Writing is fun, but finishing writing is better. Just sent off the first draft of my[1] new book to O’Reilly. That makes me feel good. [1] OK, not strictly my book. I’m one of three co-authors.
Month: May 2003
Tautology
I just got some spam advertising “Male Penile Enlargement”. I’m struggling to come up with any other kind.
Faraway Places with Strange-Sounding Names
I’m in the centre of Tunbridge Wells today and pass two elderly women sitting on a bench, sharing a bag of crisps. One woman starts reading the packet. “Oh look,” she says, “they were made in Denmark.” “Never mind,” says the other, “at least it’s not Morocco or somewhere like that.” You couldn’t make it… Continue reading Faraway Places with Strange-Sounding Names
X2
I saw X2 on Saturday. I’ll put a review up when I get some spare time, but a quick question for any fans of the X-Men comic that might be reading this. In that final shot, when the camera is panning over the lake, did you half expect Jean Grey to come flying out out… Continue reading X2
The Temple
Just before I left work yesterday, I heard that the Northern Line was suspended between Stockwell and Morden so I wouldn’t be able to use it to get home. My other option is to get a train from Victoria so I decide to walk down to Temple station and get the tube from there to… Continue reading The Temple
Political Security
I’ve always loved London. I used to love coming up to London when I was a child. One of the things that I loved most was going to Downing St. In those days (the 1970s) anyone could wander up to the front door of Number 10 and have their picture taken with the nice policemen… Continue reading Political Security
Big Brother vs Homophobia
The new series of Big Brother starts in the UK tonight. I’m happy to admit that I find it all fascinating and will therefore be glued to my TV for large portions of the next ten weeks. The nasty British tabloid rag The Sun likes to think of itself as the “official Big Brother paper”… Continue reading Big Brother vs Homophobia
Tunbridge Wheels
Yesterday was my weekly trip to dispense bite-size chunks of my Perl knowledge to selected denizens of Tunbridge Wells. On the way back I was sitting on the train reading Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve. It’s set in a distant future where most towns and cities have turned themselves into “traction cites” which move around… Continue reading Tunbridge Wheels
Ex-Pats
Go almost anywhere in the world and you’ll find a British Ex-Pat community. A group of people who at some point in their lives decided that living in the UK wasn’t for them and they’d like to start a new life in a new country with an exciting new culture. Except that it rarely works… Continue reading Ex-Pats
A New Pleasure
Hooray for sugar-free Red Bull. Now I can stay awake without getting fatter!