Bernhard Lederer 3 Times Certified Observatory Chronometer is beautiful.
After a hiatus of more than a decade, I'm back on the Iain M Banks train. Currently two-thirds of the way through Matter. This is on the back of The Hydrogen Sonata a few months ago. After this, I'll probably get onto Dr No by Percival Everett. I've well and truly become a fan of his work over the past 12 months.
Sounds ominous and I’m sorry to hear it. Do you have people around you whom you can lean on?
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on what "sabotaged definitively into the realm of the unknowable" might look like. I assume there are bipartisan observers and scrutineers at all ballot counting locations. "sabotaged definitively into the realm of the unknowable" is the sort of claim I'd expect the Republicans to make in the event of it becoming apparent that they've lost.
7.5 years later, this post of forwardslash deserves a revisit.
Last day of work before I take another week off to go houseboating on the Murray. Four days of perfect silence, except for flowing water, currawongs, and persistent deafening tinnitus in my left ear.
Weddings are stressful. Amazing, wonderful experiences, but stressful. Even if you successfully hold it together, chances are somebody in your immediate family will use the opportunity to go off the rails. It's one of those things. Good luck, cobber, and congratulations.
Yeah, I assume Gwynne Shotwell actually does a lot of the driving behind SpaceX. That's interesting about the grid fins - I didn't realise they were a Soviet innovation. Timely conversation in view of the Polaris Dawn mission underway, incidentally.
Absence of a magnetosphere entails gradual erosion of atmosphere. You can still have one provided you're topping it up intermittently. So absence of a magnetosphere is not much of a challenge if you have a liveable atmosphere on Mars. But that's the actual challenge, right? Barring ancient reactors buried at the poles, it would take an unfathomable, multi-generational effort to produce a liveable atmosphere on Mars, be it by speed-braking comets in the upper atmosphere or nuking the polar ice. The first step, presumably, is to set up a base on Mars and find a way to make enough money out of it (some kind of Mars-tech or billionaire eco-tourism or the ultimate season of Alone) that it could continue to persist. The first half of that sentence seems doable. The second part seems harder to sell (and is the plot of Thin Air). I think that's the vision Musk has. Or maybe had. This isn't even touching on the legalities and ethics of interfering with the unseen biosphere that may already be there. The colonise Mars thing has certainly pushed the Overton window to set the stage for other stuff much closer to Earth. A space hotel / research lab catering to the superrich seems pretty feasible in the next couple of decades. A permanent (at least for a decade or two) presence on the moon now seems like a strategic priority for both China and the US. Neither of those really seemed plausible 20 years ago. I think SpaceX changed a lot of that. Anyway, I know you already know all of that. It's a pity to see what's happening to Musk.
I am tired of being deaf.
Man, I loved Empty World. Read it so many times. I grew up in the bush, with no neighbours, without electricity. Never travelling anywhere except the closest country towns. But every time I read Empty World it was as though I was travelling overseas. The way John Christopher described London I felt I knew it better than Melbourne. He also had a knack for writing protagonists who had a strong streak of bastardry in them. It was refreshing to read as a kid.
"Shrubsole estimates that “the aristocracy and gentry still own around 30% of England”. This may even be an underestimate, as the owners of 17% of England and Wales remain undeclared at the Land Registry. The most likely owners of this undeclared land are aristocrats, as many of their estates have remained in their families for centuries." Source Edit: Another interesting take here. "On average, Britain’s 600 or so aristocratic families are now as wealthy as their Victorian forebears at the height of Britain’s imperial expansion."
A Memory Called Empire is a great fucking book. I'd held off A Desolation Called Peace because the reviews I saw seemed to be more restrained. It's good to hear you liked it. Have you tried the Broken Earth Series (starting with Fifth Season)? Check out Ancillary Justice, as well.
Ah, the Tripods Trilogy. Such sweet memories. Did you ever read The Death of Grass by the same author?
My eardrum exploded with the light of a thousand suns. I'm now deaf as a stump on one side. As far as novel experiences go, I can't recommend it.
God in heaven, these are absurd. I love them. Favourites: - IWC Schaffhausen, Portugieser Eternal Calendar - MB&F, HM11 Architect - wtf is this, even? - Angelus, Instrument de Vitesse - actually just a really nice-looking watch
Yeah, sorry Foveaux. I hadn't realised just how much they don't welcome photographs until I arrived. Many of the locations are sites of cultural practice and a guide on one of the tours made it clear that it would not be respectful to take photographs. In the end it just became easier to leave the phone in my pocket. I felt like I got more of the experience by doing so, as well. Kata Tjuta in particular was transcendent.
Nearly a week since we flew back from Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Words cannot describe those two locations. It felt like I was on another planet. The Anangu people are not big on people taking photos of sacred spots, so I don't have any to share. Came down with the flu on my first day back at work. I've been watching the DNC from my couch instead. Books read: - Caledonian Road by Andrew O'Hagan. Excellent novel that captures London right now. - The Mercy of Gods by James S A Corey. Yes, the duo have a new sci fi trilogy. I loved it.
Cheers, Foveaux. I'll take lots of pictures and post some here.
Two days of work remain before I take two weeks off to visit the Whitsundays, followed by Uluru. The partner and I need a break.
Peter Schilling - Major Tom Coming Home
Thawing out and bringing new life to this 11 year old post because I just read Ghost Species by James Bradley, a surprisingly affecting novel about what happens when a billionaire-sponsored team of scientists create a Neanderthal girl in 21st Century when the world is on the edge of a climate crisis. Worth a read.
How did it go?
Congratulations on what sounds like an extraordinarily fortunate purchase, but also only fortunate because you had the expertise to recognise the value. What decade are we talking? You still around the north west?
I'm in Amsterdam. The weather is beautiful, the scenery magnificent and the beer excellent. I'd forgotten how good Iain M Banks' Culture novels are.
Would you recommend it? Lately I've gotten into the habit of alternating between "quality literature" (most recently, Percival Everett's James) and scifi (finished Banks' Hydrogen Sonata this morning). I'm due for something literary again. Awesome to hear from you btw. Hope you're keeping well.
I had never heard that about Borges before. Thanks for sharing.
That was an interesting read. Thanks for sharing @b_b.