Virtual pilgrimages; Newton’s appletree heads for space; and 329 not out!
• We already have internet churches and online confessionals, now comes the idea of the virtual pilgrimage. A new service allows would-be pilgrims to the Shrine of St James in the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela to pay for a ‘digital candle’ to be lit for them without ever leaving the comfort of their home. The operators of the scheme have permission to set up the the electronic candles at the site - a move which could have the added benefit of helping to reduce the risk of fire in the cathedral.
• In an ironic twist, a tiny sliver of the famous apple tree Sir Isaac Newton observed an apple falling from (and so ‘discovered’ the law of gravity) is heading for the weightless environment of outer space. British-born astronaut Piers Sellers is taking the piece of wood aboard the space shuttle Atlantis next week on behalf of the Royal Society of London.
• It’s a fair knock by any standard. Teenage English cricketer Oliver Hardaker celebrated a world record-breaking batting streak earlier this month when he smashed 329 runs, not out, in a single day’s cricket. The tally, which was arrived at during a game in the Yorkshire Dales, included 27 sixes and 28 fours off 144 balls.