Six Things, Volume 64

Marathon | Tower | Map | Eclipse | Forecast | Energy

Apr 21, 2024

Thing 1 – Marathon

A lot of people are running a marathon right now. It’s not something I’d ever consider doing, mostly because running and I do not especially get along. Walking, I can do, but even the thought of running any significant distance (by which I mean further than just over there) is enough to conjure up a big flashing purple sign bearing the word ‘NOPE’.

The psychology of ‘give money to this excellent cause because I’m doing something difficult’ remains fascinating and slightly dismaying (you had me at ‘give money to this excellent cause’) – it’s pithily skewered by John Finnemore, notably in the ‘Bahamas’ sketch, which you can listen to here (starts at about 2’00”), but also in the Richard Bacon sketch.

But despite those vague misgivings (you mean the charity is only worthwhile if Richard Bacon knows what kind of animal Sooty is?), there is something deeply moving (and nebulously ‘inspiring’ in a kind of ‘wow those people are amazing, I should probably do something like that… some day’ kind of way) about this annual display of athletic commitment. People are doing good things, right there on your television.

If the thought of one marathon conjures the ‘NOPE’ sign, I’m not quite sure how I react to the thought of 365 of them.

My lovely friend Misha is running the London Marathon for Samaritans (she’s currently nearly quarter of the way round). You have many demands on your money, I know, but if you were to divert a small chunk her way I’m sure she’d be grateful.

Thing 2 – Tower

The website Postcard Past/Present Photo – “exploring power, culture, & the history of cities through present-day photo recreations of old postcards” – is always worth a visit. This post, on the Leaning Tower of Niles, Illinois, is particularly pleasing.

Thing 3 – Newspaper map

A rather lovely map of local newspapers from all over the world. I have a fondness for Penguin News.

Mid-Things Interlude

We interrupt our programming for an urgent message from… well, me. And it’s not really urgent.

But APART from that…

I saw a few people the other day who, for various reasons, I hadn’t seen for at least a decade – some of them even longer. Unsurprisingly, they were unaware that I’d managed to churn out six books in the intervening period since our last meeting.

Afterwards I got to thinking about the passing of time and so forth, and I realised that not only did these people have no idea about the books, but that both my parents would be at least mildly taken aback to learn of my productivity. When my father died I was 22 and had no pretensions as a writer; and while my mother did read various bits and bobs I’d written (always saying the right thing about them, as befits a good mother) her death preceded the first of my books by a year.

Anyway. What I’d really like is a time machine so I can press copies of all my books into their hands and say ‘LOOK WHAT I DID’. But obviously I can’t do that, so the next best thing – with the publication of the paperback and audiobook editions on May 16th rushing towards us) would be for everyone here to buy a copy of Taking Flight (or any of them, really, but especially that one) and press it into the hands/ears of someone they love.

Here’s Taking Flight, with all the buying options. (Non-UK people: Blackwell’s is your best bet, I think.)

And here are all the others.

Thank you for your indulgence. We now return to our scheduled programme.

Thing 4 – Eclipse

OK, last eclipse thing, I promise. Here’s Chris Lintott, who knows a thing or two about things astronomical, capturing the sense of awe engendered by last week’s experience.

Thing 5 – Fielding Forecast

Here’s something that might be quite incomprehensible to a good chunk of this audience. Apologies.

It’s a chart of the cricket fielding positions as shipping forecast areas.

It was inspired by this tweet by twitter user @TheDreadShips, and executed by @8_BitCricket, who, with the bit between his teeth, then produced a ‘reverse’ edition. Hats off.

Thing 6 – Energy

Here’s a silly game called ‘Same Energy Snap’ (my mum would have recognised it as a variation on ‘Pelmanism’). All you do is click on the pairs of photos that exhibit the same energy as each other. It will keep you amused for, I reckon, 78 seconds or so.