It is a truth universally accepted that celebrities write the best books. Thank goodness there are lots of film stars, TV presenters, politicians and sportspeople all willing to put their names to these things; otherwise our bookshelves will be awash with new ideas, voices and original content. The average struggling author doesn’t get a look …
Navigating personal disclosure. How much should we share about ourselves?
I never would, but a recent survey suggested that younger people may be more open about sharing their earnings than us older folks. The TV money man Martin Lewis, who conducted this on-air straw poll, applauds us sharing our personal data in this way. It educates and empowers us all — he says. I wonder …
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Breaking Bad
There’s a new sport in town, allegedly. Those who have seen the Paris olympics will not fail to notice the speed, athleticism, and determination on display at the breaking competition. This is breaking, not breakdancing. Breakdancing happened in the eighties. Breaking is the much cooler, hipper and younger sporting discipline that is only peripherally related …
Today is international DJ Harrison day.
We remember the prolific author who gave us Jenny Parker, Tyrant, Sol, and the arachnophobe droid Spider. The world is split between those who have read his work, and those who have not. Though the former deserve congratulations for being so discerning, the latter have the joy of anticipating their new favourite writer. His writing …
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
This book is as much fun as licking coal. There’s a man, who never gets a name, poor bastard. And there’s a child who’s as talkative as an old boot. Together they’re traipsing around kicking up ash and stones, and other bleak things that scatter this distressed landscape. There’s nothing around except ruin and devastation. …
Claustrophobia
Donnie Darko - a rebel without a claus It may not have escaped your attention that the big C is hurtling quickly towards us. For many of us this is a time of anxiety and existential dread, but for everyone else it is much, much worse. Awful things will seek their way into our homes …
The Unbearable Lightness of Owlbears
I’ve been playing a lot of computer games recently and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s to stave the feelings of loss from recent irreversible, life-changing events. Computer games are a lot like life, they take planning, strategic focus, and tactical nouse to succeed, but unlike life they have one specific trait that makes them …
Those of a Nervous Disposition, Look Away Now
'I just think it’s for the best.’ 'For the best?' ‘And it’s not as if we’re going places, is it?’ Going places? Matthew hated these words as soon as they came out of his mouth. He realised just how much of an arsehole he really was. But at least that confirmed his decision to do …
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Recursion
It looks like this on the outside and It’s full of words. Pictures appear in your mind when you read it. It’s like a movie but using paper instead of film, and your head instead of a camera. Some of the words are nice but some are just terrifying. I don’t mind the bits where …
Ken-ataphobia
Thanataphobic Barbie - pink is the new black To celebrate national cinema day yesterday, my daughter took me to see the Barbie Movie. I was immediately struck at how the film pitted two halves of the population against each other, yet not in a way you might think. I’m not talking about men against women, …
David J Harrison 