by wjw on October 30, 2024
This is the mirror blank for the Hale Telescope at Mt Palomar. It doesn’t look like a mirror because it hasn’t been silvered and polished.
This 5-meter, 36-ton disk was cast at the Corning Glass Works in 1934, and is made of their brand-new miracle glass, Pyrex. The hot glass caused part of the frame so soften, with parts of it floating up into the hot Pyrex, and the mirror was cracked and ruined.
A second minor was successfully cast and is still in use at Mt. Palomar. This first mirror is in the Corning Glass Museum. When a new museum was built, it was built around the mirror, which was easier than trying to shift a 36-ton mirror without breaking it.
If you look in the central hole, you’ll see a silhouette of Kathy sitting cross-legged and waving at you.
by wjw on October 25, 2024
Ebook Daily is offering The Praxis as a $1.99 bargain special. I don’t know when this special will end, so it’s best to buy while you can.
by wjw on October 24, 2024
Furry friend discovered on the wainscoting of a large building in Cooperstown, NY. There were seven rats in the building, and I found six. I think I knew where to find the last, but by that point my feet were tired.
by wjw on September 17, 2024
The audio book of my collection, The Best of Walter Jon Wiliams, is now available for half price through 11 October.
No point in waiting till October to listen to it— get it now!
by wjw on September 3, 2024
Had my nine-month checkup.
Cancer still dead.
Any number of messy medical issues remain, but none of them are going to kill me.
