I’ve just finished reading a novel that promised much but delivered very little. The picture on the front and blurb on the back hinted at one story; the content delivered another entirely. It promised a murder on the moon, three people caught up in the turmoil – a classic who-dunnit. The (more...)

I remember, when I was young, the importance of finding the thing that you were best at. Being best at something gave status, at a time in our primary school lives when we were all trying to understand our place in the world. Sometimes it was badge that was carried around with pride. Sometimes it (more...)

I vaguely remember a programme on the telly some years back examining the understanding in young children of the now and of the future. And they tested it using techniques of deferred gratification: you can have one sweet now, or a whole bag of sweets in one hour – which do you want? In (more...)

A friend was telling me a joke: “This bloke walks into a pub,” he began, but to be honest I zoned out almost immediately. All I could think was, well – who is this bloke? Have I ever met him? What’s he like? I’m guessing, by the time he spends at the pub, that (more...)

This has been a month of disappointments in a televisual sense, as I caught up with three remakes from my viewing youth, only to discover that time and technology alone are no guarantee of improvement over the original. First example was Magnum PI, the reboot of which I discovered quite by accident (more...)

MakeUK, the rebranded EEF and vocal supporter of the UK’s manufacturing sector, has published a new fact card providing details of the industry’s health – and very interesting reading it makes, too. Produced in association with Santander Corporate and Commercial, it highlights a (more...)

Every February, Tonbridge hosts the UK’s largest second-hand and vintage hi-fi event, AudioJumble, which I attend religiously each year. Not to buy, necessarily, but often merely to peruse a veritable museum of classic audio equipment. In fact, it’s even better than a museum because at (more...)

With Mrs Simms being away for a few days, I’ve been left to fend for myself. For the most part this has been okay, thanks to some forward planning – which essentially meant politely asking the gastronomically adept Mrs Simms to prepare a few meals in advance, which I could then reheat at (more...)

So what have we learned from the publication by the Government of the draft withdrawal document? Two key things I think. First, that the terms of the withdrawal aren’t great – more on that later. Second – and in fact this has a great bearing on the first point – that this is (more...)

As a self-confessed and unashamed Trekkie, having watched every TV series and movie many times over, I’ll freely admit that I can probably be a bit of a bore on the subject. I eagerly anticipate and enjoy all the new output on the big screen, as well as the recently released Star Trek (more...)