Older news/blog items.

 

  At last, the Big Day has arrived. Te Papa museum's Collosal Squid, whose story we've followed here, is now on public display.
The story of how the squid was caught, examined and preserved, and finally put on public display has fascinated thousands of people around the world (myself included), and the staff at Te Papa deserve all our thanks for allowing us to be witness to this endeavour.
If any of my readers live in New Zealand, you're the lucky ones, able to visit in person. For everyone else, here are a couple of links forwarded by Emma at Te Papa who has done a brilliant job keeping us squid geeks up to date.

A video of the TVNZ breakfast show piece on the exhibition and The Collosal Squid website. And also well worth a visit is the Te Papa Blog where you'll find the whole squid story as well as insight into the museum's other work.

13/12/2008

Happy birthday, Mouse

The humble computer mouse celebrates its 40th anniversary today. [BBC] On 9 December 1968 hi-tech visionary Douglas Engelbart first used one to demonstrate novel ways of working with computers. The first mouse that Dr Engelbart used in the demo at the Fall Joint Computer Conference (FJCC) was made of wood and had one button. Much of the technology shown off in the demo inspired the creation of the hardware and software now widely used.
The mouse, which was built by Bill English, helped Dr Engelbart demonstrate how text files could be clipped, copied and pasted as well as showing ways of using computer networks to collaborate on projects or co-edit documents.
A day of celebration is planned in California to mark the 40th anniversary, with many of the researchers behind the original demo reunited to mark the event.

09/12/2008

LHC update

It seems that the repairs to the Large Hadron Collider (see below and 'previous blogs') are going to take a little longer than expected. Officially a date in late 2009/early 2010 hs been mooted, but an un-named insider today stated that the first collision has been pencilled in for December 12th, 2012.
Details of the original problem can be found in this CERN press release.

27/11/2008

Babylon 5, 10 years on

One for the Sci-Fi fans out there. Today is the 10th anniversary of the broadcast of the final episode of this iconic series.

From Wikipedia: Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on the Babylon 5 space station: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict in the late 2250s and early 2260s. With its prominent use of pre-planned story arcs, the series was often described as a "novel for television."
The pilot film premiered on February 22, 1993. The regular series aired from January 26, 1994 and ran for five full seasons, winning two Hugos for Best Dramatic Presentation and two Emmy awards - for makeup and visual effects.

To me it was both the scope and scale of B5 that made it so special, plus the (for it's day) impressive graphics and effects for a TV series. Will we ever see its like again? Probably not, sadly.

25/11/2008

Pre-budget statement

Chancellor Darling's pre-budget statement was unprecedented, as are the times we are living in. The reduction in VAT is clearly welcome...to my mind the rate (17.5%) was too high anyway, and although the reduction to 15% is supposed to be for 1 year only, I hope it will stay a lot longer than that.
Raising fuel duty to offset the VAT reduction will keep fuel prices where they are, so no good news there then. Indeed if VAT does go back to 17.5%, I don't expect the fuel duty to fall in proportion, so the Gov't will end up screwing the motorist for even more.
And the sting in the tail is the rise in NIC next year, hitting everyone who works in the pocket.

So will all this help? Maybe a little in the short term, but with real risks for the future.
If the Chancellor was looking to relieve the pressure on working families, I would have thought that reductions in personal allowances and re-introducing the 10p tax band, along with increased Working and Child Tax Credits would have been far more beneficial.
But what do I know?

25/11/2008

LHC repairs to cost £14 millions

The repair bill for the Large Hadron Collider has been revealed. The BBC report that the repairs will take until May to June next year and could cost around £14 millions.
The fault occurred just nine days after it was turned on with Cern (The European Organization for Nuclear Research) blaming the shutdown on the failure of a single, badly soldered electrical connection in one of its super-cooled magnet sections.

18/11/2008

First photos of extrasolar planets

For the first time, planets revolving around other stars have been photographed. We have known of the existance of extrasolar plants for some time as they can be detected by watching the effect they have on the movement of the parent star, and occassionally a large one can pass in front of it's star causing an eclipse effect, but never before have any of these been optically photographed.
However this feat has now been achieved with not one, but two solar systems. There is a very good piece, with the photos, at Discover Magazine's website.

14/11/2008

U.S. election - result

We now know who will be the next president of the United States. Barack Obama'a historic win paves the way for change that will be felt around the world.
In electing an African-American the American people have finally closed the door on a past riddled with injustice and racism, and have come of age as a nation. They can look forward to a new respect around the world, and I suspect a new feeling of pride and optimism at home.
As American politicians go, Obama is very left-leaning, and the people of America can expect a much more socially conscious governmemt from next year, with the poorest standing to benefit the most, but I don't think the 'rich' have too much to fear.
On the world stage, we can look for improvement in relations with many countries, particularly some in the middle east, which I hope will lead to a reduction in tension and suspicion.
On balance, then, a good result for everybody.

5/11/2008

The Gunpowder Plot

With all the excitement of the US elections, we should remember (as if we'd forget!) that today is the anniversary of the most audacious attack on British politics, the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

From Wikipedia:-
"The Gunpowder Conspiracy of 1605, or the Powder Treason or Gunpowder Plot, as it was known at the time, was a failed assassination attempt by a group of provincial English Catholics against King James I of England and VI of Scotland. The plot intended to kill the king, his family, and most of the Protestant aristocracy in a single attack by blowing up the Houses of Parliament during the State Opening on 5 November 1605. The conspirators had also planned to abduct the royal children, not present in Parliament, and incite a popular revolt in the Midlands."

Today, we 'celebrate' this event as 'Bonfire Night' or 'Guy Fawkes Night' with fireworks and parties, whilst often overlooking the serious nature of what occured.
A similar event today would make front-page news for many weeks right around the world. Had the plot been successful, our country would be a very different place today, and indeed it is very likely that the whole World would be very different to the one we know.

5/11/2008

'Corpse flower' webcam

The Milwaukee Public Museum have a Titan Arum (corpse flower) which is about to bloom. These 6 foot plants give off the stench of rotting meat when the flower opens to attract flies which pollenate them.
There is a webcam feed where you can watch this event live, if you want a change from watching paint dry!

4/11/2008

U.S. election

I can't let today pass without a brief comment on the US elections. To us Brits it is sometimes hard to see the difference between the Democrat and Republican parties (right wing or even more right wing) and the alternatives (libertarians and other third party options) barely get a mention.
But this year has been a little different and more interesting, with strong Republican candidates in John McCain and the controversial Sarah Palin, and the Democrat's Barak Obama who, as I write, looks set to be America's first black President, having moved aside Hillary Clinton who would almost certainly have been America's first woman President.
Whatever the outcome, the effects will inevitably be felt around the World, for better or worse, and at least the (political) world will be free of George W Bush, for which we must all be eternally gratefull.

4/11/2008

Diwali

Today is Diwali, the Hindu New Year, also commonly known as the Festival of Lights. I'm not a Hindu (I don't do religion) but often celebrate festivals such as this as it's just a good excuse to celebrate! So I'll be cooking an Indian meal tonight and may even get the 'Christmas' lights out to add a bit of colour to the day.
If you'd like to know more about Diwali, the Woodlands Junior School website has a nice straight-forward page on the subject.

28/10/08

1984

Yes, I know it's 2008 but it feels ever more like (an Orwellian) 1984. Our government has now decided that a database of mobile phones is now in order, so anyone buying a new mobile will have to supply proof if I.D.
This comes on top of the proposed database of every single phone call, text message and email we send/make, plus a record being kept of ALL your on-line activity.

Taken with the fact that there are more CCTV cameras* in the UK than anywhere else, we are without doubt the most surveilled nation on Earth.

The government cite 'anti-terrorist measures' to justify this total intrusion into everybody's life, which while a laudable concept, comes no where near to being a justification for what they are doing.
This government is making Britain into a more totalitarian state than China or even North Korea, and the old Soviet Union looks positively liberal in comparison.

For everybodies sake this madness must be stopped before we lose the last vestiges of freedom that we have, but how? Fortunately external factors could help us, because with the impending collapse of the economy (and the negative aspects this has for an incumbent government), and a General Election due within 18 months it is very unlikely that this bunch of control freaks will be in power for much longer.
What we must all do is quiz opposition candidates (as potential members of the next government) on their stance on this issue, and make it as clear as possible that this type of legislation is totally un-acceptable. We do not need or want more restrictive and prying legislation, and much of what is already in place must be reviewed or repealed.

If this does not occur, then Britain will be recognised around the World as a centrally controlled police state to rival any from history, and not the bastion of freedom that we have been and should remain.

*I believe the average person is caught on CCTV something like 300 times a day!

23/10/08

Videos

You might enjoy some of these videos. My favorites are the 'BeeGees' Frogs, and the Penguins are funny/sad. There are 15 on the page....check them out.

02/10/2008

Credit Crunch

I have not commented on this problem until now as there is little I can add to the on-going debates. I believe that we are experiencing a problem of our own making and my fear is that it may be beyond us to fix it.
With sentiment so low in the markets, and a deep sickness in the banking sector it looks like the World is heading into recession and perhaps even towards a full-blown depression, and it is unclear if the politicians and central banks will be able to do enought to turn things around.
Us regular folk can only sit and watch our savings suffer, our houses lose value and our futures become ever less secure.
Having said that, these things do have a way of sorting themselves out and the end of the World is not yet upon us...it just looks that way.
So many will suffer, we will all have real concerns and genuine worries, some will no doubt even manage to profit from this, but in the end things will settle. We just need hope and patience to see us through these troubled times.

"Jet-wing" man flies accross the Channel

From a BBC article:- A Swiss man has become the first person to fly solo across the English Channel using a single jet-propelled wing. Yves Rossy landed safely after the 22-mile (35.4 km) flight from Calais to Dover, which had been twice postponed this week because of bad weather. The former military pilot took less than 10 minutes to complete the crossing and parachute to the ground. The 49-year-old flew on a plane to more than 8,200ft (2,500m), ignited jets on a wing on his back, and jumped out. Yves Rossy aimed to reach speeds of 125mph. It felt "great, really great", said Mr Rossy.

Where can I get one?

26/09/2008

I.D.cards

So the U.K. gov't has finally unveiled it's I.D. cards. What a total waste of time and money. They are un-wanted by the majority, serve absolutely NO practical purpose, and are merely an exercise in 'Trying to do something about it'. About what?
All they will do is generate a huge database of sensitive personal information on all of us that the Government can then lose!
They even look like s**t. Further down this page you will find a link to a spoof You Tube video about what would happen if a committee tried to re-design the Stop sign. These wretched I.D. cards look exactly the same.
If you are really interested, there is a BBCi article with pretty pictures and some background.

26/09/2008

The Chronophage

Last Friday saw the unveiling of one of the World's strangest clocks. The Chronophage, or Time Eater, was presented by none other than Stephen Hawking at Cambridge University, and it now resides outside Corpus Christie where it can be viewed by the public.
This bizarre timepiece took 5 years to build and cost around 1 million pounds. It was conceived as a tribute to British inventor, John Harrison, who invented the Grasshopper Escapement in the early 18th Century, which resulted in extremely accurate mechanical time keeping.
The 'dial' is around 4 foot in diameter and is gold-plated, with the escapement taking the form of a huge ferocious Grasshopper sitting atop the dial.
There is a piece on the BBCi website about the clock, and a YOU TUBE video showing it in action with some interesting background.

Picture :- Press Association

21/09/2008

Zimbabwe

With the signing of the agreement between Zanu PF and the opposition MDC peace may at last be descending on Zimbabwe. Significantly, the MDC will have control over the Police which should aid stability.
Time will tell how well this arrangement is working, so let's hope that things do get better for the citizens of this country. They are generally a kind, good people and they deserve better.

16/09/2008

LHC update

All went well yesterday, with the most obvious glitch being the webcast crashing! This BBC article has more details of how the day went. Yesterday's test beam paves the way for the more serious experiments to start, so those among you who fear the World could still get sucked into a black hole might want to check that the World still exists. Either look out the window or go to has the lhc destroyed the earth.com.
Or just monitor the webcam!

11/09/2008

LHC goes live today - webcast

Just a reminder that the first test of the Large Hadron Collider takes place today (Wed 10/09/2008) and that this is being webcast live. first beam is scheduled for 9.30 CET, that's 8.30am here in Britain.

10/09/2008

I.E.8 - things get worse.

Below is a piece I posted regarding the lack of integrity of Microsoft's newest browser, I.E.8. It now seems that this disaster-waiting-to-happen is going to more or less eat your computer alive, needing more of your computers' resources to run than the XP operating system!
The full horror story is detailed at Infoworld.

03/09/2008

Pictures of the preparation for Shuttle mission STS125

I've just come across this amazing set of pictures from boston.com (Boston Globe). They show some aspects of the preparations being made for the STS125 Shuttle mission which will be the final service mission to the Hubble space telescope.
They give a very good impression of the size and scale of this endevour.

02/09/2008

Microsoft bend the rules (again).

Microsoft are notorious for bucking standards, so it came as a welcome suprise to the web development community when they assured us that Internet Explorer 8 (their latest web browser) was going to be standards compliant. This was in stark contrast to previous incarnations of I.E. which basically had a mind of their own. I.E.5 and 6 in particular were a nightmare to developers and webmasters who had to jump through hoops to get their web pages to work on these browsers.

Now, it seems I.E.8 is far from "pure", as is detailed in this article on The Register. Why? Will they ever learn?

Users of I.E.5 and 6 are strongly advised to at least upgrade to v.7, or consider installing an alternative browser.
I support the campaign to improve the web surfing experience by recommending the use of compliant browsers.
Below are three suggestions:

• Firefox
• Safari
• Opera

These are all fast,safe and secure, standards-compliant browsers with many useful features.

30/08/2008

It could happen!

There is a really funny piece on YouTube about what might happen if someone tried to redesign the Stop sign

15/08/23008

LHC to go live on Sept. 10th

The end of the World is nigh!
Well let's hope not.
The Large Hadron Collider* at CERN in Geneva is going to be tested for the first time on September 10th.
There will be a webcast of this event and more details of the event and the webcast can be found in a CERN press release
It is theoretically possible that this device may be able to generate 'micro-blackholes', and some are concerned that one of these could 'swallow' the Earth, destroying us all. In practice the risk (of Earth being destroyed) is so minimal as to be almost un-measurable, so I think we can sleep easy.

This machine is truly awesome, as can be seen from these pictures.

* "The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), is a 27 kilometer (17 mile) long particle accelerator straddling the border of Switzerland and France."

"The LHC is the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, producing beams seven times more energetic than any previous machine, and around 30 times more intense when it reaches design performance, probably by 2010."

08/08/2008

A very moving moment

Well I did stay up all night (almost) to watch the Squid being moved into it's display tank, and it was well worth it. This was the first chance we've had to see the squid the 'right way up' (as it was on it's back for the first examination) and out of the preserving fluid.
Thanks again to all at Te Papa who made this possible.
They are planning on re-transmitting the webcast soon so if you missed it there will be another oportunuty to witness this unique event. I'll try to post a URL for this when I know any more, or visit their blog for all the pics and info you'd want.
Photo; © Museum of New Zealand
Te Papa Tongarewa

07/08/2008

Squidcam is back!

Great news for squid fans....Te Papa museum are ready to move their Colossal Squid- picture right (see previous blogs) into it's new permanent display tank, and the event is going to be broadcast live.
The transmission will be from 10pm (U.K. time) on Tuesday, 5th August. For full details go to this page of the Te Papa website.
Photo; © Museum of New Zealand
Te Papa Tongarewa

UPDATE: Here is the link for the Webcast. The cameras are now online.
(05/08/2008 @ 14:55 BST)

01/08/2008

Weston-super-Mare pier fire

I was saddened to hear of the fire at Weston, and hope that the owners and local council will be successful in re-building this attraction.
Work should start soon though, as delays often mean the end in a case like this.

I am thinking in particular of Brighton on the Sussex coast, who lost the West Pier to fire many years ago. This was possibly the most beautiful pier in the country, far nicer than the Palace Pier (now known just as 'Brighton Pier') which still exists, and dithering and procrastination meant that the West Pier was never restored. Today it is just a collection of pilings on the beach.

So best wishes to the people and authorities of Weston...and please don't let your pier die.

29/07/2008

China is now biggest web nation

China now has the world's largest net-using population, say official figures. More than 253 million people in the country are now online, according to statistics from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).

About 95% of those going online connect via high-speed links. Take up of broadband has been boosted by deals offered by China's fixed line phone firms as they fight to win customers away from mobile operators. Despite having a greater number of people online, China's net economy still has a long way to go to match or exceed that of the US or even that of South Korea. Figures from Analysis International said China's net firms reported total revenues of $5.9bn (£2.96bn) in 2007. By contrast net advertising revenue alone for US firms in 2007 stood at $21.2bn (£10.6bn).

Does this set a record for the largest number of people experiencing censorship?

28/07/2008

Birthday boy

Mick Jagger becomes a pensioner today! Yes the pop icon is 65. Happy birthday, Mick.

26/07/2008

Old meets new

Odd but strangely nice. I came accross this ancient Italian wall repaired with LEGO bricks!

26/07/2008

Pygmy Whales...the lowdown

Well, it seems that there are lots of pygmy whales, and it's not as straight forward as you might have thought.
Emma and Anton at Te Papa kindly posted an answer to my question on the Te Papa blog, and I suggest that you visit this page to get all the info. It's fascinating!

09/07/2008

Nelson Mandela

Today is Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday.
This great man has had a profound effect on the whole world, not just his native South Africa, and is a true 'great'.
Many happy returns!

08/07/2008

Pygmy whales

As you may know I've got a bit of a thing about whales, and recently I've been hearing about various 'pygmy' versions.
I regularly visit Te Papa's Blog which is part of the website for New Zealand's Te Papa museum. They do all sorts of interesting things (go to previous blogs for some of them) and they have recently dissected a pygmy right whale and found a (dead) pygmy sperm whale.
I don't know if all whale species have 'pygmy' versions, but I have asked Te Papa and hope to get the answer soon. Watch this space, or check out their blog from time to time if you are interested.

15/07/2008

Fuel protests

Again today we see the nation's truckers protesting about the outrageously high fuel costs we suffer.

Some 70p of every litre of petrol/diesel bought goes straight into the government's pockets, and with other 'costs of living' such as food going through the roof, this is certainly one area where the government could give some ground.

So, well done truckers! You speak for us all, and I'm sure have the support of the vast majority.

Zimbabwe

Yet again I return to this subject. Morgan Tsvangirai is quite right to want nothing to do with a 'National Unity' government. The bottom line is he won the (first) election and should be the President. The run-off was never going to be fair or valid and was a total waste of time.
Mugabe and his party, Zanu PF, have shown clearly to the whole world what a corrupt and un-democratic regime this is.

But they are not the only guilty parties in this sorry mess. Particularly worthy of criticism is Tabo Mbeki, the South African president, who is probably in the best position of anyone to influence events in Zimbabwe.
Sadly, he (against his party's consensus) has signally failed to act in any meaningful way during this crisis, harming his country's reputation in the world and allowing Mugabe to literally get away with murder.

02/07/2008

The Whaling debate

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is meeting this week in Santiago, Chile, amidst talk of a compromise between thr pro- and anti-whaling lobbies.

Any possible deal revolves around a fudge whereas the whaling nations get permission to carry out some commercial whaling legitimately, while much stronger conservation measures, including 'Whale sanctuaries', can be put in place to protect the future of Whales.

On the face of it this would seem quite sensible, but I cannot agree with this at all.
The problem I (and many others) have is that Whales are demonstrably intelligent creatures and deserve the right to live free of harrassment and harm from Mankind.

24/06/2008

Firefox 3 Download Day (2)

June 17th was the release date for Firefox 3, the latest incarnation of the web's second most popular browser (See below). It seems that the record attempt was more than successful, with some 8 million downloads registered on the first day. Well done Mozilla!

24/06/2008

Firefox 3 Download Day

Today (June 17th) is the release date for Firefox 3, the latest incarnation of the web's second most popular browser.
This new version looks to be packed with useful new features, in particular a warning system to alert you if you've wandered onto a compromised website that may try to access/harm your computer.
It also features a Smart Location Bar (known within Mozilla as the 'Awesome Bar') which will help you to find previously visited web pages even if you forgot what they were or where they are.
It promises to be even faster than before.

Mozilla are hoping to set a Guiness World Record for the number of downloads in one day with this release, so why not update if you're still using v2, or if you're daft enough to still be using Internet Explorer, bin it and get a good browser that works!
The download will be available from 1800 BST.

You may be aware that I personally favour Opera (currently v9.5) as my No 1 browser, but I also have Firefox installed and indeed use it often for all sorts of reasons.

You can download Firefox 3 at Mozilla.com.

If you want a look at Opera (and you should!), go to Opera.com.

17/06/2008

Tanker Drivers' strike

It is very hard to have any sympathy for the fuel tanker drivers during their current strike.
The dispute is ostensibly over pay, but is ill-conceived and greedy. Ill-conceived on the basis that their arguement is that because Shell are making huge profits, they deserve more pay. The problem is that they don't work for Shell, they work for sub-contractors, and therefore Shell have no control or influence over the drivers' terms and conditions.

As for greedy, well my understanding is that these people are currently earning in the region of £30k a year plus overtime which is a decent living when all's said and done, and they've rejected an offer that would take them up to around £42k per year over the next two years!

David Davis

Like the rest of the world, I was amazed at yesterday's announcement by Shadow Home Affairs spokesman David Davis that he is to resign as an MP on a point of principle, namely that he has serious problems with the erosion of freedom and civil rights in the UK by the encumbent Labour government.

I believe his concerns are well founded, and although I feel he has made a terrible mistake in taking the course of action he has, he has to be admired for standing up for what he thinks and believes.
Sadly, I don't think that this gesture will acheive the changes Mr Davis wants. The Labour govrnment are hell-bent on their policies of ID cards, detaining terrorist suspects for long periods, DNA databases and sundry other measures designed to encroach on our freedoms, and even this self-sacrificial grand gesture by an opposition MP will have no impact.

As for Mr Davis,this could leave this clearly honest and decent man in the political widerness, when we need men like this in positions of influence.

Just for the record, I am fairly neutral, politically, generally favouring Liberal over Tory or Labour, so I have no axe to grind here.

13/06/2008

Who owns the Moon?

There is a debate going on about ownership of the Moon, and in particular, Land Rights.
Yes, it's all a bit redundant right now, but at some point Man is going to start colonising our Solar System, and will no doubt start with the Moon, then Mars and presumably the asteroids and Jovian moons eventually.
These issues do need clearing up before all this begins to avoid total chaos and anarchy.
There is an interesting piece at Popular Mechanics , complete with readers' comments, that might get you thinking.

22/05/2008

Champions League Final (2)

At last a match that lived up to the promise. Good-to-watch football, drama and incident, and the almost obligatory penalty shoot-out.
Heroes and villains in equal part, and a great advert for the English game.

Did the best team win? Hard to call, but on balance, yes. Man.Utd. have been fairly solid all season. The current team are probably the best ever in terms of skill and talent and in Sir Alex they have probably the greatest English Club manager of all time.

All credit, though, to Chelsea who gave them a real run for their money right through the season. In any other year...

22/05/2008

Champions League Final (1)

So tonight the two best clubs in England battle it out to see who will become champions of Europe.
As an Everton supporter I can watch as a neutral, and just hope for a great game of football. It's funny how these big matches can go, often dull and un-exciting as, with the stakes so high, both teams 'play it safe' leading to a non-event.
However, on this occassion, I suspect things may be better. Neither team wants to lose, and of course Chelsea will be dead keen to get one over United who pipped them to the Premiership title just 10 days ago.

So, like all true lovers of the 'beautiful game', I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that this is a match that lives up to the promise.

21/05/2008

Life-size photo of Blue Whale

HOW COOL IS THIS?
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society have posted a navigable life-size photo of a blue whale!
O.K. so it might take a while to look at all of it, but it starts at the eye (which is a great idea). The picture is navigable (there is an insert of the whole picture and you can change the view by moving a curser around), but if you just let it run, the whale will slowly 'swim' past you...it's a bit like being in a submarine with the whale going past a porthole.
Definitely worth a look!

13/05/2008

China earthquake

Yet another natural disaster, but an interesting counterpoint to the Myanmar cyclone in the way it's being handled. I'm no big fan of the Chinese regime, but to their credit (and unlike the moronic Generals of Myanmar) the Chinese Gov't seem to have acted quickly and decisively in the way they are dealing with this tragedy.

It does look as though many thousands have sadly lost their lives, but at least the survivors look to be getting effective assistance, and this should ensure that there is no un-necessary suffering or loss of life in the aftermath of this catastrophe.

13/05/2008

Too much!

There is really too much going on at the moment to blog about at length, so here's a brief comment on several items.

JOSEF FRITZL;
This guy is truly sick! If you've missed it this is the Austrian man who imprissoned his daughter in a cellar for 24 years and fathered six children by her. It appears his defence case will focus on his insanity! Yes, of course he's insane, but frankly that's no excuse. He should suffer the worst fate Austrian justice can throw at him.

CYCLONE;
The cyclone to hit Myanmar (Burma) is clearly a disaster of epic proportions, made doubly bad by the complete failure of the authorities there (a repressive military junta) to act effectively. Worse still they are actively preventing outside aid from reaching the country.
The Americans have a huge naval task force in the area who could offer relief to hundreds of thousands within hours, if the Myanmar gov't were to allow it.
I am not one normally to be 'gung-ho' about these things, but on this occassion I wouldn't have any problem at all with the Americans just going in anyway. Let's be honest, what could the Myanmar junta actually do about it!

CANNABIS;
The UK gov't has just decided to re-classify cannabis as a 'class B' drug, up from 'class c'. They have done this against all advice given to them (including a review that they ordered!) on the grounds that most cannabis consumed in the UK is the potent Skunk variety, that may cause psychosis in some people.
I suppose it would be too confusing to us ignorant peasants (and the Police who have to enforce these laws) to leave resin as class C while upgrading Skunk to class B.
And all this seems even more ill-thought-through when you consider the fact that in practice this will make not a jot of difference. The people who enjoy cannabis are not going to stop using it* and the Police have made it clear that they will not change the way they deal with offenders (normally just a caution and confiscation).
No, this is just a bit of politicking to give the impression that the gov't are 'doing something about it'.
* A bit of pedantry...Using cannabis is not drug abuse! Cannabis is principally a recreational drug, so how can using something as intended be mis-use?

09/05/2008

Whale dissection

Following the Squid Event (see below), those clever people at Te Papa are now dissecting a baby pygmy right whale.
I think whales are amazing creatures, descended from land living animals that took to the water about 50 million years ago. The Blue Whale is the largest creature to ever exist on Earth, dwarfing even the biggest Dinosaurs.
The Te Papa whale, having said that is just a little over 2 metres long, which makes it a much more manageable prospect for a dissection.

Although this event is not being webcast, there is a blog which is up-dated regularly with some excellent photography (not too grisly) of the anatomy of this specimen.
I found the details of the ribs, and the massive un-lobed lungs particularly interesting.
Well worth a look if you like this sort of thing!

08/05/2008

Squid Event

Photo;
© Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Like thousands of others around the World I've been trying to catch the 'Squid Event' webcasts from TePapa museum in New Zealand, where a well-preserved specimen of Colossal Squid has been examined.
This has been a fascinating and compelling few days, but unfortunately due to time differences I missed most of it.
Thankfully, the people at TePapa are arranging a re-transmission of the last part of the webcast, and you might want to try to catch some of it at TePapa webcast.
Also go to the 'squid homepage' where you will find blogs and photos.

Great credit must go to the authorities and staff at TePapa for making this event available to the public. More of the same (or similar) please!

01/05/2008

100 years of wipers!

Modern cars are equipped with all sorts of gadgets, some useful, others frankly a wast of time. But it's easy to overlook the basics and where they came from.
So, in case you missed it, today we can celebrate the centenary of the Windscreen Wiper.
This essential bit of kit was invented in 1908 by the splendidly named Mr Gladstone Adams.
He was driving home from London, having travelled there to watch the (Soccer) F.A. Cup Final between Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, when a snow-storm struck, and the old-fashioned screen-clearing method of using a mop just didn't measure up.
Gladstone and his brother also invented the sliding rowing seat and the trafficator, the forerunner of the indicator.

25/04/2008

St George's Day.

There is much debate today (St George's Day), about the nature of being English. Interestingly, I think things are both confused and clarified when you look at St George himself.
He was a roman soldier from Anatolia, a greek speaking land now part of Turkiye (often incorrectly spelt Turkey by us Brits), so although clearly not English he does reflect the cosmopolitan and multicultural aspects of Britain today.
But somehow he became the patron saint of England (as well as of Aragon, Canada, Catalonia, China, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Montenegro, Palestine, Portugal, Russia, and Serbia, as well as the cities of Amersfoort, Beirut, Ferrara, Freiburg, Genoa, Ljubljana, and Moscow.

But back to England and Englishness, the English are quite an unassuming and indeed self-effacing race, and traditionally 'our' day has not been much celebrated in the past. This year, however, is a little different, and even our (Scottish) Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has decided to fly the St George's cross (flag) over Downing Street, and there is talk of a national holiday which is a great idea.

This is right and proper and the English should be proud of their nation within the U.K. The English are a fine people with a history of inventiveness, tolerance, kindness and a sense of right and justice which has shaped much of the western world.
We cannot overlook the dark aspects of our history (the Crusades and the slave trade to name but two), but England today is a fine, fair country and its people are generally decent and considerate, and our national day should be celebrated by all.

Happy St George's Day!

23/04/2008

Space exploration

There is a debate currently underway in the UK and around Europe as to the best way forward with regard to space science.
In a BBC article Lord Rees (the president of the Royal Society) said manned missions were largely irrelevant, and that un-manned and robotic missions were more appropriate for Europe, and that manned spaceflight should be left to the U.S and Russia.

Surely, the best way forward is to have a joined-up approach to space exploration co-ordinated by an international body, and involving all nations who wish to participate.
The I.S.S (international space station) project has shown that the U.S, Russia and Europe can collaborate when minds are put to it.

But the problem is that each nation has its own agenda (and funding) and there is no clear mechanism in place to link these. The only international organisation that might be able to give a lead here is the U.N, and there is no sign that the U.N. is interested in this subject. Space doesn't really come under the U.N's remit, and in any case the U.N. probably has more pressing (earthly) matters to worry about.

With other nations (China, Japan and India to name a few) showing a keen interest in space, the time is approaching when an international overview is going to be essential to give a clear lead and sense of direction, and to avoid both duplication and fragmentation of humanity's efforts to expand into space.

16/04/2008

Olympic Torch

Following the scenes in London yesterday, one suspects that the Olympic torch relay is likely to be dogged with trouble right around the world.

The IOC must be wondering if they made the right decision in awarding the 2008 games to Beijing. In many ways it was clearly a mistake, although their rationale was probably reasonable...turn the spotlight on China and hope the authorities there would take the oportunity to clean up their act as they would know the World was watching.
However, this type of regime seldom bows to pressure of this kind, and that is clearly the case here. The Chinese are patently unable to cope with the Tibet protests in any way other than using their standard response of brutal crackdown.

So the torch relay is likely to continue to be disrupted as the World's people continue to object in the most effective way they can.
Protestors should continue to make their point (they act on behalf of the large majority of us) but should remember that the torch-bearers are innocent people (mostly athletes and sportspeople) who do not represent or even support the Chinese gov't, and that violence of any kind towards them is as unacceptable as the actions of China that the protesters object to.

07/04/2008

Zimbabwe

With events appararently taking a sinister turn, the World is watching Zimbabwe with a degree of concern. Part of the problem is that no-one can actually do anything practical, and indeed any outside inteferance would play into the hands of Mugabe and his cronies.
So it's "fingers crossed", and all we can do is hope that the will of the people prevails.

04/04/2008

Zimbabwe

It does seem that the people of Zimbabwe have taken back control of their country. All we can do now is hope that the transition of power is speedy and peaceful.
Over the last few years I have been fortunate enough to meet several Zimbabwean ex-pats, and they are as nice a people as you could wish to meet.
Good luck and best wishes to you all.

02/04/2008

Broadband is fast?

Since a recent house-move I have been without a broadband connection. I first contacted my ISP (Virgin) on 1st March, the day after we moved, to transfer the broadband to the new phone-line.
I have learnt today that it will not now be activated until 27th March!
Part of the problem is that the previous resident here had not cancelled his broadband with Tiscali, and it seems that there was a 'Tag' on the line that had to be removed (whatever that means). Apparently, these things always take several days to set-up anyway. Why?
But, come on! I cannot believe it takes 27 days to transfer a phone line from one ISP to another. This is a bad joke.

Arthur C. Clarke

It was with great sadness that I heard of the passing of Arthur C. Clarke, writer, visionary and all-round great guy.
It is a testement to this man's influence that I first heard the news of his death whilst watching a satellite TV news channel...the concept of the communications satellite was just one of his many insights.
He was a great man who has had a profound effect on the world he leaves behind, and he will be sadly missed by many.

19/03/08

Penalties!

As an Everton fan I was distressed that we dropped out of the UEFA cup on penalties the other night, as did Spurs. The England national team also has a history of losing penalty shoot-outs. Why? Could it be that the team managers don't actually get the players to practise penalties? I remember a few years ago watching a TV program that touched on this matter. Germany, who always perform well in penalty shoot-outs apparently practise them endlessly, and as "practise makes perfect" the moral here is clear.
So come on managers....wake up and get the lads practising their spot-kicks. Who knows, we might even win something!

13/03/08

The Budget.

During all his tinkering with car tax in the budget, I was dissappointed to note that the Chancellor missed an opportunity to undo a great wrong perpetrated by his predecessor. Before Gordon Brown started to get mean, there was a tax exemption for "Historic Vehicles", those over 25 years old, which Brown stopped. Cars already covered by the exemption remain exempt, but any classic/cherished car turning 25 after the change is now liable for tax, often at a punitive rate based on engine size.
As these old cars are usually seldom used (weekends/attending classic car shows etc) they have no measurable environmental impact or element of "wear and tear" on the road network.
The Historic Vehicle exemption did, however help the owners of these popular vehicles to run and maintain them, it could be argued, to everybodies benefit.
So, come on Chancellor Darling, next year please re-instate the exemption for Historic Vehicles, and help us classic car owners to maintain some of our country's history and heritage.

11/03/08