Author Archives: shirty

Cameron’s low estimation of the public can be seen in his decision to hold the referendum before people fleeing war and drought begin their attempts to cross the Mediterranean this summer. He imagines that dead bodies on beaches, and news reports from refugee camps would make us vote against the EU, as our primary concern […]

Happy birthday, Apple! I spent 8 of my formative years working there – represented in this video from 0:10 to 0:23.  It was a hell of a ride and I sincerely hope there’s at least another 40 years for me as a customer.

Short article detailing the steps involved in making an emoticon. Who knew? Face With One Eyebrow Raised sailed through the subcommittee. In January, it was presented at the quarterly meeting of the Unicode Technical Committee, a more powerful body which gets to vote on the recommendations presented by the Emoji Subcommittee. There, it was approved […]

The Sunday Edition can usually be relied upon for intelligent, interesting and engaging discussions, but it surpassed itself today. Michael Enright leads coverage of the Easter Rising centenary, and talks about its legacy on modern Irish history. Excellent, excellent programming. Few crushed rebellions have spawned as much poetry, song, legend and heated argument, as the […]

Microsoft introduced an AI “teen girl” on Twitter, and the next morning took it to Anchorhead and had its memory erased. I have no idea how the bot worked, but it’s simultaneously hilarious and sobering to think that “learned this behavior through the conversations she has had with real humans online”. She also said: “Bush […]

I applaud the local media – Joe Warmington aside – who have covered the Rob Ford news without obsequious obsequies. What punches obit writers have pulled were followed up with Ford quotes that allow him to have damned his own memoriae. This Torontoist piece is the best I’ve read so far, because it does give […]

The Jian Ghomeshi trial ended the way we thought it would, but not how we hoped it would. There are times I wish we had adopted the “third option” Scottish verdict. My people are both judgmental and pragmatic. The result is the modern perception that the “not proven” verdict is an acquittal used when the […]

The Leicester City squad just keeps chugging along, astounding everyone with its success. Who can blame their supporters for having an overlong sing-song after yet another win? The Foxes supporters sang “we’re going to win the league” solidly for 15 minutes after the final whistle, and it took repeated announcements from the stadium announcer to […]

Was going to buy myself a ukulele but this looks infinitely more practical. Swedish musician Martin Molin has long had experience with esoteric instruments like the glockenspiel, traktofon, or Theremin, but he may have topped his musical prowess with the invention of his own new instrument: the Wintergatan Marble Machine, a hand-cranked music box loaded […]

As a travel photographer and as someone who has crossed Canada by train, these shots baffled me. Then I read the article. What a witty and inventive idea, and what glorious results! “My own cross-country exploration is done by train, but not in the usual sense. I carry the train rather than it carrying me. […]