Archive for 2010

What happens to your blood in space?

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

[I edited a blog for the NSW National Science Week Committee in mid-2009, called 10daysofscience. This is one of my resurrected posts]

Today I stumbled upon the humbling realisation that I had a lot to learn, professionally, from school-children.

Megan talks to schoolkids at Google

Megan talks to schoolkids at Google

I was one in their midst at Google HQ in Pyrmont this morning, listening, agog, as NASA astronaut Megan McArthur talked about working in space. Megan had fronted up in her blue NASA overalls, there to talk primarily about the fifth and final servicing mission of the Hubble Space Telescope she worked on in May this year.

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Behind the scenes of Contact: The Movie

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

[I edited a blog for the NSW National Science Week Committee in mid-2009, called 10daysofscience. This is one of my resurrected posts ...]

After a fortuitous encounter at the Eureka Awards dinner on Tuesday, Professor Bryan M. Gaensler leapt on a brilliant opportunity. But first: watch this.

 

Physics professor Gaensler had a tutorial scheduled the next day about the challenges of portraying science and astronomy in film. He planned to use 1996 movie ‘Contact‘ (starring Jodie Foster) as his primary example.

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What are they doing to Derek?

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

[I edited a blog for the NSW National Science Week Committee in mid-2009, called 10daysofscience. This is one of my resurrected posts ... and was a pretty incredible evening!]

Three-and-a-half seconds. That’s how long I could gaze at the man suspended from hooks before a shudder would arch up my spine and I’d turn my head away. Repeat.

But that was Wednesday night and I’m back for more. It’s Friday night at the Powerhouse and it’s all about fear. I’m here with my sister who politely refused a consent armband at the door. “I’ll hold your bag, OK?” she says.

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Brian Eno – SMALL CRAFT ON A MILK SEA

First published in The Brag, here.

Small Craft On A Milk Sea is Brian Eno’s first record on cult UK label Warp, and a collaboration with electronic composers Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams. One assumes Eno – lauded by Pitchfork sycophants as “ambient godfather/mega producer/art-rock legend” – had complete artistic license given his legendary status, yet Small Craft nestles with sinister perfection into Warp’s catalogue alongside acts like Battles, PVT and Aphex Twin in ways his previous records would not.

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Aztec Music – Tumbleweed re-issue liner notes

Tumbleweed: The Waterfront Years
1991-1993
(deluxe 2 CD reissue through Aztec Music)

In a bit of a new one for me, I wrote the substantial liner notes for Tumbleweed’s re-issue double CD. Erm, it’s a great listen … buy it!

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