A New Horatian Ode: Brexit and Civil War
July 11, 2019
Inspired by the new BBC documentary, Downfall of a King, a few connections between Brexit and the conflicts of the 1640s. … More A New Horatian Ode: Brexit and Civil War
Tag: Public Sphere
Review of Billy Hicks, ‘Connecting’, at the Chapel Playhouse, London
March 5, 2019
A review of Billy Hicks’s candid one-man play about the lonely experience of growing up in a new world of digital technology. … More Review of Billy Hicks, ‘Connecting’, at the Chapel Playhouse, London
WhatsApp, Facebook, and the Compromise of Digital Privacy
August 2, 2015
A case study into the world of digital privacy in Pakistan has an unfortunate crossover with a personal incident that has made me consider the consequences of this kind of thing much more closely. … More WhatsApp, Facebook, and the Compromise of Digital Privacy
Media Revolutions and “Friends”
August 1, 2011
A few concerned observations on what media revolutions in the 1640s and 2000s mean for ‘friendship’. … More Media Revolutions and “Friends”
Virtual Public, Virtual Private, and Immeasurable Distances
July 6, 2011
A sombre weekend is sometimes really useful and sometimes really difficult. I listened to ethereal soundscapes as the sun slowly ebbed away. I made tea and watched words blend upon its surface. It’s the kind of combination that can fuel anything… … More Virtual Public, Virtual Private, and Immeasurable Distances
Privacy and Parliamentary Privilege
June 14, 2011
This recent period has been plagued with privacy issues, the biggest of which, no doubt, has been the issue of super-injunctions and the exercising of parliamentary privilege. So, what is parliamentary privilege? … More Privacy and Parliamentary Privilege
“Finders Keepers, holder Seekers hidden Secrets”: Writing in Cryptics
May 29, 2011
Most of us are guilty at some point of writing in cryptics. Why do we do it? Why express ourselves in terms that are not meant to be understood? Is it, perhaps, a deep subconscious desire to be public with our privacy? Is it more about reaching out, or being reached out to? A few thoughts on why we so often seek to tangle rather than untangle. … More “Finders Keepers, holder Seekers hidden Secrets”: Writing in Cryptics
A Vote of No: Social Media and Sacrifices
May 7, 2011
Regular users of social media networks will no doubt have noticed – if their friends lists are anything like mine – that politics is again becoming a very public sport. Yesterday, a referendum was held on whether to adopt the ‘Alternative Vote’ system, turning social networking sites into moral and ideological crusades. … More A Vote of No: Social Media and Sacrifices
A Long Winter’s Tale
April 17, 2011
A summary of research activity from January-March 2011. This features a lecture by Nigel Smith at the Andrew Marvell Centre in Hull; a teaching event at the University of York; and the biannual British Milton Seminar at Birmingham Central Library.
The Second Anniversary: A Song For No-One
March 6, 2011
The release of the second single of Alphaville’s Catching Rays on Giant, ‘Song for no-one’, coincides with the second anniversary of Writing Privacy. … More The Second Anniversary: A Song For No-One
Writing Privacy 