What's going on? Two posts in one day?
I've recently "discovered" (durrrrr) that YouTube has every song I've ever loved on it. So instead of watching the news in the morning with my tea and toast, I've been searching out records from my past that I've loved and lost.
Tom Waits is one of these artists - his voice was described as "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car"
He's also one of the best lyricists around - many of his songs have been covered by more famous artists (Rod Stewart owes him much of his solo work) with more commercial success, but to hear the originals gives a different insight to this thoughtful, honest writer. He's also steadfastly refused to allow any of his music to be used in adverts - Screamin' Jay Hawkins version of 'Heart Attack and Vine' was used by Levi's. Tom sued and won, with a payout and a full page apology in Melody Maker. Classy......
If you've not heard any of his stuff before, go play on YouTube and find a few you like. This one is one of his more melancholy songs, but spellbindingly beautiful. I've had this on about 4 times so far this morning and I suspect it may have another few goes before I leave the house.....
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XrkThaBWa5c
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Evil Eye Galaxy
What a great name! What a great picture!
Hubble is due for it's final service in October. What the hell are we going to do when it breaks? I'm not aware of a replacement.......in the meantime, we can all enjoy pics like this.
Monday, 28 July 2008
Space...
Most things of import that occur in the world of space stuff are admirably covered by Herr Wakmeister in his splendid blog (see TeamWak on the right)
However, I too have a love of all things extra terrestrial and will occasionally weigh in with my tuppenceworth.....and here it is.
The planet's buggered. And we buggered it up. Whether or not you subscribe to the great CO2 debate (to be covered on another day) or not, we need to start the "Save Humanity" campaign rather than "Save the Planet" which is our current focus.
The planet will be just fine until it is swallowed by our sun a few billion years - or the Milky Way collides with another galaxy (wouldn't mind tickets to watch that one!) In the slightly shorter term though, there's a damn good chance that humanity will be wiped out by either our own self-destructive tendencies or by failing to evolve to suit our changing environment.
So we really, really need to start looking at leaving our solar system and finding somewhere else to pollute/destroy. This will take at least 100 years even if we start now - we've got to develop propulsion systems that can shift a space ship at a minimum of 0.5 light speed, ideally FTL. Then we've got to test it, overcome the issues of cosmic radiation and cryogenisis, FIND a decent planet, perhaps terraform it a bit and then figure out who gets to go to the new world(s).
If the yanks try, it won't work. If anyone else tries, the yanks will nuke them unless they hand over the keys and agree that the new world will be called the United States of America II.
We need all the world leaders to take a slightly longer perspective view than 'your grandad killed my grandad so I'm going to enslave you and all your relatives' and actually look at the survival of the species.
Any offers?
However, I too have a love of all things extra terrestrial and will occasionally weigh in with my tuppenceworth.....and here it is.
The planet's buggered. And we buggered it up. Whether or not you subscribe to the great CO2 debate (to be covered on another day) or not, we need to start the "Save Humanity" campaign rather than "Save the Planet" which is our current focus.
The planet will be just fine until it is swallowed by our sun a few billion years - or the Milky Way collides with another galaxy (wouldn't mind tickets to watch that one!) In the slightly shorter term though, there's a damn good chance that humanity will be wiped out by either our own self-destructive tendencies or by failing to evolve to suit our changing environment.
So we really, really need to start looking at leaving our solar system and finding somewhere else to pollute/destroy. This will take at least 100 years even if we start now - we've got to develop propulsion systems that can shift a space ship at a minimum of 0.5 light speed, ideally FTL. Then we've got to test it, overcome the issues of cosmic radiation and cryogenisis, FIND a decent planet, perhaps terraform it a bit and then figure out who gets to go to the new world(s).
If the yanks try, it won't work. If anyone else tries, the yanks will nuke them unless they hand over the keys and agree that the new world will be called the United States of America II.
We need all the world leaders to take a slightly longer perspective view than 'your grandad killed my grandad so I'm going to enslave you and all your relatives' and actually look at the survival of the species.
Any offers?
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Less ranty!
Okay, okay last time i was in a fairly foul mood but today the sun is shining down and it's hothothot! It may even be hotter than an australian winter....you never know.
Thought i'd stick a link to this song up as it's just ace - worth checking out the rest of their stuff while you're there as it's all good.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=T8YCSJpF4g4
Thought i'd stick a link to this song up as it's just ace - worth checking out the rest of their stuff while you're there as it's all good.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=T8YCSJpF4g4
Friday, 18 July 2008
Planes Trains and Automobiles
Okay - a rant.
Our road network is overloaded with traffic - in particular huge numbers of lorries. Meanwhile, our rail network is predominantly over 100 years old, crumbling and no longer fit for purpose....why can't we spend money on improving the rail network instead of continuing to subsidise the haulage industry?
Here's what I mean - the current road tax for lorries is subsidised by the government; trucks cause far more damage to the road network than their road tax pays for. I'm sure you've all driven down motorways where the inside lane has a lovely pair of "truck tracks" grooved into the road surface.
In the mean time, freight haulage costs on the rail network are proportional to the impact caused by the trains. Why can't the government spend money on improving the rail network and make it economically viable to move most freight by rail and have local depots served by LGV's? Road traffic would massively decrease, carbon emissions would decrease and the cost of just about everything would fall as moving a trainload of stuff would reduce haulage costs significantly. Therefore lower inflation, and as demand for diesel would drop fuel prices would come down too.....not to mention our cars would be more economical as we wouldn't spend hours sitting in traffic jams caused by unroadworthy Lithuanian trucks shedding their loads all over the M1.
I think the main problem is that the governments transport policy STILL assumes an oil price of between $25 and $50 per barrel - with this assumption road transport is the way forward but in the real world it just doesn't work!
And it's not just freight either:
For the cost of a return ticket from Doncaster to Reading (a journey I unfortunately must make every month or two - £206 if you're interested) I could drive from lands end to john o'groats and still have enough fuel to make it back to Edinburgh.....crazy.
Still - on the up side, the government has decided to invest in some stretches of high speed track - trains will be able to travel at over 120 mph! Crikey, at that rate we'll soon be able to compete with the Japanese Bullet trains that are a mere 40 years old.
And the government still won't pay for the entire network to be electrified - so we're trying to buy new high speed diesel trains when the rest of Europe is only buying electric trains because they're so much more efficient, less polluting and quieter.
Our road network is overloaded with traffic - in particular huge numbers of lorries. Meanwhile, our rail network is predominantly over 100 years old, crumbling and no longer fit for purpose....why can't we spend money on improving the rail network instead of continuing to subsidise the haulage industry?
Here's what I mean - the current road tax for lorries is subsidised by the government; trucks cause far more damage to the road network than their road tax pays for. I'm sure you've all driven down motorways where the inside lane has a lovely pair of "truck tracks" grooved into the road surface.
In the mean time, freight haulage costs on the rail network are proportional to the impact caused by the trains. Why can't the government spend money on improving the rail network and make it economically viable to move most freight by rail and have local depots served by LGV's? Road traffic would massively decrease, carbon emissions would decrease and the cost of just about everything would fall as moving a trainload of stuff would reduce haulage costs significantly. Therefore lower inflation, and as demand for diesel would drop fuel prices would come down too.....not to mention our cars would be more economical as we wouldn't spend hours sitting in traffic jams caused by unroadworthy Lithuanian trucks shedding their loads all over the M1.
I think the main problem is that the governments transport policy STILL assumes an oil price of between $25 and $50 per barrel - with this assumption road transport is the way forward but in the real world it just doesn't work!
And it's not just freight either:
For the cost of a return ticket from Doncaster to Reading (a journey I unfortunately must make every month or two - £206 if you're interested) I could drive from lands end to john o'groats and still have enough fuel to make it back to Edinburgh.....crazy.
Still - on the up side, the government has decided to invest in some stretches of high speed track - trains will be able to travel at over 120 mph! Crikey, at that rate we'll soon be able to compete with the Japanese Bullet trains that are a mere 40 years old.
And the government still won't pay for the entire network to be electrified - so we're trying to buy new high speed diesel trains when the rest of Europe is only buying electric trains because they're so much more efficient, less polluting and quieter.
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
Fair Point!
As Vernonicus Moronicus quite correctly pointed out, there's been a dearth of blogging of late - mainly due to being too damn busy (and forgetting about it, admittedly....)
Still, will try harder - honest.
More to come soon (don't hold your breath though) as I'm off to pick the wifey up from work.
Still, will try harder - honest.
More to come soon (don't hold your breath though) as I'm off to pick the wifey up from work.
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