-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Archives
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
- July 2004
- June 2004
- May 2004
- April 2004
- March 2004
- February 2004
- January 2004
- December 2003
- November 2003
- October 2003
- September 2003
- August 2003
- July 2003
- June 2003
- May 2003
- March 2003
- February 2003
- December 2002
- March 2002
- February 2002
- January 2002
- December 2001
- December 2000
- December 1999
- January 1999
Categories
Meta
Monthly Archives: February 2020
February 2020 Books
Non-fiction: 6 (YTD 12) The Idea of Justice, by Amartya Sen The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein, by Farah Mendlesohn The Critique of Pure Reason, by Immanuel Kant – (did not finish) A Popular History of Ireland, by Thomas … Continue reading
My tweets
Fri, 12:56: The extraordinary story of how My Little Pony fandom has been infiltrated by far-right activists. Not mentioned he… https://t.co/IOaEPRV463 Fri, 13:03: RT @prospect_clark: Everyone, on the liberal left & the authoritarian right (including, ahem, @prospect_uk) debates the the … Continue reading
May 2005 books
May 2005 was a massively busy month. Most notably from the family point of view, we mounted a massive expedition with little F and littler U to Washington, New York and Boston, seeing spaceships and whales, for my brother's wedding … Continue reading
My tweets
Thu, 12:56: RT @GeorgePeretzQC: A thread on Article 5 of the Northern Ireland Protocol. This is the provision that governs what rules must be applied t… Thu, 14:48: RT @mediadefence: Judgment just out: @Khadija_Ismayil arrest and detention ruled unlawful by … Continue reading
A Killing Winter, by Tom Callaghan
Second paragraph of third chapter: I pulled the window open and checked that the half-litre I had left out on the sill was still there. I could have kept it in the freezer of my fridge but there's something pleasing … Continue reading
My tweets
Wed, 12:56: A Vaccine Won’t Stop the New Coronavirus https://t.co/1rUQr9eZPN Most of us will probably get it. But most of us will probably be OK. Wed, 16:01: 400 hours left to nominate for the 2020 Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Awards, … Continue reading
Wednesday reading
This is the last Wednesday roundup for a few years; because of the leap year I’m moving to Thursdays from next week. Current The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of Scandinavia’s Utopia, by Michael Booth Small Island, by … Continue reading
My tweets
Tue, 12:56: Do you remember LiveJournal? It was part of my teenage identity. https://t.co/iBvkmgzG5W Ah yes. I actually still u… https://t.co/oEsolkETGp Tue, 16:05: Anti-Semitic carnival polarizes Belgian politics https://t.co/ITKGP65Fs5 This is appalling. Another reason why I could never vote for … Continue reading
The Idea of Justice, by Amartya Sen
Second paragraph of third chapter: Ashoka argued against intolerance and in favour of he understanding that even when one social or religious sect of people find themselves opposed to other ones, ‘other sects should be duly honoured in every way … Continue reading
My tweets
Mon, 12:56: Iran’s leadership rigs an election — and still loses https://t.co/H7VFvjxyl5 Very telling. Mon, 16:05: Sanders sends Democratic establishment into panic mode https://t.co/CH6TNjFmIg Most of my Dem friends were Biden su… https://t.co/Qvn826ACI7 Mon, 17:11: Why John McDonnell’s comparison of … Continue reading
Nebula finalists: Goodreads/LibraryThing stats
Forgot to do this when they were announced last week. Best Novel Goodreads LibraryThing owners av rating owners av rating The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Alix E. Harrow 127373 4.13 561 4.17 Gideon the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir 67339 4.26 … Continue reading
My tweets
Sun, 12:56: RT @BurpleMan: My Irish passport is so technologically advanced it allows me to live, work and study in 27 other countries https://t.co/1… Sun, 14:19: Another great thread. https://t.co/WZuP5f82oG Sun, 15:47: April 2005 books https://t.co/F5tkGRssVL Sun, 20:15: In the … Continue reading
April 2005 books
April 2005 began for me with a job interview to run a Brussels-based thinktank (I didn't get it, and the thinktank has since folded), and also included trips to the USA (Washington and New York) and, for the first time … Continue reading
My tweets
Sat, 12:35: RT @simoncoveney: This is unfortunately a good assessment of where we are on #Brexit and why the issue will dominate Irish politics for the… Sat, 15:13: Oliver! https://t.co/uFMsx8k6IQ Sat, 17:51: Just had a wee chat with Julian Glover … Continue reading
Oliver!
Oliver! won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1968, and picked up another five: Best Director (Carol Reed), Best Musical Adaptation Score, Best Art Direction, Best Sound and a special award for choreographer Onna White. It lost in five other … Continue reading
My tweets
Fri, 12:56: RT @eoinyk: Irish passports are the seventh most powerful in the world in 2020 https://t.co/SXTsFXiUOU Fri, 16:05: Knowing all the Doctor Whos in order will get you 70 points instantly, immigrants told https://t.co/dXGJVi5nuT All too believable. Fri, 17:11: … Continue reading
In Praise of Disobedience: The Soul of Man Under Socialism and Other Writings, by Oscar Wilde
Second paragraph of third essay ("Pen, Pencil, And Poison – A Study In Green", about Thomas Griffiths Wainewright) – brace yourself, it's a long 'un: This remarkable man, so powerful with 'pen, pencil and poison,' as a great poet of … Continue reading
My tweets
Thu, 12:56: EU reaffirms: Western Sahara products to be labelled as such https://t.co/730l8bOuL0 Hahahahaha Thu, 14:07: RT @damonwake: Foreign correspondent achievement unlocked: invitation to the Irish embassy St Patrick’s Day party. Thu, 18:36: Selangor, by Gerry Barton https://t.co/IGsQE2Bihj Thu, 18:47: … Continue reading
Selangor, by Gerry Barton
Second paragraph of third chapter: Beneath the canvas awning which shaded the deck aft of the second-class cabins and lounge, Kenneth Clouston sheltered from the sun's burning rays. Reclining in a cane chair he looked out over the discoloured water … Continue reading
My tweets
Wed, 12:56: Dems Beware: Don’t Be Like Mitt in 2012 https://t.co/O5yrb66v3J Very interesting analysis. Wed, 13:06: RT @pmdfoster: Stunned off my ski lift by this No 10 tweet – not just because of its brazen disingenuousness, but because of what … Continue reading
Wednesday reading
Current Children of Ruin, by Adrian Tchaikovsky Last books finished A Popular History of Ireland, by Thomas D'Arcy McGee (Did not finish) The City in the Middle of the Night, by Charlie Jane Anders The Aachen Memorandum, by Andrew Roberts … Continue reading
My tweets
Tue, 12:56: Reading Buttigieg https://t.co/nfT76Os052 Great piece. “he understands that hatred and intransigence are not the cu… https://t.co/77uGOiXrIn Tue, 16:05: Former UUP leader: Unionism must realise it is no longer a majority in Northern Ireland https://t.co/uWLHtgzVdq Well said, @MikeNesbittNI. Tue, … Continue reading
Unsheltered, by Barbara Kingsolver
Second paragraph of third chapter: She’d been away in Boston only two weeks. How was that long enough for a hostile takeover at home? Iano and his new friend Pete Petrofaccio had cooked up a scheme of stopgap repairs to … Continue reading
My tweets
Mon, 12:56: RT @bohnny68: I’d heard about #gally1 for years but it’s a long way from Australia to LA. Finally came last year and loved it. But THIS yea… Mon, 13:58: RT @Paul_Cornell: So that happened. What an odd life … Continue reading
March 2005 books
March 2005 was a momentous month. I travelled twice to London and also to Thessalonica for a big Balkan conference. My Kazakh intern A left my office after a fairly brief stint; she then moved to Florida, took a family … Continue reading
My tweets
Sun, 12:56: RT @PiersatPenn: Dry bones in Ghent Walls made of human bones discovered under Ghent cathedral https://t.co/RQWtfRPiuu Sun, 14:48: Alan in Belfast: A Lament for the Lost Lives of the Troubles (QFT from Friday 11 October) https://t.co/vdSxZKzn7B Sounds deeply … Continue reading
Gallifrey One, day three
Two Fives One Six A Three and a Twelve These are etheric beam locators! The wonderfully colourised Daleks Master Plan Slightly blurry Nine I got what I came for And finished in a room with a thousand other fans watching … Continue reading
My tweets
Sat, 20:44: RT @Paul_Cornell: The first JoDoc I’ve seen. Awesome work. #gally1 https://t.co/BhZetwXXim Sat, 20:48: RT @DPhinnemore: “on the EU side, there is a determined sense of what the legal certainty is. However, on the UK side, there appears to … Continue reading
Gallifrey One, day two
Alpha Centauri The Fourth Doctor Davros The Runaway Bride The Happiness Patrol “I’m behiiind you!” My inner 15-year-old can’t quite believe it.
My tweets
Fri, 12:56: The Northern Ireland Secretary of State league https://t.co/7XtJNiIqR8 Harsh but largely fair. I would put Peter Br… https://t.co/5qhW3IWstg Fri, 17:11: Sacking Julian Smith creates problems for Boris Johnson, rather than solving them https://t.co/VL3d8HNAnh Yup. Fri, 23:35: RT @MSmithsonPB: … Continue reading