Living Halcyon Days The phrase “halcyon days” has always meant nothing more to me than general nostalgia. Since moving to Crete, and more particularly since spending winter…
Reading “Rogue” sociology?: Floating City by Sudhir Venkatesh What a difference a title makes, or even a subtitle. The version I read, the US edition which I received as a…
Reading Paul Robeson: A Watched Man by Jordan Goodman If you’ve ever wondered just how far government agencies will go to keep us safe from ideas that they find dangerous, this…
Reading 2013 reading highlights I’m always a bit suspicious of those “Best books of 2013” articles. I read lots of them anyway, and carefully note down…
ReadingThinking Interactive apps for books: Q&A with author Vince Kamp Personally, I like reading traditional, app-free books. I like to immerse myself in a story, taking a break from all the pictures and links…
Reading The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan OK, how good is this opening paragraph? My father still lives back in the road past the weir in the cottage I…
Thinking The limits of automatic recommendation systems I was reading an article in NewScientist the other day about a system devised by academics at Royal Holloway, University of London,…
The writing process A guide to independent publishing: interview with Arachne Press founder Cherry Potts A couple of years ago, frustrated with her publisher, writer Cherry Potts decided to set up her own publishing company, Arachne Press.…