Happy New Year!

...and best wishes for a great 2018. When the Branson Corridor re-opened at the beginning of 2017, it seemed to me as if 2017 would be the year to end all years (not literally, one hoped), but first, of course, the nitrogen leaks in early February took the BC offline, and second, consider what's coming this year! Network-wide rigidware upgrades (finally), and these won't be just any upgrades. Once all stations across the TAI are "on the same plate" (specifically with regard to sideband commersification), we can expect a good 25-30% interput increase across the TAI (and also faster connectivity to it from the TSI). So, Bancrofting still won't be the way to watch the 240fps video expected to be online by June or so from FFG, Pisces/Humidor, and others, but then again, you wouldn't be Bancrofting that stuff anyway, would you.

What I'm more excited about, though, are the new ISMs that Primero will be putting into GEO starting in March. They'll be placed such that for the first time, we common civilians will be able to add (reliable) D-5-D to our "toolkit." I don't think it's possible to overestimate how much this will change things for the better when it comes to both nightskying and DT operations. Also not sure that even some seasoned Bancroft veterans fully grasp the power of D-5-D (and its cousins D-5-E and E-5-D; E-5-E coming in 2019, btw, although let's not count our chickens).

All of which is to say: 2018 is gonna be insane! See you up there.