Author Archives: andyjamison

for a family reunion. But our summer sale is still on when we open again on August 6 so do come by. In the meantime enjoy the summer and check out our first guest post. We welcome yours!

Not only were the film-makers guilty of filming on occupied territory but it seems that the people behind The Odyssey have also not paid for the damage they did to a boat they rented. Now I’m definitely not going to see it. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/23/owners-of-viking-ship-used-to-film-the-odyssey-say-studio-has-not-paid-bill-for-damage

For all the hype and promotion and raving reviews and learned commentary that have accompanied the release of the new film, The Odyssey, it is worth knowing that parts of the film were shot in Western Sahara, which is a country occupied by Morocco where the native Sahrawis are not allowed to use a camera,Continue reading “See Casablanca instead”

While the term “cherry picking” tends to have a negative connotation as it is often used as a metaphor for investing in only highly profitable companies or choosing only the most favorable evidence in making arguments (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_picking) the actual activity is a lovely thing to do on a hot summer day, especially when you haveContinue reading “Cherry picking”

On the fourth of July let me send along some inspiring words from the homeland.

It’s not AI, she says. “That genie is out of the bottle: it’s here, it’s an effective tool, you can use it or not,” she says. The real problem is all the huge data centers that are being built around the world to supply AI with data (ie, human intelligence) without any kind of publicContinue reading “Erin Brocovich carries on”

There are lots of good reasons to feel blue these days and there ain’t no cure, as Eddie Cochran so eloquently once put it and the Who went on to tell the world at Woodstock, but a visit to Andy’s Corner might well help, especially since we’ll be starting our summer sale tomorrow with pocketContinue reading “Summertime blues”

As a lifelong fan of the New York Knicks I can’t help feeling quite excited about their recent victory in the American professional basketball championships, their first in 53 years. Here’s a film about it: And here’s Mayor Mamdani’s celebration speech, another good one: A joyous midsummer to you all!

Stuart Russell is a new columnist for the Guardian and one of those rare individuals who is a highly competent scientist with a strong sense of social responsibility and to judge from wikipedia, he seems to know what he’s talking about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_J._Russell Let’s hope he can help us find ways to control the AI genieContinue reading “Dealing with the genie”