Writer, Explorer and Travel Philosopher
Put a bookmark here…!
It’s been brought to my attention that I might be somewhat strange.
Surely I’m not the only one who rotates their bookmarks?
It’s not as though I collect bookmarks.
I’m not a member of the International Friends of Bookmarks, either (yes, that’s a real thing).
“But Antoine, why worry about things you can’t control…?”
My last blog on conspiracy theories sparked an interesting discussion on Facebook.
My friend Nathan pointed out that I failed to draw a clear distinction between all too real large scale actions perpetrated by governments and the sort of “Lobby of the Unhinged” conspiracy theories I was talking about.
Spies everywhere…
A friend asked me this week, “What do you think of the ‘deep state’?
The short answer is, “I try not to.” Mostly because it has no meaningful impact on my life.
‘Deep state’ is the idea that some sort of shadow government made up of rich, powerful actors wields power, either within or behind the legitimately elected government.
Words That Piss Me Off: The Sequel
I never would have guessed when I sat down to write Words That Piss Me Off in March 2010 that I was creating a smash hit.
Many of the words and phrases which sparked that furious rant were irritating proliferations of business English that made their way into daily use.
Planet of the what…?
Let’s talk about Planet of the Humans, the controversial new documentary produced by Michael Moore.
I figure we might as well talk about something, since travel’s off the cards for the foreseeable future. Rather than vanish into sedentary obscurity, I decided to use the blog to write about whatever crosses my desk: current reading, current events, the distant past, or the afterglow of an interesting film.
The travel section of London’s Skoob books…
The future looks bleak for travel writing — at least, for the highly commercialized side — but I don’t think this is true for travel literature. They aren’t the same thing.
I’m great at social distancing. No one does distancing like me.
How are you coping with being jailed at home?
I could do this self-isolation thing for months. It doesn’t bother me at all.
Okay, at this time of year I’m missing the biergarten. There’s nothing like a cold draft on a hot summer day after a weekend bike ride.
Tibesti region, northern Chad
I’m not optimistic about our current situation. I think this pandemic marks a historical turning point, one we were already moving towards but which is now accelerating.
We talked about this in previous blogs on the future of the European Union, the future of travel, and other post-pandemic changes.
What’s the future of post-pandemic travel?
In recent blogs, we’ve talked about the future of the European Union, and other changes we might see in the wake of the Great Pandemic.
In this instalment, I’d like to bring things closer to home and talk about the future of travel.
A silent power station on the Teltow Canal
It’s a sunny Sunday afternoon in Berlin, but it doesn’t feel like spring is in the air.
The biergarten are shuttered. The parks are roped off. And many of the ice cream parlours are closed.
