Thursday, November 30, 2017

Evanston: one versus many; hurricane animation


        I seldom buy ‘real’ books any more.  Only when there is not an e-edition of something I really want to read.  The photo above shows the reason.
        Mats in Sweden recommended THE FRINGES OF POWER, the diaries of John Colville, personal secretary to three British Prime Ministers, including Winston Churchill.  I thank him.  I bought a used copy via Amazon.  It is a very interesting book, showing the inner bred social relationships of England’s governing class and how even those at the center of power often, perhaps usually, function blindly in the fog of war.  However it is a big, heavy, awkward to hold book.
        To the left:  one book.  To the right 400+ books, not to mention 700 albums of music and electronic charts sufficient for GANNET to sail around the world.

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        The Astronomy Picture of the Day recently ran an interesting short animation of this year’s extreme hurricane season.

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        Tomorrow being the first day of December, I would normally be making my reservation to fly back to GANNET in early January, but as far as I know the boat yard has done nothing except quickly charge my credit card for the 50% deposit on the repair.  I’ll wait another week and, if I have not heard anything, call them.  Sigh.

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        In the past I have paid scant attention to the America’s Cup which is about too much money and too big egos, but I found this last one interesting because of the foiling catamarans sailing in ways and speeds beyond my experience.  Thus I was disappointed at the rumors that NZ was going to revert to monohulls for the next Cup to be held in Auckland in 2021.  I shouldn’t have been.  The Kiwis have come up with a design at least as radical as the foiling cats and perhaps even more bizarre and potentially exciting.

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        I doubt I will post again until next Tuesday or Wednesday.  When I do, I expect it will be about an Old Folks Home.