Another death that may have slipped under the radar of many was that of Larry Hovis.

John Ritter also died last night.

"I don't want no aggravation
When my train has left the station
If you're there or not, I may not even know
Have a round and remember
Things we did that weren't so tender
Let the train blow the whistle when I go."



Johnny Cash is dead at age 71. He died this morning at 1am of respiratory failure resulting from complications of diabetes.



Cash's career spanned nearly 50 years. He recorded nearly 500 albums. Perhaps more than any other musician, his influence and appeal remained strong throughout nearly his entire career, despite lack of airplay by country radio in later years.



With so much to say about this legend, I am not sure I can do justice in the time I have available. Instead, here are a few relevant links.

JohnnyCash.com

All Music Guide

A great compilation of Johnny's music up to 1983.

Of course there is "At Folsom Prison," and any of the American Recordings would be a good buy.

OK, count it off, a standard 12 bar B-flat blues... er blacks?

Hubble has taken advantage of the great view of Saturn, with its rings at full tilt. I really gotta get a telescope.

Well, it turns out that the myth of a duck's quack having no echo may have been built around a bit of truth.

Ha! Ha, ha ha ha... Ahh-hahahaha... Seriously though, it should have been 30-11.

Here are the photos from the Big Trip...


This was along Highway 35, which follows the Mississippi, in Wisconsin. One of several stops to take in the sights, and stretch the legs.



Hazards of the road. One stretch of tarmac had an unbelievably high concentration of bugs. This stop was forced by the large dragonfly in the middle of my shield.



Day two. Adam and I stopped at a scenic overlook near Guttenberg, Iowa.



My Dad, brother and I near Saylorville Lake north of Des Moines.



More Saylorville.

Who ya gonna call?

A while back, Jaquandor was mailed five questions by another blogger (Scott from Archipelapogo, and a fellow member of Collaboratory), these he answered on Byzantium’s Shores. He asked if anyone was game for five questions from him. I took the bait.

1. You used to perform in a band. What do you do for creative outlets now?

Well, Krista and I are slowly getting our act together in putting together a home studio. As things progress, we hope to start recording our own music. Until that is in full swing I play my guitar, although not as much as I should. I also enjoy a bit of photography, and playing around a bit with my camcorder. I am also fortunate in that my job allows a creative outlet. Not on a daily basis, but I do get to work on a project that allows a fair bit of creativity at least once a week. A not so obvious outlet is working on our house. While not always creative per se, I have been surprised at how much satisfaction one can get from putting new collar ties in ones garage, or building new cabinets for the kitchen.

2. If you had to live anywhere other than Minneapolis, where would it be? (Buffalo is an acceptable answer. Dallas is not.)

St. Paul. OK, I guess that is cheating. I guess Chicago. Although if Krista and I were not secure in our jobs, and I knew we could make it work monetarily, I wouldn’t mind living in a number of places for short periods of time (6-12 months). Alaska (although I have not yet been) Iceland, Amsterdam, Hamburg, New Orleans, and maybe somewhere in California, simply for near perfect motorcycling weather.

3. What’s the last book that blew your mind?

This is a tough one. I’m not sure that I’ve had a book blow my mind. At least not in the way my mind was blown say, the first time I read about spooky action at a distance… Steve Thayer’s “The Weatherman” blew my mind… Because it was so friggin’ bad. The closest book comes to mind is Kerouac’s “The Dharma Bums.” I loved “On the Road,” but “The Dharma Bums” gave a much better feel for what Kerouac was searching. The truth he sought seemed unattainable, when in fact it was around him all the time. I’m not sure that it blew my mind though. Any suggestions that might?


4. What article of clothing do you think looks best on women? (Within the bounds of propriety, of course. This question is
partly a test to see if your wife reads your blog. Heh.)

Hip huggers. I love hips.

5. If you could fly in any fictional air or spacecraft, which one would it be?

Easy. Same as everyone else. Millennium Falcon.

Moving outward from Mars to Jupiter. The Galileo Spacecraft is set to be destroyed later this month to avoid crashing into Europa once it runs out of fuel. Europa is possibly the best chance for alien life in our solar system, and it is feared that Galileo could still carry microbial life from Earth that would contaminate any ecosystem that the Jovian moon might harbor. Here is a great article detailing the life of Galileo (the spacecraft, not the man).

I still don't see why some people think that senior drivers should be tested...

By the way, I was invited to join Collaboratory, and have. It is a group weblog, and I will be posting there occasionally now as well. My first post went up yesterday. It is a personal profile, as all of the members have posted at some point. You can Dig It on a daily basis by clicking on the link to the left.

There is an online petition to put the Star Wars Kid in Episode III.

What time is it?

Happy birthday to my niece Hazel, the hippest one-year-old in Madison.

Am I the only one who was unaware of The Star Wars Kid?

Variations here.

Whew. That's a load off...

This just in. Stars discovered above New York City.

Groovy. Thanks to Dan for this Middle Earth related link (even though he misrepresented the content).