Monday, January 29, 2024

Review: Hour is come

 Hour is come is the introduction to the Dotty Sayers antique cozy mystery series by Victoria Tait. Where many authors try to cram an introduction in the first book, Ms. Tait a prequel and true introduction while still giving a taste of the fun to come. In th first chapter we meet Dotty as she attends her husband's funeral. After the funeral she is lost and alone for the first time in her life. As we travel through the book we get to watch Dotty blossom into a more confident and secure person as she meets new friends and co-workers at the antique shop where she finds employment. In the book she also gets her first taste of solving a mystery.

A few. of the things I found most enjoyable about this book is the way the book makes you feel like you are meeting friends and keeps keeps your interest. One of the first characters we meet in Angela Sayers. At first comes across pushy but as the book continues her relationship with Dotty becomes more friendly. Later on in the book we meet Gilly Winery and Marion Rook who take Dotty under their wings on her way to becoming the receptionist at the antique/auction house.

I give it 5out 5 stars.

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

ULA geo5 mission

 


Today, May 18, at launch complex 41 of the Space Force compound at Cape Canaveral, Florida we were treated to the sight of the launch of the ULA (United Launch Aliance) Atlas V 421 rocket. The rocket, carrying the Lockhead Martin built SBIRS 5 (space based infer-red system) satellite and two smaller satellites equipped with the Ez3 and Ez4 flight systems. Lifted-off at 1:37 ET (10:37 PT). The launch was originally scheduled to take place the previous day but was delayed due to weather conditions.


The SBIRS satellite is the 5th installment of an array that will at its completion the array will be comprised of 6 satellites in a geosynchronous orbit over the Indian Ocean. The array will then provide the Space Force with warnings of incoming missiles and other critical information needed for the defense of the United States of America.


Thank you to our mission partners for the tremendous teamwork as we processed and launched this asset that provides powerful surveillance and critical capabilities to protect our warfighters,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. “We are proud to work with the U.S. Space Force to continue to meet the national security needs of our country.”


The EZ-3 & 4 satellites, that were a secondary payload, will provide critical information for launches and capabilities for warfighters.


This launch marks the 87th time that the ULA has sent an Atlas V into space. Out of those 87 times this is only the 8th Atlas using the 421 configuration. The 421 configuration consist of a 13.7-ft long payload fairings on the centaur upper stage.

Sunday, May 9, 2021

SpaceX launches 60 Starlink satellites

 

Early Sunday morning, May 9, Cape Canaveral was lit up as a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off the launch pad at space launch complex 40. It was 2:42 a.m. EDT (11:42 p.m. Saturday PDT) when the engines roared and the Falcon 9 carried 60 Starlink satellites into the sky. This successful launch will bring the total 1321 Starlink communication satellites in a low Earth orbit. This flight will mark a milestone as the first stage of the rocket will make its 10th launch.


"First time a Falcon rocket booster will reach double digits in flights," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on Twitter Saturday before launch.


Just under nine minutes after the launch the first stage of the rocket safely landed on the drone barge just read the instructions. The landing not only marked the 10th recovery for this rocket but the 83rd time that SpaceX has successfully recovered the first stage of one of their rockets. The first time this feat was accomplished was when SpaceX made history back in December of 2015.


"SpaceX's first reuse of an orbital class rocket was on the SES-10 mission way back in March of 2017," Spacex supply chain supervisor Michael Andrews said in a live webcast. "We've certainly come a long way since then.”


SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.) is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. Founded by Elon Musk in 2002 with the goal of bringing down the cost of space transport and one day colonizing Mars. SpaceX currently owns three launch pads: slc-40 in Cape Canaveral and lc-39a at Kennedy Space Center both on the east coast and slc-42 at Vandenberg, California on the west coast.

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Review-Reconnected: A spiritual awaking memoir


 

Reconnected: A spiritual awakening memoir by Christine Hoeflich chronicles her journey to find her inner happiness. Just like most of us; She followed what she thought was expected, what she thought she wanted out of life, and fought against her inner voice and signs around her. The only thing this brought was a temporary satisfaction that would leave her feeling empty and cause conflict in her everyday life. Eventually, she hit a low point in her life were all of this was threatening to destroy everything she held dear in life. It was at this low point that she was asked to join a soul recognition workshop that could be the miracle she needed to save her. As she was about to find out though the workshop, even though it provide some answers, was only the beginning of her journey. Christine now knows what her inner being is telling her but she still has many obstacles to overcome before she can accomplish her life's purpose. Once Ms. Hoeflich learns how to get in touch with her inner being she starts receiving insights from everything around her to help overcome her obstacles.


There are so many aspects I like about this book. The way she gleams insight out of an event or something someone says to her. One example was when she saw a nut fall from the sky and a friend told her about how birds will drop nuts to crack them. That one simple talk started her thinking and gleam some more insight in how we all connected to the universe. Then there is the way that just about everything around her start inspiring new ideas for her writing,


One of the things I don't like about this book is how ms. Hoeflich allows self-doubt creep in even though she has made great strides in her work. I can't blame her though since it is part of the way we are conditioned all are lives.


I would highly recommend this book for everyone. Most of us just stumble through life and can get plenty out of this book to inspire us to get in touch with our own inner beings. Even if you are one of the rare people that have found your life path it is still a good way to keep you focused.


I would give this book a 4 out of 4 stars

Saturday, April 3, 2021

Review: Meow-Catnip assassins book 1


 

Skye Mackinnon gives us a new kind of hero in Meow: Catnip Assassins book 1. As the book starts we meet Kat, a shapeshifter and trained assassin, as she sets out on her latest mission. But, this will not be a normal mission as she is about to find out. It is only the being of a wild ride as Kat and her associates take us with them on journey full of twist and turns. We start with a murder investigation that leads us to a drug ring, murder, kidnapping, torture, and deception.


Being assassins and thieves Kat and her associates don't always play by the rules to get the answers they need to solve this puzzles. When they find the people they are investigating are harming children, one of Kat's associates Lilly delivers one of the best quotes, “Kill adults, sign me up, but poisoning children, doing who knows what to their health? No, that's just wrong. I may not have a moral compass, but I have a heart.”


The book does start slow and has a few holes. Overall though it is a very enjoyable read that will keep you glued to the pages to the very end. Anyone that is a fan of cats, shapeshifters, and urban fantasy will like this book. I would high recommend it and give it 4 out of 5 stars.





Friday, March 5, 2021

3 Ways Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Healthcare by Jen Smith

 


(Image: Medical App Against Doctor Using Smartphone Stock Photo (Edit Now) 370726037

3 Ways Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Healthcare


Artificial intelligence is growing at an incredible pace, and it’s beginning to transform practices in virtually every industry. While artificial intelligence was once a relatively small field, AI systems have already changed various aspects of our business and professional lives.


In this article, we’ll cover three of the most important impacts of artificial intelligence on healthcare. With constant progress being made in healthcare software development, we can only imagine how the healthcare industry will be leveraging the power of artificial intelligence in 2030 or even 2025.


Risk Analysis


Doctors can make informed judgements about patient risk, but humans are simply incapable of the large-scale analysis that characterizes artificial intelligence. AI solutions can analyze massive volumes of patient data to identify trends that might be invisible to a healthcare professional.


In fact, one study found that modern AI systems could decrease 30-day hospital readmissions by more than 10 percent. That improvement alone could save the healthcare industry more than $20 million every year, and it’s just one of many promising applications of artificial intelligence.


Drug Development


Identifying, developing, and testing new drugs is an incredibly complex process, and AI can make it both most efficient and cost-effective by analyzing information on past treatments and finding new therapies with a high chance of success. Again, this is an area in which the abilities of artificial intelligence far exceed what any human actor could do with the same information.


With artificial intelligence, drug producers could weed out treatments that are unlikely to succeed while putting more resources into the most promising treatments. The advantages of AI for drug discovery have been clear for several years now, and its capabilities will only grow as the technology develops and companies continue building even more powerful solutions.


Primary Care


Artificial intelligence may never completely displace human doctors and nurses, but it can minimize unnecessary appointments and clinic visits by handling a variety of basic inquiries. A medical chatbot, for example, could respond to questions about a patient’s health or treatment plan, or refer them to a professional if the chatbot can’t provide the right answer.


This application of AI is highly scalable, and it could take pressure off of medical professionals by giving them more time to focus on urgent problems that artificial intelligence isn’t (yet) capable of solving. It’s particularly relevant for underserved populations who may not otherwise have access to vital information.


Artificial intelligence is already shifting the way we think about healthcare, and its effects will become even clearer over the next few years. These are just a few of the most promising applications of artificial intelligence in the healthcare industry.


Saturday, May 30, 2020

The eyes of America are focused on Cape Canaveral, Florida as SpaceX and NASA go for their second attempt at returning to manned space flight from United States soil. On Wednesday the launch had to be scrubbed due to weather conditions that would have endangered the lives of the two heroic men aboard the Dragon crew capsule. As long as everything remains a go then both Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be the first astronauts to launch from American soil since the last shuttle launch in 2011.

 The current mission is considered a demo flight. Later missions will carry 4 to the ISS (International Space Station). Each mission will also include supplies to restock the ISS.