Space jobs
Last week, I attended a talk by Tim Peake, a British astronaut who is the sixth person born in the United Kingdom to go on board the International Space Station and the seventh UK-born person in space (according to Wikipedia).
I read one of his books before and was excited to hear him speak in person.
The subject of the evening was different to what I was expecting.
Rather than discussing space science and space life, Peake talked about the history and story of space exploration, from the humble beginnings of early flights by the Wright brothers to the future Artemis missions.
That’s the topic of his latest book - Space.
Even though it was more about history than science, it was a fascinating evening with Peake sharing stories, playing clips, and answering questions.
Leaving the hall, I was inspired but also was thinking - how come some people like him get to achieve so much while others don’t do anything?
What is the difference?
Lately, I have been watching a lot of debates about determinism vs. free will, and I am leaning towards the former. I believe that our actions, and therefore, our lives, are determined, and if I could rewind the clock and live my life again, I would probably be in the same spot, writing this exact sentence.
Obviously, I don’t want to diminish Peake’s achievements or excuse the slackers, but the thought makes me feel a little better.
WHAT AM I WORKING ON
As Paulina was away, I used the time to finalise the Missing Niamh mixes. The series is now pretty much ready. The next steps are the trailers and promos.
We released a fun video in which I speculated who could be the next Wolverine.
WHAT AM I READING
The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker. Finally, I finished the book. Okay, I will admit—I half-read/half-skimmed it. There are profound ideas in there on death anxiety and our weaknesses as people. Our lives are a struggle because we both want them to mean something but, at the same time, fear that they don’t. Psychology is theology, meaning humans need something to believe in, a story where we are the heroes. The concept is moving but distressing.
But dear lord, what a boring style of writing. At least to me.
Ultra Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken. This is the next read for my book club, which I started yesterday. It’s about food and the reasons for the obesity crisis. The investigation is into UPF or ultra-processed foods and the effect these have on our bodies and minds. There is a fair bit of chemistry and biology, which is not my strong suit or area of interest, so I tend to skim these paragraphs, but other than that, it’s good.
WHAT AM I WATCHING
Apollo 13: Survival. Paulina was away last week, so naturally, I was banned from watching the series we started together. In the spirit of Tim Peake's talk, I watched this Netflix documentary about the Apollo 13 mission and how they brought the astronauts back. It’s excellent and stressful at times.