I often find rewards in computer games slightly puzzling, not merely in what they are but when they are received. For the last couple of weeks, I've been playing Sable, a game about a young woman undertaking her coming-of-age quest on a world that is a blend of many things from hunter-gatherer to high-tech. The … Continue reading What Strange Creature Bimbles…?
Musings
I Speak to Serve
Earlier today I learnt that Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd, died yesterday. While I didn't always agree with every nuance of her politics, neither did I despise them; and I share her belief that politics is about public service and is something that everyone should involve themselves in. Today's other political news reminds me of a … Continue reading I Speak to Serve
Grimly Perky
A faceful of virus has left me slightly tripping the light fantastic; so have a little art fantastic.
Double or Nothing (UPDATED)
Apparently, the UK Armed Forces are not merely lacking for money but are probably overfunded. Which makes Ben Wallace MP's claim it is being hollowed out seem rather self-serving, like a manager trying to make his department look important by "winning" the biggest budget competition. How do I know the Armed Forces are overfunded? Because … Continue reading Double or Nothing (UPDATED)
This Dresséd Plot
I am greatly fond of parklets and other schemes that focus on streets as connections for humans rather than vehicles. So Michael Rakowitz’s (p)LOT: Proposition 1 installations spoke to me as soon as I heard about them. However, it also triggered a cascade of other, sometimes conflicting, perspectives. The current reality of most domestic vehicles … Continue reading This Dresséd Plot
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, and Anna Rosling Rönnlund
The Roslings offer a series of guidelines that might both avoid incorrect conclusions and make us happier. Growing from Hans Rosling’s experiences of people from all walks of life having a radically incorrect understanding of the world, sometimes even in their own field, this book offers ten nigh-ubiquitous but deeply flawed heuristics that lead to … Continue reading Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, and Anna Rosling Rönnlund
Load of Balls
In one of many controversies surrounding the current men's football World Cup, the BBC chose to show the opening ceremony as additional content rather than as a primary broadcast. Gary Lineker's defence of the decision seems more than reasonable to me. But then my perspective is somewhat different from those who are complaining. My hobbies … Continue reading Load of Balls
Women in the Martial Arts, ed. Carol A Wiley
Focusing not on a single statement of what women’s martial arts is but on multiple perspectives on how martial arts isn’t the domain of male fighters that popular imagery portrays, this book will speak not merely to women with an interest in the martial arts but to anyone interested in diversity as a whole. Wiley … Continue reading Women in the Martial Arts, ed. Carol A Wiley
Crab Buckets
Sometimes trying to escape the drear that is the morning news can lead one into equally murky thoughts. And pondering of whether one is actually in one of the dystopias one didn't want to be. One of my common morning behaviours is doing the daily challenges in a solitaire app. I find a few games … Continue reading Crab Buckets
Straining Credulity
Many yonks ago, when I was at school, I first encountered the idea that I didn't like exercise because I didn't do enough of it. At the time, it seemed a little odd; however, I kept meeting the idea as I continued through life and—being older—found it now paired with explanations of endorphins and pleasure … Continue reading Straining Credulity