Happy birthday, Danachan!

Happy birthday, ma belle danachan! *cheers*

I knew I'd get a story idea out of it eventually.

We've been watching the History Channel series The Universe, which is pretty good for popular science, and full of lovely visuals (yay CGI!). I was thinking of the moons of Saturn on my way to work today, and had a story idea.

"Telescope Pals". Two young people, both colonists around Saturn, are pen-pals and use their telescopes to look at each other's settlements. (Worldbuilding thoughts: one on a natural satellite and one on a space station? What would be an appropriate name for a space station orbiting Saturn, an artificer/smith/whatnot linked to the Titans? What would be a good satellite for a settlement? Titan is too gooey.) The kid on the space station sends their friend pictures of the rings (which the kid on the moon can barely see).

I need to resist the temptation to set this on the Galileans instead; Jupiter's magnetosphere would microwave human settlers, wouldn't it?

Still. *makes notes*

Two useful links and a birthday wish

A clarification about non-photographic images from LJ, which actually seems clear, at least on first reading, and addresses at least some of the concerns I know people have had. I'm impressed. Not excessively --- it's still troublesome news --- but at least this post tells us something useful to know.

http://community.livejournal.com/lj_biz/242136.html


And, a resource for my friends into the Age of Sail in general and the Aubreyad in particular: Lobscouse and Spotted Dog
http://www2.wwnorton.com/pob/SpottedD/welcome.htm


Last but surely not least, Happy Birthday, danachan!