Category Archives: Blather

Interesting Google survey of a billion pages showing that no one, to a first approximation, uses CSS correctly. hundreds of millions of font attributes around, and more <br> tags than <p> tags out there. I admit that I gave up … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Brokeback Mountain is beautifully acted, powerfully told, and lovely to look at. I’m glad I saw it. All the same, I don’t believe it, in the specific and damaging way in which it is possible not to believe in a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here is a well told story that is greatly to the credit of Country Joe MacDonald, a man I would admire even if he didn’t name his band after such interesting creatures. Continue reading →

The scene: a class of fifteen year olds being taught "personal and social development", in a largely middle class comprehensive school. The teacher presents them with an ethical dilemma, from her pack of materials. Teacher: Annie is pregnant Children: Whoo! … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Is it just me, or are the children of decrepit parents growing younger? Continue reading →

Jeremy Ahouse points me to a small reason for pride in our profession: an interview in the New Yorker wth the woman who wrote their (print-only) piece on the Dover trial, in which she points out that the real predictor … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Perhaps I should just change my name to Biggles and get over it. Two people have asked me to day if I wrote a biography of JD Bernal which has just come out. No, I didn’t. That was some other … Continue reading → Continue reading →

She seems to have two songs: “Oh God, oh God, I can’t find my vibrator!” and “Oh God, Oh God, I’ve found it!” UPDATE: in the interests of balancing misanthropy, a story. My impression of TA comes from the (otherwise) … Continue reading → Continue reading →

When I finally left the London Library, clutching the second volume of Selma Lagerlöf’s Troll och Människor. Now, perhaps, the world is ready for my favourite of all the stories. The first installment is over on the troll blog right … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’ve been dithering about what to put in this slot. In a linkier and shorter place I would simply put the two delightful words I found while cheating at the FT crossword yesterday — elaphure and phlegmagogue. An elaphure is … Continue reading → Continue reading →