Monthly Archives: April 2012

Through The Valley Of The Nest Of Spiders

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Geoff Coupe

That’s the title of the latest book by Samuel R. Delany. Judging by this review, it is a book that, like The Mad Man, simultaneously repels and attracts. Delany writes like an angel even when he’s describing the depths of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Leave a comment

A Talent To Watch…

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Geoff Coupe

He’s a young man called Cosmo Jarvis, a singer-songwriter. I came across the video of his song “Gay Pirates”, and thought it was pretty good… And then I found a much darker song: “Sure As Hell Not Jesus” Jarvis directed … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Music | Leave a comment

“Features Have Changed”

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Geoff Coupe

Oh gawd, here’s yet another example of Microsoft opening its mouth in order to change feet. We happy band of Windows Phone owners (a select few, I grant you) have had a number of ways to purchase Apps for our … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers and Internet, Consumer Electronics, Organizations | 2 Comments

Left Hand, Meet Right Hand…

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Geoff Coupe

Sigh, this is yet another rant about Microsoft… You may recall that I am concerned about the limitation in Microsoft’s Zune/Xbox Live/Windows Phone service account whereby you can’t change your country of residence if you move. You also can’t delete … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers and Internet, Organizations | 3 Comments

Meet The Romans With Mary Beard

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Geoff Coupe

May I just say, what an absolute pleasure it was to be in the company of Professor Mary Beard last night when she introduced us to a variety of long-dead Romans. This was TV in the very best tradition of … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Television | 5 Comments

Another Facepalm Moment

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Geoff Coupe

Sigh. Microsoft has announced the versions of Windows 8 that will be available later this year, and I am once again shaking my head trying to understand what on earth they were thinking about when they came up with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers and Internet | Tagged | 6 Comments

Persecution?– I Think Not

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Geoff Coupe

I see that Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury, is claiming that Christians are being persecuted in the UK. What I see is that UK society is waking up to the fact that historical privilege accorded to religion to practise … Continue reading →

Posted in Society | 2 Comments

Don Norman on Windows 8

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Geoff Coupe

Don Norman is a well-respected consultant and author working in the field of product design and ergonomics. His classic “The Psychology of Everyday Things” (1988) – in his own words: part polemic, part science. Part serious, part fun – contains … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers and Internet | Tagged | 1 Comment

The European LGBT Survey

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Geoff Coupe

I noticed on the web site of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT Rights an item about the fact that members of the European Parliament have welcomed a new survey into the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people … Continue reading →

Posted in LGBT Politics, Society | Leave a comment

Blogging Logging

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Geoff Coupe

Near where we live is an area known as the Zwarte Veen (the Black Bog). The bog has long since been drained and is now farmland. We often walk the dogs along a track running through the area. The track … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature | Leave a comment

The Newton Channel

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Geoff Coupe

Today, the Guardian newspaper launched a promotion of the Newton Channel, a company that makes short films on science topics. Whilst the Newton Channel has been around for a while, this is the first time that I’ve come across it. … Continue reading →

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Fun With Technology–Part VII

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Geoff Coupe

Important Update 27th October 2012: The bug described below has been fixed in the final release of Windows 8. Hoorah! Update 24 October 2013: With the release of Windows 8.1, I found another issue with “Play to”. I posted it in a Microsoft … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers and Internet | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Devils

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Geoff Coupe

Hurrah! The British Film Institute has just released the complete UK ‘X’-rated version of Ken Russell’s The Devils on DVD. It’s in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1 and looks absolutely stunning. Derek Jarman’s sets are seen to the best … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Film, History | Leave a comment

People Don’t Like Change

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Geoff Coupe

It’s been a month now since I, like probably over one million others, downloaded and installed Microsoft’s Windows 8 Consumer Preview. As I wrote at the time, people seemed to either love it or hate it. The haters seem to … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers and Internet | Tagged | 5 Comments