Early charts of the Carolines
In 1790 the cartographer Aaron Arrowsmith produced a comprehensive map of the world. It was an impressive achievement, but how accurate was it, as far as Micronesia was concerned?
Galt versus Musk
At first sight it might seem that one of Ayn Rand’s dreams has come even more true than she could ever have imagined. In her novel Atlas Shrugged it was necessary for her hero, John Galt, to take over the entire US radio network in order to get his message across. Elon Musk, his nearest modern incarnation, had a much simpler way of achieving the same ends. He bought Twitter.
The Emergence of Geophysics: a review
In November the Geological Society of London published Volume 60 in its Memoir series, with the title “The Emergence of Geophysics: A Journey into the Twentieth Century”. In his Introduction the author stipulates that he is considering developments as far as the end of the 20th century but will not venture into the 21st.
Jacques Arago and Dom Pedro II
The third of Jacques Arago.s four visits to Rio de Janeiro was made during the reign of Dom Pedro II. His account of his relations with the emperor is very different from that provided by at least one other French visitor to the city.
The professor in Car no 9
After Rand had finished gloating over the impending demise of the woman in Car No 8, who considered that she had a right to travel on a train merely because she had bought a ticket to do so, there were still plenty of other passengers who were awake and about to meet their well-deserved ends. They included a professor of philosophy.
Geologic Life
A book with the title ‘Geologic Life’, and the subtitle ‘Inhuman Intimacies and the Geophysics of Race’ has recently given rise to a considerable amount of comment on LinkedIn. What, on Earth, is it all about?