Category: Columns

I’m a huge sci-fi fan. In my humble opinion the very best sci-fi stories deal with artificial intelligence and what will happen when, inevitably, it becomes smarter than we are. The Terminator, Battlestar Galactica, Ex Machina, The Matrix – all are great explorations of humanity’s hubris and eventual fate. I should know more than most. […]

You go to school from the age of five to 16 to learn everything you need to know for a successful and wholesome adulthood. Only you don’t. Where, during your time in school, do you learn about taxes? How to buy a house? What you have to do to get divorced? How to cram 27 […]

There are many things in which I am an expert. Nineteenth century Austrian literature, for instance. Laundry. The route from central York to the Northminster Business Park in Poppleton. Erm… well, I am sure there are lots of other things, though they escape me at the moment. Though there is the thing in which I […]

Recent news of the chain’s potential closure has forced many eyes onto Pizza Express. The restaurant has been a mainstay of the York food scene for a couple of decades now, occupying those grand premises right by the river next to Lendal Bridge. But how did a pizza restaurant come to occupy such a fancy […]

Picture this – you’re about to load your favourite video game and then the message of death pops up: Update Required. And it’s a compulsory one. No Fortnite for you. And for the Battle Royale-rs amongst us, that was literally the case. The world-famous online video game, Fortnite, recently sucked its thousands upon thousands of […]

They say never meet your heroes. The implication is that they won’t live up to your mental picture. That they might be narcissistic knobheads. I get that, I really do. But given the opportunity to meet Tom Hanks, or Gloria Steinem, or Captain Jean-Luc Picard (a girl can dream, okay?), I wouldn’t say no. I […]

A busy time on the work scene, especially if you find yourself in the “teacher” or “trainer” roles. Nice vibes on the home front, with lots of co-operation from partners and family. Big bills on a car can be avoided by taking preventative measures and you should be feeling quite smug about successful deals on […]

Last month we wandered alongside the lower reaches of the river Nidd near Tockwith where the river flows sluggishly through the flat fields of the Vale of York towards its confluence with the Ouse. This walk of about five and a half miles to the west of Knaresborough includes another stretch beside the Nidd. Here […]

Most striking thing about Lord Mayors Walk? Sure, the city walls are great, and the Victorian frontage of York St John is pretty, but our money is on a certain ‘ghost sign’. The Bile Beans sign at the end of the road, overlooking the junction with Monkgate, has for decades assured us that they “keep […]

Gentle readers will forgive me for returning to a subject that I thought I had already covered exhaustively. I would say it involves Stupidity, but this might make me look stupid. So I will instead say that in a former life I was an academic. As a result, I am completely au fait with the […]

I like plants, now. It’s my new thing. House plants and that. I’ve recently discovered a fondness for them and have become slightly addicted to buying them to dot around my flat. I can’t believe I didn’t realise this about myself before. It’s like a switch went off in my head and now I’m a […]

I’ve never been a huge one for watching TV box sets or going through movie after movie. Mainly because I’m pretty hard to please – either the acting hasn’t convinced me, the storyline isn’t gripping enough, or the script doesn’t excite me. I don’t know anyone who wasn’t hooked on Game of Thrones. I don’t […]

We’re approaching October. Which means we’re approaching Halloween. Which means scary stories. And even this perfectly non-fictional tech column can tell a terrifying tale. Turn down the lights, grab the nearest blanket, pop Michael Jackson’s Thriller on and brace yourselves for possibly the most unnerving story in video game history. Once upon a time, there […]

What do the stars have in store for you this month? Some good news on the work front which pleases you greatly and enables you to firm up on future plans. Unfortunately there may be some discord with a lover or partner when those “plans” do not coincide with their own priorities.  You’re feeling restless […]

I spent last weekend in Lancaster. I had no reason to be there, other than having never been, and having a few days off. What follows is a full and frank review of Lancaster. If you’re from Lancaster and feel like complaining, hold your horses, son. Twin First, I’ve always referred to Lancaster as York’s […]