Satellite Dust

There are more stars in my backyard now, here in the city, than when I lived in the suburbs.  How can that be?  Could be that Mt Tabor is light free (just a few blocks from here), and in the burbs we had major highways in earshot, with loud lights.

From my backyard, with our enormous patio, and new sustainable patio furniture, you can even watch satellites in the sky.  At least I think they are (and not planes), stay tuned.  When I lived in Beaverton which was a really long time ago, I can remember laying in the backyard watching the sky which was filled, absolutely filled, with satellites moving across the sky.

Could be there is more to spy on in Beaverton.  Or that satellites have gone the way of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles).  Which for some reason fascinate me.  Could be the guy I met on a plane one time who was an Intel retread, and gone to work for the UAV manufacturer out near Hood River.  And was telling me about the peaceful uses of UAVs, like watching your fishing fleet.  Makes sense to me.

Like any technology, it can be used for peaceful purposes, or for destructive ends. Hey even language, or fire, or compilers, or uranium is like that.

So I will blame the satellite dust for the failure of my set top box to work in my kitchen.  I kept that old tiny (and heavy) portable (sort of) TV which has a manufacture date of 1982, alive, after normal TV signals bit the dust.  I kept it going with a digital set top box, and it did work.  Used to.  In the suburbs.  Here in the city, its either the brick wall in the kitchen, or that extinct volcano up in the park, or maybe just satellite dust.  It gets a picture, but no sound, no moving images.  Good bye Jim Leher news hour while I make dinner.  I am left with satellite radio, which is quite compatible with satellite dust.