Archive for August, 2013
Is your place of work like this … or like that?
August 24th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
Check out this short video.
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
The growing potholes on the information superhighway
August 24th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
On 14 August, there was a the two-hour failure of the New York Times website , during which it resorted to publishing articles on its Facebook page. While a malicious attack was initially suspected, the problem was caused simply by a scheduled system maintenance. On the same day, Microsoft customers began to report email failures. […]
Posted in Internet | Comments (0)
Word of the day: quincunx
August 23rd, 2013 by Roger Darlington
It is the arrangement of five objects – such as trees – in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. I’d never come across the word before this week when it was ‘word of the day’ on the online dictionary I use on my iPhone. You have to be […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Who was the most destructive man of the early 20th century?
August 22nd, 2013 by Roger Darlington
I have spent recent weeks ploughing through the 600-page “A History Of The World” by Andrew Marr and I’ve now reached the early part of the 20th century. He suggests that “the most destructive man of his generation” is someone you’ve never heard of: a German bureaucrat called Arthur Zimmerman. Marr writes: “He was responsible […]
Posted in History | Comments (0)
The top 10 jokes at the Edinburgh Fringe 2013
August 21st, 2013 by Roger Darlington
One-liners to make you laugh here
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)
Another lovely day with my granddaughter Catrin
August 21st, 2013 by Roger Darlington
Every few months, I like to see my young friend Jen with her son James who is almost exactly the same age as my granddaughter Catrin (they are both just over two and a half). This week, I wanted Catrin to join us and her parents allowed me to keep her out of nursery for […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (1)
The future of humankind according to science fiction films
August 20th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
Check out this fun infographic.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Congratulations to Elie Goulding on her first No 1 single
August 19th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
As I explained in this posting, early this year I bought and enjoyed the second CD from Ellie Goulding called “Halcyon”. Subsequently I obtained her first CD called “Lights”. I think that Goulding is a talented and accomplished singer/songwriter with a distinctive voice. I was pleased by the news today that she has achieved her […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Will we ever agree on what caused the First World War?
August 19th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
It took six weeks, but I have now finished viewing the box set of the 26-part BBC television series on “The Great War” which was bought for me as a birthday present by a good friend. It was a utterly fascinating series, informative and balanced and very, very moving. This was a war the like of […]
Posted in History | Comments (0)
Welcome to food bank Britain where even working families have to request provisions
August 18th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
“Food banks have no place in modern Britain. Millions of families are facing a perfect storm of pressures on their budgets. The combined impact of welfare upheaval, cuts to public spending, low wages and the high cost of living are putting unbearable pressure on many households, forcing them to seek emergency help putting food on […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)