Way back on 20 August 1977 Voyager One was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, two weeks after its sister Voyager Two. It is now, unlike many of us alive then, still going strong. What is really astounding is that its processing power is a fraction of that in a smart phone. It is travelling at … Continue reading
I have been having a horrific past year or so, and have struggled to find ways to cope, and one of them is to treat myself to a visit to this chain of cafes. This may read like they are sponsoring me, but they really are good. Not just the friendly staff – that is … Continue reading
The weather in the UK has become utterly ridiculous, with a month’s rain falling in hours, in between occasional outpourings of sunshine. Thank goodness we can blame foreigners for this – or at least a foreign source – the Spanish Plume. Warm air from the Spanish plateau travels north, and when it hits the cold … Continue reading
People with kids are plugged into an annual cycle of school related events, especially towards the end of the school year, with exams, sports days etc that leave the rest of us completely untouched. Much of what I hear of the education system is moaning about how hard it is to get into a good … Continue reading
When I was little I apparently broke out of my playpen and went down the row of my mother’s carefully tended tomatoes, taking a bite out of each one, even though they were still green. I have long pondered why this happened – tomatoes are rich in potassium – was I deficient in this salt … Continue reading
This is a really old one, Oh Susannah, a new take on an old song by the Grungemeister Neil Young: This is a more traditional version of it, but by the Trapp family, of Sound of Music fame: Here’s the Hollies with ‘Sorry Suzanne from Top of the Pops, 1969: This is Dandy Livingston, Susanne … Continue reading
I seem to recall from the wider spaces of my research that the ancients believed there was a hierarchy of the senses, and that sight was the one that reigned supreme. I saw Al Pacino in ‘The Scent of a Woman’ the other night, in which he plays a solider who has been blinded, and … Continue reading
A few snippets from today’s Independent – or rather the baby, i version. Apparently Russell Crowe has been rumoured to be about to play media mogul Rupert Murdoch, but he has the best excuse ever. He is getting ready to play the role of Noah. “I am off to build a boat. Will be gone … Continue reading
These dogs are now extinct, and few records survive of them as they were so badly treated; in fact, they only really existed in order to be mistreated. Back in the days when large animals were roasted in big country stoves with chimneys bigger than modern flats, the heat meant that constant turning was required, … Continue reading
These structures were homes for doves, originally built by monks to provide themselves with fresh meat through the winter. But they were long a source of dispute with their peasant tenants, as the birds lived off the grain from their fields, so on top of their normal tithes to the church, they were being indirectly … Continue reading
