Grant Hutchison's Blog, page 52

Snowclone

ˈsnəʊkləʊn Snowclone: “A multi-use, customizable, instantly recognizable, time-worn, quoted or misquoted phrase or sentence that can be used in an entirely open array of different jokey variants by lazy journalists and writers” (Pullum, 2003) That definition undoubtedly requires explanation. Geoffrey Pullum,  in my quote above, was appealing for a word to fit his definition. He … Continue reading Snowclone →

Simon Ingram: Between The Sunset And The Sea

This one’s something I read earlier this year, posted now as a Christmas recommendation for anyone who knows a hillwalker. It’s the sort of book that has something for anyone who is even vaguely interested in British hills. It is subtitled A View of 16 British Mountains. The sixteen mountains are: Beinn Dearg (the one … Continue reading Simon Ingram: Between The Sunset And The Sea →

Skiapod

ˈskaɪəpɒd Skiapod or Sciapod: A mythological human with a single leg and large foot, used to provide shade in tropical regions The existence of skiapods was common knowledge in Classical times—they are mentioned by Aristophanes in his play The Birds, and by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History, in which the are described as … Continue reading Skiapod →

Gene Kranz: Failure Is Not An Option

Gene Kranz is the most famous of NASA’s Flight Controllers, having led Mission Control on both the Apollo 11 first Moon landing, and the Apollo 13 crisis. This, his insider memoire of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo years, was published in 2000. As an Apollo buff, it’s odd that it has taken me fifteen years … Continue reading Gene Kranz: Failure Is Not An Option →

Sith

sɪθ Sith: since With the imminent release of a new Star Wars film, I couldn’t resist offering up this word. No, it has nothing to do with Sith Lords. Sith is an archaic word. Like its cousin since, it can act as an adverb, a preposition, or a conjunction. And like since, it has meanings … Continue reading Sith →

The Lost World of Loch Mullardoch

I awoke to the shrilling of greenshank and the loud piping of oyster-catchers. My holiday had indeed started. Not a breath of wind stirred and the green hills around me were overdrawn by a grey line of settled clouds. There was no knowing what the day would bring forth, so I had a leisurely breakfast, … Continue reading The Lost World of Loch Mullardoch →

Book Collector

When you have more than 4000 books scattered around the house, it gets difficult to find the one you’re looking for. Especially if you’re hunting for a short story and you can’t quite remember which book you read it in. This used to happen a lot, chez Oikofuge. But not any more. Book Collector is … Continue reading Book Collector →

Software: Introduction

I started computer programming on punched tape and IBM 80-column punched cards, using Fortran, back in 1974. One of my first teachers was a young woman who could read the program directly off the punched tape, and debug it using a hole punch and some sticky dots. I fixated on her utterly, like a baby … Continue reading Software: Introduction →

Poul Anderson: Three Hearts & Three Lions / The Broken Sword

Poul Anderson (1926-2001) was a prolific American science fiction and fantasy writer. His name is Danish (pronounce it “pole”). He wrote hard science fiction adventures and puzzle stories, which is how I came to start reading his work. I’ve come late to his fantasy work, since I don’t generally have much taste for that genre. … Continue reading Poul Anderson: Three Hearts & Three Lions / The Broken Sword →

Writing: Introduction

When I was a solitary, bespectacled and distinctly oikotropic child growing up in Dundee, I seemed to be the only person in my class who brightened up when our English homework assignment was an essay. I liked writing. The first time I actually (sort of) sold a bit of writing was in 1977. Punch magazine, … Continue reading Writing: Introduction →