Four Yorkshiremen.

A masterpiece of one-upmanship (or should that be one-downmanship?)

The Last but One Supper.

One of my many, many personal Monty Python favourites — the Pope and Michaelangelo:

All text © 2009 Gary William Murning

Sometimes Life Is Just Too Good.

Today I allowed myself a short between-chapters break, happy with what I’ve achieved this week. I therefore spent the morning away from the computer and… oh, okay, I didn’t spend the morning away from the computer. I sorted a few notes and then had my customary look around the web, seeing what was new and hoping to annoy a few people.

Whilst I failed miserably on the latter (I must be getting old), I did find something on YouTube definitely worth sharing.

After being ripped off for three years by YouTubers, the Monty Python team has finally, with fanfare, crapulent mutterings and slightly dazed expressions, dothered into the 21st century and set up their own YouTube channel.

And about time too!

© 2008 Gary William Murning

Let’s Go Fly a Kite!

There’s something almost spiritual about flying a kite. As a kid, there was nothing I liked better than going to the coast and flying my Barnstormer Stunt Kite — hovering it close to the ground and then pulling back on one line and letting it rip and ripple its way to its highest point. It gave me an incredible sense of freedom and was remarkably soothing.

When I read years later that Richard Feynman — the physicist, raconteur and bongo player supremo — had also enjoyed kite flying it was another reason to admire him. Only the best people enjoy kite flying! And that was all that ever needed to be said on the subject.

Reading through my science feeds earlier today, however, I found yet another reason to recommend this pastime. It could well be the answer to all our energy problems. (Well, some of them, at least.)

“High-flying kites tethered to generators could supply as much as 100 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 100,000 homes, according to researchers from the Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands.”

If I Were an Alien…

… I would surely hope that I could think of somewhere better to visit than Liverpool (not that Liverpool isn’t a lovely place, of course, but, I mean, Cilla came from there and we wouldn’t want ET thinking that we are all like that, now, would we?!)