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Astronomical checklist
Sep. 8th, 2017 09:36 pmIt seems, from today's xkcd, that Randall's had a pretty good 2017. I was ahead of the game, however:
My first total solar eclipse was in Turkey during March 2006. (That's it, in the icon at the top of this post.) I hope to see another in the USA in August 2024, and again in Spain in 2026.
My first aurorae were in Norway during March 2015. Barring freak lucky glimpses (I hear there's a good chance from the UK tonight!), I hope to see more of the Northern Lights, as well as much more of Scandinavia, a lot sooner than my next solar eclipse.
Meteor storm? Well, I've seen Perseid and Leonid meteor showers several times but, like Randall, I guess I'm going to have to wait until 2034 to see a full-blown meteor storm.
The solar system is astonishing. 8o)
My first total solar eclipse was in Turkey during March 2006. (That's it, in the icon at the top of this post.) I hope to see another in the USA in August 2024, and again in Spain in 2026.
My first aurorae were in Norway during March 2015. Barring freak lucky glimpses (I hear there's a good chance from the UK tonight!), I hope to see more of the Northern Lights, as well as much more of Scandinavia, a lot sooner than my next solar eclipse.
Meteor storm? Well, I've seen Perseid and Leonid meteor showers several times but, like Randall, I guess I'm going to have to wait until 2034 to see a full-blown meteor storm.
The solar system is astonishing. 8o)
Okay, so I have joined the crowd moving over to Dreamwidth. I've copied my LiveJournal archive over and I'm gradually tracking down LJ friends on DW - let me know!
I intend to keep my LJ account going, at least for the time being. Partly because I like the idea of having a backup copy of my journal on two different sites. Partly because I don't hold LJ responsible for Russian laws. And partly because it was my first proper blog and 12 years (Wow!) of history is hard to let go of.
The content, though, will be mirrored. My username and posts are the same on both sites, so if you read my ramblings, read them on whichever site you prefer!
I intend to keep my LJ account going, at least for the time being. Partly because I like the idea of having a backup copy of my journal on two different sites. Partly because I don't hold LJ responsible for Russian laws. And partly because it was my first proper blog and 12 years (Wow!) of history is hard to let go of.
The content, though, will be mirrored. My username and posts are the same on both sites, so if you read my ramblings, read them on whichever site you prefer!
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Well, that's a relief
Sep. 14th, 2011 01:11 pmAnother one of those "Could you pass the 11-plus?" articles
15/15 correct and answered in 6 minutes. Hooray, I can pass a test meant for 11-year-olds. Go me.
15/15 correct and answered in 6 minutes. Hooray, I can pass a test meant for 11-year-olds. Go me.
World to end next Tuesday
Aug. 6th, 2011 09:51 amAs usual, The Daily Mash has been spot on in getting to the heart of current events, but this week's coverage of the financial crisis screw-up has been particularly brilliant:
Monday:
"Despite the deal, it's important to remember that we must all continue to live in constant, life-shortening fear because of this entirely abstract system we have created and could, if we had even a shred of imagination or genuine compassion for one another, dismantle right fucking now."
Tuesday:
"We use a very complex formula to calculate bonuses, so if, for example, profits fall by 33% then bonuses would only go up by 72%. It should be obvious how those two numbers are related, but let me explain it anyway."
Friday (1):
"I'm not sure the Royal Bank of Scotland can actually withstand another 24 hours of being run by someone with a banking qualification. It is time for them to stand aside and make way for a spoon-wielding cat chaser who will at least read the papers and watch Newsround before deciding whether or not to buy hundreds of millions of pounds worth of debt from a country that does not have any money."
Friday (2):
"Noisy room where shirty men swap zeroes have frowny day as lazy bones in sunny places say no money now and be sad."
Monday:
"Despite the deal, it's important to remember that we must all continue to live in constant, life-shortening fear because of this entirely abstract system we have created and could, if we had even a shred of imagination or genuine compassion for one another, dismantle right fucking now."
Tuesday:
"We use a very complex formula to calculate bonuses, so if, for example, profits fall by 33% then bonuses would only go up by 72%. It should be obvious how those two numbers are related, but let me explain it anyway."
Friday (1):
"I'm not sure the Royal Bank of Scotland can actually withstand another 24 hours of being run by someone with a banking qualification. It is time for them to stand aside and make way for a spoon-wielding cat chaser who will at least read the papers and watch Newsround before deciding whether or not to buy hundreds of millions of pounds worth of debt from a country that does not have any money."
Friday (2):
"Noisy room where shirty men swap zeroes have frowny day as lazy bones in sunny places say no money now and be sad."
Eeeeeevil, I tell you!
Jun. 8th, 2011 07:53 pmI have given in and signed up to That Facebook:
http://en-gb.facebook.com/people/Richard-Jackson/100002414368484
Me actually posting anything myself on there is still unlikely, but if you'd like me to be able to see stuff that you post, please add me as a friend.
I feel dirty.
http://en-gb.facebook.com/people/Richard-Jackson/100002414368484
Me actually posting anything myself on there is still unlikely, but if you'd like me to be able to see stuff that you post, please add me as a friend.
I feel dirty.
...so says The Daily Mash. So who's up for seeing Avatar in 3D this Saturday afternoon?
I was thinking one of these showings: 14:00 15:20 16:25 17:35
Any preferences for times? Does anyone know which of these is on Screen 7?
Edit: As the website, helpline and box office are all useless, I will go in tomorrow morning to check (I want to go to Toys R Us anyway). I'll pick a suitable big screen showing. Check back here or ring me about noon to confirm which one.
Edit 2: Okay, let's go for the 15:20 showing. That's on Screen 8 (bizarrely St Trinian's is on Screen 7). If that's no good, the 16:25 showing is on Screen 6, but let me know quickly otherwise I'll assume the 15:20.
I was thinking one of these showings: 14:00 15:20 16:25 17:35
Any preferences for times? Does anyone know which of these is on Screen 7?
Edit: As the website, helpline and box office are all useless, I will go in tomorrow morning to check (I want to go to Toys R Us anyway). I'll pick a suitable big screen showing. Check back here or ring me about noon to confirm which one.
Edit 2: Okay, let's go for the 15:20 showing. That's on Screen 8 (bizarrely St Trinian's is on Screen 7). If that's no good, the 16:25 showing is on Screen 6, but let me know quickly otherwise I'll assume the 15:20.
Today I finally got around to visiting the V&A exhibits at the Millennium Gallery. There's some quite terrifyingly valuable stuff in there. I was particularly impressed by the first millennium ivories (including possibly the world's most ostentatious book cover) and the wooden medieval St Christopher statue.
By contrast, the The da Vinci Forster Codex is very unassuming, but immensely cool. There's something spine-tingling about seeing the actual 500-year-old hand-written notes from the greatest geek of all time, and trying to interpret what he's saying about calculating the volume of a dodecahedron :o)
There's quite a bit of local heritage in the exhibition too, including letters and needlework by Mary Queen of Scots when she was in Sheffield castle.
If you haven't yet been, it's on for another two weeks. I definitely recommend checking it out if you get time.
On a more low-brow front, The Hunt for Gollum is a very impressive little film. The production values are amazing for an amateur fan-made effort. It's full of lingering scenery shots / foreboding mutterings / pointless Arwen interludes, and therefore it takes ages for anything to happen - just like the real thing! Worth a watch if you find yourself with a spare half hour to waste on the intertubes.
By contrast, the The da Vinci Forster Codex is very unassuming, but immensely cool. There's something spine-tingling about seeing the actual 500-year-old hand-written notes from the greatest geek of all time, and trying to interpret what he's saying about calculating the volume of a dodecahedron :o)
There's quite a bit of local heritage in the exhibition too, including letters and needlework by Mary Queen of Scots when she was in Sheffield castle.
If you haven't yet been, it's on for another two weeks. I definitely recommend checking it out if you get time.
On a more low-brow front, The Hunt for Gollum is a very impressive little film. The production values are amazing for an amateur fan-made effort. It's full of lingering scenery shots / foreboding mutterings / pointless Arwen interludes, and therefore it takes ages for anything to happen - just like the real thing! Worth a watch if you find yourself with a spare half hour to waste on the intertubes.
Advanced technology
Mar. 21st, 2009 06:08 pmAs I tried to mention in the pub last night before getting mocked - because apparently having lots of comics based on toy robots from 25 years ago doesn't make me the height of cool. Who'd have thought it? ;o) -
Steampunk Transformers!
Bumblebee - Shockwave - Starscream - Ravage
Speaking of being a great big nerd*, I've lost far too much of today playing about with Google Street View. It's a bit good, isn't it?
In case you're interested, I've worked out that the Google car must have been round Sheffield about the weekend of 23rd / 24th August last year, since the cooling towers are either still standing or a pile of rubble depending on which way you go down the viaduct.
Seeing the date of the next match outside the Wednesday ground was a bit of a clue as well.
* which I wasn't, of course
Steampunk Transformers!
Bumblebee - Shockwave - Starscream - Ravage
Speaking of being a great big nerd*, I've lost far too much of today playing about with Google Street View. It's a bit good, isn't it?
In case you're interested, I've worked out that the Google car must have been round Sheffield about the weekend of 23rd / 24th August last year, since the cooling towers are either still standing or a pile of rubble depending on which way you go down the viaduct.
Seeing the date of the next match outside the Wednesday ground was a bit of a clue as well.
* which I wasn't, of course
Topical questions of the week
Jan. 23rd, 2009 12:09 am1) Do left-handers automatically make better US presidents? Yes folks, it's time to celebrate because we have a southpaw in the White House again! :o)
2) Why are the neon signs on the outside of Woolworths still lit up, and who's paying the electric bill?
3) Should I worry that it never occurred to me that I should be worried if there is a God? Does He have some sort of vendetta I don't know about, that means I should avoid targeted lightning bolts?
Edit:
4) Why does everyone make the 'Italian Job conundrum' so complicated? Michael Caine was already over the tipping point. All he had to do was crawl back to the safer end of the bus so that the weight balanced enough for one of them to get out. Then load the front of the bus with rocks, go fetch a tow truck - you've got no end of possibilities!
2) Why are the neon signs on the outside of Woolworths still lit up, and who's paying the electric bill?
3) Should I worry that it never occurred to me that I should be worried if there is a God? Does He have some sort of vendetta I don't know about, that means I should avoid targeted lightning bolts?
Edit:
4) Why does everyone make the 'Italian Job conundrum' so complicated? Michael Caine was already over the tipping point. All he had to do was crawl back to the safer end of the bus so that the weight balanced enough for one of them to get out. Then load the front of the bus with rocks, go fetch a tow truck - you've got no end of possibilities!
Woohoo! Things are whizzing round and round in a big circle really fast! (Now if only they could do the same thing with the M25.)
As someone pointed out on BBC Have Your Say:
The date the LHC is switched on is 10/09/08.......
Coincidence? COINCIDENCE??? ;o)
As someone pointed out on BBC Have Your Say:
The date the LHC is switched on is 10/09/08.......
Coincidence? COINCIDENCE??? ;o)
Mystery solved! ;o)
Jul. 3rd, 2008 05:36 pm...and people wonder where all the bees have gone!
- Lorry carrying 12m bees overturns
- Mass bee invasion closes school
- Lorry carrying 12m bees overturns
- Mass bee invasion closes school
Something to keep your brain ticking over during lunchtime
I'm pleased to say I got 8/8 on the first attempt, proving that I at least have the intellect of an 11-year-old. Though I did need to scribble down some notes for question 1.
I'm pleased to say I got 8/8 on the first attempt, proving that I at least have the intellect of an 11-year-old. Though I did need to scribble down some notes for question 1.
