Reviews, Blog, and the occasional Rant
My blog and occasional comment on current affairs.
Hollywood loves telling stories about itself. Some are nostalgic love letters, others are cynical autopsies. The Studio, the new Apple TV+ comedy created by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, tries … Read More
People have been playing chess for around 1500 years and it has never been as popular as now. The reasons are obvious – first there was the internet, then mobile … Read More
Every Writer Should Spend Time on Short Stories Short stories have always waxed and waned in popularity. Their earliest incarnations were myths, fables, and fireside legends, but the modern short … Read More
I’ve been writing on Medium and Substack for a while now. There is quite a lot of overlap in terms of content, but they are slightly different. Especially in the … Read More
The true but dark story of an incredibly tall regiment This post originally came from my Substack – Intriguing Times. But it’s now behind a paywall, and is such a … Read More
I am currently in Perth, Australia, and recently went to Rottnest Island to see the quokkas. There was information I would have liked to have known in advance, and I … Read More
This is the incredible true story of John Daniel, who was no ordinary gorilla John Daniel was a young gorilla who was adopted by an English family in 1918 and … Read More
The Loose End graphic novel collects issues 1-4 of this new crime comic and is a lot of fun. Written by Dave Dwonch, with art by Travis Hymel, The Loose … Read More
I wrote recently about an angry Thai ghost with a detachable head, so it is time to look at some beautfiul tree spirits that protect native trees. Thailand’s spiritual world … Read More
Toilet paper is modern and isn’t the best option There was a weird focus on toilet paper at the start of the Covid pandemic, with lots of people panic-buying and … Read More
I love computer games and am cautiously optimistic about the upcoming inevitability of AI NPCs and AI stories. But there will be weirdness and ethical quandaries by pixel-load over the … Read More
Sony Pictures has just released the first trailer for Anaconda, a comedy re-imagining of the 1997 giant-snake thriller. The original is a classic and I remember it fondly, although I advise … Read More
The Paper is a new sitcom set in the same universe as The Office. (Obviously, that’s our world too, but you know what I mean.) It’s made by some of … Read More
A morning writing routine is something I’ve heard of, but due to general slothfulness, not a practice I’ve tried. But I’ve been travelling a lot recently, from one side of … Read More
Writing software have been around since the end of the 1970s. Word 1.0 came out in 1983, which is pretty insane. I remember at school in the 80s we had … Read More
A while ago I was searching for something interesting to read about and instead, I found myself doomscrolling short videos of cats, people falling over, and angry morons getting instant … Read More
Listing outstanding books about writing is obviously going to be highly subjective. But these are definitely among the best loved and reviewed, and have all stood the test of time. … Read More
I wrote about the Krasue on Medium recently, but it is actually an excerpt from my short book about Thailand’s spooky folklore: Haunted Thailand: Ghosts and Spirits in the Land … Read More
I write for a living and use a QWERTY keyboard. Apparently around 90% or more people do likewise. I have also learned to touch type as I am the kind … Read More
Repurposing articles is a great tool in a writer’s repertoire. When it comes to the wonderful world of online content, productivity, (namely speed and efficiency,) is key. As writers, we … Read More
