Rationalists

Josep Pla, El quadern gris, November 6 1918: Coromina and my brother–a chemistry student–get entangled in an endless discussion about science. Coromina attacks–to my great surprise–my brother’s rooted conviction of the absolute priority of science in any system of human knowledge. Like all anti-rationalists, Coromina creates beautiful, brilliant phrases: he says, for example, that the…

Scottish oil industry increases cultural reach

The bad news is that the UK is about to become a net importer of hydrocarbons; the good news, that we are now selling services to fascist regimes in Central Asia as well as colonising the lexicons of Middle Eastern analysts who, it seems, have stopped measuring oil supplies in barrels: The impact of the…

The great electricity protection racket

Job 1: While [the messenger to Job] was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. So what do you do then? Phone a certain gentleman…

Zapatero’s Kyoto charade

All last year industry and sections of the PP were saying that there was no way that Spain could meet its Kyoto targets, currently being overshot by more than 100% as a result of the PP’s fine economic record (see below). Economics minister Rato was mugged by a bunch of industrialists in early December in…

Spurious history: el vaquero

Lots of people in Barcelona don’t have piped gas, but it doesn’t matter at all. When their canister of butane is about to run out, a man comes along the street yelling BUTAAAANNNNOOO!!!! and, after a brief conversation, he climbs up six flights of stairs with a new one on his back. Easy! It used…

Solar-powered Scalextric track near Barcelona

Everyone says that the following picture, taken near Barcelona’s Forum site, is of a large solar panel cluster: Today I can reveal exclusively that it is in fact a huge, solar-powered Scalextric (PDF) track linking Catalunya with Valencia and the Balearics, which project managers believe will be completed before the AVE high-speed rail link to…

microkracht

Een … twee meer fotos van mijn favoriete krachtcentrale, Sant Adrià de Besòs, gekiekt tijdens de wandeling van Santa Coloma de Gramenet (Barcelona) naar Montgat (Maresme).

tautologia

Nom: Aleksandr Sergueevich Dzasokhov Ocupació: President de la República de Osetia del Nord i Alania Passatemps: Caminant a peu amb els seus amics. És excepcional: hi ha pocs polítics russos que no surten de i/o representen l’indústria energètica.

Treinen: DalĂ­ vs Turner

Toen ik in Londen werkte, nam ik af en toe een paar uurtjes vrij onder het smoesje van een vergadering met partners in Covent Garden. En dan kon ik mooi naar het National Gallery (nog steeds gratis) en Turner. En die kon nou echt een treintje schilderen.