Least I Could Do

Comic: 2010-02-09

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Comic: 2010-02-08

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Comic: 2010-02-07

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Comic: 2010-02-06

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Comic: 2010-02-05

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Comic: 2010-02-04

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Comic: 2010-02-03

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

News: Looking Upward

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:36:42 -0500

The big news this week, aside from the medical journal [url="http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/02/lancet.retraction.autism/index.html?hpt=T2"]retracting its previous statements[/url] linking vaccines to autism, is Obama's proposed budget for the United States.

Among the many cuts and proposals that caught my attention, it's the president's mandate for NASA that I wanted to discuss today.

The space shuttle fleet is being grounded this year, as always was the plan. Considering that the shuttle was conceived of in the 50's, with construction beginning in the 70's, I remain confident that the decision to mothball what's left of the shuttle fleet was the right decision.

The fact that these machines have been flying for the past 30 years is an amazing feat in itself. The question however, is what have they accomplished?

We built and maintained a few telescopes, we continue to build and maintain a space station with no clear scientific or exploration goal in mind and we sent a really old man back into space.

Since the Apollo program, we haven't returned to the moon.

Once the shuttle is in a museum, we won't even be able to get into space without hitching a ride with the Russians.

The question I asked us a while ago, was a simple "What's next"?

After going through the budget and the NASA Administrators remarks, I can't tell you. I can however, tell you what's not next.

[i]The initiative, for now at least, is more about what NASA plans to cancel than what it plans to pursue. The six-year-old Constellation program, which had been focused on developing new boosters, Apollo-like orbiters and a 21st century lunar lander, all with the goal of making long-term stays on the moon possible, will be scrapped, after $9 billion and a single flight of the Ares 1 booster last October. The longer-term goal of venturing out to Mars is being tabled along with it.

In place of that program, NASA will tackle a grab bag of other projects: extending the life of the so-far unfinished International Space Station (ISS) until 2020, and spending $4.9 billion to develop better robotics, $7.8 billion to develop new flight techniques such as in-orbit fuel depots and closed-loop life-support systems, and $3 billion to develop new unmanned ships. There are no entirely unworthy objectives in that list (with the possible exception of the ISS), but there's also no clear way of getting humans back into space after 2010, once the shuttles are mothballed.

-[url="http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1958230,00.html?cnn=yes&hpt=T2"]From TIME Magazine[/url][/i]

With everything going on in the world today, some might applaud this approach. Why invest in space when the education system is so underfunded?

To that I would answer: "To get children excited about learning again".

I believe with every fiber in my being that exploring this universe is paramount to our continued evolution as a species and is an important step forward.

I now also believe that it won't be NASA that leads the way.

I am discouraged, yet confident that private business and developing space programs like those in China and India will eventually inspire us again.

Until that time, Personally. I will actively seek a person/group/company/program to involve myself with in the hopes that I can at least get a few people enthralled in the space again. (Any recommendations?)

I want my child looking upwards, never knowing what's there, but knowing that he can find out.

- Because I can.

[b]Quote of the Day[/b]

"Boy, I got vision, and the rest of the world wears bifocals. "
[i]-From Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (1969)[/i]

Comic: 2010-02-02

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

News: The Future Now

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:06:25 -0500

Well, we all knew it would happen eventually, but I'm somehow proud that it's been accomplished in my lifetime.

The human race has created the Cylons.

Why, you might ask? So that [url="http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/02/01/sex.robot/index.html?hpt=T2"]we can have sex with them and tell them about our day[/url].

- Because I can.

[b]Quote of the Day[/b]

"Oh I'm a lucky man, to count on both hands the ones I love
Some folks just have one, yeah, others, they've got none"
[i]-Just Breathe, by Pearl Jam[/i]

Comic: 2010-02-01

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Comic: 2010-01-31

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Comic: 2010-01-30

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

News: Friday night with Lar

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:33:47 -0500

I'm so excited for tonight's Ustream! I get to fufill my promise to you. Confused? Join me at 8pm ET /wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' /> (-5 GMT)

http://tinyurl.com/9eukhm

[ustream][/ustream]

News: Making Webcomics...

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:20:09 -0500

[i]***(This contest is now over, please see the last post on this thread for the winners)***[/i]

While spending some time last night updating the FAQ, I noticed just how many questions you folks have when it comes to the creation of webcomics.

With those people in mind, I wanted to point you in the direction of a wonderful resource, [url="http://www.webcomics.com/"]webcomics.com[/url]. In a smart move, the site has recently gone behind a paywall, which I find both helped in the content and encourages more honest and useful forum discussion about the craft I adore so much.

Editor-in-Chief and love of my life Brad Guigar is doing a fantastic job, and I find myself spending a great deal of time there. Mostly to bask in his glory, I might add.

Because I think so highly of the site as a stepping stone for new and existing writers and artists, and in conjunction with the [i]Rayne Summers Webcomic Scholarship[/i], I’ve decided to purchase 5 one-year memberships on webcomics.com, and give them away. To you.

How do you go about entering this contest?

Simply post to this forum with a link to your portfolio and a one paragraph sentence on why you should be given a membership. No e-mails please! I’ll choose the winners today.

- Because I can.

[b]Quote of the Day[/b]

“We deserve better villains.“
[i]-Bliss, from Whip It (2009)[/i]

Comic: 2010-01-29

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

News: Another Vice

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:57:05 -0500

If there is a plus side to insomnia, it's that it leads me to discover a few gems on the world wide web that I may have otherwise missed had I been able to fall asleep like a normal person.

Following a link on CNN, I was led to [url="http://www.vbs.tv/"]vbs.tv[/url], otherwise known as Vice TV. Now apparently, there is a magazine called Vice that's available in a few countries, but I had no knowledge of the existence of this brand. Keep that in mind, as I'm talking only about their video content, and not anything else.

Among their videos, is a series entitled [url="http://www.vbs.tv/watch/the-vice-guide-to-travel"]The Vice Guide to Travel[/url].

While it may sound like nothing more than an aid to vacationers, it's actually a slew of candid documentaries, as the Vice crew visit some of the most dangerous places on the planet. These short videos take you into situations and scenarios that are either not covered, or glossed over on network news.

Vice TV's on air crew aren't the best investigative journalists, nor do they always ask the questions you might wish of them, they do give you a real glimpse into the lives of other people and cultures.

I would highly recommend taking a look at the Liberia and North Korea features.

Please be advised that a lot of their content is nsfw, and is rather disturbing. Still, the fact that it will make you uncomfortable is one more reason why you should watch.

- Because I can.

[b]Quote of the Day[/b]

"You never gonna be alone
From this moment on, if you ever feel like letting go,
I won't let you fall..."
[i]-Alone, by Nickelback[/i]

Comic: 2010-01-28

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Comic: 2010-01-27

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Comic: 2010-01-26

sohmer@leasticoulddo.com — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500