The jealous guarding of a loved one can go too far. Especially if the jealousy spills over into madness. This book reminded me of the poem Porphyria’s Lover by Robert Browning, which I studied for my English Literature O-Level some thirty years ago. The poem is narrated in the first …
What the frack is fracking? Fracking is an aggressive, invasive technique for extracting valuable raw materials out of hard to reach places. More specifically fracking is shorthand for hydraulic fracturing. Huge amounts (e.g. 8 million gallons) of carrier liquid and other substances are pumped at high pressure into underground rock …
I have a lot of time for Danny Baker. He’s as good as listening as he is at broadcasting. And he’s interested in people’s stories. Each Saturday morning his show on Radio 5 Live has several running themes which act as open invitations to ordinary listeners to call in with …
Last week I asked someone “what is marketing?” Said someone had just retired after an illustrious career in blue chip marketing departments and a blue chip marketing consultancy. I was expecting an immediate, well-rehearsed response. I was expecting a highly polished definition that was the result of decades of honing …
A year ago I wrote about “The method behind the madness that is @Betfairpoker“. The post was based on a telephone interview with Richard Bloch, Betfair’s Head of Global PR. At the time the question on my lips was the question on the lips of most people who were encountering …
My daughter’s physics teacher got her class to wrap eggs in rubber bands then throw them at the wall. It was a sticky lesson in more ways than one. Learning by (sticky) doing meant that the lessons stuck. I only know this story because my daughter was sufficiently engaged and …
Time travel ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. This realisation came as a bit of a shock to a lifelong Dr Who fan, particularly the latest Matt Smith iteration. Time travel ain’t all it’s cracked up to be if you work in the time travel industry and fix time …
“Don’t blow it all at once.” This is good advice, but there’s no point giving it. You watch your mother, their grandmother, give your child £20 for its birthday and you give the advice that you know won’t be heeded. Appreciating the benefit of delayed financial gratification has to be …
