Posts

The unexpected consequences of solar panels (on my roof).

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 When I decided to put solar panels on my roof it was because I hate the heat of the Northern Italian Summer. And I saw thousands of roofs around me which just absorbed the energy during the day and gave it back to the air during the night. Such a waste of easily capture-able energy! The unexpected consequence was the pleasure I got monitoring the energy captured. The WEB interface to the data from the panels is a wonder. I can see how it is doing real-time: It was only 10 in the morning when I made this screenshot, but by midday it can be up to 2500 watts. I can see how it has been doing during the week: In the image above it is interesting to see how the cloud cover reduces the energy produced. By the time we get to July and August the curves will be smooth and uninterrupted. You can see how the month is going: Since they have been installed the panels have generated almost 2MWh of energy. And every time I check on how my panels are doing I get a warm fuzzy feeling of contentment. Pr

It's an Athema!

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"I, regress" and "McLevy"

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"I Regress", Dark and surreal comedy in which a twisted hypnotherapist takes unsuspecting clients on disturbing journeys through their subconscious. Starring Matt Berry   and   "McLevy", Siobhan Redmond and Brian Cox, inspired by the real-life memoirs of one of Scotland’s first policemen, James McLevy prowls the dark streets of 1860s Edinburgh bringing criminals to justice, with the assistance of Constable Mulholland.

The advantages of being an amateur artist.

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 I heard a podcast, which I cannot find now, about how Spotify models the sort of songs that are created. For short pop songs, many of which are only 2 minutes long, the song writer and/or performer gets almost immediate feedback about how well the song is doing, and they can change the music. Slower beat, less plays, less income, so let's up the beat. Some song writers are trapped in a disagreeable loop of constant modification in order to earn enough money to live on. (To see how poorly streaming pays songwriters listen to " The Price Of Song " a BBC Podcast in the " Seriously... " series. )  Anyway, musicians chasing more plays reminded me of a disagreement I had with a friend about one of my drawings...  He said that there are certain rules in art which need to be respected, one of them is balance, and my drawing was not balanced. I was amazed at this assertion, as if art must be made for decorative purposes.    That criticism, together with what Spotify is

Whole Body Flossing With Eels

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Yasuaki Shimizu and what happens in Ulster.

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 Two happy discoveries last week.  What Happens In Ulster is a very entertaining mockumentary crime podcast written by Marc McElroy, and starring Diona Doherty. I have to admit I binged on it.  And then I stumbled across a new version of Bach's Goldberg Variations, transcribed by Yasuaki Shimizu for five saxophones and four contra basses.  I've had the versions by Gould and Richter for years... ...and brilliant they are, but Shimizu's version is a whole new fresh rich sound.

Death and alcohol, alcohol and death, the message of the Rubaiyat

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 I was recently given, as a present, a copy of the "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam". A lovely volume.  It is a long time since I'd read the whole poem, but this time it struck me that almost every page is about death and alcohol. Fitzgerald, the translator who brought the poem to the West, decided to try to transmit the spirit of the poem, rather than make a literal translation. I can't read ancient Persian, so the only thing I have to go on is the translation. And the Art Nouveau illustrations (mostly by Renè Bull). Come fill the cup... the Bird of Time has but a little way to flutter . There you go, alcohol and death. And as the cock crew those who stood before the Tavern shouted "Open then the door! You know how little while we have to stay and once departed may return no more!" Oh oh! More alcohol and death. And how come Persia of 600 years ago is full of 1920s Hollywood actors? Want some more death and alcohol? Never fear: Ah make the most of what we may ye