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Filk of: Down Under by Men At Work.
Subject: British space programme, launch of Prospero X-3 on Black Arrow R3.
Even though the plan's a zombie Already cancelled by Sir Humphrey I met an engineer, he had a hammer He used it for adjusting Gamma And he said We're gonna launch from a land down under Will we make orbit I wonder Fire in the sky and thunder To wake a na-tion from slumber. On the pad at the Woomera Test Range We had spent the last of our loose bus change I said, "What have we forgotten?" And he just smiled, as he pressed the big red button. And he said Lift-off from the land down under Will Black Arrow work I wonder Fire in the sky and thunder To wake a na-tion from slumber. Lyin' in the bunker complex Message come in on the Telex I said to the man "Is it official? Did Fairbanks receive the signal?" And he said Orbit made from the land down under (Oh yeah yeah) Cancellation was a blunder Though we split the sky with thunder Now we quench our fire and slumber Rockets in a land down under Hydrogen peroxide wonder Since the fire and the thunder For half a century or more we slumber Rockets in a land down under Hydrogen peroxide wonder Since the fire and the thunder For half a century or more we slumber Rockets in a land down under Hydrogen peroxide wonder Since the fire and the thunder For half a century or more we slumber
Filk of: It's a Sin by the Pet Shop Boys.
Subject: TCP segment flags.
When I look at the wireshark at first it leaves me in the dark what's this connection from the SPARC? Every machine I'm talking to on any port or host or route has one thing in common too It's a, it's a, it's a, it's a SYN It's a SYN Every stream I've ever run Every host I dial to Every port I've ever seen The first thing I see going through It's a SYN Establishing the TCP no ACK or FIN or RST they wouldn't quite succeed On every port I'm open to no matter when or where or who has one initial flag that's true It's a, it's a, it's a, it's a SYN It's a SYN Every stream I've ever run Every host I dial to Every port I've ever seen The first thing I see going through It's a SYN Calling connect() on IPs that route to it Found a VXLAN tunneled right through it Wherever you sought me I didn't listen() Packets you brought me but I didn't care and I sent them to /dev/null So I look at the packet trace the chains of ACKs and SACKs I chase until I reach their starting place For every app I'm talking to on any port or host or route has one thing in common too It's a, it's a, it's a, it's a SYN It's a SYN Every stream I've ever run Every host I dial to Every port I've ever seen The first thing I see going through It's a SYN
Filk of: Barrett's Privateers by Stan Rogers.
Subject: transorbital space tugs.
Acknowledgements: the first verse was written by @DaveHinerman; I took the idea and ran with it.
Oh the year was twenty seventy-eight -- How I wish I was in atmosphere! An order come up from Space Control to the leakiest tug in orbit, oh... So sing we all: I supply the delta-vee to deliver your sat to apogee. Low or high; I've got a choking flow of hydrogen fuel, the mass for Newton's reaction rule. Oh, Ell-One Station's comms are down -- How I wish I was in atmosphere! It's TCAS 'til they're back online You squawk your ident and I'll squawk mine. So sing we all: I supply the delta-vee... I can't deny a quickening pulse -- How I wish I was in atmosphere! When the board turns red with an oxygen leak and I can't resupply for at least a week. So sing we all: I supply the delta-vee... Transfer out from the venting tank -- How I wish I was in atmosphere! As the gauges drop behind the glass Pumping like madmen to save the gas. So sing we all: I supply the delta-vee... Oh the solar array's a shortin' out -- How I wish I was in atmosphere! And a bloody great flare is on the way So I can't stay long on EVA. So sing we all: I supply the delta-vee... The payload's shifting in me hold -- How I wish I was in atmosphere! There's a gorram sat come loose in there And it's more'n my RCS can bear. So sing we all: I supply the delta-vee... Then at length we cast the sats away -- How I wish I was in atmosphere! Our job's been done, now homeward go But the remass levels are mighty low. So sing we all: Running short on delta-vee to propulsively brake at perigee. Low or high; I've gotta save the last of my hydrogen fuel, the mass for Newton's reaction rule. There's but one thing left I can do -- Gonna have to use the atmosphere! So pucker up for an aerobrake My rusty hull weren't built to take. So sing we all: I supply the delta-vee... Now some folks pray when danger's near -- I can feel the drag from atmosphere! But you'd better hope you're a pilot ace 'cos your God can't help you when you're up in space. So sing we all: I supply the delta-vee...