According to excitable people in the know we are going to Mars. They're not sure when, no one is, but it is going to happen, has to happen. Sometime. In the not too distant future. The race is on. Almost. Seems pretty stupid if you ask me. No one is though so that's alright but … Continue reading RED VERSUS BLUE
About twenty five years ago I had an engineer friend called Robert The Cow who was really quite brilliant and expert at designing milking machines and ancillary equipment for the dairy industry. Robert came up with all sorts of very useful devices for popping tassels on udders but one day, for no particular reason, he … Continue reading DEAR HUMANS, YOUR SERVICES ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED
There has been growing speculation lately about the future potential of Artificial Intelligence. It seems some of our wealthiest thinkers and celebrity scientists are increasingly at odds over the evolutionary implications of the rise and rise of the machine mind. Some are convinced that in the not too distant future AI will be the salvation of … Continue reading I WOEBOT
What exactly is the fun part of getting old? When does it start? The fun. I keep hearing or reading about people who extol the depletion process. Celebrities often. Actors usually. They speak about finding themselves with age, about how they have reached a greater understanding of life, how they have learned to appreciate every … Continue reading THE SUN, THE PENDULUM AND THE ATOM
Just to make it absolutely clear before we start, I am not a scientist or a mathematician, just ask Mr Faben-Ward, my touchy-feely-days-of-yore maths tutor who was known to squeeze my thigh in excitement and exclaim ‘It’s not rocket science Richard, it’s the nine times table!’ Thereby confirming my 'not a scientist' admission and explaining … Continue reading TO INFINITY AND BEYONCÉ
The Earth is flat. I know this because I have stood on Brighton beach and held up a ruler to the horizon. Yup, flat as a pancake or maybe a pizza, one with melted feta and caramelised onions, case closed. The idea that the Earth is a ball spinning at 1000 miles per hour is … Continue reading THE CREDIBLE LIAR
On Tuesday just gone my Volvo’s plip failed and I couldn’t get into the car. I was temporarily insensible, flummoxed, stabbing the lifeless plip at the door, peering helplessly in through the side windows with thoughts of vehicular infidelity. I deserved better, a vehicle that welcomed my approach, one that would let me in. I … Continue reading MY WHOLE IS OTHER THAN THE SIM OF MY PARTS
Some scientists don’t seem to grasp how unlikely humanity is, they have been scouring the local universe for decades for any planet that just might conceivably support life and every time they think they’ve found one it is trumpeted in the media as being another potential Earth, one we can visit because it is only … Continue reading THE ACCIDENTAL HUMAN
Why are humans so much smarter than they need to be? It is something that I often think about, because I can, because for some reason I am able to consider the human condition. What is that about? Does it make me happier? I doubt it. You won’t find a dog having an existential crisis. … Continue reading THE FEATHER AND THE CANNONBALL
Celebrity clips toe nails. Woman loses phone signal. Man doesn’t see point of twitter. Space ship reaches Pluto. Am I alone in thinking that the media and the public may have lost their collective sense of wonder? I mean we have recently witnessed quite possibly the most remarkable feat of technology and engineering for a … Continue reading HEY PLUTO
THE ACCIDENTAL HUMAN 