Have you ever wondered why there are credits at the end of movies and TV shows? Maybe it’s obvious to you, as there have always been credits, but not to me. Sure, I wouldn’t mind knowing the names of the cast and perhaps the director, but why do they insist on telling us the names...
So many logos I see these days are absolutely terrible, and have clearly not been designed for use online. I’m no designer, but have had occasion over the years to produce product and company graphics for a variety of purposes. The skills and talent of design professionals is not in any doubt, but as a...
Can someone please explain to me why it is generally accepted as a good thing to deny prisoners the right to vote in public elections? What precisely does David Cameron think he will achieve, other than pandering to public outraged sentiment, and tabloid faux disgust, by stating that his government will NEVER allow prisoners to...
There has been a flurry of uninformed comment in the past 24 hours on Facebook’s new venture into the job advertising sector. Like Google, people have spoken of the prospect of this colossal worldwide organisation getting into recruitment with a mixture of fear and loathing. Facebook has over 1billion members worldwide, 800 million of which...
Stop reading this immediately, if you get bored rigid with people talking about losing weight. I am about to write several paragraphs on the subject. I have long believed that most people are exactly the weight they want to be. Becoming overweight, and maintaining it requires considerable effort. I speak as someone who was becoming...
Why do I get so excited when Andy Murray wins at tennis? An accident of birth means that he was born less than 20 miles from me, so does his success somehow validate me, and other Scots? I may actually have more in common with other sportsmen and women, but location of origin is usually...
Today I delivered son number two, and a ton of gear, to his new student halls in St Andrews for the first time. It was an emotional day. When kids are little, all parents look for any signs that their children will have what it takes to make their way in the world. The first...
We will all have witnessed the spectacular events of the 30th Olympic Games, over the past 17 days, from the outrageously lavish and theatrical opening event, to the jumble of imagery (from amazing to banal) in last night’s closing ceremony. No-one can deny the outstanding success of this Olympics, on almost every level. I believe...
“Do you know what I mean? D’ya get me? Know what I’m saying?” Confidence comes from knowing that others understand us. So much so that we use countless phrases every day to check that we are being properly understood, and not misinterpreted. Even those with a vast command of English, and the ability to employ...
