“Arguing that you don’t care about privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.” Edward snowden
Quirky news of the day: A local amateur historian taking a walk in forest near to the Belgian village of Erquelinnes discovered two weeks ago that the stone dating back to 1819 had been moved 2.29 metres (7.5ft). The farmer’s perimeter fence had also been shifted. The Franco-Belgian border, stretching 390 miles (620km), was formally […]
This is an informative article on that cloudy, foggy brain that I know I’ve definitely experienced over the last year of the pandemic. That dull minded feeling where you just can’t really remember what you’ve done or what you’re meant to do and yet you feel anxious and stressed at the same time. It’s both […]
Wonderful hour-long interview with the late, great Murray Walker from 2013. Any time I think about formula 1 I can hear him, like Clive James said: “Even in moments of tranquility, Murray Walker sounds like a man whose trousers are on fire.” Murray was one of a kind, his excitement was infectious and unintentionally hilarious […]
Boris about Scotland. Another entry in my John Major Warns series (a whopping four entries long now!), a grey Famous Five collection. Delaying a second vote on Scottish independence may be “unwise”, former UK prime minister John Major said – as he warned a “hardline” refusal to allow another vote on the matter for a […]
The Guardian reports that the US National Academy of Science has proposed a study of large-scale geo-engineering to reduce the amount of sunlight and heat that is reaching the planets’ surface. Proponents of geoengineering argue that impacts of global heating could be so great that every option to limit these must be explored. Opponents argue […]
A collection of failures, flops and surrealist design curated by Sylvie Sauvignet is opening virtually in Saint Etienne. From a wavy ping pong table to a watering can that waters itself, some of these items are wonderfully absurd, and some are flawed designs that just didn’t work (like the Delorean). The exhibition has dedicated a […]
Read more, read widely, take time to read deeply. The effects on your brain are good: Different experts disagree on some of the finer details, but a growing body of scientific literature shows that reading is basically an empathy workout. By nudging us to take the perspective of characters very different from ourselves, it boosts our […]
