Part of life here in Orlando includes the once-regular Space Shuttle launches from Cape Canaveral and the frequent Delta Rocket launches. Having the gateway to space as your next-door neighbour is one of the few positive attributes of living in this area.

And now that two and a half years have passed since the last Space Shuttle launch, I share with NASA the enthusiasm of returning the Shuttle fleet to space. As such, I am going to drive to the coast to watch mission STS-114 get off the ground. Now while the view from my front yard is spectacular, nothing compares to sitting on the gravel beach of the Banana River directly across from the launch complex. The initial flash of light at ignition and the delayed rumbling make the experience one you not only see, but feel.

Dean Acosta/Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-1898/4769)

Michael J. Rein
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone: 321/867-2468)

June 30, 2005

RELEASE: 05-171

NASA Gives Go for Space Shuttle Return to Flight

NASA has cleared the Space Shuttle to Return to Flight. After a two-day Flight Readiness Review meeting at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, senior managers approved a July 13 launch date for Discovery.

Commander Eileen Collins and her crew are scheduled to lift off at 3:51 p.m. EDT on the first U.S. space flight since the February 2003 loss of the Shuttle Columbia.

"After a vigorous, healthy discussion our team has come to a decision: we're ready to go," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said after the meeting. "The past two and half years have resulted in significant improvements that have greatly reduced the risk of flying the Shuttle. But we should never lose sight of the fact that space flight is risky.

"The Discovery mission, designated STS-114, is a test flight," Griffin said, noting that astronauts will try out a host of new Space Shuttle safety enhancements. In addition, Discovery will carry 15 tons of supplies and replacement hardware to the International Space Station. July 13 is the beginning of three weeks of possible launch days that run through July 31.

NASA's Associate Administrator for Space Operations, William Readdy, chaired the Flight Readiness Review, the meeting that traditionally sets launch dates and assesses the Shuttle's fitness to fly.

"Today's decision is an important milestone in returning the Shuttle to service for the country. Our technical and engineering teams are continuing their in-depth preparations to ensure that Eileen and her crew have a successful mission," he said.

Have you eaten at Taste yet? Taste is a fantastic restaurant featuring California Small Plate dishes for lunch and dinner in a hip and trendy environment. Their wine selection, general ambiance and service are all stellar as well. Located at 717 West Smith Street in College Park, Taste also features local artists' work in their gallery.

Incidentally, Taste is my newest client and I am advertising now (on my own accord) because I have just completed designing new print menus and a website for the restaurant. You can look at the new website and learn all about the restaurant by visiting tastecp.com.

If you do decide to stop in and give the restaurant a try, mention you came from Mount Sutro and tell them how much you love the new menus and website. And also please feel free to comment here with any feedback.

PLEASE NOTE
This information is out of date. The menus and website are no longer of my design.

The residential community I live in fifteen minutes north of the City of Orlando contains just shy of one thousand (1000) single-family homes. Situated in what used to be Native American land, the subdivision borders the Little Wekiva River to the west, giving the layout of the streets an interesting design. As a consequence of this, there are few four-way intersections.

The four-way intersections that do exist are prone more and more to running by careless drivers. This is not an emergency situation, but the amount of people who disregard stop signs — in particular, the one at the centre of the neighbourhood — is on the rise. Especially at night, it seems.

Fielding complaints from concerned homeowners, the Altamonte Springs Police Department promised to step-up their patrols of the area to catch these stop sign evaders and those driving in excess of the meager twenty-five miles per hour (25 mph) speed limit. In the first week of the increased police presence, the homeowner's association reported in their newsletter that numerous offenders were caught and issued expensive tickets.

Now while I have no doubt certain law enforcement campaigns exist only for the purpose of raising capital for the organization, the mission here was honest — and in my opinion as a member of the community — completely necessary.

Driving home late one night a few weeks back, I was in a little more of a hurry that usual. I had stayed out much later than I planned and was very anxious to get to sleep. In my haste, I did something very unusual for me — I came to only a "rolling stop" at a four-way intersection. That is to say, I slowed down and nearly came to a full and complete stop, but upon surveying the area determined that acceleration was safe.

And then the lights came on from behind.

The officer was very polite and simply enquired as to why I felt stopping fully was unnecessary. I gave him a brief synopsis of the above and revealed the irony of the situation. After suppressing some mild laughter, the officer retreated to his patrol car to check my driver's license and whatnot.

Returning to my window, he simply asked me to drive safely and have a pleasant evening. I wished him the same.

I doubt whether or not two of anything counts as a frequent enough occurrence to be classified as a pattern, but it might be a good start. Has anyone else noticed that car dealerships like to use major corporations' logotype in their own adverts? I am very curious to hear from those outside Florida about this pseudo-phenomenon.

My first example I saw many years ago when I started making regular weekend trips to Tallahassee. If you take the scenic route, you eventually pass through Lakeland and by Cecil Clark Chevrolet. As you can see from their website, the ubiquitous Coca-Cola Company typeface is emulated.

Driving home today from a client appointment I spotted the second of what I hope proves to be a succession of dealership logos that partly steal identity elements from widely recognized businesses. Unfortunately, the afternoon downpour mostly obscured the sticker placed on a Chevy pick-up truck, but the font used for the name was that of Holiday Inn's logo.

By the way, did you know that in addition to Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites hotel properties InterContinental Hotels Group also owns Britvic? Of course, look at Carlson—they own everything from T.G.I. Friday's to Radisson Hotels and even a few cruise lines—but I digress.

So as I was saying, the sticker was not completely visible but it was definitely a first and last name that started with the letter "j" and looked something like "Janis Jacklyn."

Is it an epidemic or an interesting coincidence? Please let me know if you have an automobile dealership in your area that uses a popular corporate identity to promote itself.

Sutro Tower upgrades raise ire
"Neighbors of the colossal Sutro Tower lost a battle last week, when city officials rejected their calls for an environmental review of new equipment proposed for the tower." — Good, leave my tower alone.

Salon.com Masterpiece: The Holiday Inn sign
"Exploding with color, optimism and razzle-dazzle, the now-extinct Holiday Inn "Great Sign" was a true design landmark of the American century."

Dwarfs, Little People and the M-Word
Daniel Woodburn of Seinfeld fame exchanges words with movie critic Roger Ebert about the word "midget." [ via ]

Toilet Bowl: A Restaurant
"The thorough implementation includes toilet chairs, urinal sconces, and even commode shaped serving pieces." [ via ]

NYC Subway Tagging
It is amazing to see something like this since New York City and the MTA cleaned things up. [ via ]

Chappelle's Show Suspended
"Production of the popular Comedy Central series Chappelle's Show has been suspended and its third season's premiere indefinitely delayed." [ via ]

Designline – A Design Timeline
Animated GIF of one designer's web development process. [ via ]

Investors Supporting Spyware
A comprehensive listing of spyware companies and firms providing financial support to them. [ via ]

Hubble Space Telescope turns 15
Little late on this; it was 25 April.

43 Things
"Discover what's important, make it happen, share your progress. Find your 43 things."

Mac OS X 10.4 Internet Connection Speed Fix
For those who noticed a slowdown or other bugginess since upgrading.

Deputy Catches Man Peering Into His Daughters' Bedroom Window

Television and Film 555 Telephone Numbers
For Cinco de Mayo. Get it? [ via ]

Living in a city that is more progressive than not, it is easy to forget that racism is not only a tactic used by governments and political action groups, but is practiced by otherwise normal individuals.

Last night, while chatting outside a Bennigan's restaurant, my group and me were approached by a man. He had long, straight, blond hair and slightly resembled musician Kid Rock.

As he walked up to our group of four, he singled out our friend Tom and invited him to read the back of his t-shirt. I could see before he turned around that displayed on the front of this shirt was the flag for the Confederate States of America. On the back was text that read something like this, "If we would have known it was going to be such a big deal, we would have picked our own cotton. White Pride!"

After giving Tom the chance to read this racist statement, the man posed to give a high-five which Tom did so as not to upset the stranger. Afterward, he said "white pride" and walked away into the night.

As I sit here saving appointments into Yahoo! Calendar to remind me when The West Wing is going to air tonight, Thomas Newman's theme from American Beauty starts to play. Three minutes, six seconds of memory for me.

When I lived in Jacksonville, this was one of the many MP3's I listened to on a frequent basis. As time wore on, I became very unhappy there and would often listen to Thomas Newman soundtracks. At home, I would play this track over and over again. Typing now, at the same desk with the same computer, only my surroundings are different. I look to the left and see my Dilbert wall calendar in lieu of the cat candle and window I used to gaze out, a cool breeze lapping at my arm. Forward and to my right, the homely surroundings of my possessions fill my space rather than the living quarters of other people.

I would drive around town listening to Newman's The Shawshank Redemption score, a personal favourite. Sometimes getting to track seven ("Brooks Was Here"), I would almost instinctively press repeat. Over and over again, that emotion provoking track would fill my car.

Listening now, I can see why I made that jump back and forth. Track eight ("American Beauty") is very similar to Shawshank's seven, evoking the same emotional response from me.

It almost makes me want to drive up to Jacksonville tonight, see the shipyards and have a Newcastle along the river at my special spot where the only thing between you and the glimmering lights and buildings of downtown is the shimmering waters of the Saint Johns.

Of all the memories triggered by tastes, sounds and smells, I have to say the recollections and feelings that come forth as I listen to this track repeatedly are some of the strongest. At the same time, I have become such a different person since then that it is almost like looking at a fun house mirror. A vast wasteland of dreams and possibilities that never came true. But instead, I have this. And those memories help guide me every day.