Date of transmission:October 31st 1930TitleBulb PlantingContext/descriptionIt's October, and "Winter is Coming" - back when the UK had proper winters (snow and stuff)Words I didn’t know or ya don’t see much anymore:Stuff I looked up:Boticelli's PrimaveraBest sentences:"All too well do we know that those bulbs will come up the next year garish as the foreground of... Continue Reading →
I was, to my wife's exasperation, a (very) late adopter of mobile phone technology; I have luddite tendencies, after all. Anyway, this isn't about me (it turns out some things aren't! Who knew). This is about how we think about mobiles. They are sold as wonderboxes that have the world's knowledge at our fingertips. As... Continue Reading →
For a quid I bought a collection of broadcasts Harold Nicholson (see below) gave on the BBC in 1930 and 1931. They are short and dated (in every sense) so I thought I could read and blog them on the anniversary of their first (and presumably last transmission). For the lulz, and to build my... Continue Reading →
This is the same blog post I have written dozens (?) of times. I am doing it now as a howl of despair (1) It will change nothing, except providing a fleeting spasm of catharsis. That’s all we have left, after the world historical defeat of the “left” (always a label that hid at least... Continue Reading →
I bought thirteen books last time I was in London. The rule (already broken (1)) is not to buy or borrow (2) any more until I have read and reviewed all thirteen. Here's reviews of the first, second and third. The fourth book was one that I read back in the 1990s or so -... Continue Reading →
For a quid I bought a collection of broadcasts Harold Nicholson gave in 1930 and 1931, on BBC Radio. They are short and dated (in every sense) so I thought I could read and blog them on the anniversary of their first (and presumably last transmission). For the lulz, and to build my writing muscles.... Continue Reading →
I read 27 "Great British Short Stories" in 27 days (Daphne du Maurier's The Birds was a stand out, in a crowded field). I wanted to keep the short-story-a-day thing going and planned to do it with Isaac Asimov's 1956 collection "Earth is Room Enough" and George Saunder's "Tenth of December." The latter has escaped... Continue Reading →
There is a relationship between those who do the work and those who get the credit. Mostly it is an inverse relationship. That's how power - of men, of 'history' etc. work. More broadly, we focus on gaudy and big stuff, and are contemptuous/dismissive of the day-in, day-out, because they remind us of our fragility,... Continue Reading →
As some of you may recall, I have been (for several years, intermittently) learning to juggle. I can do some basic three ball tricks, and am now reasonably adept at 4 balls (various patterns). Over the last few weeks I have been doing the drills that help you get to five (short version - you... Continue Reading →
I am not buying or borrowing any more books until I read and review the 13 that I bought (for a grand total of £17.50) in London on Friday 10th October 2025. You can see the list and the rationale here. Title: Chomsky: Oracle of the State. An assorted bo of anti-Chomsky sentiments Author: Various... Continue Reading →
marchudson.net 