I took this short video from up close to the shuttle. Very few normal people are allowed this close - thanks NASA!
NASA Tweetup STS-135: Day 1
As I blogged earlier, I've been lucky enough to be selected by NASA to participate in a two day meeting of 150 of NASA's twitter followers, celebrating the final space shuttle launch. Atlantis is scheduled to depart at 11:20am on Friday July 8th.
For realtime updates, follow me on Twitter at @ShareefJackson or on my Google Plus account at gplus.to/Shareef
I am crashing after a fabulous day at the Kennedy Space Center press site. I've participated in an exclusive look within the NASA complex headed by people that actually make things tick.
The full photo album is located on my Google Plus account,( see my previous blog post for details on Google Plus and why I won't be heading to Facebok much anymore) I'll be sharing four key shots below.
Check out our agenda below. It's pretty hectic, but filled with lots of interaction with scientists, astronauts, and other NASA employees. And yes, I need to be there around 5am tomorrow. I'm in Orlando, which without traffic is just over an hour travel time. With the traffic of the last shuttle launch EVER though, I'm guessing at least two to three hours.
Astronaut Doug Wheelock was kind enough to pose with me in front of space shuttle Atlantis. This is the closest that non-NASA workers are allowed to the shuttle. We will experience the actual launch from much farther away - about 3 miles from the launch pad.
For a while, it began raining. Actually, it became POURING. Like, Biblically. Luckily it cleared up later, and it gives me hope that there will be no rain tomorrow during the launch attempt. Here is a shot I took from the press tent of the Vehicle Assembly Building covered in rain.
Speaking of the Vehicle ASsembly Building, it is HUGE. I can see why Michael Bay used it to film from scenes from Transformers - it's the only indoor place that can fit a robot, in my humble opinion. I had to lay on my back to capture the amazing height of this structure.
NASA's Final Shuttle Launch - I'll be there!
 last one by shlomi yoav |
Happy 4th of July to all of my American viewers!
On July 8th, at approximately 11:40am, the Space Shuttle Atlantis will lift off for its final mission, and I'll be right there! I've been invited by NASA to participate in a NASA Tweetup for 150 of its twitter followers. I've previously blogged about my experience with the tweetup and the previous launch, along with the accompanying media coverage, but I missed the actual liftoff of the shuttle due to the launch being moved at the last minute for safety concerns. Of course, this can happen again for this launch, but I have my fingers crossed!
The community of people that support NASA initiatives is very impressive. We are connected on various social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, and the information flows freely. There are people that clearly know more than me, but not once have I felt talked down to. It's truly an example of how technology can help to bring like-minded people together.
You can view my press release by clicking here.
NASA Tweetup attendees are traveling from across the U.S. and globe to attend this historic event. A list of registered Twitter attendees can be found on the NASA Tweetup Twitter account: http://twitter.com/NASATweetup/sts-135-launch/members
Information about the NASA Tweetup can be viewed at http://www.nasa.gov/connect/tweetup/index.html
Google+ is Social Networking Done Right
Source: Mashable
I've spent a bit of time on Google's new social network, Google+. My profile page is linked here. It's currently in a limited beta with a few participants, but so far the suite of features offered is very impressive.
The network is structured around groups of people, or circles. Any time you add someone as a contact, you can put them in one or more circles. This can be done by dragging names into these circles, which is very intuitive. For example, I have circles for close family and friends, tech pundits, forum buddies, etc.
Any status updates that I push out - whether photos, quick one liners, or essays - have to be sent out on a circle basis. There is an option to send things out publicly to anyone on the site, but the main focus is that you can easily control who you are communicating with.
It's still in beta, but I'm looking forward to seeing how Google ties this network in with other services such as Google Docs, Google Alerts, and Google Trends. Imagine if I can search on certain terms that people are talking about (I would only see results that are within my circles or public), and can view how that topic trends over time. It's the perfect mashup of Facebook's relationships and Twitter's topic search capabilities.
The possibilities are endless if Google really puts everything behind this and implements it will. And why won't they. Reportedly, everyone's bonus at the company is tied into the success of Google's social efforts. If that won't motivate some of the greatest minds in the industry to innovate, what will?
NASA and What I Enjoy The Most About Twitter
I've also been a fan of social networking. I've spent countless hours on Friendster, Facebook, and Twitter. Even though there are some that I don't quite get (Path?), I appreciate being able to keep up with old friends and make new ones.
As of late, Twitter has been my preferred network of use. One of the main reasons for this is because Twitter is best suited for finding normal people with similar interests. As you've seen from this blog, my interests vary across many technology fields, so I'm always looking for new people to meet. In contrast, Facebook is best suited to find famous people with similar interests (via Pages), or reconnecting with friends.
As I detailed in my previous posts, I won a NASA contest to see the space shuttle Endeavour launch, which was originally scheduled for April 19th. Even though several postponements led to me missing the actual launch, the Twitter community of former and current launch attendees has been a joy to be a part of. Even before I met the NASA Tweetup participants, we already shared tips, jokes, and rants together. When we did meet for the first time in Daytona during the third attempted launch date on May 2nd, it was like a reacquainting with someone you've met already.
One thing I love about finding a community that shares a similar interest is when you discover other common interests. This helped overcome the pressure, for example, of only talking about space with the NASA Tweetup folks. After we began following each other, a natural flow of conversation began as we started commenting and replying on people's messages. Even after the space shuttle program is long discontinued, I'm sure that I will maintain relationships with the people that I've met through Twitter and in person.
If you'd like to follow me, my Twitter username is @ShareefJackson. Hope to see you there!