Technology, Books and Other Neat Stuff

It appears that there's methane in the Martian atmosphere.

Methane isn't stable in the Martian atmosphere, and so needs to be replenished. As no one has found an active volcano or a volcanic hotspot, then it's a possibility that we may be looking at microbe activity...

I have just heard the first parrot of spring in Putney...

The Thames isn't the world's smallest river. However, up around Hammersmith you don't expect to see anything much larger than the occasional tourist pleasure boat. I was driving over Hammersmith Bridge this afternoon, on my way back from a client, when I had a bit of aa surprise. The largest vessel I'd ever seen on the Thames was just about to go under the bridge. Not only that, but it looked like wasn't going to fit, even at low tide...

Luckily I had a digicam to hand, and found a side road where I could stop. I nipped out, and grabbed a handful of photos...

( The behemoth emerges from under Hammersmith Bridge )
( The barge's bridge rises up... )
( The incredible retracting barge... )
( The convoy heads on upstream )

Thinking about the timing, and the descriptions in various news items, I'm guessing that what I saw was the sea-going barge that's going to carry the last Concorde from Heathrow to Edinburgh next week...

[Update: yes, it is that barge according to the BBC News and a transport news site found by that nice jonhoneyball]