From: John Conover <john@email.johncon.com>
Subject: forwarded message from root@email.johncon.com
Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 02:08:39 -0700
Ok. So the "revolving door" patent being issued on this date was
facetious. It was a bit of cynicism. What happened on this date was,
(besides the first voyage of the first steamboat in 1807,
G. Washington creating the order of the Purple Heart in 1782,
Heathcoat inventing the lace-making machine in 1783, Mata Hari-the
spy-being born in 1876, the second cartoon of Mickey Mouse released in
1928, potatoes planted for the first time in Hawaii in 1820, the Gulf
of Tonkin resolution passed in 1964, and the first Alley Oop cartoon
published in 1933,) in 1959, that the Explorer 6 satellite took the
first complete photograph of the third planet in the Solar System,
(the Earth, to those that flunked science-the other eight had already
been photographed by that date.)
What's the importance of that? Well, for one thing, it ushered in the
possibility of the 3 day weather forecast-fractal/chaotic systems
require an enormous measurement accuracy of the current conditions to
forecast, even a short time, into the future. Photography of the
planet provided an additional two decimal points-in orders of
magnitude-on the metrics of the atmospheric gas movement, and provided
two more days of "forcastability," of the weather, (which is
important, at least, on Fridays.)
So, you are not a farmer, and not impressed. How about, for another,
international air travel became a possibility, since (depending on the
ocean being traversed,) it would require an airliner to carry enough
fuel to fly a diversion course equal to 50% of the planned course,
(which was reduced to 20%, through pictures of the earth,) since it
could be forecast where hurricanes/typhoons might be 12 hours into the
future. (It is a physical impossibility for an international
flight-specifically, SFX to Narita, direct-to carry 50% additional
fuel to accommodate weather uncertainty-20% is "do-able," from an
operational/economic standpoint, and the 747 was designed to exploit
this, ushering in contemporary international air travel.)
So, you don't work for Boeing, (and are not a farmer,) and are still
not impressed with Explorer 6's contribution to "on this date." Well,
for another, how about Explorer 6 establishing the scientific
foundations for SALT II monitoring of ballistic missile
deployment. You know, establishment of accountability to international
legal agreement through monitoring of dismantlement of missile
inventories ...
John
--
John Conover, john@email.johncon.com, http://www.johncon.com/