Ian Robinson's Weekly Digest - 8th August 2021

Here’s this week’s list of things that caught my attention. There are thirteen music-related items and eight pointers to articles and videos. As usual, get me on Twitter with any feedback or questions.

Privacy: Apple’s New ‘Child Safety’ Initiatives, and the Slippery Slope - Daring Fireball - Link

There has been a lot of electrons sacrificed this week in discussions of the forthcoming Apple CSAM protections. Including some by me on Twitter. I didn’t see any issue with these changes. If Apple hadn’t done something, then regulators would have forced them to do something worse. John Gruber has a could article about it on Daring Fireball.

Space: SpaceX Starship Fully Stacked for the first time, Starliner and Starlink Updates - Marcus House - YouTube Link

The torrent of news related to space launches and other activities is very hard to track at present. Thankfully the Marcus House weekly summary videos every Saturday are a way to stay up to date. The latest is a typically good example.

Simulation: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 - Realistic 13 HOUR 777-200 Full Flight to STORMY Japan in 4K - Justin Grady - YouTube Link

Wow. I’d heard that the latest Microsoft Flight Simulator was realistic. But I didn’t know it was this good. A remarkable 30-minute video of a flight from the USA to Japan. Incredible.

Geology: Iceland Geldingadalie Volcano, closeup video of Lava poll with drone - Green Iceland Vid - YouTube Link

The volcano in Iceland is still erupting. Just over four months it’s been going now. The current pattern is periods of inactivity and then an eruption. This fabulous drone footage from the 6th of August 2021 gets very close to the lava pool in the crater.

Climate Change: Climate contrarians predicted the world would cool—it didn’t - Ars Technica - Link

This article by Scott K. Johnson looks back at the predictions of climate change deniers over the last few decades. They don’t survive the process too well. Brutal. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Science Communication: Talking to science deniers and sceptics is not hopeless - Nature - Link

Talking of science deniers. We need to do something to reach people who deny facts. People are dying due to denialism. The climate is touching up against tipping points due to denialism. We have to try and reach as many of these people as possible and talk them off the science scepticism ledge. This Nature article is a starting point on how to try.

Cosmology: Are we made of math? - Sabine Hossenfelder - YouTube Link

Sabine Hossenfelder’s science without the gobbledygook videos are fantastic. This one addresses the question:

Books: What Makes Elon Musk Different - The New York Times - Link

Walter Issacson reviews two new books about Elon Musk and how he worked through the early problems at Tesla and SpaceX and emerged as the head and public face of two of the most important 21st-century companies doing physical innovation in cars and spaceflight. The “grudging admirers’ characterisation of a growing group of people in the review includes me. I’ve even unmuted Musk on Twitter! I’ll certainly be reading the Eric Berger SpaceX book, and I’ll probably read the Tim Higgins Tesla one as well.

Music: Back To The Light album rerelease - Brian May - Link

I considered including this in the next section with the new music I discovered this week. But given I bought the original CD in 1992 and still have it, the rerelease didn’t really fit into my new music finds. But if you haven’t, it’s worth a listen.

Music: New music I discovered this week (listed in the order I added them to Apple Music)

Bonner Black - More Than You Love Me - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter - Instagram (She’s brilliant on Instagram!)

Shulman Smith - Way Out West - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Lightning Bug - a Color of the Sky - (Album) - Apple Music - Spotify - Instagram

BAYNK & Tinashe - Esther - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter (BAYNK) - Twitter (Tinashe)

Valeree - Say the Word - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Dusted - III - (Album) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

UPSAHL - Time of my Life - ( Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Fever Season - Shantelle - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Ed Cosens - Fortunes Favour - (Album) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Tabitha Westley - Kinda Crazy - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

The Vaccines - Back In Love City - (Forthcoming Album) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Fascinations Grand Chorus - Terror in the Night: Act 2 - (EP) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Here are Apple Music and Spotify playlists with all the singles and one selected track from each album or EP. In no particular order. Play them on shuffle!