Yesterday night, despite the dismal internet connection I have here in the sticks, I followed the first lesson of the Monash University MOOC How to Survive on Mars, offered for free through the FutureLearn platform.

It is a good way to spend an hour, it is far better than television, and it’s helping me to brush up my basic physics and chemistry.
Then it’s about Mars, and that’s part of the fun.
And indeed it gave me a few ideas for stories, which is nice.
Still three weeks to go: all this is very promising.