Rocket Science: Chapter 33 – FirefightSeptember 25, 2023
Previous Chapter.. “The exhibition is over.” Billyboy stepped forwards. Mr Kibbles backed away. “But we thank you for our arms. Boys?” Barrel raised his assault rifle, Martini his laser knife. Billyboy […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 32 – DemonstrationSeptember 25, 2023
Previous Chapter.. Mr Kibbles bowed flamboyantly. The fire of youth burned in his eyes, and although he wore the clothes of someone half his age, he wore them with pride. Marley half-bowed. “This is quite a collection you […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 31 – Accept this panelSeptember 21, 2023
Previous Chapter.. He regathered his senses and rose to his feet, again. The security guard who had kicked him out looked vaguely into the distance, as if Marley never existed. He brushed his trousers and jacket.“I’m […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 30 – Excessive ForceSeptember 21, 2023
Previous Chapter.. They did not look like the kind of ex-hipsters Marley expected at an exhibition. Too many smart jackets, trim hairstyles and no boots. Between the legs of the crowd, he perceived a cardboard sign leaning […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 29 – Hipsters at an ExhibitionSeptember 21, 2023
Previous Chapter.. He took out his fold-up tablet, or flablet, and entered the exhibition address on the ticket stub: Odyssey Hall, 24 Paradox Close, Very Bad Ends. He pinched his fingers and zoomed the map out. The orange […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 28 – Don’t play snooker after Bangers and MashSeptember 20, 2023
Previous Chapter.. He stopped, stumbling and out of breath. This part of the Bad Ends was badder. The wiring above the crossroads was so haphazard that only an electrician with obsessive-compulsive disorder could hope to untangle […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 27 – GraffigraphySeptember 20, 2023
Previous Chapter.. The rectangular metal cart rattled further into the Bad Ends. It was just passing the border into ‘Very Bad’. Chuck Marley might as well take advantage of the path being tidied before him. Inside […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 26 – Just a haircutSeptember 20, 2023
Previous Chapter.. Not far north of the Cretan capital, Reticulum, lay the Bad Ends. North of that lay the Very Bad Ends. South of the Bad Ends, the Not Quite Bad Ends went about their business being fairly standard livers of […]
Rocket Science: Chaper 25 – Trader EtiquetteSeptember 19, 2023
Previous Chapter.. Marley lent Gaston Dimble the Da Vinci manuscript. The historian pored over it in his quarters. Unusual antique spectacles didn’t help Gaston at all. But they looked good. Gaston studied his reflection in […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 24 – SupersonicSeptember 13, 2023
Previous chapter.. Zorgeous nursed a virgin cocktail between his claws, a Sagittarian Snap. He stirred the ice cubes with his left antler and they bounced gingerly on the surface of the syrupy mixture. He didn’t expect to […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 23 – Gourmet metalSeptember 12, 2023
Previous chapter… Gaston Dimble stood on his toes while Marley made his way through the terminal. Marley was subjected to a torrent of updates before he was within hearing distance. “…will be in conjunction in […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 22 – DescentSeptember 5, 2023
Previous Chapter.. “It’s your lucky day,” Moszkowski said to Marley as they strapped themselves in. “I do hope you’re familiar with the instructions on what to do in the case of an incident.” […]
Making the Amazing Meals of Martha MaloneyJanuary 8, 2022
Over twenty years in the making (about the time it takes for me to chop up veggies) and my first children’s book has been released. It was written with my author mother and illustrator “Aunty” Donna, who have […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 21 – Smoking roomJanuary 3, 2022
Previous Chapter.. Mixed vapours of tobacco invaded their nostrils. Havana cigars shared their scent with Asian beedis and Victory Diamond ready rubbed rolling tobacco. Several butts of Cowboy Reds lay on the floor near the […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 20 – Human in distressJanuary 3, 2022
Previous Chapter.. He butted his head on a plastic replica of the Cretan Eye dangling in his path. It swung back and hit him again in the same spot just above the eye. “Ow!” Moszkowski gently pushed the item away. […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 19 – Cuthbert the Mutant CamelJanuary 2, 2022
Previous Chapter Moszkowksi placed his bag of the day’s purchases on the floor and pressed a button on his wristwatch. “I can only give you 50,000 elon now, I am over the day’s limit.” He offered his […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 18 – Second hand satellitesDecember 27, 2021
Previous chapter.. “Go and have a look,” said Moszkowski. “It’s a sight not to be missed.” He extended his cane and started prodding through the pile of circuit boards that had tumbled from the […]
People with disability deserve accessible support servicesDecember 20, 2021
The International Day of People with Disability was 3 December. Andrew Hilton writes how his life has been touched by courageous close family who lived with life-challenging conditions. Long and personal rant follows. Apologies […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 17 – The BaconiansDecember 20, 2021
Previous Chapter… Marley had always found the Baconians a little scary. Tall and slender with large deep black angular eyes, they were uncannily similar to the aliens of humanity’s imagination before first contact. […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 16 – Keep smilingDecember 5, 2021
Previous Chapter They deactivated their gravity belts as the doors of Elevator D swung open. No magnetic tiling was needed in the primary areas. Centrifugal force generated by the Eye’s rotation kept boots firmly on the […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 15 – Illegal modsDecember 4, 2021
Previous Chapter… Luhman 16A, the brown dwarf around which revolved Crete, reposed in the sky like a rusty coin on the black interstellar bitumen. Moszkowski tapped Marley on the shoulder and pointed through the […]
Sleepless Society: Bedtime Wishes – Thai drama reviewNovember 29, 2021
Another epic outing in the Sleepless Society series, with 13 more episodes of challenging drama in this revenge tragedy. Nara (Savika Chaiyadej) goes to a country villa to catch up with new boyfriend Rain, who is turning his […]
Girl from Nowhere – cult Thai series reviewNovember 22, 2021
One way to describe Girl from Nowhere is a show that you would not recommend to your friends unless you want to punish them. At least not the squeamish ones. So warn them: GfN is a cross between satire and horror and is […]
Proclivia and Phidias: A dialogue part 2November 21, 2021
Previous… By Charlene Cat with Dan Wild Phidias: I would love to go to space. The other night I had a strange dream. It was of a rocket with five astronauts, so they are called. But it failed on launch and returned to the […]
Proclivia and Phidias: A dialogue somewhat in the style of PlatoNovember 15, 2021
By Charlene Cat with Dan Wild Phidias: My dear Proclivia, the state of the empire is not looking good. But we have only started our walk. Why am I already bringing up the decline and fall of the empire? Oh, and I hope you […]
Rocket Science Chapter 13 – HeadSpinNovember 8, 2021
Previous Chapter A well sculptured chin below a large nose, a lofty brow attended by flowing amber hair falling over large green eyes: this was Zeen Crawdex, who until recently had been a paragon of success. But his poisoning at […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 14 – To the Cretan EyeNovember 8, 2021
Previous chapter The Cretan Eye majestically hung in the green-blue sky like a toy space station suspended above a crib. One kilometre in diameter, with a circumference of 3.141592654 kilometres, this vast satellite was a homage […]
Sleepless Society: Insomnia – Thai thriller reviewOctober 25, 2021
During lockdown I started watching Thai TV. I’ve been to Thailand three times and Bangkok is one of my favourite cities. So I started learning a bit of the language too. Thanks to streaming services we can see that acting, […]
Space Sweepers movie review – Korean science fictionJuly 21, 2021
Space Sweepers, directed by Jo Sung-hee, is probably Korea’s first venture into blockbuster science fiction film. Much of Korean TV contains fantasy elements, so sci-fi isn’t too great a leap into the unknown. The […]
Record of Ragnarok review of Season 1 – AnimeJuly 17, 2021
Many of us dream of seeing showdowns between ultimate sporting legends, like a matchup between Don Bradman and Curtly Ambrose in cricket, or Muhammed Ali versus Mike Tyson. Or how about Fangio, Senna, Schumacher and Hamilton all […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 12 – Party of fourJuly 16, 2021
Previous Chapter Back in his quarters, Chuck Marley sat down and introduced Gaston Dimble and the Zorgon. The cleaning droid had attempted to tidy his room again. Pickle stains from the Betelgeuse Burgers remained, as did a […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 11 – The art of the loanJuly 16, 2021
Previous Chapter As Chuck Marley entered the office of Binary Loans he noticed the strapline above the door: ‘We Have Your Interest in Mind’ He strolled in, not over confident, but confident enough to attract the […]
Five great YouTube math channelsJuly 8, 2021
I watch maths channels on the internet. Why? I’m not sure. If I knew myself better I’d be able to answer that. I didn’t do well at school maths. Halfway through high school I dropped to intermediate level and […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 10 – Snooze buttonJune 29, 2021
Previous Chapter When the alarm went off Marley pushed the snooze button. The alarm buzzed half an hour later. Again Marley pushed snooze. One of the great advantages of modern technology was its adaptability. On the verge of the […]
Netflix Lupin review, with notes on French cultureJune 26, 2021
Omar Sy stars as Assane Diop, son of African immigrant Babakar, who is betrayed by an influential businessman. Babakar Diop (Fargasse Asandé), accused of theft, is imprisoned and ends his life in a cell, unable to live […]
Composing Sir Dinadan the Foolish Knight: Form and InspirationJune 23, 2021
I occasionally think about death. Being paganistic in a world dominated by the ego-centred Abrahamic faiths, my entrance into hell troubles me. May I request one thing: my arrival is accompanied by an orchestra playing my music. […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 9 – In denialJune 13, 2021
Previous Chapter The VT was playing hits of the 2670s. Chuck Marley had fallen asleep. Gaston Dimble was relishing the opportunity to study a rare historical document. The closest he had come to anything like this was when the […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 8 – Man of perfect proportionsJune 12, 2021
Previous Chapter When Gaston Dimble stumbled into Marley’s condo, he immediately began tucking into the leftover popcorn chicken. Marley had ordered a bowl of all varieties to entice the historian. He could never work out […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 7 – No sleeping in the libraryJune 11, 2021
Previous Chapter He climbed the stairs, two at a time and hovered within the lobby. From here he could see the backs of people on the endless steps. Others stood with hand above head, blocking out the artificial sunlight. The […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 6 – A short history of the Orion ArmJune 10, 2021
Previous Chapter He preferred to think he’d consulted a prophet, not a psychiatrist. That’s what he told Elysia in Server Assembly. She had been quite surprised how quickly he wired cords to their correct patch […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 5 – A candle and the shadowJune 8, 2021
Previous Chapter A rising hum passed through his entire range of hearing, like the proposed Ravel-Class Dreamliner lulling passengers to sleep. He had a sudden vision that maybe he should have done Flight Attendancy. Bags flashed […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 4 – Update the PriMateJune 4, 2021
Previous Chapter The PriMate tried its best analysing Chuck Marley, but he hadn’t installed the recent updates. In fact he hadn’t updated it in quite some time. His room was stuffy, and dietary feedback had been […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 3 – Procrastinating at the barJune 2, 2021
Previous chapter Marley lifted his head from the desk and looked around the library. It was mid-evening and buzzing with students. He collected his laser stylus and fold-up tablet, or flablet, and headed to the Quasar Bar to […]
Rocket Science: Chapter 2 – A haircut, red dust and OctomaidsMay 31, 2021
Previous Chapter Marley had not taken Interspecies Liaison seriously. Presentation was important, so the first requirement – have a haircut. He recalled his visit to the Shabbylands. The hairdresser had asked, “Do you […]
Rocket Science: Tales from the Orion ArmMay 31, 2021
Chapter 1 – The Omniverse The Multiverse was in a particularly bad mood when it first noticed Chuck Marley. It had just snacked on Y77, a small test universe on the fringes of imagination. Y77 was a failed universe and the […]
HMRC pour the Cup of PainMay 21, 2021
It must have been a cold day, greyer than usual for the London bureaucrats who are trying to chase down an alleged tax debt I accrued before I left Olde Blighty. As if Centrelink didn’t provide enough angst for me last […]
Sonnet 3 — After WSMay 20, 2021
Scatter my ashes in your vale of kings,Or by a pond secure from frosty wind;Or lake, perhaps, where yesterday’s tidingsBring repose and solace I might yet findFrom the harsh sun that burnt me brown as duskIn autumn. Winter […]
Percy the Pianist: Canto 1, stanzas 51-69April 14, 2021
Previous.. Invocatio: To its own substance; woven tracery ran Of light firm texture, ribbed and branching, o’er The solid rind, like a leaf’s veined fan— Of which Love scooped […]
Percy the Pianist: Canto 1, stanzas 42-50April 8, 2021
Previous… 42[This stanza has intentionally been left blank] 43He slunk into the bath after high tea,Bringing a wafer wiv ‘im. Today he’d sayGoodbye to innocence, as minstrelsyBeckoned – he hoped […]
Percy the Pianist: Canto 1, stanzas 31-41March 23, 2021
Previous.. 31Half a day before the gathering stormRose Percy, not Percival of Wagner’sDour overture, based on the French wormOf Tours – these were really snaky nagas,Like an open pack of Lady gagasBought from a small […]
