I’m struggling with insomnia again for some reason, and sitting here at the computer surfing around I am reminded that the solstice occurs in just a few minutes as I write this.  So…Happy Winter Solstice 2008 everyone.  I’m sure happy.  Because now the days can start getting longer again. 

Well…except for you folks in the southern hemisphere that is.  Sorry.  Now your days start getting shorter.  So I guess that should be Happy Northern Hemisphere Winter Solstice 2008.

One of these days I have to travel to the southern hemisphere so I can experience the disjoint in seasons for myself.  Oh, and look up at the night sky and see the half of infinity that I don’t see up here.  At some time or another in your life you should experience in a way that really drives it home, the fact that you are living on a planet. 

That’s what’s wrong with Larry Niven’s Ringworld.  It experiences no seasons.  Everywhere you go on Ringworld it is always the middle of summer.  Except where the engineers installed heat fins underneath.  But even there it is always winter.  Or Autumn.  Or whatever season the engineers have decided it will always be.  Which would be worse I wonder…a never ending summer or a never ending winter?  And even the artificial winters of Ringworld wouldn’t be right, because the sun’s radiant energy is always the same no matter what.  Now that I think of it, it would be really Wierd to experience a Ringworld winter because the ground would be cold, and maybe the air around you somewhat too, but the sun is still bearing down on you like it’s summer.

I’m geeking out here aren’t I?  Time to go back to bed and try to sleep a little more…