Gordon Lightfoot Forums - View Single Post - Gord's lyrics that mention (or for) children

geodeticman.5 · 07-31-2008, 06:44 AM

JJ - I caught the humour on Same Old Loverman , but by the book, it DID meet the criteria cause he sings "while the KIDS are at school" er something as you said. That was a fair entry - but funny. I watched in you tube today the Stonewall team vistory of Same Old Loverman, and there he was - Elvis.

My otherwise quite reserved and ne'er a foul word spoken in the house parents even called Elvis: - "Pelvis" ,for his lower back and hips gyration thing he did, LOL...... said they could not take him seriously while rotating his pelvis. My father said if Elvis were observed by aliens, (historical note: as NASA Brass, he NEVER otherwise spoke the word ALIEN, as no doubt there were stories to tell, but all deeply classified.....lol) he said the aliens would probably think Elvis to be doing an innate male strutting display of plummage, and a geneticcally-driven "mating dance", much like Roosters strutting on barn roofs back and forth.

-more- off-thread Elvis miscellany:

Dad also mentioned in further rare form, that early experimental guidance mechanisms in rockets were based on inertia and conservation of momentum, even as primitive at first as a chicken bobbing its head up and down to eat corn or grain in the nosecone, thus providing a primitive and not-too effective mechanism for inertial stabilization. This was scrapped rather quickly.

Then, the more ingenious 2nd generation stabilization guidance mechanisms of spinning gyro-gimbals, spinning on 3 axes, of heavy metal, thus creating the same effect some of may have done as a child when removing the wheel from your bike, and spinning it while holding the hub. If you ever did that, as Dad showed me, it is VERY hard to move or "turn" the wheel off-axis, or its position maintained while spun- hence the conservation of momentum, inertial functions, and how the gyro-gymbals worked.

Well, Dad then explained that, somewhere in between bobbing chickens and gyro-gimbals technology, it was thought if Elvis were to be placed in the nose-cone, sing a song where he really got those hips gyrating, with specific instructions to maintain a uniform pelvis gyration on three axes, in a constant fashion, he would thereby keep the launch vehicle from straying off course.

This idea was not implemented, but by virtue of Federal eminant domain, Elvis' hips could have been commandeered in the national interest. Fortunately, NASA was able to place a man on the moon in time for compliance with JFK's patriotic edict by the end of the decade in the 60's. Without Elvis' Pelvis.
-----end off-thread blabbery blabberty

ON-THREAD ENTRY:
*Make Way for the Lady "you can do it my son"

07-31-2008, 06:44 AM	#27
geodeticman.5 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Eastern Slope urban corridor, Colo. USA Posts: 1,007	Re: Gord's lyrics that mention (or for) children JJ - I caught the humour on Same Old Loverman , but by the book, it DID meet the criteria cause he sings "while the KIDS are at school" er something as you said. That was a fair entry - but funny. I watched in you tube today the Stonewall team vistory of Same Old Loverman, and there he was - Elvis. My otherwise quite reserved and ne'er a foul word spoken in the house parents even called Elvis: - "Pelvis" ,for his lower back and hips gyration thing he did, LOL...... said they could not take him seriously while rotating his pelvis. My father said if Elvis were observed by aliens, (historical note: as NASA Brass, he NEVER otherwise spoke the word ALIEN, as no doubt there were stories to tell, but all deeply classified.....lol) he said the aliens would probably think Elvis to be doing an innate male strutting display of plummage, and a geneticcally-driven "mating dance", much like Roosters strutting on barn roofs back and forth. -more- off-thread Elvis miscellany: Dad also mentioned in further rare form, that early experimental guidance mechanisms in rockets were based on inertia and conservation of momentum, even as primitive at first as a chicken bobbing its head up and down to eat corn or grain in the nosecone, thus providing a primitive and not-too effective mechanism for inertial stabilization. This was scrapped rather quickly. Then, the more ingenious 2nd generation stabilization guidance mechanisms of spinning gyro-gimbals, spinning on 3 axes, of heavy metal, thus creating the same effect some of may have done as a child when removing the wheel from your bike, and spinning it while holding the hub. If you ever did that, as Dad showed me, it is VERY hard to move or "turn" the wheel off-axis, or its position maintained while spun- hence the conservation of momentum, inertial functions, and how the gyro-gymbals worked. Well, Dad then explained that, somewhere in between bobbing chickens and gyro-gimbals technology, it was thought if Elvis were to be placed in the nose-cone, sing a song where he really got those hips gyrating, with specific instructions to maintain a uniform pelvis gyration on three axes, in a constant fashion, he would thereby keep the launch vehicle from straying off course. This idea was not implemented, but by virtue of Federal eminant domain, Elvis' hips could have been commandeered in the national interest. Fortunately, NASA was able to place a man on the moon in time for compliance with JFK's patriotic edict by the end of the decade in the 60's. Without Elvis' Pelvis. -----end off-thread blabbery blabberty ON-THREAD ENTRY: *Make Way for the Lady "you can do it my son"