Blog posts

Despite Steve’s cajoling I didn’t buy a copy of the Sunday Times today. Somehow, I couldn’t quite do it. The brands have me. There’s little escape from my routine of buying a copy of the Observer or Independent on Sunday. So it works well for me that I can avoid handing money into the mits of Rupert Murdoch by making use of the internet. Anyone else who wants to see what Martin had to say about Steve can do so here. The experience has set me to wondering what my life would have been like had it not been for the internet and wondering whether I should be worried that I can’t quite work that out. When my daily routine involves checking a dozen or so websites, checking e-mail and engaging in some light instant messaging before an optional break for breakfast, it’s difficult to imagine none of that being available. Perhaps I’d get more sleep. I’d certainly need a different source of income. But then I’d probably buy less books, CDs and DVDs. Cliche though it probably is, I’d have to say that it is the community I’d miss the most. If we put aside the fact that I’d never have experienced it to miss it. ...

If you were going to attack a country on the grounds that you were worried about an apparent stockpile of weapons of mass destruction, would you presume that they might actually use those weapons to defend from your attack? Apparently, that is news to some people. The mind boggles. Of course this does all presume that the weapons haven’t been destroyed by previous bombing raids, weapons inspections or natural deterioration, but let’s humour the administration in question for a while. Why does it take the CIA to point out that if Saddam Hussein has chemical and/or biological weapons and his country is invaded he might use them for defence or revenge? Perhaps reports like this will begin to strike home the message that removing Saddam Hussein can never be a surgical operation without side-effects. If it happens, it will be messy. ...

I have a feeling that I’m not going to enjoy tuesdays for the next while. Sure, there’s not the 9am start which highlights Mondays, but the sheer intensity of it will surely get to me. Lecture after lecture after lecture. All through the day. Think very carefully before signing up for a physics course, kids. But hey, this one’s out of the way and there are only nine more to go. And there’s always rich’s skateboarding blog to kill a bit of time (good luck mate. thanks for the link gary). ...

It’s term time once again. The first two days of each week don’t look to be much fun, with days so full I might as well have a real job, but the other three days of the week should allow for a little more flexibility even though I still have to be on campus every day. Despite the surfeit of time in queues, it’s been good to see people, catch up on past activities and begin laying plans for future ones. I have no intentions of a career in politics. ...

That last entry probably didn’t make a huge amount of sense. It was really just an excuse to link to the article. Reading it, it seemed like the US administration was on the brink of admitting their true desire for war. But the language became more obscure towards the end. A busy day of freshers fayre activity has been my distraction today. Meetings abound at the moment. More writing may occur eventually. ...

This seemed to make the whole thing a little clearer. They don’t care about weapons inspections. But then the end of the article approached and the double-speak returned. Long live obfuscation?

I’m still quite taken with the speed of my transit from Belfast to Reading. I calculate that it took 3.5 hours door-to-door and that I could have shaved a good half hour to 45 minutes from that if I’d started the day with a ticket in my hands. I’d known for some time that I could do that in theory, but the practice was so easy. That’s barely more time than it takes me to reach my parents'. ...

Once again I was woken with a text. For some reason, someone thought that I’d appreciate an invitation to join them at the pub this evening if it was sent at 6.45am. Anyone who has similar ideas, please note: that is not the best way to tempt me to visit a pub. This’ll be last entry from this Belfast trip as I fly back to Heathrow in a few hours’ time. It’s been a very chilled out time and it’ll be interesting to see how my body reacts to a sudden return to a rather faster paced life. To truly get an understanding of how most of our time has been spent, you’d have to wade through quite a few books, records, and such wonderful things. But then you could just follow this link (thanks to gary) ...

Awoken by a message on my mobile from Seattle, I’ve just been browsing the web a little more and enjoying the small pleasures of instant messaging. Thinking about these strange connections we’ve built for ourselves. Last night Channel 4 ran some more short films as part of their “which side are you on?” exploration of the rumours of war in the middle east. Thought provoking stuff. The first film–by an american living in london asking us brits to help the usa avoid war–reminded me of how grateful I am to have so many american friends who help me see past foreign and economic policies I can’t abide. To see that there is hope beyond the hegemony and that there are voices of love within. I think without that knowledge, things would be a whole lot harder. ...

Aimee Mann’s latest record is playing in the background as I type this. It’s the first CD I’ve heard since buying that new Beck record. I guess I’m still on first impressions of Sea Change but they’re good impressions. It’s been a while since I found a melancholic album to love, but if that were how I filed my CDs, this would take a prominent place. As it is, I doubt it will be filed for a while. ...