Carl James

I have a smart home. I’m not talking about a couple of light bulbs that I can turn pink from my phone, although I can do that too. I mean a properly smart home, the sort of home that has developed into such a complicated collection of sensors, switches, computers and automations that occasionally I find myself having to fix a problem that simply wouldn’t have existed had I not tried to make my home intelligent in the first place. There are sensors that know when I enter a

For as long as I can remember, I had a reasonably clear idea of where my life was heading. I wanted a career, a marriage, children, a beautiful home and all those other things we’re encouraged to believe constitute a successful life. And, for the most part, I achieved them. I wasn’t following some meticulously constructed plan. I didn’t know precisely what the future would look like, but I understood the direction I was travelling. I had a career I was proud of, a beautif

For those who've been keeping up with my story, you'll know that my marriage ended, rather unexpectedly for me, around 18 months ago. After the dust had settled, as is often the temptation, I found myself dipping my reluctant and still war-torn toe into the pool of modern dating. About a year after the separation, I picked up a digital device, exchanged a few coins per month and embarked on the awful, commodity-fuelled world of online dating. We're bombarded with apps, ea

We've embraced online shopping because it allows us to browse, compare, select and return without the awkwardness of human interaction. No uncomfortable conversations, no explanations, no disapproving glances from a shop assistant when we decide something isn't quite what we wanted. And somewhere along the way, we began approaching online dating in much the same manner. We browse people as though they were products, compare them against alternatives and quietly discard tho

Do you remember when the human race wasn’t constantly staring at a six-inch illuminated piece of glass and a time when the vibrating...

I recently discovered a hole in my life, nothing of major concern, but I was on the hunt to fill the void left following completing some...

How often do you get asked, “What’s your favourite song ever?” When I get asked this, I shudder and think, what a pointless question. Music can’t be held to a singular champion, one song to rule them all. Of course, like most, I have my favourites. Some are contemporary and of this era, and others are your traditional classics that most of your peers would also hold up as great songs. Then there’s that thought-provoking side question of what even makes a great song. Many year

In the UK (and possibly other countries too), the lion share of suicides are in men and this isn’t by a small margin as is often the case...

Ok, my turn to share my views on the EU referendum result. Firstly, I blame Simon Cowell - that might sound like a joke statement and it...