Yesterday's 'moment in history'...

So, I logged on to Google yesterday--they often have some sort of artistic treatment of their logo as a nod to something significant that day. Here is the splash page from Saturday, June 6th, 2009:



It was apparently the 25th anniversary of Tetris yesterday. Now, I am a big fan of that game (if you don't believe me, you must not have read the blog entry I wrote about my addiction to the little blocks). But June 6th also happened to be the 65th anniversary of D-Day, the allied invasion of Normandy to save the Europeans from the Nazis. (Still waiting on that 'thank you' note, France.)

Of the two, I would have thought that the latter would have gotten the nod. But I guess it says something about our society that a video game was considered more significant than the liberation of Europe. Or maybe that the number 25 is more important than 65, in terms of anniversaries ("Silver" versus "ten more years until diamond"). Or maybe a Tetris version of the Google logo is just more visually interesting than a Normandy version. Whatever the reasoning, I thought it a little weird. Ah, America.

Clip of the week...

Twenty years ago? It seems like only yesterday:



A not-too-badly-done video here was made in 2007 as a memorial. It includes this text:

Though all records differ in their statistics, an estimated 5,000 people died. Thousands more were injured. The topic is still a political taboo in mainland China. Any public discussion of it is regarded as inappropriate. As a result of the strong Chinese government censorship, the news media is forbidden to report anything related to the subject unless it takes the Communist Party of China's view. This part of history has disappeared in most Chinese media.

There is a special on PBS called "The Tank Man" that is all about the continuing fallout of this event. If you click here (and I highly recommend you do), you can watch the entire thing online. It is essentially a program about how information is controlled in China, even to this day. It includes some footage of college students being shown photos of Tiananmen who, when asked what they think the photos represent, answered, 'I dunno...a parade?'

Hard to believe that, even now, a Google image search on the US page yields this:



While the Chinese Google image search produces this:



I wish I had a solution for Times Like These.

Planes and related trompe l’oeil...

Last week, on the 64th anniversary of D-Day, there was a B-17 'Flying Fortress' going back and forth over my house. I am assuming it was flying from Santa Rosa airport to Petaluma and back--there is an air museum at the Santa Rosa airport that has an airshow every year. It was an awesome thing to experience--it was the sound more than the sight, although that also was very, very cool. Just the deep rumbling that those four huge engines make as it cruises along is impressive enough.

Anyway, on a somewhat-related topic, today I saw this and had to share. Lockheed camouflaged their entire operation in Burbank, California to make it less visible from the air. They were afraid the Japanese would fly in to attack targets in California, based on concerns founded in the post-Pearl Harbor era. They didn't do too bad a job, all things considered:

Before:



After:



Go to Think or Thwim's blog entry to learn more.

Memorial Day observed...

I am not a big fan of how we blow off the reason for our "celebrations" in this country, and Memorial Day seems to be one of the worst. Instead of adopting a soldier, voicing my opinion about the current state of military involvement and/or government, or just plain sidestepping it all to barbeque and drink, I try to spend some time remembering the fallen.

Today, I sat down and read several chapters from Letters from the Front, a book of correspondence from soldiers to their homes, peers, and commanders from the Revolutionary War to present. Having worn the uniform for a bit, I feel a thin connection to them, and feel as grateful for my life as I am respectful of their sacrifice.

Clip of the week:



Please take some time to pay your respects.