Articles covering anything that pops into my head
I have, of late, been reading the poetry of Kathleen Jamie. I've already reviewed one of her collections, The Treehouse, but today I'm more interested in the fact that some of Ms. Jamie's work includes Scottish words and phrases. Now, now, don't get all snarky with me. I can almost hear a collective shrugging of the … Continue reading Breaking Google Translate. Again. With the help of Scotland and Star Wars.
The Don, getting ready to rant! Photo credit: Chris Schrier CC BY-SA 2.0 Yes, you read that right. In his latest tweets, Donald Trump has taken to decrying ‘fake fiction’ in the media. And I, for one, am overjoyed, over the moon, over-my-hammy! (No, I am not sponsored by Denny’s.) Why, I hear you ask? … Continue reading Trump decries ‘Fake Fiction’
Image by robjewitt, Creative Commons In an effort to weaken the political and economic power of giant, international tech firms, the East African Federation has banned the sale and hoarding of the personal data of its citizens. The new law requires that the personal data of EAF citizens held by any company or organization must … Continue reading East African Federation bans the sale of personal data. But you might not like their alternative.
Did this picture make you yawn? Or is it the other way around? Photo by Manokaran M CC BY-SA 4.0 As many of you know, my friends at the County Durham College of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fine Arts have been furiously fiddling away with a time capsule from the future. One side benefit of … Continue reading Yawning, Dogs and Time Travel
I've been dealing with the annual conundrum of what to get my brothers for Christmas. I'm bad at this, so bad that they often don't receive anything until sometime in January. My only consolation is that they're nearly as bad at it as me. So imagine how happy I was when, about a week ago, … Continue reading A Tale of Two Christmases, or An Amazon Carol
Photo by Mat Fascione CC BY-SA 2.0 Friends at County Durham College of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fine Arts have tipped me off to another incredible breakthrough. An AI developed at CDCAAHFA has become the first non-human being (with the possible exception of Richard Dawkins) to have a scientific paper published in a peer-reviewed journal. … Continue reading The Migratory Behaviour of Joggers
Photo by Zohairasad CC BY-SA 3.0 Time for another excerpt from Grad Bernart’s research notes. This week, his sanity is tried by a poplar grove. Here goes: “After my experiences with the rowans and ash coppices, I approached the poplars with decidedly low expectations. I can say only that, once again, I was surprised. Not … Continue reading Investigating Poplar Culture (yes, I mean poplar, as in the trees)
Last week, we saw how the rowans provided the key to Grad Bernart’s deciphering of the language of the trees. This week, we begin to discover just how weird trees are, as Bernart describes his encounters with an old ash coppice. (If you’re not sure what a coppice is, here’s a link to Wikipedia.) From … Continue reading Sense of Self in an Ash Coppice
Photo by Mr Xerty at Unsplash I’ve got another update on Grad Bernart’s research notes. After his initial horror at the trees’ slaughter of one another, the grad seems to have come to terms with their violent natures and continued his study of tree language and behaviour. Here is an excerpt from his conclusions: “At … Continue reading The Psychology of Trees: Part 1, the Rowan
Image by Mauricio Estrella CC 3 I think I'm becoming addicted to Grad Bernart's research notes. This week as I was going through his stuff I found an amazing collection of artefacts tucked away in a box. There’s a tiny bellows and a collection of even tinier ampules, each of which contains a blend of … Continue reading On Trees, Bees and Ocarinas
Christopher Randall 