Singing Satellites' praise: 50 years after Sputnik

Tomorrow will mark the 50th anniversary of the dawning of the Space Age as on October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, into Earth's orbit. Despite the initial fears the event struck in the heart of 1950s America, made goofy with images of death rays from B-movies, the moment proved pivotal in the development of modern technologies that we often take for granted.

Spurred by the achievement of its Cold War rival, the U.S. poured money and resources into space exploration, which in turn kick started the nation's appetite for math and science. As we filled the sky with these metallic wonders, it became easier to communicate with each other across the globe, and the planet grew a little smaller. We also gained a clearer view out into the universe, and some perspective as to our place in it.

Live international news feeds, cell phones, GPS, the Internet, Google Earth ... the list of modern marvels that flowed from that singular human accomplishment is constantly growing. Unfortunately the technology has become so commonplace, many of us have lost sight of the science behind it, choosing instead to while away our hours focusing on the images of globe-trotting celebrities the satellites beam into our homes.

We glassy eyed Americans could use another great space race to give a boost to our flabby imaginations, and one may just be in the offing. India, Japan, and China are all interested in leaving their footprints on the moon (see Japan, China join India in race for lunar exploration), and that might ruffle our nationalistic feathers a bit. Until that battle is re-joined, I'll take this moment to join Lou Reed in sending a little love back in time to Sputnik — it may have looked a little funny, but it was the first to put that glimmer of excitement in our eye.

Satellite of Love
by Velvet Underground

In this world as we know it
Sorrows come and go
Now we see the human race
Has put its footprints on the moon's face

Satellite's gone up to the sky
But it's not as nice as looking in your eyes

Woh, take it for a little while
No, I could watch it on TV, yeah

Satellite of love, oh, satellite of love
Satellite of love, satellite of

Satellite's gone up to the sky
And it's going to drive me out of my mind

Woh, take it for a little while
No, I can watch it on TV, yeah

Satellite of love, satellite of love
Satellite of love, satellite of

I've been told, baby, you've been bold
To winkin', blinkin' and nod
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
To winkin', blinkin' and nod

Satellite of love, satellite of love
Satellite of love, satellite of

Satellite of love
Satellite of love, it's just a little bit of
A satellite of love

Feting Sartre's coming into Being from Nothingness

On June 21, 1905, French Existentialist Jean Paul Sartre made his appearance on the world's stage. In many ways he was a man after my own heart with a penchant for cafés, politics, philosophy, and literature.

In college, I studied both Sartre's philosophical and literary texts, and his existentialist view of the world has always appealed to me; jiving well with my inclination toward punk music. Existentialism includes a pretty rigid morality that emphasizes free will and judges everyone by their actions and choices. It also tries to explain the sense of alienation and anxiety that is a large part of the modern human condition.

Sartre wrote several plays and novels to help illustrate his philosophical points, including: The Flies, Dirty Hands, and No Exit. The last is probably his most famous, dealing with a twisted love triangle in the after-life where the only hell-like torture proves to be the thoughts and judgements of other people.

The most complete explanation of his philosophy exists in the work Being and Nothingness, and it's in that tome that Sartre lays out the terms of his arguments. In my own limited vocabulary, the basic concept is the impossibility of fully knowing ourselves and others, and the frustration that limitation causes. While we may comfort ourselves with the deception that we can guess the thoughts and motivations of others — often reducing them to simplistic categories that make sense to us — deep down we know that we can never truly grasp the complexity of human consciousness. So it is that we'll always end up tortured by our own doubts.

As proof of that mental complexity, my mind made the leap from Sartre to a favorite little ditty by the Velvet Undeground that also deals with self-knowledge. It's a happy little tune, and much more fun to get through than a long philosophical text.

I'll Be Your Mirror
by Lou Reed

I'll be your mirror
Reflect what you are, in case you don't know
Ill be the wind, the rain and the sun
The light on your door to show that youre home

When you think the night has seen your mind
That inside you're twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind
Please put down your hands
'Cause I see you, I do

I find it hard to believe you don't know
The beauty you are
But if you dont let me be your eyes
A hand in your darkness, so you won't be afraid

When you think the night has seen your mind
That inside you're twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind
Please put down your hands
'Cause I see you, I do

I'll be your mirror

Favorite Song of the Day (3.12.07)

Sad Song by Velvet Underground

livin' on borrowed time
I'm in love with Mary Queen of Scots
fourteen hundred ninety three
and everything's like it should be
i'm gonna stop wasting my time
Henry the Fifth would have broken my heart

sad song sad song
dooo oooh
sad song, sad song

livin' on borrowed time
I'm in love with Mary Queen of Scots
fourteen hundred ninety three
and things just like they ought to be

primrose and kilts
primrose and Spain
forget me not
my Queen of Scots

sad song, sad song
dooo oooh
sad song, sad song