The Phoenix has a New View Screen (And Other Things)

Hello Troops,
We had a good weekend punctuated with a couple hiccups. Alex stopped me as I walked into the office Friday evening. It was almost 6:00 P.M. and I had several things I needed to do for the Overnight Camp at 7:00 P.M.

"Our main viewer is down. I couldn't get it to turn on." Alex was neck deep in a Phoenix private mission so he had to speak quickly. "I'm using the two side TV's only."

I asked if he'd clicked the input button on the remote. He said he had but I wasn't convinced. I'm usually pretty good at making what some classify as impossible, possible. I found the remote, walked into the ship, told the kids to carry on and pretend I wasn't there and fiddled with the viewer. It was obvious the TV had power - the red light on the front control panel flickered whenever I pushed a remote button, but no matter what I did, no matter which button combination I pushed, that TV wouldn't cooperate. I pronounced it DOA when I came out of the ship.

I was left with one choice - I had to purchase another TV for the Phoenix. The old set would be removed and taken to the repair shop for diagnosis. If it could be repaired at a reasonable cost then it would be. If it couldn't, then it would be carted off to recycling - or whatever else you do with dead large screen TVs.

The Phoenix private mission ended at 7:00 P.M. That gave Dave and Alex just 20 minutes or so to come up with an alternative plan for the Overnight camp. They found an old 24 inch TV in the Animation Studio and installed it. Mind you, it looked odd having this large wall of black plastic with a 24 inch screen shining through but would the campers know? Most likely they wouldn't - thinking what they saw was how the ship was designed.

The second hiccup was discovered around 8:00 P.M. Several volunteers failed to show up to work the camp. That immediately put us into 'problem solving' mode. Within fifteen minutes we had the problem worked out. I want to thank Erick B. for answering the email call for additional staff and coming when he did. It made a big difference.

Saturday morning I called Brady Young, a Voyager Flight Director and a member of Best Buy's Geek Squad, and explained the problem. Brady said he would talk to the store's manager and see if they would sell us a TV at cost. He called back saying he'd worked out a deal.

Later that afternoon, Bill Schuler picked me up in his truck and we drove to Lehi's Best Buy. We met Brady near the Geek Squad's area. He introduced me to the asst. manager and we worked out a deal. One thousand dollars later and we were out the door with a nice 47 inch LCD television for the Phoenix's main viewer. We got back to the Space Center just as the afternoon mission was wrapping up.

The Center closed at 5:00 P.M. Alex and Jon stayed until 7:30 P.M. installing the new TV. It wasn't easy, considering the number of cables that had to be stretched across the Phoenix's ceiling.

The new TV is in and, according to Alex, looks awesome!

"There is one problem," Alex said when he called me to deliver the news. "Whenever we switch between inputs, the TV displays the word 'Component' in the corner for a few seconds. It's something we can't make go away so it will be something we have to live with."
Alex and Jon will come up with some "sci fi" explanation for the word's appearance in the context of the Phoenix being a starship etc. We are good and dishing out the bull when necessary.

I'm anxious to see the TV in action on Monday. I hope its worth the $1000 paid. I want to thank Bill, Alex and Jon for helping with this small crisis.

And how about a few things from the Imaginarum to wrap up this post?

This is exactly what we had to do this weekend. It is what we do well. We have no choice. Try running this program on a tight budget. You'll see what I mean.

Now this is what I call a real man's 'Captain Crunch'.

Have you ever succeeded from walking away from a sheet of bubblewrap without popping a single bubble? I haven't. Self control was never one of my strong points.

I couldn't resist. The perfect St. Patrick's day picture for The Troubadour's Irish readers.

And finally, this is what I heard all the time as a teenager. I'm sure you teen readers out there hear the same from your parents. Well, guess what - read and memorize because you'll be saying the exact same things to your kids. It is just one of those eternal things passed down generation to generation. Yes your own kids will think your stupid because you "Don't Get It". Well here's news to all you teens - Yes we Get It, just like our parent's Got It when we were teens. It's just that the role you play in life changes as you get older. So, be good to your parent's. They aren't stupid. There is merit to what they say.

See you in the Trenches!
Mr. Williamson

Wednesday's Thoughts

Hello Troops,
All is well on the front lines at the Space Education Center. Our forces engaged the Ignoraemii in heavy combat today. We reclaimed the innocent from enslavement using heavy doses of imagination and electrical jolts to restart cognitive thought processes. Yes, It's what we do.

The battle is still being fought as I type. Jon leads the Voyager's forces. Alex is sounding the trumpet in the Phoenix while Ben urges his Galileo troops over the top to engage the enemy with bayonets drawn. It is a wonder to behold.

I had the District Metal Shop build a new addition to the Captain's Loft. It was installed on Tuesday. In the following two pictures Jace demonstrates the correct exit from the Captain's Lounge using the new ladder.

You'll see the new carpeted platform at the exit (or entrance). This gives Jace room to turn around and descend the ladder if he's coming out of the Loft. Once again, done with the safety of our staff and crew in mind.



Alex started the work of installing a couple new cameras in the Galileo this afternoon. The one camera currently in the simulator doesn't cut it.


We had fun hosting students from Foothill Elementary in Orem and the John Hancock Charter School in Pleasant Grove on Tuesday. Both teams worked well through their respective missions. John Hancock's Captain was very good and Foothill's Ambassador was outstanding.

Foothill had a few students with unusual names never heard before at the Space Center.

Gomer (Yes, like Gomer Pyle from the 1960's TV show)
Egbert and
Pahoran

It was refreshing to see those unique names. I think its time to bring back other odd and unusual names that went out of style long ago (or perhaps never were in style). I'd like to see more Georges (we had one last week. First in a long while). I'm also thinking of Fred, Wilma, Betty, Elmer, Hank, Mildred, Luella, Minerva, Abigail, etc.

Before ending this post I'd like to add a few items for your consideration from the Imgainarium.

Great back to a new Space Center T-Shirt?

An intelligent mind never stops questioning. Push boundaries with good questions and be wise enough to know that the answers may not be what you were expecting.

A perfect illustration of what its like being the Captain of one of our simulators. I'm constantly having to remind Captains and Ambassadors to FOCUS. It's not easy at that age to learn how to direct your thoughts to the task at hand and not be distracted by things happening around you.

As some of my teens say, "Like a Boss!"

Respect is earned. Don't demand it. Muck in with everyone else and soldier on. Be a great example and maintain your principles. Respect will be the natural outcome.

Anyone out there have a killer cat? Mr. Schuller has one that lies in wait and attacks the unknowing as they come down the stairs to his family room. There's a chair near a desk where "The Cat" scratches a record of his victories. One scratch per broken or twisted ankle.


The moral of this illustration is to encourage you to abandon your scents and let people smell the real you. I'm considering tossing the cologne I use at the Space Center. It's the blue bottle next to the printer that smells like mosquito repellent. Remember that strange smell which lingers like an invisible fog in the air around my desk?

Thank you for being kind enough not to comment when you pass.

See you all in the Trenches!

Mr. W.

Our Monday

Hello Troops,
Yes, it is our Monday in the Alpine School District. School is closed for the day giving the Space Education Center one of its few two day weekends. These are cherished Mondays, valued by most and worshiped by few.

I confess I stopped at the Center this morning to finish writing the Voyager simulator's new summer camp story. I'm waiting for an inspired title to drop into my head from some sublime outside source - but nothing so far. I'll let you know should a revelation makes itself apparent.
Until then we shall call it "2011".

Would you like to know the plot? Well, the story begins with a prison escape from a maximum security prison on Telosian Prime. And that's all you're going to get from me. My lips and fingers are sealed. If you want to know more, sign up for a camp. There are no freebies on The Troubadour. The other simulator's camp stories are coming along fine. All five will give our summer campers several hours of fun and excitement.

I'm wrapping up my writing for the day. Supper is almost ready and StarGate will be on soon. Time to relax and let someone else entertain me for a change. Until me meet again, how about a few thoughts from the Imaginarium?

I remember as a kid how disappointed I was never to have had my tonsils removed - I wanted to live on ice cream for days on end. Even today I feel slightly robbed of one of life's transitional moments.

The greatest wizards in literature commemorated in stamps. The British Post Office should be commended. Well done.

Sad, isn't it?

The World needs more people like this. This is true community spirit. This is the difference between just praying for those in need and doing something about it. If it needs doing, then do it. Put your faith into action.

Amen!

I once had a very homely history professor. He looked like he'd just stepped off a farm of Dakota inbreds. My attitude changed halfway through the first class. His other qualities of humor, attitude, warmth and humanism overshadowed his appearance. He became my favorite college professor. I learned history from him in a way I'd not experience before, and on the side picked up an important lesson about life, never judge a book by its cover (by the way, he had the hottest wife of any professor on campus - not kidding).

I'm thinking of using these leaves around my name on my business cards. Everyone will think I'm smart.

I'll see you all in the Trenches,

Mr. W.