• Is it AI that is bad or is it business culture?
    May 23 2024

    Zoe Klienman, the BBC Technology Editor, has written a very good article reflecting that the Scarlett Johansson's AI row has echoes of Silicon Valley's bad old days. But is the real problem a traditional business culture of "what can we get away with?"

    Read her article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrr70zm41mo

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    5 mins
  • Gary Lineker and what it says about Human Rights
    Mar 11 2023

    The affair about Gary Lineker is not just about the Government vs the BBC, it is about something fundamental - a human's right to speak their opinion.

    You can read the transcript on Medium: https://medium.com/me-in-the-middle/gary-lineker-and-human-rights-9dbd9bbd4e78


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    8 mins
  • The Joy of Cooking on a Tawa
    Nov 24 2022

    Like many people, I love watching cooking videos, and I even make a few. And I often watch street food videos, particularly those from India and its neighbours.

    I especially like street food, so a year or so ago, I decided to buy a great big Tawa!

    You can see some of my videos where I use the beast here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLifh2D1s8024tklu1HBsELau17b4Hi7N_

    My TikTok video showing cleaning the tawa is here: https://www.tiktok.com/@hogansfood/video/7142064653957352709?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7160427958561621509

    If you want to see the text and some pretty pictures, see the article on my Medium Page - Me in the Middle. 

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    9 mins
  • What makes a Blockbuster? And why Doctor Who wasn't
    Oct 25 2022

    There are many elements to a blockbuster.

    So, did The Power of the Doctor check any of the boxes?

    A quick run through of some important elements of a blockbuster and whether the last outing for Jodie Whittaker hit the mark.

    The text of this podcast is available on Medium

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    13 mins
  • We Must Have a General Election Now
    Oct 21 2022

    It has already long passed the waypoints of idiocy, stupidity, and now pure recklessness. It has passed the point where our politicians, spinning in circles, can dictate our future.

    The time has come for the citizens of the United Kingdom to pick someone new to blame. We must have a general election. Even if the Conservative Party wins again, we need to put that choice to the voters.  Then it will be their fault!

    Text available on medium.

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    5 mins
  • The Madness of AI and Robotics
    Oct 9 2022

    Mr Elon Musk is pushing another one of his incomplete creations — his Optimus robot thingy. The future is robotics, apparently, along with cryptocurrencies and AI.

    But is it? And should it be? What is the point of a ridiculously expensive humanoid robot?

    Transcript: https://medium.com/me-in-the-middle/the-madness-of-ai-and-robotics-e23913507c80


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    12 mins
  • Sheeran vs Gaye - Another Copyright Lawsuit?
    Sep 30 2022

    Following the lawsuit (failed) over “At the Shape of You,” Ed Sheeran must be getting rather fed up. Now, lawyers are taking him to trial over Thinking Out Loud, claiming it is a rip off of Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On.

    He is certainly correct to say that copyright claims are becoming far more frequent.  But why? What has changed over the many years of songwriting, and why is it even a problem in the first place

    I intrepidly investigate without actually leaving my comfy chair.

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    8 mins
  • Never give your loyalty to kings or supermarkets
    Sep 13 2022

    Loyalty is a very strange thing when you think about it. Add the word “undying” in front and it becomes stranger still.

    You are basically saying, “I will shut up and complain no more!”

    Following the death of Elizabeth II, and they outpouring of grief and loyalty, I look at the strange idea a little more closely.

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    11 mins