Blogs

In celebration of the Great Big Science Read I revisited one of my favourite books, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the science fiction comedy by Douglas Adams. I confess science fiction has never grabbed me as a genre, unless you count enjoying the first couple of ... Continue Reading »

Look at the person nearest to you. Are they human? Look closely, and check that they are breathing or moving properly. If not, they could be a robot designed to infiltrate human society to learn about us. You could probably start poking pins into them just to be certain, however ... Continue Reading »

While researching for our recent RiAus event, Immortality… reality?, I was delighted to stumble upon this book published last month: 100+: How the Coming Age of Longevity Will Change Everything, From Careers and Relationships to Family and Faith.  ... Continue Reading »

Whenever you get into the argument about favourites it invites superlatives that don’t live up to reality. This is the best book I have ever read, tends to put a dampener on books you have yet to read, but the point is still made, there are just some things that stick ... Continue Reading »

The author Deirdre Barrett provides us with a brief synopsis of her non-fiction book, Supernormal Stimuli,  featured as part of RiAus' Great Big Science Read Nobel laureate Niko Tinbergen coined the term “supernormal stimuli” to describe imitations that appeal to animals’ instincts more strongly than the real thing. ... Continue Reading »

One less fish Kim Michelle Toft’s beautifully illustrated children’s book warns us of the perils of abusing our underwater ecosystems, with a particular focus upon the fragile ecology of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The narrative is a rhythmical countdown as angelfish, clownfish, parrotfish and others are eliminated one by one due to ... Continue Reading »

‘All our science is just a cookery book, with an orthodox theory of cooking that nobody's allowed to question, and a list of recipes that mustn't be added to except by special permission from the head cook.’ – Aldous Huxley, Brave New World Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is a shocking ... Continue Reading »