3 Jun 2026

I hate this

But does it matter? — I don’t usually say that sort of thing here. I try to be more measured, less personal. I’m talking about the police face recognition vans obviously. This might not surprise you: I mean that I don’t like them. I’m an old git after all, a man who’s written here before […]

29 Jul 2025

Nearly half a bicycle

The atomic theory in Kilburn — This place (on Kilburn High Road) has been morphing steadily from dry cleaner’s to bike shop over the last few years. I remember being surprised one morning to see a few kids’ bikes lined up for sale outside but I’d say the shop is now approaching 50% bike shop. […]

13 Jan 2025

Where is my patriotism?

Come, love of country, fill my heart… — I do love Britain. I guess I love England more. London most of all. I hope that in my life I’ve honoured the place I live and not disgraced it or undermined it (I support England and GB in sporting events – I fly a little flag […]


  • Can you commoditise a commodity?

    G Beato in The Guardian laments file sharing’s commoditisation of music. The piece is heartfelt but unhistoric. Music is ancient – older than language – but has changed more in…

    Read more

  • Belgium in the West

    There’s an excellent profile of Kofi Annan by Philip Gourevitch in the March 3rd issue of The New Yorker but it’s not at the web site, which is annoying. In…

    Read more

  • McDecline

    When McDonalds lost the disastrous McLibel case I used to say that it wouldn’t be the greens or the anti-globalisers that’d bring down the fast food giant but much more…

    Read more

  • Business Week on Linux

    Business Week goes big on the Linux Uprising: “…and don’t be fooled by Linux’ harmless-looking penguin mascot, Tux: This stuff is shaking up the balance of power in the computer…

    Read more

  • Bowblog – like reading the Sunday papers on Monday

    Couple of good articles from sections of The Observer I don’t usually look at. I like the look af Matali Crasset’s playful interior and product design in the colour magazine.…

    Read more

  • Dead Herring

    In 1993 and 94, when I was learning about the net and about how to run a business and all the scary money stuff, I discovered a weird American business…

    Read more

  • Wraparound

    Check out this collection of 360 panoramas from Hans Nyberg in Denmark. He gathers Quicktime VR panoramas from around the world, like this gorgeous wraparound view from the top of…

    Read more

  • Butterfly encore

    On Tuesday I took my son Oliver to see Richard Wilson’s Butterfly at the Wapping Project. Maybe I didn’t read the publicity properly but I really wasn’t expecting anything so…

    Read more

  • New York decides

    I don’t want to gush but I’m really thrilled for NYC (and for the rest of us emotional New Yorkers) that the City settled on Libeskind’s replacement for the Twin…

    Read more

  • Don’t panic

    Are you getting spam like this yet?

    Read more

  • Forget Moore’s Law

    Michael Malone, top tech journo, says in The Herring that we should forget Moore’s law. The thesis is that, as the universe of chips expands, more buyers are sticking with…

    Read more

  • PR Works

    The recording industry has the best PR. Evidence: a quite startling suspension of balance on The BBC’s agenda setting morning news show The Today Programme today. An item, by Stephen…

    Read more