Monthly Archives: February 2010

As Climategate unfolds, I’m fascinated by how rapidly public opinion can swing so rapidly, and have been thinking how people form opinions. Many years ago, I began to wonder whether anyone’s opinion about anything was just the sum total of … Continue reading →

The fall-out from Climategate continues over at Watts Up With That, where ‘post-normal science’ guru Jerry Ravetz has graced its columns not just once, but twice. Next up was Judith Curry, climate scientist, looking to restore trust in climate science. … Continue reading →

  Marta forked another piece of sausage between her perfect lips, and began chewing. ‘How long d’you think it’ll be before they find the body?’ she said, between munches. ‘Well,’ said Steve, sat beside her at a window table in … Continue reading →

One thing my e-cig has done this winter has been to allow me to spend much more time inside my local pub. Over the previous couple of years I simply stopped going between about October and March, and when I … Continue reading →

Antismokers are a rum bunch of people. While investigating the smoking ban in Belgium (not as ferocious as the UK’s yet), I came across this post from Maltese antismoker Siggie: Hi all, my wife and I were in Dusseldorf the … Continue reading →

I was born a few years after WWII, and grew up going to school, mostly in England, through the 50s and early 60s. It was regarded as more or less a fact of life, in my school days, that after … Continue reading →

A serial fantasy.   Marta leaned back against the wall, tilting back one high-heeled shoe, her elbow dug into the waist of her little crushed velvet dress, her hand holding a glass of bubbly. She shook the mane of her long … Continue reading →

I’m always intrigued by the idea that I, this person, am not really one single individual, but am composed of thousands of billions of cells, each of which is an individual living thing. I started out as just one cell … Continue reading →

I’m always intrigued by the idea that I, this person, am not really one single individual, but am composed of thousands of billions of cells, each of which is an individual living thing. I started out as just one cell … Continue reading →

The Free Society has a short piece In Defence of the Cigarette Break: Senior politicians have probably never known what it is like for the cigarette break in mid-morning with a good friend, or the evening after work down the … Continue reading →