Well, as many folks guessed, a lot of Boulder was without power today, centered in time beautifully on the video chat time. 
I couldn’t even post anything about it, so my apologies. Instead of chatting I cleaned my desk, rearranged my bookshelf, went out for dinner, and played with the dogs. So not all was lost.
We’ll resume the regularly scheduled blog in the morning as always. Until then, enjoy this picture, sent to me by BABloggee Chris Stafford, showing what looks like the reflection of a Martian standing near the Phoenix lander (click to embiggenate). I figure I better post it here and mock it in advance before some antiscience goofball gets a hold of it!
June 8th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
That’s not a Martian. That’s clearly one of the NASA technicians on the film set in their secret desert base, where they are beaming the pictures from. Duh!
June 8th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Isn’t that the lander’s…
Oh, I see what you did there.
June 8th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
I saw this picture, and thought of your comments immediately, but i am more focusing in on what’s ‘in’ that scoop, looks a little photoshop’ed, no?
June 8th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
An astronomical activity this evening is to check out the Moon and planets. My family caught the space station with attached shuttle Discovery go by. I have a photo of the arrangement.
Oops! The spacecraft are flying over Colorado as I type this.
June 8th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
I LOL’d
June 8th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Harrison Ford wearing a fedora and carrying a bull whip, clearly.
June 8th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Looks like a piece of the lander got dented or had a small piece torn out to me.
June 8th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
I think it’s a naked Martian taking a picture of something he wants to sell on eBay.
June 8th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Oh my godlessness! It’s Ken Ham!
June 8th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
It’s actually a picture of Dick Cheney having an affair on his fishing boat. Then shooting the woman in the face.
June 8th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Yes well I wouldn’t put that past Cheney. He really is that muchof an evil … well I’m not allowed to say what I think of him here its too rude!
June 8th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Oh & if that is the reflection of a Martian* then they must be pretty dang-narned tiny!
Think about where the shadow is and its size & I think you’ll see what I mean …
Hmmm … reminds me of the “future folklore lil’ red men” in Kim Stanly Robinson’s awesome Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars) – fanatastic novels & good science in them too or at least I think so. Ever read them BA?
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* yes, yes I know it actually isn’t. Just running with the premise.
June 8th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
GodlessHeathen on 08 Jun 2008 at 10:18 pm :
I wish it was Ken Ham – coz then he wouldn’t be around very long.
Martian temperatures well below freezing, Martian pressures way too low to live, martian atmosphere unbreathable and thin Co2. He wouldn’t last much longer than thetime ittake shim to clutch his throat, go “argh!” and fall over dead, snap frozen and depressurised! Then Earth would be better off for being minus one moron.
At least that’s if was the bad Ken Ham, you were meaning the good astronaut Ken Ham – remember that post here on the current ‘Discovery’ shuttle pilot? – Then I’d have him in a good spacesuit with plenty of spare O2 tanks & a really cool spacecraft to ride home again in!
Actually, maybe that’ll be the case one day in the future – the good Ken Ham landing on Mars in 2020 + something?! We can always hope.
June 8th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
GodlessHeathen on 08 Jun 2008 at 10:18 pm :
I wish it was Ken Ham – coz then he wouldn’t be around very long.
Martian temperatures well below freezing, Martian pressures way too low to live, martian atmosphere unbreathable and thin Co2. He wouldn’t last much longer than the time it takes him to clutch his throat, go “argh!” and fall over dead, snap frozen and depressurised! Then Earth would be better off for being minus one moron.
At least that’s if was the bad Ken Ham, you were meaning the good astronaut Ken Ham – remember that post here on the current ‘Discovery’ shuttle pilot? – Then I’d have him in a good spacesuit with plenty of spare O2 tanks & a really cool spacecraft to ride home again in!
Actually, maybe that’ll be the case one day in the future – the good Ken Ham landing on Mars in 2020 + something?! We can always hope.
June 9th, 2008 at 12:05 am
Some of those tiny sasquatches were probably investigating the lander when the shot was taken.
June 9th, 2008 at 12:13 am
I hate to admit it, but I was *totally* looking for bugs in the soil images from Phoenix.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:01 am
It’s a Decepticon sneaking up on the Lander, going to give us another “last warning we’ll ever get”, cause Transformers 2 may be in the works.
June 9th, 2008 at 2:02 am
ah now it’s clear, yesterday seeing that you were offline I was thinking that maybe you messed up the time zones or completely forgot.
Maybe you should install a solar panel so that you can avoid these issues
( you have Sun in there, isn’t it ? )
June 9th, 2008 at 2:22 am
Or stock up on batteries
June 9th, 2008 at 3:10 am
See, that’s why we need the microphone on!
If it had been switched on when the little man was there we’d have heard the “Dweep dweep” noises. Come on NASA, get yer finger out!
Bob(Big)
June 9th, 2008 at 4:11 am
Hmmmm looks like it could also be a Mozarella cheese…
there’s something they’re not telling us.
June 9th, 2008 at 4:42 am
It’s WALL-e!
June 9th, 2008 at 4:53 am
It’s obviously Barack Obama denouncing his alien pastor.
“In my 20 years in his church, I never heard him say ‘Klatu Barada Nikto’! Oh, and hope and change.”
June 9th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Then shooting the woman in the face
Wait for it, wait for it . . . .
*Rimshot*
It’s a family blog, after all.
June 9th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Cast your gaze to the 2 o’clock position of that pic.
The reflected Martian has a fossilized replica clearly seen right there in stone and everything!
Then again, all this is moot since the “planets” don’t really exist. They’re all ’shopped.
Yeah yeah, I know. “So was your mom.”
*@&$ internet…
June 9th, 2008 at 8:19 am
It’s obviously Kuato
June 9th, 2008 at 8:44 am
It’s the man himself – Richard C. Hoagland – al last he has a captive audience!
June 9th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Richie: “It’s a Decepticon sneaking up on the Lander, going to give us another “last warning we’ll ever get”, cause Transformers 2 may be in the works.”
Oh noes! Why didn’t somebody tell us Saruman is on Mars!?!?!?!111
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/5/28/
June 9th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Wait a minute. The same shaped shadow (SSS) from the same angle is on the rock to the upper right! That no continuous shadow from martian to lander is apparent is simply bc it’s a true martian shadow.
That’s all the proof I need.
June 9th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
“I’ve always wanted to see a Martian,” said Michael. “Where are they, Dad? You promised.”
“There they are,” said Dad, and he shifted Michael on his shoulder and pointer straight down.
The Martians were there. Timothy shivered.
The Martians were there — in the canal — reflected in the water. Timothy and Michael and Robert and Mom and Dad.
The Martians stared up at them for a long, long silent time from the rippling water…
June 9th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
It looks like John Carter’s radium pistol.
June 9th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Kinda looks like Jesus. Or maybe his mom.
June 9th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Actually there’s a far more important question to be answered: Who’s holding the camera!?!?!?
June 9th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
[...] ???? [...]
June 10th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Yeeeeah, suuure. Not nearly as exciting as the Bible-land Bible-time theme park planned for Germany. Now that would be worth travelling around a planet for. But where will they get enough Jews to staff the exhibits? I can’t imagine any Jews gullible enough to accept a train ride to a camp from a German employer, can you? But if there are any- maybe this is a refected image of a Martian or a Venusian tourist to the Red Planet.