Magnetism and free speech. Just a few quick thoughts to round up the week

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Our readers have busy lives, as do we in the world of commerce and retail. But here’s time for a couple of thoughts which we hoped you might like. Well, we think they’re intriguing!

Nick Cohen on free speech

The reason we call Nick Cohen the new George Orwell is not because of his fearlessness, nor his razor sharp mind. It’s because he’s so objective. You’ll find his pieces scattered from left to right from the Guardian far out to the Spectator. It’s because he sees the fools and knaves in every camp, and so should we. Here he is from the Spectator on the current culture wars ravaging Cambridge University.

Cambridge academics have just won an important battle for free speech | The Spectator

Magnetism- a mystery unlocked

We at LSS have always been baffled by magnetism. Electricity- we know about that. You need it to turn on the lights, and there’s things like amps and ohms and volts which are OK if you can get your head around the equations. But magnetism?-it’s like electricity’s mysterious sister. It’s there, alright, but why, and what makes it tick? Now a fascinating new theory attempts to understand it using game theory, specifically the once popular 15 puzzle. It’s funny how something from one place suddenly turns up in another branch of learning. There’s a lesson in there somewhere.

A Child’s Puzzle Has Helped Unlock the Secrets of Magnetism (getpocket.com)

^{we thank Mr Peter Seymour of Hertfordshire for this story}

Twins Peak

Fans of amateur astronomy should note the Geminid meteor shower which should peak some time around Monday December 14th. A pair of binoculars should actually be better than a telescope. But how many times do we have to say it- observe after dark, when there is no danger of looking into the Sun. Because that will be the last thing you will see. Here’s Joanna Whitehead in the I

How to see Geminid meteor shower 2020 in the UK: What time to watch, when Geminids peak and what to look for (inews.co.uk)

^{we thank Mr Gary Herbert of Buckinghamshire for this story}

Well, that’s it for this week. We have to go now, for all sorts of reasons. Have a good weekend.

#geminids #astronomy #magnetism #15 #electromagnetism #nickcohen #cambridgeuniversity #freespeech #respect #tolerate