Dors Venabili, The Living Automaton

So these Russian bombers have been flying close to the UK yesterday and the RAF sent up some Eurofighter Typhoons to 'escort' them away.

I like the Eurofighter Typhoon a lot; they're very fast, quite manoeuvrable, have an excellent range. A work of art, really.

I suppose one might point out that of course, the Russians were not flying in anything other than international airspace - but that won't affect the way the general media covers this particular item. Even so there is no doubt the flights are a flip to the United Kingdom and NATO about the fiasco in Debaltsova, where a bunch of mercenaries have been captured by the Russians. (90% of the Ukraine army has been able to retreat/withdraw - according to the Kiev government).

This testing/probing/war-game style of messing around is all very well but it is a grave mistake to believe we are in an era in which hot conflict between these very large powers can be 'won' by any particular side, or that they will unfold in quite the same ways that past wars have.

My own personal outlook is that modern society has lost its respect for all of human beings generally because we think we already know so much about everyone 'else.' And familiarity has bred contempt and boredom and the thirst for individual power, rather than the desire to learn about others and culture in general.

Unlike the Merchant Magistrates of Venice, we, know already too much about 'the Forbidden Kingdom' and - there are no new horizons.

Dors Venabili was just a fictional character in an Asimov story, and there are no alien worlds or alien people we in any short time are going to encounter, or thrill over.

There is, however, the 2015 Geneva Motor Show coming up in just a few days (5 March) in which we will see for the first time the new Aston Martin Vulcan, another extremely limited edition (yawn) exercise.

Trust Bertone!

And for me over the next few weeks there is a series of the greatest sprint races that I have seen - in terms of strength of the fields engaged - in the Australian horse racing calendar. 

I will be able to be entertained. 

And shortly, I will relate to you, the Greek myth of Lycaon... But not yet.