Speechless.
Video: Space Shuttle Atlantis from NASA Tweetup STS-135
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?