| FEBRUARY 2008 | © brianmay.com | |
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As
always, the opinions expressed in these pages are purely
and personally those of myself, Brian; they are not the
official views of Queen, or of any other organisation or
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**Wed
20 Feb 08**
I stole a few minutes to go outside and freeze my butt!! Took this picture about an hour ago - of the moon above my house .... it is exactly one day short of full moon. You can see the shadowy area on the 'limb' at the left hand side ... which the Sunlight isn't quite reaching just yet. Tomorrow at this time, well, about 3am Thursday morning, to be precise, but it will feel like Wednesday night ... our moon, which we call "The Moon" will be at full phase. This means that the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are in roughly a straight line - it happens once a month. Now the Earth's shadow reaches out into space ... a cone of darkness which Sunlight cannot reach, because the Earth is in the way! So why doesn't the Moon go dark every time it's full?! The reason is that usually the lining up isn't exact ... the Moon slips by, either just to the North, or just to the South of the Earth's shadow. But about 3am Thursday morning, the lining up will be pretty much exact, and the Moon WILL go dark. It's a Total Eclipse of the Moon. These events are not incredibly rare, because the Earth's shadow is big ... but they are worth seeing, once in a while. The moon usually goes a dark blood red, because it is 'seeing' light scattered around the edge of the Earth ... if you were standing on the Moon at this time you would see a ring of 'sunsets' and 'sunrises' around the Earth - it would be, for someone on the Moon, a total eclipse of the Sun - by the Earth. But for us, it is quite a pretty sight ... and I remember, at the last one I saw, how beautifully clear the stars were, around the totally eclipsed, dark moon. It's always slightly different ... so if you are around and awake, and your skies are clear .. ... take a look! I will be at Sir Patrick's - and hope to secure a nice picture ... to show you tomorrow ... but of course it will be (like everything!) in the Lap of the Gods! Cheers © brianmay.com |
**Tue 19 Feb 08** Thanks to Nick D bringing up the subject [see LETTERS], I got back into the strange world of Phantograms! Here is one created by my friend David Burder ... as a Christmas card ... The idea is you view these with the page (or computer screen) at 45 degrees to your line of sight ... They seems to work best as an anaglyph ... ie the Red and Green method ... and you will need red and green 3-D specs for this one ... If you don't have any, Mr. 3-D, David Burder will be happy to oblige ... at 3-D IMAGES (1989) LTD.
The great thing is the technique DOES work in a free-viewing form ... this plate has cross-eyed and parallel viewing built in, depending which pair of the three you choose to concentrate on ... Try it! OR .... it does work with a viewer too ....
Happy Viewing. Oh ... and ... Merry Christmas !! HA HA! Bri © brianmay.com |
**Sun 17 Feb 08**
Stop the Press! My Lunar Stereography has been honoured One of my stereo pairs of the moon - constructed from two different total eclipses a couple of years apart ... is to be the Lunar Photo of the Day! Check it out!! And big thanks to my friend Chuck. I think this is the only eclipsed stereo moon in existence ... but I may be proved wrong ... Cheers © brianmay.com |
**Sun 17 Feb 08**
My lovely wife is currently on tour around the UK. (This is my punishment for a life of leaving the Loved One at home while Queen was on tour!) She's starring in a new production of Hello Dolly, and this coming week the company is in Hull - The New Theatre. Its very much an Old-Style (I'm sure they wouldn't mind me saying this!) musical, set sometime near the end of the 19th Century - the 1880's. But it's a VERY well-written piece, both in music and 'book', and this version has VERY up-to-date production values. And a great cast. My lovely missis plays Dolly Levi, a character created by Thornton Wilder in his book, The Matchmaker, a society gal who 'fixes' things ... among them, "furniture, daffodils ... and lives" ... including liaisons, and ... marriages. The musical version of the play was created by Jerry Herman, and was first performed in 1938. It's odd, this is exactly the kind of thing I wouldn't have been dragged to when I was young (that's why we played Rock and Roll, right?!) but I find myself more and more appreciating the craftsmanship in a work like this. Go see And I challenge you not to have a tear in your eye by the time it finishes. This is the kind of thing Anita is brilliant at ... the musical could easily look facile and superficial ... a lot of jolly singing and dancing - but she brings a reality to the central, rather tragic figure, which completely takes the show to another place. She brings out (with the help of some excellent direction, and a good team around her) the actual heart of the piece, and its very moving. Cheers © brianmay.com |
[Brian received a very interesting letter - an American view of the treatment of American Indians ... see LETTERS] ... Tthe cause of the Native Americans has been close to my heart for many years. Yes, it all needs bringing out into public consciousness ... maybe (in our dreams!) the President of the USA will deliver an apology like the Australian premier just did. More power to ya ! much love © brianmay.com |
**Sat 16 Feb 08** [Referring to Daily Mirror article HERE, which includes rumour Spice Girls - and of Robbie Williams to front Queen dressed as Freddie for Hyde Park.....] Good Lord! ... I've seldom seen so much misinformation in one article!!! Well done, the Mirror! ha ha! If they wanted to know about this event, maybe they should ask us ... since we are organising it ... Just about the only part of this that rings true is that Madiba DID enjoy meeting the Spice Girls. And Why Should He Not?!!! Cheers! © brianmay.com |
**Sat 16 Feb 08** [A reader kindly sent Brian URL's of new articles on this subject:] Great News. www.enews20.com/news_Good_News_for_Animal_Lovers_Animal_Testing_Might_Come_To_an_End_05836.html Thanks for letting me know. I hope it happens quicker than this, though. 10 MILLION animals a year? Criminal. Love © brianmay.com |
**Sat 16 Feb 08** Wanna see a brand new piece of astronomy? Something very fresh from the cutting edge? A Cannibal Galaxy?
This, thanks, to Will Gater (of The Sky at Night magazine and Astronomy Now) is the link. http://willgater.com/2008/02/10/galaxy-eating-monster-reveals-its-secrets/ Notice the distance of this monster from us ... 320 Million Light Years. The light which the Hubble telescope has just gathered from this object left its source around the time when our coal deposits were being laid down ... before Men, before Dinosaurs, in the Carboniferous period of Earth's primeval forest. Cheers © brianmay.com |
**Thu 14 Feb 08** [In reply to Russell who had a few ideas - see LETTERS] I like your ideas. I'd like, perhaps, to go even further than this .... to make the UK a cruelty-free zone - introduce a law that no product may be imported or exported (or internally transported) without a certificate of proper treatment of the animals, supported by frequent random checkups all the way along the line. Maybe other countries would then follow suit, and gradually all those using these vile methods would be made to change, or be forced out of business. I actually believe no animal should be allowed to be transported across an international border for the purposes of being used for food. We could start by boycotting meat from animals that we KNOW have come from other countries, and been badly treated - using the Independent information as a starting point. Maybe they could follow up their article with bulletins on the companies whose products are the results of these atrocities. Cheers © brianmay.com |
**Thu 14 Feb 08** Dear Folks I'm glad I am not the only one screaming about the terrible way we treat animals. If you can bear it, please look at what the Independent has published about the appallingly cruel way animals are transported on the way to their deaths ... HERE - (Exposed: The long, cruel road to the slaughterhouse)... we are talking about MILLIONS of creatures, here. Can we really allow our world to be this way? You can register your reactions here (The Independent: Have your say) too .... perhaps we can help make a difference here. Love © brianmay.com |
Yes, I'm really sad about Planet Rock closing. It's been a great station ... the only one of its kind in the UK. Can I buy it?! Cheers © brianmay.com |
Cheers © brianmay.com |
**Tue 12 Feb 08** I felt in the mood for stereo's ... nothing like a bit of 3-D to lighten things up a little ... Crocuses claim the first beams of sunlight, reaching for the deep blue sky ... offering their pollen to the early bumblebee...
What miracles of Nature these sturdy little plants are ... awake long before all the things that might eat them ... (except rabbits!) Love © brianmay.com |
**Tue 12 Feb 08** [A reader wrote that the Australian Government set to apologise for Aboriginal Displacement on 13 February... SEE LETTERS] I had heard a rumour of this. Wonderful. What a wonderful example to set to the rest of the World. I wonder if George Bush is listening You know, this is the last time I'm going to mention our Native American Film project. But this is precisely the kind of dream we had, in entering into the project. So there is hope! Australia is doing pretty well in my book right now! Good on em!! Cheers © brianmay.com |
[In reply to a reader who was brought up on a farm.... SEE LETTERS] All I can say is I wish there were more people like you, and I wish all farmers were like your Dad! I think it's very interesting to discuss this. I know it would be a gross over-simplification to brand all farmers Animal-Abusers. I would never do that. I know that there are good people out there who care for their animals. Of course when I hear stories of farmers moving their herds into infected BSE areas so they can kill them all and pocket the Government compensation money, I wonder how things really are in the majority of cases. To me it is appalling that, when an animal gets sick, instead of trying to make it better, we kill it, and all its family, and very often thousands of animals all around. Imagine applying this to our own kith and kin. Now they will be killing badgers because they are suspected of spreading disease ... it's all about US, it seems, and worse, in truth, all about money ... I'm sure your farm was caring and, within the current climate of opinion about how important animals were, as humane as was possible. I just think it's time to stop thinking of animals just as a commodity to serve our ends ... to start demanding the rights to decent treatment of ALL creatures. To me, it would be great, if, as someone has written to me to suggest, we all ate LESS meat ... it would begin to bring about a change in attitude ... and ... guess what ? We would all be healthier ! Supposing we all ate vegetables except on one night a week ? That's probably about where I sit. But that piece of 'meat' would have to have come from an animal which had had a good life, some freedom, and treated with respect and kindness, just like your Dad strove to do. I guess all ANY of us can hope for is a good life and a good death. I think you're doing a wonderful job of doing your bit to move things along in a good direction, Elvera ... well done ... and thanks for the support ... Love © brianmay.com |
**Mon 11 Feb 08** [Brian was asked .... "If I had all three pickups ON, if I switched phase on the bottom or the top pickup, the sound would be the same either way. But there is a huge difference and I had never seen this discussed on any of the guitar oriented discussions." SEE LETTERS] Ah ... no .... if I understand you correctly .... these two configurations you describe Ae very different ... in one the Fingerboard pickup is working against the other two, and in the other the Bridge pickup is doing the same. [And another question... Yes, I lke this one too ... it has a kind of hollow 'cluck' to it at medium volume ... I used to call it my "Bread and Butter" sound ... there was a record which had a clucking Rhythm sound ... not ours ! I used to use it quite lot ... especially with the Deacy amp ... on "Fairy Fellers Masterstroke", I think ... but though I play around with it these days, it seldom gets on to 'disc'. Must remember this! Thanks! There is redundancy in that switching arrangement though ... for instance, all on and all phase switches down is the same sound as all on and all phases up. But this can be very useful in a live show ... because you can move seamlessly through a number of settings, changing one phase switch at a time ... and sometimes unwelcome feedback can be eliminated by going to the opposite (redundant) phase configuration. I hope that makes sense ! Glad you like it, Rob. Take Care PS The acoustic ... when it eventually materialises ..... (!) ...well, let me get back to you on that! © brianmay.com |
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