miscellany

I'm not so much into outing folks. If this is indeed evidence of Travolta playing for my team, well, more power to him. I hope he can move through the fear of coming out and just do it. If more high profile people were to simply come out, I think almost anyone's coming out would become a big ol' nothing.

Times have changed significantly and are still changing. Gay people are everywhere and many of us are out. And of the many of us that are out, more and more of us are out and _not_ shoving it people's faces. We're simply living our lives. I'm not berating those folks who are in the PRIDE stage of their lives. I was there and I'm glad I was. I marched in parades and got political. I've been the angry young gay man. Now I'm just a guy who is part of a couple. We're homemakers with kids (furry ones) who hold jobs, do yardwork and home improvement, go out to eat with friends and help out in our community. We're nothing special, per se - nothing to hate and nothing to laud. We're living normal American lives that are very similar to our straight contemporaries. Sure there are differences. We do not model our lives on the "traditional straight model" and, frankly, more and more straight couples aren't either!

So, yes! It is a big deal that this might be the damning evidence of Travolta being gay. BUT, if more people come out and simply live their lives, things like this will be relegated to the back pages, if they make the news at all. The bigger story here is the question of whether Travolta has been acting in his real life and not just on stage and camera. The truth wants to be free, even if it's boring. Lying is what makes news. (Even if it is tabloid crap...)

Text from the photo:

TRAVOLTA AND PAL READY FOR TAKEOFF

A fond farewell? Not quite! John Travolta steals a smooch from an unidentified male friend before the pair boarded John's personal 707 airplane together in Hamilton, Ontario. John, who was in Toronto working on his role as "big momma" Edna Turnblad in the new film adaptation of "Hairspray," even got up on one toe while puckering up with his pal. Was wife Kelly watching as John and his buddy locked lips? It's possible! Kelly was already on board while the men kissed - and the threesome jetted off together.

This is an email I sent to Alamance Magazine, recounting some interesting experiences I've had with their publication over the past several months:

Hello,

I am Shannon A. "Sam" Moore, grandson of Bob Moore (from your February 2006 issue) and also grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Julius Thompson Jr. (from your June 2006 issue's article on the Rescue Unit - He helped start it and she's in a picture in the article.)

I did not know of the existence of either of these issues. A while ago, a coworker at Konica Minolta told me of the February issue, telling me of my paternal grandfather being on the cover and that a copy was in the breakroom. I really enjoyed reading the article (there was so much I didn't know about him) and noticed another whilst reading, an article on Bethany Presbyterian Church. That prompted an email from me to Rev. Whitney, for I respect him so and have fond memories of him from when I was growing up. Many things happened quickly after that, but there was truly something special in the workings. Having been in little contact with my father's side of the family over the past many years, Daddy Bob (That's what we grandkids call him.) was pretty much the only person in the clan I visited. I'd come to his store every six to ten weeks and we talk a bit and just be around each other for awhile. It was time well spent. Daddy Bob was just about to start down his final journey here, when Mr. Whitney forwarded to him and his wife a copy of the email I'd sent. That opened a line of communication I'd thought long and permanently lost - communication that made it much easier for me to be with my grandfather during his final days and to be around long-distanced relatives during that time, too. I miss Daddy Bob very much. It just recently hit me how much, for it was time for us to visit again.

My story for you doesn't end there. About two months ago, maybe longer, another co-worker sent me a copy of your June issue. It was turned to the page where you offered your condolences and she flagged that for me to see. I appreciated your words and her sending the magazine. It sat on my desk until today, still turned to that page. I decided to read it, seeing as how I enjoyed so much the other content in the February issue. Lo and behold, there is an article on the Graham Rescue Unit that my maternal grandfather helped found! My maternal grandmother had given me a goodie bag from the celebration dinner they held and had told me a bit about it. I peered into the photograph at the beginning of the article and there sat my grandmother! I read the article and learned more about my grandfather and what he accomplished in the long while he was a citizen of Graham. He's been gone for many years now and I miss him, too.

Both of my grandfathers contributed so much to their families over the years and they gave so much to Graham, too. I am so grateful to have learned more about them through your articles and for the actions they prompted me and others to take. Thank you for being a vehicle for these workings in my life. I'm going to call my grandmother now and tell her what I've just told you. Then I plan to read the rest of your magazine and see what other things I find that make me smile.

Warm regards,
Sam Moore

This just strikes me as so amazing! There's not much more that I can say about this beyond, "WOW!!!" From the American Institute of Physics:

A field ion microscope (FIM) image of a very sharp tungsten needle. The small round features are individual atoms. The lighter colored elongated features are traces captured as atoms moved during the imaging process (approximately 1 second).

(hat tip: Boing Boing)

I found a video via Digg last night and it's amazing and disconcerting. A quick search on ebay turned up only one auction for a small set of these keys. Still, they're available on the web and easy enough to make. Hell, I found a key grinding machine on a retail website for $325! According to the video, a steady hand can create these keys with a file. A larger (and original) version of the animated graphic shown here is located here. A PDF on bump keys, produced by the same folks in the above film, is available here. Here is a large set of bump keys available for $50. Fortunately, the seller requires locksmith credentials for purchase. Still, I have to wonder just how difficult it would be to acquire such a set of keys.

I'm half-tempted to take an extra key for my home and try my hand at creating one of these with my Dremel. It's one of those things that the geek in me wants to see it work for myself. I suppose upon learning of the efficacy of the bump key, I'll be looking for a "bump key proof" lock for our home. What am I saying??? Silly me! We already have "bump key proof" locks installed! No need to stop by Mr. Would-Be Burgler; we're immune to your puny attempts! (Whew! Dodged that one...)