Mark Pack would like to hear more about books you thought you knew enough about - but probably didn't. A mere seven years after it came out, I’ve just finished reading (or more accurately, listening to) Ben Goldacre’s Bad Science. In case you think I am a remarkably slow reader, I ... Read More...
Mark Pack is addicted to writing Amazon reviews. But what are they really for?... I first started writing book reviews purely for my personal benefit: to help me remember more about the books I had read. Even now, with the subsequent explosion of online reviews, the aspects of a book I ... Read More...
Mark Pack explains why the work of a now almost forgotten political novelist is worth seeking out... A best-selling author shifting millions of books in the post-war decades, a renowned public intellectual, a friend of celebrities such as Marlon Brando, a highly respected political scientist and famous enough to feature in ... Read More...
The future seems to have converged on Aldous Huxley's once brave predictions... Rooting around for a new audio book recently to listen to on my daily commute – as there are only so many Bryant and May novels I can fill my days with - I decided to give Aldous Huxley’s ... Read More...
Mark Pack was tormented by a cursor - but to good effect (you can buy his book here). I have learnt to hate the flashing cursor, sat at the top of a blank page in Microsoft Word. For many people, my discovery of something to hate about Microsoft Word, Microsoft or ... Read More...
Mark Pack on why he can't stop dabbling with a gadget that might be old but is quite a way from being obsolete. Pile up my work and personal gadgets on a table at home and what do you find? One desktop computer. Two portable computers. One iPad. Two Blackberries. An ... Read More...
The Dabbler's communications expert Mark Pack reflects on how there's nothing new under the sun, at least in communications: there's another thing the Romans did for us. Before the internet, before computers, before even electricity, the Romans had a communications technology that showed an understanding of how to get the right ... Read More...
Whilst recently going polar bear watching in Canada, I visited what must be a very strong contender for the world’s least successful military fort. Construction of the Prince of Wales Fort, at the mouth of the Churchill River on the Hudson Bay in Canada, started in 1731 (probably; though the plaque on ... Read More...
I’ve never met Tim Goodman. I don’t know what he looks like [see above, Ed.]. I don’t know what he does most of the time. I don't know if that's his real name or a professional nom de plume. I don’t even know which country he lives in. Or if ... Read More...
Mark Pack does his best to avoid thinking about how many blog pieces he writes and how many chocolate pieces he eats. Blogging is usually at his own site and Liberal Democrat Voice, which he co-edits. Chocolate is usually milk, preferably with crunchy bits. When doing neither he used to be ... Read More...