Grepping Chicagoland

Here's what I get searching a list of Illinois towns in the vicinity of Chicago.

(Actually, I'm not "grepping," I'm using DCL "SEARCH" in VMS, with which I am more comfortable.)

( Wood burbs, lake burbs, park burbs, oak burbs )

Rocket Belts in Televisionland

I hear the Rose Bowl had a rocket belt flight the other day.

In the U.S. Wired Science debuts this week on PBS stations, Wednesday night in some markets.

The pilot episode (available online) features rocket belt experimenters they interviewed at the Rocketbelt Convention I attended in September. It's a good piece, and incorporates nice historical footage of the Bell team. More clips are available on the show's site.

If you are the sort of viewer who freeze-frames the Tivo to catch gags on The Simpsons, watch for the interview with the Irishman in the hat-- Will Breaden-Madden. I appear subliminally with Will, wearing a red shirt. (Don't blink.)

Remembering Doctor A

Today is Isaac Asimov's 87th birthday.

I only met him once, but I read fifty or sixty of his books, so I owe many memories to him.