Things worth fighting for? Justice, not for kings
Summary: speech to the Cambridge Union, 22 October 2026 First of all, thanks for having me. It is really nice to be here and I appreciate the opportunity to learn from my fellow speakers, and from all of you. I appreciate it may be a bit ironic speaking for this motion dressed as a James…
The New Rapture: AI, immortality and the faith of Silicon Valley
Summary: Why the future imagined by the Tech Bros should worry the rest of us There is a theory that, if sufficiently advanced computers can eventually create genuinely conscious beings living in artificial worlds, then what we experience as reality may itself be no more than some unimaginably advanced world-building game running on a laptop…
Potential eponyms
Summary – an evolving list, because sometimes there are not enough words A lawrencefox – any man who uses the occasion of a toxic divorce to show the whole world how lucky his ex-wife was to flee. Usage: “Afterwards Anne reflected that she had a narrow escape from Henry, who, it turned out, was something…
Mastering the mind
Summary: things I’ve learned doing Mastermind. In the decade or so since I won Mastermind, not one soul entering the quiz has ever asked me for a word of advice on how to do well on it … even feckers I know. And I have opinions! They may not be plentiful but, in case of…
When female genital mutilation becomes human trafficking
Summary: An overlooked category of enslavement. I caused some surprise recently when, speaking to a group of anti-trafficking professionals, I mentioned that female genital mutilation can be a form of human trafficking. I was somewhat surprised at the surprise so I thought it might be useful to set out the basis for my statement. First,…
Life so far
On turning 60, I thought I should take stock to ponder if have spent my years usefully. So what have I actually achieved? I started my professional career working for a couple of years organising hand dug wells for water, and check dams for soil conservation, in rural Ethiopia and Eritrea. Then I designed a…
21st Century Candidates for Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary
Summary: an evolving list Ambrose Bierce defined politics in his Devil’s Dictionary as “A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage”. As Trump, Netanyahu and Putin continue to use this as their platonic ideal, here are a few more commonly used terms to better understand…
The careless application of high explosives: reflections in the shadow of the unlawful US-Israel assault on Iran
Summary: The myth that violence solves problems persists despite history often proving the opposite. At the end of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, George shoots his friend Lennie. Lennie, a well-meaning but simple-minded man, does not understand his own strength or the fragility of others. So, he has accidentally killed a young woman, and George…
Sudan stories III: war by remote control
Summary: Elphaba on some disturbing new trends in the Sudanese conflict We are constantly learning how this obsene tit-for-tat war goes between groups who care nothing for the folks in the middle. Towns fall to one side and then are re-taken, new weaponry allows for new tactics in an unclear strategy. So it is that…
Sudan Stories II: Not Exactly a Getaway Car
Summary: second in a series of guest blogs from “Elphaba” on the ongoing war in Sudan There was some great excitement in Singa this week as it was announced that many vehicles had been found and owners could bring proof of ownership and reclaim theirs. Ours was a battered, old, much-loved and very unreliable crate.…
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