Thoughts and stuff.

I like a lot of things, and I like to think about a lot of things. My usual method for thinking about things is to extemporise at great length towards those around me (usually my significant other, who is sick of it¹). In a vain attempt to save my friends and family from having to listen to my dire drivel I’ve decided to dump it on the internet for all to see.

Various things I’ve written can be found in writing.

An overview of my various projects can be found in projects.

About me

I’m Adam, a twenty-something year old software engineer living in Edinburgh, Scotland. I spend most of my time thinking about programming, mathematics, music and dancing, so most of the posts on this site fit into one of those categories.

If you want to get in touch, send me a tweet or a message on twitter - I’m @harriesadam.

Clear Air Turbulence

It was some point in 2015, and I had just finished Ian M. Banks’ wonderful book “Consider Phlebas”. Friends and (select) family had been gently pestering to read some of the culture series for some time, and at their recommendation I started reading. While the story and setting were, of course, wonderful it was the names of the culture vessels that really gripped me. They followed the same rough scheme as the names of airships in Philip Reeve’s “Mortal Engines” series - a set of books that I had loved as a child, and a set of names that I had loved even more.

The names, to me, evoke a sense of sly, crooked humour. Each one seems to veer towards the nonsensical while remaining firmly grounded in reality. “Clear Air Turbulence”, for example (the name of the ship in Consider Phlebas), sounds at first site like a contradictory phenomenon: Surely turbulence is the product of some tumultuous movement of air and matter? How could that happen in clear air? Clear air turbulence, is however, a completely normal phenomenon. The names all follow similar patterns - something somewhat out of the ordinary, slightly wry, almost like a truth told like a lie, through a sly grin.

Not long after finishing “Consider Phlebas”, back in 2015, I idly searched to see if the ships’ title was available as a domain name. To my great surprise, it was! I quickly snapped it up, and decided to use the site as a place to host my vague ramblings. The name has a neat similarity to my writing: apparently nonsensical, but still firmly grounded in reality.

Reviews

My brother: [imitating me] “I’m a very pretentious person.”

General disclaimer

All opinions expressed on this site are my own, and in no way reflect the opinions of my employer. Please do not take anything written here too seriously, and if anything offends or rankles, please reach out as soon as possible - I’m always keen to listen to new perspectives and ideas.