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RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 2:49 pm
by notfred
The first man to walk on the moon has passed away after undergoing heart-bypass surgery earlier this month.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/ ... B020120825
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 3:01 pm
by Master Kenobi
I just saw this. We lost a great American today. He will be missed. R.I.P.
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 3:07 pm
by Captain Ned
notfred wrote:
'Tis a shame, though a good life lived. I was 5 when Apollo 11 landed; my parents woke me for the actual landing (a little after midnight, EDT) and of course for Neil coming down the ladder later that morning.
My generation has had several "where were you" moments. Apollo 11 was the only happy one, so that's the one I'll keep in my book.
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 4:45 pm
by Dizik
Damn.
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 7:30 pm
by Krogoth
RIP brave explorer onto the unknown.
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 8:59 pm
by RickyTick
Captain Ned wrote:notfred wrote:
'Tis a shame, though a good life lived. I was 5 when Apollo 11 landed; my parents woke me for the actual landing (a little after midnight, EDT) and of course for Neil coming down the ladder later that morning.
My generation has had several "where were you" moments. Apollo 11 was the only happy one, so that's the one I'll keep in my book.
I was also 5, but I have virtually no memory of the event. I remember it in general terms, but not the actual event as it was taking place. Nonetheless, I'm sad for the loss of Neil Armstrong. RIP
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 11:30 pm
by chuckula
Reposted from Saturday's shortbread for posterity:
To put things in perspective with all the complaining we do about how our computers aren't good enough, just remember that he piloted the moon landing using the command module and Lunar Module's Apollo Guidance Computer computer that had:
-- about a 1 MHz internal clock speed for its CPU (a 2 MHz crystal was used and divided numerous times to provide the clock for the CPU, communication busses, and various other components)
-- The CPU was a lovely 16 bits (15 bits effective in memory with 1 parity bit and numerically 14 bits effective with an overflow bit and the parity bit)
-- A 16 bit data bus that ran at the blazing frequency of 0.5 MHz
-- 2048 words of RAM (~4 kilobytes)
-- 36K words of ROM that stored the system software (~72 kilobytes)
-- But hey! It did have a power-saving mode: The astronauts could manually drop the guidance computer into a "sleep" mode that used ~10 watts instead of 70 Watts. Apparently the feature was never actually used during flight though.
So basically, your Arduino project has more oomph that what got Neil Armstrong to the moon.
Of course, there's one little thing that no extreme Intel or AMD box with massive CPU coolers and quad-graphics has: The training, skill, and outright heroism of Neil Armstrong, all the other astronauts, and the whole NASA program that got them to the moon. Godspeed Neil Armstrong!
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 6:05 pm
by Captain Ned
Another meme I've seen circulating in my odd selection of blogs:
No one born after 1935 has set foot on another celestial orb.
I was born in 1964 and that fact is just a total mind-freak.
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 5:24 am
by FireGryphon
RIP, Neil Armstrong. Truly a pioneering figure in science and humanity.
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:49 am
by derFunkenstein
Man, I missed this. Giving up those Tour de France titles must have been too much for him. RIP.
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:29 am
by SuperSpy
derFunkenstein wrote:Man, I missed this. Giving up those Tour de France titles must have been too much for him. RIP.
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 8:37 am
by grantmeaname
I'll be good now, promise.
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 8:39 am
by derFunkenstein
ZOMG I just about peed my pants.
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 12:51 pm
by notfred
Captain Ned wrote:No one born after 1935 has set foot on another celestial orb.
http://xkcd.com/893/
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 12:58 pm
by steelcity_ballin
It's strange for me to know this man is no longer alive. I wasn't yet alive when he took those famous first steps yet growing up it was ingrained in me that this was an American victory and not something so easily done. As I got older and came to realize just what a feat this was in light of the technology available and I feel like I owe him something. All I can really say is thank you for having the courage and the conviction to do what you did. You are a hero.
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 10:08 pm
by just brew it!
notfred wrote:
Or:
http://xkcd.com/1074/RIP Neil, you're a true American hero. And a humble one at that.
Re: RIP Neil Armstrong
Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 5:17 pm
by superjawes