IT Insights Blog — Information Technology

There's (apparently) terror on the high seas! And we mean really high. Like, sky-high. Literally. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas sounded the alarm earlier this week during a special hearing of the Subcommittee on Aviation and Space to discuss "The Emerging Space Environment: Operational, Technical, and Policy Challenges." Good for the Senate for continuing to make space exploration a priority. Or, well, that's probably at least a priority for some.

There are things in life that all of us take largely, if not entirely, for granted. When is the last time, for example, that you spared a deep thought for the truly amazing phenomenon of enjoying a few hearty swallows of cold water straight from the tap or drinking fountain? Lots of people sleep comfortably in a bed every night, but how often do most of us take any action that recognizes what an incredible privilege it is to be cozy and secure in our repose?

Sometimes in life things happen just because. That is to say that not every deed or development has a good and compelling rationale behind it, or can be traced back through a series of logical outcomes to a perfectly understandable inciting incident or event. The phrase "out of a clear blue sky" exists to describe an unexpected occurrence because sometimes this or that monumental (or miniscule) outcome is like lightning on a clear day, like a literal "bolt out of the blue."

Probably almost everyone who has ever been to Yellowstone National Park in (mostly) Wyoming knows about the Old Faithful Geyser. Millions of visitors have stood and waited for one of its frequent eruptions to spew boiling water more than 100 feet into the air. Old Faithful blows its stack at regular intervals of between 44 minutes and 2 hours, and has done so for decades. The carefully managed area around the geyser's mouth might be the most visited spot in the entire park.

There was a big scare in the pancake community earlier this year when International House of Pancakes announced that it had decided to officially change its name to International House of Burgers, making a one-consonant transition from IHOP to IHOB. Rarely has a single letter generated so thunderous an outbreak of hysteria and consternation. A month later, the IHOP braintrust was all, "J/K, LOL, U ppl R so fragile and unequipped to deal with our hilarious marketing stunt."