Hudson River Wind Meditations-  Lou Reed

 Check out the ambient CD released by Lou Reed called "Hudson River Wind Meditations."  If you have visitors that ask about ambient or mood music, you can recommend this CD without hesitation.  Although it is not what most expect from Lou Reed, (no it is definitely not Metal Machine Music) it will not let the ambient music lovers (should I say audio environmental seekers) down.   If others play ambient or star type (astral sounding) soundscapes at their star-parties or sky-watches, this CD will definitely set the mood.  Remember to credit the artist!   Please be prepared to tell people who they are listening to and where to obtain the CD.  It is available on line and at most CD stores with a more eclectic or complete catalog of artists.  

Ted Williams

Astronomy Equipment Guide

 

A really good site for the beginner.  The Sky link will enable you to journey on "Starship Sagan" for an exciting voyage tyhrough the universe.  From the planets to the solar system to the bizarre objects of deep space, you will discover the wonders of the universe.  When your coming back from space, you can also dive down under the sea. 

If you have no knowledge about astronomy equipment this site is a good place to start.  Basic explanations of equipment will get you up to speed so that you know what other amateur astronomers are talking about.

Here are a few games that have been collected from the Internet with a Sky theme. You must have a Java and Flash Compatible browser to participate in these games. If your browser doesn't support Java or Flash, you can download the latest versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape free from the Internet. If you already have one of these browsers and still cannot get the games to work, you should make sure you have the latest versions of the Flash Browser Plugin and the Java Browser Plugin. Everyone is sure to find something to play with here.  Simple games to learn, challenging  to master.

The Free Massive Multiplayer On-line Space Game. Dark Orbit is no run-of-the-mill space browser game, it is an action-packed real-time multi-player shooter.  Start your engines, Space Pilots.

IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON

This documentary contains remarkable interviews with living Apollo astronauts sans Neil Armstrong. The director David Sington was there to answer questions and of course the absence of Neil Armstrong was one of the first questions. His response was fascinating. He said that he had numerous email exchanges with Armstrong, that Armstrong fully supported the project, and most importantly that his absence from the film was not because Armstrong is a recluse at all, but because Armstrong doesn't want the historical moment to be focused on him. Neil Armstrong would like the first step to be humankind's first step on the Moon and he fears that it could be too focused on him and he doesn't want that to happen any more than it already has.

The astronauts are delightful, funny, insightful, and inspiring. No matter how much you know about the Moon program, you will learn something you didn't know when you see this film. There is also footage that has never been publicly seen before. There is one beautiful sequence taken from a camera attached to a released stage of the rocket where you see the astronaut's spacecraft slowly moving away. Sington said that that footage had never been seen before because it used classified spy camera technology which has just recently been declassified. Apparently the cameras that were attached to released stages of the rocket were retrieved by fast high flying aircraft that actually captured these cameras in nets!

John Meader