No patriot

Recent articles

• Automatic Richter

  December 26, 2009 in General

  Watching the yachts leave for the Sydney to Hobart is a Boxing Day tradition. But today’s weather was pretty poor, and using my phone camera just amplified the conditions.

  I reckon the out of focus effects look a little like an oil painting, with that characteristic Richter wooziness.

• 20 questions

  December 24, 2009 in General

  The editor at New Matilda emailed asking for max 140 character answers for a piece. Not sure it’s really crowdsourcing when you get contributors for contribs, but NM’s one of the original online magazines in a rapidly expanding field. Here’s what I sent in.
  Where are the best fish and chips near you?
  Fishface serves up [...]

• Welcome to the family

  December 13, 2009 in General

  I drove out to Auburn for a citizenship ceremony this week. If you’ve never attended one, and I hadn’t before this, you’re probably imagining one of those momentous Australia Day citizenship ceremonies, with the PM and various outstanding Australians talking about what the country means to them.

  Well this wasn’t like that. Despite it being [...]

• Things I miss: live instores

  December 9, 2009 in General

  Everyone talks about how much things have changed in music, but no one talks about instores.
  It was the ultimate fan gig, with the band playing in a tiny room, just metres away. When Redd Kross did an instore at Waterfront Records, I was blown away to hear them playing acoustic.
  Hanging out there at [...]

• Book shop

  December 9, 2009 in General

  Wandering around book shops is one of my favourite things to do, although, like record shops, I’m often paralysed by choice.

  At this huge shop in Brisbane, all I could manage was a Patrick White and two children’s books (including one called Vic Meets Slapper by Eric The Red).