Richard Dawkins, author of Unweaving the Rainbow, is a controversial writer. Sometimes this is because of his content; there are people who also find his tone supercilious. I myself came to him quite pleasantly – Douglas Adams, an author whom I enjoy immensely, is a big fan, and this comes through in Adams’ own The Salmon […]
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Archive | April, 2012
Anna Rose Above It
April 27, 2012 
3 Comments
So last night (April 26th) I had the pleasure of watching the ABC’s climate special. This involved their documentary, “I Can Change Your Mind…On Climate”, in which delayer Nick Minchin and advocate Anna Rose flit about the world talking to climate scientists who accept the climate science, and recreational bloggers or political pundits, who dispute […]
Read more Reflections on my Climate Activism
April 25, 2012 0 Comments
Being engaged in climate activism can be the worst. Humanity is currently on track to face terrible increases in global temperatures, rising sea levels, chaotic and highly destructive weather events, the loss of agricultural land, and the loss of water security. This is freaking alarming. But again, and again, the needed change that climate activists […]
Read more Book 5: “Dracula”, Bram Stoker
April 25, 2012 2 Comments
It isn’t often that I’ve been motivated to read a book after watching a video trailer about it done entirely in LEGO. I feel it may be safe to say that very few books have video trailers about them done entirely in LEGO. Would you believe it, Dracula is the exception. There’s a certain strangeness […]
Read moreOn Punch
April 23, 2012 0 Comments
I can gladly say that my childhood memories are cheerily replete with home-made punch. Growing up, the making of punch was one of the rituals that signified a grand occasion. We had punch at birthdays, Christmas brunches, parties. I remember the alchemic and exciting process that allowed this to happen: the preparation of cold tea; […]
Read more Book 4: “The Thank You Economy”, Gary Vaynerchuk
April 21, 2012 0 Comments
For all their worth, self-help books, and books about business, both tend to exhibit sickening quantities of saccharine motivational fluff. This book falls in to the same trap but is still a worthwhile read, and it has a lot to say of interest. In “The Thank You Economy”, Vaynerchuk argues that social media is bringing […]
Read moresoulful
April 21, 2012 0 Comments
the world’s own soul, it shines in you, as you swift and fleet from friend to place. your phoenix life in service spent- an inward-out beauty through and through secret source of strength, you stride and learn, and teach, and make, and do. unique and yet shared with so many, yourself is principle applied. the […]
Read more The Name Hat Game
April 20, 2012 1 Comment
This game is a winner. I’ve played it countless times in different settings, and every time those losers who started out cynical come around to it in no time at all. I learnt it from a Canadian and the game has since spread around the Australia like wildfire. Last night I played three straight games […]
Read more Book 3: “Cult-ure”, Rian Hughes
April 18, 2012 0 Comments
This is a beautiful book. I think it is misleading to call it a novel, it is something closer to an art book or a coffee table book: a beauteous, lusciously portrayed collection of ideas. Given that most of my familiarity with culture as an academic concept comes from reading cycling zines by a Doctor of […]
Read moreWhy You Should Too
April 17, 2012 0 Comments
I realise that activism isn’t for everyone. While I find gigs interesting, games of capture the flag interesting, I also find attending forums, plenaries, conferences interesting. I also find opportunities to acquire useful skills, from making clothing to campaigning, interesting. Some of you may not find these things so interesting. Some of you may be […]
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