Was looking at the Space Shuttle launch last night and wondered at many things. Not the least of which is what we might take for granted or don't even bother to wonder about anymore.



"What you've seen tonight is the successful accomplishment of the most challenging, demanding, technically state-of-the-art, difficult thing that this nation or any nation can do," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said.

I found this picture from just 103 years ago:



This one from 501 years ago:

Only 40 years ago, to talk to relatives who lived less than fifty miles away in country Victoria, my parents had to make operator-connected phone calls.
I was thinking about that last year when I picked up the phone, dialed a few numbers, and got straight through to a shop assistant in New York.
Things sure have changed.
On the other hand, fart jokes never go out of style.