Saturday, 18 October 2025

Experiments

Surely it's a very long time since any psychology experiment conducted on groups of students has had a valid result.  

All psychology students (and most reading people) know that any experiment is very likely to be looking for something which is not explained to the participants - a kind of trick. Participants may be enjoying working out what the object of the experiment actually is, and their reactions will not be natural.

If this is a well-known problem, how is it being solved?

Can anyone refute this, please?

Friday, 29 August 2025

We didn't think Trump could possibly be elected President

and we don't think Farage could possibly be elected Prime Minister.

Luckily, Musk doesn't think much of him. He prefers Tommy Robinson.




Wednesday, 25 September 2024

Musical hold

 An excellent way to get to the front of a bank (or other) telephone customer service queue is to put on rubber gloves and start cleaning the bird bath.

Sunday, 18 August 2024

Letter to the Guardian

Some time ago.

From a friend who died this month.

Ian Jack’s amusing remark that before the 1970s Britain’s drugs and beggars were “only in quantities small enough to look exotic” reminded me – somewhat tangentially – of a category of homelessness which now seems to have vanished entirely. I spend a lot of time in the countryside, often on foot, but cannot remember when I last encountered a real tramp; one of those much-bearded, many-coated gentlemen of the road who used to be as quintessentially part of the British landscape as oak trees and thatch. In fact I think the last one I saw was probably in a mirror.

Jeremy Muldowney

York

Tuesday, 16 July 2024

Symbol of seniority

I found a lovely little wheeled case for £3 in a charity shop today, very sturdy and practical, just the thing for weekends away. Discovered when I got it home that it's a bowls bag.