Featured prophecy image: Tiger & Crow Mannequins, Shop Display Bangkok Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, Friday 13 May 2016 The art of prophecy & William Gibson Introduction I hadn’t intended to write this article about prophecy at all. Following Classic Scifi 4: William Gibson Neuromancer the next step was to analyse William Gibson’s prescience and his ability to prophesy elements …
Classic SciFi 4: William Gibson Neuromancer
Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, 20 April 2016 Featured image: Molly from Brazilian cover William Gibson, Neuromancer 1984 The local came booming in along the black induction strip, fine grit sifting from cracks in the tunnel’s ceiling. Case shuffled into the nearest door and watched the other passengers as he rode. A pair of predatory looking Christian Scientists were edging …
Marie Kondo, Tidying
Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, 14 March 2016 Introduction Marie Kondo The life-changing magic of tidying 2014. 2016 might be my year for getting excited over weird books. The Big Twitch in January and Gut in February are good examples. I mentioned my normal views on self-help books in my discussion of Gut by Giulia Enders and how I lean towards Steve …
Giulia Enders, Gut
Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, 21 February 2016 Introduction Giulia Enders Gut: the inside story of our body’s most under-rated organ 2015. Enders honesty about herself in the beginning of her Foreward is astonishing and endearing. I was born by caesarean section, she says and goes on to say that she couldn’t breast feed and was lactose intolerant until the age …
What is History 3: The Medieval Mind
Featured image: The Medieval Mind, Bode Museum, Berlin 2014 Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, 1 February 2016 What is History? Can we comprehend the medieval mind? Introduction As in What is History 1 and What is History 2 about sleep patterns, we are looking at the difficulty in understanding history in a conventional sense. Later articles cover 4 Love, 5 EH …
Sean Dooley: The Big Twitch
Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, 17 January 2015 Sean Dooley The Big Twitch, 2005 Occasionally, you read a book that you wouldn’t normally and it surprises you. The Big Twitch is such a book. We were staying with Denise’s mother in Cowra a week ago and I picked up The Big Twitch and began to read it. I found …
J.B.S. Haldane The Origin of Life, 1929
Featured Image: Detail from the cover of My Friend Mr Leakey Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, 18 December 2015 J.B.S. Haldane The Origin of Life, 1929 Introduction The fact about science, is that everyone who has made a serious contribution to it is aware, or very strongly suspects, that the world is not only queerer than anyone …
What is history 2: Sleep Patterns
Featured image: Good, shop in Bangkok Mall, 2011 Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, 14 December 2015 What is History? — Sleep patterns Preamble The next two articles are about how relatively ordinary people (like us?) lived in other times. It is a quirky question, but one I’ve often asked. And, I must admit I’ve rarely been satisfied …
What is History 1: Introduction
Featured image: Ishtar Gate Relief, Pergamon Museum, Berlin Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, 8 December 2015 What is History? An Introduction A confession I am not a historian. I didn’t study it at school or university. But as with most things I am interested in history, particularly its process. I am also interested in the general rather than the specific. …
Classic Sci Fi 3: Avram Davidson Rork!
Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, 11 November 2015 Introduction Avram Davidson Rork! Berkley Books,1965 I am hopelessly biased about Rork! by Avram Davidson. It is one of my favourite Classic Sci Fi books ever, particularly those of the short pulp variety, so far under discussion. Rork! is about 60,000 words. I am probably going to oversell it, be warned. …
Addicted to Sumo too
Featured photo: Simon Q Flickr, Wikimedia, Sumo bow-twirling ceremony, May 2014 Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, 20 October 2015 Sumo Wrestling Japan Introduction We made our first trip to Japan from 16 October to 25 November 2013. A friend had done a textile tour with Shuji Yamazaki a couple of years previously and had convinced us to …
Large dams 3: Oustees India
Feature photo: On the Godavari River, 2009 Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, 10 October 2015 Oustees across India : The tragedy of displaced people Introduction This is the last of three articles on large dams the others are Large Dams 1: An Introduction and Large Dams 2: Aswan High Dam. The Murray-Darling Basin Catastrophe describes a similar issue in Australia. …
Classic Sci Fi 2: Daniel F Galouye Dark Universe
Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, 26 September 2015 Introduction Daniel F Galouye came up with a brilliant idea when he wrote Dark Universe in 1961. In the short novel that follows that he fleshes out the idea with a good story, a well-rounded plot and reasonable characterisation. In other words, Dark Universe stands the test of time in …
Large dams 2: Aswan High Dam
Featured photo: Satellite image: Insightdigital & Google, Aswan High Dam 2009 Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, 21 September 2015 Case study: The Aswan High Dam and the Nile in Egypt Introduction This is the second of three articles on large dams the others are Large Dams 1: An Introduction and Large Dams 3: Oustees India. The Murray-Darling Basin Catastrophe describes …
Large Dams 1: An introduction
Featured photo: Palmyra Sculpture Centre, boats Aral Sea Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, 15 September 2015 Preface This is the first of three articles on large dams the others are Large Dams 2: Aswan High Dam and Large Dams 3: Oustees India. The Murray-Darling Basin Catastrophe describes a similar issue in Australia. Another related article is Rukmini Rao Woman …
