http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-33543383Read more... )

Originally posted by clocketpatch at Vanuatu Cyclone Relief
Where:

Vanuatu, a country of just over a quarter of a million people spread over 86 islands in the South Pacific. One of the most beautiful, diverse, and welcoming places in the world.


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After hearing the sad but, I think, not wholly unexpected news earlier this evening, I don't have a lot to say about it that others haven't said more eloquently elsewhere. I have been reading and re-reading (and re-reading) his books for at least the past twenty-five years and I'm pretty much certain that my tastes in literature and indeed my ( Read more... )

Astonished and saddened this afternoon to read that one of my pop-cultural touchstones Rik Mayall - Lord Flashheart, amongst many other things - has passed away today. No word as to cause yet, but 56 is too young in any case. My thoughts go out to his family ( Read more... )

So, er, like, y'know, I went and did a meme, like.

Yoinked from
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...2014 is nearly 23 hours old and it's been okay so far. I caught up on a lot of sleep this morning; my team won in the football; new Sherlock was preposterous, but just the right kind of preposterous I think. Back to the daily grind tomorrow, but only two days before the weekend ( Read more... )

Well, it's that time of year again. Off on the holiday trail for a week. Past expeditions have been described as "Withnail & I without the witty dialogue", and who knows, we may hit those heady heights again. We shall see ( Read more... )

I'm not sure how many of you on my flist I've ever had direct email contact with (not more than a couple, I'd think), but I've been made aware that there may be a problem with my email account - if any of you get anything purporting to be from me with some sort of dodgy, spammy-looking sort of link on it, just delete it, please. In the meantime, I' ( Read more... )

I should perhaps have said earlier, but starting from tomorrow I'm going to be travelling quite a bit for work-related reasons for most of April and possibly May-June too, although that's subject to change. During this period, I should be back home and online at weekends and on odd week-days as well, but if it looks like I'm not keeping up with ( Read more... )

Very sad news. I don't know, maybe I'm a naive idealist when it comes to that sort of thing, but I think in spite of all of the politics and international rivalries involved, the "space race" remains on the whole something we should be proud of, as a planet, regardless of nationalities and ideologies. And even if no human being ever sets foot on ( Read more... )