Tuesday update

I discovered a really neat app last night. About 8 PM I was walking down Peabody Place and looked up into the night sky. I saw the moon and two planets. You can always tell which ones are planets because they appear in a uniform arc (the moon also in the arc) and they don’t twinkle. One seemed to have a red hue and I guessed it was Mars, although it was so bright I couldn’t rule Venus out. Another planet, close to the moon in the sky, I was less sure about, but I guessed Jupiter.

As I kept walking, I wondered if there was an app for that. There’s an app for everything these days. Back when I was in college, my astronomy professor showed me a program on my Macintosh SE that let me identify stars, planets, and constellations. I had to learn to count degrees in the sky, but if I could do that, the program did the rest of the work. I figured, surely there’s something equivalent for a smartphone these days.

Sure enough, there was. I found an app called Planet Finder, where all I had to do was point my phone’s camera at the planets. Here’s what I got:

Pretty neat. At least I got Mars right. And the moon. Later in the evening when I was at the Blind Bear, I wondered if the camera actually had to be on the moon and planets, or if it was all based on position. Without going outside, I pulled up the app again.

Planet Finder is not the only good astronomy app out there. I was talking to my friend Stacey last night and she found an app that will show you the positions of the constellations.

The Triple-A National Championship Game is tonight at 6:05 on NBC Sports Network, and the Redbirds are throwing a watch party at the Downtown Aldo’s Pizza Pies. Starting at 3:00, Aldo’s will have $3 draft beers and $2 domestic bottles, and the Redbirds will have giveaways all night long.

So, last week I incorrectly reported a piece of news. I heard from a former employee of Purple Haze that the guy in charge said “I can’t do this anymore” after two of his employees were injured in a fight/shooting there, and shut the place down. No, actually Haze shut down because their liquor license got suspended.

The Silly Goose has had so much success with their Sunday pop-up brunches with Wok’n in Memphis that they’re teaming up with Wok’n for a pop-up dinner this coming Sunday at 5. Here’s the menu:

Jalapeño Poppers
-Crab Rangoon Style

Chili Noodles
-Fried Garlic and Green Onion

Fried Rice
-Egg, Peas, Carrots
~Add meat for an extra charge

BLT Sandwich
-BOLOGNA, Lettuce, Tomato-Ginger Jam

Chicken & Waffles
-Ginger-Scallion Ranch

The Daily Memphian has an article about new construction in Founders Pointe. The new homes being built there will likely be the last ones in Downtown Memphis to offer a river view.

Memphis River Parks Partnership is presenting So Long, Summer with Spincult at Tom Lee Park on Saturday, September 29 at 10 AM. Instructors from The Edge’s new cycling studio will take you through a spinning class with a view of the mighty Mississippi.

The Flyer’s Hungry Memphis blogger tweeted news about LYFE Kitchen:

No operation on the weekend? That’s just downright weird. I’ve heard some things about that place which I have been asked not to blog, and this announcement is sort of consistent with what I have heard.

Tug’s is hosting an Oktoberfest celebration October 1-6. They’ll have German beer along with traditional dishes like beer cheese soup, bratwurst, strudel and schnitzel. Also, if you’re into Oktoberfest, don’t forget that Wiseacre will have a celebration September 29.

Yesterday, the History of Wrestling Twitter account tweeted a video of the ending of a match I have heard about all my life, but never seen. I thought I would share it for the benefit of my readers who are also wrestling fans.

I don’t know if I have any vegetarians who read this blog, but in case I do, here’s some news from Bluff City Coffee:

That’ll do it for today. Back tomorrow with more.