vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
2023-10-13 06:33 am

Reading during a disturbed night

A very disturbed night with severe bladder incontinence, very possibly due to me having been off Mycophenolate Mofetil for nearly 2 weeks as I got through Covid. But I'll be back on that immunosuppression drug tomorrow. Meanwhile I finished 2 more books, and am nearing my 50 books of the year Goodreads reading goal. I will be blogging about "The Climate Book" soon, once I've got my head around my thoughts. In a nutshell it rated 5 stars, but was both the most horrific and probably most important book I have ever read.

vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
2023-09-20 04:33 pm

Net zero

I've recently been reading much more about climate change. And it is the most horrifying thing ever. The planet is facing an existential crisis. Without rapid huge changes it will be barely liveable in for future generations. Watering down hugely net zero policies is not responsible politics. Nor is pretending that doing so can still deliver the required results. Shame on Sunak. Shame on the Tories. We need to act decisively now.
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
2023-08-29 06:02 am

Streaming catchup plans over next few months

This is mainly a reminder to myself, but may be of use to others to know about these streaming options.

Edinburgh Book Festival offers online streaming access to many of its events. Which can still be booked, even after the events have taken place. You can watch recordings on catchup until the end of September. I have streaming tickets this year for:
  • David Greig & Alan Warner: Scottish Legends Retold
  • Denise Mina: 15th Century Culture Wars
  • Katrín Jakobsdóttir & Ragnar Jónasson: Partners in Crime
  • Kübra Gümüşy, R F Kuang & Irene Vallejo: A Short History of Language
All of which have now happened, and I slept through the live events, but I can access the recordings online through September. I also had a streaming ticket to see Greta Thunberg talk, but she pulled out of the festival, because of the festival sponsor's fossil fuels links.

This coming week the Tolkien Society's Oxonmoot event will be taking place in Oxford, and again online in hybrid form. I have an online ticket. Will sleep through the live events, but can watch recorded talks over the coming months, probably until nearly Christmas. The Oxonmoot team are really good at getting the streaming technology working well (I've had online tickets for the past few years), and the content is fascinating.