Gutenberg and the Printing Press
The Sir Anthony Standen Adventures would be nothing more than a hand written memoir if it weren’t for Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press. I think many of us know of Gutenberg, but what about Johann Fust? Gutenberg is famous for his printing press...
Continuous Improvement
When I was working in my old job of engineering and project management, continuous improvement was the mantra of quality management. In my new “job” of writing the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, continuous improvement remains my goal. I posted recently about the...
Revolution
Revolution seems to have been a feature of the fourth of November over the years. Since I was born on the 5th of November, Guy Fawkes night was a special childhood celebration. Fawkes was discovered in the undercroft of the House of Lords on the night of 4th November...
The Siege of La Rochelle
I am getting to know Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu through writing The Favourite Murder, the fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. I expect this book to end in 1617, so the siege of La Rochelle is still ten years distant. It was a defining event for...
Media and Crosswords
The 2nd of November seems to have been an interesting day for media in the past. In 1924 the Sunday Express printed the first British crossword puzzle, and in 1936 the BBC started the first regular high definition television broadcast from Alexandra Palace. This...
Events, Dear Boy, Events
I have posted recently about dining with Harold MacMillan, well we were in the same room, if not on the same table. Events, dear boy, events, was a saying of his, describing the susceptibility of plans to unexpected events. In the vast scope of history, certain dates...
Halloween
As any reader of Fire and Earth, the second book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, will know I don’t believe in ghosts. But it’s Halloween, so I’ll blog about it. Halloween, or more correctly (according to Chambers) Hallowe’en, celebrated on October 31st, is a...
The Ballpoint Pen
I posted recently about the pencil, so why not celebrate the ballpoint pen which was patented on 30th October 1888, by John J Loud. I know what you’re thinking, wasn’t it Lázló Biró who invented the ballpoint pen? John J. Loud was a Harvard trained lawyer with a...
Leibniz
I usually volunteer to keep the scorecard when playing golf. However sometimes I make mistakes. Despite having three ‘A’ levels in maths and a degree in engineering science, I sometimes joke that maths has nothing to do with numbers. Perhaps it’s the writer in me, but...
Gutenberg and the Printing Press
The Sir Anthony Standen Adventures would be nothing more than a hand written memoir if it weren’t for Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press. I think many of us know of Gutenberg, but what about Johann Fust? Gutenberg is famous for his printing press...
Continuous Improvement
When I was working in my old job of engineering and project management, continuous improvement was the mantra of quality management. In my new “job” of writing the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, continuous improvement remains my goal. I posted recently about the...
Revolution
Revolution seems to have been a feature of the fourth of November over the years. Since I was born on the 5th of November, Guy Fawkes night was a special childhood celebration. Fawkes was discovered in the undercroft of the House of Lords on the night of 4th November...
The Siege of La Rochelle
I am getting to know Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu through writing The Favourite Murder, the fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. I expect this book to end in 1617, so the siege of La Rochelle is still ten years distant. It was a defining event for...
Media and Crosswords
The 2nd of November seems to have been an interesting day for media in the past. In 1924 the Sunday Express printed the first British crossword puzzle, and in 1936 the BBC started the first regular high definition television broadcast from Alexandra Palace. This...
Events, Dear Boy, Events
I have posted recently about dining with Harold MacMillan, well we were in the same room, if not on the same table. Events, dear boy, events, was a saying of his, describing the susceptibility of plans to unexpected events. In the vast scope of history, certain dates...
Halloween
As any reader of Fire and Earth, the second book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, will know I don’t believe in ghosts. But it’s Halloween, so I’ll blog about it. Halloween, or more correctly (according to Chambers) Hallowe’en, celebrated on October 31st, is a...
The Ballpoint Pen
I posted recently about the pencil, so why not celebrate the ballpoint pen which was patented on 30th October 1888, by John J Loud. I know what you’re thinking, wasn’t it Lázló Biró who invented the ballpoint pen? John J. Loud was a Harvard trained lawyer with a...
Leibniz
I usually volunteer to keep the scorecard when playing golf. However sometimes I make mistakes. Despite having three ‘A’ levels in maths and a degree in engineering science, I sometimes joke that maths has nothing to do with numbers. Perhaps it’s the writer in me, but...