Max, Jem and Frazer used chalk to decorate just a small part of Cambridge today. You should all try it some time. Why should pigeons have exclusivity on decorating the pavement ?

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Regular readers (who am I kidding?!) will have been disappointed by a lack of posting recently.  “Too busy (b)living it to blog it.” is my common retort.

Still, I took a rest a while this morning (needed to breath again) and tripped over this beautiful binary adder made out of wood (and marbles).

Of course it’s just some idle fun. But if you’re like me you are often pleasently suprised - and can learn a lot - when you go right back to the fundamentals.  It’s always good to rethink the basic ideas behind the way things are being done.  It helps to see if there’s a new angle.  Or an old angle that was dismissed in the past for reasons that are no longer valid.

But perhaps being ‘just some idle fun’ is good enough reason.

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Last week I was looking for the transcript of a favourite Monty Python sketch - from the Life of Brian.   It led me to google for “Ocelot Spleens” of all things. Imagine my surprise, then, when the above sidebar-ad popped up in the search results.

This teaches me two things that I really ought to have known.  First - you can buy anything on ebay.  Second - I really ought to get out more.

I’ve seen a few pointers to the TED conference (”Technology Entertainment Design”) recently. This is probably prompted by the fact that the conference organisers are now regularly uploading various presentations from this art-meets-science-meets-religion-meets-politics jamboree.

Attendance for TED is by “Invitation only”. I must remember that approach. A great way of encouraging over-paid self-important creative types to shell out thousands of dollars for an opportunity to spend a few days talking to each other.

That said, some of the material is great. Take a look at Ted Talks. You can hear from such an eclectic bunch as Malcolm Gladwell, Al Gore, Steven Levitt, Richard Dawkins, Nicholas Negroponte and Tony Robbins (why is this guy so successful ?).

If I could have twenty minutes of your time, though, I would implore you to watch Sir Ken Robinson talk on creativity, it’s importance to our future, and how the Western model of education runs completely counter to fostering this essential skill. Quite inspiring.

There is a puddle at the entrance to the lovely office that I am privileged to work in.  It has been with us (the puddle that is) for a couple of months now, and I’m pleased to report that it has now been awarded mooring rights. Please sail by for a visit.

Yes, we are ’stubborn, self-destructive conformists’.  But somewhere there must be a spirit of creativity upon which our evolution has a species has thrived - and it has thrived.  Even the very base and impassionate view that Crichton esposes must leave room for a belief in creativity as well as conformity.  As he points out, we are unique within the animal kingdom for allowing our beliefs to guide our behaviour.  We may be inclined to point to the destructive implications of this, but there are also plenty of creative implications.  Please don’t write us all off yet.

Amazing but true.  Four birthday parties, four birthday cakes, and now a four-year-old. 
A little belated, this post, but boy did we have fun with the boy’s birthday party!

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Kiran Desai wins the Man Booker Prize 2006.

Here’s a Press Release.

Disappointing result but unsuprising given, for me at least, a somewhat uninspiring shortlist .

I guess I thought that reaching the grand age of four years (for Max, not me) might mean a transition from a Thomas obsession to an obsession with something else - Star Wars, Cowboys, or Java or something. But no. Thomas still gets top billing. And so to Didcot for another (very) short ride - preceded (and followed) by some great food.

All in a days work when you’re four.

From Didcot Trains

Amazing freaky juggler, Chris Bliss - video.