as important as the legal pads.

Amanda Gillooly previously worked for the Observer-Reporter and now freelances for the Valley Independent in Monessen, Pa. She can be reached by e-mail at amandabgillooly@gmail.com

106 Second Hover

We did a 106 second stable hover with the blue ball.
We also started working on the PAD forms for the LLC pads.
More info later...

Also started tweeting as unrocket

Will probably keep that up until the contest....
47 days and 6 testing weekends left.

"You lie!"

With those two words, Congressman Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, summed up the rallying cry of the anti-health care reform crowd. In that ugly moment during President Obama's speech to Congress last night, an elected official lowered himself into the political slop that has garnered so much media attention at town hall meetings about health care reform. It is no wonder that so many people at those town hall meetings have refused to even listen about potential health care plans or offer solutions. Instead, they have turned them into cage match brawls by shouting down their elected representatives and causing disruptions.

It is a sad indictment on our country that the days of civil discourse and discussion about important issues are gone. Congratulations, Rep. Wilson, for epitomizing everything that is wrong with our system today. Americans look to their elected leaders for guidance, and I will not accept this type of behavior from one of them.

UPDATE: 5:54 p.m. - The Associated Press interviewed some of Wilson's constituents in South Carolina, and they're overwhelmingly supportive of him and his statement.

"He's the only one who has guts in that whole place," said John Roper, an insurance agent in Columbia, S.C. "He'll get re-elected in a landslide."

Most of the other people interviewed for the story regretted the fact he shouted at the president in that forum, but still plan to vote for him next year. If that's what the Republican Party wants, then it can have him.

(Photo by Getty Images)

Working on Rockets...

I've taken the week off from the day job to be Unreasonable. I finished the last of the machining on the new stainless motor, I picked up the chamber liner from flame spray and now all the parts are at the welder. I received all the turned stainless parts today, so I have spares.

To finish my earlier discussion about sending parts out I talked to the vendor and he actually did not have any scrap. All his problems or issues were found in dry runing the programs on his CAM software, so no scrap generated.

The Blue Ball software is ready to test again, we may do so this weekend.
I've still got to get the video working correctly.

51 days and 7 testing weekends to go.....

Mixed Results....

Good news:
The goal for this weekend was to resolve the "heavy wiggles" and fly a clean 90 second tethered flight. We resolved the wiggles and we flew a flight somewhere between 89 and 91 seconds.
We had significant takeoff throttle margin so I can add some more propellant and I'm sould be able to get to 95 or 100 seconds.

Bad News:
Our wireless video system did not work, it looks like the cable coming out of the video camera was intermittent. We did not have wiggle problems, but we had roll, or yaw problems holding a consistent heading. We actually "spun" to the point of the tethers winding up and forcing an abort on a flight. We tried to fix this 4 times and nothing we did had any effect.

After we got home and I reviewed te code, I learned it had no effect be cause the variable set up to be "Rudder" gain was not connected to the loop controlling the "Rudder" (Remember this software was developed on a helicopter and hence has helicopter type coordinates rather than more typical rocket names for the axis.) so I could turn it up to infinity and it would still do nothing.
So we need to try the test again next weekend.

Scary News:
We have 7 more testing weekends and 53 total days before the event .

A somber afternoon

PITTSBURGH - It felt like I was entering a funeral home while walking through the PNC Park gates Sunday afternoon to watch the Pirates. The Buccos have lost for 16 straight seasons and were one more defeat away from achieving 82 losses this year. That would break a professional sports record for consecutive losing seasons. I was 9 years old when the Pirates last had a winning season, and today was the first time in my life I rooted against them. I came to the ballpark because I wanted to stare this woeful accomplishment in the face.

The game seemed to be going according to plan when catcher Jason Jaramillo chucked the ball over pitcher Paul Maholm's head, allowing a run to score in comical fashion. What else would you expect from the worst franchise in pro sports history. The Pirates clawed back to tie the game until Rick Ankiel launched a Jesse Chavez pitch into the centerfield bleachers in the top half of the 9th. I stood and applauded the Pirates' tragic destiny as Ankiel rounded the bases.

But it wasn't meant to be because rookie first baseman Garrett "The Legend" Jones cranked a single into the gap for the game-winning RBI. Many of the 19,000 fans in attendance roared with approval. I did not. I just stood there with my hands in my pockets and watched the celebration near second base. They escaped this shameful record for one more day.

Then I caught a glimpse of a father and his young son cheering next to me. They had been talking the whole game as the father taught his boy about baseball. That's when it struck me. No matter what owner Bob Nutting and these atrocious Pirates do on the field, they still can't take baseball away from us. There's no other place in Pittsburgh I'd rather be than PNC Park on a beautiful summer afternoon.

UPDATE - 9/7/09: The Pirates clinched their 17th consecutive losing season Monday and set a professional sports record in doing so. Congrats, and no luck next year.

FAR FAR Away again...

I just finished packing for a trip to FAR on Saturday, we will be attempting a 90 second tethered hover with the blue ball. This includes the live video so all the rules requirements for the vehicle are complete. Other than resolve the heavy weight stability issues we have no more fabrication
to do on the blue ball.

On the Silver ball I finished slotting the stainless chamber and machining the injector plate. Both parts were dropped off to be flame sprayed with a thermal barrier coating today.
(Last time I went by the flame spray shop the gave me a quick shop tour and it looked like there were a bunch of merlin sized chambers in there to be sprayed.

I also dropped the next set of catalyst screens off to be plated.

Next week if all goes well the silver ball will be hardware complete.

Rejection No. 1

The e-mail was short and straight to the point...

Mr. Jones,

Thank you for the opportunity to review your credentials for Job XXXXX.

Unfortunately, we have decided to focus our attention on a group of candidates who more closely match our requirements. Please continue to visit our website at www.#######.com for listed positions should you be interested in other opportunities here at ###.

If you have any questions please contact ########, who is copied on this email, at 412-555-5555.

We wish you every success in your career endeavors.
---

In that moment, I didn't know whether to be upset with the rejection, or encouraged that I finally heard back from a job to which I applied two months ago. That makes me think the numerous other positions to which I've sent my resume are still reviewing my credentials. I have applied to dozens of jobs without a response, and I considered that the rejection. No news is bad news, right? But now I know that it is a long, hard process to hire new employees. And it makes me hopeful the other jobs I want might still be within my reach.

I share this news with all of you because I want this blog to be honest and open about what it is like to look for a new job in this environment. I don't ask for your sympathy, just that you understand.

Health insurance should be a right

For most of this summer, we've heard both sides of the health care debate. President Obama has made reform a top priority of his first-year agenda as he tries to push a government health care option through the system. There has been vocal opposition to his plans, though, as we've seen passionate - and often angry - demonstrations against a public option. I really wonder if they are railing against health care, or just doing whatever possible to undermine a Democratic president. I don't mind disagreements about the plan, but there is a civil way to handle these debates.

But simmering below the angry debate are real stories of Americans hurting due to our jumbled health system. WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh last month featured Heather Sherba, a local 22-year-old woman who was seriously injured during the LA Fitness shooting rampage that left three women dead. Because she had just graduated from college and had not yet found a job (who has in this economic climate?) she was uninsured and, therefore, responsible for the hospital bills. Rachel Maddow discussed the issue on her MSNBC show recently. Family and friends held a car wash to raise money, and they received about $500. But that is hardly enough to pay for the entire medical expenses. I imagine she will sue the gunman's estate, but how much will she receive? What this shows, though, is a system that has too many cracks and needs to be changed.

I, too, have no health insurance because I lost my job. I have considered using Comprehensive Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) insurance, but obviously that is very expensive. Although the government will now pick up 65 percent of the tab, I still must pay about $145 a month to retain the coverage. That is a difficult decision when you do not have a full-time job while still be required to pay full-time bills. Hopefully I will remain healthy.

Some will say stories like these pull at our emotions and should have no bearing on the debate. I think they're wrong. Sherba's story illustrates the problems with our system. Although some will disagree, I believe it shows that health insurance should be a right, and not a privilege. How can anyone think differently in the wealthiest country on Earth?

I understand there are serious political undercurrents with every decision, and this issue should not be rushed. But there clearly needs to be a new system. I will leave you with an hour-long PBS Frontline special on what it means to be "Sick around America" and let you decide.

UPDATE: 1:30 p.m. - Just found another Frontline video about how several nations across the world handle health care. They are vastly different as "Sick around the world" exposes the positives and negatives of each system. I strongly encourage everyone to watch these two programs to have a better understanding of our own system and those elsewhere in the world.

(The political cartoon above was drawn in 1994 by Rob Rogers of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It doesn't seem like much has changed in 15 years.)

My weekend with the Stainless Bully...

Team Phoneicia's blog had a quote Aluminum is your friend stainless is the sadistic bully from third grade. The part above has not been cleaned up yet, but its basically done it started out as a 1" thick 8" diameter 316 stainless. The back side is taped for the nozzles, all I have to do is clean up and drill the holes coming in from the stubs sticking out.