The Secret Agent

I finished Conrad's The Secret Agent during my time away over Christmas, which included two quite long train journeys.

Currently reading (start of Christmas holidays)

Hugo: Les Miserables (in English translation!)
Conrad: The Secret Agent
Lewycka: A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian

Barke et al.: Misconceptions in Chemistry
Rhiordan and Hoddeson: Crystal Fire

... and also a book that I'm reviewing.

Campion update: I've read the two war-time novels
Traitor's Purse (see previous post)
Coroner's Pidgin

I don't think I'll finish all of the series in 2009!

Following a few days of cold weather I found some interested ice crystals outside my front door this morning. Unfortunately we were in a hurry to get to church, but I managed to get the following photographs later in the day. The ruler is 20 cm for comparison.































I think they have formed by vapour deposition from the cold damp air. This is essentially a process of diffusion-limited aggregation, similar to the growth of zinc or silver crystals under electrodeposition, which is the usual chemical fractal demonstration. The delicate fingers would be called "dendrites".



I thought they were pretty cool - such intricate and elegant beauty produced, quite literally, out of the air.