Space exploration in the 21st century just keeps getting better and better. We started off a little slow, but with each passing year the world continues to send more and more satellites, rovers, and space ships on new and exciting missions, not to mention multiple Google X Prizes and contests.
Satellites now orbit Mars and on this very day, the Philae European Space Agency Lander that accompanied the Rosetta spacecraft landed on comet 67P over ten years after leaving the Earth. In my opinion, this is outstanding. I hope these breakthroughs will lead to a time when my children's and grandchildren's generation will look back from their colony on the moon or the space station they live on and ask us why it took so long.
David H. Troyer
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Showing posts with label Google. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Google. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Thursday, March 14, 2013
March 14, 2013 - Random Acts of Kindness
Random acts of kindness are awesome!
I love it when someone does something nice for someone else, out of the blue, and has nothing to gain from it. Granted, you should do random acts of kindness for your friends and family, that helps your relationship to grow in a healthy manor and lets you know that you love them. You should also consider doing random acts of kindness for people who you have never met and may never see again.
An awesome example of this came up just last week (When I wrote this on December 19, 2012, that is) when I was chatting with one of my former students. She asked me if I though she should bake some brownies and bring them to the fire department across the street from her house, and expressed her doubts about doing so because of the fact that most modern-day Americans will not take food from people they don't know.
I told her that if she wants to do it that she should follow through, but that she should be prepared to eat a few brownies just to prove that there is nothing wrong with them.
Another random act of kindness is the sending of care packages. Thankfully, I have been on the receiving end lately, but when I leave here, I plan on being on the giving end as well. Fortunately, I will have a better idea of what deployed members of the military need when I get back. (Toiletry items, drink mixes, books, crossword puzzles, batteries - whatever kind you are allowed to send, DVDs/Cds, and anything which will provide lighthearted entertainment to name a few items).
I know that people give more during the holiday season (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, etc.), but this is something that we should consider doing all year long. From November until mid January, we kept a candy box for everyone who worked in our area. Soldiers would bring extra candy and snacks which were sent to them and we would all share it. After January, we struggled to even have a box.
Keep in mind that it does not have to cost you anything to contribute a random act of kindness in order to help mitigate the effects felt by the sea of misery which so many people must swim through on a daily basis. You could trim the neighbor's hedges or mow their lawn, especially if they are elderly or not able to do so for some other reason. You could make it a point to hold the door open and warmly greet everyone you meet on any given day. You could even bring some cans of food you have just sitting on the shelf at home to the local homeless shelter.
If you have children, you could even get them involved by asking them to donate some of their gently used clothes or toys to a family in need or to any number of charitable organizations. Children are never too young to teach about random acts of kindness or charitable giving... and these lessons may even follow them throughout life.
There have been many times when I have seen a random act of kindness brighten up someone's day.
One final example is the day I deployed. When I was in the store at the airport, a lady bought a drink and a snack for the soldier in front of me, and myself. She did not know the two of us from any other soldier in the world, and she will probably never see us again, but still, she made it a point to tell us "Thank you for your service," both in word and in deed. We were both appreciative of her actions.
She did not know that I had skipped my lunch on that day or that I was rushed through the airport in order to get to our plane because someone had given our group the wrong time to arrive at the airport, or that I would be away from my family for the second Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day in a row, or that I would be missing Christmas, New Year, and our Anniversary as well. This kindhearted lady just laid down her hard earned money in a random act of kindness in tribute to every soldier, sailor, and marine who is fighting for her freedom.
It is the people like the lady at the airport, and my former student, who serve as examples to us all. The gladness which we can bring to another human being by contributing one simple act of kindness without the hope of something in return is simply amazing.
If you have enjoyed reading this entry, please become a follower of this blog by using your Gmail account.
David H. Troyer
www.davidhtroyer.com
www.amazon.com/author/davidhtroyer
Please check out some of my other pages when you get a chance.
www.facebook.com/davidhtroyer - Become a Fan!
www.twitter.com/davidhtroyer - Find out the latest news about my career
I love it when someone does something nice for someone else, out of the blue, and has nothing to gain from it. Granted, you should do random acts of kindness for your friends and family, that helps your relationship to grow in a healthy manor and lets you know that you love them. You should also consider doing random acts of kindness for people who you have never met and may never see again.
An awesome example of this came up just last week (When I wrote this on December 19, 2012, that is) when I was chatting with one of my former students. She asked me if I though she should bake some brownies and bring them to the fire department across the street from her house, and expressed her doubts about doing so because of the fact that most modern-day Americans will not take food from people they don't know.
I told her that if she wants to do it that she should follow through, but that she should be prepared to eat a few brownies just to prove that there is nothing wrong with them.
Another random act of kindness is the sending of care packages. Thankfully, I have been on the receiving end lately, but when I leave here, I plan on being on the giving end as well. Fortunately, I will have a better idea of what deployed members of the military need when I get back. (Toiletry items, drink mixes, books, crossword puzzles, batteries - whatever kind you are allowed to send, DVDs/Cds, and anything which will provide lighthearted entertainment to name a few items).
I know that people give more during the holiday season (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, etc.), but this is something that we should consider doing all year long. From November until mid January, we kept a candy box for everyone who worked in our area. Soldiers would bring extra candy and snacks which were sent to them and we would all share it. After January, we struggled to even have a box.
Keep in mind that it does not have to cost you anything to contribute a random act of kindness in order to help mitigate the effects felt by the sea of misery which so many people must swim through on a daily basis. You could trim the neighbor's hedges or mow their lawn, especially if they are elderly or not able to do so for some other reason. You could make it a point to hold the door open and warmly greet everyone you meet on any given day. You could even bring some cans of food you have just sitting on the shelf at home to the local homeless shelter.
If you have children, you could even get them involved by asking them to donate some of their gently used clothes or toys to a family in need or to any number of charitable organizations. Children are never too young to teach about random acts of kindness or charitable giving... and these lessons may even follow them throughout life.
There have been many times when I have seen a random act of kindness brighten up someone's day.
One final example is the day I deployed. When I was in the store at the airport, a lady bought a drink and a snack for the soldier in front of me, and myself. She did not know the two of us from any other soldier in the world, and she will probably never see us again, but still, she made it a point to tell us "Thank you for your service," both in word and in deed. We were both appreciative of her actions.
She did not know that I had skipped my lunch on that day or that I was rushed through the airport in order to get to our plane because someone had given our group the wrong time to arrive at the airport, or that I would be away from my family for the second Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day in a row, or that I would be missing Christmas, New Year, and our Anniversary as well. This kindhearted lady just laid down her hard earned money in a random act of kindness in tribute to every soldier, sailor, and marine who is fighting for her freedom.
It is the people like the lady at the airport, and my former student, who serve as examples to us all. The gladness which we can bring to another human being by contributing one simple act of kindness without the hope of something in return is simply amazing.
If you have enjoyed reading this entry, please become a follower of this blog by using your Gmail account.
David H. Troyer
www.davidhtroyer.com
www.amazon.com/author/davidhtroyer
Please check out some of my other pages when you get a chance.
www.facebook.com/davidhtroyer - Become a Fan!
www.twitter.com/davidhtroyer - Find out the latest news about my career
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
December 19, 2012 - The moon
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© David H. Troyer
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Nearly every time I look at the moon, I see a glowing sphere of opportunity. I see a shimmering landscape just waiting to be discovered, charted, and inhabited by mankind.
Granted, we are still several years away anyone taking up permanent residence on this conveniently placed object, but given the Google X-Prize of 30 Million Dollars (http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/), we should at least see some new moon footage by the end of 2015.
On their page explaining why they are a part of this challenge (http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/prize-details/why-google-lunar-x-prize), Google explains that since commercial space companies are doing things that only governments could do in years past and that "inexpensive regular access to the Moon is the next critical stepping stone for further exploration of our solar system and universe." All things considered, I agree with them 100%.
I believe that It will be not only the "commercial space companies" that pave the way, but also large corporations such as Google which pave the way to the next era in the history of mankind.
Once inexpensive regular access to the moon is possible, it is not unforeseeable for Google Maps to chart the moon. Once this happens, it will open the door for other companies to find an inhabitable section of the moon and develop it in order to meet their needs.
I could easily see major hotel chains, or perhaps a developer, such as Donald Trump creating self-sustaining buildings complete with both business and living quarters.
The Walt Disney Company, as well as several other companies are presented with the unique opportunity of developing hotels where people can see the moon, and then, if there is enough revenue created from this, using them as a starting point for adding full-blown resorts where people can enjoy a low-gravity theme park. I could easily see several themed Walt Disney hotels on the moon's surface in the next 20-30 years
The best part is that it is not just America thinking about the future development of the moon. Apparently, several other countries, like Russia and China, are trying to do so as well. Perhaps several nations and corporations could band together in order to build a self-sustaining livable environment. If they do, it would present a unique opportunity for those who may choose to live on the moon to be a truly international community. It would provide a chance for scientists to study the moon and all that it has to offer, while living in what could be the most high tech and amazing place to live in the universe!
Of course, I think that the moon is pretty, or that those I love are somewhere out there beneath the pail moonlight, as Fievel so aptly reminds us, but I am looking forward to the day, hopefully within my own lifetime, when someone living on the moon is no different than living in Tampa, or London, or Los Angeles.
I truly believe that it is possible for mankind to develop colonies on the moon, and possibly other planets, but lets take it one step at a time.
If you have enjoyed reading my blog, please share it with your friends, and become a follower using your gmail account at www.davidhtroyer.blogspot.com
David H. Troyer
www.davidhtroyer.com
***David H. Troyer in no way represents Google, Microsoft, The Walt Disney Company, Donald Trump, or any other business or person mentioned in this blog. References to the Google X Prize website are provided so that the reader of this blog will be able to read official statements made by Google, Inc., instead of relying on the words of this author.
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