A little while ago I came by chance upon a slightly different way of looking at the world which I called 'STA'. I had to call it something. The essays collected here were written from that perspective, and so I hope they may serve as a casual introduction. (It can be explored more fully at www.sta-website.com and in the book predictably entitled STA serialised at www.sta-serial.com) STA could be described as a thought-experiment: how would the world appear to us if we looked at it squarely, without our social and cultural preconceptions? From this everyday experience which each of us can share, it builds a rational world-view that is surprising, heartening and quietly radical. But you mustn't take my word for it. The best advice is to try it yourself: Sta et considera miracula; stand still and consider the wondrous things.