Lilium is back in the news. I wrote about this company a year ago and now they have their five-seater electric jet built and tested. Well built anyway. This video shows the limited extent of the testing. I am not an engineer or a pilot, but it seems to me that these Germans are on to something. Nonpolluting, cheap to fly, incredibly safe due to multiple redundant engines, vertical take-off, long range and fast. Quite a list. If it wasn’t privately held, I would invest.
I have two books on the go right now. First, ‘Eater’ by Greg Benford. End of the world stuff with lots of physics and aerospace engineering as humanity faces down an immensely powerful magnetic being who wants to a record of us. Only. Exciting but difficult to follow at times as a non-scientist. Second, ‘Paris in the Present Tense’ by Mark Helprin. Genius. As people have said before about this guy, I am not worthy to review his writing. So good at evoking place, time and love. Lyrical and powerful writing.
I am going to be a grandparent for the first time! I prefer ‘Big Daddy’ to ‘Grampa’ but either way, it is happening in November. We are, of course, over the moon. Proud, excited and worried. I did not sleep much the night we heard. Another stage in life reached and we feel so fortunate.
Finished and polished up the last two short stories. Also did some more work on the third novel. Lots of writing these days. Here’s some of one story titled, ‘Loser’.
It was years ago now. He sat in the hot sun outside his little house. It wasn’t a bad place. He turned to look at it. The window on the front didn’t quite close. Got a little dusty inside during the dry moons. Both women who had lived here at one time had asked him to do something about it. One softly, the other not. Marlis had left when he was broke, and he threw Krani out when he got tired of her hangovers. She was loud, round and liked to drink. Too much. The window that didn’t work was still here. They weren’t. He smiled a little. ‘Why didn’t I get that done?’ He started to get up but then he eased back into his chair. It was hot. And it wasn’t the dry moons yet.
Have a great week!