I listened to two talks in September that blurred together and definitely inspired me to think more about human colonisation of space, and in particular whether space stations or the surface of planets/moons would be better locations. Colonisation is an old science fiction theme, almost to the point of having become hackneyed without careful thoughtContinue reading “Human Colonies in Space…”
Category Archives: Interests
Sunspots images with the Acuter Solarus 80 ‘scope…
Having made a first pass of my partial solar eclipse images from 12/8/26, I thought I’d take a look at how much detail in the visible sunspots had been captured using the Acuter Solarus 80 ‘scope and a digital phone camera – and I was impressed! I’ve desaturated the colour, slightly boosted the contrast andContinue reading “Sunspots images with the Acuter Solarus 80 ‘scope…”
Partial Solar Eclipse – 12/8/26…
The UK enjoyed a partial solar eclipse on 12/8/26. About 92% of the Sun was covered by the Moon, and it seemed liked 92% of all people had gone out to see it! I chose to view the eclipse from the cliff tops at Minnis Bay, on the Isle of Thanet. This location has anContinue reading “Partial Solar Eclipse – 12/8/26…”
The “Fractured Europe” series by Dave Hutchinson…
Between 2014 to 2016, Dave Hutchinson published 3 books in his “Fractured Europe” series of science fiction novels. A fourth book was later published in 2018, and then a fifth in 2022. Europe in Autumn (2014)Europe at Midnight (2015)Europe in Winter (Nov 2016)Europe at Dawn (Nov 2018)Cold Water (2022) I have only read “Europe inContinue reading “The “Fractured Europe” series by Dave Hutchinson…”
The Tensions Between Capitalism and Social Good in the Provision of Internet Services…
I have happy memories of enjoying using the internet with 33.6k and then “fast” 56k dial-up modems in the late 1990s. Pages took a short moment to load, especially if they were image-heavy. But as my interests were largely centred on science news, I was well prepared to wait a moment for the latest updates.Continue reading “The Tensions Between Capitalism and Social Good in the Provision of Internet Services…”
Climate Politics…
Since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was created in 1988, it has issued 6 reports synthesising the scientific results. It is now in its seventh assessment cycle, which started in July 2023. Even without taking part in Climate research, or being a Policy Maker, or part of an advocacy group, the effect ofContinue reading “Climate Politics…”
Who do you nominate to be the greatest influence on science?
In my local Science discussion group, the current topic of debate is “who do you nominate to be the greatest influence on science?” – This is a very hard question to answer! Science generally progresses through the collaborative output of thousands of minds. Derek J. de Solla Price estimated that 80-90% of all scientists whoContinue reading “Who do you nominate to be the greatest influence on science?”
A Comment On Recent USA International Actions…
There has been considerable reporting of events occurring within the USA, with quite strong and polarised opinions being expressed. From my viewpoint here in the UK, I believe that actions the USA government has been taking against its own population are for United Statesians to consider, and to then react to at the ballot boxContinue reading “A Comment On Recent USA International Actions…”
I just completed making the 14″ MPC model of an Eagle Transporter from the TV show “Space 1999″…
I had a lot of fun making this model and thought it would be good to share some pictures of my final build. There are a few errors (that most people will not notice), but overall I am very pleased with how this came out. The model is painted and decorated in my own takeContinue reading “I just completed making the 14″ MPC model of an Eagle Transporter from the TV show “Space 1999″…”
A Problem with Fundamental Physics…
In my opinion, the purpose of Physics is to determine the key physical processes governing how the natural world works, and to write down the associated mathematical Laws which describe them. From Galileo to Newton to Einstein, building on the work of thousands of scientists, much (obviously not all) of the focus has been onContinue reading “A Problem with Fundamental Physics…”
