Day 16 – 24 January 2014 Apart from the occasional café the shop windows were still dark as I made my way across the old Town Square in Durham. I pulled up the collar of my coat. Even the brisk walk down from the station wasn’t enough to beat back the freezing air that bit … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 16
The beauty of languages
I’ve always wanted to speak a foreign language, to speak one properly, fluently as if I was a native. I’ve been trying for a long time, ever since I was at school. I’ve dabbled in French, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese and even Esperanto yet I’ve never given any of the more exotic tongues a try, such … Continue reading The beauty of languages
Change your password
There are some things in life that are such a hassle: filling the car up with petrol; taking a cheque to cash into the bank; and changing your passwords. These are not big things and thankfully you don’t have to do them that often but they get on your nerves. The yellow light that flashes … Continue reading Change your password
Learning to play
In our doctors’ surgery, a place I’ve had the dubious pleasure of visiting many times over the last few weeks, there is a small wooden box that sits in the waiting room. It is about a metre cubed and is made of a white wood like birch or pine as if it was made by … Continue reading Learning to play
Ubuntu
Bees have been in the news a lot. There is widespread panic that they are all going to be wiped out and that we will all die of starvation. It could be a virus or the effect of insecticides that is causing the devastating reduction in numbers of what the BBC euphemistically call pollinating insects. … Continue reading Ubuntu
Jigsaw your mind
I’m off for a few days and have some time to kill. There’s a jigsaw that’s been lying unopened on the bookshelves and so what better time to give it a go? My eldest brought it back for me from her round the world tour and so it is well travelled. It’s a picture of … Continue reading Jigsaw your mind
Trade shows = Free stuff
Let’s face it, the real reason that anyone goes to a trade show is to get their hands on some free stuff. It doesn’t really matter what it is as long as it is free – the best four letter word there is. (For clarity free and food are the two best four letter words … Continue reading Trade shows = Free stuff
Intelligent design
I have either been put together over the millennia through countless trials and errors, mistakes and opportunities or I have been created at the hand of some intelligent designer. I have either navigated a successful evolutionary path to arrive where I am today ever since I slid out of the primordial ooze or what I … Continue reading Intelligent design
Things to think about when making species un-extinct No.3
In two previous pieces I raised the topic of bringing extinct species back to life, making such things as Tasmanian Tigers and Gastric Brooding Frogs un-extinct through DNA sequencing and clever artificial fertilisation techniques. Outside of any ethical and difficulty questions there were a few points that I thought were worth thinking about. The first … Continue reading Things to think about when making species un-extinct No.3
Will you be saying yes or no to pornography?
Life is never that black or white and the way that a question is phrased will often determine the outcome. Nudge told us that. So when you are asked do you want to view pornography online yes or no, how are you going to answer? If the question is ‘Do you want to want children … Continue reading Will you be saying yes or no to pornography?
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 