The Space Age is 50

Sputnik was launched 50 years ago. Blimey. Uncle Gerald has been a radio amateur since he was 12 (and built his first receiver) and one of his big accomplishments was being able to tune into Sputnik's signal.

While technology has improved significantly since then and the ISS has been a reality for a number of years, actual human exploration of space has advanced nor further than the Moon and that was almost 40 years ago. Interestingly, other aspects of technology/science have advanced a lot quicker but some of the icons of early SciFi (flying cars, humans in space etc.) are still out of reach whereas some things very few people envisioned are a everyday reality (tiny computers, mobile phones etc.). There are plans for humans to land on Mars in the next decade or so but that's only the next planet in our huge solar system.
The NASA space effort ground to a halt after the Challenger accident but I think even if it hadn't happened, we wouldn't be much further.

More stuff

- A large section of the cycleway of the Riverside Bridge is in place (flickr photos)

- Last night there was an interesting documentary about the school kids who sang on Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall". I hadn't actually known there was such a controversy and scandal about it (basically, the anarchic music teacher sneaking off with them during their lunch break) and that they weren't allowed to be in the video but I guess that news didn't make it as far as Germany. What I did know is that they were never credited or received royalties. The individual portraits were also quite interesting with their current careers ranging from builder to lawfirm partner.