Those living quarters loof truly monastic indeed!! which is interesting considering the experiments conducted at CERN that break into territory that was the exclusivity of theology not so very long ago (and before you guys out there start ranting me for being such a close-minded atheist, for the record I do believe in God, and thank Him/Her everyday for giving us the gifts of reason and imagination, the end result being CERN among other things).

After reading Dan Brown's Angels & Demons (the first part of the novel is set at CERN, the second part at the Vatican) I was left under the impression that CERN did care about facilitating their scientists and staff with amenities and recreational activities. For instance, Brown writes that CERN has a facility where you can practice indoor sky-diving! Is this not true?

Alan, Can you point them to my book on communal living and how that might really make their housing concerns (especially temporary ones with people of like interests) go away?  People have suggested that I sould call them boarding houses and build them near National forests like a bed and breakfast.  I think they are more than that but it may help get the idea across.

The other news in France (that Airbus TOTALLY dominated sales at the airshow) was also good to hear today.  Something like 350 aircraft including the A380 and A350!!

Holy Heck... I guess they already do live communally in a multi-story building!  Good for them!  What may appear as a small living space would actually be quite large on, say, a yacht.  When highly customized with quality, functional, built-in furnishings, even a space like that would be just to die for.  Could use a nice multi-story parking garage!

Alan, it looks like you've reached nerd-vanna!

H Alan, 

 Joe Rao wrote on "Why the Seasons switch on Thursday". Your readers (and you too?) might be interested in an explanation as to why we have to wait until about July 4th to see the Sun set earlier, even though its declination has gotten lower; that is, sunset goes on getting later each night after the solstice (June 21) until about July 4th. Sunrise started getting later each day around June 6th. The later setting more than offsets the later rising; so, the days lengthen until the solstice (longest day) after which later rising (day shortening) more than offsets the later setting (day lengthening) to make the days get shorter. It's not until about July 4th that both start working in the same direction (sunset gets earlier each day and sunrise gets later each day in shortening the day). A similar thing happens around the Winter Solstice (sunsets start getting later around November 25th with sunrises taking to about January 16th to start coming earlier). I know the equation of time is involved among other things, but thought somebody might have a nice, simple explanation for your less knowlegeable reader.

 Another curiosity: one would expect the change in sunrise times and sunset times, around the equinoxes to be the greatest because the Sun's declination is changing most rapidly then. However, at the vernal equinox, the sunset daily change (increase) goes through a minimum while the sunrise change does hit a maximum. The opposite is true at the autumnal equinox, maximum change for sunsets and minimum for sunrises. I think this oddity (most people expect maximum changes for sunrises and sunsets; indeed, the lengthening of day at the vernal equinox does hit a maximum, of course, shortening of day hits maximum at autumnal equinox) is due to the fact that sunsets in Spring take place further south, due to axis tilt, than sunrises while in Autumn the reverse is true.

 I became aware of these things when I retired to Hawaii and could watch the Sun set into the sea from my house. 

 If you don't think this stuff would have much interest or can be explained simply, I'll understand. 

 Can't sign off without taking the opportunity to thank you so very much for your Cosmic Log and other things you put up for MSNBC Space News etc.. Thank you, Alan, and it's amazing how broad and accurate your knowledge is, including keeping up with the latest and most interesting news. I, and I am certain many others too, will be looking forward to your LHC reports. 

 MSNBC should be and all of us are so very glad that MSNBC found you. 

 Best, always, 
   Carlton

Hey Marty...nerd-vanna is my fave new word in ages...

  Who could sleep or spend time in their rooms with a new toy like the Large Hadron Collider?

Hi, Alan - Oh, to be in France (I know, it's really Switzerland) now that summer's here!

Carlton Lane --  don't forget that the orbit of Earth around Sol is an oval, not a circle, and that we are closer to Sol in the winter (northern hemisphere) than we are in the summer. The slow rotation of the axis of Earth means that in time the northern hemisphere will face Sol more directly than now.

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