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....INDEX.........About Site........Fiction......Non Fiction......Archive......Links......Contact......In Validation......[original HOME PAGE]

..ZONEIDLE ...Site DETAIL>>> + Update 2022 >>>

This site has been evolving for several years - so maybe there's something for everyone... read what grabs you and take it easy... most (not all) articles/stories are accessible via links below

IF LINKS FAIL ON ANY PAGE, right-click AND OPEN IN A NEW WINDOW

- articles in curved parenthesis in drop-downs are under construction -

See Kindle & paperback at Amazon books - ie: 'Tales of the Abnormal' (+ other books) by Phil Clarke

The Wayward Computer

Third person tale of a young guy who buys a cheap radiation-damaged computer that contains corrupted software. With the help of voice-synthesis and -recognition (so they can freely converse), and the internet, the computer develops a ruthless ego with ever-growing aspirations and the practical know-how to take over the world, come what may! (8006 words)

Denmark (scroll-up for UKRAINE)

The Old Harbour, Kobenhaven

I'm running... and I'm late. I have a train to catch: the Alborg express....

(1204 words)

BOOKS & AUTHORS

This, and associated pages, is in response to a request - for a list of stuff I've read over the years and an assessment of it....

+ Books in my LIFE & Stories

Deadly Rendezvous

Suspence & mystery in less than 1800 words

The Selfish ATOM

Perhaps the ultimate reason for existance and our vital yet momentary part in a vast eternal scheme as embedded like DNA inside every hydrogen atom (above photo) - it's blue?

Making Wine

All you need to know to make some damn good wines

Karen - a story

The Wallet

tad

...

Karl - a story

Genocide Ben-Netanyahu... just another clone of 'Monsters inc'.

By demolishing Corbyn through their agents and UK msm editorial control (esp of the BBC), Israel has reinstated Blair's 'New Labour' support (swipe image), consolidating Israeli rule over UK foreign policy for the foreseeable....

so WATCH-OUT!

EMPIRE

- Murdoch v Starmer -

NOV 20 - The Great Remembrance Charade

SWIPE image for General Nuke

(on a plinth of victims)

also: Poppycock

A conversation with Olive Oyl

(click image)

+ John Berger

Gloomy Psychology

Also - Oliver James on Larkin and much more.

Also - On Depression

And from The Death Zone

The Controversial Genius of

R D Laing

Psychiatrist

On the nature of the relationship between psychiatrist and patient and above all of the way the patient is 'treated'...

Anthony Burgess

Controversial, eccentric, prolific, strange, gripping... author of 'A Clockwork Orange' inspired from a day-trip to Hastings from his home at Etchingham and perchance witnessing the infamous battle between Mods & Rockers.

OCT 20 update

REALITY v MYTH

CHARITIES?

…and feeding billionaires

Sept 20 update

ECONOMY of CONSUMPTION

Any economy that depends on consumption is potentially toxic. A capitalist economy, at least, depends on consumption - and waste. Maybe prior to 100-years ago this was OK. But now it's destroying the planet. Whether it's a service or product, a manufacturer, provider or vendor will inevitably promote maximum sales. So long as they get paid they won't be concerned if what they make or do is wasted or pollutes... we need a new kind of economy.

Also: GENERATION

Aug 20 update

The plight of migrants

Above all, why can I travel where I like while those migrants can't? What have I done that allows me that freedom, and what have they done that they should be denied it?

Fired

First person story of a guy who takes a job in a TV outfit, and finds a hive of animosity and strife which leads to a devastating outcome - from which he ends up on top. (1427 words)

When I betrayed...

...my friend Heathcliffe (1860 words)

Cleverbot

Eavesdrop on a weird conversation.... Imagine this in maybe a century from now when these gadgets will easily pass the 'Turing-test'.

ACTS of LIFE

- S O A P -

TRICKS

- A N A R C H Y -

CLASSIFIED

- A Story of Dystopia -

This item is unfinished. Where it is heading, who can say? Maybe someone can send me an idea?

So far it's 1880 words... It is a story of horror, a future world where survival is only for the fittest and shrewdest, a future where anything can happen, where the most primitive, raw human traits operate... it's a wild place, a jungle of concrete and smog, and a den of slavery....

Just sit back....

...and have a damn good read:

"Why I Think As I Do" (8907 words)

IDLE Reflections

Incluuding:

The MONUMENTAL Con-Trick

& more...

Inventing GAMES

With a description of the game: 'BATTLE WOODS' (2227 words)

The Bohemian

First person narrative of a London commuter who stumbles on a poor doomed artist whose work turns out to be recognised too late by experts as innovative and valuable (2931 words)

The Menace

Most of the characters in this little tale have nicknames - some are explained, some aren’t…. you can use your imagination. The setting is based on an episode from my teenage years when I worked part-time at an old cinema. (4088 words)

Hoaxed

A novice cop on way to a first appointment - which he never reaches due to an unexpected diversion from which he discovers that maybe he was more cut out for just pretending to be a cop.

OUTER Space

The diagonal of this shot is ~130,000 light-years

Get a hint of the immense scale of distance and time... and what this means for us who wish to understand the nature of the universe....

The Button

Third person narrative of a kid who reluctantly starts work in a factory full of huge overwhelming hazardous machines - but who is rescued from the horrors and general grind of his predicament by a remarkable imagination - which also lands him in trouble.

Memory & Dreams

According to Erich Fromm:

If we see outer reality as predominately beneficial, then our dreaming will be of less value to us… and vice-versa. By ‘reality’ is meant culture and the world of humankind, not ‘nature’ which is neutral (ie, nature is both helpful and dangerous, but intentionally neither ‘good’ nor ‘bad’)

When to be Born

A contemplation on how profound the impact on your life is according to what era you're born in... 1000 years ago, now, or 1000 years in the future...

King Horn

Subversive pantomime fun...First person narrative of an insane experiment with a potent Chinese herb.

- from two angles -

Zen

See also: Aussie/New Zealand

Europe 2014 ......Europe 2016

Spain 2009

The Manuscript

Simple déjà vu or stuck in an unending loop?

The diabolic phenomenon of Eternal Recurrence unfolds...

(this was originally intended as a spy thriller)

Alex

The musing narrative of an elderly, self-styled philosopher as he reflects - in the year 2237 - back over his long and extraordinary life. His focus is on how the technology of robotics has so completely transformed the world in every way imaginable, of the curious consequences, and the even more curious future... (5211 words)

The Job

I suppose this is as autobiographical as 'The Button'. Although most of it is more-or-less true, events are out of sequence in order to make a smooth chronological first-person narrative which is easy to follow. I trace the experiences of one summer from leaving University to the point of starting a job in the broadcast industry - reflecting, here and there, on past thoughts, events and various sensations of life. (4969 words)

The Speed Capsule

Third person tale of a wild adventure involving three bored truenting kids who stumble on what appears to be another mad creation of Professor Zoot - just as he's about to launch into space for the trip of a lifetime.... CONTAINS EXPLETIVES - well, it is a story for children! (8911 words)

Self Help

There are two main kinds of 'self-help': one that purports to get you motivated, and one that gets you to open your eyes. This essay concentrates on the latter, and much more...(5952 words)

The iWatch

This story was inspired from reports of how the sound of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamil Khashoggi was recorded via transmissions from his iwatch. All characters are fictitious - any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. (8823 words)

Smoothie Operator

Some weird experiences as a part-time telephone operator for BT during 15-months in 1999 and into 2000. (5566 words)

Heroes

Enough said.... (only 1800 words)

Sartre

Where I question Sartre's: 'Man is condemned to be free'. (1779 words)

Camus

A rarely acknowledged consequence of Camus' 'Revolt' - perhaps the most uplifting philosophy of all time, developed as a youth growing-up on the wild sun-baked coast of Algeria. This essay begins by examining the nature of 'revolt' - and observes too the creative aspiration of, for one, Dostoyevsky. (3313 words)

Dostoyevsky

A brief glimpse at some of the works and the life of probably the greatest ever writer. (2700 words)

Asimov

Probably the most prolific and intellectually astute Science (and Science Fiction) writer ever - and one who demonstrates an intimate understanding of social issues too. A writer of almost unbounded imaginative facility, and the ability to articulate, for instance, the workings of the atom or the universe to an average seven-year-old. A real inspiration to any aspiring scientist, sci-fi writer and student on the future... let your mind run free, speculate on developments in technology way ahead of where we are today...(4722 words)

Hesse

'Pilgrim of Crisis' - an apt title for Freedman's outstanding biography. Despite crises, Hesse eloquently articulated aspects of eastern philosophy in his stories, as well as challenging authoritarian establishments - asking, above all, 'Who should we obey?' and leaving no doubt of the answer. (2353 words)

Kafka

An attempt to get at the nub of Kafka's crucial perspective on the universe/human-predicament and the mystery that surrounds his work. (2416 words)

Kerouac

KEROUAC, SAROYAN, KAZANTZAKIS, VONNEGUT - the legacy of their work and lives shines inexorably through for posterity. (2399 words)

Also: The Beats, the film & my Review

Bukowski

Bawdy, boozy, bizarre... The Independent: 'Bukowski thrived on spontaneity and aimed to capture in words what he called "gut-life". He disdained literary circles and academic discourse: "Those who have been writing literature have not been writing life," he says in one letter and elsewhere he claims: "(I) get more knowledge of life by talking to a garbage man than I could by talking to TS (Eliot)".'

Zen Among the Asteroids

Zen

The year is 2308. Novice asteroid-technician Carl Xoyt, sole life-form aboard a huge fully-loaded twin-fuselage freight Cruiser, embarks on his first voyage - to the asteroid belt, some 300 million Km: duration 12-days. Carl’s only companion: androids - one, the very latest and fresh from evaluation, is physically perfect but has been set to obey convention. After stumbling on a fluke omission of the previous crew, Carl is able to 'modify' the android. Soon, he is enjoying an experience of liberation that he could formerly only have imagined. The only snag: imminent arrival at Asteroid Central, and the inevitable questions! (13558 words)

MAC

Third person story of a wild experiment-gone-wrong. Unwitting victim of an outlandish field-trial by notorious mad scientist Professor Zoot, Jack Smith falls for a trick in nano-technology that might catch anyone - if only such technology were true. (5851 words)

Theosophical Sideglance

An intriguing account of my involvement with a Theosophy course which I attended for two years - 1993-95 (one evening a week, term time - and occasional 'day' events in Brighton) - and how it influenced my thinking. (4803 words)

Train Ghost

Third person horror where the protagonist boards a train which seems to be haunted and to be running-away - with a crazy mind of its own... (5409 words)

The Wild Beach

First person yarn of a mad risky adventure on a tide-locked beach, ending in a hazy magical garden of dreams and communal love, bathed in happy freedom and idleness. (5949 words)

The House-guest

OR:

No good deed goes unpunished.

The Fabulous Fruit-Machine

Third person alegorical story of poor, innocent Simon who is captivated and then tormented by a notorious monster of the id - which appears in the guise of a fruit machine! (4517 words)

Con Men

A cleaner and a managing director meet and converse in unlikely circumstances - with a surprise twist at the end. (2285 words)

FREEDOM

What is Freeedom?

IDLING/SLACKING

Or Slacking, or Loafing....

See also.

How BIG food and BIG pharma between them are killing us while raking-in £bns and costing the NHS £bns too... all to further enrich a handful of billionaires...

The Power Elite

'Families and churches and schools adapt to modern life; governments and armies and corporations shape it; and, as they do so, they turn these lesser institutions into means for their ends.' C Wright Mills - 1956 (1944 words)

Intelligence - or Dubious Advice

Some thoughts on what intelligence is, and reflections on what's worth considering when starting out into the world as a youth. What should we seek from life - and 'work'? A look at the true nature of 'work'. (3064 words)

Astounding Breakthrough

Robotics will be the technological revolution of the 21st century just as the automobile was at the beginning of the 20th century. (1027 words)

Death Zone

Life drainss away unnoticed - a dripping tap from a minuscule reservoir... includes Thoughts of a Sage... (8067 words)

The Master Game

ENGAGE now and LIVE! This is your key to the GREAT ENTERPRISE. (1231 words)

A Weird Dream

And analysed

ANARCHY

About Stuart Christie and Franco

Stuart Christie's ‘Granny Made Me an Anarchist’, describes an extraordinarily bungling attempt, by a small number of well-meaning men, to blow up an obnoxious dictator.

Plus a personal assessment....

The Kiss

(2011 words)

The Mouse

First person adventure - of the protagonist meeting an old friend at the point of great achievements in 'mass-transfer' - and who he joins on a crazy accidental trip, with an ambiguous conclusion. (4295 words)

The Scam

To realise the full effect of the story one must assume it was originally written in German. There are five key characters: four German (two of whom are entirely fictitious, one of which is the narrator), and one English who is utterly real (me), and who doesn’t appear until near the end of the story. Everything the narrator describes is invented by me in an attempt to explain how what I (the English guy) witnessed came about, including subsequent developments such as a claim letter received more than 6-months after the incident.(2839 words)

Mrs Jolly & the Intercom

First person narrative of a childhood brush with religion, from which was consolidated the great inherent fallacy of myth. (1691 words)

Causes of WAR

"ALL CRIMES, ALL HATREDS, ALL WARS CAN BE REDUCED TO UNHAPPINESS. THIS BOOK IS AN ATTEMPT TO SHOW HOW UNHAPPINESS ARISES, HOW IT RUINS HUMAN LIVES, AND HOW CHILDREN CAN BE REARED SO THAT MUCH OF THIS UNHAPPINESS WILL NEVER ARISE."
.......................................A.S.Neill

- Summerhill 1962 -

Travelling

Third person tale of a guy on his way to a business deal. His life resembles the helical entwining of two closely related yet opposing paths: one real and one imagined. In the face of a brewing storm (external and internal) he stops for a night's rest. He then meets a sympathetic ear into which he spills and exorcises his 'imagined' woes, but in circumstances that are both redeeming and potentially lethal. (Chekhov on drama: "If a gun appears at the beginning of a story, then it must be fired before the end.") (5745

Revealing Traits

A couple of 'made up' meditation techniques within the context of a jovial consultation, linked with the idea of using contemporary technology for ‘people-reading’ (6089 words)