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Uncle Steve

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(no subject) [Dec. 13th, 2009|01:17 pm]
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Quick shout for help from London-based computery folks:

The lovely [info]pixylatedpyxie recently moved in with two friends and has wireless broadband coming into the new house, but can't get reception on her PC upstairs. It may need setting up from scratch, or aerials/etc which aren't in place yet. The PC downstairs which is connected directly to the modem gets broadband fine. Does anyone have a spare afternoon next week to give the setup a sanity check? Even some basics over the phone would help at this point. She will pay well in expenses and chocolate!

(This post on behalf of Ella who is going slowly insane due to being entirely without internets).
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(no subject) [Dec. 11th, 2009|02:29 am]
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Can anyone recommend places to buy steampunk or victorian gents costumes around London or Brighton? The only good website which sells directly is US-based and the cost to the UK becomes double the (already too high) price.

Frock coats, pocket-watch and chain, etc? (Yes, I have tried ebay, etsy, various historical reenactment sites. Some nice ideas, but no uk sellers.)
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Festive Neon [Nov. 29th, 2009|03:59 pm]
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Flickr pics from walking through London's Trafalgar Square on Friday night. All look better full-size :)


Festive Neon


Shakespeare, light in darkness


Momentum


Slow death by kitsch


Spin it
Originally uploaded by Steve B, UK
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(no subject) [Nov. 11th, 2009|05:46 pm]
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New t-shirt from Diesel Sweeties.

Saw the lovely [info]halcyon_shift, [info]doccy and [info]mitchy this morning, for the first time in... mumble too many years and there was even ice-cream.

In other news from today, Waltham Cross is still a shithole. Just in case you were wondering.

And while I'm on: Dragon Age: Origins is NOT the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate 2, or Neverwinter Nights, or any of the other great rpg games. It's Mass Effect again, with all the same flaws but in a fantasy setting. Too few npcs, too linear a plot, no way to go solo or form an entirely evil party. It's nice, but it's not BG2.

Games developers: make a new BG2 that isn't as unrelentingly shit as NWN 2. You will make a truckload of money.
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Getting the shouty poppy arguments started early [Oct. 21st, 2009|05:51 pm]
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Crap. I'm going to give in and do something I said I never would: buy both a red and a white poppy for Remembrance Day.

Every year I take shit for being in favour of White poppies for peace. People complain that they take money away from ex-soldiers who need it, that they are a charity but we don't know precisely where the money will go, and the usual bollocks about not supporting the troops etc.

The aspect of red poppies which drives most people to find out about white as an alternative is the idea that they are used by the government to glorify and justify war. To lend it respect, and honour, and credibility. No-one can argue that those who fought in WWII were unjustified: we had an enemy that would have invaded us, wiped out our culture and replaced it with one which we find totally immoral and evil. Not only did the war have to be fought, but by freeing other countries from the Nazis our soldiers defended the helpless and safeguarded the future.

Since then...

Can we really say that the wars since then have been necessary? Economically and politically expedient maybe, but for suvival or genuine defense?

So I'll make the statement: "I don't support the troops".

Veterans from 50 years ago or more certainly, but not the current army. I know that it's the government which sends them to far-off lands based on lies in order to claim resources and not the troops themselves... but the soldiers sign up for it. They say "I will kill anyone you tell me to in future, without knowing who or why. I will be placed in mortal danger for this government."

They are not defending me. The UK has not been invaded. It is not honourable to unquestioningly kill whoever your leaders decide is an enemy this month. In 2002 I made statements about why the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could not be won, by definition. Every single part of that has come true - and I was no expert. Being part of the structure that enables conflicts with such massive civilian casualty rates is not moral or honourable. I do not care that the Army is often the only place that the poor or less educated can find work: a wage for a British soldier is not more important than the lives of multiple civilians. It does not matter which country those civilians are from.

Honour is not the same as duty, and duty is frequently not moral or justified. By following these orders, they are enabling the cynical oil grabs and weapons trades with tyrants to continue.

Edit: I'm not an absolute pacifist. I just don't believe that the UK army should be deployed outside UK borders for anything other than observation or to lend defense to weaker nations. And I'm not sure they're the right force to be doing the latter.

Despite this, and despite all that I have said above, "I do support the troops".

I want them to be returned alive and unharmed at the end of their tours. I want the risks they take to be fully justified, necessary and unavoidable. I want the government to have such a hard time selling a case for war that it will only happen when public sees a clear need for it. And I want the government to pay so highly for every army casualty that they do their utmost to prevent deaths. Soldiers need all our support, because they're not getting it from the government (example: a year ago an SAS chief quit over repeatedly not getting adequate equipment.)

There are good reasons to buy the Red poppies if you are anti-war. They only exist because those who have fought are not looked after adequately by the state, and extra charity was needed. They are essentially a slap in the face of the Government, a shout of "Why do we have to look after these people who gave everything for you?"

But we cannot escape the fact that red poppies are also propaganda for the current government. Tony Blair was allowed to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph, as opposed to being arrested or leapt upon by the crowd and punched repeatedly. The Cenotaph itself says "The Glorious Dead". They are not glorious, and neither is war. It is not glorious to die in battle. They are dead, and we should not forget the horrific events which made them so. Leaders use Remembrance Sunday to agree that violence is a terrible thing, but that it justifies never giving up in future. The gravitas and sorrow over past sacrifices mean we owe it to them not to stop now.

No, we owe it to them not to waste more lives.

How many of the wars since 1945 have met the criteria for a Just War? How many have even come close? How do we justify spending as much as we do on defence, when the huge amounts of money could be spent on social problems? France or Scandinavia are not going to invade the UK. We do not need a standing army. If it is judged that a situation (such as the genocide in Darfur) requires outside intervention on humanitarian grounds, then lets have an international force ready to do that. It could be argued that the UN in recent times hasn't had remotely enough power to take that role.

I want to buy a white poppy because the money goes to education initiatives to bring about Peace as a first intent, and we badly need that.

And I will grudgingly have to buy a red poppy, because there are still soldiers who need the money. But I will not wear it while Gordon Brown does, or Margaret Thatcher, or (if he dares show his face) Tony Blair. The statement I would be making has become too muddied, and the modern use of the army too misguided.

War is never the right answer. The white poppies contribute to spreading that message and it is the most important one for me. The red poppies should be seen to say it too, but the money from them does at least go to people who need it. Giving money to the Legion does not directly empower the government. So this year, I will buy both but only wear white.
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(no subject) [Sep. 17th, 2009|11:37 pm]
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London at night:

London...

More cities viewed from space here. Interestingly, everywhere is orange except for Japan, which is blue-green.

-------

In other news, flickr group joy: "Meerkats in purple hats playing the piano".

"This group is all about celebrating the wide artistic talent and diverse range of creativity that is evident on flickr. We want to see all the best that the photographers on this site have to offer.

There are only 2 simple rules:
1. No porn.
2. The photo must be of a meerkat in a purple hat playing the piano.

REJECTION APPEALS:
If you submit a photo and it is rejected you may post it into the Rejection Appeals thread and receive feedback on why exactly it didn't quite fit the group.

In 99.9% of cases it will probably be that the photo is not of a meerkat in a purple hat playing the piano."


They're absolutely serious. There are only 13 photos, by different people, all ACTUALLY OF meerkats in purple hats playing the piano. I love it.


In this thread they argue about whether a particular photo really qualifies, since on magnification it appears that it could in fact be of a Platypus playing the harpsichord.

There is also a regular competition. The most recent is to provide a photo of a Meerkat in a purple hat playing the piano accompanied by a Hungarian on the kazoo.

"Would a meercat in a purple hat playing the piano qualify for this contest if it weren't accompanied by a Hungarian, but was playing Franz Liszt (albeit poorly?)"

"I am glad you have asked that as it's a very good point and so we can clarify this straight away and prevent any confusion.

If there were no actual Hungarian present but the creature was playing Franz Liszt then the Meerkat itself would also have to have the kazu in its mouth and sound a note upon it within each bar of music.

It would also have to submit the details of two independent witnesses (both with clean driving licenses) that could personally vouch for the quality of hand stitching in the meerkat's trousers."
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Rant and Randomness [Sep. 10th, 2009|11:31 am]
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Why do you do this every day?
by adotjdotsmith



The new Michael Moore film quotes a Citibank report which says "The US is now a plutonomy, the top 1% of the population control 95% of the wealth."

I'm fairly sure the UK won't be far behind those figures.

I'm playing some roleplaying games recently where characters have to be passionate about various environments. They have to look at the City and realise what achievements the concrete and steel are, how magnificent it is that we managed to impose our will on nature in this way – locking out the forests and vines, controlling the creeping growth to make clean and stable structures. That is a great achievement... but it makes us blind.

1% of the people have 95% of the wealth. That means no matter how hard the millions in our offices work, no matter how much they sacrifice of their lives to provide for their families, it's never outside the 5%.

The whole thing is a con game. Just like cities are.

No city can survive without the countryside providing food for it. The tarmac and smoke don't grow their own food, by definition. They just sit like sterile concrete ant nests, teeming with frantic life and overwhelming death.

I don't mean death in any symbolic way, such as compared to the amount of plant life outside them. No, cities are the places of death. There are far more people, far more crime, and a history of denser populations over time than in the countryside. If you map out where most people die in your country, it's in the cities.

But I don't hate urban areas, or think they don't have their own strong amount of life. They clearly do. Londinium has been a thriving (or at least crowded) metropolis since at least the time of the Romans. If a city could be said to have a spirit, London's would be very much alive. It would have years of poverty and suffering built into its very brickwork, but also a more consistent and varied fight for survival than many places on the globe. It has incredible beauty, and history, and colour. It also hosts the biggest con game in Europe, drawing refugees from far afield and promising a better life. This isn't a lie – you can have a better life in the UK than many places on this planet. It will just be within the 5%, and probably towards the bottom of it.

So the cities are furious hubs of activity in a game where the outcome is already known for virtually everyone. Social mobility was pathetic in 1997, and is worse under this government. (No, it won't be better under the Conservatives). And that's the other half of the lie.

Here's a statement: the Conservative party WILL win the next UK election. We don't know when it will be held, we don't know what their policies are, but it's already a guaranteed fact.

I don't think this means we're not a democracy. If it's the will of the people, I don't mind knowing the inevitable this far in advance. My problem is that the Tories will get practically 100% of the power, and anyone not voting for them is unrepresented in any meaningful way. Since no party since WWII has had more than 50% of the total vote, this by definition means at least 50% of the country is locked out.

A friend works in a theatre which is dependent on Arts Council funding. Their risk assessment for next year includes the condition “If the Tories get in”. I believe one of the powerpoint slides may have literally included the words “We're f***ed.” Anyone wanting funding from the government is trembling right now, because we can all see the inevitable. (Disclaimer: this does not include arms manufacturers. They will continue to be subsidised by the next government and do very nicely, thank you.)

The Lib Dem voice points out that if you're under 40 and live in the UK, there's a 50% chance your MP has *always* been of the same party. In other words, if your town had a Conservative MP when you were born, there's a 50% chance that didn't change at any election since 1970. We have a thing called “Safe seats”, which translates as “No matter who you vote for in your local area, this person is the one who will get in.”

What can we do about this? Well yes, you could move to a safe-seat area of the party you like. Also, we could get a more representative system (but no-one remembers how to have one of those which lets any party achieve anything). And you run straight into the problem the US is having, which is that it's full of hateful morons Republican voters. In the liberal fantasy of making this country a better place, you run smack into the reality wall that many people genuinely want the Conservative party in power. They might be amnesiacs, or fall under the umbrella of Steve's Republican Question (“Rep voters: Are they actively evil, or just really ignorant and stupid?”) Either way, England is a deeply conservative country and that means liberals will not have enough power to achieve big things anytime soon, under any system.

(I'll leave out how big business completely runs our politics anyway. It's been kinda known for at least 20 years.)

So we're left with the cities: crime hotspots and polluted prisons for the majority of people who work just to survive. In them, though, and in London particularly, we see the greatest hope as well (and no, not “from the proles”.) Very big cities are *LIBERAL*. They allow diversity, they encourage anonymity and individuality, they set trends and inspire, foster rebellion and make room for everything alternative. I remarked a while ago that I never see blue hair in Hertfordshire. In London, if a pretty girl walked down the street with neon blue hair, it was practically invisible. No-one stared (although appreciative looks were common). I saw a girl coming over the bridge in town here and assumed she had the same, but it turned out to be a blue hat. Of course it was a hat. We're not in London anymore.



Francis and Louis
by adotjdotsmith



So I'm not going to give up on cities, with their weight of dark concrete and glass, their heat retention and eternal background noise of people living their lives and dying by the thousands. There are wild spirits in the woods, a clearer sense of life and death on the farms, but the city is a howling spirit of destruction which has the best and most glorious shouts for life contained within it. It is the only place where we can push the boundaries enough to get out of this ridiculous social cage.

In paganism, you learn to bring in the more fulfilling parts of nature to your life – the fertility in the land, the new growth in spring, the sun returning after winter. You also value that Winter, and the necessary rest, and the beauty of its harshness. You respect it, because it could kill you. The city, though... that features far less. Any attempts to incorporate it into the worldview are often based on finding mythic or rural aspects within it. A much more difficult approach is to embrace the city for exactly what it is, and try to feel and live it to the same extent that we love the peaceful streams and forests. You move from tree and root magic to rat and pigeon magic amongst tarmac, glass, mp3 players, widescreen HD tv. The spirit of the place becomes more about people, not other life. The moon shines down upon it, but only where she can peep between buildings - not lighting the entire cloudy sky. Neon and streetlights shout upwards to replace her.

It's a scary thing to take your tools and walk into the teeming den, unsure of how they will work against these new Gods.


Tesco Bokeh
by adotjdotsmith


The photos are all by adotjdotsmith, taken from flickr. In the top one someone has written "Why do you do this every single day?" on the concrete pillar.

I'm going to make this type of post again, taking 3 photos I find randomly on flickr and seeing where it goes.
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(no subject) [Sep. 2nd, 2009|10:17 am]
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As I sit here munching Montezuma's excellent white chocolate bar (many thanks to [info]frozen_in_honey and gang), does anyone fancy going on a "Chocolate walking tour" in London on Saturday?

"First stop will be Rococo, where we will have a short talk and chocolate tasting session. We'll then head across Hyde Park and visit Melt's store in Notting Hill where we'll have a chocolate tempering demonstration. After that the final stop will be Artisan du Chocolat's new Chocolateria on Westbourne Grove, where, space permitting, we can sit down and sample their fantastic chocolate menu which includes delicious cocktails made with cacao pulp, [other treats include] fondue, and brownies. If it is a hot day Melt and Artisan du Chocolate both have fantastic ice cream to cool us down."

Details and sign-up are here, the fee is £6 which I think you can pay on the day, or by paypal.

I need to do more of this kind of thing, clearly.
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Flickr Update [Aug. 24th, 2009|09:01 pm]
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Had a great London Photoshoot at the weekend, some new shots are up on flickr.

Edit: Whoa, my views count has just gone insane! Turns out there's an audience for pictures of pretty girls. Who knew? I feel a plan coming on.



Wishing
Originally uploaded by Steve B, UK



Panning for Gold
Originally uploaded by Steve B, UK



Feral
Originally uploaded by Steve B, UK



Taken
Originally uploaded by Steve B, UK



Shuzhi
Originally uploaded by Steve B, UK


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Flickr Update [Aug. 11th, 2009|09:29 pm]
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Recent photos on my Flickr:


Air - colour
Originally uploaded by Steve B, UK




Carousel 2
Originally uploaded by Steve B, UK




Ink on canvas
Originally uploaded by Steve B, UK

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(no subject) [Jul. 20th, 2009|11:24 pm]
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[info]alasdair went up on the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square, London, as part of http://www.oneandother.co.uk/ . He wore a white suit, and took photos of his many strange friends who had dressed up for the occasion. And I stayed at home and took screenshots of the live feed (sorry for the poor quality):

Pics of Alasdair and friends. )

[info]alasdair smiled a lot, waved to the crowd, and whistled cheerfully. At one point someone rang him to say that they were watching him on the live feed. And we said hi on twitter, which he checked while he was up there. He relayed a hello from friends in the crowd to [info]anw, who is in Toronto, who could see him on the live feed. And twitter. [info]anw recognised [info]burge's laugh in the crowd from half a world away. Meanwhile [info]alasdair was taking photos of people, and others were screenshot-ing him doing it.

It's all very strange.
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(no subject) [Jul. 14th, 2009|12:54 am]
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This photo seems to be causing a fuss. I thought it was bland. Eh. Anyway, here's a photo of me that finally looks something like me, and doesn't have killer red-eye.

Edit: Riiight. That really wasn't why I posted this, but it's all good :)

Edit: You're all mad.
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(no subject) [Jul. 7th, 2009|10:39 pm]
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Today is the anniversary of the 7/7 London Bombings, and as Jennie points out, the fact most of you hadn't even realised that is the best outcome of all.

Good. It's a shame our own politicians had to milk it (and everything else whether it technically existed or not) in order to reduce our civil liberties, but obscurity is an excellent fate for "Britain's 9/11".

And yeah, I suppose I'm reminding people by writing this post, which would seem to be against the point, but it's worth celebrating the victories when we find them. The fact that almost no-one cares about "7/7" is a big victory against the morons and manipulators who seek to make us see the world as "us and them", and inventing phrases like the "Axis of Evil".

So let's keep Not Doing That. Good work, all.
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(no subject) [Jun. 30th, 2009|10:58 am]
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Great Cory Doctrow article on CCTV and why it
a) won't work, and
b) breaks the social contract,

now with added photos as part of the SoFoBoMo project.

"SoFoBoMo is short for Solo Photo Book Month - a group event where a bunch of photographers all make solo photo books start to finish, in 31 days, at more or less the same time. It's modeled loosely on NaNoWriMo, where participating writers all write novels in a month..."

More finished photo books at this link.

This is one particularly good: Vistagraphs being an attempt to create something nearer to what the human eye sees (a stream of images) than a single fixed-depth normal camera shot. And I'm a sucker for landscapes.

(I suspect [info]alasdair is going to like this post, but everyone should check out the SoFoBoMo site, it's fab.)
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Passing Crowds 2 [Apr. 25th, 2009|11:03 pm]
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Passing Crowds 2

Photos up on my flickr from today's wandering around London.

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(no subject) [Mar. 2nd, 2009|09:06 am]
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Sadly, this is a real and accurate description of the UK right now.
Great piece.
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Instinct [Jan. 28th, 2009|08:49 am]
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I’m walking along the train station platform at Ware when I realise I’m holding my left elbow an inch higher than normal. And I don’t know why I’m doing it.

Then I look around and see that a man is walking parallel with me, in close. Something’s off – he’s radiating, and too intense. If he pushed or struck out with his hand, I’d need my arm here to block it, and keep my weight away from the edge of the platform. I’d need to be able to put my hand back a bit more than usual, like I can now.

I’m going into London, but there’s no reason for me to be this alert. I’ve had more trouble in central London in the past five years than anywhere (and far more than my friends, if conversation is anything to go by) but I didn’t think I was paranoid about it.

I’ve had instinct come in handy a few times. I don’t know how much of it is habit from martial arts, or living-in-london common sense. There is a test for one of the Dan grades in Bujinkan Ninjutsu which involves you kneeling on the floor while your Sensei attempts to split your skull open from behind with a bokken. (A wooden sword. No, that’s not a soft option, they’re usually made out of solid oak). You have to sense it coming, and roll out of the way. If you fail, you get to do it again, depending on the urgency of need for immediate medical attention. It’s about sensing hostile intent.

But I never think about fighting, ever. I’m aware of people around me, but only because I’m bad in crowds – I can’t help but be aware, I have to put a fair amount of effort into just trying to ignore it. Where other people march through a crowd and force it to part, I’ll wait for gaps and go with the flow. I’m not someone who sees trouble everywhere. So why tonight?

Maybe living in Hertfordshire is too relaxing…


The man walking beside me goes from 0-100 instantly, shouting and spitting into his phone.

…Maybe not.


The Central line is full of relaxed and smiling people. Town is as easygoing as I’ve ever seen it. We shop for books on ancient Greek.
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(no subject) [Jan. 15th, 2009|05:42 pm]
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Well now, that's interesting.

I'm stuck in Ware, which is about as remote and hideously uncool a place as it's possible to imagine. So naturally, I want to get out and socialise, so that I don't go gibberingly insane from over-exposure to mundane and unsatisfactory folk.

And yet, for the past three times in a row, I've sat here on a weeknight when there's a perfect social thing on in a pub in London and I find my genuine desire to meet new people is being strongly opposed by the comfort and easy accessibility of lazing around the house instead.

London never used to be "too far to go to", and if anything my chance of going out on a work night AND getting enough sleep is vastly improved. So why am I feeling that the trip into the city is just not worth the hassle? That's crazy talk! Of course it is! And yet somehow, here I am.

I mean okay, it's 2 hours each way. And that means about 3 hours there, before I turn around to start coming back at 10pm. But really.

Am disgusted with myself, but also warm and eating biscuits. That's a draw, right there.
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(no subject) [Nov. 25th, 2008|10:58 am]
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London's Atlas Gallery has an exhibition called FULL MOON (pics behind link), Michael Light's selection of 900 images "from NASA'S library of over 32,000 pictures from the Apollo and Gemini missions".

They're in higher resolution than ever before, and include "Aldrin's boot print", "Earthrise seen for the first time by human eyes" and basically a treasure trove for Moon fans.
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(no subject) [Nov. 12th, 2008|10:22 am]
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I like the Queen. Or to be rather, I don’t mind that we have a monarchy. I know we pay for them, and they technically have unelected powers over law, but really – how much is it when compared to what we pay every couple of days for Iraq? And when balanced against the (actually quite enormous) tourism the Royal Family bring in?

Sure, I’d probably be uncomfortable if she ever exercised those rights to veto UK law that had been voted for, but of course she doesn’t.

And every now and then, you get a blinder like this:

At the London School of Economics last week, she stopped a leading economist and asked: "Why did nobody notice (the collapse / recession we’re pretending to call the Credit Crunch)?"

“Aha, ahem, said the director of research, Professor Luis Garicano. He had clearly been briefed to chat about the weather, corgis and perhaps the Grand National. He had certainly not expected an upper cut to the jaw. Monarchs are not supposed to ask leading questions, even when the nation is screaming for an answer.

With his vocation suddenly on trial, the professor stammered, "Someone was relying on somebody else," adding, as if in moral afterthought, "and everyone thought they were doing the right thing."

She gets nothing but sycophancy from her privy counsellors, so why not ask those paid to watch the entrails of the sacred geese, the economists? How had they allowed this monumental screw-up?”



Of course, everyone saw it coming. Especially Brown. Borrowing on credit and then continuing to borrow again and again for… about another 8 years, was only going to end one way. Frantic calls were made at the highest levels (according to some), and ignored.

It feels kinda satisfying to have an leading economist put on the spot by someone he can’t possibly dismiss or bluff. Good on him for admitting everyone was basically useless, greedy and unaccountable. Almost makes me wish for the days when damaging the country and putting the public in jeopardy on this scale was seen as an attack on the Crown, and punished properly. Criminal negligence will do for now, though. Mr Brown?

-----

(Warning to most of my flist: I have some staunch anti-monarchists on here. This could get noisy. Happy Wednesday!)
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