Brad 的个人资料Booming Prairie Chicken照片日志列表更多  |  工具 帮助 |
|
10月31日 Minuteman Missile National Historical SiteTouring Armaggedon
This morning Laurie and I had a chance to take a tour of the Minuteman Missile National Historical Site. If you are interested in the Cold War this is a unique place well worth visiting. Here is the website:
The site is amazing. If you get the guided tour you will actually get to enter one of the underground command bunkers. It is a bit sobering to see the actual consoles that would be used to launch the missiles that could have carried out the unthinkable. For me this was a vital experience in helping understand a little bit of the thinking that went into the strategy and 'Doomsday' logic that made up the Cold War. When you consider the stakes involved it makes a person understand the decisions of various military and civilian planners.
It was kind of odd to both Laurie and I to see some of the old technology in the command bunker. At the time the complex was built this was the state of the art. It just felt strange to think how the fate of nations potentially rested on this.
Laurie and the National Park Service guide inside the bunker from which the missilemen would launch their missiles. It is an incredibly tight space and it was no wonder the tour is limited to six people. The chairs in the picture are actually designed so the missilemen would strap themselves in during a war alert. The whole chamber is mounted on four giant shock observers as well. The idea was to try to allow them to ride out any nearby nuclear blasts. The plan was for them to launch their missiles before the incoming Soviet missiles arrived. If somehow the Russians managed to hit the area first, and didn't obliterate the bunker initially, then the missilemen could ride out the shockwaves and launch their missiles. The most important element of deterrence was the fact that the Minuteman missile allowed for such a rapid launch - less than 60 seconds - that the Soviet missiles would be fundamentally wasted.
Interesting gadget outside the command center. When you are planning for a nuclear war you need to plan for everything. It is this sort of planning that lends credibility to deterrence. This is actually the weather cover for a sophisticated antenna system that allows for control of the missiles to be taken over by a flying command center. This way if somehow the launch crews and missilemen were killed the show would still go on.
Not the best shot in the world but this is a picture looking through the glass cover into the actual missile silo. This silo is actually several miles from the command center - dispersal was a key element in hardening the missiles to attack. The missile in the silo is actually a training dummy.
This is one of the actual Minuteman missiles - disarmed - located at the nearby South Dakota Air National Guard Museum. This place is also worth a visit. We had to stop there after the tour to pick up some materials I needed. It was all just a little tour of what could have been Armaggedon.
10月30日 Black Hills Paranormal InvestigationsBHPI
Last night Laurie and I got to tag along while Black Hills Paranormal Investigations conducted a field investigation. I'm not going to say anything about this particular investigation. You have to understand that such work is always of a confidential nature until both the client and the investigating group decide to make the findings public. BHPI adheres to the best professional standards of the paranormal research field.
I am going to say this; Black Hills Paranormal Investigations has impressed the heck out of me. They do their work with a diligence and passion that should be the standard for such groups. They use a scientific methodology but are open-minded to innovation. They strive to learn and are readily willing to share their knowledge. The fact of the matter is both Laurie and I would be delighted to accompany them and assist them whenever we can.
If you are interested in this group you should really check out their websites:
10月27日 Cosmos Mystery AreaCosmos Mystery Area
I've recently taken an interest in what parapsychologists refer to as 'vortex' areas. You can find plenty of material online and in bookstores on mysterious places where the laws of gravity seem to be suspended and odd things happen.There are some people who contend the Black Hills are one of these areas. The Lakota have a tradition that these hills are not only sacred but a place you don't want to die in. According to their beliefs if you die within the Black Hills your soul will be trapped there for eternity.
I often hear that Gettysburg is the most 'haunted' location in the continental United States. I will have to say that the Black Hills can't be far behind. You can find ghost stories in just about every community here. I'm not talking about just stories circulated around at a bar; some of these are fairly well documented. I've also found a lot more history of a paranormal nature here than I first imagined. Sometimes these are just odd little stories from very old newspapers. Sometimes they are from the databases provided by groups such as MUFON and UFOINFO.Com.
Then you have strange things that just beg to be experienced - for a small fee. The Black Hills has such a place in the 'Cosmos Mystery Area':
Laurie and I headed out there today. It is located in one of the most beautiful sections of the hills. I have to admit that it does have a feeling of 'tourist trap' as you follow the billboards leading the way to it. Of course I'm a sucker for any kind of site that brags of mystery and the unknown. Laurie is very patient with me about this. She says it reminds her of the roadtrips of her childhood.
Cosmos is a bit of an odd drive off the highway; the road is little better than a dirt road. Once you get there it has all amenities of any self-respecting tourist trap. It has a gift shop, it has restrooms ( a matter of fact one mother was admonishing her two kids to use the facilities before the tour began ) and it has a person selling tickets. From an initial cursory examination there doesn't seem to be all that much to see. You get a feeling of 'is THIS it'?
Looks can be deceiving. The half hour tour was sort of amazing. This can be a bit of a physically challenging walk but it is a walk where you experience something! I have to admit that some of it had me baffled. It can also be a bit disconcerting. You have to grab the handrail to keep your balance at times. It is an odd physical feeling to be there. The guide told us some visitors even get a bit nauseous. During our tour one young fellow was decidely uncomfortable until his mother took him out of the cabin the tour group was in. Your eyes are telling you one thing but the force of gravity is pulling you elsewhere.
Now there was the very rational part of me that was trying to debunk the whole thing as some marvelously contrived illusion. I believe there is something to this place. It is strictly a personal reflection but I felt an odd feeling as soon as I was on the grounds. If you are looking for unusual physical phenomena to attribute to a potential 'vortex' area could this place fit the description? The tour guide told us that the phenomena there had allegedly effected aircraft passing overhead. She said some pilots even called it "little Bermuda". She also reported animal effects similar to some reported around other paranormal phenomena. They don't allow pets on the tours anymore due to unusual behavior of the animals.
If you have a sincere interest in unusual phenomena I really have to recommend this little excursion.
What is the Cosmos?
The Cosmos Story
Laurie defies gravity
10月26日 DeadweirdDeadweird
It is becoming something of a Halloween tradition for the Booming Prairie Chicken to be in Deadwood for their 'Deadweird' celebration. It is sort of a grand costume party; the town lifts their open container law for five hours and people come from far and wide to be in costume or to see the costumes. Let me say here that the only containers allowed are the official Deadweird beer cups. This little legal distinction doesn't slow down the festivities in the least. Laurie and I heard the celebrants well into the morning hours! There was even a bit of the party moving through the halls of the Bullock Hotel. By about 4:00am the revelry sort of died off. In the morning there were a few remnants of the event here and there but the town was essentially sleeping it all off.
Some street video from Deadweird
A little more video and some bystander commentary.
A bit more video, the camera operator was feeling some of the party too.
The Teletubbies are going into the Deadwood Tobacco Company!
10月25日 Sturgis Memorial WalkSturgis Memorial Walk
Yesterday Laurie and I made it into the Black Hills. We were both bone tired but sometime there are things you just have to do no matter how tired. So we stopped in Sturgis to find the brick dedicated to my Dad in the Sturgis Memorial Walk. This was an important thing to me; I'm sure it is equally important to the rest of my family as well. My dad lived and loved motorcycles and he died riding his Honda Goldwing. I remember him riding a lot of other bikes over the years. He even had a couple Harleys over the years. I remember somebody asking why he finally bought the Goldwing and he just said he didn't have the time anymore to be fixing Hogs. So now he has a brick right along side a lot of other riders who loved their bikes.
Gary Butturff, my Dad
Me and my Dad's Brick 10月24日 Deadwood again...Deadwood again...
Laurie and I made it into Deadwood today around noon. We stopped in Sturgis to check the memorial walk being built there. Last summer I had a brick put in for my dad; he was killed twenty years ago in a motorcycle accident. I have never met a man who loved motorcycles like he did. When I found out about the memorial walk it just seemed like the right place to put my dad's name.
I'm not going to write too much else right now. Laurie and I have been up and running since about 8:00pm and we are more than a bit shot. At this point I would probably only post a lot of drivel. All I am up for right now is a good cigar... On the road again...On the road again...
It has been over four months since Laurie and I had a serious roadtrip. The fact of the matter was a combination of work and family situations that tied us down. It all sucked.
We are back on the road again! At 2:00am this morning we crossed the South Dakota state line at I-90 and are currently sitting at our usual booth at the 'FlyingJ' along I-29 in Sioux Falls. Our usual destination will be Deadwood but we have at least three side trips into Wyoming and Montana. It feels very good to be back on the road and doing our thing.
We started this trip a little earlier than we usually do. It has almost been a tradition to start the trip right at midnight. This time we left at 10:00pm so that we can make an appointment in western South Dakota. Still we are getting a chance to listen to 'Coast to Coast' and to see how much caffeine and nicotine it takes to keep us going for about 24 hours straight. This is just the nature of how we do things.
No matter what, it is still good to be back on the road... 10月19日 The Paranormal and HistoryThe Paranormal and History
We only have five days until our next run to Deadwood. Most of the prep work is done but I still have a Pelican case that needs fitting out and I need to format a couple of external drives. We are pretty much ready. If we had to go tonight I really think we could. It is a very good feeling to have all the busy work done well ahead of schedule.
Right now I have a chance to ponder the enigmatic relationship between what we think of as the 'Paranormal' and history. The two subjects have always existed alongside each other. I remember when about twenty years ago I met a notable historian at the Fredericksburg National Battlefield Park visitor's center. I had some questions for him of a traditional historical note on the true locations of the Confederate lines during that battle. During the course of our conversation he asked me where I was staying. I told him I was there for the week at a particular bed and breakfast just south of the town. This particular widely published historian looked at me and said perfectly somber voice, "Do you know that place is haunted?"
If I was to ever write a book it would probably be on the odd relationship the paranormal has to traditional history. It seems like just about any location of historical note or historical event has paranormal legends attached to it. The American Civil War is filled with these; every major battlefield from the war had ghost stories associated with them. I am often amazed by National Park Service employees that will confide to me about incidents they have experienced. I think we would learn more about this if the stigma attached to reporting phenomena was less risky professionally and socially.
Then there are the events that are not so easily classified as 'hauntings'. There might even be more of these paranormal events worth exploring. Some can be readily answered by a bit of sound reasoning and the application of science. I suspect this to be the case with most of the mysterious disappearances that have happened over the last twenty years. Sometimes we jump too readily to the conclusion that an event is paranormal without attempting to examine it properly. Last night Laurie and I were listening to a radio show were a notable psychic was being asked to see what he could feel about various missing person's cases. We were following a discussion of the radio show on a particular online forum. One of the many guests on the forum brought up the possibility that the missing people had been abducted by aliens. I really had to wonder on the basis of what evidence that they would be willing to jump to this particular conclusion. If you want to do research on the paranormal you need to really a bit on the proven methodology of substantiated evidence.
So here we are. In five days we will be off on a vacation. There will be a lot of this trip that we will be gathering these elusive facts. Quite a few of these facts will probably come from traditional historical sources. When you are researching the paranormal it is interesting how mainstream history can help clarify what really did happen. We will have a full week of this ahead of us. For Laurie and I this is the perfect sort of vacation.
Right now I want to report on what might be a newsworthy paranormal event. I have a feeling this one can be pretty readily debunked but it is just so fun!
Behold! The Argentinian Gnome!
10月18日 Six days to go...Six days to go...
I usually try to put a fairly large update on the blog every weekend. This weekend might be a exception to that. There are only six days until we hit the road to Deadwood and this is the last weekend I have to get a lot of things organised. Today I am picking up some of the last minute items that we will need. Tonight while we listen to 'Darkness Radio' I will be checking out cameras and recorders and then carefully packing them for the trip. This morning I had our Saturn dealership make some last checks on the Vue. Nothing can ruin a trip like having a breakdown. We take zealous care of our chariot; we love our 2005 Saturn Vue.
Everything seems to be falling into place quite nicely. I might put up a more substantial entry tomorrow. There have been some interesting events over the last week. No matter what is happening in a person's life the world keeps moving along. It is just fortunate when these world events don't intrude on your life adversely. Laurie and I have been lucky in this regard. Maybe tomorrow I can comment on some of these things. 10月12日 We are within two weeks of our trip...We are within two weeks of our trip...
We are within two weeks of our trip and this is 'crunch' time. Now is when all the final prep work needs to conclude. It is amazing how much work we put into getting ready for vacation. Of course our idea of a vacation is considerably different from most people. Our trips are have more in common with a research expedition than your typical leisure trip. Of course we will take time to relax during the trip; I'm already looking forward to smoking a few good sticks at Deadwood Tobacco Company.
Right now I am doing some practice runs of various software that we sometimes use. I've found that if I optimise the registry on my old laptop it goes a long way towards making programs like Adobe Audition work better. I am also getting the laptop ready for the task of moving files I won't be needing onto external drives. I have learned that you can never have too much free drive space while you are in the field. This is also the time in which I run a variety of security tests on each internet capable piece of equipment we will be using. While we are on the road we won't have the benefit of the physical firewall that we use at home. No matter how nice the hotel, truckstop or park service network might look you are entering a potentially high threat environment.
This is also the time in which I plan the 'load out' for the trip. As much as we love our 2005 Saturn Vue the space for hauling stuff is finite. All of the equipment that is fragile we pack in Pelican cases. The bigger problem is often not the trip out but the trip back. You never know what you will be hauling back home and this can change the packing considerably. The secret we have is our 'swag' box. This is a fairly large sturdy plastic box that we carry all of our expendable supplies in on the trip out; this would be batteries, food, cleaning products, storage bags, etc. As we use up these items the space is used to pack all of the new treasures that we will have to haul home. The only real problem we ever ran into with this was that if you are filling the 'swag' box with books the weight is going to be considerable. After one conference the box weighed almost a hundred pounds from all the books in it! That was also the same trip we had a second floor room in a hotel with no elevator! Hauling that box up the stairs was not what we planned on.
This is also an important time to start firming up meetings that will happen while you are out there. It can be frustrating to have an appointment fall apart because of a failure in communication. This is especially true if you might never make it out there again. I tend to collect contact information zealously; telephone numbers, E-mail addresses, websites, and anything that can potentially help me stay in touch with people. It is also a very good idea to schedule appointments fairly during a longer trip. This way if something does blow up in your face there is still a chance of setting up another meeting.
I am also going through my 'special' checklist of items that could very likely pertain to this particular trip. These are the items that might not come with us on another trip but could be useful on this trip. One good example is white cotton darkroom gloves. With the advent of digital photography these have become not quite so easy to find. Generally a good photography store will have a few boxes in stock. If you at a museum or library that has a rare document collection they might only allow physical contact with the documents if you follow certain protocols. One of these is white cotton gloves. Sometimes it really impresses the archivists that you are even aware of these things. So we will pack a box of gloves in the 'swag' box for the outbound trip. 10月11日 No Strike at QwestNo Strike at Qwest
Today Laurie and I woke up to the news that CWA and Qwest had come to a tenative agreement on a four year contract. The company has again avoided a strike. It is my opinion that if we had walked it would have been a very bad decision for both the Company and the Union. Qwest made it known last week that they were already planning force reductions due to the present economy. Every Union employee that I've talked to in the last week was not happy with the idea of walking. Some even openly admitted that they would be forced to cross the picket line if a strike ran for any length of time. At the same time a strike would not have helped the company. Our stock closed this last week at $2.18 a share. The shareholders are not going to be patient for all that long if a work stoppage only forces the price down even further.
Now this new contract still needs to be ratified. I think that the news a little more than a week ago that we might have a strike put a shock through a lot of the Union members. We did not expect that contract to fail ratification. I know of a few Union members who wanted to 'explain' to certain Union members why they should vote to ratify on the next contract. From what I have heard so far they new contract sounds better. At the same time I have to remind myself that no matter how good a contract is it doesn't do you much good if they lay you off.
Right now we have only two weeks until our next trip to Deadwood. I had to put off certain expenditures in the light of a potential strike. Even if we had walked Laurie and I would have made the trip. We simply have to many important things scheduled during this trip to put it off. I am more confident about the future now and will step up plans for the trip. Right now we are back on the same schedule that we had before the threat of a strike loomed last week.
10月4日 The Prep Work keeps on going...The Prep Work keeps on going...
Last night I sat down and went over the financials for Laurie and me. Right now it looks like we have the money for both a strike and the trip in three weeks. We have contacted our Union and they have no problem with us being gone even if the strike is going on. It looks like this should not stop our plans for the trip to Deadwood. Of course the Union and the Company might settle next Friday and things will fall back into the same plan and schedule as we had before the ratification vote crashed.
Right now the name of the game is equipment beyond the computer equipment; cameras, recorders and scanners. The best way to test these is to actually use them. I try to use them in conditions that will be similar to what we might encounter. Now we are blessed in that we have enough equipment that if one item fails we can cover it with another one. In the case of the Nikon D100 if it shows any problems we still have enough time to get it repaired. One of the reasons that I have grown such a loyalty to Nikon is their durability. I have owned four different Nikons over the years and only one has had any problems. That particular Nikon only started having problems after I had run at least 10,000 rolls of Kodachrome through it. It was due.
I also have a lot of book reading that I need to get done in the next two weeks. Background research is essential to what I do. Far too often different phenomena are viewed outside the historical context of the specific event. If you are interested in ghost hunting, UFO hunting or just about any paranormal phenomena it needs to be examined in light of the circumstances of the world around it. Sometimes this simply puts the mystery to rest as you examine the times. I do believe in cases of mass hysteria and perceptual failure. Just look at the Orson Well's 'War of the Worlds' broadcast of 1938; some people were very willing to see Martian Tripods ravaging the New Jersey countryside. I know of one case then when some farmers started blasting away with their shotguns at a water tower that they were convinced was a Martian warmachine.
One the other hand there are times when examining the historical background of an event can clarify the ultimate strangeness of it all. Every war has mysteries but the Second World War seems to have had more than most. Just this last week one such mystery found conclusion and explanation:
The Mystery of the USS Grunion
In the case of the Grunion the mystery was solved by using a combination of technology, historical research and persistance. There was nothing supernatural about it. The boat was lost along with it's whole crew during an engagement with a Japanese Merchantman. I once read were Clive Cussler stated that the difference between a mystery and a tragedy is one survivor.
Some mysteries only become all that much stranger due to examination. I am particularly intrigued by events towards the end of the war. There is evidence that in the months before Nazi Germany was crushed by the Allies a series of events took place that are now shrouded in mystery and, sometimes, what seems like deliberate disinformation.
Der Weise: The Giant
I don't recommend this line of research to just anybody. You are entering an area filled with conspiracy theory fanatics and rampant paranoia. At the same time you also have to remember that some conspiracy theories have a basis in facts and just because you are paranoid it doesn't mean somebody isn't out to get you! The intellectual problem for me in all this is seperating the reality from the mythology. It is my opinion that this can only be done through careful research and a bit of science.
10月3日 Exactly three weeks now until our next road trip but...Exactly three weeks now until our next road trip but...
Qwest, union schedule resumption of contract talks
Yes, our lives are up in the air again. Right now we are being told that contract talks will begin again on the morning of next Thursday. These talks will continue until midnight on Friday the 10th. Right now we are working under an extension of our 2005 contract until that time. By that midnight we will hopefully know what direction this is going. We could have a new contract and go through the whole ratification process again. We could also have a strike.
Right now we are reading in the news about 'force adjustments' that have been made in the Network and Mass Markets parts of the company. What 'force adjustments', or 'surplusing', means is lay offs. Now I am already hearing rumors about various offices being closed but rumors are pretty worthless. Laurie and I are in the Wholesales Markets part of the company. It doesn't seem like we are lacking for work so we seem relatively safe. Still it doesn't help a guy sleep at night.
At this point we are not changing any of our travel plans for later this month. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the Union and the Company can work out their differences.
10月1日 Might have be a photographer again...Might have to be a photographer again...
Today Laurie and I got the news that the Qwest contract with our Union failed to get ratified. Actually this didn't shock me all that much. There was a lot in the contract that Union members really did not like. Right now we are waiting to see what the Company and the CWA do next.
This will not effect our vacation plans later this month if we do walk. We will be in Deadwood on the 24th.
I might have to start shooting pictures for money again... |
|
|
