Books and ozone holes

I remember at high school our principal giving us a talk in assembly one day about the dangers of ozone depletion. He predicted that within our lifetimes a day would come when we wouldn’t be able to go outside without protective clothing because the ultraviolet radiation would be so intense that we’d be burnt in seconds. If you listened to the more dramatic elements in the news media, you’d think that day had come today, with dire warnings about the dangers of going out unprotected while this “rogue” ozone hole is hovering over New Zealand. The way some of them were talking, you’d think that stepping outside even for a second would see you burnt to a crisp. A calmer view of the data, however, suggests that, yes, there is an ozone hole over the country at the moment, and it has increased the amount of ultraviolet radiation significantly, but because it’s still only early spring, the radiation is actually no worse than on a normal summer’s day. The real danger lies in the fact that it’s not as hot as a summer’s day, so you don’t realise you’re being burnt, and also because most people are still pale after the winter, so haven’t built up as much protective melanin yet as they will have by summer. But not exactly end of the world, lock yourself in your house with the curtains closed, as the more dramatic were implying.

As it happens MrPloppy and I did spend the day inside, but that’s because we decided to “weed” our (many) bookshelves, which were seriously overflowing. So we pulled all the books off the shelves, and then each went through the piles selecting the books we wanted to keep and putting them back on the shelves. All the books that were left once we finished are ones neither of us want any more, so I’ll register and release them eventually. Of course, in the meantime we’ve got two huge piles of books cluttering up the hallway.

[album 128913 240906books1.jpg thumblink] [album 128913 240906books2.jpg thumblink]

At least the bookcases are looking a bit tidier…

Currently reading: Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human by KW Jeter