OVO

DJ Scientific [LINK-ZUM]

"Founded in 2005 by veteran DJ, Mark 'Scientific' Branch, Scientific Beats provides top quality music production for artists in the R&B and Hip-Hop genres, as well as top quality DJs for industry events. The founder, DJ Scientific, has been making people dance in clubs and at private affairs across the country for nearly 2 decades, starting in the mid '80s while in Junior High School.

"One day while talking to students about what he does outside of NASA (namely his life as a DJ on TV and in the clubs), he noticed that the students became more attentive. Once he captured their attention, they were more receptive to learn about the plethora of career possibilities in STEM [The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Coalition]. After that life-changing experience, Scientific chose to utilize Hip-Hop culture as a means to capture the attention of students and direct their energies toward a focus on improving their scholastic performance. At this time, he is working on a plan to broaden his talks and get involved with 'at-risk' kids at a DC elementary school to see if his ideas will improve those students' scholastic performance and foster an attitude of furthering their education past high school and on to college and beyond! We all hope that he is successful with this endeavor."

Labels: music, rockets

NASAWatch: Blocking Access to Tools [LINK-ZUM]

While some portions of NASA are paying close attention to how the real world is using the Internet, including the 9th floor at NASA Headquarters, other parts of the agency are hiding their heads in the sand. One notable example: JSC and DFRC are blocking access to Twitter. [...] Curiously, NASA has its own official Twitter feed. Why put something like this online and then block your own employees from seeing it? Typical NASA. [...] Someone I worked with at NASA in the early 1990's sent me this comment:

Q. What's the difference between NASA and Jurassic Park?
A. One's an amusement park, filled with dinosaurs; the other one's a movie."

Labels: communication, rockets, tools

Trevor Blake: LFRA [LINK-ZUM]

There is going to be a rocket launching in April 2008. Some fellow cultists have expressed interest in learning to make rockets. The LFRA (Lemurian Flying Rocket Association / "Light Fuse Run Away") is considering accepting an elite and limited number of applications for training in March. Students will be expected to meet most of their own expenses, which should be well under $50 from conception to launch. No payment to the LFRA is expected. A good deal of inactivity is involved in the activity of rocketry to allow glue and paint to dry. Therefore other components of the LFRA space program (video, eating, walks, etc.) will likely co-occur. If you are interested, comment at pdxocculture.com. Rockets will occur in April with or without increasing the membership of the LFRA.

Labels: portland, rockets

Trevor Blake Wishes You A Happy New Year 2008 [LINK-ZUM]