Category: General

scifi

Because I’m a physicist, people automatically assume I must like science fiction. I’m not really sure how they worked that one out but I’m pretty sure there is a bit of stereotyping going on. I never really got sci-fi, as a kid I read the occasional story, but no more so that other kinds of fiction. It was more a case of whether a story appealed to my imagination; I wasn’t interested in the carefully thought out science or engineering concepts. It wasn’t the faster than light gear that excited me, so much as the automatic doors and in ship communication system on the Enterprise. I think it was because it didn’t seem to require quite the same leap of logic as the transporter system.
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Mind versus body

It strikes me that Sipu’s Richard Dawkins blog is a kind of corollary to his blog “Why do I bother etc”. What struck me about the earlier blog was the idea that you couldn’t “know” someone unless you had some kind of physical or sensory contact with them. Likewise, the argument about god versus evolution is another exploration of the question of mind versus physical realities.

Granted, the shifting identities behind the multiple IDs of My Telegraph confused the issue. It’s impossible to “know” these shape shifters, but it isn’t impossible to know personalities—people—in cyberspace.

And on the other side, I think it’s an illusion to attach our understanding of others to their physical presence, even though we are aided in that understanding by how well we can “read” the language of physical presence or movement. Isn’t our knowledge of others always filtered through the various lenses of our perceptions? Isn’t how we understand someone at best approximate?

For those who are writers—and that means the contributors to this blog—there is a lot of “chemistry” in the written word.

Anyway, I’m back in England for a week or so and happy to be so. And, hot dog, the weather is pretty wonderful. Glad you’re all here too.

Sunday evening

Wind blowing like billy-o. Not sure of the spelling. I’ve never written it before. Quite a surprise anyway, because it has been another spectacularly gorgeous day.

After an early start – Cat alerted me to littertray cleaning duties at 6am, and again at 6.30 so the bin bag was fairly full – breakfast was not the Sunday morning late lie-in styly I had envisaged. I drove off to Halfords and got the bike cleaning stuff janh1 advised. Also something to help a rusty chain. And some bolts. Only little ones, but it would be nice not to have to leave heavy objects in front of cupboards to stop Cat opening them and risking him accessing the murky depths below deck. Also nice not to have the heavy objects as trip hazards for me.

Nice lunch. Pitta with salad and lots of olives. The into DIY Isobel mode. I restuck the drawer but this time used v strong glue, so am hoping it will hold. Lacking a hammer, I bashed the various bits together with my (deck) shoe. I tightened up the childproof, or in my case catproof, catches on the galley cupboards and fixed the bolts to the wardrobe and big cupboard, or ‘hold’ under the foredeck. Also attached two lights so I can see what is in the same two cupboards.

A couple of other people were cleaning their boats and that inspired me to remove some of the cat fur that has accumulated shockingly quickly. I just hope the local birds are grateful for the extra warmth in their nests.

This evening I’ve grappled with technology once more. There are now pix on my post (my page) for Saturday. Some appear more than once. I’ll edit. I promise. But not til I get home to technology I trust.

My avatar and why I chose it

Returning to DNMT after a hectic family weekend, I find myself the Featured Blogger. Thank you for the kind words , Bearsy. The avatar is a euro-sceptic symbol which I found on the internet.  Originally I was all in favour of the EU and regretted that  (another)  stupid Labour government had not accepted the original invitation  to Britain to become a founding member. This would have deprived de Gaulle of the pleasure of vetoing our subsequent application for membership and would  have made our relationship with the EU completely different.

Now, however,  I am completely disillusioned with the current EU set-up. There is corruption and malpractice – why have the auditors not signed off an the accounts for over 10 years now? There is a lack of democracy, with unelected commissioners (frequently dregs like Kinnock) imposing rules and regulations.  These same rules and regulations seem to be disregarded by several countries with impunity. Britain plays fair and where does it get us?

I am delighted that Chancellor Merkel is now putting the interests of her own country first. I am pleased that several rather wide cracks are appearing in the surface of both the EU and the eurozone.  A former Dutch commissioner is saying that it is ludicrous to have 27 commissioners; 12 would be sufficient in his considered opinion. A parliament that allows a dubious character like Daniel Cohn-Bendit to abuse a guest speaker such as Vaclav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic, a man with more experience and integrity than most of the MEPs put together, is a disgrace.  Eurosceptic? Moi? Yes, indeed.

Richard Dawkins loses the plot

I used to be a huge fan of Richard Dawkins. His masterpiece, The Selfish Gene, was massively significant in my life. When I read it in 1986 I recognised a man who was able to express in clear, concise and scientific terms, beliefs that I had nurtured for some years. Almost everything he wrote thereafter was eagerly consumed by me. He struck me as being a brilliant, gentle and humourous man who simply wanted to tell the truth without pushing any personal cause. So strong was my admiration for him that I would sometimes say in conversations about him, “Dawkins is wrong to say there is no God. Dawkins is God!” Childish perhaps; designed to provoke, probably; sincere, certainly. So when a friend of mine who had met him described him as a self-satisfied prick, I felt personally insulted. Continue reading “Richard Dawkins loses the plot”

Secret Diary of a Grand National Geek

‘You’re doing Ladies’ Day,’ snapped my news editor. ‘At the Grand National.’

It was 2003; I was a cub reporter with no more interest in sport or horses than in, well, origami, or Chinese medicine. But what the hell – it would make a change from chasing fire engines in Warrington

‘Do colour, hats, fashion,’ he said, wearily. ‘But for God’s sake, don’t do the bloody horses’

So, with his words ringing in my ears – and a dire warning not to emulate last year’s reporter by getting drunk and falling asleep on the job, I set off.

It was absolutely pissing down at Aintree. There was mud everywhere. But the place looked very grand, with an impressive array of white, Camelot style marquees.

So I resorted to my first shameless trick – nicking stuff. ‘You got anything interesting?’ I ventured to the other reporters. But I was met with stiff, icy glares; we were all jostling glumly for laptop space amid the chaos and the coffee cups. It was like a workaday version of Glastonbury.

Continue reading “Secret Diary of a Grand National Geek”

Going home

Meet Lulu.

The children at the Quest School for Autistic Children wanted a classroom pet.

After much discussion with the educators and therapists it was agreed.

The class went shopping (Bloomingdales Pet Shop) after a funfilled morning decided on a Dwarf hamster, great, inexpensive (£5), we already had a suitable cage (donated) and perhaps another £10 for the sawdust, food and accessories. Mission accomplished!

Unfortunately, Continue reading “Going home”