2016 — 26 September: Monday
Nothing really says "It's now Autumn!" quite like the morning rain1 on the skylight and (hopefully) watertight lid of my cave. But, don't knock it:
Liquid water is an extraordinary natural solvent that plays a central role in terrestrial biochemistry and in the geophysical behaviour of our planet. The precise distance of the Earth from the Sun, the present-day luminosity of the Sun, and the atmospheric composition of the Earth all play major roles in keeping us awash in oceans and precipitation.
Positively anthropic, did he not go on to add that Earth-equivalence is a hugely multi-variable affair.
Sibling comparisons
I mentioned my impending State Pension2 to Big Bro — he was unimpressed.
[Pause for lunch]Mostly by what he regards as the UK guvmint's ungenerosity. It's difficult to compare across borders, economies, currencies, inflation rates, and social infrastructures, but NZ$591 each per fortnight (net) is £100 more than the £230 per fortnight (gross) that will be trickling into my outstretched hands on this side of the planet.
I retain the services of an Independent Financial Advisor named Wilkins Micawber. He assures me that as long as I continue to spend 6d per year less than my 'income' I will continue to be OK.
One of the things...
... that keeps Linux so, erm, interesting is the way that things that work perfectly on [Day n] may well not work on [Day n+1] (or [Day n-1] for that matter). And, equally, things that work on PC #1 may or may not also work on PC #2 or PC #3 on any of Days n, n+1, or n-1, as the mood of the Universe fluctuates. Whether this is some deep manifestation of Bell's Inequality... or some perverse retro-causality at work... or just the different startup order as the PCs vie for network access...
Gödel probably has a theory.
Examples are nice
So, here's an interesting set. I made it a point in my books always to try to come up with the things. (Link.)
Tomorrow's excitement?
My central heating system gets its annual wash'n'brush-up. In time for winter :-)