New Zealand has been at war with rather a lot of nations over the years. Most of them declared war on us, not the other way around (we’re the good guys). But there are a few that New Zealand took on. Including – wait for it – wait for it. Finland. Yup. Finland. It was … More Countries on which New Zealand has declared war
This week I watched Don’t Look Up. I was impressed. Others may have different opinions, but to me it came across as a razor-sharp satire on the current zeitgiest, a social commentary of the highest order and a dark comedy with some solid science behind it. The scary part wasn’t the concept of a planet-killer … More What happens when Earth is hit by a 10km wide banana…
I figured out a way of making electric cars go further. All they need is a generator on board and – presto – no problems with battery charging. Better still, you can get rid of those heavy batteries altogether and run the electric motors from the juice provided by the generator. That’s even greener – … More How to make electric cars go further
I worked for many years in corporate communications. The organisation ran on buzzwords. They were amazing ways to get ahead. All you had to do was invoke them and you were in. When I joined, the buzzword was ‘budgeting’. Everything had to be budgeted, meaning properly planned and costed ahead of time. However, most of … More How to get ahead with buzzwords
One of my favourite songs is Richard Berry’s ‘Louie Louie’. It’s such a dumbass number – a three chord riff, three-note ostinato bass, and lyrics that were reputedly subject to CIA investigation on the basis of subversive content. But that was because Berry’s vocals were so muffled nobody could understand them. The lyrics, audible in … More Ten instruments on which I’ve played ‘Louie Louie’
When I was a lad and learning to drive, my Dad always warned me to watch out for ‘the car’. What he meant was the vehicle that – unerringly and without fail – would always be there, instantly, as I backed out of a driveway, or as I tried to change lanes, or turn a … More Watching out for ‘the car’ and other hazards of driving
There’s a planet in our solar system that’s the butt of far too many jokes. You know the one (and yes, I said ‘butt’). Nobody pronounces its name properly. Some say it’s ‘Your Anus’ (there, I said it). Others say it’s ‘Urine-us’ (there, I said that too). I know. Lame. And I can’t wait until … More Why Uranus is funny (and how to pronounce it properly)
What’s the secret to making a YouTube channel go viral? I certainly want to know. I write full time, and the way to make a small fortune from writing is to start with a large one. But YouTube – well, all you have to do is start a channel, go viral, and money flows in. … More How to make a YouTube channel go viral
I’ve decided to call defeat over conspiracy theories. You can’t stop ‘em or change the minds of anybody who believes them. So I’ve decided to join them. From here on, I’m a believer in every conspiracy theory around, especially the ones that contradict each other. So yes, the moon landings were faked (six times), and … More Why I believe every conspiracy theory, including the ones that contradict each other
I haven’t posted here for the past couple of weeks. Time to run my blog has been a bit sparse. Why? You’ll find out soon. Meanwhile have a guess as to what’s been going on. Have I been… Kidnapped by aliens from the planet Zorg. Founded a death metal band and got busy recording a … More Missing in action – a bit
Matthew Wright 
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