Author Archives: Andreas Moser
Assessing the risk of nuclear technology
The nuclear industry is keen on coming up with probabilistic risk assessments that show that a serious accident at a nuclear power plant can only happen every 20,000 years or so (admittedly this number is from a somewhat outdated report … Continue reading
Why I don’t answer the phone
A warning to everyone: I don’t like it when you call or e-mail me and your first sentence is “Why didn’t you answer your phone?” Even if it’s not posed as a question but as a statement (“You didn’t answer … Continue reading
Deutsche Aussenpolitik schafft sich ab.
Nach Wochen des Mordens, Bombardierens und apokalyptischen Schwadronierens durch den libyschen Führer Gaddafi hatte die Weltgemeinschaft in Form des UN-Sicherheitsrates ausnahmsweise mal selbst genug von den ewigen “Ermahnungen”, “Aufforderungen” und “dringenden Bitten”, mit denen sonst auf Menschenrechtsverletzungen reagiert wird. Vor … Continue reading
Why the North is taking itself too serious
Map-making has always had the problem of trying to fit the surface of a (roughly) ball-shaped object on a flat piece of paper. A map reflective of the true proportions of our planet would look something like this: However, most … Continue reading
Iran chickening out of 2012 Olympics?
Iran has threatened to boycott the 2012 Summer Olympics in London because the logo of the games resembles the world “Zion”. Iran has now complained to the International Olympic Committee – 4 years after the logo was launched. But see for … Continue reading
Half Marathon at Eton
For the first time in almost a year, I have managed to run a half marathon (21 km = 13 miles) again yesterday. I ran at Eton, a small town situated west of London, which forms one community with the … Continue reading
Superman, Batman and Spiderman off. Grandmother helps out.
At the risk of providing the British government with more arguments to cut police funding, some citizens can indeed do the job quite well: This month, a gang of robbers tried to burglar a jewellery store in Northampton, England in … Continue reading
The real explanation for the gender pay gap
Women have consistently been earning less than men, even in highly developed countries, and even in 2011. This is still true in most industries, even for women with the same qualifications as men. (For the related topic of female under-representation … Continue reading
Mandela deserves better
The mail delivery centres where you have to pick up the parcels that are too big to be squeezed through the letter slot, are rarely housed in beautiful buildings or located in enticing parts of the city. My local Royal … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 