Thoughts in Uncertain Times
Because thinking about the world is fun
I started this blog at the beginning of the 2020 New Zealand COVID pandemic lockdown because I wished I had recorded life through the civil emergency of the Canterbury earthquakes. When I started, I had no idea how long the pandemic might last, or how long I might keep writing. In 2023, the pandemic is loosening its hold on the world but there are so many other pressing issues on the horizon and interesting aspects of life to ponder that I am not stopping yet…
Latest Posts
Should we be polite to large language models like ChatGPT? There are good arguments on both sides of the debate.
Changes to the New Zealand research funding meeting may spell the end of my career but, more importantly, what do they spell for research and science?
What do lawyers and bears have in common? I’m not sure, but given the choice, I’ll pick the bear.
Japanese toilets are something else! So were Mongolian toilets, through in a different way. Given their fancy toilets, why does Japan have such awful toilet paper?
When in Japan, where do you put your rubbish, given the complete lack of public bins?
Routines are hard things to escape, even when you leave the country...
When it’s time to slow down and smell the snowdrops...
Ozempic is everywhere…one of a new class of weight loss drugs promising reduced body mass and increased health. Are the claims real? And what are the downsides?
Why has NZ repaired a bell tower for $10 million, then fired the only person who can ring the bells? And why has Fonterra sold off all its added value products? So many mysteries in todays world...