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Is AI rotting our brains?

Aweh, My Dearly Beloved Fellow Ruminants & Groupies, In the hollow halls of academia, a battle rages: Should students use AI? One camp cling to their quills and parchment, screaming “heresy!” The other—people like me—shrug and say, The genie’s out, deal with it. AI isn’t some passing trend; it’s a paradigm shift, and the onlyContinue reading “Is AI rotting our brains?”

Ruminations on idealism and nihilism

Aweh, My Dearly Beloved Fellow Ruminants & Groupies, What is a Friday without some incoherent ramblings about isms? Could it be like nihilism at a birthday party—”Congrats on another meaningless trip around the sun!” But wait, what exactly is existential nihilism? It’s the worldview that life lacks inherent meaning, purpose, or values, rejects absolute truths,Continue reading “Ruminations on idealism and nihilism”

Ruminations on living outside the Overton window

Aweh, My Dearly Beloved Fellow Ruminants & Groupies, On Monday, Elongated Rusk graced X with this gem: “We spent the weekend feeding USAID into the woodchipper. Could have gone to some great parties. Did that instead.” That’s it. That’s how the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced the collapse of the U.S. Agency for InternationalContinue reading “Ruminations on living outside the Overton window”

Ruminations on academic freedom

Aweh, My Dearly Beloved Fellow Ruminants & Groupies What can you say, and what are the risks of saying it? Can I say anything I like on my blog? Theoretically, yes. But if you work in a corporation, you’re expected to speak in carefully laundered PR-approved phrases while the official spokesperson spoon-feeds the public aContinue reading “Ruminations on academic freedom”

Ruminations on hamsters, capitalism and doughnuts

Aweh, My Dearly Beloved Fellow Ruminants & Groupies As some of my more socialist colleagues have diagnosed, I am apparently an anarcho-capitalist. For the uninitiated, that’s someone who dreams of a utopia where the free market replaces governments and common sense, with private companies managing roads, courts, and probably your gran’s knitting club. Fantastic, right?Continue reading “Ruminations on hamsters, capitalism and doughnuts”

Ruminations on a complex life

Aweh, My Dearly Beloved Fellow Ruminants & Groupies We return to Johannesburg from our holiday home in Southbroom tomorrow to start the 2025 year in earnest. It promises to be at least as complex as 2024. I just took the featured photograph from the table where I am writing this blog. We had a fullContinue reading “Ruminations on a complex life”

Ruminations on 2024, 2025 and manifestation

Aweh, My Dearly Beloved Fellow Ruminants & Groupies As the year winds down, it’s time to reflect on 2024 and set intentions for 2025. How we approach these reflections depends on our worldview, attitudes, and, of course, the endless stream of self-help advice on “living our best lives.” Let me start with gratitude—because that’s whatContinue reading “Ruminations on 2024, 2025 and manifestation”

Ruminations on satire and irreverence

Aweh, My Dearly Beloved Fellow Ruminants & Groupies Irreverence and satire: the twin engines of progress or the banes of hypersensitivity? Let’s dive into this contentious terrain with a little help from my role model, John Cleese. John Cleese, a cornerstone of Monty Python’s brilliance, believes satire is a tool to challenge the status quo.Continue reading “Ruminations on satire and irreverence”

Ruminations on the glass being half full and sunsets

Aweh, My Dearly Beloved Fellow Ruminants & Groupies The eternal question: Is the glass half empty or half full? It’s one of those queries that smug optimists love to wield, assuming they already know the “correct” answer. And most likely, dear reader, you think you do too. But let’s be clear—asking this question can feelContinue reading “Ruminations on the glass being half full and sunsets”

Ruminations on the futility of speaking and writing precisely

Aweh, My Dearly Beloved Fellow Ruminants & Groupies Forgive me, dearly beloved groupies, but it’s been four weeks since my last blog. I could offer very good reasons and excuses, but let’s keep it real with today’s theme: the dog ate my blog. So, here we are, with Donald Trump elected to a second termContinue reading “Ruminations on the futility of speaking and writing precisely”