Monthly Archives: July 2016

Second paragraph of third chapter: There is sound, somewhere; a deep humming, on the threshold of audibility. Closer at hand his ears record the tiny rustlings of the girl’s blue robe. She rolls away the metal breakfast tray, sets dishes … Continue reading →

Non-fiction: 9 (YTD 29) Fanny Kemble and the Lovely Land, by Constance Wright The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage, by Cliff Stoll Hamilton: The Revolution, by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter Boy, by Roald … Continue reading →

Current Watership Down, by Richard Adams (a chapter a week) Drama and Delight: The Life of Verity Lambert, by Richard Marson The Host, by Peter Emshwiller Last books finished Holes, by Louis Sachar Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of … Continue reading →

Theresa May and her six-pack of difficult deals Good analysis by @CER_Grant. #fb(tags: ukpolitics eu ) Correction – Amazing things we get back if we leave EU – 26/7/2016 | Clarifications and Corrections | News | Daily Express Shameless.(tags: eu … Continue reading →

Lethbridge-Stewart: Beast of Fang Rock, by Andy Frankham-Allan Second paragraph of third chapter: Hamilton pulled in a few favours and Fang Rock was once again off-limits for all but essential personnel and Owain, who Lethbridge-Stewart had asked to remain at … Continue reading →

No one told me to ‘go home’ for 16 years. Then we voted for Brexit Shameful.(tags: migration ukpolitics eu ) An Eight Point Brief for LEV (Lesser Evil Voting) Noam Chomsky endorses Clinton in his own special way. #fb(tags: uspolitics … Continue reading →

Tales from the Secret Annexe, by Anne Frank Second paragraph of third story (“Eve’s Dream”): “Same to you, Mum.” Quite a short book of the brief stories written by Anne Frank while in hiding, bulked out a little by prose … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third story (“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your crisis”, by Kate Wilhelm): They were in the mountains. That was good. Lotte liked it when they chose mountains. A stocky man was sliding down a slope, feet out … Continue reading →

Why Trump Fails—and Clinton Passes—the Commander-in-Chief Test A former top spook speaks.(tags: uspolitics )

Second paragraph of third chapter: In August 1814, in one of the last acts of the futile and misnamed War of 1812, British forces dropped anchor at Benedict, Maryland, some forty-five miles southeast of the District. Avenging the American army’s … Continue reading →

POLITICO – Morning Exchange 26 July Lots of interesting stuff on consequences of Brexit today.(tags: ukpolitics eu ) Owen Smith: There are too many immigrants in parts of Britain Appalling.(tags: ukpolitics migration ) Pokemon GO, Eleven Days Later Lydy’s take … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third chapter: If you‘d asked me that at the time, I probably would have answered by staring at you. Blankly. Well, why shouldn’t I have been there? That was the way we were, before the end. Me, … Continue reading →

Buried Treasure: Sword that lay in farmyard barn for 50 years is rare Bronze Age discovery Wow!(tags: archaeology northernireland ) Reddit answers “Tell me why Trump is a fascist”. Pretty clear. And chilling.(tags: uspolitics )

Second paragraph of third chapter: But here again, I can remember very little about the two years I attended Llandaff Cathedral School, between the age of seven and nine. Only two moments remain clearly in my mind. The first lasted … Continue reading →

Clinton campaign — and some cyber experts — say Russia is behind email release Moscow helping Assange?(tags: wikileaks uspolitics russia ) The Mandela Effect When memory collectively cheats.(tags: psychology ) A British asylum seeker’s guide to Europe Gaining second citizenship … Continue reading →

I picked up a tweet from a Puppy supporter the other day complaining that there is a media blackout of the Hugo Awards this year “because they can’t smear Chuck Tingle like they did Brad Torgersen”. Of course, to those … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third chapter: “Half and half, ma’am.” Weirdly, I had never actually read this (though thought I had). I got an electronic copy as part of a humble bundle in February, and then found I had a paper … Continue reading →

In the map room with Theresa May @economist’s gloomy take on role of FCO is the most upbeat analysis I’ve read!(tags: eu ukpolitics ) A 3SV Endorsement Amazing Stories likes our proposed change.(tags: hugos sf )

Erm, a couple of long flights and sleepless nights here. Current Watership Down, by Richard Adams (a chapter a week) Last books finished Lethbridge-Stewart: Beast of Fang Rock, by Andy Frankham-Allan Gráinne, by Keith Roberts Corona, by Greg Bear Islands … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third chapter: ‘Not our usual line, is it, sir?’ said Ramsey. ‘Hoaxes and all that.’ His tone was curious rather than dismissive. Next in the internal sequence of Seventh Doctor novels outside the New Adventures (only four … Continue reading →

Four Europeans lead in race for UN Secretary-General The plot thickens.(tags: un ) I’m With The Banned Passionate, readable account of @PennyRed at the RNC.(tags: Uspolitics ) Our nine-point guide to spotting a dodgy statistic Numbers often lie; or the … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third chapter: These were excellent questions, and Ron Chernow wished that he knew how to answer them. Soon after Lin returned from his vacation to Mexico (having folded down many page-corners in Chernow’s book, having called out … Continue reading →

Lying Liars Who Lie Hillary is truthful; why don’t people think so?(tags: uspolitics sexandgenderandsexuality ) A Women’s History of Silicon Valley The women you don’t see.(tags: sexandgenderandsexuality historyofscience )

Second paragraph of November chapter in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: A Novel in Cartoons: I do feel a little bad, because it looked like it was gonna take a long tin to clean up. But on the bright side, … Continue reading →

In 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2011 I carried out a survey of how bloggers were declaring their Hugo votes in the written fiction categories. This has got a bit more accurate over time – in 2011, I didn’t spot any … Continue reading →

Brexit Blues John “Londonista” Lanchester is in despair.(tags: eu ukpolitics ) Clinton’s Lead Is As Safe As Kerry’s Was In 2004 *gulp*(tags: uspolitics ) ‘Walking Dead’ Creator Adapting ‘Chronicles of Amber’ for TV OMG! I don’t know whether to be … Continue reading →

I’m not deeply invested in the fortunes of Britain’s Labour Party. (I accidentally rejoined the Lib Dems last year, but haven’t paid any subscription this year so possibly am no longer a member.) But I am very interested in questions … Continue reading →

The Tamir Rice Story: How to Make a Police Shooting Disappear A grim read.(tags: guns race uspolitics ) Obama sent these people home from prison early. Now what? Very moving.(tags: uspolitics crime ) The Discontented And an economic remedy. Long … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third chapter: Today, these accelerators are obsolete—their mega-electron volt energies long surpassed by giga-electron volt particle colliders. They’re no longer winning Nobel prizes, but physicists and graduate students still wait six months for time on an accelerator … Continue reading →

The 2016 Hugo Awards: Two Weeks Out Abigail reminds us to vote.(tags: sf hugos ) A brief analysis of Labour’s NEC Candidates Duncan counts the words. #fb(tags: ukpolitics ) How the UK halved its teenage pregnancy rate Fascinating and encouraging. … Continue reading →