On Going to the Library
First of all, it’s nothing like going to a bookshop. That is always a slightly distressing experience, for me at least. I am invariably overwhelmed by the sheer number of books published, probably close to a million a year at least, and that’s just in English. The vast majority of these I would never want [...]
On Riding A Bicycle
There are two pieces of music that inevitably pop into my head when I think about bicycles. The first is the galloping motif that accompanies the appearance of Miss Gulch (a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West) in The Wizard of Oz as she pedals furiously toward Dorothy’s house to take away Toto to have [...]
On Happiness
The other day at breakfast my younger son asked, “Dad, have you ever been 100% happy?” (My son has a way of asking impertinent philosophical questions at unexpected times.) I took a minute or so before I answered, because I wanted to give him a considered reply but also because I was a bit concerned [...]
On Happiness
The other day at breakfast my younger son asked, “Dad, have you ever been 100% happy?” (My son has a way of asking impertinent philosophical questions at unexpected times.) I took a minute or so before I answered, because I wanted to give him a considered reply but also because I was a bit concerned [...]
Even More Assorted Aphorisms, The Sequel
Being the most recent clutch of clever bon mots sent to me via the Web from some of the Internet’s most ardent aphorism afficionados, begining with Anthony Pelle, who has sent in three aphorisms, the first of which is a variation on a theme that goes all the way back, in the West at least, [...]
On Waiting
Thought for the day: Why is every public building in Britain so stuffy and overheated while every private home is so draughty and underinsulated? Take our house, for example. You could drive several small turbines on the chill wind pouring through the enormous gaps between our windows and their fittings. We could probably generate enough [...]
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