Outside The Interzone: Feb 27, 2011

Monday, March 7, 2011

Welcome To Oregon

"Things look different here." That was the slogan of a tourism campaign some years ago, which received a fair amount of good-natured ridicule. Another similar local slogan is "Keep Portland weird," which despite local insistence, probably did not originate in that city.

Okay, so these things probably come across my radar simply because I do read quite a few Oregon-based news sources, but it often feels like there is a lot of strange news coming from this odd state. Case in point: it was reported last week that a man in Roseburg awoke to find his dog had eaten a portion of his foot, including three toes. Turns out, he's diabetic, and had no feeling in his feet. The veterinarian involved conjectured that the dog smelled gangrene, and chewed off the affected tissue. I would point out that if the guy actually did have gangrene, and was oblivious to it, the dog may very well have saved the rest of his foot, leg, or even his life. Friday it was reported he was recovering well, and was expected to leave the hospital soon.

Now if I had a dog that had eaten three of my toes under similar circumstances, I would be grateful and more deeply committed to giving that animal a good life. But I can certainly understand that the quease factor might just be too much for some people. According to an AP story linked at OregonLive, the victim has decided to put the dog up for adoption. "The dog may soon be available for adoption at Roseburg's Saving Grace Pet Adoption Center."

Poor goggy!

Last Chance to See Discovery in Flight

According to Spaceweather.com

DOUBLE FLYBY ALERT: This morning, March 7th, space shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space Station. This sets the stage for a spectacular series of double flyby sighting opportunities. The station and shuttle will be flying over parts of the United States and Europe tonight and tomorrow, appearing in the night sky as a closely-spaced pair of bright lights. This is also a last chance to see Discovery in flight, because the orbiter will be retired after landing in Florida on Wednesday, March 9th.

Check the Simple Satellite Tracker (http://spaceweather.com/flybys) or download our smartphone flybys app (http://simpleflybys.com) to find out when to look.

For the majority of my readers who aren't in the heart of the valley (i.e., Corvallis), do check to see if it will be visible from your location. The ISS is amazingly bright and well worth watching on its own. I've never been able to catch it and a shuttle together, and the chances to do so are becoming scant. For my fellow Corvallisites, we're having mostly overcast weather, but we've had a few sun breaks, so it's not impossible we'll get a chance to see too. The ISS and Discovery will pass almost directly overhead just before 7:00 this evening.