Yearly Archives: 2003

monotheism explained

Posted on June 11, 2003 by acb

All religions of brotherly love imply a circle of unbrotherly hate. They spread fastest in times of general war. What makes doctrines of universal love appealing is not that they’re actually universal, but that they can be expanded to include … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in God | 2 Comments

Breathing fire and farting

Posted on June 11, 2003 by acb

To the Saffron Walden library last night, to hear Jojo Moyes, who is an ex-Independent colleague married to my friend Charles Arthur, who’s still there. I was the lone male bobbing in a sea of oestrogen. There were two other … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism | 4 Comments

British reserve

Posted on June 11, 2003 by acb

I never thought anything would make me nostalgic for London buses. But this story from Frizzy Logic did. It’s a dialogue between a young woman who thinks she has aids, and a young man who thinks her problem is contagious … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on British reserve

usability enhancement

Posted on June 10, 2003 by acb

I have just realised what the next useful enhancement to a word processor would be. I want somethng that tracks my eye movement on screen, and a key combination which will jump the cursor to where I am looking. That’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Software | 4 Comments

Men only want one thing

Posted on June 9, 2003 by acb

But it’s not the one you’re thinking of (if you’re a man): Personal ads are a potentially rich source of information on relationships, particularly mating strategies. Most research on personal ads has been limited to content analyses of naturally occurring … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blather | 6 Comments

sin

Posted on June 3, 2003 by acb

This is the best time of year of xenobiologists, if they just knew it. The stuff that festers in my sinuses during the hay fever season could set a man up for life in their profession. So on Saturday, a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Trouty things | 6 Comments

etymology: not major

Posted on June 1, 2003 by acb

One of the things I’m working on is an interview with Larry Trasque, a Bask specialist at the University of Sussex. From his writings, I have learnt that the Basque term for “old maid” is , literally `gray-cunt’. Continue reading →

Posted in Blather | 2 Comments

why these lies matter

Posted on June 1, 2003 by acb

There is a problem about lying over WMDs that is unique to Britain, and to Mr Blair. If the war was fought to advance democracy, and to overthrow a tyrant — and these would appear to have been Blair’s better … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in War | Comments Off on why these lies matter

the SWOP problem

Posted on June 1, 2003 by acb

I prefer Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz to — say — Tony Blair and Jack Straw. They more honest and probably more intelleigent. They are also in a position to be more grown up, since the Blair and Straw cannot tell us … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in War | 2 Comments

Cultural sensitivity

Posted on May 31, 2003 by acb

Maybe you don’t read the Sun. Maybe you don’t know what exactly it is that some British troops did, and photographed themselves doing, to Iraqi prisones of war. So here’s the money quote: ONE [photo] was apparently taken in a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in War | Comments Off on Cultural sensitivity