Mitchell Report

opinion

I have been watching the Artemis II mission off and on. I saw these pictures on the NASA website, and here are a few that I really like. They definitely got me thinking.

I have always been fascinated by space and the Heavens. I would like to go to space, but not like we do today. If I went, I would want it to be on a Star Trek type shuttle or ship. Our spacecraft, much like our planes, are little more than thin tin cans.

Looking at these pictures really affected me. The Moon is very dead and very unwelcoming, and space is the same way. Then, seeing our planet “Earth” from that vantage point just shows the miracle God made for us and the love Jesus purchased for us. Why would you want to go anywhere else?

A detailed image of Earth taken from space, showing the planet against a black background dotted with small stars. The view focuses on the Eastern Hemisphere, prominently featuring Australia with its reddish-brown landmass on the left side of the globe. Surrounding Australia are vast expanses of deep blue ocean with swirling white cloud formations scattered across the atmosphere. The curvature of the Earth is clearly visible, with a thin, bright blue atmospheric glow outlining the planet’s edge. Near the bottom right of the image, a bright white star or planet is visible in space. The overall scene captures the beauty and fragility of Earth from a distant vantage point in space.Hello, World NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman took this picture of Earth from the Orion spacecraft's window on April 2, 2026, after completing the translunar injection burn.A detailed, high-resolution photograph of the full moon centered against a completely black night sky. The moon appears bright white with various shades of gray, showing its textured surface clearly. Visible are numerous craters, darker lunar maria (large, flat basaltic plains), and lighter highland areas. The moon’s round shape is well-defined, and the contrast between the illuminated surface and the dark sky highlights the moon’s detailed topography. No other objects, stars, or light sources are visible in the image. The overall composition focuses solely on the moon, emphasizing its natural features and surface details.The Nearside of the Moon (April 4, 2026) - A view of the nearside of the Moon, the side we always see from Earth. Some of the far side is visible, as well, on the left edge, just beyond the black patch that is Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the Moon’s ne
A detailed view of the Moon's surface dominates the foreground, showing a vast expanse covered with numerous craters of varying sizes and depths. The surface appears gray and textured, with shadows accentuating the rugged terrain and crater rims. In the background, partially visible above the Moon's horizon, is the Earth, appearing as a bright, blue and white sphere. The Earth’s surface shows cloud formations and oceanic areas, illuminated by sunlight, contrasting sharply against the blackness of space. The image captures the stark contrast between the barren, cratered lunar surface and the vibrant, life-supporting Earth rising behind it. The overall scene conveys a sense of vastness and isolation in space.A Setting Earth (April 6, 2026) – The lunar surface fills the frame in sharp detail, as seen during the Artemis II lunar flyby, while a distant Earth sets in the background. This image was captured at 6:41 p.m. EDT, on April 6, 2026, just three minutes before the Orion spacecraft andA view from the surface of the Moon showing its gray, cratered terrain in the foreground. The lunar surface is covered with numerous small and medium-sized impact craters, giving it a rough and pockmarked appearance. Beyond the Moon's horizon, the Earth is visible partially illuminated against the blackness of space. The Earth appears as a blue and white crescent with visible cloud formations and oceanic areas, with the shadowed portion blending into the dark background. The image captures the stark contrast between the barren, cratered lunar surface and the vibrant, cloud-covered Earth rising above it. The overall scene conveys a sense of vastness and isolation in space.Earthset Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon.
Source: NASA — April 2026

I don't know how people can look at these incredible images and not think there is a grand designer. I am staying where we should. Think about it, in the oceans or in space, you will always need a suit that could puncture, rupture, or run out of life-saving air or water. But God made our Earth its own spacesuit that self-replicates the air and water we need.

These pictures are just beautiful. Space, the Moon, and Mars are places to visit for a day or two, but not places to live. It would be very isolating, even with other people. Look at that multicolored marble. It is home, and it is just beautiful.

#opinion #currentevents #inspiration

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⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: FULL SPOILERS

A close-up image of the torch held by the Statue of Liberty against a cloudy, dramatic sky. The torch's flame is golden and stylized, glowing with a warm light. Surrounding the base of the flame are sandbags and two soldiers in combat gear, positioned as if in a battle, aiming rifles in opposite directions. The soldiers and sandbags create a wartime scene atop the torch. Bold, bright green text reading "CIVIL WAR" is prominently displayed across the middle of the image, partially covering the torch and soldiers. The overall tone is intense and somber, suggesting conflict and struggle.

In “Civil War” (2024), the iconic torch of liberty becomes a battleground as soldiers clash atop its flame, symbolizing the fierce struggle for freedom amid chaos.

My Rating: ½ (0.5/5 stars)

The movie stunk, and it stunk so bad I kept watching only for the action at the end. It made no sense to me. Why were we in a civil war? Seems more like a feel-good piece for the press. There were undertones of innuendo but no reason was given, nothing clear was given. It was basically like the viewer came in the middle of a tale and only got none of the backstory. Totally stupid movie. If you were supposed to guess about the relationship to today's politics, this movie will be bad in 25 years' time since there is no context at all, and I mean at all. Every good movie has some backstory, either through flashbacks or other ways. My big takeaway: no context, skip it. Don't waste 2 hours like I did. Yes, there were some good action and thrilling one-off action moments, but that was it.

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#movies #opinion #review

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https://elgan.com/why-you-should-love-blogs-now-more-than-ever

Why you should love blogs now more than ever

, Mike Elgan (@MikeElgan@mastodon.social) on sharkey (source)

I saw Mike's post in my timeline, and it's referenced above. While I know some people hate AI with a passion, I agree that AI content has, for the most part, made the internet harder to enjoy. I agree with his post wholeheartedly, and maybe it will bring blogs – and hearing from people on blogs – back into the spotlight.

There was a time when most blogs looked quaint and personal, reflecting the owner's personality not only in their words but in the site's visuals. I also agree with Dave Winer's views on blogs, though not the idea of leaving everything completely unedited. If by “unedited” he means honest, uncensored feelings, I'm fine with that. But I do think having an AI or another human proofread your work is usually a good idea.

When I read some of my earlier posts from my youth – about 35 years ago when I was in my mid-twenties – I often think, what did I even mean there? It may make no sense now, and when I see something like that I cringe and immediately do some blog gardening and fix it. I don't want an AI to turn everything into perfect polish, but I do want my writing to make sense. Sometimes I ramble and chase rabbits the way I do in conversation, and that can lose readers' attention. I hate walking away from someone and thinking, what were we even talking about? That was all over the place.

So yes blogs look like they are coming back and that is a good thing in my opinion, and Google if you are listening, Blogger will be 30 years old in a few years. How about doing some updates to it, but keep it conservative and non-AI related and keep the spirit of it alive and just bring it forward into the modern age.

#blogging #opinion

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A digital painting of a person walking down a sunlit path through a vibrant, colorful valley filled with flowers and trees. The trees have large, floating app icons instead of leaves, including icons resembling Twitter and other social media or tech platforms. The scene is bathed in warm, golden light with a dreamy, painterly texture, and butterflies flutter in the sky near the glowing sun.

A lone traveler embarks on a journey through a vibrant valley of blogging platforms, seeking the perfect path to share their voice and stories with the world.

Okay, it has been one year since I joined Micro.blog and Scribbles.page, and just over a year since I joined Write.as. I thought I would review all three services with a clear winner, a hard “can't wait for my subscription to end and won't be renewing,” and a dark horse.

I joined all three within months of each other looking to get rid of my InMotionHosting web host and get away from WordPress. I didn't like the direction that Matt Mullenweg was heading and didn't want to get burned like I did with Elon Musk and Twitter. Twitter was a special place for me as I refused to use any Zuckerberg product, especially since he ruined Instagram.

Now with the history out of the way, here we go.

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⚠️ Warning: Political Rant

Okay, this is one of the few politically related posts I make each year because politics are so divisive. So here’s your warning: if you’d rather not read political commentary, feel free to stop here.

The recent armed action against Iran has me conflicted. I believe it's more of a distraction and a pretext than a genuine strategic necessity. While the issues we face in America come from the neglect of both parties, Trump seems to be using these problems to his advantage. This situation should have been addressed years ago when Iran first began developing its nuclear program. The United States is skilled at acting as a global police force and solving immediate problems but not at handling long-term challenges such as nation building. We have never successfully created a functioning foreign democracy.

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This is your Content Warning: this is going to be a Political Rant

Alt text: "Illustrative poster featuring a stylized muscular arm wielding a gavel labeled 'Article I' and another arm wielding a similar gavel, both extending from the central image of the U.S. Capitol building. The background is divided into two sections, with the left showing a star and a plane flying over a map labeled 'Greenland', and the right depicting a dark throne with a crown, a tank, and pirate ships over a map labeled 'Venezuela'. The overall theme suggests geopolitical themes or influences."

Flexing the power of Article I, this bold graphic underscores the enduring strength and influence of legislative authority across diverse global arenas.

Where is Congress while Trump talks like a king? I am going to let everyone in on a little secret. Congress, the Article I institution, is supposed to be the most powerful branch because it is closest to the people. Article I comes first in the Constitution and is the longest. The Founders had just fought a war against a king and were deeply wary of executive power. Alexander Hamilton called the judiciary the “least dangerous branch” in Federalist 78.

Think about it: the Judicial Branch is unelected and can be constrained by Congress. Both Article II (the President) and Article III (federal judges) can be impeached and removed by Congress. The only way to get rid of a member of Congress is expulsion by their own chamber or being voted out by the people. And “high crimes and misdemeanors”? That's whatever Congress decides it is. Gerald Ford said it best: an impeachable offense is whatever the House considers it to be. Congress holds the power to remove, and that is not an accident.

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Illustration of a person standing in a stylized landscape with mountains, roads, and various technology icons connected by lines, symbolizing a network. The scene includes elements like clouds, sun, and small houses, depicting a blend of nature and digital technology.

A visionary stands at the crossroads of innovation, contemplating the expansive network that may redefine the future of technology.

I have been a loyal Microsoft Windows customer since I've owned a PC and MS-DOS was a thing. I went to the events they had for major OS releases with my Dad. We both went to see the exciting things that happened when they used to stream them at movie theaters. I was there for the launch of Windows 95.

But it is my opinion that Microsoft has totally lost its way with regards to the consumer and Windows.

Yes, this is a rant, and I believe it may be too late for Microsoft and Windows with consumers. I know I am not a very techie person, but I believe that Windows is getting too messy in a lot of areas like advertisements everywhere, sloppy code, updates that seem like beta versions, telemetry, privacy concerns, and just all around not caring.

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⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: NO SPOILERS

Promotional poster for the series "Silo" featuring a large silhouette of a woman's profile filled with various scenes and characters. The silhouette is set against a vibrant yellow and blue background, with the prominent title "SILO" at the bottom. The scenes inside the silhouette depict a group of people in various dramatic poses, suggesting intense narrative elements.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5 stars)

Episodes: 10


Quick Take

After snagging a free month of Apple TV, I managed to binge-watch the second season of Silo. It was excellent. I'm really looking forward to Season 3 and hope they explore more of the backstory.

Best Episodes

The season finale stood out as the best episode. The whole season was truly remarkable. – Episode 10: Into the Fire


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#opinion #tv #streaming

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