Picture of New Solar System

I saw this:  Planet formation captured in photo. in the news the other day and the implications are staggering. Scientists at the Alma radio telescope have captured this image of a new planetary system around HL Tau in its early formation.

Now we can do more than just infer the existence of other solar systems from doppler shifts and transit dimming.   We have the ability to "see" (albeit with radio) details including extra-solar planetary systems.  Of course, I'm not so silly to think that we could see fully formed solar systems (yet), but the idea of being able to see the formation stages of a planetary system is exciting.

Software to Use When Writing

Last week a friend mentioned that she'd heard the scrivener software praised in a writer's workshop.  For anyone who doesn't know, it is software that helps a writer organize, plan, and ultimately write their work whether it is fiction, a paper, an article or a thesis.  Therefore I decided to try it out, and as it has a generous non-consecutive 30 day trial period, I have ample opportunity to try it.   It also comes with a very well written interactive tutorial. The tutorial is so well written that a manual is almost unnecessary.  Almost.

So having played around with the tutorial and seen its capabilities, what are the benefits of using scrivener?

Comments about Pride and Prejudice movie and TV miniseries

We watched Pride and Prejudice, the 2005 movie. Now that I have seen both that and the TV miniseries that came out in 1995, I can say that I preferred the latter. I have no complaints about the casting for either. They both used well known skilled actors.

They are both products of their makers, which is very understandable. While the TV series is two and half times longer, both stay (mostly) true to the dialog and plot of the book. That is no mean feat, especially for the movie.