saarmuller

markmccaughrean, 7 days ago to photography

Finally 🙇‍♂️

First ride since moving back to Germany 👍

A relatively easy 44km along the Neckar to Hirschhorn & back, but still 200m elevation gain.

First part down to the river was terrifying – if the brakes fail, you’re toast 😬

And cycling back up it at end – let’s say I need to lose 10kg 😱

In between, a mix of very rustic riverside paths & smooth roads with cars going past at >100kmh.

We’re not in Kansas any more, Toto ✌️

#ReturnToGermany Day 11
#CyclingLife 🚴‍♂️
#Photography 📷

A view of the walled village of Dilsberg atop a hill on the southern bank of the Neckar valley, seen from the other side with the river between. The foreground is in shadow while the hill is in sunshine, with blue skies above.
Crepuscular rays spreading in a fan across the sky, created by clouds near sunset, with a hill to the lower left blocking the sun.
A screenshot of the ride in Strava, with a topographic map showing the route and ride statistics below. My average was slow, but that was due to the many detours searching for a route by the river. In the end, I cycled most of it on the main road.

sundogplanets, 7 days ago to random

Farmy morning before I sit down to (please please please) finish this (stupid awful) referee response to a paper (that I hate so much).

I tried a cheddar-ish cheese yesterday, but maybe I did the cheddaring part for too long? Or maybe my improvised press setup isn't good enough - still loads of holes, not knitting together well.

Just took down electronet, set up a small area near the pen, and later today I'll set up the rest on our front lawn. Don't need a lawnmower when you have goats!

ianRobinson, 13 days ago to random

Have I mentioned how much I like the Netflix Geek Girl adaptation?

I think I must have.

It’s fab. Two episodes to go. I hope it has enough viewers to trigger a second season. 😊

Also, read the books. They are brilliant. If you think you are not in the target demographic, just ignore that. They are brill stories and have characters from teens to pensioners. I reread all six last year. Bloody marvellous 😊

#GeekGirl

markmccaughrean, 18 days ago to Netherlands

And that was that 😭

Thankful that this afternoon’s storm was short & sharp, leaving a crisp clear evening for this evening’s final 37km ride ⛈️🌞👍

Thankful also to the good people of The Netherlands, their fantastic cycling infrastructure, & the often beautiful landscape it crosses 🥰

I’ve ridden >97,000km here in the past 12 years, >3,500 hours in the saddle, & it has been vital to my physical & mental health – dank jullie wel 💪🧠🙇‍♂️

#CyclingLife 🚴‍♂️
#Netherlands 🇳🇱
#Photography 📷

AkaSci, 22 days ago (edited 22 days ago) to random

Here are the much anticipated 10 images taken by the Euclid "Dark Matter Hunter" space telescope.

The images and accompanying papers were presented today at a gathering by the Euclid Consortium. We have seen the first image before.

These are part of the Euclid Early Release Observation program. The first results from Euclid’s wide and deep main surveys will take until fall, first cosmology papers at least until late 2025.

https://www.euclid-ec.org/first-early-release-observation-science-and-reference-paper-release/
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Euclid/ESA_s_Euclid_celebrates_first_science_with_sparkling_cosmic_views
#ESAEuclid #Euclid
1/n

saarmuller, 26 days ago to random

@knmi Sinds de laatste aanpassing van de website is het op een smartphone erg onhandig geworden. Je komt in de warnings, en dan in de verwachting. Maar om de neerslagradar te krijgen vereist nog een aantal handelingen. En juist in deze situatie wil ik rechtstreeks en vaak naar de radar kunnen kijken (en bij voorkeur ook meteen naar de satellietbeelden, maar dat kon nooit).
Ik gebruik nu tegen mijn zin de buienradar site maar, erg jammer.

markmccaughrean, 29 days ago to random

I’ve lived the last fifteen years in The Netherlands & although I doubtless have a limited & biased view, I’ve been happy with what has seemed broadly to be a progressive, tolerant, & environmentally-conscious society.

I guess this new centre- & far-right government coalition is about to trash all of that with its reactionary populist bullshit 🤮

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/16/new-dutch-coalition-aims-to-reintroduce-80mph-limit-in-cull-of-climate-goals

sundogplanets, 1 month ago to random

Discussions about nuclear weapons being deployed in orbit are slightly better with a cat in your lap (but only slightly). Wowee, my meetings today are on another level of stressful... I'm so glad I've got baby goats...

markmccaughrean, 1 month ago to Netherlands

I would love to tell you that the game of chicken I played to maximise the length of my ride before this storm arrived ended well 😬

Instead I get to tell you that riding for 2km in hail is, well, enervating 🤪

The other 65km were just fine though & now it’s pissing it down outside 🤷‍♂️

#CyclingLife 🚴‍♂️
#Netherlands 🇳🇱
#Photography 📷
#HeavyWeather ⛈️
#CloudAppreciationSociety ☁️

MLE_online, 1 month ago to random

I accidentally walked too close to my cactus yesterday and it shows

markmccaughrean, 1 month ago to Netherlands

What’s the coefficient of rolling friction when the entire country has been spray-painted orange overnight? 🤨

Asking for a Dutch cycling friend 😱🚴‍♂️

#KingsDay 🇳🇱
#KoningsDag
#Netherlands
#CyclingLife

markmccaughrean, 1 month ago to random

It has been a tricky few weeks 😬

Shite weather for cycling 🙄🚴‍♂️

Struggling with a sense of loss of identity after retiring from ESA 🛰️🙃

Our daughter breaking her kneecap in Edinburgh, problems with the post-surgery recovery, & my wife having to fly there yesterday for the third time to look after her 🤕

Trying to get ready to move house & country next month 🇳🇱🇩🇪

And Liverpool FC. Oh, Liverpool ⚽️😭

markmccaughrean, 1 month ago to Scotland

Wife home from grownup childcare duties in Edinburgh & brought me a delightful present from one of my many old home towns 🏰🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

While the purists won’t agree, this is the way 🙇‍♂️🙂👍

#Scotland #Foodie

markmccaughrean, 2 months ago to random

Just watched the end of The Martian after recording it on TV last night 🔴🚀🌎

Easy to pick holes in the film & especially in the martian orbit rendezvous sequence 🙄

But the final part, with all the teams cheering in the control rooms when Watney is successfully rescued & then again when Ares V is launched? 👍

Man, I’m going to miss that part of my ESA life so much 😭

Need to find another way to replace that amazing emotional rush 🖖🙂🤘

#SpaceRocks #SpaceExploration #SpaceScience

ianRobinson, 2 months ago (edited 2 months ago) to Iceland

If you rewind the live feed to 15:20 (edit: the time on the screen from the webcam - not the YouTube video time) you can see when the lava overflow starts. Takes a few minutes. I’m no expert but it looks like increased activity.

https://www.youtube.com/live/FZmN2daZW9g

#Reykjanes #Volcano #Iceland #Geology https://mastodon.social/@ianRobinson/112231382090115684

markmccaughrean, 2 months ago to Netherlands

Likely to be a little noisy tonight, as they’ve closed the road in front of the house from 20:00 to 04:00 (🙀) to resurface it 😬✌️

Got in a 43km ride a bit earlier – grey, windy, but dry at least 🤷‍♂️

#CyclingLife 🚴‍♂️
#Netherlands 🇳🇱
#Photography 📷

A cloudy grey sky over a flat landscape with a group of trees and a house in the middle distance. There is lots of filigree structure in the clouds. The picture is rendered in black-and-white.

ianRobinson, 2 months ago to random

The resting heart rate anomaly that I think I triggered by messing with my beta blocker schedule (possibly exacerbated by strong coffee cup filters) is shown in the attached picture.

I won’t be messing with the schedule again. And the 8 remaining coffee cup filters are in the compost bin.