State of the Union 2014 Impressions

At the beginning of every year, the President of the United States delivers a speech about the executive office’s agenda. On most occasions the President walks into Congress and delivers a televised prime time speech to the public with great anticipation. I watched the speech live with some other people at a pizza parlor as I did the previous year. I went home thinking that President Obama in his 2014 State of the Union speech outlined specific actions that should increase his popularity in a midterm election year, but I was unmoved when Obama did not mention details.

NPR Stories: January 19 - 25, 2014

When searching for pictures to put in the weekly article, I look for ones that stand out according to the material and have a descriptive filename attached. This week one story with a qualifying picture was about the nuclear inspectors entering Iran as part of the international negotiations concerning Iran’s nuclear material. If you want to learn about more domestic issues, NPR did a piece on the tax burdens the NFL organizations face before this year’s Super Bowl is held. Less politically charged stories include talk about restoring underground streams in United States municipalities, Monsanto’s new data analysis service for farmers, and improvements on the atomic clock. A few news articles focus on the Hispanic community too if you want to know about Mexican vigilantes and the “charismatic” Catholic movement as President Obama plans to meet Pope Francis.

Silicon Valley Reads Kick Off 2014 Impressions

I read and listen to plenty of material, but I do not read books as often as I would want given my media library. When I noticed in the San Jose Mercury News that a community reading program kickoff event was in my area, I was intrigued. I headed to the Campbell Heritage Theater last week to find out what the annual program’s theme was for 2014 and why they were spotlighting two books in particular. I left the event with a new appreciation of the effects of technology and two more books to add to my reading list.

Astronomy Pictures of the Day: January 19 - 25, 2014

Another year gives another attempt to look at the cosmos. This week on APOD, when not looking at galaxies, you can learn about a big storm in Michigan decades ago. In more recent history, the Mars Opportunity rover landed on the red planet around ten years ago. Check out the pictures, and download a copy of the APOD 2014 calendar while you visit the site.

Watchmen Comic Review

When I headed to Lake Tahoe a while ago, I brought along some reading material in case the weather was not adequate enough for skiing. Instead of opening the book my brother gifted me, I spent a fair amount of time revisiting a book he had borrowed from a friend. Now that I have perused its contents to make them fresh in my mind, I can talk more about the critically acclaimed comic series Watchmen and give my review.

NPR Stories: January 12 - 18, 2014

This week had a few stories from the Middle East. Former prime minister Ariel Sharon was eulogized after spending six or so years in a coma. Egypt prepared its vote on a new constitution following the overthrow of Morsi’s government. For lighter fare than Obama’s speech on the National Security Agency, take a look at the story about the high tech speed skating suit the United States prepared for the Winter Olympics. I hope your internet speed is sufficient enough to read the rest of this article.

A January Trip to Lake Tahoe

My grandparents built a cabin at Lake Tahoe. Just about every year my family would visit the house in the Sierra Nevada range to ski the mountains in the winter and ride a boat in the summer. Last week my brother invited me to come with him and his friends to the cabin for a weekend getaway. In a few hours I assembled my winter gear and joined a group to carpool to the cabin I have not visited in almost a year.

NPR Stories: January 5 - 11, 2014

With a new year comes new opportunity for aggregation. Last week was the Consumer Electronics Show, so we heard stories about how Google is partnering with car companies to release Android in more vehicles and Intel’s drive to put their computer chips into wearable technologies. In addition we have stories of Brazilian cuisine, continued fighting in Syria, and machines that create snow for the skiing season. I don’t remember seeing any cloud seeders when I was on the mountain a few days ago, but a trip to a ski resort made me aware of the reasons for setting up the tech. However, that’s a topic for a separate article.

A Trip to the Rosicrucian Museum

In the city of San Jose, there is one particularly hidden gem. A Christian order maintains a museum full of Egyptian antiquities for the general public to visit. Before the end of the year, I visited the museum with some friends, as I had not been to the place in a long time. I would like the opportunity to tell you about what I saw.

The Rosicrucian Museum is full of exhibits showing off the life and death of ancient Egypt and the civilizations surrounding it. In one area you can see a replica of the Rosetta stone, while in others you can see a sarcophagus and a model of one of the great pyramids. Many artifacts are encased in glass because they are the genuine deal. It would take hours to read up all the plaques regarding upper class customs and the details of the afterlife. The museum even has a replica of a tomb that you can see on a guided tour. At the time I visited, there were so many people waiting for the tour that I could not get in. I didn’t care too much because I had been on that tour years ago; maybe I should visit again and see if I notice anything different.

The museum campus has some other attractions as well. The grounds are quite pretty with a garden and fountain to walk around. I went to a show at the old planetarium hoping to see a light show. Unfortunately, the attraction merely involved a projector displaying a short movie on the cosmos narrated by Whoopi Goldberg. I found the posters about the history of the Rosicrucian order outside the planetarium theater more interesting than the film.

In short, the Rosicrucian museum might be worth your time. It’s a great place to learn about ancient Egypt in the Silicon Valley area. I doubt I will visit the museum any time soon, but you never know what the future brings. May the lords of life and death, which may or may not include Osiris and Anubis, have mercy on my eternal soul.