Hello there, {$name|default:'reader'}. I hope you're having a great week.

While collecting the articles for this newsletter, I got to thinking. We as humans are always imposing aspects of humanity onto non-living things. We know our pets and other animals have personalities, of course, but despite being fully aware that our cars, computers and central heating systems have no desires or instincts of their own we still imbue them with similar qualities. This edition contains a story about an autonomous swan powered by clockwork, which nevertheless behaves in such a life-like manner it's hard not to ascribe some agency to its movements. I've also mentioned the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, which has finally ceased flying. I think a lot of us feel a sadness that's out of proportion to the bare facts of the matter. A device we built has outlasted its usefulness while also exceeding expectations, yet we view it as a more poignant event than replacing your phone when the battery wears out.

We gladly ascribe humanity and feelings to inanimate objects. It's easier if they're human-shaped (or dog-shaped) as this video from Cleo Abram illustrates perfectly: youtube.com

I do wonder why that is? Do we crave intelligence in all our interactions? Would we feel happier if our cars could actually relate to us? Or would we feel guilty if we didn't drive for a few days, and the car said it had missed you? Imagine your toaster whining when you left for work without breakfast, or your fridge getting excited when you came back from shopping.

I think companies are going to start putting AI into everything, even more than they have already, and I'm not entirely convinced it's going to be good.

I still don't entirely believe my hot water boiler isn't plotting against me.

Space News

Ingenuity is Grounded

I've written before about the Ingenuity helicopter, the plucky little aeronaut who proved we can operate a flying vehicle on the surface (or rather, above the surface) of another world. Originally meant as a technology demonstration, the goals would be deemed to have been met if it successfully completed five powered flights.

It's done 72.

Over the almost 1,000 sols (Martian days) that it was active, it received upgraded software to allow it to clean its solar cells, pick its own landing sites and it even managed to survive the bitter Martian winter, despite not being expected to.

Sadly on a flight in January, it lost contact with the Perseverance rover. It was later determined that it had crash-landed, and further investigations showed that one of the rotor blades was damaged, rendering it impossible to launch again.

Now scientists will attempt to determine how the failure occurred, while also downloading all the remaining image and science data that the helicopter has captured.

Ingenuity in August 2023.

Source: NASA Mars Exploration Program

Other Books To Check Out

I've gathered a few great books from independent authors like me, I hope you'll check them out.

And let me know if you have any books to recommend! I'm particularly interested in indie authors, but anything you've read and loved would be awesome.

https://storyoriginapp.com/swaps/c88fd04e-c69f-11ee-80ab-47e2623d69c0

Review Copy

She was lost in the future but she finds herself in the past.

It's the 22nd century and the Corporate Wars rage through our Solar System. Alex 9, an elite commando on a crucial mission, finds herself in Deep Space. Something went wrong with her ship, and she ended up on a planet much like Earth - a world at war where Humanity is still in the Middle Ages. Armies of knights, bowmen, and spearmen clash as empires fight to the death and alliances are stretched to the limit. But is Alex there by accident? As Prince Dael of Brodom and his Thirty Giants ride to help the Sultanate of Tamurya against the seemingly invincible Great Army of the Tshiu Empire, they witness the supernatural fall of a rock from the sky into a still lake. Astonished, they watch as a beautiful woman comes out of the waters. They don't know it yet, but this woman will change their lives forever. Moreover, a mysterious prophecy seems to have predicted her coming. And why is she in possession of the deadly Japanese Sword of the Dragon, once the prize of the Takahashi-McNamara Corporation? What secret powers are at work? In this new world, she will have to find a new family, a new mission, and her own destiny. Another Sci-Fi/Fantasy series by award-winning Portuguese author, Bruno Martins Soares.

https://fae.watch/under

Magic, mystery and mean girls

16-year-old Izzy's magical Shifts have landed her adrift in a hidden island kingdom. She's stranded, but how did she get there? And how can she get back home?

Once the Leader accepts she's no spy, Izzy learns to love this icy world. But the stairway to her new life is fraught with lies and betrayal. And looming over all is the evil, narcissistic and charismatic Mayleen, her old school bully. Izzy must fight for her life and the lives of those she loves; she knows Mayleen is deadly, but who will people believe?

Can she use her magic to triumph, or will she drown in Mayleen's evil lies?

How to Breathe Underwater is a sweet romantic academy fantasy perfect for fans of Diana Wynne Jones and Holly Black.

Strange News

Repairing a 250 year old Automaton

The Bowes Silver Swan

My family originates in the North-East of England, which is also home to a remarkable piece of 18th Century art and engineering.

The Bowes Museum is a remarkable recreation of a French Chateau in a small market town. The original inhabitants of the fine house were John Bowes, the owner of a Paris theatre, and his wife Josphine Coffin Chevalier, who he had met while she was an actress there.

They settled in a fabulous Chateau in France, but John's business required him to regularly travel to and from England, a journey neither of them enjoyed. So he decided to build a corner of France in County Durham, relocate his family, and fill the place with wonders and treasures.

One of those treasures is a mechanical swan made of silver. When the three clockwork engines clatter into life it swims along the glittering river, moves its head about in a phenomenally life-like manner, and snatches a minnow from the water beneath. Absolutely remarkable to see, and when you consider it's been wowing people since the time of Mark Twain, it's not surprising it needs a little care and attention sometimes.

This video shows the delicate process of dismantling, cleaning and servicing the swan (including 113 rings which allow the the fluid motions of the head and neck, among 2000 moving parts).

I've seen it in person, and it truly boggles the mind that someone could conceive of, and build, such a realistic creation with nothing but levers, cams, cogs and springs. Oh, and it plays a tune too!

Source: youtube.com

Other Books To Check Out

Miscellany

The quality of adaptations of 'The War of the Worlds' has varied over the years, but that doesn't seem to stop people trying. I never thought I'd see it in Minecraft!

Source: youtube.com

The idea of a countdown before a rocket launches predates us actually launching rockets.

Source: hackaday.com

A purpose-built SETI facility in California.

Source: kqed.org

And Finally

Tell me this doesn't hit you where it hurts. An XKCD cartoon published when the Spirit rover finally lost power:

Source: xkcd.com