Nothing to see here...

Feeling distinctly short on blogging inspiration today. Maybe the neural clamping that compelled me to return to the parent bezoar has adversely affected my creativity.

Entomological evening

Distinctly purgatorial family evening out — highlight was getting home in time to watch the end of Life in the Undergrowth.

Storm clouds on the horizon

Bitter, cynical Frank Vanderwal is just finishing up his year working for the National Science Foundation in Washington, dreaming of going back to UCSD and working as a consultant for a biotech startup. Charlie Quibler is a part-time climate adviser to Senator Phil Chase and full-time mistermom, meandering around DC with his 18 month old son Joe in a bored and directionless way, while his wife Anna heads up the biosciences division at the NSF. When a group of buddhists from the drowning island nation of Khembalung set up an embassy in the same building as the NSF, Frank finds something to believe in, Anna tries to work the system to help the islanders, while Charlie tries to get something done to stop the US from sleepwalking into climatological catastrophe. Trouble is, Charlie might well be too late: the rain has already started to fall.

Forty Signs is classic KSR, asking questions about what it means to do science, how science interacts with politics and capitalism, and whether scientists should advise from the sidelines or should attempt to direct policy. As ever, the characters are note perfect, the ideas heartfelt and accurately described, the politics plausible and the politicians determined to play the game even as the flood waters are rising and the icebergs are melting. In short, a near perfect blend of ideas, plot and characterisation.

As your attorney, I advise you to buy this book, read it, digest it and go join Friends of the Earth, write to your MP, do something to help change capitalism even one little bit to prevent the world being destroyed...