The Cantilevered house is such an arresting image. Does the attic creak when you walk across the floor? I know that here in our house it does, and it scares me. Somehow I think that I would not be able to rest easy in the cantilevered house… Amazing image though.
Year: 2006
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Eight Years and Counting
Today Martin and I celebrate the eighth anniversary of our official tying of the knot. On the 12th June 1998 we said "Yes" in the Gouda Townhall. At the time, the law was opened only to civil partnerships, but we upgraded to the full civil marriage a couple of years ago when the law changed again. While we’ve been "official" for the past eight years, we actually started living together 21 years ago, so we’re really an old married couple by now… -
“Diplomacy”
My dictionary defines the word "diplomacy" thus:The art of conductiong negotiations between nations; the art of negotiating with foreign nations; skill in conducting negotiations of any kind; adroitness, tact.Funny, that’s what I thought it was; particularly the skill, adroitness and tact bits.No matter, here comes Colleen Graffy, apparently the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, to disabuse me of that quaint notion. She has described the suicide of three detainees at Guantanamo Bay as "a good PR move to draw attention".One wonders what she might say were she being undiplomatic… -
Are We A Bunch Of Weirdos?
…well, dear, I think the answer has to be a resounding "yes". Particularly if you think that Dylan Evans has any worthwhile answers to Life, the Universe and Everything… As Ophelia rightly says:Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.gasp
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaa
I think that pretty much sums up my own reaction. -
A Welcome Apology
I see that The Observer has apologised today for the blunder of calling Chris Malysewicz "an expert on MRSA". Having the grace to apologise for a mistake is a welcome trait in both individuals and organisations, and becoming rarer by the day. -
Things That Make You Go Hmm…
So there I was, using the beta of Outlook 2007 to enter in a forthcoming appointment in September. My eyes happened to stray to the 19th September, and there I saw that it was apparently the Day of the Queer.
Hmm, I thought, I don’t remember putting that in. A little further investigative work reveals that the full title is "The Day of the Queen’s Speech" – the opening of the Dutch parliament… Oh well, just for a moment there I thought that the world had shifted on its axis… -
The Satan Pit
Doctor Who is going from strength to strength. The latest two-parter, the Satan Pit, was,quite simply, excellent. It gave a chance to test the rational approach of the doctor against the apparent strength of the irrational, aka faith and allowed him to affirm why he finds the quirkiness of the human condition so appealing. Great stuff. -
Singing My Sister Down
What can I say? This is one of the most powerful short stories that I have read in years. It’s the opening story in Margo Lanagan’s collection entitled Black Juice. Just go and buy it, OK? I’m working my way through the book in constant wonderment. For example, Red Nose Day is the perfect story for all those who suffer from coulrophobia. -
Market Forces
European wine, notably from French and Italian vineyards is being turned into fuel and disinfectant because of competition from the New World. I have to say that I rarely buy a French wine these days. If I buy from Europe, then it tends to be Spanish, followed by Italy. But at the moment, most of the wine I buy hails from Chile or South Africa… Cheers! -
A Proud Parent
Flea, over at One Good Thing, has another of her amazing posts about her amazing family. -
The Last Post…
The Religious Policeman has announced his last post. At least he’s writing a book to take the sting out of this, but I will miss his comments on his world. -
Call Me Old-Fashioned…
…but I’ve never quite understood the attraction of online music subscription services over simply buying a CD.Yes, OK, one doesn’t get the instant gratification of downloading. Then again, one doesn’t have the fact that if one stops paying 9.99 per month (or whatever the charge is), then one’s whole music library simply vanishes into the ether.Music downloaded to your hard drive won’t play anymore once you stop paying the supplier.That’s not a value proposition. That’s blackmail. -
The Gene Pool Patrol
Are lions shaping up to act as a gene pool patrol for humanity? After a botched attempt in Taipei, they seem to have got the message through to Kiev, where one of their colleagues has succeeded in removing someone from the gene pool. -
The Problem is Faith
PZ Myers nails it:Faith is a hole in your brain. Faith stops critical thinking. Faith is a failure point inculcated into people’s minds, an unguarded weak point that allows all kinds of nasty, maggoty, wretched ideas to crawl into their heads and take up occupancy. Supporting faith is like supporting people who refuse to be vaccinated: they’re harmless in and of themselves, they may be perfectly healthy right now, but they represent fertile ground for disease, and they represent potential severe damage to the social compact.Precisely. Read the rest. -
I Had A Dream…
…Only it turned out to be a nightmare. Sebastiaan Gottleib sums up my misgivings precisely. -
Real or Hoax?
I would like to believe that this is genuine. If it is, then there’s hope for us all. But it’s probably a fake. Still, one can dream…(hat tip to Nicholas over at From the Heart of Europe) -
Life: Absurd and Potentially Short
Salam Pax has another blog entry that makes me realise how lucky I am. -
I Think, Therefore…
…well, what, precisely? Philosopher Alex Byrne writes about consciousness in a lucid manner. Simply wonderful.Hat tip to Mind Hacks for the link. -
V&A or D&G?
A bizarre little story today about the Victoria & Albert Museum authorities. They are refusing to invite Gerry Adams to an opening of an exhibition on Che Guevara next week, preferring instead to have a gaggle of fashion models and photographers attend the opening bash. The temple of art and culture has seemingly become merely a temple of convenience. To add insult to injury, the museum shop will apparently have Che Guevara lip balm on sale. The mind boggles. -
Metro-Net
Geoff Manaugh, over at BLDGBLOG, brings the work of Martin Kippenberger to my attention. The idea of Metro-Net is subtly intriguing. Somehow it nags at me, like a dream that hangs just beyond one’s reach in the conscious while simultaneously fading and fleeing from one’s grasp.
Geoff Coupe's Blog 
