Phil, over at the Bad Astronomer blog, reports that comet 17P/Holmes has increased in brightness, from magnitude 17 to magnitude 3, literally overnight. He gives its location in the night sky (you have to be living in the Northern Hemisphere), so I’m going to hope for a cloudless sky tonight to see it. The odds are not favourable at the moment…
Year: 2007
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UDA Drag
Once again, the Telegraph‘s Obituary column delivers it in spades. This time it’s for Sammy Duddy, aka Samantha. I swear, you couldn’t make this stuff up if you tried. -
The Power of Advertising
I don’t know whether to be appalled or fascinated by this image of Mikhail Gorbachev being used to advertise Louis Vuitton luggage. Well, OK, I’m appalled. It would be rather like seeing Nelson Mandela advertising smack and crack. Ah, alright, that’s been done, but then that was a joke. This Gorbachev image is not – and it stinks. The one saving grace might be the book, but even here the effect is of a post-ironic comment that robs the image of any real power. Ah, Gorby, that you have fallen so low! -
Bat-Boy
Interesting story of how a boy substituted echo-location ability for his missing sight. -
The End of an Era
Damn! Misteraitch has announced that he is closing down Giornale Nuovo. That is a shame. If nothing else, it alerted me to the existence of Pulcinellopedia Piccola, which remains a book that I seek. And of course, GN provided many more riches than that alone… -
Phantoms In The Brain
I’ve mentioned VS Ramachandran’s terrific book on the architecture of the mind: Phantoms in the Brain a number of times before. He’s also a very good presenter and communicator. Here he is talking about Phantom Limbs, Synesthesia and the Capgras delusion with his customary lucidity and humour. Highly, highly recommended. -
Government and the Hominid Troop
George Monbiot has an interesting column in today’s Guardian, pointing out that while he and the former chairman of the Northern Rock bank both trained as zoologists, they draw very different conclusions from their examinations of the same evidence. Worth reading. -
Kees Moeliker Strikes Again…
Let it not be said that Kees Moeliker is afraid to take the search for science into areas in which others dare not tread… -
The Melbourne Edge
After my recent post that suggested that Melbourne was perhaps a worrying place to be, I’m delighted to redress the balance by referring you to this post over at Cosmic Variance. The Edge sounds like a terrific experience. Of course, for those of us with vertigo (e.g. Martin), the word "terrific" takes on the original overtones.So, Mary and Katy – have you tried it? -
We’re Doomed…
Courtesy of Vaughan, over at Mind Hacks, I bring you yet another episode in the ongoing "We’re Doomed" saga. What really made me pause is the snippet that the robot that will be deployed on the border between North and South Korea is manufactured by Samsung. Now I fully understand the reason behind the phrase "a sensible bit of Samsung". Clearly, some Samsung employees are just as scared as the rest of us… -
Robert Hooke’s Notebook
Robert Hooke‘s notebook is now online. You can leaf through it as though it is an actual book.(hat tip to PZ Myers) -
Dumbledore Was What?!
Well, according to JK Rowling, Albus was a friend of Dorothy. Damnit, we’re everywhere… -
John and Tony
Today, while rummaging through the bran-tub that is the Web, I came across two stories that made me pause and reflect. The first is Peter Wilby’s review of John Simpson’s autobiography: Not Quite World’s End in today’s Guardian. I like John Simpson. Probably more pertinently, I trust John Simpson. When he speaks, I tend to listen, and find his words meaningful.Now, Wilby’s review points out some of the more sentimental and woolly side of Simpson, complete with some potentially rather un-PC sexism ("Fatherhood – and we perhaps shouldn’t inquire too closely into why two daughters from an earlier marriage didn’t have this effect – has "utterly" changed his view of the world, and particularly of war and death"). But still, the end result is that I continue to trust Simpson, and I’m tempted to purchase his memoir to read for myself.That memoir, as Wilby says, apparently: "…combines meticulous reporting with attitude. Much of it can be read as an epitaph to the foreign adventures of the Blair era and, as such, it is fair, forensic and utterly devastating".Which brings me on to Tony.Unlike my attitude to Simpson, "trust" is no longer a word I personally could now ever associate with Blair. My response to him, from the halycon days of 1997 when I truly believed that Britain was poised to take a step forward, has been poisoned by his deeds and has undergone a complete volte face. Now, he is a "peace envoy" for the Middle East Quartet. yet his language at this event is hardly pitched to be diplomatic. Instead of working for peace he seems determined to pile up the bonfire for the conflagration. -
Makers of Universes
Here’s George Bernard Shaw proposing a toast to Albert Einstein…Wonderful to see this rare footage from 27 October 1930, and to hear GBS speak. Hat tip to Nicholas Whyte -
Drowning in Features
Jeff Atwood, over at Coding Horror, makes what I think is a very valid point: adding features into new releases of software applications can spoil the software. I’ve seen it happen a number of times to applications that I use. What started out as a terrific little application that did one job very well indeed degenerates into bloatware that contains features that I never use and never wanted. The performance often goes down the toilet as well.A case in point, for me, is Nero. I first bought it to burn some CDs, and that’s all I ever use it for. In the meantime, it has bloated into a huge suite of applications, which often cause more trouble than they are worth. The online updating mechanism, for example, has never, ever, worked properly for me. I have to download a complete fresh install. What started out as an application of less than 10MB (as I recall) now weighs in at a staggering 178 MB. I won’t be upgrading to version 8 of Nero. -
Life Imitates Art Again
Simon Sellars, over at Ballardian, reports on his growing feeling that Melbourne (his home city) is taking on the feeling of Ballard’s Kingdom Come. Disturbing. -
Gaudí’s Glory
Jonathan Jones has a good piece on the life and work of Anton Gaudí in today’s Guardian. Barcelona is my favourite city in part because of Gaudí’s glorious architecture. If you ever get the chance to visit Casa Batlló, jump at it; you won’t be disappointed. -
50 Key Dates
Richard Overy makes his choice of the 50 key dates in human history. Looking at those associated with the sciences, then I would broadly agree. However, I really do question his choice of 1959: Invention of the Silicon Chip. That, to me, is mere packaging; the real key date was 1947 when Bardeen, Brittain and Shockley invented the transistor – a totally new technology that replaced thermionic valves. -
BibliOdyssey: The Book
Peacay, over at his BibliOdyssey site, announces that an honest-to-goodness book will shortly be published containing a selection of the images he has found on the Internet. For bibliophiles everywhere, it sounds like a wonderful Christmas present.
Geoff Coupe's Blog 