On a whim, encouraged by having solved a particularly nasty case of cable noise on a new microphone¹, I dusted off an old tube headphone amp. The dust had accumulated over the years since I abandoned the amp because of a nasty, persistent, somewhat high-pitched buzz. Well, blow me if the buzz h...

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Robert MacFarlane’s previous book, The Old Ways, I read in partial preparation for a long walk on one of the old ways, which has yet to materialise. Underland, on the other hand, informs me of journeys I will never make. Extreme cold, cramped passageways, far-off places — all of which become, in...

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At some point, and past the middle of the month seems way beyond that point, I need to admit to myself that May's monthly report is not going to get written. That isn't because nothing worthwhile happened. On the contrary, the month included a terrific visit to London, which straddled May and June a...

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Robin Sloan is always good to read (although I have not, yet, had enough downtime to read Sourdough). His proposal for Spring ’83 is no exception and I decided to give it the “close consideration” he asked for. I’m not sure I have any “generous imagination” to offer.

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The total indifference to customer service is just one reason to close my account at UniCredit. They insist that I make an appointment. I arrive in good time. They ignore me, keep dealing with someone else with no excuse or explanation. Any minute now I know it will be time for their lunch.

I fina...

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