PREVIOUS THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY
August 13th to August 17th
MONDAY AUGUST 13
Jonathan back
I'm back. A thousand thanks to the talented team who stood in for me over the last two weeks. I had intended, while I was away, not to look at the sky. I felt that, to have a proper holiday, I should have a complete change of subject. But I went camping - outdoors - under a glorious canopy of constellations! It is very hard not to look up - especially when there are shooting stars above your head. Right now, our ride aboard Spaceship Earth is taking us past the Perseids; an area of the sky which is rich in cosmic debris. A stream of magnificent meteorites are giving us a fantastic firework show. Make a wish if you see one.
TUESDAY AUGUST 14
Legal Marijuana
Since 1981, I have been predicting that Marijuana will be "effectively legal" in most parts of the West by 2011. I don't expect this to make our world a better place but nor will it make it a worse one. I'd like to predict something more inspiring - like world peace - or pollution free transport - but I fear we're looking at a longer time scale before this comes to pass. If you have a hope - or a vision - about the future of the earth, drop me a line - and I'll put it to a panel of astrologers who can tell you how likely it is... and by when it may transpire!
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 15
Writing from a field
Although I am now back at work, I am not yet back from my holiday. The kids were enjoying themselves so much that they refused to go home. Today's forecasts therefore come from a motorhome, in a field, by the edge of a wood. We are not on a proper camping site so, though we do have a water supply, there is no mains electricity. Four solar panels on our roof provide just enough power to run lights at night - and to keep the laptop charged. By connecting this to a mobile phone, your predictions can leave my field of cows and reach your field of vision. Or at least, they can as long as the sun keeps shining...
THURSDAY AUGUST 16
Solar energy
The sun shone yesterday. Thus, my solar panels could charge the big battery which sends power to the little battery on my computer. Thus, I could write these predictions in the middle of a field. Eventually. First though, I had to go to electricity school. My system, you see, is "low voltage". So is my computer. But my computer doesn't KNOW this. It demands high voltage - even though all it does with it is to turn it back into the low stuff. It won't listen to reason. So now, I have to turn my low voltage into high voltage just so the computer can turn it back down again. Thank you for listening. I feel better for sharing this.
FRIDAY AUGUST 17
Energy of a New Moon
People often point to the Full Moon and admire it. The New Moon though, tends to pass without comment. This, of course, is because there's nothing to point to. When the Moon is completely new, as it will be this weekend, you can't see so much as a sliver in the sky. Nor - in the countryside - can you see much else. When I first came with my family to camp in the middle of a field, the Moon was so full that you could just about read by its light. Now, we have to carry torches after dark to avoid getting lost or tripping up. And the "energy" of the New Moon is different too. More intimate and honest, I suspect.
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