“You’re suggesting we need a paradigm shift in how science interacts with society.” “Yes I am.” Kim Stanley Robinson has been around for a while, and is probably best known for his Mars trilogy. A lot of his science fiction reflects his own political agenda—strongly environmentalist and anti-capitalist, with a conviction that responsibly applied science … Continue reading Kim Stanley Robinson: Green Earth
A little blink of sunshine on the Côte d’Azur was much enhanced by the knowledge that, in our absence, Scotland was enduring overcast skies and single-digit temperatures. I was reminded of Iris Murdoch‘s line (nodding to La Rochefoucauld): Some clever writer (probably a Frenchman) has said: It is not enough to succeed; others must fail. … Continue reading Côte d’Azur (April 2016)
Not to be confused with fairy rings, which are circles of mushrooms and other fungi. These fairy circles were photographed in Namibia, and they’re a feature of the semi-arid margin of the Namib Desert. They form on sandy soil in regions where the annual rainfall is between 50 and 150 mm. They have a bare … Continue reading Fairy Circles
ləˈɡɒməkɪ Logomachy: An argument about words Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word.* I do not think it means what you think it means. William Goldman, The Princess Bride Once people start to argue about the words they’ve been using in their argument, they’re having a logomachy. Nothing much useful happens after that, unless they’re … Continue reading Logomachy
Go to first post of this build log Well, if you’ve been fretting about what was happening with this kit, I can only assure you that I haven’t been frittering away my time. Not been having a lot of fun, either. You’ll maybe recall that I planned to use my own printed decals to put … Continue reading Airfix 1/72 Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King: Part 5
The dangers this year were pretty much the same as the last attempt. Landmines were still in the ground, the area was still off limits, there was a possibility of being robbed by bandits, a slight possibility of being taken hostage by rebels and an even slighter possibility of meeting a Libyan military patrol while … Continue reading Ginge Fullen: Finding Bikku Bitti
Have you ever seen the sun set at the seaside? Yes? And did you follow it until the top edge of the sun’s disc just touched the horizon and then started to disappear? Probably. But did you observe the phenomenon that occurs at the instant of the last ray of light when the sky is … Continue reading Green Flash
The Boon Companion’s photographs have been gracing this blog from its inception—she’s responsible for all the banner images, as well as most of the photographic content of the posts. Recently, her pictures have started to pop up in the background during BBC weather forecasts, too. Well, I was dimly aware of her departure at some … Continue reading Clatto Swan
ænˈtɪliːz Antilles: an extensive archipelago of Caribbean islands, making up most of the West Indies Still on a Caribbean kick, you’ll see. I confess I’m embarrassed that I’d spent a week in the Antilles before I thought: 1) Where does that word come from? 2) Does it have a singular? Its origins are to some … Continue reading Antilles
Most people know why the sun looks orange-yellow when it’s rising or setting. Air preferentially scatters shorter (bluer) wavelengths of light—so the more air there is between your eye and the sun, the more short wavelengths are scattered out of the line of sight, leaving yellow/orange/red as the predominant colours reaching your eye. There’s about … Continue reading Shape Of The Low Sun