15 March 2017
by Mark
0 comments
Today is the 15th of March, the nearest equivalent in our calendar to the Roman Ides of March, the date on which – as we all know from our Shakespeare – Julius Caesar was assassinated. Everybody knows to beware the … Continue reading
25 November 2016
by Mark
0 comments
I was idly browsing some clickbait linked to on Facebook by a friend of mine, and came across this one: It made me stop and think. Because there are two completely different messages here, and yet both are really, really … Continue reading
27 May 2015
by Mark
0 comments
I was an early adopter of Gmail, so I have a fairly short and simple Gmail address. Unfortunately, that means it’s only a typo away from plenty of other short Gmail addresses, so I get a fair amount of email … Continue reading
8 March 2015
by Mark
1 Comment
If you take the BBC’s website at face value, you might think that hardly anyone – or, at least, a minority – uses soap in solid bars any more. As the article puts it: How do you like to scrub … Continue reading
2 September 2014
by Mark
0 comments
I have long been irritated by the Coinstar scam machines in supermarkets, which proudly proclaim “Coins in. Cash out” on the front. Their website gives the impression that they have even registered the phrase “Coins to Cash” as a trademark, … Continue reading
10 July 2014
by Mark
0 comments
I’ve just finished reading the script from the first episode in the new Doctor Who series. It’s pretty good, actually, apart from a rather large and pointless MacGuffin that initially threatens to derail the plot and a tendency (which, frankly, … Continue reading
20 March 2013
by Mark
1 Comment
One of the things that the Town Council are responsible for is coming up with street names for new developments. Normally, the idea is that we come up with some kind of overall theme for a development, and then individual … Continue reading
12 February 2013
by Mark
0 comments
The announcement by the Pope that he is to resign prompted me to do a little bit of research, since I can just about remember who was Pope when I was a teenager but I wasn’t sure how many Popes … Continue reading
11 November 2012
by Mark
1 Comment
It was a bright, crisp autumn morning as we assembled in the Marketplace for Remembrance Day. The mayor in his robes, the band’s instruments gleaming in the sun, the sea, air and army cadets in their uniforms, the old soldiers … Continue reading
3 May 2012
by Mark
0 comments
Someone asked a question on Usenet: Supposing the Army wanted to station missiles on my roof to shoot down Olympic miscreants, what powers and legislation would they be relying on to enable them to do this? How might I stop … Continue reading