Latest Posts
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The will to live
Throughout recorded history, thinkers and natural philosophers have commented on the innate, energetic spark that is imbued within all living things. Eastern and Western civilisations have simultaneously described a will to live, an internal life force, a spirit, or soul,… Continue reading
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What should life be like?
What should life be like? What can we reasonably expect from our existence? I’m not referring to those ultra people, with extreme lifestyles, who live as monastic monks or who have blue blood and live in palaces. I’m also not… Continue reading
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Draw Like a Boss
In this interview, author Ashley Edge and Paul Carney explore the purpose of drawing and learning to draw, including explicit instruction. Ashley Edge is a Lake District based artist and the author of the Draw Like a Boss series of… Continue reading
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It’s Life Jim!
Some scientists now believe the chances of life emerging on Earth by itself are too remote. In a very honest, refreshing, (but complex), scientific paper, Robert Endres of the Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College, London in December 2025, explored… Continue reading
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Finding God in an age of reason
What evidence is there that God exists? In my opinion, the likelihood of the universe springing into existence by itself, for no reason, is so remote as to be non-existent. The mathematics of this universe forming event are mind-bogglingly extreme.… Continue reading
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The Blob
A short story. The blob floated mindlessly in the darkness. It had no eyes, or senses, save the ability to touch. To feel. It had no explicit conscious thoughts as such. But, driven by impulse, it knew what it wanted.… Continue reading
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One in a billion
In the Big Bang, when the universe was formulated, there should have been a blinding flash of radiation as these opposing forces cancelled each other out. But that is not what happened. By the order of one particle in a… Continue reading
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Welcome to the spirit world.
A short story. It had been another excellent meeting, Wendy thought, as she tidied her props away into her handbag and picked up her phone. Her back was killing her from sitting on a hard seat all night, but she… Continue reading
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Stephen Hawking: Is there a God?
“One could define God as the embodiment of the laws of nature. However, this is not what most people would think of as God. They mean a human-like being, with whom one can have a personal relationship.” Hawking refers to… Continue reading
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Beyond Words
All of our thinking is through words, all of our actions, all of our science, all of our literature, all of our history, all our technology, all our kingdoms and empires. All of it stems from language and communication. And… Continue reading
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Pure awareness is heaven
What are your thoughts on life after death? Where do you think we go when we die? Perhaps you think you’ll live eternally in a heavenly paradise surrounded by your loved ones. Maybe you don’t believe any of that stuff… Continue reading
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Movie Night
‘Where the hell am I?’ she muttered to herself, as the vortex gave way to a dimly lit room, complete with brightly-coloured, patterned furnishings and the kind of Jamaican, cultural furnishings she was familiar with from her childhood. ‘Oh wow,… Continue reading
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Roads to Happiness
Two eastern mystics with profound insights into the nature of existence and how to lead happier lives are Sri Ramana Maharshi and Thich Nhat Hanh. Maharshi was a Hindu sage who lived around eighty years ago in India, while Hanh… Continue reading
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How can an inanimate force become a God?
When we think of a force such as the quantum field, we don’t think of an omnipotent, personified being, we think of an abstract mass of crackling energy; a bubbling froth of excitable forces, where a myriad of particles might… Continue reading
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The axis of evil
Aristotle’s geocentric model of the universe, with earth in the centre, fitted with western Biblical ideologies and so stood for two thousand years until Copernicus upset the apple cart and proclaimed the sun was at the centre of things. Despite… Continue reading
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True Survivor (the pom-poms)
Harry woke up before the alarm and instinctively woke his wife, Jacinda, too. ‘Hey Jac, come on, you’ve got a long day today, you’re on lates.’ ‘What? Huh, oh God, my head hurts.’ ‘I’ll let you go in the shower… Continue reading
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The grand coder
A computer coder creates a virtual world which replicates our ‘real’ world, and the characters have a form of artificial intelligence. Characters in this world have the ability to sense their environment, and assume what they experience is real. In… Continue reading
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An odd thing to find
‘Tonight, we bring you a special report on the mysterious phenomena known as sea pyramids – the strange, glowing triangular prisms that have washed up on the beaches of Japan and the Philippines in recent months. ‘Professor Richard Binks, a… Continue reading
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The True Self
The true Self is the spiritual self. The true Self is the single self; it is not scattered, disorganised or divided. The true Self has no ego. The true Self does not crave attention, fame, status, wealth, or ambition. The… Continue reading
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The Secret of Life
There is a secret to life that is so simple, yet so elusive, and it is this: all the life that has ever existed, in every corner of the universe, has one primary purpose – to find happiness. What is… Continue reading
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An Origin Story
A young girl was seated alone in a plush café, talking into her friend through her smartphone. The friend was on speakerphone, and the girl, although clearly distressed, made no attempt to hide her conversations. The girl sobbed and wailed… Continue reading
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Last Night in Middlesbrough
The old man winced in pain as he leant forward to pull the flimsy blanket over his calloused, gnarled feet. Even thick, thermal socks weren’t enough to keep out the icy cold depths of winter. It wouldn’t be long now,… Continue reading
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Dragged kicking and screaming
Do you trust your instincts? Everybody talks about the good old days, the good old days, right? Well, let’s talk about the good old days. As bad as we think they are, These will become the good old days for our children. Gladys Knight… Continue reading
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The Fundamental Spirit
Reality has a fundamental layer that pervades and connects all things. The Hindus call it Brahman; the invisible essence that permeates the whole universe. The Chinese call it the Tao. Buddhists call it the Dharma. Scientists might call it the… Continue reading
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An Almighty state of being
God for me, isn’t a being in the sky, but a creative life force all around me, present in all things. As my regular readers will know, I’ve been on a journey of self-discovery over the last year and an… Continue reading
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Finding Patterns
Pattern Is religion just the brain seeing patterns in things? Human beings have a tendency to attach supernatural meanings to everyday phenomena. Seeing faces in clouds (pareidolia), believing there is a pattern in random events (like in gambling), or confirmation… Continue reading
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Believing in Nothing
No one believes in a God who does nothing,” G. K. Chesterton Something rather than nothing It seems obvious to me that something, rather than nothing, created the universe. Proving it, however, is extremely difficult, if not impossible. It is… Continue reading
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If everything that exists has a cause, who or what is the cause of God?
Preface: Some people associate God with that described in religious texts, others like me simply say that God is an unknown higher power. The cosmological argument for the existence of God says that nothing exists without a cause. The universe… Continue reading
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The Ouroboros
How are you feeling right now? “The sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” Carl Jung For me, one of the hardest aspects of having ADHD is emotional dysregulation. I’ve struggled… Continue reading
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An Atheist Rebuttal
A rebuttal of a New Scientist article by atheist Victor J. Stenger In his 2012 New Scientist article, the God Hypothesis, Victor J. Stenger focusses on the Judaic-Christian-Islamic version of God, and then looks for empirical evidence for it. Here… Continue reading
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Melding our Minds
A mind meld is a fictional, telepathic link that the character Spock was able to perform on other organisms to connect their minds. But could it possibly be a real ability? Might we be able to connect our thoughts with… Continue reading
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Part of something greater
If the Earth were a hydrogen atom, and I looked out from my window at the electron whizzing past in the air above, I might be tempted to think that this was all there was. After all, I wouldn’t know… Continue reading
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What is the purpose of our existence?
Reading time 10 minutes For the majority of the world’s population, God is the purpose of their existence. According to the 13th-century Italian scholar Thomas Aquinas, the ultimate goal of human existence is to attain a supernatural union with God,… Continue reading
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A universal SATs exam
What are you curious about? I’m curious about God. I’m pretty sure God exists, but I’m also pretty sure there is no Divine Intervention. This is because I have enough evidence to say that the universe creating itself is highly… Continue reading
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A Spiritual Journey
What are your future travel plans? Life is taking me on a journey at present and it’s one I didn’t seek. Of course, all life is a journey, but this is something completely different. These last few years, I’ve felt… Continue reading
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Near Death Experiences
I’ve been reading an old book about Near Death Experiences called Life After Life by Dr Raymond Moody. It very much relates to a topic I wrote about a while ago Where Do We Go When We Die? in which… Continue reading
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The effects of infinity on finite systems
“Imagine you had a perfectly sealed box. Nothing can come in, and nothing can escape. Into this box you placed an apple and sealed it shut. If you waited long enough, the apple would go through various states of decomposition.… Continue reading
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Life and time
Which activities make you lose track of time? Einstein showed that, rather than there being a single unified time, time is relative, and so every phenomena has its own time. There isn’t a single entity of time, there are numerous… Continue reading
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Why Isn’t Life Easy?
Why isn’t life easy? If a God created life, why make it so difficult? I mean, if you were omnipotent, and you were designing life, surely you’d make it so that things ticked over nicely, you’d want them to purr… Continue reading
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Splashing in Puddles
So many of us are finding the world overwhelming these days. The constant hostility on social media, the lack of empathy and tolerance for other people’s’ views, not to mention the depressing news stories, climate change and soaring crime, it’s… Continue reading
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Was the world made for us?
Imagine there was a safari park, complete with big cats, monkeys, zebras, giraffes etc. Now, imagine that the human keepers became extinct and the park was left to its own devices, with all the cage doors left open. There would… Continue reading
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Explore Paul Carney’s Two Unique Albums
Paul Carney has released two albums, “Dying Days,” produced by Mike Franklin in 2008, featuring a tribute track for his late mother, and “Suspicion,” recorded in his home studio in 2010. He also performed covers with the band Red Book.… Continue reading
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Hand of God?
Many years ago I had a marine fish tank which took a lot of hard work to keep. I had to make sure it was always at the right temperature. I had to check the pH levels and ensure the… Continue reading
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The Spirit Within Me
How important is spirituality in your life? I define the spirit as the living essence of a person, which includes consciousness, and the bioelectrical life force within all living things. In this way, the spirit is my mind and my… Continue reading
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Beyond Words
All of our thinking is through words, all of our actions, all of our science, all of our literature, all of our history, all our technology, all our kingdoms and empires. All of it stems from language and communication. And… Continue reading
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Valuing our Values
Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny. Mahatma Gandhi We all have values that mould and shape our… Continue reading
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How to lead a good life
What are the most important things needed to live a good life? Dear Margot Here are five life lessons I’ve accumulated over the years. I hope they will help you become happy and healthy when you grow up. There are… Continue reading
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I Believe…
Beliefs are the foundations upon which we build our sense of self. They are pivotal to our well being and happiness. But our beliefs are also personal, insecure and subjective. That’s partly because of the nature of knowledge itself, but… Continue reading
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Get away from it all
It’s hard to be happy if you’re constantly looking inward. When we focus on ourselves too much, when we live inside our own heads, or even when our ailments occupy more of our time than they should, we suffer. It’s… Continue reading
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Explaining premonitions of future events during dreams
Introduction – Much has been written about premonitions during dreams, which seem to be a recurring phenomenon throughout human history. My theory is that some people can ‘tune in’ to EMF waves emitted by temporal future events during deep sleep.… Continue reading
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The long goodbye
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do I see myself in 10 years? Dead. Or if not dead, then the pretty close to it. I’ll be 72 then and I do not want to live a long… Continue reading
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Happy Paul
What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness? Continue reading
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Truth seekers and way seekers
There’s a fundamental difference between the approach western philosophy takes to living and that practised in the east. Truth Seekers – Western philosophy and science seeks to find the ’truth’ of nature and reality. It tries to describe the basic… Continue reading
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Classroom Catastrophe’s: Silver Spoon
Describe something you learned in high school. The thing I learned in school was that there are some people with a hell of a lot more advantage than others. For example, there are people my age now who talk about… Continue reading
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Is God an invention?
Are religious people deluded? Do we simply invent Gods that don’t exist in reality? Evidence shows that religious belief is actually a natural state of human consciousness. This may actually prove God’s existence, rather than disproving it. I argue that… Continue reading
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Letting go
Describe one positive change you have made in your life. I would have to say retiring early at 61 was the most positive thing I’ve done. It wasn’t until then that I realised how much of my thoughts and actions… Continue reading
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These boots were made for walking
What’s the most fun way to exercise? After a lifetime of being a couch potato, I got into the gym in my late fifties and started going 4 times a week. I would do weights, cardio and aerobic. I could… Continue reading
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Reading Habits
What book could you read over and over again? I mostly read in two ways: 1. To learn 2. To cheer me up. Most of my books are non fiction, and I’m reading a lot of philosophy at the moment.… Continue reading
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James Herriot
If you could be a character from a book or film, who would you be? Why? I couldn’t think of being anyone better than James Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small. I mean, there was a war on, extreme… Continue reading
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Me and my dog
What animals make the best/worst pets? Our Mam was severely asthmatic, so animals were always problematic as kids. More than that though, she hated animals. So much so, that when my Dad brought an injured dog home that he’d found… Continue reading
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Free nature
What job would you do for free? I volunteer at a local nature reserve, giving classes and tours of a protected woodland to local school children. Mostly I do art classes, but also do other activities such as pond dipping,… Continue reading
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Giving back to nature
How would you improve your community? Five years ago, I investigated what environmentally friendly building materials were commercially available, that could transform my local community into a nature friendly one. I feel that, with a few modifications that wouldn’t really… Continue reading
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Lucky guy
How have you adapted to the changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic? I was lucky. I didn’t get too ill and nor did most of my immediate family, except my nephew who got long covid and is still quite… Continue reading
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Evidence the Universe was created
A scientific summary, from an agnostic viewpoint, as to why I believe the universe was created. Continue reading
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Does evil exist, and if so, who or what creates it?
An agnostic’s analysis of the big question: is God evil? Continue reading
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Carney’s delicious devices
If you could have something named after you, what would it be? What horrible narcissism is this? I couldn’t think of anything worse than having something named after me. But if I had to, maybe: A special spoon that stops… Continue reading
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Dad Jokes daily
What makes you laugh? Dad Jokes daily is a superb app that delivers me free jokes to start my day. It’s a lovely way to remember that smiling lifts our spirits. Continue reading
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Fulfilling my dreams
When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up? I’ve always wanted to be an artist, even as a little kid. Sometimes that fluctuated between being an astronaut or a singer, but art was always… Continue reading
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Reality? There’s nothing to it!
What’s something most people don’t understand? Everything in the universe is made of 17 elementary particles and four forces. Those particles are incredibly small. Barely even a dot. As far as anyone knows, they are point-like, exhibiting no finite and… Continue reading
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There’s something about a storm.
What is your favorite type of weather? There’s something about a storm. The power, the foreboding, the potency, the strength and might of it. Especially at sea, when the waves thunder and violently roar in response to the anger of… Continue reading
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Inspirational teachers
Who was your most influential teacher? Why? I thoroughly loved my primary school. It was small, cosy, the teachers were kind but firm and I excelled at art, music and maths. Mr McCormack read me stories, and Mrs Gallagher was… Continue reading
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Sands of Time
What do you wish you could do more every day? I used to always be rushing around. Hyperactive. Always working, always busy, always something on my mind, always trying to do one last thing before bed, always up early and… Continue reading
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What is a flower?
If you want to know what a flower is, be mindful of who you ask, because this will determine the answer you get. All of them are properly answering your question. All of them are providing you with knowledge about… Continue reading
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Tattoo you
What tattoo do you want and where would you put it? I have three tattoos, the first of which I didn’t get until I was 56! I decided to get one of my own raven drawings done as a tattoo… Continue reading
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Mr Grump
What is one word that describes you? My wife said – ‘grumpy’. I would say – sensitive. 😂 Continue reading
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Sunday morning blues
What was the best compliment you’ve received? When I was recording and performing music, there was a website you could upload your music to for review by fellow musicians. This was around 2010, so it was in the early days… Continue reading
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Paul’s travel log: star date 17th March 2025
You’re going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus, car, or bike? Personally, I prefer to travel by train – so long as I get a decent seat in the quiet coach. It’s lovely to not have to think about… Continue reading
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Life in the Grey
Who is the most confident person you know? My brother is, in my opinion, extremely confident, without being arrogant. It’s rare to find this I think. Too many confident people are brash and overzealous. With him, forty years of Indian… Continue reading
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My insidious interlopers
What strategies do you use to cope with negative feelings? Negative feelings have been the mainstay of my mind all of my life. Negative thoughts crept in through the back door when I was a child, locked all the doors,… Continue reading
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The hard problem of Paul
What is it about us that makes us, us? Continue reading
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Flow theory
What activities do you lose yourself in? Psychologist Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi: Flow is a pleasurable psychological state people experience when engaged in an activity that is both appropriately challenging to one’s skill level, often resulting in immersion and concentrated focus on… Continue reading
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Chief Inspector Nonsense
What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times? I can’t think why I would ever want to watch a TV programme 5 times, but I know a fair few I’ve been made to watch. Growing up,… Continue reading
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Am I superstitious? Am I!
Are you superstitious? Am I superstitious? You’re asking me this the day before the 13th? Are you crazy? I’ve thrown some salt over my left shoulder just in case you’ve jinxed me. Next, you’ll be putting your shoes on the… Continue reading
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DeliverGentoo Penguin
Which animal would you compare yourself to and why? I’d compare myself to a penguin. Particularly a Gentoo penguin. They are the ones that woo their potential partner with a pebble. If she accepts, they mate for life. Any infidelity… Continue reading
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Scientific facts that blow my mind
Amazing scientific facts Continue reading
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Yippee
Write a letter to your 100-year-old self. Superb news! That £1 bet you made back in 1986 that you’d live to 100 has paid off and you can collect your £1 million winnings. Open the champagne! You’ve still got the… Continue reading
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The book store
Where would you go on a shopping spree? I HATE shopping! My wife doesn’t like going shopping with me. I just like to go in the shop, find what I want and leave. I find no pleasure in browsing and… Continue reading
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Cool names and cool kids
What is your middle name? Does it carry any special meaning/significance? I don’t have a middle name and it was a such a source of irritation for me for the longest time. In fact, my whole name was. My parents… Continue reading
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The Great Attractor
What is the last thing you learned? The last thing I’ve learned is that our galaxy, and millions of other galaxies, are flowing through space in a vast, cosmic, three-dimensional river, towards a galactic supercluster called The Great Attractor, which… Continue reading
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Questions keep me relevant
What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain. There are lots of low-level questions that irritate me: Dad, can I borrow…? Have you vacuumed the stairs yet? Will you take the bins out? Can you give me a… Continue reading
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Success? I’m working on it
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? I really struggled with the prompt today and I couldn’t figure out why, until I realised that I don’t assign the label ‘success’ to any of my… Continue reading
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Classroom Catastrophes: My opening line
You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence? The opening paragraph to my autobiographical book Classroom Catastrophes is: Autobiographies tend to be written by famous people who have led incredibly rich and exciting lives, so I suppose I’d better start… Continue reading
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What in the World…
Science tells us that everything is made from particles and forces, but this does not tell us why these things exist or where they come from. Everything is particles and forces According to science, the four forces of nature and… Continue reading
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Three things I couldn’t live without
What are three objects you couldn’t live without? Obviously, I’m going to sidestep essential things such as food, water, a home, electricity etc. in the interests of keeping this post interesting. 1. My wife – I know she isn’t an… Continue reading
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What experiences in life helped me grow the most?
What experiences in life helped you grow the most? My first thought was: grow in what way? Growth can be negative as well as positive, and so, all life is growth; some good, some not so good. Next, I’d ask:… Continue reading
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Come on down, try your luck on Fortuna’s Wheel of Destiny!
Do you believe in fate/destiny? From physicist Sabine Hossenfelder: There is nothing in physics that distinguishes the past, present and future from each another. It’s simply that we can only access the present. According to the currently established laws of… Continue reading
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So long good health, my fair weather friend, hello twilight
Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to. Good health. I was fit, lean, young, and quick. Time, entropy and gradual physical decline has made me older, slower, and less able. I miss being able to… Continue reading
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Paul’s Art Shed
I’ve been refurbishing my art shed at the bottom of my garden. It got neglected for a couple of years and, while it still isn’t in the best state, I thought I’d move my stuff back in it and make… Continue reading
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Art and philosophy
Kenshō philosophy believes in seeing nature as it is, by aesthetic, rather than rational means. I love this quote by Japanese philosopher Kitaro Nishida: ‘It is the artist not the scholar, who arrives at the true nature of reality.’ We… Continue reading
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