The demise of stamp collecting and other edifying stuff

Whatever happened to the business of hobbies? When last did you hear the word, and what are they nowadays? I mean, do you get stamp collectors now and, given the whole thing of e-mail, from where do they get their stamps?

Galileo Galilei and and how to find believers

What is interesting to note is that Galileo’s arguments and a couple of monumental blunders by over-zealous fanatics ensured that Galileo’s ideas would become a scientific milestone that interested everyone, rather than yet another inaccessible academic tome ignored by students.

Movie night: Deadtime Stories

A babybat has the power to see monsters. This was a pilot made for MTV, which never got legs, to the best of my knowledge. Just under eight minutes from Michael Dougherty.

No point in complaining...

Due to unusual circumstances, I don't have the brain for a Mindset Cafe this week, so here's a column for you.

Time management... how it manages me

How do I make my meetings on time? If someone doesn’t tell me to get a move on, I average all the clocks out and try to get there ten minutes before that.

Why blame Lance Armstrong? We should blame ourselves.

In terms of 'winning is everything', everyone who does not win becomes an 'also ran' or a 'loser'. If 'winning is everything' then 'how you played the game' is an artificial add-on at best. Lance Armstrong's doping showed the chasm between the two ideas.

Movie night: Behind Closed Doors

Closed doors keep in what is behind them, but they can also hide scary things. Just under six minutes from Button Films.

Mindset Cafe: 2013-01-18

Eldorado, free will is a myth, dark heroes, 'Alif the Unseen' and what is possibly the most mind-numbingly revolting medical transplant imaginable...

Travels in my head

In spite of the absence of bookshops, traveling in my head has major benefits. The tickets cost nothing, the flights are short and the service is great. More importantly, I can visit places that are unaffordable, impossible to reach or that just aren’t there. With a little bit of effort, I can even imagine smells and sounds. I haven’t yet got textures right.

Movie night: Father and Daughter

A daughter says goodbye to her father, but finds him again at the end of her life. I know, given masculine stereoptypes, that I'm not supposed to enjoy this sort of schmalz and should look probably look for something with horror or barbarians wielding swords, but I do, so the hell with that. Just under nine Oscar winning minutes from Michaël Dudok De Wit. Bonus: It's beautifully observed and executed.

Mindset Cafe: 2013-01-11

The climate apocalypse, urban heat, chocolate makes you clevererer, Benin celebrates voodoo day and return of the Black Smurf.

14 signs that you are peculiar on Peculiar People Day

To mark Peculiar People Day on 10 January 2013, use this list to flatter yourself. If you answer 'yes' to one or more of these things, pat yourself on the back for making life interesting for mundane proles.

The importance of the monster under the bed

There seem to be two accepted ways of dealing with children's exposure to violence. The first is to shelter them from it by insisting that they watch 'My Little Pony' until they are earning their own way. The second seems to be to just hand over the Rob Zombie version of 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and let them get on with filling their receptive little minds with gore.

Movie night: The Old Lady and the Spider

An old lady befriends a spider in this American folktale, and in return for her kindness and friendship, the spider makes her a gift to rid a girl of her nightmares. Four-and-a-half minutes from Alexis de Jesus Costa.

Mindset Cafe: 2013-01-05

Something on spirituality, writing fairypunk, the best sci-fi of 2012, environmental resolutions and cool optical illusions.

New Year's resolutions and why I want the old year to continue

Imagine a very important business decision taken when the entire company, from the cleaner to the CEO, is totally twatted, completely confident that it can all be done, and the boardroom curtains are on fire. That could shape the future of the company, but probably not in the way that the Board of Directors expects.