Articles for category: Humanities

Sunflower next to spiral geometric drawing on chalkboard.

The Universal Nature of Patterns

I have written about patterns many times before. Recently – as I’m located well north in the UK – I’ve been observing patterns in cultures that vary from ‘the South’. A few days ago, some ‘folk’ asked me about what’s different. People broke out in laughter when I said, “Well, the prominent thing I noticed ...

Couple having emotional conversation in park

The Honesty Paradox: When Truth-Telling Gets Complicated

“Honesty is the best policy.” We’ve heard this since childhood, seen it emblazoned on inspirational posters, and nodded along when it’s offered as relationship advice. It’s one of those universal virtues that nobody publicly disputes. After all, who would advocate for dishonesty? Yet in the messy reality of human relationships, honesty isn’t the straightforward virtue ...

Changes are coming

For many years I’ve kept Captain’s Watch mostly away from Google. That was because the site/blog was originally set up as a sort of diary shared only with close associates (I don’t have or keep friends). But over the last few months I’ve been reflecting much on how the site has changed in its form ...

The Serious Dangers of DDFM!

This is about Dinitrogen-Dioxygen Fluidic Mixtures, a previously not well recognised danger to humanity and economic systems. Without further delay, the list of risks and damage are as follows: Inhalation Dependency: Prolonged exposure to DDFM leads to severe dependence. Users have been known to seek it out constantly, with extreme cases requiring it every few ...

The Rise of Tribalism and the Decline of Critical Thinking in the Internet Age

The internet has revolutionised the way we communicate, access information, and form communities. However, this technological advancement has also brought about unintended consequences. Over the past decade, there has been a growing concern about the rise of online tribalism, political correctness, cancel culture, and the suppression of dissenting voices. These phenomena, while seemingly disparate, are ...

Microwaving Eggs: Round Two – with Startling Figures

So, you all scoffed. You sneered. You laughed, pointed fingers and snorted with derision about the many failures in my quest to conquer the impossible: microwaving an egg without it exploding like a miniature culinary grenade. “It can’t be done!” you declared, between guffaws. You sneered, “You’ll end up with scrambled egg on the ceiling!” ...