such_heights | (no subject)

+ I didn't get the chance to reply to comments the other day, but thank you to everyone who laid down some science in my last post.

+ My

rs_small_gifts and

camelotsolstice gifts have both been posted! I am not allowed to read them until I've finished my own submission for the former, but I can't wait to get to them. Thank you, kind gift-making people! ♥

+ I have to say, everyone's flaily posts about Yuletide are making me feel a little better about dropping out. *g* However, I offer much cheerleading - go fandom go!

+ I have successfully made it home despite the flurries of snow that have started appearing - this is England, after all, where transport is not designed to cope with anything that might be described as a weather condition. I can't quite believe I survived this semester, and I am very, very happy to be home.

+ There have been various recent instances of fail I do have things to say about, but I just don't have the energy. I will say, however, that I am completely horrified at the BBC. Just, oh my god, Not Okay. (And, to pre-empt, please note that I am in no mood to argue about whether there's a problem with legitimising the question of whether queer people ought to be allowed to live. Not to mention that as a response to the current situation in Uganda, it's massively offensive to the people currently facing death threats from their own government. Please don't bring that 'debate' to my journal.)

+ Anyway. I am doing my best to resolutely shake off the above - I have tea, a massive jumper, I am sitting on my parents' sofa and now I am going to write a little fic and finish my Christmas cards. Speaking of, thank you to

misswinterhill and

avendya, your cards were waiting for me when I got home today! ♥

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ahh, I missed your science-y question! But it's actually a lot simpler than some of the answers suggest:

The short answer is this: north, south, east, west are defined in modern astronomy by the rotation of the planet. The sun always rises in the east, because east is defined by where the sun rises. That's it. And if you know where east is, you have automatically defined north and south as well.

It's a convention that has nothing to do with the planet's magnetic field. The magnetic field and axis of rotation don't have to be closely aligned to each other - on Uranus they are something like 60 degrees apart - so it would make no sense to determine geographical directions by something so irregular as a magnetic field.

Fun fact: this means that if you put the Earth and Venus side by side, their North and South poles will be opposite one another, because Venus rotates in the opposite direction relative to the Sun. It has what's called retrograde rotation. Nearly all other planets in the Solar System rotate in the same direction they orbit the sun, but Venus rotates in the opposite direction from the planets' orbit around the sun.

:)

Whee, thank you! I have been enjoying my edumacation. :D

That's not even getting into the fact that the Earth's magnetic North Pole is actually a south pole by the convention in magnetic fields. ;)

Weather! We have it too, and the country grinds to a very white halt (or in my case, extreme quiet since no one went to shop today.)

I'm also equally horrified at the BBC, and especially their inability to admit that they were wrong, posing this as a legit question even as people are pointing out they couldn't do the same for jews in the middle east. Epic fail.

They are predicting chaos tomorrow, which could be entertaining as we go fetch a Christmas tree!

And, yeah, I almost have to laugh because it's so totally horrendous. What the fuck was anyone thinking? Clearly, they weren't.

completely horrified at the BBC

Yeah, I saw that and had to reread the question, I couldn't believe it said what I thought it said. Sometimes I think I forget what a lot of people are like.

I'm really quite shocked - the Daily Mail, absolutely, they run astoundingly offensive polls basically every week, but this coming from the BBC is really something. I don't know what it is about some identities - frequently ones that fall under the general LGBT umbrella - that seem to conjure up this idea that their rights/lives/existence should be a subject of debate.

&hearts &hearts &hearts *CLINGS* OMG. SO MUCH FAIL GOING ROUND RIGHT NOW.

;aldsjas; CAN 2009 AND ITS ASSOCIATED FUCKERY BE OVER NOW, PLS?

I faceplamed at that headline as well. I do not have the energy to do anything else.

I also sent a card to your Sheffield addrss today. So yeas. You will have a non Christmas Christmas card.

Pretty much!

And aw, yay, I really like it when the post gets spread out.

Also, hi. I am home with very little by way of plans for a MONTH. Let's (actually, no really) hang.

Drinkies Christmas Eve afternoon?

Ooh, I'll see if I can swing that with the family and let you know!

w00t! If not, we can sort something out.

I opened your post when I first got online, and I honestly couldn't believe that link about the BBC poll was real. Not because I doubted you, just because I didn't want to believe it. But I saw it in a bunch of other places, and I got more and more horrified each time.

In happier news, I'm in progress on my Yuletide right now. I hope it doesn't end up sucking too much! And I also sent off your card at the beginning of the week, so I'm hoping it'll make it to you by next week.

Seriously, why did I click that link? Dear god. People are fucking mad, just crazy all out mad. *SIGH*

from burningmarl/Rachelle

What the fucking fuck @ the BBC

Yaaaaay! The card arrived! Hope you like it! :D