Mars, Books, Twitter

The other night, the clouds having departed, I saw Mars close to the Moon.  Rushing for the camera I wasted timme trying to get a decent shot of both, these two blobs are the best I could manage.  The Moon is the one on the right...

It appears Mars will not be this close for another 15 years or so, I may not get another chance to see it like this.  Since then however rain has stopped play with late night stargazing out the kitchen window late at night, I may be able to resume come April.

On Twitter early today they war anoraks were offering pictures of their bookshelves.  Masses of war books, and someone claimed, Enid Blytons, were to be observed.  My shelf looks puny in comparison, although many more big ones lie elsewhere.  It is interesting to read people who consider books so important.  One man offered a view of his home where several large bookshelves groaned with books, mostly Military ones.  Isn't it funny how we, and by this I mean men, get caught up in something and fill our world with this hobby.  War books, often ex-servicemen or historians, photography, trains, football, cars, motorbikes, cycling, hill walking, and so on, once something gets a grip of you it remains forever.  Of course women can be found here also, especially in the hill walking areas, I will go looking tomorrow, and they can be most helpful as they make the sandwiches.  

I recall the tale of a woman dumping her man, he might starve now, as he filled the house with Manchester United paraphenalia.  The walls were covered, cupboards filled and for reasons unknown she got forgotten in this.  Other women are happy the man has a hobby, whatever it is, as long as it is harmless, and she will probably have one also.  Helpful if they share the attraction.

 

 

I was watching the second Scottish Cup Semi Final on Premier TV this afternoon, another group ripping off Scottish football fans, and found myself getting very annoyed by the faltering picture.  I took to  Twitter, a good idea if you wish to embarrass someone, and yelled at Premier!  Minutes were lost, I missed a goal, and then in one of the papers they had a list of people similarly crying out re lost vision. Eventually all returned and the wrong team one.

Too often I find myself these days shouting at things, there is of course a lot to decry!  Corrupt government, people, wrongs that need righted, but in the end I am becoming Victor Meldrew, and grumble too much, even though, and it must be said, I am right!

So, I will give Twitter a miss to save my blood pressure, few will notice, and I will peacefully spend my days contemplating trains, football, and other lovely things.  Anyone got a spare mirror?

 

I Don't Understand!

Two men, independently and unknown to one another, sent me this today! I do not understand why?
This is a BBC report on an Australians research which has left him with the idea that being 'Grumpy' is good for you! What has this to do with me you ask? I have no idea! This Australian psychologist, and those two words put together ought to bring your cynicism to the fore I suggest, this man claims the 'grumpy' make better decisions, are less gullible and think more clearly. Oh yeah?

"While cheerfulness fosters creativity, gloominess breeds attentiveness and careful thinking, Professor Joe Forgas told Australian Science Magazine."
"The University of New South Wales researcher says a grumpy person can cope with more demanding situations than a happy one because of the way the brain "promotes information processing strategies."

Now how on earth does he come to this conclusion? Well as a 'psychologist' you will understand he conducts experiments which will lead to results, he says. His volunteers (who they? Students looking for cash for booze I suspect) were required to concentrate on either good or bad things in their lives (that opens a few doors I would say). Then the tests asked for 'eyewitness accounts' and judgement of 'urban myths' (what myths?) among other things (what things?).

This Aussie, a psychologist by the way, comes to the conclusion from this that miserable folk make better judgements and decisions. So how come folk think of me? Does my situation remind you of someone who has made a correct decision? Does our benevolent Prime Minister look at the world through happy clappy eyes and find himself loved by all? No of course not! he is a miserable git who only smiles when, er...I will come back to that, and where is he now? He has the lowest popularity rating of anyone, his chances of election success rate less than my chance of success with Beyonce (whoever she is?) and every decision he takes comes back and smacks him in the face! Australian politicians, as the psychologist would know if he came of of his privileged University world, are a miserable, course, rude bunch of cretins that make the English parliament look polite! Yet he doesn't know what a mess they make of things?

In spite of his efforts I refuse to accept his findings. Cheerful folk make better decisions because they are relaxed, less worried, and unhurried. Miserable folk do not make good decisions because they are depressed, care nothing about the outcome, and suck lemons for rest and recreation. I have on occasions helped out in psychology experiments. One showed us lots of words on a screen, one at a time. Then lost of pictures in a similar vein. Later we were asked, in a controlled manner, to say of we had seen the words or objects during the second run through. The result? We learned that words are harder to remember than pictures! Wow! That was well worth the experiment. Some may claim they realised this long years ago, the cavemen did while drawing bison on the walls! Another bright young lass showed eight photograph slides. Only one of those who attended pointed out that the first four were black and white, the second four colour. Or was it the other way round? However that was the test. We all noticed but thought nothing of it! She got a degree from writing a million words about this!

I'm depressed now, I think I will go away and think! I've just thought, was George W Bush cheerful? He had his hand on the nuclear button. What did you think of his decision making?
The two that sent me this are cheerful also......