blog.djstead.net

This will be more of a Public Service Announcement than my usual blog, but it's important I put this out there. I'm pretty angry for two reasons: 1) Quite simply, the current political climate in the UK. I'm not going to go into much detail on here, because I suspect a large number of you reading this are already way ahead of me. But - in short (and most currently; I am sure there will be more in the months and years to come) - when the current Prime Minister is found to have behaved unlawfully by the highest court in the land; and - rather than admit a fault, maybe even apologise - he has decided to publicly disagree with the court's decision, and allowed the questioning of an institution that cannot fight back. He has also allowed rhetoric in the House of Commons, which is inevitably spilling out into the press and into the minds of some hardline Brexiteers, which will not only foster division amongst the population - but potentially endanger the liv...

I've been sat watching the wonderful #MoonLaunchLive on Channel 4, and it has just struck me how space endeavours are one of my favourite things; seemingly Apollos 11 and 13 in particular. And I don't just mean I think they're cool; they seem to really connect to me. I had proper goosebumps when watching this show, as I did watching 'First Man' and 'Apollo 13'. And '2001: A Space Odyssey' for that matter. So I thought I'd take some time and list a few of my favourite things: Early Spaceflight As mentioned in my introduction, my spine tingles whenever I encounter something that puts me in awe of the vastness of space. No better narrative would seem to be that of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing, or - just as equally - the Apollo 13 near disaster. The dramatic retelling of these via 'First Man' and the appropriately titled 'Apollo 13' are two terrific films; and I should take this one step further and go watch ...

The other week, one of my WhatsApp groups of friends ended up in a lively discussion, and I wanted to try and record the tangled web of threads that came up in the conversation, and why I struggle to hold a meaningful debate - especially in a group. So this will be less about the issue at the core of the discussion, and more about my supplementary thought processes during the development of the constructive arguments. (If you were part of that discussion, I apologise for mangling the nuances of the debate - as I say; this post is more about trying to understand what was going on in my head throughout it/when I'm debating in general - and the various threads of thought that got tangled together) - So, in essence, the debate began by someone questioning the need for the CEO of a charity to take home so much money (in terms of pay). I believe this was initially a moral question - which I interpreted as 'if you're doing good things, you shouldn't need ...

For a long while now I have always carried with me my philosophical groundwork , upon which everything I do is - fundamentally - based. And yet - in terms of practical application - the philosophy is somewhat lacking; you have to accept the gulf between the fundamental reality of - well - reality, and the everyday occurrences in your world that demand attention, sustenance, and contemplation. Now there are myriad of frameworks out there, a fraction of whom I list below: 9-5, mon-fri office job; live for your evenings and weekends a variety of religions familial structures/hierarchies driven by profit/greed live for the music live for the sport engaging in local, regional and national governance online communities as your focus And a lot of these overlap. Some interact rather well. Many are likely adopted by you reading this, and I include myself in that. Or you will have plausible alternatives, when it comes to a way of income, a way of socialising, a way of...

This Christmas just gone I spent £459.32 on presents. It will surprise approximately none of you to know that I know this because I have a spreadsheet of everything I bought. Money is paradoxically only quantifiable in itself. Meaning, I don't know what some of those words mean. But also meaning I have no idea if you reading this feel like that's a lot of money, or not very much; or 'sounds about right'; or all of the above, depending on the context of the gifts, and who received them. Which is an odd thought to have about presents. Or at least the socially accepted tradition of gift-giving at both Christmas and Birthdays, which is part of the world in which I have been brought up.

Obligatory 'first' post on a new platform... Following the realisation that Tumblr was disappearing down the Conservative alleyways it's conglomerate parents hinted at a few years ago, I have 'jumped ship' and looked to the definitely-not-evil-Google multiverse, and found Blogger. My Tumblr fears were confirmed by their spectacular failure to support the adult blogging network and support mechanism that had flourished on their platform - all because WON'T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN - whilst simultaneously ignoring the blatant racism and violence-based journals that can easily be found still on the site. So in a move partly out of solidarity, but also because I'd like to consolidate my corporate eggs into one totally-free-and-not-at-all-evil basket please. So here we are - Blogger. Hopefully my domain names will redirect shortly; and lo a new journey begins on a new platform.

(NB: This is a post about leaving Facebook) Up until recently I already had a limited relationship with Facebook. My news feed was muted, and I only occasionally visited feeds of groups of friends, to catch up on news. In fact, its main purpose was two-fold: Actively manage/participate in Events Repost my Twitter feed onto Facebook Facebook has now stopped doing the latter , so my thoughts on Twitter (which are my stream of consciousness) are no longer transferred onto my Facebook wall. This automatic re-post used to mean when I logged onto Facebook, my notifications were invariably my friends not on Twitter, posting something in response to my Twitter thoughts. Often fun interactions (as on Twitter). Facebook have stopped this happening. - Whilst it would (selfishly) be ‘incredibly convenient’ for those of you that occasionally interact with my Twitter content via Facebook to sign-up to Twitter and follow me, I realise that is an unreasonable ask! Though, ...