Outlook's new security test to prove you're not a robot is impossible. I've failed it three times in a row. Or hang on... maybe I am a robot after all?

Interesting stuff. But "electroweak penguin decay"? How can we be sure that these scientists aren't just taking the piss out of us? theconversation.com/our-large-ha...

The sun is out and the tulips are in bloom. 😄🤩

Excited about the start of the Cricket County Champs today. Got my fantasy team picked and I’m looking forward to the first ball being bowled. My money’s on Somerset to win their first ever title, inspired by the Rew brothers. And I’m backing Lancashire (of course!) to win Division Two.

The disdain with which Parfit sometimes dismisses critics is stunning. On p.354 he gets rid of one objection by saying: “This view is too implausible to be worth discussing”. What a great line. I intend to use it next time I’m having an argument with my wife. I’ll let you know how that goes…

Happy 430th Birthday René Descartes. The Father of Modern Philosophy. Here is a never-before-seen photo of him, recently unearthed by archivists, taken in preparation for this very day, back in 1640. (He looks pleased with himself because he’s just finished a first draft of the Meditations).

They say that Anaximander (in the 6th century BCE) drew the first ever map of the world. It wasn't very good. It doesn't even have Stockport on it.

Just a sliver of moon in Manchester tonight…

Another day, another award...

Conscious experience really is remarkable. And mysterious! www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG6...

Here's a fact to brighten your day: Gary Oldman is younger than Gary Numan. You're welcome!

Looking feisty this morning...

Tomorrow, after a hiatus of more than a decade, I will again be teaching the ethics of Kant. Secretly, I was hoping that my ten years of extra wisdom would, this time around, make reading the Groundwork a doddle, but having revisited the text, it appears that hope was forlorn...

Remember this? It remains to this day, my favourite ever comedy show.

Chillin'

My first daffodil of the season is here. 😁

Excellent subliminal messaging in my daily email from The Conversation this morning...

Why do so many people say 'yourself' when they mean 'you', and 'myself' when they mean 'me'? It infuriates myself!

Is it possible to expect the unexpected? 🤷‍♂️

Cold, grey and blustery in Scarborough this morning. Didn’t stop some people from braving the water though.

Superb stuff. Give this man a medal! futurism.com/future-socie...

Caught someone sitting in my chair this afternoon...

Really sad to hear about John Virgo. A true legend of the sport and the undisputed master of the trickshot. RIP, JV.

I've never been much of a boxing fan, but if wig-wearing was made mandatory for every fight, I reckon I could get into it... www.skysports.com/boxing/video...

Came across a nice little phrase from Dan Dennett on evolution: "a process with no intelligent designer can create intelligent designers who can then design things that permit us to understand how a process with no intelligent designer can create intelligent designers who can then design things.”

F. H. Bradley would have been 180 years old today. Whenever I think of Bradley I think of Richard Wolheim's killer quip: "Obscurity came to him naturally, and it is hard to resist the suspicion that he also exploited it as a weapon in argument".

Excellent stuff. Bravo!

She lays eggs!

When I typed 'Maurice Merleau-Ponty' into my phone today (don't ask), it was autocorrected to 'Maurice Merlway-Spongy'. You know, having read some of the man's work, I'm inclined to think that Merlway-Spongy is a much more suitable name.

Just finished reading this. One of the most bizarre books I've ever read, but utterly brilliant and laugh-out-loud funny. If you've never read it, get it on your TBR list at once!

I've been revisiting a classic this morning. The very final scene always gets me a little choked up.

Aaaaand stretch.

It never ceases to amaze me how often library books are covered in annotations and highlighter pen. This is today’s example. What kind of person does this to a library book?

One of the beauties of writing is that language is so subtle. You might think that 'I apologise' means the same as 'I'm sorry'. But just try switching the two next time you're at a funeral.

Yes, of course I put those books there for you to sleep on...

Here's a little something for you to read while you should be busy doing something else... Why procrastination isn’t laziness – it’s rigid thinking that your brain can unlearn theconversation.com/why-procrast...

Forget meditation or spirituality, nothing cleanses the soul quite like a visit to the tip after Christmas.

I’ve been reviewing all the fiction I read in 2025. 23 novels in total, all #crimefiction. It’s hard to pick out three favourites, but if forced, I’d go for these (in no particular order)…

John Hospers, once said: “Every baby comes into the world with a full-fledged case of megalomania – interested only in himself, naively assuming he is the centre of the universe”. True, I guess. And a real shame that some people never grow out of it.

Sometimes my cat likes to sit in a basket. And why not!

Put a new sign on my office door... #dadjokes #notasfunnyasyouthinkyouare

A colleague of mine once said to me: "all Aristotle ever did was say a series of sensible things". Every time I read Aristotle, I recall this pithy summary and think that it was bang on the money.

A perfect circle of cat.

According to this chap, Pythagoras said life is divided into four equal quarters: “twenty years a boy, twenty years a youth, twenty years a young man, and twenty years old”. I’m on board with that. It means I’m still a young man. 😁

I've been digging up dahlia tubers to store over winter. Amazing how things so gnarled and ugly can produce such beautiful flowers.

Today I'm having difficulty deciding what makes me more embarrassed to be English: Nigel Farage or the performance of this England cricket team.

Since Christmas is nearly upon us, it's time to remember the Royal Mail's best ever festive postage stamp, featuring Joseph on vocals and Mary on keys.

This morning I will be reading about the pre-socratic philosophers (again). It's like a real-life ancient soap opera.

I've heard it's better over here so I've made the switch. (Bit late to the party, I know). Let's see how it goes...