The problem with going to Mars (of which the Moon, I am told, is a part) is that it’s not just a long way off, it’s also kind of desolate. No atmosphere to speak of. Barren. Waterless, except a bit. Was once a fertile place. Then it suffered climate change. All that was about three … More Let’s go to Mars (of which the Moon is a part)
Some people I visited a while back had an Amazon Echo, the device that connects to Amazon’s Alexa AI. I won’t have one in my house. A microphone that’s always on – waiting for the ‘hey Alexa’ call – and thus potentially sending everything back to a database run by persons unknown (and, at times, … More Fun with an Amazon Echo
The juxtaposition of the unlikely always has had appeal to me. Not least because it’s often very funny. I think such things are usually called ‘mashups’, but a century or so ago the word was ‘dada’, after the art movement that pivoted around superficially irrational juxtaposition. A friend pointed me to an example the other … More The ultimate mashup: Gordon Freeman’s Model of a Modern Major General
I found myself thinking, the other day, about the Six Million Dollar Man. You know the one: that series from the seventies where former astronaut Steve Austin crashes an M2-F2 lifting body and nearly dies, but luckily the technology’s there, in this exciting post-Apollo world, to rebuild him as the world’s first ‘bionic man’ – … More Six Million Dollar Silliness
Today I thought I’d examine a couple of hyperbolic metaphors on the basis of their being literally true and see where that got me, scientifically. I mean, what is a hyperbolic metaphor worth if science can’t say something about it, really? Check this out. ‘Enough food to sink a battleship’ How much food would sink … More If hyperbolic metaphors were true…
Hey folks, I’ve been back to cooking again, and I’ve got a couple of rice recipes which I can’t choose between. Which of these sounds better? Boiled rice glop served in a revolting steaming splatter on a plate Ingredients ½ cup rice 1 cup frozen carrots and peas ½ cup grated cheese Tomato sauce 1 … More Which recipe would you eat?
I’ve got a cooking dilemma. Can anybody help? I found this recipe online, first published in the Chicago Tribune in 2016, and subsequently around the world: 2 cups flour, 2/3 tb salt, 1/2 tb dried thyme, 1/2 tb dried basil , 1/3 tb dried oregano, 1 tb celery salt, 1 tb ground black pepper, 1 … More Solving a cooking dilemma
I am a great enthusiast for found humour. You know – stuff in everyday life that’s a complete crack-up. The highlight the other week, for me, was a menu featuring ‘Goujons of Fish’, which had all sorts of possibilities. ‘Goujon’. A cool word, and so bursting with potential for scurrilous-sounding meanings. Say it slowly. ‘Goujon.’ … More On the wonders of found humour and fish goujons
Have you ever noticed how buzzwords come and go? They must be among the fastest evolving words in English – and with good reason, given that most of them are vacuous attempts to hide one thing by couching it as another. Back in the 1980s the in-word in New Zealand was ‘corporate’, particularly in government … More Buzzword stupidity – part 3,996,843
I tried to buy a piece of tech gear the other day. I didn’t know whether it would do one or two things that I needed – the online documentation wasn’t clear. But I was sure the tech shop I went to could help. The discussion (with a certain amount of hyperbole) went something like … More How to buy technological gadgets, Part 486
Matthew Wright 
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