The Explorers Club
No. CXCVIII - Java Man (Homo erectus erectus) & Peking Man (Homo erectus pekinensis).









Operation AXIOM
Sixty-three years ago to the day, 14 October 1947, Major General (then-Captain) Chuck Yeager (U.S.A.F., Retired) became the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound, piloting his Bell X-1, the Glamorous Glennis. I've seen the Glamorous Glennis at the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum, & she's gorgeous, I just wish she wasn't suspended so high above the floor, as I'd really like to get a closer look at her. (In this regard, maybe I've been spoilt by the accessibility of the aeroplanes at the Air Force Museum at Wright-Pat.)



This Week in Motorsport
I could not spare the time to watch an hour of the Petit Le Mans last night, nor will I be able to make up any ground this weekend, but I have high hopes that I'll be able to squeeze in two hours tonight, a "double stint" in racing terminology. (I'm thankful that the U.S.A. shows are still on hiatus; so, there's jack & squat to watch on television on Thursday nights.) Will I have finished Petit before the upcoming Korean Grand Prix weekend? Korea is on the far side of the International Date Line, the same as Japan, meaning day will be night & night will be day; Friday morning practice at the brand-new Korean International Circuit in Yeongam, South Korea will be broadcast live in America in the wee small hours of Friday, Thursday night for all practical intents & purposes. There's no reason why I must see the American Le Mans Series finale prior to the next Formula One grand prix, I'm just excited to see the whole of the Petit Le Mans as soon as I can.

Boy howdy, I loves me some endurance racing.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
The Platters, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" from The Very Best of The Platters (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: I've loved "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" since hearing it in the motion picture Always. I didn't understand it then, not until smoke had gotten into my own eyes years later, but neither time nor bitter experience can diminish its beauty.