Before committing to becoming a post-grad researcher in my old age, I tried a Stanford University MOOC course in Special Relativity just to see what I was letting myself in for. MOOCs (massive open on-line courses) from some of the world’s top universities are freely available, but they’re not the only internet resources for lifelong learning and re-skilling. Link
From the heavens to the depths of hell
Ever wondered what title you have to the space above and below your property? The laws in the UK and the US were founded on the principle of Cuius est solum, eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos (whoever owns the soil holds title up to the heavens and down to the depths of hell). Modern day pressures are changing all that… Link
National Secular Society Petitions the BBC
Fewer than one in five British people think BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day should always feature religious content (survey by Censuswide). BBC policy is to explicitly exclude non-religious voices. Please read on, and then consider signing a petition to get this changed. Link Continue reading “National Secular Society Petitions the BBC”
Batteries not the answer
This article in MIT Technology Review explains clearly why battery technology is unlikely to enable renewables to provide the li-ion’s share of our energy needs. Nevertheless, dogma is likely to drive us down an unsustainable path. Link
Quote
A great quote from The Yellow Birds* (my emphasis): “It reminded me of talking, how what is said is never quite what was thought, and what is heard is never quite what was said. It wasn’t much in the way of comfort, but everything has a little failure in it, and we still make do somehow.”
*Powers, Kevin. The Yellow Birds: A Novel (p. 225). Hodder & Stoughton. Kindle Edition.
Don’t leave it too late
From my company’s Health Assured newsletter this month: “With one third of our lives being spent at work, there is little wonder why many look forward to the golden days of retirement.”
To me, the moral of this is: make sure you enjoy your work. If you don’t, and you are fortunate enough to have a choice, then do something else.
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