Notice: Trying to get property 'term_id' of non-object in /var/www/html/themself/wp-content/themes/mesocolumn/lib/templates/headline.php on line 4
Notice: Trying to get property 'name' of non-object in /var/www/html/themself/wp-content/themes/mesocolumn/lib/templates/headline.php on line 5
Archives for May, 2015 - Page 2
Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /var/www/html/themself/wp-content/themes/mesocolumn/lib/functions/theme-functions.php on line 502
Thoughts on Commercial Success
Not a how to but just some reflections based on the things that I have read recently that seem to be successful. I doubt this will help anyone sell more books, or even me sell any. 'In' groups A number of the apparently successful stories have groups of characters that follow a defining characteristic. For example Harry Potter has the four houses, Divergent has factions, Game of Thrones has noble houses, Hunger Games has it too. Readers can see themself in one or more of these in groups and can feel that they could live in the fictional world. This helps to get emotional attachment and makes it more likely that they will get shared socially. YA target Almost everything I've mentioned above is targeted at young people, some more explicitly than others. The Twilight series is another example of…
Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /var/www/html/themself/wp-content/themes/mesocolumn/lib/functions/theme-functions.php on line 502
My political views
You may have gathered a political viewpoint from my blog posts. You may or may not agree with it. That's your prerogative. I'm fine with you believing what you want to believe, just don't try to convert me without evidence or a damn good argument. Also don't try if you get upset when flaws in your preferred political party's policies are pointed out. Personally I am staunchly apolitical, out of choice as much as because my job as a middle ranking civil servant requires me to be so. I do my best to be completely even handed and sticking to evidence based facts. I also try and see things from multiple perspectives as much as possible. Where I support things it is because I have tested the policy and looked at the flaws and alternatives. When I get new evidence…
UK General Election 2015 – A Reaction
Last night I flitted between the BBC and Channel 4's coverage of the election results, although only till about midnight. Exit Polls When I first saw these I didn't give them much credence, nor did the twitter stream that commented on them. I only saw a couple of very cautious positive comments at that point. Most twitter commenters rubbished the exit polls. After weeks of not much change in the opinion polls it seemed unlikely that the Conservatives would have suddenly gained momentum and Labour lost it. The SNP prediction also seemed extreme. This morning I'm writing this on the train platform and there are only 18 seats left to declare. The exit polls look very accurate indeed. From running neck and neck for weeks the Conservatives seemed to have stolen 3 points from Labour to give them a 6…
Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /var/www/html/themself/wp-content/themes/mesocolumn/lib/functions/theme-functions.php on line 502
Remember to Vote Today!
Polling station sign, London. UK general election (and local council elections), 6 May 2010. This sign was outside a polling station (normally a primary school) in Camberwell, London SE5. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Today is polling day, everyone in the UK who is eligible ought to be voting. Do please go to the polling station if you've not yet sent in a postal vote. Go early if you can. The polling stations open at 07:30 in most places and stay open until 10pm. If you haven't already decided which way to vote there's still time, and if you've decided you don't like any of them then at least go and register your protest. This could be by voting for your second choice so that the majority in an otherwise safe seat is kept low, or by spoiling your vote. Failing that…
Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /var/www/html/themself/wp-content/themes/mesocolumn/lib/functions/theme-functions.php on line 502
How to Fix the National Health Service
The National Health Service English: graph of female vs. male life expectancy at birth in 2005 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The National Health Service is one of Britain's institutions, it employs over a million people and a third of us come into contact with it each year. Many of us owe our lives to its very existence. Formed in the wake of the second world war it was intended to ensure that no-one ever died in the UK of preventable or curable conditions. It improved infant mortality to the point that we are shocked when children die, before WW2 it was a fact of life. Most working class families before the NHS lost children of things that we can treat. You only need to do a little genealogy for proof. The NHS is a primary cause of rising life expectancy since…