Everyone knows about foo and bar. (or my $foo, int foo...) Probably because if you've the sort of mind described in the back of 'The new hacker's dictionary', you'll already have absorbed part of that culture without really knowing why. I had a similar-but-different experience while reading a weblog the other day. Salutory stuff ( Read more... )

If you're stuck inside a Len Deighton book, I suspect being woken regularly by having a bright light shone in your face is no fun at all. If you're me, it appears to be a tolerably good way to start the day.

Out of what I believe to be a sense of devilment and the absurd, that rotter jarkman lent me Alain De Botton's 'The pleasures and sorrows of work ( Read more... )

English people: stop trying to perform high-fives. You all look ridiculous when you either miss, or have to wait around with arm poised because your 'fiving partner' hasn't realised what's going on.

Cover letters are hard ( Read more... )

On BBC-2 now: Cruickshank traces the path of Betjeman during the making of Metroland.

At ten, Metroland itself on BBC-4.

Marvellous.