Modern Myths

Long ago, in friendlier times, this blog ran a series of Modern Myths featuring Crusoe.  The plan was for a lot more but life got serious. Rummaging through files I came across some drafts. This one was dated 2010 but the original might have been written a year or more before. It was clearly the way things were going then.  Beta Centauri was unquestionably a long way from … [Read more...] about In a Galaxy too close to Home for Comfort

When God was in Heaven, our images of the Divine split between Justice and Mercy – the Shock and Awe figure of the Last Judgement or someone more like Portia letting us know the quality of mercy is not strained, that it droppeth as the gentle rain from Heaven upon the place beneath.  A person with the love of a Mother for her child. Through to the 1750 or so, the Monarch … [Read more...] about Algorithms are from Mars

Religion Mention religion and the links between individuals and their creator, if they think they have one, come to mind.  We imagine an individual fasting, meditating, or kneeling in prayer. It was more common in the past however to think of a people, like the People of Israel and their God. Our rulers, whether Kings or Pharaohs, stood in loco divinitas as the person … [Read more...] about Religion, Technology and Management

SWI There was a fuss after Stormy Weather.  A colleague got in touch to ask if my twitter feed had been hacked - he'd been copied in on some weird stuff. I went on twitter to check - I rarely check things out.  And noticed 250 notifications - the first few of which were all about Fake News and the like and seemed semi-angry and semi-amused.  It turned out there were only … [Read more...] about Stormy Weather II

If it appears in the New York Times it must be true but in truth we have no evidence that Stormy Daniels or Donald Trump or Joe Biden have PSSD or PFS or any related conditions - although there was considerable gossip at one point claiming Donald was taking Finasteride.  Probably just Fake News. There is a fairy tale quality to the story you see here - an Arabian Night's … [Read more...] about Stormy Weather I

In the Beginning The conventional story is that Good created the world but that at some point after the Creation a group of Rebel Angels figured they could do a better job of running the show.  They took on the Almighty and lost – we are told. You can view Lucifer, Beelzebub or the Satan, as evil beyond comprehension seducing humans into the all too human evils of … [Read more...] about ‘Tis the Season to Rebel

I’ve been a fan of Placido Domingo for 40 years or more.  His role alongside Teresa Stratas in Zeffirelli’s La Traviata (if its emotion you want – one of the greatest movies ever made) can still bring tears to my eyes.  I always liked his voice more than Pavarotti’s, Carreras, or others – and he looked much better as Alfredo. Pretty well everyone else suffered when I heard them … [Read more...] about Women, Men and Drugs

This is the final post in the Bruce Willis series - see Osama, Obama and Reckless.  It's the point behind the series.  And it comes on the 28th anniversary of the original event. Train Tracks Its 1991.  Two trains are heading toward each other on the same piece of track.  One has a shiny badge that was new for trainspotters - Evidence Based Medicine (EBM).  It had been … [Read more...] about Saint Candida’s Day

Editorial Note: The image featuring Samantha Cameron and her husband, David, comes from the front cover of Private Eye, a British satirical magazine, who might have thought twice about adding to the pressure on Cameron if they had known what was going to happen next.  This is the third in a Bruce Willis series - See Osama saves Millions and Obama kills Millions. Its … [Read more...] about Reckless MP causes Brexit