The old cliché was that everyone remembered where they were when they heard JFK had been shot. That is far less relevant as the years go on. The obvious reason is that there are fewer people about who can remember that day in 1963. But also, the assassination of JFK has long since gone from being an event to being something far more nebulous, yet far more universal. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m probably reading too many things right now. I have several books on the go, plus some other books that I haven’t officially given up on, but probably won’t be picking up any time soon. There are a few magazines and old newspapers kicking about, with articles destined to never be read. My Instapaper account is neglected. So are some of my favourite blogs. But I keep plugging away. Read the rest of this entry »
The invention of the Walkman facilitated the end of the social society. Or I’ve read something along those lines, anyway. It is easy to blame some technology, rather than ourselves. Blaming someone else is easier than blaming ourselves. Blaming something inanimate is even easier. Anyway, I like wearing earphones while I’m out and about. It means I can give everyone around me a visual cue that I’m anti-social without all the effort of actually being anti-social. It is a passive form, rather than the aggression of the Loud Person On Phone. You know not to disturb someone with earphones or headphones, if there is someone else nearby to pester who isn’t plugged in. I like that barrier, that shelter.
I remember as a kid being on holiday and going to some sort of country fête-type thing. On one of the stalls was this guy with a CB radio. I was fascinated by the idea that from this one box this guy could communicate with people from around the world. He asked me to name a country and said he’d try to find someone to talk to from there. I said Tristan da Cunha, and he unsurprisingly couldn’t find anyone. I wasn’t a smart arse, I promise. I just liked Tristan da Cunha for some reason. And I liked the idea of speaking to other people over the radio. I liked the handles they used, the anonymity and the freedom.
Read the rest of this entry »
A big hello and welcome to everyone who has come across this site after seeing my recent post on the WordPress Freshly Pressed page. I hope some of you consider following this blog or subscribing to the RSS feed or just pop back at some point or other in the future. A huge thank you to everyone who has followed/commented/liked already. If you really can’t get enough of my waffling, I’m on Twitter and Tumblr too. Blogging is a huge amount of fun no matter who is reading, but it would be wonderful if some of you great folk could stick around. Read the rest of this entry »
Wait until next year 