Archive for October, 2013
What the Americans think about the new British prince
October 24th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
I’ve just had this message from a good friend in the United States: “I thought you would like to know that the christening of Prince George was a top news story on all three national tv network news programs. If you Republicans ever succeed in abolishing the monarchy, I do believe the American people will […]
Posted in American current affairs, British current affairs | Comments (1)
How so many managers are killing the English language with their annoying jargon
October 23rd, 2013 by Roger Darlington
I’ve spent a lot of my work life listening to managers sprouting the latest management jargon to sound clever and corporate. As I wait to enter yet another such meeting, I’m sipping a cappuccino in a “Costa” cafe and browsing the “Guardian” newspaper. In the paper, there’s a delightful feature about the use of of […]
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
“The Furthest Distance In The World” – a poem by Rabindranath Tagore
October 22nd, 2013 by Roger Darlington
The furthest distance in the world Is not between life and death But when I stand in front of you Yet you don’t know that I love you The furthest distance in the world Is not when I stand in front of you Yet you can’t see my love But when undoubtedly knowing the […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (1)
How far would you trust a robot? – or how we need to be intelligent about Artificial Intelligence
October 21st, 2013 by Roger Darlington
A couple of weeks ago, I did a long posting about my attendance at the first day of an event called FutureFest – a series of speeches about different aspects of the future. One the the addresses was by Berlolt Meyer, a German social psychologist with a bionic left hand to compensate for a birth […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
Hail the conquering hero: family triathlon star returns in glory
October 20th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
A week ago, I did a posting about how one of Vee’s nephews, David Rowe, had successfully competed in this year’s annual World Ironman event in Hawaii. Last night, he returned home to London and five family members – plus banner – were there to greet and congratulate him. Just a reminder of what David […]
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Why the brain is more efficient than any current computer – and how future computers will behave more like our brain
October 19th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
Ninety-nine per cent of a computer’s volume is devoted to cooling and powering. Only 1% is used to process information. By contrast, the brain uses 40% of its volume for functional performance – and only 10% for energy and cooling. And the human brain is 10,000 times more dense and efficient than any computer today. […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
How Christian is Britain today – and do you believe in miracles and angels?
October 18th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
We think of Britain as a Christian country, but a new poll commissioned by the Christian think tank Theos suggests that only 59% identify themselves as Christian. However, many people still have spiritual beliefs. Among the other findings, 8% said they or someone they knew had experienced a miracle, while one in four expressed a belief […]
Posted in British current affairs, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Blog Action Day – and our viewing of the play “Chimerica”
October 16th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
Around the globe, today is Blog Action Day and this year’s theme is human rights. Coincidentally this afternoon, my wife and I made a too rare visit to the theatre in central London. We went to see an amazing play called “Chimerica” written by Lucy Kirkwood (who has never actually been to China). It is all about […]
Posted in Cultural issues, History | Comments (0)
A five-minute video to raise your spirits – with thanks to the performers and Beethoven
October 15th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)
Obama stands firm as Republicans back down
October 14th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
“Now is the time to lance the boil of Republican extremism once and for all. Since Obama became president, the extremists who have taken over the Republican Party have escalated their demands every time he’s caved (when he extended the Bush tax cuts through the end of 2012, offered spending cuts and then a Super […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)