Welcome to 2024, nearly a quarter of the way through the 21st century. When I was a kid that was science fiction, but it’s a world very different from the one envisioned by many sci-fi writers of the twentieth century. I’m still waiting for my flying car. But hey – we’ve social media, trolls, malware … More Captain Cynic and the existential crisis of the 2020s
It’s the festive season. I don’t know where this year has gone – for my own part, I’ve had so much on my plate as a full-time writer that blogging has had to take a back seat. I’ve been wrapping up a four-year book project that’ll produce a final product of more than 320,000 words … More A happy festive season everybody
This week’s obscure English word is panary. It means a storing place for bread. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2023
This week’s obscure English word is vadable. It means a body of water, such as a stream or river, that is able to be forded. It is thus possible to say something such as: ‘after nightfall, Luke reached a dark, vadable stream, and so did not have to force a crossing.’ Your challenge: write a … More The obscure word of the week is vadable
One of my recollections of primary school is the way the teachers spent the majority of their time punishing the children, primarily for capital crimes such as not sitting still, making a slight noise, being supposedly inattentive, and so forth. Indeed, the child didn’t even have to do any of these things. To be accused … More How school runs against human nature
This week’s obscure English word is metanoia. It’s been lifted from the ancient Greek word metanoiein and means to dramatically change one’s mind, typically in terms of spiritual belief or outlook. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2023
This week’s obscure English word is agelast. It’s been hijacked from Greek and means someone who doesn’t laugh. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2023
One of the curious things about human society is the way that being awake at some idiotic early hour is seen as a moral virtue. You know – you’re blown out of bed by an alarm, stagger off to work half-awake, tip down litres of coffee in an effort to wake up, but hey, you’re … More The importance of night owls
This week’s obscure English word is gargalsthesia. It refers to the sensation created by tickling. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2023
Last week New Zealand had an election, and it went pretty much as expected. The Ardern-Hipkins government was punished for its failure to bring about a much-needed ‘transformation’ of New Zealand. They were elected in 2017 on that promise. At that time the economy had been operating on neo-liberal principles for the best part of … More The future of New Zealand’s democracy
Matthew Wright 
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