Arg

Ye gods. I was woken up by a savage charlie horse this morning that had left me limping around the apt, unable to unbend my left leg. And my cold has migrated into my chest and vocal cords, impairing my ability to speak or breathe. Yuck.

So, no hike today. Instead I shall do! work! - get more of my job materials done, and hope against hope that my mobility/voice is back in time for movie night tonight.

For you steampunk lovers

From cataptromancer: New Cambridge University clock unveiled by Stephen Hawking

For all its apparent eccentricity, the clock is based on solidly traditional clockwork - unusual in these days of digital electronic clocks. It has taken seven years' research and construction, incorporates six patented inventions, and is predicted to run for at least 250 years assuming the world lasts that long.

Engineer Stewart Huxley refuses to reveal the secret of its tricks, which include the pendulum occasionally apparently catching and stopping for a heartbeat, and then swinging faster to catch up.

The monster momentarily stops the turning dial with its foot to mark the minutes, shown as blue LED lights shining through slots. It was originally conceived by Taylor as a literal interpretation of the grasshopper escapement invented by his hero, the Georgian clockmaker John Harrison whose fabulously accurate mechanisms solved the problem of establishing longitude at sea.

The creature, modelled by sculptor Matthew Sanderson, was inspired by medieval armour and gradually became more ominous: part-lizard, part-stag beetle, a Chronophage – time eater.