Against SapiocentrismIn the late 1980s, I published a poem, ‘Auden’, in the Spectator, in the style of his late 1930s sonnets on various themes. My poem tried…Jul 11, 2022Jul 11, 2022
What is Life?“Biology expands our vision of life, letting us see beyond our experiences of being alive, look back over billions of years of living…Aug 1, 20211Aug 1, 20211
Man of Moments:Louis MacNeicePhilip Larkin, in an obituary of Louis MacNeice said “he was… a town observer: his poetry was the poetry of our everyday life, of…Mar 21, 2021Mar 21, 2021
The Extractivist Era“Extractivism” is not a word much bandied about today; “populism” is. But the latter is misnomer: the project that brought Trump to power…Feb 6, 2021Feb 6, 2021
Get Back to Catch a Falling Star on the Endless HighwayFrank Zappa once commented on the difference timbre makes to any melody, citing the notion of trying to play ‘Purple Haze’ on bagpipes…Jun 11, 2020Jun 11, 2020
Plants are Parallel ProcessorsIt’s that time of year when gardeners can’t keep up with the burgeoning growth of their plants. We can only tackle one job at a time and…May 10, 2020May 10, 2020
Tendrils AliveI have accidentally come across a very remarkable plant. Cobaea scandens is a climbing annual from Mexico that grows to three metres from…Apr 25, 2020Apr 25, 2020
Britannia’s Unlikely Rise and all too predictable fallHow, in the 19th century, did a small, previously marginal, North West European country manage to install its Queen as Empress of India…Jan 28, 20201Jan 28, 20201
How the Warfare State FailedThat’s us — Great Britain, the UK — I’m talking about. If the term “Warfare State” is unfamiliar to you, as it will be to most I will…Jul 20, 2019Jul 20, 2019
How Dumb Can Smart Get?AI and Big Data are the future, obviously. Humans are such feeble things and, anyway, free will has been proven to be an illusion. But…May 3, 2019May 3, 2019