As a follow up to my post about fitting houses with solar panels, here’s a piece from Wired about the potential benefits and pitfalls.

The presence of Jayn had given them just enough time to make their case and for Bobb to process enough of the dialect to become almost fluent. They had been trapped on the ocean, he explained, picked up by the huge ice ship and held prisoner- but treated fairly. They had escaped, repaying their debt by rescuing a downed flier. Now they were ashore, and willing to offer their assistance if it would buy them passage to the North of the fjord city.

“Why do I need your assistance? I have my assistance.” The rifleman, Yoll, gestured out to sea, where the troop ships were offloading.

This was Sheel’s cue. She stepped up and pointed at a tree down the beach. Her upper body shook slightly, as if someone had pushed hard at the outstretched arm, and there were three close pops. The trunk of the tree shattered and spat white splinters in all directions. It toppled and landed in an explosion of white sand.

“Can you all do that?” Yoll asked after a moment.

“No.”

“A shame. I have my army, what use do I have for even someone with…. Whatever power it is you possess?”

“I will take responsibility for them.” Jayn volunteered.

“You?”

“They pulled me out of the water. I believe with some tribes that means I must travel with them until I can repay the debt.”

“Very well. You would do well to select a weapon.”

Gimm offered Jayn her own gun back. It had been stashed at the bottom of a sack that no-one had bothered to search. “Thank you for your help.”

“Consider it a debt repaid. Besides, I’m the curious type, and after that little display I want to know more.”

The ships out tosea had spawned hundreds of smaller craft. Half were heading for the beach, the rest angled toward the islands and the fishing port for what might be a contested landing.

Word was getting out to the many smaller military bases that ringed the twin cities. There was no ground battle to fight yet, but troops were dispatched to the cities.

The pride of the districts fighter and bomber forces had been on Stran Island, to keep them safe from sabotage. They were incapacitated now. The remaining squadrons could only muster a few Corkscrews and a number of older aircraft. They couldn’t even muster superior numbers. Cicciles and Wasps entered into aerial combat around and above the twin cities.

There were few military targets remaining in the city limits after the first two waves of attacks. The great military and civil headquarters, despite having the largest barracks, was untouched in the hope it could be liberated and would give up secrets and prisoners. What planes were able, with fresh crews if possible, were sent out with waymarked routes past outlying airfields and camps. These planes bombed runways and depots, or found convoys of troops on the move along wide major roads.

It had always been supposed that the attack, if it came, would sweep down the snow fields as it had done in the Glacier War. Now the occupying force was rushing troops from this front to fires and gun sites seaward.

Horse’s fleet of trimotors, enrolled in the military and liveried in white and grey, parachuted squads of engineers onto the ice. They would return the following morning with equipment- crevasse bridgers and load spreading planking. The engineers were to use the diversion of the battle to move about the snow field severing detonation cord and clearing a path to the Willno Slip, an old man-made ramp onto the glacier.

It wasn’t easy work, the winter suits made everyone bulky and clumsy, but they stayed ahead of schedule. Soon troops and armour would be moving on the city from two sides.

One of the most famous planes in aviation’s short history has been restored and will be displayed in the Smithsonian. The Enola Gay, a modified B-29 Superfortress, dropped the ‘Little Boy’ atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the first and only Uranium ‘gun type’ device.

I know I’ve officially stopped the song titles thing, but this was too tempting and obvious- OMD, Enola Gay

I’ve tended to treat Ian’s tales of motorists trying to kill him as exaggerations. After reading this, I’m not so sure.

That is so f’d up. The man’s arrogance is totally unbelievable. I’m tempted to think he’s not right in the head but I think that’s just being kind.

Here’s an idea. Every new build house should have a subsidised solar cell built into its roof, maybe with UPS style backup batteries built in, so that if our electric grid ever gets as Third World as America’s, houseowners can sell power back to the suppliers.

via Micheal Moore

25 things we now know as the second anniversary of September 11th rolls around.

Woo Hoo! Well, I’ve been offered (written confirmation should arrive soon) a place on the graphic design course I wanted. It was a sort of Positive Mental Attitude thing- they were willing to offer me the place because I’d shown such enthusiasm for a life change.

Only one day a week. I need to be doing it full time really, but that just isn’t going to happen barring a lottery win.

And tomorrow I have to tell work. Considering I was threatened with the sack a fortnight ago if I didn’t start doing 40 hours a week, I don’t think it’s going to go down too well.

I’m going to have to start reading books like this and this (you know they’re on my wish list, don’t you?) to get a grounding in the subject.

I don’t think this is going to be easy, but at least it’ll be interesting.

A hacker has created an odd new variant of the MSBlast worm. Instead of trying to launch a DoS attack on the update site and then crashing the computer it removes the orginal worm and downloads and installs the security patch. It will also delete itself the first time the machine is started in 2004. Meanwhile people are already worried about another MS security hole.

That’s quite enough lyrics for the time being. Let’s get back to the normal silliness.

Captain Sensible, Glad It’s All Over

Yes, the flying car may be closer than you think. See, we are living in the future, I told you.

Disney, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

The world solo domino toppling record has, erm, tumbled, as a woman in Singapore knocked over 303,000.

Queen, Another One Bites The Dust

If I ever own a Mini again, I think I want it painted up like the one Damien Hirst did with his dot paintings all over it. If I could surf, I think I’d like a board that looked like the ones he recently sold for Surfers Against Sewage.

via Carlton Hibbert

The Beach Boys, Surfin’ Safari