Mecvisuals

I attended a conference this week for writers in higher education. During one of the sessions, I sat next to a woman who intrigued me because she was wearing a device on her left wrist that looked foreign to me. In my tech job at work, I thought I’d seen everything. Devices are getting so much smaller these days and they do so much that it’s like walking around with an entire computer in your pocket. But this thing she had strapped to her wrist was something that really baffled me. This device looked like jewelry, but wasn’t quite a bracelet. It had symbols on it, but didn’t light up. I wondered if it was taking her pulse or counting her steps or something. Curiosity got the better of me, so I just blurted out “What’s that thing on your wrist?” “It’s a wristwatch.” “A wristwatch? What’s that?” “A wristwatch is something you wear on your wrist to tell time.” “Tell time? You mean, it speaks to you? Like Siri?” “No, you just look at it.” “ Look at it ? But I see it’s no...

I attended a conference this week for writers in higher education. During one of the sessions, I sat next to a woman who intrigued me because she was wearing a device on her left wrist that looked foreign to me. In my tech job at work, I thought I’d seen everything. Devices are getting so much smaller these days and they do so much that it’s like walking around with an entire computer in your pocket. But this thing she had strapped to her wrist was something that really baffled me. This device looked like jewelry, but wasn’t quite a bracelet. It had symbols on it, but didn’t light up. I wondered if it was taking her pulse or counting her steps or something. Curiosity got the better of me, so I just blurted out “What’s that thing on your wrist?” “It’s a wristwatch.” “A wristwatch? What’s that?” “A wristwatch is something you wear on your wrist to tell time.” “Tell time? You mean, it speaks to you? Like Siri?” “No, you just look at it.” “ Look at it ? But I se...

I have held off telling this tale becau -shhhhhhh, quiet! Did you hear that…no? Oh…I erm…maybe it’s just the wind…sorry…sorry… But yes as I was saying; I have taken my time with writing this story as it still frightens me a little, and truth be told I’ll probably always be a bit jittery about it… wait…did you seriously not hear that?! Oh God…please send help…she’s…here… Anyway, it was maybe a couple of months ago now –  ahhh, how time flies when you are barricading yourself in a safe house, ey?  And I was readying myself for a second date with a lucky/unlucky lady  (not completely sure)  – you see the first time had went quite well, she seemed fun, kind-hearted, and was outrageously beautiful – so much so I felt like a humongous wart of a man in comparison, like the hunchback with Esmeralda you know? … but I digress… Despite all that I was pretty confident the second would go well too, just dinner then drinks or something – the usual set up; in all honesty as l...

I have held off telling this tale becau -shhhhhhh, quiet! Did you hear that…no? Oh…I erm…maybe it’s just the wind…sorry…sorry… But yes as I was saying; I have taken my time with writing this story as it still frightens me a little, and truth be told I’ll probably always be a bit jittery about it… wait…did you seriously not hear that?! Oh God…please send help…she’s…here… Anyway, it was maybe a couple of months ago now –  ahhh, how time flies when you are barricading yourself in a safe house, ey?  And I was readying myself for a second date with a lucky/unlucky lady  (not completely sure)  – you see the first time had went quite well, she seemed fun, kind-hearted, and was outrageously beautiful – so much so I felt like a humongous wart of a man in comparison, like the hunchback with Esmeralda you know? … but I digress… Despite all that I was pretty confident the second would go well too, just dinner then drinks or something – the usual set up; in all hon...

It was the night before jogging and all through the house, my excitement was stirring – maybe soon I’d have a spouse. But then I awoke and with the toll of the alarm…my body was unwilling – getting fit, had lost it’s charm. I’ve always been full of half-good ideas … you know; spontaneous expensive trips abroad instead of sensibly saving, new unnecessary shoes instead of paying the council tax bill, pizza for both tea  and  breakfast whilst still expecting a six-pack to materialise – that sort of thing. The sort of things that can be somewhat cute and quirky when you are younger, but unfortunately start to seem silly once the boring grip of age takes a hold. Now any choice I make seems HUGE; so huge that I often feel anxious even thinking about the what-ifs and the maybes…so huge that I occasionally feel like reverting to childhood where most decisions are made for you – so huge that I put huge in big massive capital letters so you know I’m not fucking ar...

It was the night before jogging and all through the house, my excitement was stirring – maybe soon I’d have a spouse. But then I awoke and with the toll of the alarm…my body was unwilling – getting fit, had lost it’s charm. I’ve always been full of half-good ideas … you know; spontaneous expensive trips abroad instead of sensibly saving, new unnecessary shoes instead of paying the council tax bill, pizza for both tea  and  breakfast whilst still expecting a six-pack to materialise – that sort of thing. The sort of things that can be somewhat cute and quirky when you are younger, but unfortunately start to seem silly once the boring grip of age takes a hold. Now any choice I make seems HUGE; so huge that I often feel anxious even thinking about the what-ifs and the maybes…so huge that I occasionally feel like reverting to childhood where most decisions are made for you – so huge that I put huge in big massive capital letters so you know I’m not fuc...

Y ou know the question. It’s the ultimate question. The question that you and I and everyone has laid awake at night thinking about. The question that brings equal parts wonder and terror to our feeble minds. Why are we here? What is the point of it all? What is the meaning of life? Well, fortunately, I figured it out while I was at the gym this morning. I’m pretty sure it’s a ham sandwich. And no, I’m not saying that just because I’m hungry. There’s an explanation here. I’m going to explain it, clickbait titles and all, in, oh, the next eight minutes or so. First off, before we can even appropriately ask “What is the meaning of life?” we must first settle something more subtle and something more important. Namely,  what is meaning ? WHAT IS MEANING? (AND OTHER QUESTIONS THAT MAKE YOU WANT TO PUNCH SOMEONE IN THE FACE) What is meaning? That may strike you as terribly navel-gazey and ultra-philosophical. And if that’s the case, I invite you to think about ham sandwiches for a moment...

Y ou know the question. It’s the ultimate question. The question that you and I and everyone has laid awake at night thinking about. The question that brings equal parts wonder and terror to our feeble minds. Why are we here? What is the point of it all? What is the meaning of life? Well, fortunately, I figured it out while I was at the gym this morning. I’m pretty sure it’s a ham sandwich. And no, I’m not saying that just because I’m hungry. There’s an explanation here. I’m going to explain it, clickbait titles and all, in, oh, the next eight minutes or so. First off, before we can even appropriately ask “What is the meaning of life?” we must first settle something more subtle and something more important. Namely,  what is meaning ? WHAT IS MEANING? (AND OTHER QUESTIONS THAT MAKE YOU WANT TO PUNCH SOMEONE IN THE FACE) What is meaning? That may strike you as terribly navel-gazey and ultra-philosophical. And if that’s the case, I invite you to think about ham sandwiches for...