steve's blog

I’ve just finished reading "Soyuz: A Univeral Spacecraft" by Hall and Shayler.

A really, really interesting read. To start with I thought I’d made a mistake as the book is a very detailed technical description of Soyuz – the workhorse of the Soviet and Russian space programmes. But once the booked moved onto a description of each of the missions flow between the late ’60s and the early 21st century I became more and more absorbed by the book.

The technical achievements that the Soviets achieved were quiet amazing, especially when you consider than two early Soyuz crews were lost in landing accidents and two crews were involved in launch aborts.

Just read "The Iraq War" by John Kegan. Like all of Kegan’s books it is thoughtful and well written. Most the book is taken up with a history of the Middle East and Islam leading to a history of Iraq and Saddam Hussain. Only three chapters are devoted to the 2003 Iraq War and the war is explained quiet well – maybe it still too soon after the war for a truely objective history, but this is probably the best summary I’ve seen so far.

I’ve just finished reading Dan Brown’s "Digital Fortress". In my opinion it was rubbish.

Yes, like all the Dan Browns I’ve read, it is a real page turner, but the story is full of too many twists and turns and the science is just tosh.

The story is set in the NSA’s main computer centre and revolves around an unbreakable code that will make the NSA obsolete. I know a little about encryption and computer viruses, and the techno babble that is the book is just babble. For me the lack of accuracy in this area really ruined the book.

Don’t bother trying to read it.

Just back from the cinema where we saw Spiderman 2.

From the opening credits (a graphic novel like retelling of the first film) t the climatic battle between Spiderman and Dr. Octopus the plot is intelligent, witty and the special effects as good as they get. The way the film carries on from the first, it is more of a continuation than a sequel and the conclusion of the film sets itself nicely up for a Spiderman 3.

Ian was a touch scared of Dr. Octopus in one scene of the film, otherwise it is suitable for a family audience.

If you enjoyed the first film, you will love Spiderman 2. Go see it now and enjoy it on the big screen.

Have just finished reading Stephen E. Ambrose’s "Nothing Like it in the World: The Men who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869" which tells the story of the building of the first railway to join the American East and West coast in the 1860s.

Like all Stephen Ambrose books that I have reads, it tells it’s story in a very accessible and human way.

How did the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroad companies build the longest railway in the world across empty wastelands, prarie and mountains from Omaha to Sacramento?

Ambrose sucessfully tells the story of how the railway was built whilst describing the colourful characters who conceived it and managed construction. He is equally at home describing the labours of the thousands of Chinese, Irish and Mormon laborers who sweated to build the railroad in unimaginable conditions as he is in describing the corruption and financial shinanigans surrounding the endeavour.

After the railway was completed travel time from the East Coast to West Coast was cut from months to five days. Travel within the US was forever changed.

Indeed, nothing like it in the world…

Just back from seeing the new Jonathan Frakes Thunderbirds film.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. I was a bit apprehensive about going to see it because I’ve such good memories of the original puppet series and the trailer made it look a little bit too teenager friendly.

I needn’t have worried. The graphics and rescues are spectacular and the acting suitably wooded, but the film works. All four of us enjoyed it.

Not a great film, but certainly an enjoyable film.

Just finished "Deception Point" by Dan Brown. A real, page-turner with a real surprise towards the end. Not nearly as good as "The Dan Vinci Code". More a low budget, Clancy-type movie.

I probably wouldn’t bother to read it if I were you.

I have just finished reading "Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed The Art of War" by Robert Coram (2002, Back Bay Books, ISBN 0-316-79688-3).

John Boyd was a US Airforce pilot who served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. He developed a methodology called E-M Theory in the 1950s. E-M Theory was the first mathematical way of describing an aircraft’s dogfighting characteristics and led to a systematic method of comparing aircraft performance and, more importantly, working out the best way to fight the strengths of one aircraft against the weaknesses of an adversary. Simply revolutionary at the time. He is known as the father of the F-15 and was a member of the so called "Fighter Maffia" who foisted the F-16 on an downright hostile USAF in the seventies. Some have said John Boyd was the most original military thinker since Sun Tzu.

Enjoyed reading the book, although it was a very sycophantic in places. Having said that it tells the story of a man who persisted in what be believed in and revolutionised air to air combat.

Recommended.