Oolite Bulletins

I'm thread recycling. Skip to post 12 below for my moral dilemma.

Horizon

When you read that word, what associations does it elicit? If a TV show, book, magazine, twitter feed or web site were called that, what sort of content would you anticipate?

I'm a wanderer.

Horizons call to me.

This video sums it up, for me. Don't mind the visuals, gorgeous though they be.. it's Carl Sagan's voiceover that says it best.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6goNzXrmFs

The demarcation between the known and visible and the unknown behind-the-horizon future-y stuff (in a positive way)

Here in the UK, Horizon is a long-running popular science documentary series on TV.

Wildeblood wrote:

Horizon

When you read that word, what associations does it elicit? If a TV show, book, magazine, twitter feed or web site were called that, what sort of content would you anticipate?

TV show: as Smivs says, there is a UK TV show called that, so I'd expect that.

Book: some sort of popular science/social science book either about predicted future progress or the predicted limits of future progress

Magazine: not sure. I'd probably expect it to be a tie-in magazine for the TV show.

Twitter feed: pictures of literal horizons, sunrises, sunsets, and the occasional retweet of the Mars Rover.

Website: Not sure. Archive of the twitter feed? Fringe techno-utopian newsletter? Centre or centre-right political thinktank? Could be anything, really.

As has been mentioned, the UK has the popular science programme, so that probably influences my thinking: but general themes of exploration, new things/ideas, etc. are all in there.

Of course, it could be a travel show, or a travel agent, come to that.

Edited to add: there are of course SF connotations, and indeed ideas of terminal boundaries e.g. "event horizon".

For me, Horizon is the meme used by authors to indicate where one stops to see, the unknown and unknowable, the distance at which people are said to stop to think.

It's not a positive thought for me, it's an artificial limitation.

"Beyond the horizon" is way better a concept for me

In order of thinking of them the BBC TV show, a type of 35mm panoramic camera (also sold as Horizont), the event horizon of a black hole, and I suppose the junction of sky and ground/sea - I live in London so rarely see it much.

Similar to what has been mentioned above -

For me it is the point between what is proportionally more practical and able to be seen to what is proportionally more creative and essentially vision.

Some examples -

Remote sensing to determine the location of minerals under the surface of the earth - Remote sensing to determine the structure and composition of the earths crust/mantle interface

The mathematical understanding of the universe up to the speed of light - The mathematical postulation of the universe beyond the speed of light

The biological processes of the brain - The philosophy of identity

A crossword puzzle - A cryptic crossword puzzle (although I'm slowly pushing that horizon back )

SteveKing wrote:

A crossword puzzle - A cryptic crossword puzzle (although I'm slowly pushing that horizon back )

LOL.

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies, everyone.

I have a moral dilemma. The house across the road is empty. The owner has no interest in a garden, believing gardens to be a waste of water. The previous tenant took the garden hoses, which were hers, so I can't water the garden. Some of the remaining plants (she wisely took the best of the plants, all of which were hers too) are beginning to die. The property manager is typically useless, and is unlikely to let the house soon. I am minded to dig up the wilting plants and transplant them to my garden. Would that be stealing?

Wildeblood wrote:

Would that be stealing?

Probably 'Yes' technically, as I assume they are the property of the Landlord.
Had you considered asking them (or the Agent) if you can rescue them? A straight Yes or No would clear it up, although the answer would probably be an un-thinking No just because they would see it as a hassle, or fear a crater-riddled battlefield effect at the end. Perhaps a more constructive approach? Ask them if you can take them in terms of '...they are nice plants but they are dying and look terrible which doesn't reflect well on the property or the neighbourhood.' Offer to give the plants a good home, and undertake to leave the other garden in a presentable condition.
Might work.

Yes this is a good approch. Impress upon the letting agent that a dead garden will reduce their chances of a sale and will cost them to tidy up.

As a keen horticulturalist you would be happy to undertake the work for "Free" removing and unsightly and partially dead fawna. If they ask what's in it for you, tell them that house prices are only starting to bounce back and you don't want to be stuck living next to "The Adams Family house" not when all you need is permission to do something about it.

Make it sound like their ripping you off. People tend to go for that.

Any word?

ClymAngus wrote:

Any word?

About the neighbour's house, you mean? It's open for viewing tomorrow, so it's possible (but improbable) they'll let it. If they don't, I'm going to telephone the owner this coming weekend and bad-mouth the property manager and ask if I can knock off the kangaroo paws.