On The Fly

In this episode. The Best Telescope By Patrick Ball Your telescope comes home in a box full of cheer, with galaxies promised and wonders quite near. The pictures shout WOW! The words say you’ll see. The whole universe—easy!—Just wait, you’ll agree. You open the box. Oh my, what a sight! There are tubes, knobs, and manuals . . . wait, that’s not right. It looks like it’s English, but maybe it’s not? So you build it–eventually–with the patience you've got. Then nighttime arrives. And suddenly— Yawn — You’re tired. You’re sleepy. You’re ready for dawn. The rig is too heavy. It’s bulky and grand. It’s cold to the touch, and it’s tricky to stand. It needs an alignment! It needs a new cord! The batteries died (and your brain is just bored). There’s an app that needs updating—right now, of course— While the telescope sulks like a stubborn ole’ horse. The couch calls your name with its soft, cozy light, so the telescope waits… just one more night. Then next week. Then someday. It slips out...

In this episode. 2026—The Year of the Great Un-Working Welcome to On the Fly . If you’re new here, this is a place for noticing—the small, easily missed moments that quietly turn out to matter. It’s part reflection, part curiosity, and occasionally part grease-stained bicycle rag. If you’re searching for life hacks, hustle culture, or a seven-step plan to optimize your morning coffee, you may have taxied onto the wrong runway. But if you’ve ever felt the itch to slow down and look around—welcome aboard. We begin 2026 by analyzing the blog post below. Traditional resolutions are often just "re-work"—tasks we assign ourselves to become more efficient cogs. In the 2026 era of Un-Working, a resolution isn't a goal; it’s an unlearning. Join Jim & Chloe, our AI analysis team, with the help of NotebookLM, as they unpack, explore, and expand on this blog post. Happy 2026! If you’re like us, you spent the last week of 2025 doing three things remarkably well:  Avoiding unfinish...

In this episode, Oh, the Sights You'll See! When the Clouds Flee! Oh, the May Gray and June Gloom, what a plight! For sky-watchers longing for stars in the night! Your telescopes sighing, all dusty and sad, "Oh, where are the heavens? This weather is bad!" The California coast, with its marine layer so thick, Plays hide-and-seek games, a mischievous trick! But good news is coming, as summer draws near, A cosmic grand show, to banish all fear! That misty old blanket, it loves to entwine, Our sunny, bright days, with a cool, foggy shine. But nature, you see, has a plan, it is true, Building anticipation for me and for you! For lo and behold, as the days stretch so long, And summer air warms, where the clouds don't belong, The core of the Galaxy, vibrant and grand, Will soon grace our skies, all across the whole land! With billions of stars, and with nebulae bright, And dark dusty lanes, a magnificent sight! From Carlsbad and Vista, when twilight fades, The Milky Way...

Beyond June Gloom: The Milky Way Awaits! ✨🌌 Has the seemingly endless marine layer got your telescope feeling neglected? For us sky-watchers on the beautiful California coast, May Gray and June Gloom have played a persistent game of hide-and-seek with our celestial views. But there's good news tonight: as summer officially arrives, a stunning cosmic spectacle is about to reveal itself, and you absolutely won't want to miss it! We know the drill: that persistent marine layer turning our sunny days into cool, misty ones. It's a hallmark of our coastal climate, and while it's kept our telescopes under wraps, consider it nature’s way of building epic anticipation for the celestial show that’s about to unfold The Return of the Galactic Core! (Photo courtesy of Gemini) As the days grow longer and the summer air warms, those stubborn clouds will begin to dissipate, revealing a breathtaking sight: the core of our very own Milky Way galaxy! That's right, the vibrant heart...

In this episode, Rediscovering Galileo . . . Today, we’re turning our telescopes back in time to explore Galileo Galilei's work and how amateur astronomers today can experience his groundbreaking discoveries for themselves. If you listened to last week's podcast, Planetary Pursuit , you might have heard me say that Jupiter is “my favorite planet." Here’s why– Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, published in 1632, challenged the geocentric model of the universe—the belief that everything orbits around Earth. Instead, he advocated for the Copernican model, which places the Sun at the center of our solar system. This book was not just a scientific treatise but also a revolutionary act that put Galileo in conflict with the Catholic Church. Galileo presented his arguments as a dialogue between three characters: Salviati, who supported the heliocentric model; Simplicio, who defended the traditional geocentric view ; and Sagredo, an open-minded observer....