He Shall Have Music Wherever He Goes
Well, maybe that title belongs more to my Zune but finally I am addressing my woeful under-investment in music systems by installing a Sonos system at home. I originally learned about Sonos from Bill Hilf’s blog and, whilst I can’t fully subscribe to passion for Styx (the band, not the place, who may have successful charted the very depths […]
Chernobyl and the Generous Man
A fascinating article in the Economist caught my eye. One of the results of the disaster at Chernobyl has been to provide a proof-point for the theory of the Handicap Principle of sexual selection which suggests that bright or opulent displays like the peacock’s tail exist as a signal that the bearer is of such strong genes […]
Why Open Source and Linux Are Losing Momentum – Rob Enderle
I enjoyed this article for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it is a reality check for anyone blindly following the "Open Source as panacea" rhetoric. There is a lot of good in the open source model but there are also good reasons why it is not the underlying design model for most of the modern […]
Africa, offline: Waiting for the Web – International Herald Tribune
This is a fascinating article which explores the challenges of connecting Africa to the internet. It adds a lot of detail to the issues I touched on in a previous posting, here. Africa, offline: Waiting for the Web – International Herald Tribune Technorati Tags: Rwanda, Africa, Internet, Emerging Markets, connectivity
Air-Conditioning
Why? I’m in Orlando right now – but it’s the same in Dubai or Singapore – and I’m wearing a jacket. I need to take it off when I’m outdoors because of the baking (or steaming) heat but I need it to go indoors because of the ferocious air-con. How does that work? What is […]
NetHope in East Africa
This has taken longer to write up than planned; hampered originally by an unexpected souvenir from Kenya which saw me passing happy hours communing with my new friend Mr Toilet. And now delayed further by having no power to my laptop and a long eight hour flight ahead. Back to long-hand on lined paper and […]
Zevon's Greatest Lines?
“She only sleeps on planes” – Suzie Lightning; beautifully succinct and evocative. “A little old lady got mutilated late last night” – Werewolves Of London; fantastic staccato alliteration. “Some days I feel like my shadow’s casting me” – Dirty Life And Times; from his last album after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. “Home is just […]
Zevon’s Greatest Lines?
“She only sleeps on planes” – Suzie Lightning; beautifully succinct and evocative. “A little old lady got mutilated late last night” – Werewolves Of London; fantastic staccato alliteration. “Some days I feel like my shadow’s casting me” – Dirty Life And Times; from his last album after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. “Home is just […]
Magic Carpet
Here it is… … the beautiful byproduct of my recent expedition to Sultanahmet. The Carpet Cafe is maybe halfway down the steep slope from the Blue Mosque and after an enjoyable half hour (an hour?) of education, apple tea and haggling I came away with this Anatolian carpet of silk on a cotton base. The detail of […]
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead by Crystal Zevon
That his ex-wife of nearly 30 years could carry out his last wish and write a full, frank account of Warren Zevon’s "Dirty Life and Times" is a clue to the effect that Zevon had on those around him. I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead is harrowing, amusing, bizarre, touching and honest. Through the recollections of those who were closest to him at various […]