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Banging about on the box
I was invited a while ago to talk about nerds on television on the pre-eminent Australian TV podcast, Boxcutters. My episode is up as of yesterday, so if you want to hear me talk about why I don't like The Big Bang Theory for around twenty minutes or so, give it a shot - and even if you don't like my ranting, you will probably enjoy Josh and John's ( Read more... ) -
I have returnetheded
So, after a long absence, I think I might post here again. Just occasionally, you know? It's nice to have a personal blog space, not like my book blog (which is focussed on, well, books), or my work blogs (work as in trying to maintain some kind of profile as a comedian), or Twitter (which I have taken to like some kind of aquatic fowl to the local ( Read more... ) -
Melbourne International CRAAAAAZY Festival 2010
Yes, it's comedy festival time again. You can probably tell by the way I pop up in LiveJournal to tell you what I'm doing.
This year it really is crazy. I'm involved in at least six shows, possibly more. The definite ones are listed below. This really is the year of geek comedy, though, even more than last year. Even the festival knows it: they have ( Read more... ) -
Remembering.
No-one in my family ended up in any of the wars of the past century, as far as I know; they were always too young, or too old, or (in the very early days) too Irish. On the other hand, the one Italian branch of the family could have veterans in it. But regardless, today is a reminder of all wars, throughout time and place - specifically a reminder ( Read more... ) -
Because it doesn't really sit right on my science blog...
I live in a racist country. I do. There's no getting around it. As if the recent outcry against attacks on Indian students wasn't enough, we just had the racist bombshell of a national television programme deciding it was okay to air a talent contest in which some of the contestants performed in blackface.
Let's get this straight: blackface is, and ( Read more... ) -
+1 Sword
I suspect most of you who'd be interested have heard about this already anyway, but I have a new little comedy show in this year's Melbourne Fringe Festival, opening tonight. It's about Dungeons & Dragons, though you don't need to have played it to enjoy the show. It's an hour of Richard McKenzie and I revelling in this, one of our favourite ( Read more... ) -
Thanks, ABC
They might make plenty of mistakes - their handling of the outcry over The Chaser's now-infamous "Make-A-Realistic-Wish Foundation" sketch being a reasonable example - but every now and then, Auntie does something right. Following recent commentary on uneven and even damaging media coverage of transsexuals, the ABC has produced From man to married ( Read more... ) -
Books and Wonderful War
Yes, I've read three Asimov books (plus one short story) in a row: all of the Elijah Baley/Daneel Olivaw detective stories, the Robot novels.
It hasn't taken long. I've inhaled them. Asimov is like Pratchett in that respect, at least in these books - a page turner, a joy to read. As Dave said, it's ice cream. Other books I've read recently I've ( Read more... ) -
Swords Against Darkness - questions and (newbie) actual play
Yesterday my friend Scott and I playtested emprint's Swords Against Darkness, a two-player narrative driven RPG. Below is a write-up of our session from yesterday. We have a few questions and found some stuff in the rules that needs clarification or fixing; we also found that as first time players we probably made a bunch of mistakes...
First up, the ( Read more... ) -
Writer's Block: Desert Island Time
1. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
2. Back to the Future
3. Cyrano de Bergerac (the Gerard Depardieu one)
4. Mullholland Drive
5. Watchmen
If trapped on the island alone, let's be honest, most of us would like to something at least erotic, if not pornographic. That's where Mullholland Drive comes in; it's not a favourite of mine, but it has sexy ( Read more... )