Ringworld!

[cjsmith]

Last night rfrench and I went to the De Anza Planetarium for their show about the Cassini/Huygens mission.

- I had forgotten how much fun it is to sit in a planetarium and watch the stars roll by.
- Wow, that guy had a BAD microphone. OK, I admit I would want a mike if I were him, but that one was so bad he'd have done better to holler. At least one oldster in the audience couldn't understand a word he'd said. I've seen this sort of thing from time to time at other events. A good mike and sound system doesn't have to cost big bucks, but somehow people keep putting up with poor audio equipment.
- The best part of the show was an animated graphic illustrating the path of Cassini/Huygens from launch to just past Jupiter. The calculations, planning, and accuracy required for this trajectory leave me in awe.
- The show was written about a year ago, so actual images from Cassini and Huygens were added at the end as a slide show. They were *impressive*. MMMMMMMMMMM space!

Comments

[allanh.livejournal.com]

In my first caller school, Anne & Sandie both advised the class that if we were serious about calling, we should expect to invest at least a couple of hundred dollars in a good microphone that was well-matched to our invidual voices.

After that year, at subsequent caller schools, it was frighteningly easy to differentiate the students who had bought cheap mics from the ones who had invested in decent equipment.

More than once, I've seen one of the GCA caller coaches grab a student mic and demo it side by side with a "proper" mic. Almost universally, the cheap mics set every student's teeth on edge...and that was with a professional caller using the thing.

A good mic bears the same relation to voice work that using fresh ingredients does to good cooking.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed. My microphone isn't top of the line by any means, but it's not crap either. I wonder if it's time to go evaluate a variety of them again. I haven't done any real comparisons since I first attended a caller school.

[ericainohio.livejournal.com]

Really??? Oh, my son would have been so excited to see this (heck, so would his mother!). He's really into space stuff right now. Cassini was in one of the books we got out of the library recently, and he was really interested in the actual pictures.

That sounds soooo cool!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

It was a great show! I have the impression it was not written specifically by or for this planetarium; a place local to you might be able to obtain it and show it. It was titled "Ringworld" and I'm sad to say I've forgotten who wrote it.

[ericainohio.livejournal.com]

*smacks forehead* Of course! We HAVE a planetarium in Cincinnati! Hmmm...maybe a quick email to them to inquire about Ringworld....

I can't believe that with Gabriel so interested in space right now, I'd forgotten about our planetarium.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Ooo, he's GOT to go visit the planetarium! 8-) He's a perfect age to be engrossed in the show!

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

Geek!!!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Who, ME? Heh heh.