The Native Iowan

A good storm and 40mm of rain over night leaves the air crystal clear and fizzing with ozone… Did you know: The smell of ozone is distinct from the earthy smell of petrichor, which is caused by plant oils and geosmin released from the soil. Ozone, a molecule composed of three oxygen atoms (O3), is formed when lightning splits oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. The strong winds associated with thunderstorms can carry this ozone down to ground level, where its sharp, pungent smell can be detected.

I am watching the world spin on its confused, eclectic, eccentric course. I feel we are in epochal times, changing times, shifting times… its all the same really, eccentric or epochal… its all about change…

Change is good, if it’s good change.

I viewed the change of my hairline, many decades ago, as bad change.

I saw the invent/ advent of the www as good change. I saw it as having access to the world’s libraries, to mankind’s accumulated wealth of knowledge. I saw it as no longer needing to have my complete set of Encyclopaedia Britannia and the Greatest Works of the Western World with me at all times. Over 200lbs/ 90kgs of books are hard to manage, store, access.

Somewhere in life’s wake my encyclopaedias are sitting, rotting, unloved, unwanted… and thats sad.

The world is changing from one of printed-on-paper to one of electronically-generated… I started reading on-line ages ago. I found Project Gutenberg ages ago: https://www.gutenberg.org

I like the idea that books from Gutenberg are free, and there are many long lost, all but forgotten writers’ complete works available. Did I say, for free? Jack London, Herman Melville, Arthur Canon Doyle, Louis Becke, Andre Dumas are a few of my favourites.

I have not subscribed to a periodical for ever and ever. Ages ago my Time and Newsweek, and Guardian, and Economist subscriptions were important. It was exciting to receive your monthly mag in the mail. Up until recent years I subscribed to Nat-Geo. Some where in my past life is a box or two filled with old copies of Nat-Geo.

I subscribe these days, on-line, to few sites. I avoid pay-walls. I tend to search and look and dig and generally find the info I require without forking out any $$. The www offers heaps if one is patient, and enjoys reading.

One sad, sad change is the fact that “journalism”, the art of reporting “news” is dead and gone. Life is filled with talking-heads stating their opinions as facts. I read a number of “small town” newspapers and find little news therein. One I really liked recently is a simple paragraph that declares its bias quickly… The cost of living, access to housing, and climate change are impacting the number of children Australians are having. Should we be concerned about the long-term implications of declining birth rates?

From the press here in Australia… COL, access to housing, and Climate Change are IMPACTING the number of children…

Sure, explain to me you’re not biased, that you’re just faithfully reporting the NEWZ…

Lastly… some plain talk about climate change… funny, sad, and true…

And the beat goes on

More later