The sense of style of style by Steven Pinker

As someone who believes in continuous improvement, I have a great desire to improve my writing abilities, especially with this blog. So a few weeks ago I picked up this book amongst others at the public library where I work. 

However today, I returned it after just reading under half of it.  I was looking for a book that aimed at improving writing style and to better capture the reader’s attention. After the first chapter I realized this was a book about improving your written grammar and providing tips in how not to confuse the reader.  This was all very well and good but it wasn’t what I was looking for, hence the early return, I did find some of the grammar advice very helpful.

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Blokus

I've finally managed to beat my other half in Blokus for the first time, after many years of trying. 

England vs Mexico Fifa world cup 2026 final whistle

 What a game, well done England, the UK and beyond are proud of you. Commiserations Mexico, thanks for putting on a great show. 

England vs Mexico Fifa world cup 2026 first half

What a first half, hope England can hang on, looking forward to the second half radio commentary thanks to BBC radio 5 live on BBC Sounds App. 

BBC Radio 4 long wave shutdown

Being someone of a certain age, I remember listening to the transistor radio growing up and in particular the long wave band as it was clearer than medium wave.  In particular I used long wave for BBC Radio 4 and the long defunct Atlantic 252 station.  During my sixth form and higher education student days I developed a habit of listening to Radio 4’s Any questions programme so this story caught my attention. 

The BBC shutdown its long wave transmission is very understandable as there are not enough listeners to justify operating and maintaining its long wave transmitters and sad, though it is, we have to move to with the times.  Being rather old school myself, I still listen to radio using a radio receiver, so I hope FM and MW can hang around for a bit, as I don’t want to use my mobile’s battery up.

Morocco vs Netherlands Fifa world cup 2026

Now that was an exciting second half, now looking forward to extra time commentary on BBC Radio five live via the BBC Sounds app. 

England vs New Zealand 3rd test day 5

Congratulations New Zealand, well played.  Good luck for the future Ben Stokes, thanks for the memories. 

Goodbye PC and Windows

Today I did some python django programming related to my website, tested it and pushed the code to source control, all from my Apple Ipad.  I then used the Ipad’s own browser to update it on the live web host. 

The significance of this is that I no longer have a use for my PC laptop running Windows.  It still runs reasonably, albeit slowly and noisily.  Before I pack it away for good, I will back up all the files on it and then it’s goodbye.

Working copy app

As a programmer on an Apple IPAD, I cannot recommend enough the Working Copy app that is available on Apple Store.  I use it to clone, commit and push code repositories on Github. The great bonus is that cloning a project will download it into a new directory in the Working Copy local directory.  The push functionality no longer requires passkeys or multiple logins if you are logged into the Github account via the app.  

In short, I wish such a thing was available when I was paid to do IT back in the 1990s and 2000s.

England vs New Zealand 3rd test day 3

I'm listening to BBC Test Match Special as I write this, England are all out on the first innings. This final test has swung from one side to another.  Dare I say that test cricket is more exciting and absorbing than the football world cup?

Guangzhou Railway Museum

Today is my day off from work and what better way to spend it than go across the border and visit the Guangzhou Railway museum.  Getting there is quite easy as it is close to a metro station.  As an added bonus it is free to get in.

There were a few engines and carriages on display outside, including an impressive looking black steam engine.  As today is a weekday there were just a handful of other visitors.  The first thing which struck me was the lack of English text on the artefacts, the only English text available were as summaries on each section of the exhibition.

The exhibition was done in chronological order and Guangzhou was the birthplace of China’s railways with the first railway opened in 1908 and the (still operating) Kowloon Canton(Guangzhou) railway opening two years later. 

As a railway enthusiast myself, I was expecting a bit more, even though the floorspace was huge, the number of exhibits and artefacts was disappointingly low.  This was especially true with the number of trains on actual display. The museum focused on history and especially the achievements post 1949 rather than on railways, the trains and how they changed China.  It didn’t help that the carriages on display didn’t let visitors inside them.

I left after about two hours and unless it changes radically I would not be making a repeat visit.

England vs New Zealand 2nd test day 5

This test match proves that England currently cannot live without Ben Stokes, but at least England managed to limp into the last day, leaving the door open for an unthinkable miracle. 

England vs New Zealand 2nd test day 4

I'm listening to Test Match Special again on my BBC Sounds app. It's the start of day four, England have it all to do, and I'm looking forward to an exciting day. C'mon England.

Scotland vs Morocco Fifa 2027

I woke up this morning to find out the Scotland Morocco game was at half time. Managed to catch the second half commentary thanks to the BBC Sounds app. Scotland, so unlucky, good luck against Brazil. 

Scotland vs Haiti Fifa 2026

From here in Hong Kong, I have just listened to Scotland defeating Haiti one nil at the Fifa world cup 2026. John McGinn on Aston Villa scored the winning goal.  Hard to believe the previous last goal scored by a Scot at the world cup was by Craig Burley against Norway in France 1998 and the last Scotland win in the finals was against Sweden in Italia 1990. I remember both matches.

Thanks to excellent radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live via BBC Sounds app and it was a pretty good game.

Zhuhai museum

A few days ago I had an unexpected day off from work so I decided to go to Zhuhai straight from work, crossing the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macau bridge and then checking into a hotel for the night. After a difficult sleep I made my way to the Zhuhai museum after breakfast. 

Once there, I was overwhelmed by a gigantic white, windowless concrete building, which gave me the impression I will do alot of walking that day.  Once inside, there were two exhibition spaces, the Zhuhai museum itself and the other an exhibition dedicated to the recent urban development of Zhuhai.  I opted for the former and entry to both parts was free.

The ground floor was dedicated to the 1980s post opening up of the city, which grew from fishing port to an industrial city on the mouth of the Pearl River.  As someone who has lived and worked in Zhuhai I already knew a bit about this.  It primarily thanks to former general secretary Deng Xiao Peng who established the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone which was the catalyst for this.

The first floor was about some of local folk customs and recent history, which is similar to the permanent display at Hong Kong history museum.  If featured some notable clans and their history in the area.  Just like Hong Kong, Zhuhai also had a salt making industry. 

The top floor displayed the history going back to the imperial dynasties and even stone age settlers in the area.  I wasn't as interested in this, so I made my way back downstairs.

My impressions was that the museum was impressive for anyone interested in history although it could do with more English text, especially on the artifacts. 

Next up, I went to the other wing to look at the urban development exhibition which to me felt more like a corporate presentation of the development work in the Greater Bay Area that happened in the last decade and a half. It was all to do with the building of impressive skyscrapers and how that equals development.  After about half an hour wandering up and down seven floors, I decided I had enough and went home. 

All in all, the Zhuhai museum is worth a day out but I would skip the urban development exhibition unless you are into pictures and videos of high tech buildings.

 

Civilisation : the west and the rest by Niall Ferguson

I recently finished reading "Civilisation: the west and the rest" by Niall Ferguson, which accompanied the 2011 Channel Four TV series "Civilization: Is the West history?". It's an absorbing and thought provoking book on how the west, that is Europe and later the United States dominated the world from 1500 onwards. 

Most people, on both sides of politics, would argue that the western dominance came through military might in the last five centuries, however Ferguson presents a more complicated picture.  He explains in great detail that five 'killer apps' were responsible - science, property rights, rule of law, democracy and consumerism.  

It's a thoroughly readable book and I recommend it to anyone wanting to understand how the west became dominant. 

In praise of sudoku

 As my years advance, I have become more aware of my declining mental health and cognitive abilities. I can see the effects of this on my own mother who is in the middle stages of Alzheimers.

I have tried various methods to counter this and one of these is doing the Japanese mathematical puzzle sudoku. I found it has improved my memory and analytical skills. And its quite enjoyable to do. It also works well with the modern tablet and Ipad age. On my chosen sudoku app, I’m on the hardest level already with less than twenty clues in a nine by nine grid.

In praise of going to museums

Throughout my adult life, I have always been fascinated by museums, I have my favourites (Imperial war museum London and the Louvre, Paris) which I been to many times and will continue to visit whenever I get the chance.

As well as learning something and being entertained, I have found them to be places where I can relax as well. Some are expensive, some cheap and some free.  Plus the museum restaurant is a good place to find a hearty budget lunch.

Today I paid another visit to the Hong Kong Palace Museum to see the ancient Egypt exhibition. It was smaller than I expected and well presented.  There were no mummies available but plenty of coffins and statues. One thing I learnt was that mummification of the dead in Egypt continued into the Hellenic and Roman periods.  Also the entrails of the deceased were removed, stored in jars and entombed with the body, very unpleasant work for the unlucky one.

Since I have already seen the other galleries I left after not long afterwards.

Lunar New Year

It's that time of year again, the new lunar year is upon us, today is lunar new years eve and tomorrow its the year of the horse. Here in Hong Kong its a time for family get togethers, sharing presents and putting up decorations. As a Chinese person, it helps gets through the depressing months of January and February, especially when I lived in the UK. All I can say is happy new year everyone.

In praise of…………. watching live sport

Yesterday I went to Reading to see some friends for dinner, in order to maximise my time there, i went to watch the local football team play at extravagantly named Select-A-Car stadium.  Reading FC played Barnsley in a third tier match. The game ended in a 2-2 draw and it was good way to spend an afternoon.  Obviously the skill levels were below the levels of the EPL, however it was the excitement, frustration, joys and the sense of shared community spirit which caught my mind. Here you can let out your emotions alongside your fellow fans and spectators.  This cannot replicated in a pub or watching it via television at home. Despite advances in technology, nothing matches the thrill of watching something live.

Jerusalem string quartet

Last night I attended a concert performed by the Jerusalem String Quartet at the Wigmore Hall in London. This combo from Israel has been attracting the pro-Palestine/antisemite crowd over the years so I decided to see and listen to them for myself.

The pieces performed included one from Mozart, Shulamit Ran and Ravel in that order. I have been to a few classical concerts in the past few years including a number of BBC Proms concerts.  The pieces were delivered with passion to a polite crowd that included several chinese concert goers. It was what I expected. Wigmore Hall being a rather small venue was perfect for this, as it gave me a cosy in ones’ living room experience.

The Rise of Skywalker

 On my flight from Hong Kong to London, I watched the last box office installment of the Star Wars franchise, “The Rise of Skywalker”.  All I can say is that this is the worst film of the franchise and Disney has truly ruined what George Lucas created.

My criticisms include CGI use of Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia and most controversially the re-spawning of Emperor Palpatine.  They could have written Leia out of the story and the re-spawn of Palpatine meant that the entire ending of episode six, “The return of the Jedi”, meant nothing.

The only redeeming feature was the cameo given by Dennis Lawson as Wedge Antilles.  I agreed with the prequels and also with “Rogue One” but the films after Return of the Jedi should never have been made. 

bodø/glimt vs manchester city

I had the pleasure of listening to this game on BBC Radio 5 Live and all I can say is well done bodø glint.  The BBC has many faults, especially in news reporting but it does live sport really well.

London postal musem

Yesterday, I paid a visit to the London postal museum.  I had heard about it in a Youtube video from one of my long time favourite railway channels. It was nestled on edge of the east end, and it was split into two sites across a road. One site is the main exhibition hall and the other, an underground mail terminus that used to deliver mail under the streets of the capital.

The ticket (£18) includes a ride on the restored mail train, and if you want to ride it you must book advance by buying the ticket online. You can, of course, buy your ticket at the door but there is no guarantee of spaces on the train.  I was just interested interested in the exhibition so I skipped the train ride.

The display was about the history of the mail service in Britain, which has its roots in medieval times. Then it moves on to how mail was transported, from horse to train and then by road.  Finally it explains the development of how it was paid for, which lead us to the humble postage stamp.  It did mention the public telephone system which was run by the post office before splitting off to become British Telecom.

Later I went across the road to have a look at the mail rail, as a train nerd, it was interesting to learn about the development of this service which solved the issue of avoiding the congestion on London’s streets.  To me the mail rail looked like a giant miniature underground railway.  I noticed younger visitors were very excited to be on it.

All in all it was an enjoyable day out, I do think it’s better suited to children

In praise of ….. going to church

I have been going to church on and off every Sunday, although I am not a baptised Christian, I draw many personal benefits from it. My journey into Christianity and religion in general started in the 1990s after meeting a born again Christian friend, who was the first Christian I can genuinely relate to.  After that I dabbled in new age spirituality and Buddhism as well.  I have also read the koran since then.

Religion makes us think about spiritual things and not just on the material things.  This has made me less anxious and more relaxed over things which I have no control. If it happens, it happens. Even when I’m only I still make an effort to go on a Sunday.  There is also the social aspect of meeting people and doing something tangible.

Ebay

 Anyone reading still using Ebay?

Moongazing

I have been following astronomy for more than five years. Until recently it had been reading astronomy books and watching astronomy related videos on youtube, last year i bought myself a pair of stargazing binoculars second hand.

I have used it mostly to moongaze as Hong Kong is plagued with light pollution in even its rural parts, rendered stargazing impossible . With it, I have been able to observe the very cratered surface of our natural satellite.  The binoculars came with a small tripod but it was too small to have any use.  I bought it because i wanted to do stargazing on a budget but it only works with little light pollution and a proper tripod.

A telescope would be better for stargazing but for the moon and the other solar system planets a 80x20 pair of binoculars would suffice.