Carl Sagan

"Wet dress rehearsal" for the third Integrated Flight Test completed. And with some lovely photography: You'd expect the launch within a few days from now. Another step further on the long road to Mars.

I'll be surprised if it's that low - I think 2nd will need at least 2 points a game, probably 93 points which would mean 8 more wins rather than the 7 for 90. It will be a big ask.

Fantastic first senior goal - great composure. Dajaune only came on in the 81st minute, and scored 6 minutes into injury time. Hopefully it's a prelude to him getting more game time with them.

Portsmouth do seem to be running away with the league to me. Their total with 10 games to go will already be enough for the playoffs. If they maintain their season-long form, they will finish on 97.1 points. By contrast their closest challengers, Bolton, are looking at 90.7 points. They've only lost 4 games all season - we've lost 9! Barnsley are next closest to them on that stat, losing 6 matches.

I disagree because I think the fewest points our rivals have, the better. A draw means only 2 pts going against us instead of 3. Our current ppg is 1.92, behind Barnsley on 1.94 and then Bolton on 1.97. The different scenarios are: Barnsley win sees them on 1.97 while Bolton join us on 1.92, but fall behind on goal difference. Bolton win sees them on 2.00 while Barnsley fall back to 1.89. Draw and Bolton are on 1.94 and Barnsley 1.91. So a draw puts us objectively 3rd, and only 0.02 ppg behind Bolton in second.

After wins for all the top 5 on Saturday, we remain 4th in this "effective" table, everyone on 3 points more from a game more. However, Tuesday night sees Barnsley at home to Bolton meaning one or both of them will drop points and, regardless of the result we shall move up into effective 3rd place. My preference would be for the draw. Peterborough are also playing at home to Northampton. It would be great if they drop points so remain at arms length.

Watched all these things with my bro growing up - we adored them. What a time for filmmaking, including with the giant creatures, or small people. And of course I love Quatermass, and even more modern versions.The Fly led to us reminiscing about The Incredible Shrinking Man, which I've just googled and see was made in 1957.

Interesting as I've only noted spectacular reviews. Seeing this on Thursday. In the meanwhile: The Fly (1958 version): was on the other night and me and Mrs Sagan really enjoyed it. We both were puzzled as we'd seen it as children, and thought it was a black and white film, yet this was screening in colour. But then it dawned we must have seen it on b&w tellies. Old school science horror, in glorious technicolour, with the magnificent ending that stays with you. Terry Hennessy/10.

I say Louie is our best attacking central midfielder. But he's never given the opportunity to show it.

The good news tonight, with 10 games still to go, is we're now safe from relegation. With our 69 points, we can't be caught by: Carlisle, Fleetwood, Port Vale (obviously a crucial win today), Shrewsbury or Charlton. So the worst position we could end up in is 19th, and might even be higher with teams below us having to play each other. As we begin the business end of the season, the hope is fewer and fewer teams will be able to catch us. For instance, Oxford in 7th can now only get a maximum of 87 points, and the time will come (maybe in 5 games or so) when we're mathematically cemented in the playoffs. Let's hope we reach a point when we cannot finish lower than 2nd. Let's count it down in this thread.

Thanks, but in this case I'm only the book publisher. This is one by someone else (the botanist Chris Thorogood) where I'm just his editor. But it's a great book. He transports you into the rainforest with him.

I would worry for Paul Tierney. And the ref for the gump's next game. https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/revealed-would-nottingham-forest-owner-8451522

Great to get back to winning ways. And Sky gave me a free £1 build a bet that was used to fine effect: With everyone else winning too, we briefly remain effectively 4th (on points per games), but it's very tight between Bolton, Barnsley and us, and because Barnsley play Bolton midweek, whatever the result we will sit 3rd on ppg. Plus goal difference may yet be a factor. Boosting that really helps and brings confidence.

Confess it sounds somewhat niche, but I have no doubt it will be ace. Happy writing!

If you don't shoot, you don't score. It's one of many reasons Sibley should be one of the first names on the teamsheet. Wonderful for Gayle to score. That will give him massive confidence. Hope he gets a couple more in the second half! Come on you Rams.

Great stuff! As I said when starting the AI thread, I'm also writing a book on that for a different publisher at the moment. And, like you, it's currently hard going haha. What's yours for our future reading pleasure?

Here's a link: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/mar/01/chelsea-and-west-ham-considering-15m-move-for-gents-archie-brown

So is that going to be? Wildsmith Ward Nelson Bradley Cashin Adams Sibley Bird Mendez-Laing Gayle Barkhuizen

Creating books is a really slow process. I moved to Penguin a couple of years ago, but first you have to contract an author to write a book, then they must do the hard graft of writing, and we go through numerous drafts together, and then it moves into production and all the stages there. My very first book from start to finish like that publishes on Thursday and it's a great story - proper narrative nonfiction that follows Chris Thorogood's lifelong obsession with Rafflesia, the world's biggest flowers, and his quest to save them. Lovely review in the Guardian to kick things off. Before this book, I was pretty blind to plants. Now I notice them so much more. It's called Pathless Forest if anyone wants to try out a nature adventure story. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/mar/01/pathless-forest-by-chris-thorogood-review-love-letter-to-a-monstrous-flower

Well, after back-to-back defeats we've fallen to fourth place in the table that properly reflects points over the season: It's been a big dropoff by us and Bolton with the 95 point target for automatics now looking a significant overestimate. Barnsley will fancy their chances and if poor form continues then Peterborough can come back into the mix. All is not lost, but we need to put a run of results together quickly. If my auntie had balls she'd be my uncle, but what a missed opportunity this has been. We could have been well clear with Portsmouth...

I don't like seeing Sibley at left back, but if Fozzy and Elder are injured and we're playing 4 at the back, then it has to be him. With the bonus of a goalscorer/attacking player in the team when, last night against Charlton we only really had two in NML and Gayle. Wilson was brought as a defender and although he can be very useful on the wing, I don't see him ever scoring many. Nathan Jones just had to nullify two players and hope we didn't score from a set piece. Warne said on Radio Derby after the game something to the effect that he thought about playing Sibley there, but he wanted to get all his best players on the pitch. That's not a quote - I'd have to listen to it back, but the truth is I can't be bothered to put myself through that again. So, Warne moved by far his best central defender out wide, and by only playing two attackers his strategy appeared to be to stay in the game and hope we nicked a goal from a set piece. Against a team without a win in 20+ games. I am desperate for Warne to get us promoted this season - I HATE us being in this league. But I would sack him at the end of the season either way, and bring in a better coach/tactician.

Listening on Radio Derby. They have been very critical of referee Jeremy Simpson - apparently the same one who sent Louie Sibley off for being fouled, so it had to be overturned a couple of days later. Great to have the lead in what sounds a game with few chances. When things are so tight, you need magical finishers, but of course Sibley was dropped. Good that left back Cashin found the net from a set piece. Sounds a really odd lineup, starting with so many defensive players on the pitch and attacking players on the bench, Fantastic to be winning, but Nathan Jones is a better tactician than Warne, making me fear a little for us in the second half. Maybe Warne can change things around sooner rather than later and keep Jones off balance? Maybe we can bag goals 2 and 3 and relax? We all live in hope - come on you Rams!

America's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has finished its look at the 2nd flight test, so we're now nearly ready to go with the third (a new licence must still be requested). But, meanwhile, SpaceX twice attempted what's called a wet dress rehearsal (to test the spacecraft and ground systems) last week, with Ship 28 stacked atop Booster 10, and it didn't work. As an indication the problem is with the spacecraft, Booster 10 has returned to the hangar for inspection and repairs while the Starship (28) remains at the pad. My guess is this means the third Integrated Flight Test won't launch until mid-March at the earliest.

Ha! I wonder as well. So many sliding doors moments supporting Derby - one of which was the Madley game against Burnley. My hope was actually that he would remain the ref for this, but be aware of the scrutiny he would be under, and err on the side of giving us decisions. I missed the game but haven't seen any complaints about the replacement ref.

I even updated Wikipedia to that effect after it happened. You'd think Maguire might have at least looked there!