Jonny Nexus

Category: Life

  • Seven Years On

    Seven years ago, when Jacques Rogge announced in Singapore that London had been chosen to host the 2012 Olympic Games, I wrote an entry in my LiveJournal: It seems a long time ago. Things were very different then – we were all on LiveJournal rather than Facebook, for a start. I was also just thirty-nine…

  • Just How Can SpaceX Design And Operate Rockets So Cheaply?

    This afternoon, a SpaceX Dragon capsule docked to the International Space Station, having been launched into orbit earlier in the week by SpaceX’s own Falcon 9 rocket, which is powered by SpaceX’s own Merlin engines. This is a historic achievement. SpaceX had already become the non-governmental organisation to launch a vehicle into space, and then…

  • Ways To Piss Off Vegans: #1

    Imagine you’re at a wedding reception, say, sat at a table that consists entirely of single people and couples who’ve only just been introduced to each other. And imagine that the following conversation were to occur: Person 1: [To Person 2] Do you ever watch that Sunday morning discussion show thing on BBC1? Person 2:…

  • The Citizenship Test: It’s Not About “Britishness” And It Never Was

    Some years back, the rules on becoming a citizen of the United Kingdom were changed. Where previously it was based purely on requirements such as residency and marriage, applicants now also had to pass a computerised multiple choice examination. The examination was supposedly about living in Britain, British culture, and British values, and supposedly ensured…

  • What The Titanic Can Tell Us About George Osborne

    On Sunday, it will be exactly one hundred years since the sinking of the Titanic. Certain, best not mentioned, persons on Twitter aside, it’s an event widely recollected, with many lessons that have gone into history. The main two of these are, of course: 1) Make sure your ship has enough lifeboats to rescue everyone…

  • A Gopher’s Guide To Gophering

    Eastercon is the British national science-fiction convention. I’ve attending five Eastercons in total. In 2010, I volunteered for the first time as a gopher. Since then I’ve spent something like twenty-five hours gophering, if we’re counting, which I am even if you’re not. I think it’s a cool thing to do, so I thought I’d…

  • On The North-South Divide

    There often seems to be a lot of confusion about where precisely in the UK “The North” begins. I’ve just seen a particularly egregious example in which a friend who hails from the Birmingham area (strictly speaking, Coventry, I understand) appeared to be being somewhat scornful of Northerners, apparently blissfully unaware that if he is…

  • The Best School Lesson I Ever Had

    A chance remark today led me to remember what might well be the best school lesson I ever had. Certainly, I can’t think of something that not only taught me a particular point both effectively and efficiently, but was also wonderfully fun into the bargain. The teacher in question was Mister Ready (pronounced “Reedy”), who…

  • Why I’m Switching From The Liberal Democrats To The Greens

    “Imagine two men, sitting in a car. The car is in London, and they wish to travel to Exeter. They’re starting at the same location, and going to the same place, but they are nonetheless arguing, because one is adamant that the best route to take is M4/M5, while the other is equally insistent that…

  • I’m Not Hoarding, I’m Working Towards the Next Level

    I’ve tweeted several times of my love of hoarding points on my Costa Coffee loyalty card. I haven’t quite yet got to the point where I’ll be leaving my card in my will, but it’s not far off that. Then just the other day, a thought occurred to me, which was there ought to be…