Fermi Paradox: Named after Enrico Fermi, it’s the question of - given the age of the universe and the probability of extra-terrestrial life - why haven’t we been visited by an intelligent alien species yet? Little Jane is playing by the pond. Mum has a close eye on her as the rest of the adults … Continue reading Fermi Paradox
Month: Mar 2019
The Scabby Fruit
Standing on a hillside in Victoria, I look across the open fields and see a million scruffy, wild bushes with little red fruits. The first frost of the year was last night and the little old lady whose house I clean has asked me - no begged me - to take her out into the … Continue reading The Scabby Fruit
The Beach Town
I recently moved to a little beach town in New Zealand from a nice apartment in New York City. I had to escape the hustle, the bustle and the vain, lying, superficial people that I saw day to day. Everyone in this town was so down to earth, except it seemed for the vain, lying, … Continue reading The Beach Town
The Scoop
The rosella isn’t just a squawking, flying, crapping parrot. It’s an icon of Australia, and if it doesn’t conjure images of soup, biscuits, tomato sauce and jam, then you’re just un-Australian. But the Rosella Preserving and Manufacturing Co. wasn’t named after a parrot, it was named after a plant: the Roselle, or Hibiscus sabdariffa. It’s … Continue reading The Scoop
The Suspicious Tent
“That tent’s been on the side of the highway for the last three days. I wouldn’t want to go near it. Only a freak would camp right beside a busy highway for three days.” That’s the mental process of everyone that’s driven past the little blue tent. And if the person that set it up … Continue reading The Suspicious Tent
Glen, the Railway Man
The rails whisper before the steam even appears on the horizon, but Glen doesn’t know for sure that the train is coming until he sees its headlight blazing the way. His vision is failing him, and his hearing is all but gone. There’s no mistaking the feeling of the earth rumbling though, as the steam … Continue reading Glen, the Railway Man