An annual cycle

I was struggling to recall facts about Vauban – so I checked Wikipedia. It provided (in part) the following account of the famous military engineer:

His principles for fortifications were widely used for nearly 100 years, while aspects of his offensive tactics remained in use until the mid-twentieth century. He viewed civilian infrastructure as closely connected to military effectiveness and worked on many of France’s major ports, as well as projects like the Canal de la Bruche, which remain in use today. He founded the Corps royal des ingénieurs militaires, whose curriculum was based on his publications on engineering design, strategy and training.

His economic tract, La Dîme royale, used statistics in support of his arguments, making it a precursor of modern economics. Later destroyed by royal decree, it contained radical proposals for a more even distribution of the tax burden.

I visited Breisach today – one of his projects:

Back to the question – what would he contribute today to address the biggest threats facing us?

– to protect the French language (or, if we give him a global mandate) all languages?

– to protect the countryside I am so enjoying cycling through – especially food production (read, climate change)

– to protect us against Big Tech – especially AI – where a handful of CEOs are getting to make policies that will affect everyone on the planet, with little accountability?

And given he is not around, how are we going to step up and take on these challenges?

I’ve always liked that pithy description of personal responsibility: “If it is to be, it is up to me!”

More rumination required.

I have cycled so many times in France that I rarely pause to look at the inevitable monument in just about every town to ‘the fallen’ ( be it first or Second World War).

God forgive me.

Today I stopped at a monument in the middle of the countryside (but strategically positioned at the Rhine):

It reminded me not just of the perfectly maintained cemeteries in Normandy – but also of a Russian cemetery I came across on a previous trip (Gdańsk through Kaliningrad, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to Helsinki). The cemetery was not well-kept. But the headstones made me stop: Boris 18, Ivan 19, Gregory 18 – and on it went. Boys. Pawns in the bigger game.

The monument admonishes us to remember – without these sacrifices – as it proclaims – LEUR SACRIFICE FUT LE PRIX DE TA LIBERTE

I trusted

I came

I saw!

Google obviously believes in my Divinity (as in, ability to cycle across water). But the path it gave me led me to the lakeside with no prospect of crossing

Chalk it up to “Even Google isn’t infallible!” Imagine!

Let’s be honest – there’s an awful lot of hooey out there about Purpose?

In contrast, I love something short, specific and memorable

“We create chemistry” provides a North Star for everyone to pursue. And when I got to Mainheim, I realised just how many that might be – imagine for a moment a site that is 10 square kilometres ‘making chemistry’, employing 32,000 people!

(more…)

This is only Day 6 – and look at it!!

Just short of 90k today – but the terrain!

Long stretches through the forest – much of it shaded – and no cars! Heaven!

More on Greek myths later

Let’s the pictures speak for themselves:

Those are the three ways heat is transferred:

Conduction: through touch (think touching a hot plate and pulling your hand away in alarm – conduction is vey effective!)

Convection: by heating a medium (such as air – think about feeling the heat in an oven, even though it is 200 C, it does burn you (but don’t touch the rack!!), and

Radiation: through electromagnetic waves (think about how the Sun heats the earth (through empty, super-cold space)

They were all on triple time today – and then some. In response, I reckon I got through more than 4l of water. (Even when I stopped – and sat down – for a sandwich at lunchtime, I could feel beads of sweat running down my calves.). TMI, I know.

And, as for Julia – she fainted three times and still hasn’t recovered. . . . Rhythm was a challenge.

And that meant slowing down. At times, it seemed even the Town names were mocking me:

A longer day too (due to a hotel booking that didn’t work (don’t ask) – then, a miscalculation on my part that added 16 k at the end of the day that I really didn’t need (book in haste, repent at leisure – and up a steep hill, too, for good measure!)

Still, time to take in the sights – like the waterfall:

And occasional roadside distractions: