Context: The Three Minute Thesis is a public speaking competition I had intended to participate in this year. For reasons that will become obvious, I …
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You don’t look jurassic — a silly illo by Ian Gunn
‘You don’t look jurassic,’ says the stegosaurus to the tyrannosaurus rex. The Guardian published a helpful article discussing the science behind Jurassic Park. Apparently most …
Rise and Fall of the D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland
A review by Nalini Haynes Melisande Stokes is a linguist at Harvard, enticed away from academic life by Tristan Lyons, a mysterious man claiming to …
CHIPS (2017)
A review by Nalini Haynes 40 years after the TV series started airing, a CHIPS movie hit screens — and the movie spoofs the TV …
Jurassic Pork — a silly illo by Ian Gunn
Jurassic Pork is bringing home the bacon. This would be a conspiguous dinosaur. Would this make a pterodactyl a flying pig? Does this mean Miss Piggy is a …
The Ones That Disappeared by Zana Fraillon
A review by Nalini Haynes Ezra, Miran and Isa are children living in slavery, tending opium plans in a basement in Australia. They’re rarely allowed …
I’m interrupting this service to make an announcement…
Regular readers may have noticed that posts have become less frequent and interviews even more so this year. Over the past few years I’ve increasingly …
Junkfoodman (aka the Green Hamburger) — a silly illo by Ian Gunn
I have no words for Junkfoodman. Obviously it’s a spoof of the Green Lantern, possibly a combo of Ronald MacDonald and the Green Lantern. My …
Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
A review by Nalini Haynes Humpty Dumpty fell off his wall and broke into hundreds of pieces. Detective Jack Spratt and Sergeant Mary Mary of …
Kong: Skull Island
A review by Nalini Haynes A US soldier and a Japanese fighter crash on Wonder Woman’s island. There can’t be two islands that look the …
Jean Shearing (not what you think) — a silly illo by Ian Gunn
I’m sure this silly illo, ‘Jean Shearing’, comments on Ian’s need for K’rin, his partner, to shorten his jeans whenever he bought a new pair. …
Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield and Kate Fillion
A review by Nalini Haynes Commander Chris Hadfield, the Canadian astronaut who sang Space Oddity while floating in the International Space Station and who did …
Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion
Last year Suzanne Kiraly invited Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion to Bookplate, the cafe at the National Library of Australia, to promote their books Dangerous to Know (Buist) …
How to tell if it’s a Japanese science fiction film: a silly illo
‘How to tell if it’s a Japanese science fiction film’ (silly illo, above) may be true for Japanese films but it’s also true for American …
“PAX Pirata” panel on Creativity, Copyright, Conflict & Collaboration
Australia has a reputation for one of the highest rates of piracy in the world. There are reasons for this, like regions on DVDs and …