Category Archives: Blather

This is too silly for words: a Chinese menu with literal word-for-word translations done from a colloquial dictionary. It gets steadily more surreal and vulgar as you scroll down until the characters meaning “Hot and spicy garlic greens stir-fried with … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Anyone needing proof that the IP system is horribly broken need look no further than here: the European Patent Office has invited me to a consultation in Munich in late April to bloviate on the strength of my piece in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

“Bach! Fuck, yeah yeah yeah” as the philosopher said. At 12.55 GMT, the BBC is showing live coverage of the Olympic ice hockey final. Even better, it stars Sweden and Finland. In each country, they will be preparing in their … Continue reading → Continue reading →

An excruciating experience last night: I had been to a rather grand lecture in one of the City churches, followed by a reception in a livery company’s hall. Really nice Californian wine, gravlax in the nibbles, and I felt I … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Not to warm up any deadhead jokes — though we still don’t know how many copies of the the Eleven Mrs I-am-not-a-Deadhead Tilton has — but there is enormous fun to be had here where the vaults of the Bill … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This is a really silly idea, but I like it. Just got back from a couple of nights in Edinburgh, where amongst other things, we had supper with Louise-who-comments-here and the talked moved naturally to witchcraft trials. They hardly tortured … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Every six months or so I think that I must get a download from the Grateful Dead music store; it takes about that long to forget how awful the system is. They have a site which doesn’t work with firefox … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Some random thoughts from the newspapers: Bush demanding energy independence by 2025 is Jimmy Carter repeating himself as farce. Remember that Carter’s reaction to the Iranian revolution in 1979 was to set out a concrete programme to get America weaned … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’m away for the weekend: there’ll be no posting. In the meantime, more gossip and thought wittering. A story about the Dean of an Oxbridge college, who found his organist was having an affair with his chaplain. This upset him. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

So more random social notes. Newspapers scouring the country for a woman who’ll admit to sleeping with Simon Hughes. Probably gone into hiding alongside Anne Atkins’ gay friends. To the Telegraph’s Scientists meet the media bash last night, dressed for … Continue reading → Continue reading →