Category: anonradio

ASFO 2024–05–25

Can I solve all the problems of the Japanese economy? Absolutely not. But I might make a few suggestions as to how to reduce fuel use, to the benefit of the balance–of–payments and the value of the yen, and at the same time relieve the pressures that drive people from the rural areas to the cities. Also, US Customs and Border Protection leads me to talk about the problems of Internet social media, which is usually far off my path, and make comparisons with other forms of communication ; and a little bit of capitalism and its discontents. Also, a final version of blast №1 is now available (with extensive commentary).

A link about rail freight in Japan

Supplementary Show

2024–05–31 From The Fast–Neutron Fission Breeder Reactor, the Proceedings of a discussion meeting held 24 and 25 May 1989, reprinted from Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (Series A) : Introductory remarks by RS Pease, FRS ; The science of fast reactors and why it has been studied, by G Vendryes (CEA) ; and just the first little bit of Engineering and design of fast reactors by M Köhler (Interatom). Unlike The Breeder Reactor, this is not intended for a general audience, but as it is meant for the non–specialist, at least parts of it should be reasonably accessible, and those are the parts I mean to read for you.

“Journey to Amtrak”

This is another one of my “grievance readings” of books discarded as a result of the Fort Worth city government decision to close the Central Public Library and sell off the land to real–estate developers. To me, this is on a level with the decision to close and demolish a public–housing project on the edge of downtown (convenient to jobs! even without a car!) and sell the land for a new Radio Shack headquarters… the company went bust and the complex stood empty for years, before being taken over by the community college district.

Be that as it may, this slim volume, subtitled The year history rode the passenger train, is a photoessay collection of the last days of railroad passenger service in the USA leading up to 1 May 1971, when the National Railroad Passenger Corporation took over. So you get to listen to me reading text written to accompany photos which you can’t see. Perhaps not my best choice of material…

  • 2024–05–24 As I was not watching the clock closely, this recording breaks off very suddenly, partway through an essay by Harold Edmondson entitled “Sixty–Two Historic Hours” in Chicago.
  • 2024–05–28 In the latter half of this show, I manage to read almost completely through a table listing all the intercity passenger rail services as of 1971–05–01, leaving out only Union Pacific and Chicago South Shore routes on account of lack of time. I think I will call this “done”.

ASFO 2024–05–11

Did you see the Aurora Borealis last night? It was visible quite far south. (There was Aurora Australis too.) Economists (not for the first time) get the sharp edge of my tongue as I reflect on one of the world’s most baffling megaprojects, “Neom ‘The Line’”. Also, Mail Call!

ASFO 2024–05–04

Dragonfly, the probe–aircraft which NASA has decided will soon be sent on its way to Titan, the giant moon of Saturn, is in my thoughts today. In particular, I want to know where the plutonium–238 for its thermoelectric power source will come from. Otherwise, I mostly discuss my travel plans, both for returning to the USA and for this autumn ; Deutsches Museum, one of the greatest science and technology museums in the world ; and the curious railway station at Eisenstein, where the border between Germany and the Czech Republic is halfway along the platform.

The Sunless City

From the papers and diaries of the late Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin, Esq. — by JE Preston Muddock, also author (according to the title page) of Maid Marian and Robin Hood, Stories, Weird and Wonderful, From the Bosom of the Deep, The Dead Man’s Secret, Sweet Doll of Haddon Hall, Stormlight, For God and the Czar, et cetera. Not only is there a mining town in Manitoba named Flin Flon after this book, but the copy I am reading from was sent to me by SDFer somedude, who resides there.

  • 2023–04–26 Live reading of the table of contents, Chapter 1 “The Lake of Mystery”, and Chapter 2 “Flin Flon’s Fish”
  • 2024–04–30 Chapter 3 “The Start”, Chapter 4 “A Subterranean River”, Chapter 5 “A Petrified Forest”, and the beginning of Chaper 6 “The Hall of Jewels”
  • 2024–09–27 Chaper 6 “The Hall of Jewels”, Chaper 7 “Flin Flon has a Strange Dream”, Chaper 8 “A Terrible Predicament”, and the beginning of Chaper 9 “Flin Flon Suffers a Serious Loss”