Andrew McGahan Interview

The rather wonderful Andrew McGahan has a new book out The Coming of the Whirlpool: Ship Kings 1, the first in a four-book franchise featuring the seafaring exploits of Dow Amber, a woodcutter's son who is destined to become the greatest mariner of his time.  Read the Sydney Morning Herald  interview here.

Classic quote: ''I don't know the sea, I've probably been on a ferry to Tasmania once and I remember a trip to the Barrier Reef with friends".

How to Store Cables?

Here's a handy way to recycle and store cables to prevent them from getting tangled.

What's Wrong With the US Economy

With the rise of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement it's worth looking at what has caused America's growing income disparity.  Jeffrey Sachs’ new book, “The Price of Civilization” examines the current economic crisis, tracing its roots not to the housing or financial bubbles of the ’00s, but to a shift in Washington toward smaller government that began in the early ’80s and has yet to be reversed.

Read Salon.com's interview with Jeffrey Sachs here.
 

The Great Moon Hoax Debunked

For some time now the loonies have been attempting to push the line that the whole Moon landing was a hoax.  It seems to ludicrous to even contemplate but just in case you find yourself badgered by someone pushing this "theory" just point them at this handy comic.

Unanswered Questions in Iranian Assassination Plot

Even the senior law enforcement official involved in the investigation admitted to journalists that the alleged plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US did not fit with what was known about the methods and practices of the supposed perpetrators, the Quds force of the Revolutionary Guards. But $100,000 was clearly transferred by someone as a downpayment on the assassination. Washington is taking the case seriously enough to make unprecedented allegations against Tehran and threaten further isolation.  If you ask me it stinks of a Israeli false flag operation.  You can read the Guardian article here.

Super Antics

Brouse

Sophia Brouse is a cool new singer/songwriter from Melbourne and her first single "Streamers" is an ethereal Powerpop gem.

Check it out at her web site:
http://www.brous.com.au/brous.html

How to Travel Faster Than the Speed of Light

Are you sitting comfortably?  Prepare to have your mind blown: The recent news of neutrinos moving faster than light might have got everyone thinking about warp drive and all that, but really there is no need to imagine something that can move faster than 300,000 kilometres a second. Indeed, the whole idea is illogical.  You could cross the universe in a matter of hours without ever 'breaking light speed' - it is not the speed limit that it seems to be.

Read the full article here.

How Goldman Sachs Helped Greece Cover Up it's True Dept

More bad news from the Euro front I'm afraid: Goldman Sachs helped the Greek government to mask the true extent of its deficit with the help of a derivatives deal that legally circumvented EU deficit rules. At some point the so-called cross currency swaps will mature, and swell the country's already bloated deficit.

Giant Kraken Lair Discovered

Paleontologist Mark McMenamin has announced that giant ichthyosaurs were preyed on by even larger kraken (essentially a giant octopus) which are about the size of your average bus.  Even stranger is what McMenamin believes the kraken did with their preys leftover bones.

Thorium is THE Nuclear Fuel - Accept No Substitutes

As this outstanding article from The Telegraph explains, Thorium is THE nuclear fuel for the future.  It's cheap (there's lots of it and it's easily accessible), clean (has a very short half life) and safe (Thorium reactors can't melt down).  Oh, and did I mention that it can actually burn Plutonium as part of the reaction process...?  What are we waiting for?