At seven o’clock last night, while trying to extract myself from an empty office in the run-up to the wind-down for Christmas, I found this blog reporting errors. It looked like a corrupted database table, I hadn’t made a backup for some time, and I had only basic access to a menu-based console. I saw [...]

I have an absolutely terrible memory. So I’m greatful to Lord Goldsmith for reminding me how disillusioned I’ve become with the Blair government, and how corrupt and squalid it is. The SFO enquiry into BAE/Saudi government corruption was one saga I was enjoying watching pan out. I was particularly amused by the recent story that [...]

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a conference denier, but with so many people talking about this so-called conference it’s important that someone steps back and asks whether it’s really taking place at all. Consider the facts:

Iran controls the media. How else could a sub-academic gathering attract so much media attention? How else could an [...]

It’s great to sound cool, but that won’t happen if you’re just going to get blank stares. Here are two phrases I love but just won’t be able to drop casually into conversation.

Reverse ferret. If used in context people will probably understand what you mean, but I’m not sure the meaning is well-known. It seems [...]

Sorry about the long pause in communication. Partly it’s because I’ve had my mind on other things, but mostly it’s because I’ve been distracted by a sudden obsession with digital SLR cameras. This has come about because several people have sent us their photos from our Big Day, almost all of which were shot on [...]