Recently updated blogs

An article I wrote for the Conversation on Meta’s recent announcement around making their generative artificial intelligence (AI) models available to defence and national security organisations. Read here

The 38th Annual Irish Economic Association Conference is being organized by the Department of Economics at Queen’s University Belfast and will be held at the Hilton Belfast, 4 Lanyon Place, Belfast (BT1 3LP), from Thursday, May 8th to Friday, May 9th, 2025. The keynote speakers are Professor John List, Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, and Professor Renée Adams, Professor of Finance at …

Oscar Gough & Ellie Spooner in the Welkin © Craig Fuller Lucy Kirkwood’s The Welkin quickly established itself as one of the great plays of the 21st century. Touching upon classic cornerstones Twelve Angry Men and The Crucible, it finds its own path, using the trajectory of Halley’s comet to combine past and present, an intoxicating blend that grips and surprises and puts Kate Bush firmly back on the map …

Vastlite Sima Specifications Introduction Torch in use Build quality LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam Size and comparison User interface Batteries and charging Performance Beamshots Conclusion Price Product page Specifications Brand/model Vastlite Sima LED 2*Osram P9 Maximum lumens 2,200 lm Maximum beam intensity 11,050 cd Maximum throw 210 m Battery 2*14500 3.7V Li-ion 1000mAh Onboard charging Yes (USB-C) Material Aluminium Modes 5 Blinkies Strobe, SOS, Beacon Reflector OP Waterproof IPX8 …

Feeling quite proud of myself for getting my broken microwave repaired instead of mindlessly taking it to the dump and buying a new one. Only cost £45 to replace a blown capacitor.

It’s been a while. I’ve been coming through things, and still am, but here I am, writing again. In the café at Wrexham General station, the kind barista is putting up the Christmas tree while I drink my morning coffee. I choose to take it as a sign of hope. It may snow before November is out. I will love again the way snow falls through the street light outside …

….Well, I can certainly see why this is called an “Acid Western”. “El Topo” – or “The Mole” (Alejandro Jodorowsky, who also directs) is a gunslinger on the Mexican frontier. For a chunk of the film, he is accompanied by his son, “Hijo” (Brontis Jodorowsky, Alejandro’s own son), or a woman he names “Marah” (Mara Lorenzio). At first El Topo is simply a sort of knight-errant, heading off on missions …

This post is inspired by a poll that Ellen Jovin, aka the Grammar Table, ran in September. Before I get into that, let me point out that there is a Kickstarter to support the documentary about her spreading grammatical joy across all 50 US states. It'd be lovely to be able to see that film in a (BrE) cinema/(AmE) theater or event near you, near me and near everybody. So …

We categorized songs in the Billboard Top 10 to see if love songs are on the decline.

Hey, remember this blog? Yeah, me too. Anyway. Almost fifteen years ago, I posted here an account of my decades-long efforts to emulate the lasagna that my grandmother made for my family in my youth. In the intervening years I've made adjustments to my recipe. I actually swapped out fresh mozzarella right from Caputo's salt water tub for whole-milk mozzarella, also from Caputo's. Which I shred, rather than apply in …

There’s been increasing talk about how blue light from phones and computer screens could be a potential cause of skin damage. Is it worth worrying about, or is it just marketing? This topic is going to be a two-parter. In this installment we’re going to talk about visible light damage, and how you can protect your skin; in part 2, ... Read more Source

Please join me, along with friend and fellow author Colleen Miniuk, on the evening of December 12 (at 7PM EST / 6PM CST / 5PM MST / 4PM PST) to celebrate the release of my new book, Be Extraordinary: Philosophical Advice for Photographic and Other Artists. The event is FREE, but registration is required. You may register and find more information, as well as submit questions and topics you’d like …

I made a Clock Gear Train Calculator this evening. This is something I've done with ad-hoc perl scripts in the past, but I wanted to use it again and couldn't find my previous scripts, so I thought this time it would be better to have a proper user interface on it. If you're designing a clock, you might find it useful. It lets you specify a range for the pinion …

PC I have a particular love for games that take one element of a larger genre, and just hone in on it, let it be the only element of the game, and allow me to explore it in a way that usually feels overwhelming. One such genre I really struggle with are turn-based RPGs and strategy games, when battles become any more complicated than the gentle nature of a Paper …

Here I sit, brokenhearted / I came to shit and only farted. I’m stuck in the toilet with my laptop. The last time FlamedFury bookmarked something I had written, they said I broke it down in too many words (as usual :P). No doubt it was meant in jest. Nevertheless, here’s proof that I am not always prolix: a shitpost since I can’t seem to shit. And I do appreciate …