Sci Fi Art

 

When I was a teenager the most exciting science fiction book covers were painted by Chris Foss.

I purchased a book of his illustrations and cut it up to make wall of exciting science fiction illustrations. I had to steel myself to cut up such a great book.

If it works...

When on holiday, the caravan mixer tap became stiff and was difficult to turn on and off. Armed with my plumbing tools I prepared to disassemble the tap and investigate the cause. I turned off the water pump. I turned on the tap to release the pressure and turned it off again - it was easy to operate. I checked again with the water pump on -it was working fine.

I put my tools away. There is an engineering rule I learned as as a student - If it works don't fix it.

Sunda to Sahul

 

The cover of the board game.

The clever interlocking pieces.

Australian designed, Australian made and no longer available.

I found the game in a Vinnies second-hand shop. The shape of the pieces allows them to interlock - very clever.

Board games are physical. Handling and clicking the pieces into place is a delight.

Tree Removal

 

A young fig.

There are many large pest trees in the local environmental areas such as camphor laurels and african tulip trees. The local government while very keen to remove hollow native trees is slow to remove pest trees. They would be expensive to remove and the nearby residents often object to the trees being removed.

So the plan is to plant figs in the pest trees. The figs will strangle the pest trees to death over the next 50 years.

Banned Authors

Occasionally an author so disappoints me with their story that I ban myself from reading another of their books-

1) My Sister's Keeper by Jodie Picoult. 

The premise is set up brilliantly. A young girl refuses to undergo an operation that would save her sister's life. Then at the climax in the crux of the dilemma there is a car accident and and so the whole point of the story vanishes. I read the book flying from London to the USA. I was so deflated at the weak ending.

2) Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier.

In the US civil war a soldier deserts and slowly makes his way home, an often delayed and painful journey. I lived his trials as I read. Then just before he reaches home he is killed. So no point to the whole journey - perhaps true to life but not why I was reading the book. I read the book based a a recommendation in heard on the radio from Bob Carr.

3) A Song of Fire and Ice - an unfinished series by George R. R. Martin.

A great fantasy adventure and well told but my favourite characters kept being killed. I could not endure it - I stopped after Book 2 or 3. The first book was published in 1996. Book 5 of of 7 was published in 2011. The last 2 books are unpublished, possibly still unwritten. So in stopping early I avoided the disappointment and frustration of all those still waiting for the series to finish.

Nest Boxes

Nest boxes in the workshop

 

I have built over 40 nest boxes in the past 3 years. They are erected in local environmental areas. Many Australian birds, bats and marsupials need tree hollows to breed and to hide. The local government is very cautious and they remove hollow trees. So the animals must rely on boxes attached to sound trees. 

With practice I have become very efficient producing 3 or 4 at a time. The designs are still improving with experience - my early efforts were very attractive to European Honey Bees.

Sleepers Wake!

Sleepers Wake! by Barry Jones (ISBN 0-19-553756-4) investigates the post-industrial revolution - the revolution that is happening now. I read the first (1982) edition, now I have the 1995 edition.

The text includes Jones Eight Laws of employment and technology:

1. Employment levels are culturally determined.

2.Technological innovation tends to reduce aggregate employment relative to market size and to increase employment at lower wage rates in other areas.

3. Employment absorption tends to be in inverse relation to economic efficiency.

4. In production on a massive scale, employment tends to be in inverse proportion to demand.

5. The economic viability of a technologically advanced society may depend on having an increasing number of consumers, despite the number of large producers reducing.

6. Rising levels of employment depend on increased demands for a diversity of services: simplicity of personal needs contributes to low levels of employment, and complexity to high levels.

7. The amount of time spent by generalists in making technically based decisions is in inverse proportion to the complexity of the subject matter.

8. Most technological discoveries have an equal capacity for the enhancement and degradation of life, depending on how they are used.