Let's Explore the Ocean (Infographic)

I love infographics, especially when they relate to one of my passions!

Created by: MastersDegree.net

Unique Shuttle Linkup

On April 19, 2012, NASA and the Smithsonian conducted an unusual exchange: two retired Space Shuttles changed ownership. On the runway outside the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport, the two vehicles were placed nose-to-nose for a ceremony marking the occasion.

Photo courtesy Ken Kremer
On the left is Enterprise, the first test vehicle in the Shuttle program. It never flew in space, but it provided valuable information that helped usher in the 30-year Shuttle era. On the right is Discovery, NASA's workhorse vehicle that flew more missions and spent more time in space than any other Shuttle. Discovery arrived at its new home in the Air & Space Museum, taking the place of Enterprise, which will be displayed at the Intrepid Museum in New York.

Lakes and Oceans

A friend sent me this very cool graphic (click on it to enlarge):

Fun with "ANTIPODES"

My company's flagship submarine is Antipodes, so we get many questions about the name's origin. There are many historical answers, but here is my favorite:

The term "antipodes" comes from the mathematical field of geometry and refers to a point on a sphere that is diametrically opposed to another. For example, if you place the index finger of your left hand anywhere on a basketball and place the index finger of your right hand at the point on the basketball directly opposite along an imaginary line through the center, then your right index finger will be on the "antipodes" of your left index finger (and vice versa). Another way to imagine this is to look at a (now) old-fashioned desk globe that spins along an axis held by a stand at the North and South Poles ... they are each the "antipodes" of each other.


Enough math! What does this have to do with a submarine?!

Well, our planet is a sphere that happens to be mostly covered in water. Because of the geographic distribution of land mass, less than 4% of land has a land-based antipodal point. This means that just about every human settlement on Earth has its antipodes somewhere in an ocean ... which can be explored only in a submarine. Hence the name. Make sense?

Here is a map that helps visualize the rarity of finding land-land antipodal pairs:


For a fun interactive exercise, check out this Google Maps mash-up that allows you to find the antipodal point of any location on the planet!

TROY - opening quote

This is one of my favorite movie quotes of all time, and I play it on my iPad during every business trip. It makes me evaluate every day to make sure I am spending every minute on truly worthwhile activities. It keeps me focused on what is really important and allows me to let everything else slide by.


Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity.
And so we ask ourselves,
Will our actions echo across the centuries?
Will strangers hear our names long after we're gone and wonder who we were, how bravely we fought, how fiercely we loved?

- Odysseus