My Daily Smile

Life is short - begin every day with a smile!

Remembering Katherine Johnson: The ‘computer who wore a skirt’

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Some of the most crucial (and most difficult) computations in the field of space travel are used to determine the trajectories and orbits of rockets and various types of space vehicles.

One simple mistake can cause a spacecraft to miss a planned rendezvous with another vehicle or even miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit and explore a comet or some other heavenly body that’s hurtling through space.

And in some situations a mistake in these calculations can even cost the crew members their lives.

Back when space pioneers like Alan Shepard and John Glenn were gearing up for their historic flights, they depended on an amazing lady named Katherine Johnson to calculate the trajectories and orbits of their crafts – and she made those calculations by hand!

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Greatly reduce your risk of being in an auto accident by doing this

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Have you ever driven past an auto accident and wondered if the people involved were seriously injured, perhaps even fatally?

If so, chances are seeing that “wreck” prompted you to start driving a little slower than usual (at least for a while) due to the fear of being caught up in a crash yourself.

Well here’s something to consider…

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The power of the first step

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“Take the first step, and your mind will mobilize all its forces to your aid. But the first essential is that you begin. Once the battle is started, all that is within and without you will come to your assistance.“
     -–Robert Collier

I have a question for you: Are you a dreamer?

I mean are you someone who sits at times and thinks about what you’d love to accomplish in life?  [Read more…]

Video: Watch this amazing world record Wingsuit flight

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Wingsuit flying is a variation of skydiving in which the divers uses specially constructed suits that essentially convert the human body into its own parachute.

Although a standard parachute is typically used for the final decent back to Earth, most of the flight is experienced using nothing but the wingsuit.

This video shows a pair of apparently fearless wingsuiters gliding from above the very peak of France’s Mont Blanc virtually all the way to the floor of the valley below, closely (and dangerously) skirting the side of the mountain as they descend [Read more…]

Why I never put much trust in a first impression

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Living (and loving) Life

“I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed this, but first impressions are often entirely wrong.“
     -–Daniel Handler

It’s human nature to form an opinion about someone we meet for the first time based solely upon our first impression of that person.

Whether it’s the way they look, the way they dress or speak, or perhaps the type of vehicle they drive, it’s so incredibly easy to form an impression about someone’s character, their educational background or their financial status. [Read more…]