A truck passed me twice this morning (due to it getting held up in traffic), it was a learner driver and each time he pulled out and passed cleanly with a good spacing that left me feeling safe. What a pity the goon immediately behind him in a 4×4 didn’t learn from the example in […]
These things fascinate me, they’re unbelievably tough: Tardigrades — also known as “water bears” — are microscopic animals that can live through almost anything: 30 years in a freezer, rapid dehydration, boiling and freezing temperatures, massive doses of radiation, baths in organic solvents, and a trip to open space. Today, scientists sequencing their genome have […]
Prince Buster, Jamaican ska pioneer, died yesterday. Hugely influential in the Jamaican ska and rocksteady scenes, I knew of him due to his inspiration of a small North London band that later became Madness. His influence did, however, resurface in the late 1970s, when his music was the key inspiration for the ska revival in […]
With the depressing news recently that funding has been apparently cut by the NTA for pretty much anything cycle related in Dublin, including the expansion of bike parking in the Drury St. facility, it struck me that there’s no commercial bike parking in town. Of course, the first question has to be, is there any […]
Good news from Edinburgh: A pilot scheme to ban parking outside primary schools in Edinburgh has led to an increase in the number of pupils walking to school. Evaluation of the School Streets scheme also showed lower vehicle speeds on surrounding roads and a reduction in the number of cars around schools. A report to […]
Good to see South Dublin CoCo filling in some desire lines in this park near the Luas stop on the Cookstown Way, Tallaght. There’s a school of thought that says you should put in the minimal amount of paving and then wait to see where people walk first to save on un-wanted paving.
Brendan Rodgers and the Plight of the English Soccer Manager By accepting help with player recruitment or in data analysis, managers might be able to get back to what Aidy Boothroyd called “the football stuff.” He, like most of the figures interviewed by Calvin throughout Living on the Volcano, seems to strongly echo the words […]
This is the song of the East Gate Warden When he locks the great gate and smokes in his garden. Postern of Fate, the Desert Gate, Disaster’s Cavern, Fort of Fear, The Portal of Bagdad am I, and Doorway of Diarbekir. The Persian Dawn with new desires may net the flushing mountain spires: But my […]
BA has resumed flights to Tehran. Now that’s a country I’d love to see. Especially Isfahan. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/30-beautiful-photos-iran-british-airways-resumes-flights-tehran-1579154
