Saturday, February 8, 2020

For Your Consideration...

Conquest of Siberia by Yermak
Vasily Surikov
A long week, fought off some kind of bothersome stomach gripe, lost a bit o' sleep, but back in the game. Truth be told, I spent rather too much time working on the Hall of Heroes page and redesigning the header. Well, three possible versions of the header.

Nope the painting has nothing to do with the post, I just really, really, really like the painting. The Siberians are all like - "Damn, who the Hell are these yahoos? They have freaking fire sticks!" While the Russians are all - "Damn, there sure are a lot of them sumbitches and they don't look happy!"

I also have an idea for a post which involves a little fiction to set up my main, and absolutely factual, point. Should be good. Anyhoo, I like it so far. Tip o' the hat to Stefan for the idea.

Anyhoo, here are three possible layouts for the new header. Let me know what you think. If you think they suck, say so. If you have ideas, render them hither. I can always use a good idea. (Heck, if the idea is only half-assed, I can use that too.)

Proposed header 1 -


Proposed header 2 -


Proposed header 3 -


I might even consider rotating through the first two on a periodic basis, as I have a foot in both Naval Aviation and the Air Force. I kinda like the third as well, what with all the solidarity with allies and the like.

Vote early, vote often and (unlike the Iowa Dem Caucus) I should be able to tally your preferences in short order. I won't be using any app other than the Mark 1 Mod 1 eyeball. (No longer Mod 0 due to depot level maintenance last year.)

Lemme know.



62 comments:

  1. Being a Zoomie’s wife, I like #2 but #3 is what should be up there

    (Love my T’Birds but this is ‘Murica! where we’re all represented)

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    1. #3 is the first one I made, I am rather partial towards it.

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  2. Gotta get up early to be the first 'round here. /snerk

    Although partial to the first (Retired USN) I think I would vote for the third just for the variety of aircraft displayed.

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  3. 1 and 3. Natch. Gotta have The Blues!

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    1. Hhmm, perhaps a 3-way rotation might be in order.

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  4. Ok, so I like #3 as well...for the color variety, as I have no clue what force each plane is from, and am feeling waaaay too lazy this morning to either poke around on Bing, or go ask the resident air plane expert. However---you could do what Rev Paul does and change them up from time to time. That way everyone gets a chance to "be the headliner" and no one's nose should get bent outta shape. In theory anyway...

    And I am certain that if you did use a computer app to tally results, you would test it before turning it lose on an unsuspecting world. Even I, as a nurse, know that testing needs to happen to programs before ya hit the execute button. Learned that back in my Fortran days. Some people's kids....

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    1. The aircraft are from the (front to back) Canadian Snow Birds flight demonstration team, the Royal Air Force Red Arrows flight demonstration team, then the USAF Thunderbirds, and last, but not least, the USN Blue Angels. (The latter is my personal favorite as they were my first.)

      As for not testing the app before use, first thing you learn, test the Hell out of it.

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    2. Fortran??? I knew I liked you Suz!

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    3. What, not everyone knows Fortran?

      😁

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    4. Fortran is the intact-female-dog-of-breeding-age slap that told me I wasn't going to be a computer genius. Physics and Differential Equations are what told me my future in engineering school was a laughable fantasy.

      I understand how things work, and I can use computer programs, but at that time (and still today) I was (am) unable to get the workings of the things.

      Some people were just meant to be office asses. I'm a great office ass if you give me challenging things to do. Mundane blah things? Ever see a ferret in an empty room? Yeah, that's me.

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    5. Ferret in an empty room? I get that, really I do.

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    6. Yes, juvat, Fortran. We were mandated to take in as nursing sophomores at the college I went to for a while because computers were a coming thing back in the mid-70's, and "It would be important to know how they work someday". Back in those days the IBM Selectric was the top of the line machine. I was offered my choice of typewriter to take to college and went off very happily with a Smith Corona manual as I had noticed that the number of electric plugs in each dorm room, and in the common areas, were limited. Did a lot of papers and made a good chunk of change typing papers for folks. Have never used my single class of Fortran, the only programming I have ever done was on insulin pumps...and no, it wasn't the Fortran type of programming.

      Beans in an empty room....lol...talk about a keyboard alert!! Although, actually, I would bet he would be talking to himself, telling all sorts of interestingly good stories!!

      Speaking of which Sarge, Not ONLY is this blog about aircraft, and aircrafty stuff, but it is also about History, and Music, and being a wine connoisseur, and a travel blog, and a photography gallery, so good luck putting together a headliner that expresses ALL of that!!

      Or, you can cheat, put airplanes (colorful ones at that) up on top, and let the new, adventurous soul, wandering through the forests dark and dreary that comprise the interwebs, discover the jewel that is The Chant in the muck that that surrounds her.

      Your blog, your decision. Tag, you're it!!

      Delete
    7. Well said Suz.

      Gotta have history and music too. Man, my work is cut out for me!

      Delete
    8. (Don McCollor)...Yes, Suz & Beans, Fortran was the epitome of way to learn rigid logic and mental discipline. Unlike later languages (C, C++ [spit]), the program (usually) came to a screeching halt at the slightest mistake.

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    9. Yes indeed. I've seen one or two (maybe more) screeching halts.

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    10. My 3AM story of the older student throwing his card deck at the wall and his face when he realized what he'd done and what it would take to fix as he fruitlessly chased it across the room about 6" behind it only to have it become a paper bombshell as it hit the wall comes to mind. No...It wasn't me. I managed to refrain from laughing.

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    11. Card decks? Man, y'all old school!

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  5. # 2 because some fine General Officers were molded by being Thunderbirds. Creech, McPeak, Kempf to name but a few. I don't know about the Blues and their progeny.

    Your blog, your decision. Seriously, my first glance look at them is "Oh, a blog about flying". I think we're more than that.

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    1. Ouch, back-handed compliment right there.

      Yeah, we are about more than flying, back to the drawing board methinks. (We need tanks! And ships!)

      Delete
  6. I like #3, but I'm not sure why the Canuck is Strike Lead. Haha.

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    1. Luck of the draw? Perhaps the Canadians agreed to buy after the show?

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    2. Because he's flying the slowest plane. He sets the pace. Can't have him fall out of formation because he can't keep up.

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    3. You see, we are a blog about flying. (Well, that and other things.)

      Good point though juvat.

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    4. No sure I want to follow the lead of anything Canada does.

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  7. Yeah, #3 is the one I like. (I even made up my mind before seeing what other people had to say :D )

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  8. What? No photo of just all US military branches flying together? No Army air, nor Coast Guard? (Marines are implied, as the Navy thinks they are just a secondary service since they fly off the same fields and use the same planes-ish.)

    Well, actually, now that we've seen Brexit finally occur, the Canoe-heads and the Brits are once again (except for London) our stauch allies against the world (even though there's a strong but bad case for us joining the Kaiser in WWI, but I won't get into that argument or hash out how bad Woodrow Wilson was (except to say he was the model for the totalitarian dictatorish Dem presidents who followed him.)(Beans, stay on target, STAY on Target!))

    And there's nothing to say you can't change the header around, add holiday touches, focus on a fallen hero (like when Brigadier General McGee finally takes his final flight) and such. You can be stodgy, or you can get all artsy with the header. Your home field, you can decorate it.

    As to not feeling well, what, did you try to eat bachelor food? If you did, don't you know married men lose the ability to eat bachelor food after the first 20 years of marriage?

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    1. Finding good public domain photos is not easy, especially all the services together. (And that would need to be a helo photo, heck, everyone flies helos.)

      I still might do what you mention in your 3rd paragraph, it's not a bad idea.

      No bachelor food, haven't been to a fast food place in the whole time. I know better.

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    2. Aha!
      Beans, you’ve given me a new clue to how my first marriage collapsed.
      The Mrs. May have been just a little miffed because my diet didn’t conform to her menu.
      Then, again, maybe it was a little more than that.

      Delete
    3. Well, diet can cause stress. DAMHIK

      Delete
  9. I like the one with the Tooter in front and those newfangled contraptions in back. Lame attempt at humour aside, that's a great image. So three's my fave but only by a whisker.

    Such a formation in 1978 would have featured the Tooter, Gnat, Talon, and Skyhawk. I wonder if such a picture exists?

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    1. #3 is definitely the favorite. I wonder if such a picture from the late-70s exists?

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  10. I like #2 as primary, and I like #1 to be in the rotation.

    I appreciate that #3 respects the aerobatic part of the military aviation services, but where is the ROK Black Eagles aircraft?


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    1. I wish I could have found a nice picture with the Black Eagles included. But no dice.

      I'm leaning towards having all three in the rotation, starting with #3. I need to make more headers because, as juvat said, we're more than "just" an aviation blog.

      Much more.

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  11. #1 just goes with the colors better ;-)

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    1. Very true!

      (And I do like the Blue Angels, a lot!)

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  12. The blog is about people and their experiences so the image in this article might be appropriate (need to crop it though):

    https://www.jba.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1846529/jba-hosts-2019-legends-in-flight-air-space-expo/

    I'm partial to #3.

    - Victor

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    1. Some really good images at that link, especially the first one. You've given me some ideas. I think I'm going to need a bigger rotation!

      Thanks Victor!

      Delete
  13. Man, I don't ever post a comment. But here goes. What do you want to be your statement on YOUR blog? If your happy with it; that is the opinion that matters. Just keep Lex and Buck.

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    1. Lex and Buck will always be there.

      As to the rest? I may like varying things up from time to time. We shall see.

      Good point though Tom.

      Delete
  14. (Don McCollor)...A humble suggestion for the header. Besides a common theme to identify the Chant, a number of images, each highlighting the topic of the day's current post - WW1, WW2, Korean, Vietnam aviation, etc. Kind of like what you do with images in the post itself, but also as part of the header.

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    1. That's not a bad idea. Might be a little labor intensive though. But I like the idea.

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  15. I'm thinking that the occasional photo of the great piston engine military aircraft would include quite the span of time.

    I'm partial to starting with the P-38 and a repeat of your post on Friday, January 17, 2014.

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    1. Good idea, that was a nice post, deserving of a repeat!

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  16. Rotate the headers. USAF in the even months, multinationals during the odd months and the Blues in the other months.
    #3

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  17. Need to have something as the "Brand" for the blog that stays kinda constant, but only needs to be part of the header. The images can rotate as you see fit - it is your blog, after all (like the other Tom said - great minds and all). I also think making it so it is not too labor intensive will be good for your mental health - or is it too late for that? :-) I do like the exhibition teams a lot, but think while they get a lot of glory, the blog is more about the everyday heroes in aviation.

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    1. Good points Tom. I like the brand concept, I need to think on that.

      Thanks.

      Delete

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