-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Archives
- 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: October 2020
Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1981, and also three others, Best Original Screenplay (Colin Welland), Best Costume Design and Best Original Score. Raiders of the Lost Ark, which also won that year’s Hugo, won five … Continue reading
My tweets
Fri, 12:56: Kirsty Williams’s retirement is a blow and a missed opportunity for the Liberal Democrats https://t.co/DOohtDTECf Report from Wales. Fri, 13:13: RT @ZaurShiriyev: 1/25 Already a month has passed since the beginning of the war. No matter how many … Continue reading
WHOOOOniversaries 31 October: Planet of Giants #1, K9 #1, Zygon Invasion
A third of the way through the year, and although these posts don't get a lot of feedback, I'm enjoying them for myself which is the main thing. i) births and deaths 31 October 1922: birth of Talfryn Thomas, who … Continue reading
September 2008 books
September 2008 was the start of our new lives as Belgian citizens, a mere five months after applying. In other family news, my sister C had her baby daughter S, still my youngest relative on that side of the family. … Continue reading
My tweets
Thu, 12:56: The EU’s €140M ‘zombie committee’ faces pressure to reform https://t.co/UC3jBk5P4P Why does the EESC still exist? Other EU institutions are very diligent about outreach to stakeholders these days. Thu, 14:25: The first five Amber books, by Roger Zelazny … Continue reading
Whoniversaries 30 October: Myth Makers #3, Deadly Assassin #1, Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith #2
i) births and deaths 30 October 1978: death of Brian Hayles, writer of The Celestial Toymaker (First Doctor, 1966), The Smugglers (First Doctor, 1966), The Ice Warriors (Second Doctor, 1968), The Seeds of Death (Second Doctor, 1969), The Curse of … Continue reading
Thursday reading
Current Titus Groan, by Mervyn Peake Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, by Robert M. Pirsig Ash: A Secret History, by Mary Gentle For the Love of God, Marie!, by Jade Sarson Last books finished … Continue reading
My tweets
Wed, 12:56: Missed this announcement! Hooray! https://t.co/FtWzXdrRNf Wed, 13:03: RT @Glasgowin2024: Join us on 10th November for Tiffani Angus (@tiffaniangus) in conversation about her new novel Threading the Labyrinth (… Wed, 14:45: Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules … Continue reading
Whoniversaries 29 October: the First Doctor regenerates (also Gareth Thomas, Nigel Havers)
i) births and deaths 29 October 1935: birth of Michael Jayston, who played the Valeyard in 1986. 29 October 2010: death of Mervyn Haisman, co-author of The Abominable Snowmen, The Web of Fear and (uncredited) The Dominators (all Second Doctor, … Continue reading
Short genealogical note on Frederic Whyte’s parents
Just so I don’t lose it, a note on the genealogy of the writer Frederic Whyte (1867-1941), who was both my first cousin thrice removed and my second cousin twice removed, both links via his father. It turns out that … Continue reading
Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos, by M. Mitchell Waldrop
Second paragraph of third chapter: It was about time. By that point Cowan and his colleagues had begun to hire a small cadre of staffers for the institute, thanks to operating funds that were beginning to trickle in from sources … Continue reading
My tweets
Tue, 12:41: RT @Tom_deWaal: 1 A month now since the new #Karabakh conflict started. It’s still escalating. A human tragedy, a regional crisis and a war… Tue, 12:56: RT @Tom_deWaal: Thank you to @foreignaffairs for the chance to go deeper … Continue reading
Whoniversaries 28 October: Ian Marter, Matt Smith, Abomble Snowmen #5, Stones of Blood #1, Arachnids
i) births and deaths 28 October 1944, 28 October 1986: birth and death of Ian Marter, who played companion Harry Sullivan in 1974-5, and also wrote nine Target novelisations. 28 October 1982: birth of Matt Smith, an actor who I … Continue reading
Survivants, tomes 3-5, by Leo
Second frame from third page of tome 3: Hakim: Stop, Selkert! Manon doesn't like the spotlight. You'll make her blush. Selkert: Apologies! But you can be proud of what you have done. Second frame from third page of tome 4: … Continue reading
My tweets
Mon, 12:11: RT @andrewflood: A few weeks back business interests & their paid media & politicians were saying rather than protect lives we should follo… Mon, 12:47: RT @PuxadinhoTardis: Duas biografias de Doutores que eu muito recomendo: – a do … Continue reading
Whoniversaries 27 October
i) births and deaths 27 October 1923: birth of Peter Bryant, producer of Doctor Who from The Web of Fear (1968) to The Wheel in Space (1969) 27 October 1991: death of Paul Erickson, writer of The Ark (1966) ii) … Continue reading
Secret Army, Season 1; and book
This post has been a long time brewing. I watched the whole of the 1970s series Secret Army, and the sequel series Kessler, during what we must now call the first lockdown in the summer, and thoroughly enjoyed it. But … Continue reading
My tweets
Sun, 12:56: Very interesting. (h/t @ChairmanYaffle) https://t.co/Hw6JqoQD5M Sun, 13:45: Vineland, by Thomas Pynchon Sorry, this just doesn’t do it for me. Writing style too convoluted, characters wacky in a rather uninteresting way, plot non-existent. #nwbooks https://t.co/RVcOKksW4u https://t.co/JqABSqZXHV https://t.co/cBuyBXShp4 Sun, 14:20: … Continue reading
Whoniversaries 26 October: Towers #4, Remembrance #4, Death #2, the O.K. Corral
i) births and deaths None that caught my eye. ii) broadcast anniversaries 26 October 1987: broadcast of fourth episode of Paradise Towers, In a final confrontation, both Pex and Kroagnon are killed, and the inhabitants of the Towers look forward … Continue reading
August 2008 books
This is the latest post in a series I started last November, anticipating the twentieth anniversary of my bookblogging which will fall in 2023. Every six-ish days I've been revisiting a month from my recent past, noting work and family … Continue reading
My tweets
Sat, 13:25: A Wayfarer in Sweden, by Frederic Whyte An entertaining little book about Sweden, whose author was both my first cousin thrice removed and and my second cousin twice removed. #nwbooks https://t.co/y5joXFVw28 https://t.co/HguwpUvknZ https://t.co/rHTH5EpGh1 Sat, 14:25: The Corrections, by … Continue reading
Whoniversaries 25 October
broadcast anniversaries 25 October 1975: broadcast of first episode of The Pyramids of Mars. The Doctor and Sarah land in the future UNIT headquarters, the Scarman brothers' family home, and encounter robotic mummies and various Egyptian relics. 25 October 1980: … Continue reading
Ordinary People (1980 film and 1976 book)
Ordinary People won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1980, and won three others, Best Director (Robert Redford), Best Supporting Actor (Timothy Hutton, the youngest ever winner in this category, as Conrad, presented by his co-star) and Best Screenplay Based … Continue reading
My tweets
Fri, 12:56: No Irish unity referendum for five years because of Brexit – Micheal Martin https://t.co/YevR0sAOoe Not that it’s the Taoiseach’s decision, but it’s a sensible line to take. Fri, 13:19: One of the briefest but most interesting chapters in … Continue reading
Whoniversaries 24 October: Robert Sloman, The Woman Who Lived
i) births and deaths 24 October 2005: death of Robert Sloman, who co-wrote The Dæmons (Third Doctor, 1971), and was credited as sole author of The Time Monster (Third Doctor, 1972), The Green Death (Third Doctor, 1973), and Planet of the Spiders … Continue reading
220 days of plague
Back in June, I wrote the last in a series of posts about the overall situation, 100 days after the lockdown was imposed in March and as things were gradually lightening up. I was pretty optimistic that we’d seen the … Continue reading
My tweets
Thu, 12:11: RT @lowflyingrocks: 2020 UL2, 5m-11m in diameter, just passed the Earth at 7km/s, missing by 409,000km. https://t.co/imdwX9XUn7 Thu, 12:25: Babel-17, by Samuel R. Delany I had been expecting something like a half-way point between Zelazny and Dick; in … Continue reading
Whoniversaries 23 October: Myth Makers #2, Hand of Fear #4, The Mad Woman in the Attic #2
broadcast anniversaries 23 October 1965: broadcast of "Small Prophet, Quick Return", the second episode of the story we now call The Myth Makers. Odysseus demands that the Doctor use his abilities to destroy Troy; Vicki is renamed Cressida by Priam; … Continue reading
Thursday reading
Current Titus Groan, by Mervyn Peake This Must be the Place, by Maggie O'Farrell Wild Life, by Molly Gloss Last books finished Secret Army Dossier, by John Brason The Tropic of Serpents, by Marie Brennan Ordinary People, by Judith Guest … Continue reading
My tweets
Wed, 12:56: Sam McBride: What is happening at Stormont over coronavirus restrictions is inept, but also baffling https://t.co/Am1K8VQ7Ta Strange times. Wed, 13:20: RT @pmdfoster: British sausage makers face EU freeze after Brexit – my latest via @FT with @JudithREvans …a … Continue reading