Ahoy there my friends, it's the return of the Meerkat Muse! A Medley of Missed Calls If they don't leave a message, I won't be calling them back. It seems that I have been on the receiving end of a lot more junk calls of late. Some are from random mobile numbers, which makes them hard to trace. Others are from London, Manchester and Liverpool, among other places, and they are invariably tied to some sort of scam.

Amazon.com: The Schism eBook : Berwick, Ben: Kindle Store

Amazon.com: The Awakening eBook : Berwick, Ben: Kindle Store

Loiter on Twitter long enough, and you will soon find examples of how it has become a cesspit. Today's example comes from misogyny, and specifically the fear of educated women. I cannot speak to the experience, as I never got that far with higher education, but I am willing to bet that earning a PhD is a very proud moment for anyone.

Perhaps this post would belong to a science fiction setting, but there is an overlap with scientific ideas, and a dash of idealism as well. The original concept has been popularised in sci-fi for decades, and subsequently explored by scientists, but so far it remains a dream, and something of a long reach too. At present, we explore both the solar system and the wider universe via satellites, telescopes and probes.

Amazon.com: The Awakening eBook : Berwick, Ben: Kindle Store

Let's open the pages of history. Heralded as a legendary warrior, Queen Boudica terrorised the Romans during their occupation of Britain, but who was she? Other than the revolts she led, Queen Boudica’s life is shrouded in mystery. Her name is well-known due to her exploits as a leader; she had family, as part of the Iceni Tribe, but few details of her personal life are known.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? This isn't an easy question. There's a few serious contenders for the winner here, with some being relatively close to home, and some being far-flung. Whilst I'm not convinced my wife or daughter would particularly fancy the Highlands of Scotland, the peaceful and beautiful town of Aviemore is a little slice of rural heaven, at least in this meerkat's opinion.

My journey through life has seen me take a hearty interest in that which is often defined as geeky. Science fiction, fantasy, trains, technology, science, these are field that scream nerd. I dare say my overall appearance fits this rather well, and at one stage, I rather resented the label. After all, people wield terms like nerd and geek as insults.