Citizen of Mars

I’ve been doing a lot for the Yuri’s Night executive committee in the last few weeks. I’ve also been working on the local party here in Austin.

I designed the cover art for our freebie CD. That should go into the party pack (or be a late add-on).

The coins came today! I’ll post an image later. They’re pretty cool.

I’ve turned in the latest questionnaire to the guy helping us with nonprofit status. I hope to turn in the paperwork to the IRS within a week… if we’re lucky and we get on the fast track, we might have official nonprofit status by the beginning of May.

I’m meeting with Bob Mahoney tomorrow. Space guy — Google for him.

Turned in an abstract for  ISDC last week. Talked some today with Bart Leahy, who is heading the space outreach track.

And I do have another little project I’ve been making progress on… hope to unveil that in a week or two.

Meanwhile, the work in Second Life has been neglected. Why can’t I be in six places at once?

Here’s what’s been going on lately:

1. I gave a talk on the Lagrange Points at the International Space Museum in Second Life. My last slide, predictably, was a blurb about MarsDrive. The brand-new MarsDrive group in SL has about eight members now, I think.

2. We downloaded more than 40 pages of forms the other day and have pretty much finished filling them out. We need to convince the IRS to give us non-profit status (and soon, we hope).

3. A commemorative coin is in production for the Founders’ Circle members. We will use that to “sweeten the pot” in getting people to join. Once it is in our hands, we will start “phase 2″ of the Founders’ Circle.

4. I’m on the Yuri’s Night executive committee and also planning a local party here in Austin. This year should be bigger and cooler than ever.

5. The “Mars Information Center” in Second Life is coming along slowly but surely. If any of you guys are into SL and want to help build and script (especially script), then let me know.

6. I met with Sam Dinkin today (of [[space-shot.com]]) — he and I are trying to figure out some synergy between us and them.

7. Talked with Bob Mahoney today, a space guy who also happens to live in Austin. He and I will be getting together in a couple of weeks to brainstorm and try to take over the world.

8. Getting ready for ISDC. It’s still 100 days or so off, but that is really not long.

I’ve also got some semi-secret projects underway… when there’s anything worth reporting, I’ll let you all know.

By the way, is anyone actually reading this blog?

But that’s a good thing, isn’t it? It means things are happening, things are getting done.

We’re an inch away from being a corporation. We are (we hope) only a matter of weeks away from nonprofit status (depending on the IRS).

We finished the first phase of the Founders’ Circle and we plan to remind people soon. We’ve designed a medallion that will be used as partial reward for the founders.

We’re working on outlines for two different books, making plans for fundraising and publicity, making plans for ISDC.

We’ve been awarded a parcel of land in Second Life and we plan to use that for a Mars Information Center, to engage the public, to educate and inform them, and to encourage their participation.

I’ve probably forgotten something MarsDrive is working on at the moment. There are other things, minor details like design for stationery and business cards.

Besides that, I am working as community relations director for the Yuri’s Night exec committee.

In my spare time, I eat and sleep. How was your week?

On November 19, it was my pleasure to give a talk at the International Spaceflight Museum in Second Life (http://secondlife.com).

The title was “Mars: Opportunities and Challenges.” There were about 45 in (virtual) attendance, and it was well-received.

Here’s a transcript of the whole thing.

I was in Munich in early November speaking at the European Ruby Conference (http://euruko.org).

Since I knew the Archimedes Balloon project was going on in Munich, I wrote and asked if I could spend an hour or so there. And they were gracious enough to let me do that.

Here’s the Archimedes link if you’re unfamiliar with it. I met with Hannes Griebel and Jens Birkel and saw the lab with the hardware, the mockups, and the test equipment. Very interesting stuff.

Here are a couple of pictures.

This is only a test. I’ve never embedded an image in a post using WordPress before. It *should* be easy.. but then so should calculus and democracy.

Here’s an image. This is the poster I whipped up on the spur of the moment for Troy M to put in the ISM in Second Life:

It will change later. There’s no notecard right now, but clicking on “GO TO WEBSITE” will take you to our site.

Second Life is just too cool.

“I blog, therefore I am.”

But since I haven’t been blogging, does that mean I’ve stopped existing? Oh, no. I’ve just been very busy.

I do plan to update soon with all the stuff I’ve been doing lately. It’s fairly exciting.

The number of non-unique links is now over 270. No end in sight yet. Good thing it’s hierarchical and searchable.

I’m taking a small break from Mars while I go to Germany for a computer conference where I’ll be speaking. See http://euruko.com

However, I’ll still have Mars on my mind… I’ll give away a couple of copies of TCFM.

I’m also hoping I can drop in on the Archimedes Project at the Universitaet Muenchen (Univ of Munich). That remains to be seen… but I did send an email about it.

Don’t remember the Archimedes Project? See http://go-mars.de

I’m also giving a talk in Second Life on Nov 19… did I mention that before?? Tentative title is “Mars: Opportunities and Challenges” (to be given at the ISM in Second Life, 11 am SL time (= Pacific Time).

I hope I can find someone to create a new avatar for me by then. I don’t like the dorky one I made myself.

Wish me luck…

OK, time to blow my own horn a little. If I don’t remind myself that I’m making progress, I’ll get disillusioned.

One thing I’ve done for the movement is to buy eleven (11) cheap used copies of The Case for Mars from Amazon. I gave away three at the Ruby Conference in Denver. I’ve given away some locally, too.

I’ve been working on the legislative outreach project. I have a couple of people helping out a little.

I located a person who seems credibly able to do our 501(c)3 paperwork cheaply and reliably. I also located another site that may help us with membership records, newsletters, and other such details.

I’ve established contact with the Yuri’s Night people. I’m working with them to whatever extent I can.

I’ve made contact with the people in Second Life who created the International Spaceflight Museum (which is a treat for the eyes and the brain). They put me in touch with a NASA guy who is very interested in promoting space via SL.

I’ve added over 150 links to the links page on the site. There are plenty more to go, but this is a good start. (Anyone want to help??)

I’ve contacted artist/photographer David Palermo and obtained permission to use a Mars panorama of his on our site. (Looks like he may supply more than one for us.)

That’s all I can think of for now. That and my real job keep me busy.

What have you done for Mars lately?

Yes, a title like that is presumptuous. No one has yet been to Mars, and it has no government.

Yet in a larger sense, citizenship is about allegiance. And Mars as a place, as a goal, as a frontier, certainly has my allegiance.

I don’t expect ever to make it to Mars myself. But I will help enable the conquering of the frontier. The real barriers are not financial or technological; they are political and psychological.

This is not science fiction. It is reality. Let’s make it happen.