Bicycles
I didn’t seriously believe these existed until I actually saw them up close. The wikipedia article [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed-gear_bicycle] is both informative and unintentionally hilarious, as someone’s gone through and requested actual citations for repeated claims that “some cyclists prefer” and the like. The
Games
Terraria [http://www.terraria.org/] is an awesome game, if by awesome game you mean evil, evil timesuck. It’s Minecraft for people who can’t quite be arsed. It’s also extremely dangerous. Andy kindly hosted a world which, when translated onto my machine, somehow developed a few very,
Blu-Rays
I’m supposed to be writing something on Croatia now, but I keep not doing that. So instead, here’s something I wrote ages ago and forgot about. It’s thrilling. It’s about DVD commentaries. I know, I know, that’s a tautology. I grabbed the Doctor Who season
TV
No matter how out of touch you are with the rest of the world, it's reassuring to know that there's someone else out there thinking like you. It's tricky avoiding spoilers for a show that finished over five years ago, but I'm
Australia
These fries are French. Anyone can see they are French. What a travesty.
Politics
The myth of temporary protection visas [http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/2757748.html] An article about asylum seekers that uses data and explains a rational conclusion from it. Try reading it, then imagine that you live in a world where this sort of thing is the standard for such
Science
Are you a genuine skeptic or a climate denier? [http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/2737050.html] A nice aggressive piece targeted at people who think they're being moderate in response to controversy (normally a sound plan) but are just being silly.
Politics
Joke’s on us if we can’t make fun of pollies [http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/jokes-on-us-if-we-cant-make-fun-of-pollies-20110518-1esyb.html] I've always wondered why we don't have anything on the level of The Daily Show in Australia. Craig Reuchassel explains one of the reasons why.
Film
Embracing the Darkness, Sorrow and Brutality of Pan’s Labyrinth [http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/05/the-darkness-of-pans-labyrinth] If you loved Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, then this is worth a read. Because this guy also loves it, and he's watched it more times
Travel
Possibly because it was my first European city, I fell in love with Graz quite easily. I’d never seen such old things within a city before, or a river integrated quite so nicely, or a giant clocktower on a mountain overlooking the town. Or, for that matter, a giant
Games
I've been liking L.A. Noire, but reading Richard Cobbett's review [http://www.richardcobbett.com/journal/the-shadows-of-la-noire/] made me realise that I've been enjoying it more as a somewhat serious Xbox version of Phoenix Wright than as an actual noir mystery adventure. I guess
Travel
I’ve gone on a few tours around historical sites in recent weeks and I feel eminently qualified to profile the ideal and the utterly crap tour guide. Let’s open with something positive. The Ideal Guide You’re an academic working on restoring the ruins you’re showing the