mssv

  • Fight the good fight

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    2–3 minutes

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    3 comments on Fight the good fight

    I’ve often wondered what it is I’d like to do in my life. Science, Mars, politics (of the non-traditional sort), education, alternate reality games have all appealed and continue to appeal. But perhaps one of the things I feel most passionately about is intelligent thinking and rational thought – science and the enlightenment, in short.…

  • Ultraviolet

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    4–5 minutes

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    No comments on Ultraviolet

    Over the past few years I’d heard a lot about Ultraviolet, a Channel 4 science fiction miniseries about vampires. Since I wasn’t into Buffy at the time and was concerned that it’d be like all other UK science fiction efforts (i.e. nice idea, bad execution), I gave it a miss. Ultraviolet only ran for a…

  • Cheers vs boos

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    1–2 minutes

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    1 comment on Cheers vs boos

    Something I’ve noticed from watching clips of the rallies held by Bush and Kerry on BBC News is that there is far more booing in Bush’s rallies then there are in Kerry’s. Obviously I’m going with a very unscientific sample here, but when Bush slates Kerry in a speech, his audience often break out into…

  • Al-Gebra

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    1–2 minutes

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    No comments on Al-Gebra

    The notorious cult of ‘al gebra’ is a fearsome cult indeed. Says Attorney General John Ashcroft, “The desire average solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on a tangent in a search of absolute value.” The fact that I understand it and find it funny is a true testament to my geek credentials.

  • The ancient art of karaoke

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    1–2 minutes

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    No comments on The ancient art of karaoke

    Karaoke. The word can provoke extreme emotions in many, from freezing fear to joyous abandon. I tend towards the latter, so when I got an invitation off Lal to go to a karaoke party yesterday, I was pretty pleased. The two previous times I’ve done proper karaoke (SingStar, fun though it may be, is not…

  • Cloud Atlas Sextet

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    2–3 minutes

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    No comments on Cloud Atlas Sextet

    Can this be possible? Is Jeanine Salla alive and well again, living in the UK, commenting on whether Prince Harry should be protected from the media? (scroll down to the sixth comment). I’m going through one of my periodic reading blitzes right now, sustained by a comfortable sofa and a constant drip feed of books…

  • Smoking Stephenson

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    1–2 minutes

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    2 comments on Smoking Stephenson

    I came across two very interesting and very different links today. The first was about Liverpool Council’s decision to ban smoking in public places, punishable by a £1000 fine. Now, I grew up near Liverpool (I usually say that I come from Liverpool, because it scares people more) and apart from it’s admittedly decent nightlife,…

  • Beekeepers

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    2–3 minutes

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    No comments on Beekeepers

    A quick look at the I Love Bees game, and how it relates to the public perception of the alternate reality game genre in general.

  • Patently obvious

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    1–2 minutes

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    No comments on Patently obvious

    A beautiful example of what our elected representatives get up to in Parliament these days: the proper pronunciation of patent. Paul Flynn: My hon. Friend will remember the outrageous suggestion that I tried to pull the wool over the eyes of the Committee by saying that the 1,000 people in Newport who have to say…

  • Hard-boiled Wonderland

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    1–2 minutes

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    3 comments on Hard-boiled Wonderland

    I’ve just finished reading Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami. What a beautiful, crazy, sorrowful, funny, poetic book! I’ve been told for some time that I should read some Murakami, but it was only recently that I found myself with a good reason to go and read this particular novel.…