Archive for the ‘Science & technology’ Category


Was the universe made for us?

May 28th, 2015 by Roger Darlington

At one level, the question may seem arrogant, even preposterous. After all, as a recent article in the “New Scientist” magazine put it: “For much of our existence on Earth, we humans thought of ourselves as a pretty big deal. Then along came science and taught us how utterly insignificant we are. We aren’t the […]

Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)


The changing shape and functionality of the mobile phone

May 2nd, 2015 by Roger Darlington

An inside pocket on my brown jacket  Of course, my iPhone 6 does not look a bit like this – which shows either how old my jacket is or how fast mobile technology is developing.

Posted in My life & thoughts, Science & technology | Comments (0)


Why is chocolate so delicious?

April 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington

It’s all to do with chemistry – as you’ll see from this article.

Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)


What lies beyond quarks, leptons and bosons?

April 6th, 2015 by Roger Darlington

You’ve heard of electrons, protons and neutrons, Haven’t you? But these well-known sub-atomic particles are only a few of what makes up what is called the Standard Model of the sub-atomic world. Many of the other sub-atomic particles that we know about are grouped into families called quarks, leptons and bosons. You might have heard […]

Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)


Something to put things in perspective and cheer you up: how all life on Earth will come to an end

March 25th, 2015 by Roger Darlington

The BBC has helpfully provided an account of the most likely options here. Now you know why we pay our licence fee.

Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)


That’s one small step for Apple, one giant leap for Roger

March 14th, 2015 by Roger Darlington

One of my New Year resolutions was to upgrade my mobile phone and my mobile network. Two years ago, I upgraded from an iPhone 1 to an iPhone 5 and from 2G to 3G. This week, I upgraded from the iPhone 5 to the iPhone 6 and from 3G to 4G. I may be 66 […]

Posted in My life & thoughts, Science & technology | Comments (0)


Still more evidence that homeopathy does not work – or, if it does ‘work’, it is simply the placebo effect

March 12th, 2015 by Roger Darlington

As this article highlights, the latest findings in Australia add to a series of other studies proving that homeopathic preparations have no proven benefits to patients. As Ian Sample puts it: “Scientific, and unscientific, studies abound on homeopathy. To date, there is no convincing evidence that like cures like; that water retains a memory of […]

Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)


30 fascinating facts to mark 30 years of mobile phones in the UK

January 2nd, 2015 by Roger Darlington

I confess that I am never without my mobil phone (I’ve had an iPhone since the first one came out), but it’s amazing how quickly and totally the mobile has penetrated our lives, as revealed in these 30 quick facts.

Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)


It’s important that you know where you are in the universe

December 3rd, 2014 by Roger Darlington

26 pictures will make you re-evaluate your entire existence – check them out here.

Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)


Was it actually the Russians who won the space race?

November 17th, 2014 by Roger Darlington

I recently watched a BBC4 television documentary on the space race between the USSR and the USA which so captivated my teenage years. It presented a different angle, arguing that in effect it was the Russians (since the the Soviets are now history) who have won the space race. All the early space achievements were […]

Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)