 Top eleven classic sci-fi movies
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- The Fifth Element
- Avatar
- The Matrix
- Aliens
- Terminator 2
- I, Robot
- Star Trek (the reboot)
- 2001
- Star Wars
- Bladerunner
- Back to the future
- Honourable mentions: Deja Vu, Oblivion, Edge of Tommorrow, Cowboys and Aliens, Terminator, Alien, Alien Resurrection, Silent Running
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Top eleven zombie/mutant/virus/witch movies |
- Resident Evil
- Zombieland
- Zombieland Double Tap
- Resident Evil 2
- Van Helsing
- I am legend
- Shaun of the Dead
- Hanzel and Gretel - Witch Hunter
- From Dusk till Dawn
- What we do in the shadows
- 28 days later
- Honourable mentions: 28 weeks later
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Top eleven words |
- Serendipity
- Paradigm
- Juxtaposition
- Narrative
- Symbiotic
- Dreich
- Autumnal
- Ethereal
- Deja vu
- Synergy
- Karma
- Honourable mentions: Kangaroo; Enigmatic; Metaphor
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Top eleven songs - classic |
- Orinoco Flow - Enya
- Somebody that I use to know - Goyte
- Sugar Sugar - the Archies
- Aquarius - The 5th Dimension
- 500 Miles - The Proclaimers
- Special Star - Mango Groove
- Missing - EBTG
- Praise you - Fatboy Slim version
- Bitter Sweet Symphony - The Verve
- Beds are buring - Men at Work (Also top 11oz)
- Echo Beach - Martha and the Muffins
- Honourable mentions: Never Can Say Goodbye - the Communards; Shiny Happy People - REM; Anything else from Mango Groove; Tilted - Christine and the Queens; Pokerface - Lady Gaga ; Demons - Imagine Dragons; Valerie - Amy Winehouse; Happy - Pharrell Williams; Theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly; White Xmas - Bing Crosby;
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Top eleven songs - Australian |
- Solid Rock - Goanna Band
- Great Southern land - Icehouse
- Eagle Rock - Daddy Cool
- Chandalier - Sia
- Beds are Burning - Midnight Oil
- This is Australia - Ganggajang
- What about me - Moving Pictures
- Downunder - Men at Work
- I was only 19 - Redgum
- Horror Movie - Skyhooks
- Khe San - Cold Chisel
- Honourable mentions: Friday on my mind - Easybeats; Long way to the top - AC/DC; Am I ever going to see you again - Angels; Boys Light Up - Aussie Crawl; Georgy Girl - Seekers; Treaty - Yothi Yindi; Never Tear Us Apart - INXS; Evie - Stevie Wright;
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Top eleven box sets |
- Slow Horses
- Game of Thrones
- The Goodplace
- Lucifer
- Better Call Saul
- The Expanse
- Queens Bishop
- Witcher (Until Henry Cavill left)
- Fisk (all)
- Designated Survivor (Season 1)
- Ozark
- Honourable mentions: Deadloch, The Capture
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Top eleven great sayings |
- The more you do, the more you are
- Carpe Diem or, reworded more intuitively, "Grab the moment, and do remember all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart”
- All journeys start with the first step
- Actions speak louder than words
- Everything is hard before it is easy
- The only person you can change is yourself
- What goes around comes around
- Life wasn't meant to be easy (attributed to Malcolm Fraser, former PM of Australia)
- That which doesn't kill you, makes a great story
- Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be the end.
- <Guest slot>
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Top eleven pet hates
(Things that are objectively unreasonable and should not be allowed) |
- Shag pile carpets
- Frills, on anything
- Faffing
- People not playing with a straight bat
- Cruise ships that are bigger that the small quaint coastal towns they visit
- Cinamon buns
- Chipboard (in furniture)
- Populist amoral politicians
- People not appreciating how fortunate they are
- Suburban sprawl (and especially in Australia)
- Right wing chat show hosts
- Honourable mentions: Conspiracy theorists with a book or a lecture tour to promote; Anything Linda would ban when she becomes world president (see below);
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Top eleven things Linda would ban when she becomes world president
(Things that Linda thinks are just wrong) |
- Buskers with amplifiers
- Leaf blowers
- Patio heaters
- Nigel Farage, most Reform MP's and the entire US Republican Congress
- Letting foreigners buy property
- Second homes/Holiday homes
- Shock jocks
- Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok AND TRUTH SOCIAL - because it extends the reach of stupid people
- Smartphones. Nothing wrong with a (coal fired) Nokia 0.0001
- People who want to mess with the BBC
- Computers
- Honourable mentions: Plastic flowers; Restaurants and cafes that have plastic flowers; Antique iron collections (and especially mine);
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Top eleven things I don't understand
(Things I struggle with, and suspect most people don't understand either) |
- How does gravity work?
- Why do women support Trump? (Update for 6/2026: why does anyone support Trump?)
- Does an ideal society exist? What might it look like?
- What's outside the universe?
- You are born, you survive, you reproduce and then you die. Is that it?
- Quantum mechanics. How can Schrodingers cat be alive and dead at the same time? I mean, really.
- How does electricity actually really work (and I'm an Electrical Engineer)
- How do societies even function given they are made up of so many anti-social, selfish and generally dysfunctional people?
- How can smart people believe in a god?
- Why do so many people believe in conspiracy theories?
- Stock markets.
- Honourable mentions: ; Why Australia is in the Eurovision song contest; Is there a workable alternative to capitalism?
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Top eleven important truisms
(Things that are obvious and true, that I think we have forgotten about) |
- A single nuclear explosion on any major city will still be beyond catastrophic. See (Nuclear Weapons)
- Democracy only makes sense if everyone votes - with care and diligence
- We still need to make and sell things and provide services, so we have enough money to buy things and use other services
- Just because someone posts something on social media doesn't make it true. Or that it's right that they do so
- If COVID had the mortality rate of Bird Flu (H5N1), then over half the worlds population would be dead
- If we make this planet unlivable we will have no where to live
- Conspiracy theories are normally promoted by people who stand to make money out of conspiracy theories
- An aging population means we will have more people to support, with fewer people to help support them.
- Supporting Palestinians or criticising the Israel state doesn't automatically mean you are antisemitic
- People who argue an election was stolen probably have something to lose from not being in power, or something to gain from taking this view
- Transgender rights are important, but so are (biological) womens' rights.
- Honourable mentions: An alternative explanation to a shadowy world mastermind/cabal pulling the strings of governments to control the world for nefarious means is, probably, simply, the combined effect of individual and corporate greed, government incompetence, and 8 billion people all fighting over limited and degrading world resources.
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Top eleven dinner party conversation topics
(Conversations about things that impact us all and, about which, we really should be talking) |
- Why do so many people believe in conspiracy theories? And is this getting worse?
- Should we ban more onshore windfarms (because they fuckup the countryside)?
- What should we, as individuals, be doing about climate change?
- What is the right role for AI?
- Have people forgotten about the dangers of WMD?
- Illegal refugees - welcome (and encourage human traffickers) or deter (and be inhumane)?
- Is democracy broken, and is there an alternative?
- What obligations do we have as a citizen, and as a state?
- How should we measure society wellbeing?
- Should one be allowed to invest in property?
- What functions should the state provide, and what should be left to private industry?
- Honourable mentions: How should/can we fight misinformation?; How should we manage an aging population?; Are international flights OK (because they fuck up the planet, and all that)?; Assisted dying; Does nuclear power have a role in the 21st century?; Should we ban foreigners from owning property?; Should we ban second homes, or holiday homes?; Does one have a right to drive a car anywhere, by oneself (e.g. an inefficient use of precious resources)?
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Top eleven basic rights
(A basic set of human rights, within every country. To be set against Obligations.) |
- Security of person.
- Equal opportunity
- Freedom from slavery, torture or inhumane treatment
- Freedom from discrimination
- Freedom of thought, opinion and expression
- Right to own things
- Right to fair trial
- Equal before the law
- Freedom to movement and residence (within your country)
- Right to primary education (at least)
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Top eleven basic obligations
(Things people need to commit to for a society to function. To be set against Rights. ) |
- You accept the need for democratic governance, and vote diligently to support it
- You respect the property of others (e.g. no coverting of your neighbours stuff, or their wife/husband, or donkeys)
- You are cognisant of society mores, conventions and ettiquettes, and behave accordingly
- You respect the rights of others
- You respect the beliefs and opinions of others
- You adopt a sustainable lifestyle because the world is finite
- You accept that living in a society requires compromise
- You have to pay taxes
- You accept that a society needs laws and they need to be enforced
- You accept there needs to be consequences for breaking the law
- You accept that the less fortunate, young, sick and old need to be supported
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Top eleven good life checks
(Checklist to see you are living a satisfying, moral, and worthwhile life) |
- Meaningful friendships.
- Good physical health
- Financial stability
- Personal growth
- Environmentally aware living (i.e. you are not fucking up the planet)
- Meaningful work (if you are working)
- Being nice to people (treating others as you would like to be treated)
- A sense of purpose
- Hobbies and interests
- Attention to mental well being
- Putting back into society
- Honourable mentions: Mindfulness/Living in the moment;
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Top eleven good life tips
(Obvious things that we sometimes forget about)) |
- Relationships matter. Put the effort in
- Go for walks (or cycle rides, or climbs..)
- Connect with nature
- Improve yourself - learn new stuff
- Simplify everything and declutter;
- Have more dinner parties
- Have more camp fires, and BBQ's
- Build your own music playlists
- Interact in real life (not via social media).
- Don't underestimate the importance of gossip and rumour over a red wine with friends in a bustling and atmospheric Italian restaurant
- Patronise small local independent pubs that have real ale, friendly staff and a dog curled up in front of a (non-fossil fuel) fire
- Honourable mentions: Live in the moment; Be guided by Leunig and Gary Larson wisdom and humour; Read (paper) books; Don't obsess over money; Fight materialism; Go (internet) dark; Don't doom scroll; Don't forget to put the bins out (Linda's contribution); Don't procrasinate (thanks Linda, again); Take up boules (never played it but it seems like a good thing);
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Top eleven reminders that you are lucky
(Things that make all the difference) |
- Good friends
- Healthy
- Being happy where you live
- Financially secure
- Good sleep
- Being able to walk to shops and friends
- Having time to pursue your own projects (anything)
- Company when you want it
- Time to yourself e.g. being able to sit in a cafe with a coffee, and just read a paper
- Regular time in the outdoors
- Holidays and travel when you want
Honourable mentions: Access to hot baths
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Top eleven ideas to save the planet
(Simple ideas that start with the old Greenpeace slogan 'Think global act local', and go from there.) |
- Think carefully about how you vote.
- Influence by what you buy (or don't buy)
- Be informed, think critically, and act accordingly.
- Champion capitalism with a human and environmental face
- Reduce, reuse, recycle
- Use sustainable resources
- Use renewable energy
- Eat less meat
- Be less material
- Drive and fly less
- Turn down the thermostat and wear a jumper
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Top eleven ideas to save Britain
(As above but more specific. Ideas to improve Britain, and most other countries too.) |
- Reduce the number of politicians, and pay them a decent wage. Get some good people in.
- Stop foreigners from owning property
- Teach people to think critically
- Sort out misinformation on the internet
- Nationalise key UK infrastructure - water, power, transport, IT backbone etc.
- Get rid of sheep and cows, and cull deer, in Britain's moors, hill lands and highlands - because they fuck-up the environment
- Provide and promote alternatives to private cars;
- Promote global justice (and the good karma will come around)
- Put back into society
- Buy local and support local community
- Beavers
- Honourable mentions: Live close to work; Pick up rubbish; Support charities; Think about food miles; Think about, and act for, the less fortunate; Rethink the type of growth we want ; A constitution; Rewilding; Refocus on equality; Stop this obsession with everyone having to go to university; Impose the death sentence on people that don't separate their recycling properly (Linda's suggestion);
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Top eleven features of a good town
(What most people look for in a place to live - and that should therefore drive all government planning. In addition to basic rights of course.) |
- Community. A sense of belonging
- Affordable housing
- Accessible health services
- Public spaces and a square for playing boules. With an old oak tree to sit under.
- Local, and useful, shops
- A society that makes and sells things
- Nice small pubs (like those with dogs curled up in front of a cosy fire)
- A focus on community services
- A society that cares for the less fortunate
- Green spaces and access to nature
- Accessible local government
- Honourable mentions: Childcare facilities; Local schools - especially primary; ; Public toilets; Attention to litter
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Top eleven IT project lessons
(Lessons about working with in IT project that everyone forgets, every time.) |
- Crystal clear project objectives underpin everything.
- You must know exactly who your customer and key stakeholders are.
- Project plans and management is important but keep it light touch
- Everyone has a role and everyone has something to offer.
- Nothing beats competent and motivated co-located team members
- Solutions (to project objectives) must be rational, simple and inituitive to understand
- Nothing beats a flipchart and a few coloured pens, as an aid to problem solving
- All project challenges disappear over a pint
- The project context - where it sits in the wider IT and business landscape - is as important as the project itself.
- Outsourcing never works - no matter what the sell is.
- A good understanding of the underlying data underpins everything.
- Honourable mentions: No one really undertands what a Target Operating Model is exactly, except the consultancies who promote them; Cool technical solutions are only meaningful if they add value to the business; Vendors and consultancies should be treated with equal amounts of respect and suspicion; Complicated designs always result in unsatisfactory and expensive solutions; If the solution is hard to maintain, it is not the right solution;
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Top eleven IT security tips
(IT security sanity checks and top tips) |
- Good passwords are always your first line of defence
- Social media use and online security is not compatable
- The best defence against online threats is not to go online
- It's best to assume that all companies will eventually be compromised. Or have been.
- Company data breaches often take on average about 6 months to detect.
- A data breach is often only detected when your data appears in places it shouldn't (e.g. the dark web)
- Only enter the absolute minimum data (to use your online services).
- If you dont buy the product, you are the product. If it's a free service, assume that company will harvest and sell your data
- VPN's, antivirus software and firewalls are good.
- And encryption. And backing up.
- AI is great for hackers. Assume IT security is going to become more difficult and fraught.
- Honourable mentions: Consider dumping your smart phone in favour of a 'coal fired' Nokia 0.001 (Linda's tip)
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Top eleven Mega Trends
(Megatrends. Global trends, over the next 10-20 years, that will define the future) |
- Climate change - it will get hotter, sea levels will rise, there will be more flooding etc
- Growing geopolitical tensions and economic shifts in power
- Population growth
- Evolution of AI
- Increasing resource scarcity
- Increasing environmental degregation
- Globalisation
- Urbanisation
- Aging populations
- Mass migration/refugees (thru conflict and climate change)
- More connectivity e.g. thru social media, virtual reality
- Honourable mentions: Energy shifts (away from fossil fuels); Digitalisation (everything either online, digital and/or on the cloud);
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Top eleven global problems
(Global problems that we need to address now or it will all go pear shaped (see Existential Risks)) |
- Not taking climate change seriously
- Democracy failings
- Misinformation and lack of trust in facts
- Lack of trust in leaders and institutions
- Lack of social cohesion
- Breakdown in global co-operation
- Existance of, and access to, WMDs
- Ungoverned development of AI
- Lack of preparedness for the next pandemic
- Other dangerous and/or ungoverned technology (such as viral research, gene edititing, autonomous robots/weapons etc)
- Unaccountable and powerful multi-nationals
- Unsustainable consumption (in a finite world)
- Degregation of the environment
- Wealth inequality: capitalism without a human face;
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Top eleven existential risks
(Global risks that, if realised, would really impact my chance to have an easy retirement.)
Ordered: Probability x Impact
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- Runaway climate change
- Pandemic (a proper one)
- Societal breakdown (and resulting widespread geo-polictical conflict)
- Nuclear War
- War involving other WMDs
- Bad AI e.g. chatGPT goes rogue, mankind made redundant
- Other bad technology e.g. deadly manmade virus escaping from the lab, nanobots out of control, autonomous weapons etc
- Environmental breakdown - fucking up Gaia
- Extreme weather events (floods, droughts, tornados...)
- Geo physical disasters e.g. Yellowstone Volcano, San Andreas fault, Mega tsunami
- A big meteor strike (which would be pretty suboptimal but a lot less likely than climate change)
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Top eleven types of people that don't help
(People that don't contribute to a stable, balanced and just society) |
- Amoral populist rightwing leaders
- People that vote for amoral populist rightwing leaders
- People that still vote for amoral populist rightwing leaders even when their true colours become obvious
- People that don't vote. Or they vote but don't think carefully about their choice.
- People that promote conspiracy theories because it makes them money, or because they have a small dick.
- People who have a bigger presence on the internet than they should
- People who believe that a god will save the world
- People that spread misinformation, intentionally or not
- People that think society laws and mores don't apply to them
- People with a misplaced sense of entitlement
- People (who live in the Western World) who forget how fortunate they are
- Honourable mentions: People who whinge
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Top eleven nuclear weapons reality checks
(Reality checks on the dangers of nuclear weapons, about which I think we have forgotten) |
- A single nuclear explosion on a major city will completely overwhelm all state civil support structures, kill hundreds of thousands, injure many more and cause long term health, environmental and economic damage
- There are nine countries with nuclear weapons, with a total of around 12,700 bombs worldwide.
- The Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs had a yield of < 20 Kiloton. Typical submarine launched (SLMB) and ICBM bombs are between 100KT and 300KT. The biggest bomb ever developed was 50MT (and potentially, 100MT)
- The MAD doctrine assumes consistent, rational and clear thinking leadership at the head of each nuclear power.
- There are no effective nuclear arms treaties currently in place to manage, challenge and reduce the number of weapons worldwide.
- North Korea has an estimated 20-43 bombs. Pakistan, India and Israel have a few too
- The controls to authorise and fire a nuclear bomb are designed, maintained and operated by people, and are therefore fallible
- All nuclear powers are upgrading their nuclear weapon capabilty to make them more reliable, effective and flexible and, by implication, more useable.
- Each UK nuclear deterrent submarine carries up to 16 Trident II missiles, each with up to 14 independently targetable bombs. One UK nuclear deterrent submarine, therefore, has the capability to destroy 224 major cities. Russian and US subs are bigger
- Tactical nuclear weapons, for use on the battlefield, blur the line between conventional and nuclear war, and provides an easy escalation path to full scale nuclear war using strategic ICBM's and SLBMs.
- There is little reason why rogue states or rogue organisations would not seek to develop or acquire a nuclear bomb, given the negotiating hand it gives them. Examples include North Korea (who has them), Iran (who wants them) and the fate of Libya's Gaddafi (who gave them up).
- Honourable mentions:Tactical weapon yields are still up to 20 time larger than the Hiroshima bomb; There is a lack of clarity around how Russion nuclear weapons were secured during the breakup of the USSR; Nuclear bombs are much easier to design and build with computers, modern materials and modern manaufactoring techniques; Sober and considered academic studies suggest that as few as 100-500 large nuclear bombs could in theory be enough to kill enough people, destroy enough infrastructure, cause enough environmental damage, and cause enough serious climate change (e.g. nuclear winter), to doom the human race; And then of course there are other WMD's such chemical and bio-weapons, or two or more together;
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