“You gotta phone, incha?” That’s our cockney rendering of the phrase “You’ve got a phone, haven’t you?” It’s our catch-phrase for any question with a factual answer that’s somewhere on the internet. What’s the capital of Burkina Faso? “You gotta phone incha?” (It’s Ouagadougou, which has long been my favourite capital city name.) Who’s top… Continue reading “You gotta phone, incha?”
Two stories late last year showed me the gulf between how I use technology (smartphone or laptop computer) and how other people use it. In Simon Hattenstone’s excellent, lengthy piece (over 9000 words) about alleged bullying in the Tory Party and the sad death of Elliott Johnson there’s a paragraph about how someone was blackmailed,… Continue reading Two ways that I will never use technology
Earworm. I first came across the word in this Guardian article, over ten years ago. At the time Kylie’s “Can’t get you out of my head” was listed as the #1 earworm, and it might still be top now. My current earworm is the Queen song “Keep yourself alive” (even more than “Starman”, which I… Continue reading Earworms and “Keep yourself alive”
Over the years many musicians and commentators have noted the significance of David Bowie’s performance of “Starman” on “Top of the Pops” in 1972. I remember Gary Kemp in particular discussing how powerful it was for him. It came up in a BBC documentary about Mick Ronson, and then in the run-up to the Bowie… Continue reading David Bowie in black and white
This is a test of my ability to teach, and my students’ ability, and willingness, to learn. You can work out the day of the week for any date in history if you can do the following 3 things: add 4 numbers together; divide numbers by 4 and by 7; learn a 12-digit sequence. If… Continue reading How to work out the day of the week from any date (takes 10 minutes)
Mong. Spastic. Flid. When I was at school, in the 1970s, these were all insults used by other children, not by me or my friends. I don’t remember any of us using these words. Just typing them, nearly 40 years later, makes me feel uncomfortable. I thought that they had gone away in the 1980s,… Continue reading Mong. Spastic. Flid. And why I will never watch “Love, Actually”
I first came across this word last year in an Oliver Burkeman article, “How to find time to read”, well worth reading. Like chairdrobe it pretty much explains itself: a list expanded into an article. I’m surprised that it’s taken me until my 40th post to this site to link to one of his articles.… Continue reading Word of the week: listicle
I wrote earlier this month of technological woes, specifically the death of hard drives, and I continue to hear of other people’s troubles with technology. Earlier today I picked up that refurbished Hard Disk Recorder with built-in DVD burner and Freeview receiver. I commented on Hard Disk troubles to the chap in the shop, and… Continue reading Technology Sucks (postscript)
You know what Nazis are, right? You can picture Adolf Hitler, can’t you? Me too. But most people under 30, especially outside Europe, don’t know what Nazis are. It’s likely that more than half of the world’s population right now have no idea who Hitler was and what the Nazi party did between 1933 and… Continue reading Universal Knowledge: Nazis
My 9 year old daughter has become a keen follower of football. She has been to two of the last three Arsenal home games and has become fascinated with the chants sung throughout the game. For anyone who feels that musicals are unrealistic, just visit a top division football match. Actions on the pitch will… Continue reading Football Chants and Musicals (contains rude words)
The Compartments 