Monthly Archives: October 2015

Following up on my list of the most anthologised sf short stories of 1940, here are links to those I found readliy available for free online after a cursory search (ie in the first page of Google results for title … Continue reading →

A lower tally than sometimes – three very long books, and also reading lots of short fiction for Hugo nominations. Non-fiction: 5 (YTD 43) TARDIS Eruditorum – An Unofficial Critical History of Doctor Who Volume 6: Peter Davison and Colin … Continue reading →

LinkedIn may be ugly, but at least it knows how to make money Drastically needs to improve how content is presented!(tags: socialmedia linkedin ) The Lords and tax credits: fact and myth Good analysis.(tags: ukpolitics houseoflords ) Canadian’s death while … Continue reading →

no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark you only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well your neighbors running faster than you breath bloody in their throats the boy … Continue reading →

Current Family Britain, 1951-1957, by David Kynaston The Dark Tower and Other Stories, by C.S. Lewis Last books finished Walking to Babylon by Kate Orman A Star Chamber Court in Ireland: The Court of Castle Chamber, 1571-1641, by Jon G. … Continue reading →

How to Defeat Religious Violence Jonathan Sacks reflects.(tags: religion waronterror ) We pay, but have no say: Norway and the EU Former foreign minister @EspenBarthEide explains.(tags: eu ukpolitics switzerland norway ) Naked Prose, by Jon Courtenay Grimwood Writng about sex.(tags: … Continue reading →

zest ½ lemon, then cut into wedges 4 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs 25g butter, melted 1½ tsp coarsely ground peppercorns 4 skinless salmon fillets Potatoes and greens. A BBC recipe. 1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Start cooking potatoes. … Continue reading →

#PortugalCoup, and Britain’s post-fact politics Excellent takedown by @jonworth, applies elsewhere too.(tags: eu ukpolitics portugal ) The strange death of Catholic Ireland @GerryLynch in fine form.(tags: ireland ) Throwout A pre-election critique of Stephen Harper – from the Right.(tags: canada … Continue reading →

Eating bacon, ham and sausages can cause bowel cancer Headline a little alarmist. But still – Aaargh!(tags: health ) The European Commission is up to its neck in the VW scandal, but for reasons more complex than reported @jonworth explains.(tags: … Continue reading →

The number of published volumes containing much in the way of sf short fiction from 1940 is rather finite. Having trawled the pages of the ISFDB, I believe that this is a comprehensive list of all of the collections and … Continue reading →

I've done some more delving into the fiction eligible for the 1941 Hugos, helped in the first place again by Meredith and in the second by the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. On the basis that the most memorable stories of … Continue reading →

British Left and Right are wrong on Portugal What’s really happening.(tags: ukpolitics eu portugal ) Was it like this for the Irish?: The War on British Muslims Good question – from 2008!(tags: ukpolitics waronterror ) Lessons of Past Disasters Helped … Continue reading →

This entry has been updated. Thanks to Meredith and Steve Davidson, and the SF Encyclopedia, I've compiled a list of novels eligible for the 1941 Retro Hugo Awards which will be presented at next year's Worldcon (MidAmeriCon II in Kansas … Continue reading →

Hurricane Patricia was made worse by climate change Crumbs.(tags: climatechange mexico ) The End of Expertise Are we all doomed? (“we” = “people in my line of work”)(tags: work ) Trey Gowdy Just Elected Hillary Clinton President Best piece I’ve … Continue reading →

Starring Richard E. Grant as Franz Kafka

III. No-one dared to remove the apple lodged in Gregor’s flesh, so it remained there as a visible reminder of his injury. He had suffered it there for more than a month, and his condition seemed serious enough to remind … Continue reading →

II. It was not until it was getting dark that evening that Gregor awoke from his deep and coma-like sleep. He would have woken soon afterwards anyway even if he hadn’t been disturbed, as he had had enough sleep and … Continue reading →

I. One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown … Continue reading →

Cameron’s EU gamble: Five reforms he can win, and ten pitfalls he must avoid Latest analysis from @CER_Grant.(tags: eu ukpolitics ) Giant Squid Babies Caught in Japan, First in World Cthulhu fthagn!(tags: biology ) Unfinished story … how the ellipsis … Continue reading →

The Hijacking of Anglo Politics Reflections on two sorry states of affairs.(tags: ukpolitics uspolitics ) How Could Volkswagen’s Top Engineers Not Have Known? Some of them did know.(tags: climatechange )

JRR Tolkien: ‘Film my books? Its easier to film the Odyssey’ Interviewed in 1968 by @telegraph.(tags: sf tolkien ) How to Spot a Sociopath (with Pictures) I don’t think this is completely accurate, but it is helpful.(tags: psychology )

Current A Star Chamber Court in Ireland: The Court of Castle Chamber, 1571-1641, by Jon G. Crawford Family Britain, 1951-1957, by David Kynaston Walking to Babylon by Kate Orman Last books finished The Arabian Nights, ed. Muhsin Mahdi, tr. Hussein … Continue reading →

Making the old even better off at the expense of the young is morally bankrupt | Conservative Home Didn’t expect this from this source!(tags: ukpolitics ) Is the UK marginalised in the EU? Not particularly; but data only goes up … Continue reading →

So what does Europe really think about the Brexit debate? Mostly accurate!(tags: eu ukpolitics ) 1 Island, 2 Days and 3 Themes to Remember My colleague @steve_salvador looks at the future of storytelling.(tags: internet technology )

Bernard Levin and the Wexford lemon juice Best review ever. (Well, one of them.)(tags: funny ) If You’re Not Paranoid, You’re Crazy: How to Protect Your Personal Data—and Humanity—From the Government Walnuts!(tags: internet )

I’ve had a long-standing project of always keeping a Tolkien-related book on my “to-read” stack, since starting on The Book of Lost Tales in 2010, but I think I’ve come to the end of it now (though I’ll continue to … Continue reading →

I came to this just after reading Volume 6 of TARDIS Eruditorum, which has a chapter excoriating this book. It’s not as bad as all that. I think Gary Russell is one of the better Who writers currently in action; … Continue reading →

Her Code Got Humans on the Moon—And Invented Software Itself Margaret Hamilton’s triumph.(tags: sexandgenderandsexuality computers space ) In defence of TTIP, and my role as EU Trade Commissioner Malmström strikes back.(tags: eu ) VW to recall 8.5 million cars in … Continue reading →

Current The Arabian Nights, ed. Muhsin Mahdi, tr. Hussein Haddawy The Deadstone Memorial, by Trevor Baxendale Last books finished TARDIS Eruditorum – An Unofficial Critical History of Doctor Who Volume 6: Peter Davison and Colin Baker, by Philip Sandifer The … Continue reading →

Annica Ryngbeck goes paperless @ryngbeck shows us the way.(tags: internet work ) Inside the Koch Brothers’ Toxic Empire Horrifying.(tags: uspolitics )