In 1896 and 1897, before the first successful dirigible flight had even occurred, people across the U.S. reported seeing mysterious “airships” flying over major cities and rural communities alike. While in grade school, I remember reading how one of the most intriguing sightings occurred in Milwaukee where “thousands of witnesses” claimed to have observed a “machine” or “airship” fly in over the city, hover over the new City Hall for 15 minutes, and then fly away in the direction from which it had come.
When I recently took Milwaukee Ghosts’ Third Ward Walking Tour, I was reminded of the Milwaukee airship mystery. After the tour, I dug out the old boxes of books, magazines and newspaper clippings I had collected as a child, with the goal of seeing what — if anything — had been historically established or generally accepted about this strange Milwaukee incident. Read the rest of this entry →
Given that Fall is always such a boring, slow season for me, I decided this week that I’ll run the Las Vegas Half Marathon on December 5, 2010 as part of Team Challenge. This will be my fourth half marathon as part of Team Challenge and my second time running the Vegas half marathon. Given my long-term commitment to helping raise awareness of (and funds to find the cure for) Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, my decision to do Team Challenge again probably isn’t too surprising.
One of the great things about Team Challenge is that no matter how much you put into it, you always get many times more back from the program. Read the rest of this entry →
Last evening, I finally took Milwaukee Ghost’s Third Ward Walking Tour. It was an entertaining, intriguing and educational 90 minutes. The tour currently includes 15 stops and covers such historical stories as the Great Third Ward Fire, the shipwreck of the Lady Elgin, the Milwaukee River serpent and the airship sightings of 1897.
Regardless of whether you’re a skeptic or a believer in ghosts and the paranormal, this walking tour is a fun way to spend an evening. Ghost walks of the “Bloody Third” Ward are available most Fridays and Saturdays (and by appointment) from May through November. The cost is $10 per person.
Those of you who know me are probably aware of how I frequently rant about SyFy (previously known as the SciFi Channel). This once promising science fiction cable network has devolved over the last several years into a dumping ground of cheaply made monster-of-the-week movies, paranormal scam-of-the-week reality shows and wrestlemania smackdowns.
The good news is that a new science fiction cable network is in the works — Syzygy Network. The network has been quietly in development for two years and has just begun to go public. And based on what the network’s founders are saying, it sounds like a welcome alternative to SyFy, especially for viewers seeking something a little more intelligent. For more information, check our their website and their Facebook page (where they already have over 7,500 fans).
This week BizTimes.com ran an article about the “10 People who are Changing Milwaukee” and it started me thinking about the various people I’d like to meet.
Before creating my list, I set a few basic ground rules:
- Unlike the BizTimes list, the people I want to meet could be anywhere — not just in Milwaukee.
- No one would be included on the list merely for their celebrity status.
- To keep the list manageable, and not dilute its value in my mind, I’d limit my list to the top five people.
- The list would not contain anyone I already know or have already met.
- Everyone on the list is still alive at this time. They also must be real people — fictional characters need not apply.
I did some thinking, ranked people and selected the top five. So in no particular order, here’s my list of The Five People I’d Like To Meet: Read the rest of this entry →
Posted in Articles, Business, Innovation/Creativity, Personal, Science, Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Technology
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Tagged bucket list, Burrell Smith, Elon Musk, Jane McGonigal, Larry Niven, Michio Kaku, thought leaders
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