Here's a TOTALLY off-topic comment, but one I'd like to share as I believe there may be at least a couple of people in the group that may be interested.
In the last ten months, I have acquired the two things that I have most desired to own for the vast majority of my life. Last November, I finally got a Mellotron, and Friday, the UPS man delivered my other big dream. I am now the owner of a Starlab portable planetarium. If you are not familiar with this wonderful device, go to www.starlab.com for more information about what it is and what it does than I could give you in this brief message. At last, I am going into business for myself, traveling the midwest to bring astronomy education to schools, scout groups, museums, and various and sundry other venues in the region.
I have been an avid astronomer as long as I have been a keyboard player (has it really been 45 years already?) and those two things have been the most important grounding points of my entire life. I was fortunate enough to be the planetarium director of the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center ( www.cosmo.org ) for several years, until I tired of the overly political work environment there, and have been scheming for the last few years to go into the planetarium field again, only on my own terms and as my own boss. Now, that day is finally upon me, and the culmination of this dream is of equal fulfillment to me as the acquisition of my lovely Mellotron.
Knowing the high average level of intellect you folks demonstrate, and the interest in things technological, and also having noted a couple of members of this group expressing in interest or involvement in things of an astronomical nature, I would like to invite any and all to join a new Yahoo! group I have just formed, the Starlab Users Group. It is obviously geared towards users and owners of Starlabs and other portable planetaria, and even for staff members of fixed planetaria, but is also for anyone who just wants to learn more about that magical place called the planetarium and share their own impressions, anecdotes and questions about planetaria and things of an astronomical nature.
The group, for the moment, will be a moderated group, rather than the free-for-all that we enjoy on this list, although I do intend to change that after I get a handle on how to do this effectively and make sure that everything goes smoothly.
If you would like to join, send an email to the address below. I hope to hear from you all!
Regards,