Sorry about that headline there – old tabloid journos write their own obituaries, did you know? I read an intriguing book a month ago – part crime mystery, part science fiction. The Last Policeman by Ben H Winters is set in New Hampshire USA at a time when a large asteroid known as Maia is on a collision course with earth. It has gone beyond speculation – they know where and when the asteroid (6.1…
The first chilly days of winter should turn our thoughts to those who don’t enjoy the warmth and security of a brick house, a fireplace, a comfy bed and a doona. You may glimpse such people huddled in doorways, covered with threadbare blankets or sleeping bags, as you rush from one place to another. There could be a piece of cardboard with “homeless – please help” written on it. And there may be a dog,…
My laptop is doing odd things – taking forever to load things I think I need and occasionally sending messages that the hard drive is full – blue-screen critical. The same goes for my two terabyte external hard drive – chockers, as are most of the USB memory sticks lying around. I downloaded a programme which analyses your computer and graphically shows you what type of files are taking up most room. Yes, I know,…
You won’t read too much in the mainstream media about the online news magazine, The Conversation. In case you didn’t know about The Conversation (research-based articles by academics), the Federal Labor Government gave the not-for-profit news organisation seed money of $1.5 million in 2011 and an extra $2 million over two years in the 2013 budget. But Education Minister Christopher Pyne has cut the funding, so The Conversation has to replace 25% of its operational…