Computing
An August Conundrum
On August 18th 2024, Mr Stephen Chamberlain was “fatally struck” by a car whilst he was out on an early morning jog in Cambridgeshire. Chamberlain was put on life support after being taken to hospital, [more…]
DJM
Authoritarianism
Riot Predicting And All That………..
In regard to the unrest (riots) that have rocked the UK recently. The proximate cause for the riots was the murder spree by the Welsh-born child of Rwandan immigrants, who – at present allegedly – [more…]
America
Here be Dragons – Beware Quicksand
“Treason doth never prosper, what’s the reason? For if it prosper, none dare call it Treason.” – John Harington Shortly after 12:30 pm local time on November 22, 1963, the medical staff at Parkland Memorial [more…]
Arts
Totally NOT Star Wars, No sirree : Starcrash – The Movie…….
It’s the late 1970s, and just hitting the big screen is a space opera in which a lightsabre-wielding smuggler embarks on a royal rescue mission, a talking droid sidekick provides comic relief, and a classically [more…]
History
Se non è vero, è ben trovato………
“Had he not wrapped himself in a discarded cloak, Ulysses would have frozen to death at Troy. Our hero’s host, Eumaeus the swineherd, hears the story and gets the hint: He loans Ulysses a cloak, [more…]
Language
Euphemism : A mild, indirect, or vague term for one that is considered harsh, blunt, or offensive
Outside of Yorkshire, to talk plainly is considered uncouth. Everything emanating from our modern mouths must be lathered in a suitable amount of euphemism, lest someone becomes, (Heaven forfend & clutches pearls……..) triggered. Each modern [more…]
Authoritarianism
You question my authoritay?
You know the game is afoot when the Prime Minister makes a sudden, last-minute, Friday evening, urgent announcement. Surprisingly – perhaps – nowt to do with GP & FF, but on 1 March 2024, Sunak [more…]
18th Century
How Napoleon went from ‘Cannibal’ to ‘Majesty’ in 20 days
In French history, the period from March 1 to March 20, 1815 is known as Le Vol de l’Aigle: the Flight of the Eagle. The Eagle, of course, was Napoleon – the diminutive Corsican whose [more…]
20th Century
Teh 1970’s & all that
One of the problems with claims that our situation is “just like the 1970s,” is that very few adults of the period are still around to share the memory. It is only later in life [more…]