A Test For Manhood

Assume three things.  Number one – you’re in a restaurant.  Number two – you like your steak rare. Number three – you’re a man.
So you order a rare steak and you’re really looking forward to it.   The juices are flowing.   You’re in the company of good friends so the craic is flowing.  Ah, [...]

What is That to Me or My Work?

Sherlock Holmes is one of my heroes. I’m fascinated by stories with idiosyncratic characters. When I first read A Study in Scarlet, a previously unformed notion became crystallised in my mind, specifically, from Dr Watson’s first impressions of the world’s greatest detective.
His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature, [...]

Lazy Intelligence Wins Again

There’s a good article in the BBC website about how a sound sleep aids your memory and ability to learn. Sleep helps your brain by strengthening connections between nerve cells. As one of the sleep experts put it,
“During the day we acquire information, but at night we sort that information.”
So, while you are [...]

How to Be Brave

Captain Frederick Marryat (July 10, 1792 – August 9, 1848) was an English novelist, a contemporary and acquaintance of Charles Dickens, noted today as an early pioneer of the sea story. He is now known particularly for the autobiographical novel Mr Midshipman Easy and his children’s novel The Children of the New Forest.

Why am [...]