Unpacking a Life – The Wanderer’s Art of Moving (Part 1)

Dan Wild

I’ve moved a lot over the years, maybe more than I should have. Perhaps this makes me a wanderer. I am less of a physical wanderer now, at least at the moment, but over fifteen years I lived in four different cities, often moving within cities. I first left Sydney for Canberra. Fittingly perhaps, as …

Cosmogony 766: Bad Ends

Dan Wild

Seventy kilometres north of Crete 581d’s capital, Reticulum, lie the Bad Ends. Most citizens avoid the Bad Ends. The Bad Ends became bad when Phineas Guthrie founded Conscious Follicles. Since then, hairdressing has often had links to organised crime. Jeremiah Kibbles moved into the area soon after, starting his business at the back of a …

Cosmogony 1243: Binary Loans

Dan Wild

A money lending chain founded by Nostradamus Noke in 2910, in ninety years Binary Loans grew from a small payday loan business to a successful franchise operating on both Crete 581d and Crete 581f. It avoids the Cretan 581d corporate tax rate of 30% by sending its revenue to holding companies on Crete 581f where …

Reducing demand for Arts degrees is a step back for Critical Thinking

Dan Wild

As you’re likely aware, the Australian Government recently doubled the cost of arts/humanities degrees. Its reasoning? Universities should focus on vocational degrees so students are job ready. I did a humanities degree, majoring in English and history. And I’ve had a solid career. First as an editor, then as a communications consultant working in a variety of fields, from …

Thanks for the music: Canberra, Ornette Coleman, Brenton Holmes

Dan Wild

I spent five years of my life in Canberra. It was here I really began my journey into jazz. Having taken jazz piano lessons with Paul Dal Broi, I advertised in the classifieds as a pianist and received a response from Eric Pozza who runs the Canberra Jazz blog. Eric plays bass and for a couple of …

The Lost History of the Tablet – from Athens to the iPad

Dan Wild

On October 17, 2011, I had a satirical piece published in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Heckler column. It can no longer be found online. Down with you Archivists! The article was a little nod to the great Steve Jobs who had recently left our Earth. I reproduce the article below from my only surviving newspaper …

Work, mortality and coffee

Dan Wild

It’s been several weeks since my last update and to be honest, Covid-19 has hit my motivation like a punch in the stomach. It’s a shock on a global scale, flooring health services around the world and sending economies into a tailspin. On a personal level, it has made the futures of many of us …

Another Life review – Netflix science fiction original

Dan Wild

I knew I’d seen Captain Niko Brekinridge somewhere before. Her feistiness reminded me a little of Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in Homeland. Even when the end credits rolled after the first episode I couldn’t place Katee Sackhoff, despite knowing the name: it’s been almost 15 years since I farewelled the Battlestar Galactica and Starbuck. As Captain …

Review of The Untamed – 2019 Chinese fantasy series

Dan Wild

陈情令 Chinese fantasy epic drama At first it seems that not much is happening. The show strolls along for a few episodes as we get to know the characters and background. But something is different about this Chinese fantasy. The strength of the cast, the quality of the dialogue and the orchestral soundtrack make The …

Justice in the City review 庭外和解 Accomplished Malaysian drama

Dan Wild

Year: 2012Rating: MEpisodes: 30 x ~42minCountry: Malaysia, Singapore Sometimes translators insist on creativity where none is needed. The direct translation of 庭外和解 (tíng wài héjiě), “Out of Court Settlement”, is a good title. Justice in the City isn’t a bad title, but it’s not as evocative. So folks, the title “Out of Court Settlement” is available, coming …