Current affairs

Article — 1 April 2020 — 2,180 words

Adapting to the new normal

Current affairs — Personal — Politics — Society — Work

One of the (many) strange features of the coronavirus outbreak is that in many ways I feel busier than I have ever been. It is almost three weeks since I was last in my office, yet I haven’t had the time to commit my thoughts to writing.

Article — 12 March 2019 — 754 words

30 years of the world wide web

Current affairs — Web

Today the world marks the 30th birthday of the web. I could have said ‘celebrates’ instead of ‘marks’. But despite — or perhaps because of — the fact that it’s the most revolutionary advance in communications of our lifetime, the mood seems reflective rather than celebratory.

Article — 24 December 2018 — 366 words

The last Christmas Eve at Woolworths

Culture — Current affairs — Personal

There is a stereotype about mildly panicking male shoppers wandering around shops at the last minute on Christmas Eve, not quite knowing what to buy. I learnt that such people were not always male, and some of them were rather old enough to know better than to leave things at the last minute.

Article — 18 December 2018 — 215 words

Why a bad algorithm is like a bad magic trick

Culture — Current affairs — Technology

About 20 years ago I watched a TV programme featuring the magician Paul Zenon. He invited the viewers to think of a card, and he said he could guess the card you were thinking of.

Article — 4 November 2018 — 391 words