Jeff and I pair-read 1984 and Brave New World a couple of years ago. Most people – me included, until my latest reading – seem to miss the point of 1984. ‘1984’ means they are watching you to those with … Continue reading →

Ron Jeffries, on the agile-testing mailing list said The last couple of times I read it, I took a somewhat different lesson from /Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance/, having to do with one’s own level of caring, and … Continue reading →

I found it extremely shocking to hear various American commentators speaking, during the world cup, in support of diving (Balboa), professional fouls (Lalas and Wynalda), time-wasting (Balboa again), deliberate handball and various other offenses that I had always considered to … Continue reading →

Bertrand Russell says that “The essence of the liberal outlook lies not in what opinions are held but in how they are held: instead of being held dogmatically, they are held tentatively, and with a consciousness that new evidence may … Continue reading →

Scott Adam’s blog is very, very funny. He is often thought provoking and usually hilarious on subjects ranging from the frivolous – such as the ethics of walking naked from the shower (and is it OK to twirl?) – to … Continue reading →

I find the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis – the idea that thought is constrained by language – to be fascinating. Here’s a variation on it from The Guardian Take the Portuguese president of the European commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, for example. Barroso … Continue reading →

Andrew Sullivan just watched A Man for all Seasons which tells the tale of Thomas More’s struggles with Henry VIII over the relationship between religion, the law and executive power. Roper: So now you’d give the Devil benefit of law! … Continue reading →