Monthly Archives: December 2002

Personal Dec 29, 2002

Posted on December 29, 2002 by Rhian

We made it! And here I am! Currently working night shifts, 8pm-8am, hauling cargo. Boxes and barrels and containers and food and drums and drums and drums of fuel. Hard hats and big machines. Cranes, skidoos, snowcats. The cleanest construction … Continue reading →

Posted in Rhian in Antarctica | 1 Comment

Personal Christmas in Halley

Posted on December 25, 2002 by Rhian

Dear All… Thank you for the wonderful, wonderful christmas emails that have been coming in..and sorry for not replying individually: I am busy stuffing stuff into bags that are stuffed. Rhian style. It’s mayhem. We arrive this afternoon, christmas eve. … Continue reading →

Posted in Rhian in Antarctica | 4 Comments

Personal: December 22 2002

Posted on December 22, 2002 by Rhian

Okay, I’m bundled up to the nines (?!*$!), feel like the Michelin man, look like the Michelin Man, look like everyone else on this ship. Identikit. Purple reversible fleecy jacket thing, huge overalls and coat with reflecty strips, beige steel … Continue reading →

Posted in Rhian in Antarctica | 3 Comments

Feyerabend and philosophy

Posted on December 20, 2002 by Felix

A long back-and-forth I was having at 2Blowhards the other day prompted Brian Micklethwait at Samizdata to nominate one of my postings as "the silliest and most potentially disastrous blog comment of the year 2002". His problem was that I … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | 9 Comments

The New York Times hikes its price

Posted on December 19, 2002 by Felix

The New York Times announced today that it’s raising its newsstand price in its home city by 33%, to $1. (Sundays will stay at $3.) The price jump comes on top of a 15-cent price hike in September 1999, bringing … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | 11 Comments

The new WTC designs

Posted on December 18, 2002 by Felix

I went to the unveiling of the new plans for the World Trade Center site this morning, and they’re miles ahead from the vague and unimaginitive plans we saw five months ago. There are nine plans in total, from seven … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | 15 Comments

Broadband’s killer app arrives

Posted on December 17, 2002 by Felix

A standard lament in the communications industry is that American consumers have been slow to adopt broadband internet connections. DSL and cable modems have been around for years now, but the vast majority of internet users continue to stick with … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | 2 Comments

The soft racism of high expectations

Posted on December 15, 2002 by Felix

Community standards exist in even the largest of cities. Discussions about them tend to concentrate on whether they’re good or not – whether they’re epitomised more by friendly neighbours looking out for each other, or by redneck homophobes beating up … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Politics | 1 Comment

Personal South Georgia

Posted on December 15, 2002 by Rhian

We have been in South Georgia for the last few days. I had no idea. No-one ever told me. Did you know? This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Possibly the most,- but then, how … Continue reading →

Posted in Rhian in Antarctica | 2 Comments

Three To See The King

Posted on December 9, 2002 by Rhian

Magnus Mills, Three To See The King: How indeed was I to pass the time until Simon left? Before now I’d seldom been concerned with such questions. Existing in a house of tin was an end unto itself, a particular … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Rhian in Antarctica | 6 Comments

Personal December 6: Falklands – Signy

Posted on December 9, 2002 by Rhian

(Note from Felix: This is being posted on December 9 as email somehow doesn’t seem to get through BAS on weekends. So the first update has already arrived, and is sitting in the comments section.) Thanks to all for jumping … Continue reading →

Posted in Rhian in Antarctica | 5 Comments

Heaven

Posted on December 8, 2002 by Felix

Did you know that Krzysztof Kieslowski has a posthumous movie out? It’s called Heaven, and it was slated to be the first in a new trilogy, called Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. It has the allegorical strength that we have come … Continue reading →

Posted in Film | Comments Off

The point of tipping

Posted on December 4, 2002 by Felix

I went upstate on the weekend after Thanksgiving, and stayed at the Hudson House in Cold Spring, "the second oldest continually operating inn in the state of New York". It’s a pleasant enough hotel, a nice place to spend the … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | 16 Comments

All or Nothing

Posted on December 2, 2002 by Felix

The great British film director Mike Leigh has come out with a new film – not that you’d be likely to have noticed if you live in the US. Despite critical and commercial success with his last three releases, Secrets … Continue reading →

Posted in Film | 3 Comments