Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category
Naming practices around the world
November 5th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
On my web site, I have a very comprehensive essay on naming practices and popular names around the world. You can check it out here. I regularly up-date it, especially to record and analyse the most popular boys’ and girls’ names in England & Wales when new annual data becomes available as it has recently. […]
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It’s a funny month
October 23rd, 2010 by Roger Darlington
According to a good Chinese friend, this October – which has five Fridays, five Saturdays and five Sundays – only happens once in every 823 years. It seems that, in feng shui terms, this is a great time for money. Tell that to the victims of the Comprehensive Spending Review.
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What system should we have for organ donation?
October 19th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
At the moment, I’m reading a very interesting book called “Nudge” which is all about what the authors – Richard H Thaler & Cass R Sunstein – call “choice architecture” or, put another way, how we can ‘nudge’ people into making the right decisions for themselves. One chapter is all about organ donation and five […]
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A short religious quiz
October 12th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
You might have seen my earlier posting about the results of a survey in the United States examining how much people knew – in most cases, very little – about various religious faiths including their own. There was a link from the posting to some of the questions posed. Now, thanks to a recommendation from […]
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Today’s very special date
October 10th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
Today is the tenth day of the tenth month of the tenth year of the new millennium. The attraction of 10.10.10 has led many couples to choose this day for their wedding. A date like 10.10.10 only happens 12 times every 1,000 years. There will be a similar day in 2011 and in 2012 but […]
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Three simple tests
October 4th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
A bat and ball cost £1.10 in total. The bat costs £1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long will it take for 100 machines to make 100 widgets? In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. […]
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Phil Davison goes viral
September 21st, 2010 by Roger Darlington
A few days ago, I introduced readers of NightHawk to the American politician Phil Davison in this posting. His amazing speech has now gone viral with lots of versions on YouTube. You can check them all out here. Meanwhile here is one of my favourites:
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How to make a speech
September 16th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
This is one way: On the other hand, you might want to try this way.
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“Everything is a present”
August 31st, 2010 by Roger Darlington
Almost four years ago now, as a result of an interview in the “Guardian” newspaper, I did a blog posting about the utterly remarkable Alice Herz-Sommer. I mention her on this blog again now because I have just watched a recording of a BBC Four television documentary broadcast at the end of January and filmed […]
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The nonsense that is Power Balance
August 2nd, 2010 by Roger Darlington
According to this article, a number of athletes are now wearing something called the Power Balance bracelet incorporating two holograms which users believe enhances their performance. So what is Power Balance? According to the vendor’s web site: “Power Balance is Performance Technology designed to work with your body’s natural energy field. Founded by athletes, Power […]
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