I recently read about an interesting study that found that removing mistletoes from eucalyptus trees actually caused biodiversity to further deteriorate, particularly in the number of insect eating bird species present in the forest. Mistletoe is often considered a sort of pest as it is parasitic to its host tree. Anyone who has spent time … Read more
I was talking the other day to old Roger, at a Canberra Speleological Society trip to Wee Jasper, who was telling me about his first job in Australia working at the Orroral tracking station. I have long thought it is a tragedy that Orroral and Honeysuckle creek tracking stations, which were such an interesting piece … Read more
Reading an article in the Economist, about more work done on the fermi paradox (that the galaxy should be teeming with civilisations so why isn’t it), and i got musing again about interstellar travel. If we view the galaxy as being innately fertile, as i do, then the flowering of intelligence would be as necessary … Read more
Attended a really interesting talk last week, the ANU’s Jager Hales lecture which this year was given by Professor Edouard Bard (Collège de France & CEREGE Univ. Aix-Marseille, France) about the end of the last ice age, where from about 18,000 to 10,000 years ago the Earth slowly thawed out. It wasn’t a process that … Read more
Having a coffee before my first Earth sciences lecture, I watch some workman cutting up bike racks with a battery powered angle grinder and hacksaw. The sulphry burnt smell of the blade cutting through steel reminds me of dad’s workshop and the pipe saw, a strangely pleasant smoke I have inhaled since earliest memory, awash … Read more
I read two poems, edit and the Pact at the recent Poets for Peace event and they were well received by the Southside Poets. I liked the venue, Manning Clark House which was full of old books and winter sun streaming brightly in. It made me laugh to see photos of my old agriculture teacher … Read more
I am glad that we seem to have found the Higgs particle. Now we can all sleep comfortably with our good looking standard model. Watching the live feed.. so much data.. fantastic. webcast (will only work for another hour or so)
it’s taken me a few days to get to the point where i feel i can get all this down. you know i used to often think ‘nobody knows what’s going on’. it’s a conceited idea, i admit, but i do still believe it, in a way. i suppose what has changed since then is … Read more
In recent posts I have mused on new mental techniques like ‘pistons’ in the mind, and also on the mind experiencing time as dimension(s) beyond the three of the material world. I’m going to work these ideas together here a little more. Lets conduct an experiment. We are sealed in a room, without windows or … Read more
I came across this sweet little southern gem, designated X-TrA last night when fooling around in the vicinity. Held my son, Rowan, up to the eyepiece to have a look too. It’s 1500 light years away but the perfect clear dark sky and very high elevation brought it closer to us last night. Nearly the … Read more
i have in mind a new kind of religion that explains everything. i’m certain that i will get it all right this time. there is an opening salvo on my wardrobe blog. the eternal play of light and dark, matter and spirit, is just the interaction of the finite and the infinite. i call finite … Read more