Finding the garden

May 12th, 2008

Today is the third day of the rest of your life

April 10th, 2008

Word has reached me that some of you (Sophia) were hoping to read something here about Cambridge. This entry is about why it hasn’t happened yet.  Read the rest of this entry »

Standing room only

April 8th, 2008

These are my last few days of work at the beeb. Just as well. It’s standing room only on the trains between Cambridge and Kings Cross. And yet, somehow, I can’t get the hang of it. Read the rest of this entry »

Escaped

March 25th, 2008

Thanks to a family member for telling me about the “I escaped from Lowestoft” group on Facebook. The description says

A group for all people who have moved away from Lowestoft for whatever reason; to reminiss and generally say what they want about it.

What do people want to say about Lowestoft? Read the rest of this entry »

Forty Two

March 13th, 2008

If this is the answer, what was the question?
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Cultures of Sustainability

March 8th, 2008

Just back from the Cultures of Sustainability event in Camden where staff and guess teachers from Schumacher College gathered at Cecil Sharp House to discuss issues relating to sustainable living.

This photo shows Satish Kumar, who chaired the afternoon, guests Gustavo Esteva and David Orr, and lecturer Brian Goodwin. Also participating were Karen Blincoe the college’s director, and Vandana Shiva.

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Disruptors

March 8th, 2008


This week found me at a meeting of disruptive social innovators — The Disruptors for short. According to their Facebook page:

a group for people who are, and are inspired by, creating the precedents of the future; riders of the next wave of positive social change.

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Losing it

March 2nd, 2008

Loser 2I don’t play sport; I’m a bad loser. I think, when I was a kid, I disliked not being on the winning team and, subsequently, not being chosen for any team. My experience of games lessons at school was one of ungainliness. I stopped playing sport; I cut it out of my life. To a lesser extent, I have done the same with games. Although I have happy memories of playing Mastermind and a home-made 3D noughts and crosses with my brother Raymond, I stopped playing Axiom with Magdalena when I realised she was beating me most of the time. With Axiom, I was interested in exploring different dynamics of a game in which the board moves as well as the pieces; I was too impatient to stick to winning strategies. And despite not being very motivated to win, it still stung when I lost. So I quit.

Of course quitting is a strategy of mine. From 1977 until 2000 I refused to dance* because some girls laughed at me once in a high-school disco (ah the cruelty of schoolgirls). And when, finally, I allowed dancing into my life, at the age of 34, I found that I enjoyed it very much. Dancing has contributed enormously to the richness of my present life. So what about sport and games?

Lately I have been considering the following theory about games and sports: Wanting to win is part of the rules of the game.

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That’s not IT

February 19th, 2008

Today I am celebrating. This was my first day of paid work* that was not something to do with Information Technology. Read the rest of this entry »

Introducing “Social Business”

February 17th, 2008

Muhammad Yunus“I’m just a guy who lends tiny little money to poor women”

With these words, Muhammad Yunus responded to his introduction and started his lecture today.

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