# Really, Ed Brown

> From my fingers to your eyes. Or something.


## Posts

- [The world is on fire](https://reallyedbrown.site/2025/02/07/the-world-is-on-fire/): HI FRENS! IS ME, DWUNK ED! But can ya blame me when there’s a delicious bouorbon in the cocktail cabinet that screams “DRINK ME” every time i walk past it? No! You can’t! You’re not my real mum! Anyway how are you? Like really, how ARE you? Are you ok? Are you good? If so you’re probably like me. I’m good. I’m ok. I’m drumk. Be like me. But the world is not ok. The world’s on fire – literally, figuratively, metaphysically, hyrdomaticly. Billy Joel’s rewriting We Didn’t Start The Fire for 2025, and it’s already 25 verses long. And […]
- [Referendum Result: Australia Voted No](https://reallyedbrown.site/2023/10/14/referendum-result-australia-voted-no/): Well that’s a shame. A year ago, Noel Pearson was giving the Boyer Lecture and said this: “If success in the forthcoming referendum is to be predicated on our popularity as a people, then it is doubtful we will succeed. It does not and will not take much to mobilise antipathy against Aboriginal people and conjure the worst imaginings about us and the recognition we seek.” How right he was. This is a very depressing result. It should have been an easy win, a no-brainer. But instead it has shown us how easily people can be motivated by fear and […]
- [The Voice](https://reallyedbrown.site/2023/10/07/the-voice/): I’m sipping an Ole Fashioned. The heater’s on. Beyoncé’s wailing in my ear about how crazy in love she is with Jay-Z. And I’ve spent the day with the lady who I am, in point of fact, rather crazily in love with. The Bey to my Jay, as it were. And as I sit here nursing my whisky cocktail it occurs to me how easy it would be to think that all is well with the world. That all is well, even, in my tiny little corner of the world. But all, sadly, is not well. These are difficult times […]
- [How I Cancelled My Zoom Subscription](https://reallyedbrown.site/2023/07/13/how-i-cancelled-my-zoom-subscription/): Me: Clicks on Account Management, Billing, Cancel Subscription.Zoom: Are you sure? If you cancel you’ll miss out on This Feature, as well as This Feature and all the Features that come with your plan!Me: Yes I’m sure, cancel it.Zoom: HOLD ON! What if we offer you a discount for three months? Or six months?Me: No, just cancel it.Zoom: Look we know times are hard, maybe just pause it for a month? Or three? Or six? And then we’ll continue like nothing ever happened, right?Me: Fucking. Cancel. The Fucking. Thing.Zoom: Fine, fine yes we’ll cancel it. We’d appreciate it if you […]
- [Some thoughts on social media](https://reallyedbrown.site/2023/07/10/some-thoughts-on-social-media/): tl;dr Most social media platforms bad, Twitter very very bad, Mastodon good....
- [Magnetic Island: Day Eight - Fortifications? More Like Koalafications.](https://reallyedbrown.site/2023/06/24/magnetic-island-day-eight-fortifications-more-like-koalafications/): Our last full day on the island, and it was a big one. We’d saved Tripadvisor’s #1 Thing To Do for last – and that was the infamous Magnetic Island Forts Walk. Maggie Island is the place to go if you like bushwalking – it has a network of over 26km of walking trails and 80% of the island is protected national park. The 4.5km Forts Walk is a moderately-easy* trek up the hills between Horseshoe Bay and Florence Bay. After the Pearl Harbour attacks marked Japan’s expansion into the second World War, Townsville and Darwin became the two main […]
- [Magnetic Island: Day Seven - Yippie Kayak, Other Buckets](https://reallyedbrown.site/2023/06/22/magnetic-island-day-seven-yippie-kayak-other-buckets/): We had only one thing on the agenda for this day, which meant we could have a very lazy morning. We slept in, we lounged around, we read our books, we watched TV. We had lunch, then caught the bus to Horseshoe Bay. Still with some time to kill before our tour, we strolled along the beach for a bit. A little peckish still, we stopped in at Noodies cafe for a bowl of nachos – and a frozen strawberry margarita for Eva. With full bellies and with Eva slurring her words we walked down the beach to meet Craig, […]
- [Magnetic Island: Day Six - The Day of Nothing](https://reallyedbrown.site/2023/06/21/magnetic-island-day-six-the-day-of-nothing/): The day before was epic, so today was a day of relaxation and recovery. A little trip to the Nelly Bay IGA along the usual walk beside the stunningly beautiful waters of Geoffrey Bay. Some lazy time watching the Tolkien biopic* and lounging around, with pizza for dinner. Footnotes * It’s an ok movie. Just… lacking in any significant drama. Would have worked better as a 90 minute telemovie. But it was well made and watchable.
- [Magnetic Island: Day Five - Coronavirus Wallabius](https://reallyedbrown.site/2023/06/20/magnetic-island-day-five-coronavirus-wallabius/): This was the day we’d been waiting for – our first proper beach trip. And not just a boring touristy beach like Horseshoe Bay, this was a trip to one of the most beautiful and remote beaches around. But to get to Balding Bay would take a bit of effort. After a lazy morning, we hopped on the bus to Horseshoe Bay where we grabbed a light lunch at the Marlin Bar. Since most of what I’ve eaten this holiday has been either a parma or a chicken burger, I decided to mix it up and ordered the Marlin burger, […]
- [Magnetic Island: Day Four - Market Day](https://reallyedbrown.site/2023/06/19/magnetic-island-day-four-market-day/): Some websites will tell you that the second and last Sunday of each month is when the markets are on at Horseshoe Bay. Others will tell you that EVERY Sunday is market day at Horseshoe Bay. The first group is fortunately wrong! After a very lazy morning, we trundled down to the bus stop to wait for our ride. We looked at the Morton Bay fig trees. We looked at the gentle waves hitting the beach. We looked at the gym equipment spread out along the foreshore for senior citizens to work their mind and their muscles. And then a […]
- [Magnetic Island: Day Three - I Don’t Think You’re Ready For This Jetty](https://reallyedbrown.site/2023/06/18/magnetic-island-day-three-i-dont-think-youre-ready-for-this-jetty/): After their evening of playing don’t-hide-and-creep at the pub, the fascist bush-stone curlews were much quieter and I awoke on Day 3 well rested. A leisurely breakfast and then we headed out to catch the bus to Picnic Bay. While waiting for the bus, we could see the HMAS Choules chugging along out at sea. It’s an amphibious landing vehicle dock, so we were pretty sure the mainland was finally starting the invasion. About time, too. Where Nelly Bay is the site for most of the island’s resorts, Picnic Bay is where all the backpackers and hostels are. It also […]
- [Magnetic Island: Day Two - The Next Day](https://reallyedbrown.site/2023/06/18/magnetic-island-day-two-the-next-day/): Sleeping on holiday should be blissful and relaxing. But my first night was difficult, mainly because of the bush-stone curlew. These marauding nocturnal hunters have a unique call, which sounds like a room full of toddlers being brutally tortured. And these blood-curdling screams ring out with an alarming frequency, usually right as I’m drifting off to much-desired slumberland. It was freakin’ annoying. They didn’t bother Eva at all, which is also concerning. I did manage to get some shuteye eventually, though, and awoke early to pop down to the general store for some breakfast staples. A lazy morning followed, before […]
- [Magnetic Island: Day One - The Beginning](https://reallyedbrown.site/2023/06/17/magnetic-island-day-one-the-beginning/): It barely counts as Day One because most of it was spent in Melbourne. But suffice to say the trip up was pretty smooth and uneventful. Once we landed in Townsville at about 6:55pm there was only a short wait for our bags to emerge on the carousel, then we hit the taxi rank for a ride to the ferry terminal. Old Mate Taxi Driver was a grouchy dude with a rough beard and the body odour of stale and fresh cigarette smoke combined, but he was very keen to get us there in time for the 7:30 ferry departure. […]
- [Rona Day Six](https://reallyedbrown.site/2022/11/18/rona-day-six/): Wooopsie! Nearly forgot to post a proof-of-life update for Day Six. Well, not a lot to report really. Cough is much less frequent, I’m still super thirsty all the time, and my voice is still croaky. Every day I get a little bit better but the improvement rate does seem to be tapering off. Did a lot of bugger all today. Watched more Boardwalk Empire, more Equalizer, more Stephen Colbert. But also it was super nice outside so I took a camping chair out the back sat in the sun for a bit. Big shout out to Eva for getting […]
- [Rona Day Five](https://reallyedbrown.site/2022/11/17/rona-day-five/): Definitely over the head cold stuff. No blocked or runny nose, no sore throat. Throughout the infection I’ve been inordinately thirsty though. That hasn’t changed. The cough is still bad, the voice is still croaky, and I’m still tired and lethargic. Talking for too long can get uncomfortable or painful, but I haven’t lost my voice yet. I have spent the day much like the past four days – watching Boardwalk Empire, The Equalizer, and Stephen Colbert. Colbert had Michelle Obama on last night and her gold sparkly turtleneck was awesome! Also her words on getting through difficult times and […]
- [Rona Day Four](https://reallyedbrown.site/2022/11/16/rona-day-four/): Slept pretty well, and from the moment I woke up I knew I was doing better than yesterday. My nose has cleared up a lot, my ribs aren’t aching any more and there’s a lot less brain fog. I still have a cough, my voice is still really croaky, and I have all the ebullience and vigour of a taxidermied potato. I have watched more Boardwalk Empire, more Equalizer, the final two episodes of Andor and the latest episode of Murdoch Mysteries. And huge thank you to Kit Ryan (belated happy birthday btw!) and Al Brown for an exceedingly generous […]
- [Rona Day Three](https://reallyedbrown.site/2022/11/15/rona-day-three/): A disjointed sleep, with lots of water-drinking and equally lots of micturition. But I’m actually feeling a bit better than I did yesterday. Certainly the runny/blocked nose is much better. My bedroom floor no longer looks like it did when I was 13. But it seems the virus has moved down into the chest. While I’m not coughing all that often (possibly because of the cold&flu tablets with cough suppression) my ribs do hurt as if I’ve been coughing really hard. My voice is still croaky. Have spent the day, as you’d expect, doing a lot of nothing. Have watched […]
- [Rona Day Two](https://reallyedbrown.site/2022/11/14/rona-day-two/): Cold & Flu tablets still doing their thing, although the runny nose is getting very annoying. I’ve resorted to shoving tissues up my nose to soak up the extraordinary volume of liquid mucous. Which is fine except my ears get blocked, and I have to quickly yank them out if I feel a sneeze coming on or I’m pretty sure my head would explode. Had telehealth with the GP, and we were getting excited! “Let’s see if you’re eligible for antiviral meds… I think you need to meet two of these criteria… Oh you’ve got diabetes, that’s one, great! Oh, […]
- [Covid Day One.](https://reallyedbrown.site/2022/11/13/covid-day-one/): So yesterday I awoke with a sore throat and slightly blocked nose. Tickled my brain with a RAT, and got the strong double line of doom. Taking some cold & flu tablets (the kind with pseudoephedrine that actually work) has been very good and let me function almost as if I wasn’t sick. Although as the day wore on things did worsen a bit, with the nose running like a tap and then in the evening I had a fever and occasional cough. Despite that, managed to sleep pretty well. Season 3 of Boardwalk Empire rewatch done.
- [Bye, Felicia](https://reallyedbrown.site/2022/05/22/bye-felicia/): Scott Morrison is no longer Prime Minister. He’s not even the Liberal Party leader. This is a very good thing for Australia, and the world. That’s about all we really know in terms of the new government: it won’t be a Liberal/National government. So yes, tonight we saw a strong, monumental defeat of the Liberal Party. What we didn’t see, however, was a strong, monumental triumph of the Labor Party. We saw a swing towards them, certainly, but the big story was the votes going to independents (especially the teals) and the Greens. And so it looks at this still-to-early-to-say […]
- [Nodus Tollens](https://reallyedbrown.site/2022/03/05/nodus-tollens/): So. Here we are. I’ve drunk a bottle of Nodus Tollens syrah, and might be a teeny bit dwumk. Is a good drop, the old Nodus Tollens. A light and fruity wine, with not too much bite. Good name, too – from The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, a dictionary of invented words for emotions that we don’t have the words to express. Nodus Tollens is defined as “the realisation that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense to you anymore—that although you thought you were following the arc of the story, you keep finding yourself immersed in passages you […]
- [Australia Day](https://reallyedbrown.site/2022/01/26/australia-day/): Another January 26 Australia Day passes. The day, according to the Victorian Government website, to reflect on what it means to be Australian, to celebrate contemporary Australia and to acknowledge our history. That’s a nice statement, but it could do with some work… I do think we should be reflecting on what it means to be Australian – because fucked if I know what it means. I think we should celebrate contemporary Australia but also ancient Australia. And I think we need to do more than just acknowledge our history: we need to redress it. But if we’re going to […]
- [It's all a bit fucked](https://reallyedbrown.site/2022/01/08/its-all-a-bit-fucked/): OK. So. Look. Here’s the thing. It’s all a bit fucked, right? We got thousands of cases a day – and that’s only what we know about. Because testing is over-capacity, so not everyone’s getting tested, and the test to positive ratio is at 30% or something crazy stoopid when it was always less than 1% during the Let’s Take This Seriously stage of the pandemic. That was a long sentence. Point is, it’s all a bit fucked. So. What to make of this. Well, it’s all a bit fucked. But I just drank a quite nice bottle of 2017 […]
- [Don't Look Up](https://reallyedbrown.site/2022/01/02/dont-look-up/): So, I made it through Don’t Look Up. Without doubt one of the most polarising movies of recent times. And I can see why. It’s both ridiculous and unbelievable, whilst being too real and depressingly accurate all at the same time. But yeah I’m not really a fan. For a number of reasons. Firstly, for a movie about astronomy there were way too many clear skies. The odds of being out driving, looking up and seeing a comet? Ironically, they’re astronomical. 😛 I understand that satire, in order to be effective and funny, needs exaggeration. But it needs to be […]
- [That was the year that was: 2021](https://reallyedbrown.site/2022/01/01/that-was-the-year-that-was-2021/): Way back in the Before Times – specifically the modest years of the early nineties – Clive James used to do a New Years Eve TV special. In a dulcet baritone laced with sarcasm he would recap the year’s news, interspersed with mock awards ceremonies that were probably cringe-inducing even back then (I think Teatowel Wearer of The Year went to Yasser Arafat one time). As a burgeoning teenager I loved it, and looked forward to it every year. I suspect that’s where my love of end-of-year comedy wrap-ups like Charlie Pickering’s Yearly and the Big Fat Quiz Of The […]
- [Drunky health advice](https://reallyedbrown.site/2021/10/03/drunky-health-advice/): OK so yes, I’m drunk but also no, I don’t have a big rant about how if we all just loved each other things would be different. Sorry. Get vaccinated. It’s the easiest thing to do to protect yourself, your friends and family, and your state. It’s the easiest thing to do. It’s safe. It’s effective. There’s really only one rational reason for not getting the vaccine, and that’s a medical exemption. Just do it. Pull ya finger out and get it done. And remember: the best vaccine is the one you can get the soonest. Don’t worry about branding […]
- [Feel Your Feels](https://reallyedbrown.site/2021/09/11/feel-your-feels/): I drinkey drank drunk the wine again! Woooooohooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the world is amaaazing again! Because walking is hard, but it shouldn’t be, which is HILARIOUS!!! The world is also a bit shit. Not for me, really, as I’m enjoying a staycation and having a super lovely time chilling out with the most delightful gf on the planet, and having walks in the sunshine and crossing movies off the list and reading old Russian books about aristocratic cocktail parties. As you flippin’ do. So yeah life is pretty grand for me, or at least it would be, except a lot of […]
- [Giving Up - Yes And No](https://reallyedbrown.site/2021/09/05/giving-up-yes-and-no/): Hello people. This may come as a complete surprise and thing. But I’m a bit drunk. Like all the drunk. But that’s because of wine. Yeah so anyway there’s a pandemic right. And Dan says we probly can’t get to zero. So everyone’s saying like “Ohh, we’re giving up. Given up!” and like, yes and no. Because yes, we’re facing reality that this Delta not Goodrem strain is a liddle bit harder to beat than the OG. But no, because when the virus throws a Delta at you ya gotta throw a bitch ass move back. Which means holding the […]
- [The Optimism Bat-Signal](https://reallyedbrown.site/2021/08/22/the-optimism-bat-signal/): OK. So. I got some news for you. It’s a Saturday night… and I’m not drunk. Nope. Stone Cold Steve Sober. Went through half a bottle last night during an online games night with friends, and was gonna finish it off tonight during an online movie night. But I was over at Eva’s for the movie night and I left the bottle at home on the desk next to the computer…. The computer that I’m writing this on… There’s a half bottle of wine right here, in front of me… ANYWAY. [Very rapid tone change – cue sound effect of […]
- [Boozy Words of Wisdom](https://reallyedbrown.site/2021/08/08/boozy-words-of-wisdom/): Hello everybody!!!!!!!!!!! Drunk Ed here, ready to offer up some boozy words of wisdom and ramble on about The Things. This might be a long one, folks. And it deals with some unpleasant things – like lockdowns, and billionaires. What Things are happening right now? Yeah, exactly – Olympics! Great game by the Kookies in the men’s hockey final. Pipped at the end in a shootout, what an annoying way to win Silver! Full credit to the Belgians, their first Olympic gold in hockey they should be super damn proud! Water Polo’s been pretty good too. Gods damn that’s a […]
- [NSW Lockdowns](https://reallyedbrown.site/2021/07/29/nsw-lockdowns/): OK, so here goes. Yes, I have some strong opinions on what has been done, what should have been done, what is being done and what should be done in NSW right now. We all do. But I think we could all think about our voices here. People are doing it tough. You can argue and bicker over who’s doing it the toughest and who should or shouldn’t be out and about in the community etc etc and so on. But I’m going to ask you not to do that on my posts or on my timeline. I’m happy to […]
- [Olympics and Sport in the Time of Covid](https://reallyedbrown.site/2021/07/25/olympics-and-sport-in-the-time-of-covid/): I loosened my belt. Gotta let things breathe. You’ve probably guessed already that I’m drunk a bit. But only abottle. So like most Lockdown Saturdays. That’s what they’re called now. Lockdown Saturdays. I’m kidding nobody calls them that. But whatever. So! Here I am. And there you are. What to talk about? I’m done with Covid. Boring. Yaaaawn! There’s not much to say: we need vaccines, we ain’t got ’em, Sydney’s in a spot of bother and that could fuck the whole country. Could, but hopefully wont. Ring of steel, baby! Sorry for calling you baby, that’s inappropriate. Unless you’re […]
- [Just Write About Gladys](https://reallyedbrown.site/2021/07/18/just-write-about-gladys/): So! I drinked! I played the games! I hanged with the friends! And Josh said: I look forward to the post! But I have nothing to post. What can I say? Josh said, “just write about Gladys!” But why? What’s the point? The situation is, as they say, what the situation is. They don’t say that. That’d be a weird thing to say. Even though it’s true. It is what it is. And I yam what I tuber. So shall I write about Gladys? There’s not much to write. She’s held back on lockdowns for the simple reason that it […]
- [Covid, Friends, and the Pufendorf-Grotius Line](https://reallyedbrown.site/2021/06/27/covid-friends-and-the-pufendorf-grotius-line/): We’re not quite locked down…. sorry Sydney. But guess what! I still did the drinky thing! That’s because my man, my mate, my buddy from another whatsit, my friend Dave did the driving! So we went to Hamish’s and played games and I drank the wines SO MUCH WINES and it was a great night with very cool friends. We had pizza. And wine and popcorn. We didn’t have cheese because Hamish didn’t have crackers. Ruined everything. But everything was still great. So yeah, amazing to see people In Real Life and have a good ole’ In Person games night! […]
- [Bi Pride](https://reallyedbrown.site/2021/06/06/bi-pride/): I’m drunk, I’m in lockdown, and it’s June! What’s that mean? Means I’m having trouble walking straight, and loving it. Means there’s an oppressive weight of apathy and ennui sitting right up the back of my mind, lurking, waiting to engorge itself and temporarily send me spiralling into a funk. But June, means PRIDE! At least in America it does. In Australia it’s more October. But becuase America tends to dominate Western culture, there’s pride everywhere on social media. So what’s Pride? Pride is a celebration and a protest. Celebration of our indivituality, our diversity of sexualities and genders. But […]
- [Transitional Euphoria](https://reallyedbrown.site/2021/05/29/transitional-euphoria/): There needs to be a word. Y’know. For when you’re sitting down, everything’s fine. But then you stand up and WHOA HELLO SUNSHINE!!! Suddenly you can’t walk straight and the room’s a lot smaller than you are. And you bump into things. And you google a lot. Giggle. I mean yes there’s wordss like drunk and inebretated or whatever. But they just talk about the act. The State Of Being drunk. I’m talking about the Feeling. And the transition from “I’m sober, all totally fine” to “Why is the world spinning around me and how am I supposed to get […]
- [Locky D](https://reallyedbrown.site/2021/05/29/locky-d/): So! I drinked the things. As I do. Drunk me did the drinky thing. 2019 Syrah called Nodus Tollens, by Great Southern Western. Fun fact, syrah is just what the rest of the world calls shiraz, but the dude who brought the grapes into Australia couldn’t spell. So all our shiraz are technically syrah. And all our base are now belong to us. Anyway, Nodus Tollens. It’s an ok wine, not great, but good enough to get me skunk as a drunk. Incidentally, the name Nodus Tollens comes from The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows and it’s the realization that your […]
- [24 Hours](https://reallyedbrown.site/2019/05/19/24-hours/): Ok. You get 24 hours.24 hours to despair. 24 hours to be angry. You get 24 hours to be shocked, scared, horrified and/or despondent.And then you shut up. Then you look at what will help, what will be constructive and what you can do. But you don’t whinge. You don’t insult people, you don’t shout at them, you don’t unfriend them. Because if you do, you’re part of the problem – possibly a bigger problem.Was this a good result? Hell to the fuck no. This is a terrible election result in so many ways. Abbott’s eviction is the only bright […]
- [2018: A Year Of Ups And Downs](https://reallyedbrown.site/2019/01/06/2018-ups-and-downs/): The good and the bad of 2018.
- [Penelope Green, 1979-2018.](https://reallyedbrown.site/2018/11/18/penelope-green-1979-2018/): <p>A dear friend has passed away. This is just a pile of thoughts and feels.</p>

- [Four bricks.](https://reallyedbrown.site/2018/04/23/four-bricks/): Four bricks. Four typical, standard sized bricks. That’s how much more weight I was carrying around with me at the start of the year. I weighed 113kg. This morning, I clocked in at 99.8kg. A loss of 13kg, or about the weight of four bricks. I’ve been lugging around four bricks that I didn’t need to lug around. Because I was fat. Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m still fat. I still have a belly that makes Buddha look trim. I still send sales assistants hiding under tables when I go clothes shopping. I still make beeping noises if I […]
- [I’m Too Damn Sweet](https://reallyedbrown.site/2018/01/17/im-too-damn-sweet/): When talking about everyday words that, given context, can also be rude, George Carlin once observed: “You can prick your finger, but don’t finger your prick!” This is a story of how pricking my finger could potentially have saved my life. And has also become a colossal annoyance. It begins about a week and a half ago. And somehow I got a small cut on my little finger. A tiny prick, if you will. I don’t know how, I didn’t even notice it when it happened. But over the weekend, I saw that it had become infected. Annoyed, I booked […]
- [That Puppy Episode](https://reallyedbrown.site/2017/04/29/that-puppy-episode/): Twenty years ago a young comedian made an announcement on her slumping TV show. She received death threats, lost her job and fell into depression. For three years she couldn't get any work. She revealed something of herself that nobody at the time would dare make public and it killer her career, her health and her wellbeing.
- [The US Government poses the greatest threat to US trade, all for the illusion of increased security](https://reallyedbrown.site/2017/03/25/the-us-government-poses-the-greatest-threat-to-us-trade-all-for-the-illusion-of-increased-security/): Lucas nails it on the head. This is why the US – a fantastic, wonderful country – is now on my No Go list for at least four more years.
- [So, It's Trump.](https://reallyedbrown.site/2016/11/10/so-its-trump/): There’s no way to sugar-coat this. Ignorance, fear, racism and misinformation have put a tiny-fingered, misogynist, bigoted, fact-fearing child in the White House. And next to him an evil, homophobic, evangelical climate-change denier as his Vice President. In the prophetic words of River Tam, things are going to get much, much worse. I was going to write about how this happened. I was going to look at who’s to blame – was it the media? Was it the DNC or even Hillary herself? Was it all FBI Director James Comey’s fault? But that’s not my place yet. More knowledgeable and […]
- [John Cleese on The Daily Show](https://reallyedbrown.site/2014/11/08/john-cleese-on-the-daily-show/): [wpvideo yygEUy7B]
- [McConnelling](https://reallyedbrown.site/2014/03/15/mcconnelling/): Oh gods I found this funny. I was watching The Daily Show with Jon Stewart this morning, which started off with a depressing look at Fox News’ vilification of poor people. Then, after the ad break, came this little gem about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. In case you’re not aware, McConnell is the quintessential Old White Republican Arsehole. He’s repeatedly tried to get the Affordable Healthcare Act repealed, he’s opposed every gun control attempt, and described shutting down Guantanamo Bay as releasing ‘murderers’ into the US. And he’s the 10th wealthiest senator, with a personal fortune of over US$9 […]
- [The Future of Skepticism: More. Positive. Stuff.](https://reallyedbrown.site/2013/11/26/the-future-of-skepticism-more-positive-stuff/): Dr. Paul Willis called for "More Positive Stuff" from skeptics in the future. We need to be doing more, it needs to be positive, and we need to broaden the range of what skeptical activism we do.
- [Steltzner vs Fox: Curiosity Comes Cheap](https://reallyedbrown.site/2013/10/02/steltzner-vs-fox-curiosity-comes-cheap/): Today I stumbled across this cute little meme: So I shared it, and before long was asked: did this actually happen? I didn’t know, so I looked around. As best as I can tell, no it didn’t happen exactly like that. It wasn’t quite the ‘gotcha’ moment. But the interviewer did definitely have a “dude, why bother?” attitude. Rather than send you off to give Murdoch some money, I’ve uploaded the clip here: [wpvideo wy8BjMUx] So while it’s not exactly true, I think the meme does make a good point. As I’ve said before, space exploration and astronomy is far cheaper than people realise. […]
- [Meanwhile, In America](https://reallyedbrown.site/2013/09/24/meanwhile-in-america/): Safe to say that since the election, Australia’s going to poo. We no longer have a Science ministry but we have a Minister for Sport. The Communications Minister has sacked asked the Board of NBN Co to resign. The Climate Change Commission has been dismantled, a same-sex marriage law is being challenged, and perhaps most worrying of all a cloud of secrecy is descending on the Drown Them All In Indonesia Turn Back The Boats plan. But in America, where things have been poo for some time, they may be getting… um… pooer. You might have heard of Obamacare. It’s actually the Patient […]
- [Keep Real Journalism Alive](https://reallyedbrown.site/2013/07/03/keep-real-journalism-alive/): "Whatever your politics, or your preferences, and even if you’ve never bought a newspaper, start subscribing to at least one media website: whether it’s the Herald Sun or New Matilda, Crikey or the Sydney Morning Herald, old media or new, pay just a little to keep real journalism alive."
- [The Moon. Let's Go Back.](https://reallyedbrown.site/2013/05/26/the-moon-lets-go-back/): Humanity needs to return to the moon. But instead we're buying fighter planes.
- [Burzynski Clinic - no evidence, just intimidation](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/11/29/burzynski-clinic-no-evidence-just-intimidation/): A quick post to let you all know about the vile harassment and intimidation coming from the Burzynski Clinic. Stanislaw Burzynski has a treatment, which he believes can cure cancer. This would be wonderful if true, but sadly there is no good independent peer-reviewed RCT evidence supporting that claim. This does not stop desperate, terminally ill patients raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for a chance to take this wonder-treatment. Well-meaning celebrities have done fundraising gigs and auctions to help send people to the Burzynski Clinic. They’re being fed false hope. They’re being taken advantage of. A number of bloggers have written about this situation, […]
- [What really IS skepticism?](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/10/27/what-really-is-skepticism/): On Saturday, Melbourne held its first Skepticamp – an informal day of volunteer-given presentations and workshops. There’s no set schedule – anyone can give a presentation or hold a group discussion. It was a huge success, with around 80 people attending. A fantastic tribute to the two people who did most of the work ‘unOrganising’ the event* – Chris Higgins and Lucas Randall.
- [Apple saves children from horrible foul language](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/10/11/apple-saves-children-from-horrible-foul-language/): So, last night I was looking at the iTunes page for the Science on Top podcast. Thanks to all the kind people who have written such nice reviews, it’s very much appreciated! But while there, I noticed something strange. Our latest episode, “Bugs Bonking Bottles – The Ig Nobel Prizes” has been censored by iTunes. Now, I need to be clear here: the actual show has not been censored, and the show still has a ‘Clean” rating which means it’s not full of rude words. But the title, as it shows up in iTunes, has been censored. The actual title: […]
- [From Atlanta to New York, via Washington DC](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/09/12/from-atlanta-to-new-york-via-washington-dc/): I’ve not been very good at keeping this up to date. Trouble is, I’m just totally in holiday mode. Living ‘in the moment’ and not thinking about keeping people updated with my travels. Sorry ‘bowt that, Chief! So Dragon*Con in Atlanta was a blast. Lots of really interesting talks and panels on everything from science fiction (Mythology, Philosophy and Truth in Star Wars), science fact (DNA Sequencing and You!), space (The 100 Year Spaceship – NASA & DARPA working on manned intersteller flight) and skepticism (Everything Evolves – Including Creationism). And of course the parade was SO MUCH FUN! Just […]
- [Dragon*Con](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/09/03/dragoncon/): This was originally going to be a reply to Dave’s comment on my last post, but it got so big it became worthy of a new post. Food in Atlanta: my hotel is right across the road from Peactree Plaza, which has a huge food court. Lots of burger joints, but also Chinese, Mexican and pizza shops as well. The big thing I’ve noticed is that some burger joints don’t give you a choice of size – it’s large or nothing. Ones that do have small/medium/large etc everything is up one on the scale. So small is what we consider […]
- [The Adventure Begins](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/09/01/the-adventure-begins/): Greetings from Atlanta! After a long day and a bit of travelling, I’ve finally checked into my hotel here in Atlanta. The first delay was because of the death on the Freeway (a suicide, apparently?) which caused the catering truck to be late. So instead of leaving at 9:35am we left at about 10:05. The flight was relatively uneventful. You get absolutely no personal space, even on the A380. You get a headrest, which is good – but meant I didn’t really need my neck pillow. And the screen on the chair in front of you is pretty good – […]
- [May Experience Some Slight Turbulence](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/08/27/may-experience-some-slight-turbulence/): So, as most of my peeps know I’m going to America on Wednesday. Dragon*Con in Atlanta to begin with, then Washington DC and New York after that. Just for fun, I thought I’d take a look at where I’m going in Google Maps: Cool, huh? Looks so.. peaceful. And then, just because I can, I decided to click the Weather overlay: Fuck. I’m going to be killed by a hurricane called Irene. Of all the bad-arse names for a hurricane, the one that’s going to kill me is called Irene.   That’s an aunt, not a killer storm. FML.
- [Only 58% of Americans ok with homosexuality](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/06/21/only-58-of-americans-ok-with-homosexuality/): I’m not sure why, but I’m surprised by this. New figures from the Pew Research Center show that only 58% of Americans think homosexuality should be accepted, not discouraged. WTF? This MUST be an exception, not the rule, surely? This is 2011, I’d be stunned if less than 75% of people were ok with homosexuality. Perhaps it’s an American  thing, maybe the rest of the world is just more tolerant? I think the recent Rip & Roll controversy in Queensland showed that only a small but vocal fringe element was behind it all. As Dale Leorke wrote on The Drum: […]
- [Budget 2011](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/05/11/budget-2011/): I did not watch the budget last night. It was that or watching episodes of Yes Minister, and the bureaucratic poetry of Sir Humphrey Appleby GCB, KBE, MVO, MA (Oxon) was a clear winner. I have, however, had a quick look over various summaries and overviews of the budget and formed some observations. What I like: Cuts to middle-class welfare. Sorry, but if you have a combined income of $150,00 a year and STILL need government hand-outs, you need to reassess your lifestyle. A huge focus on skills and training. Apprenticeships getting a $200 million funding boost and a complete overhaul, […]
- [Of Monarchy, Fools and Speech](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/04/03/of-monarchy-fools-and-speech/): Last night I saw The King’s Speech and I must admit, it is as good as everyone says it is. Yes it’s in many ways a conventional Hollywood period piece, but it does a number of things incredibly well. It is funny, it is entertaining, it is thoroughly enjoyable. And it is beautifully filmed. It’s a movie that sucks you in, makes you believe you’re there. You feel the awkwardness, the nervousness, the joy and heartache of the characters. I was worried it was overhyped, but I’m happy to say it definitely lived up to the hype. Thoroughly recommended. It did […]
- [No Carbon Tax rally](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/03/23/no-carbon-tax-rally/): Latika Bourke is a brilliant journalist, and in my opinion she’s one of Australia’s top political reporters up there with Annabell Crabb and Laurie Oakes. Today she was reporting from the No Carbon Tax rally in Canberra, and using Twitter to share comments and photos. What she reported is a worrying reflection of the growing lunatic fringe of Australia. [slideshow] Reminds me of Right America Feeling Wronged, a documentary by Nancy Pelosi’s daughter Alexander Pelosi. During the 2008 Presidential Election, Pelosi follows the McCain campaign and interviews the people that show up to Support the McCain/Palin ticket. Very sad. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxDgRr_Ynvc]
- [Space Shuttles are BIG!](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/03/03/space-shuttles-are-big/): We’ve heard a lot about the space shuttle program recently, after Discovery’s final launch last week. There are two more shuttle launches planned – Endeavour on April 19 and Atlantis on June 28 this year. After that, the shuttles are scrapped and the US will be relying on the Russians for trips to the International Space Station. But I think it’s nice to have a reminder of the sheer scale involved. NASA’s Kennedy Space Center recently tweeted these photos of the Endeavour being readied for launch.  Here’s the Endeavour being transported to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), where it will […]
- [Diaspora](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/02/09/diaspora/): Remember the outcry when Facebook changed its privacy settings every 6 weeks? A group of university students decided to make an alternative social network that gave ownership and control of information to the users, and they called it Diaspora. Raising over US$200,000 from Kickstarter, they set about designing and building a network focussed of freedom and privacy. Central to Diaspora’s operation is the understanding that we all have different groups of people that we associate with, and our approach to them is different. What I share with my co-workers, for example, is different to what I share with my family […]
- [Creationism in Education: The Movie](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/01/25/creationism-in-education-the-movie/): This is so cool. The Texas Board of Education is doing a damn good job of, well, destroying education in Texas. Religious right-wing extremists have taken over the board and are spearheading a strong push to get young-Earth creationism taught as fact. They have tried to get the history textbooks changed to show that, despite all the evidence to the contrary, Joseph McCarthy was right and his allegations that everyone in the whole world was a Communist were true. They have tried to get the Separation of Church and State removed from the curriculum. In 2009, they ammended the science […]
- [Astrologers, I'm Waiting](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/01/25/astrologers-im-waiting/): Here’s the story, folks. In early January, the BBC ran a live television program over 3 nights called Stargazing Live. It was a great show, hosted by hilarious comedian Dara O Briain and mega-brain particle physicist Professor Brian Cox. It was a kind of introduction to amateur astronomy, encouraging viewers to go outside and look up. It rated quite well, too, with 3.6 million viewers. But during one segment, explaining the orbits of the planets, an off-the-cuff joke potentially got the presenters in hot water. After joking around by aligning all the planets in a line on their model solar […]
- [Brisbane Freight Depot Flooded](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/01/19/brisbane-freight-depot-flooded/): I just got these photos from our freight handlers. This is a freight depot in Brisbane, after it got flooded. I’m looking at these photos thinking there must be TVs, computers, important documents and all sorts of things now ruined by the water.
- [Astrology: Without Evidence, It's a Scam](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/01/18/astrology-without-evidence-its-a-scam/): You may have read, recently, that your astrological sign has changed. Or that there’s a new zodiac sign, and astrology’s all in a muddle. And while a lot of it is true, it’s certainly not new. It’s all because the Earth wobbles a little bit in its orbit, and the sun now rises in different constellations than it did two thousand years ago when astrology was first devised. Parke Kunkle, an astronomy teacher in Minneapolis, mentioned this in a newspaper and it quickly went viral, with people worried that they are now a different sign and now surely the world […]
- [My first astrophotographs!](https://reallyedbrown.site/2011/01/15/my-first-astrophotographs/): So last night, after a week of rain and clouds and wind and flooding, the evening cleared up and I decided to try some more stargazing. My usual spot, the local football ground, was wet and muddy and squishy underfoot – not ideal. Even worse, it was covered by a thick but rapidly moving blanket of cloud. I decided to try my luck elsewhere and head north, away from the clouds. Before long I found a possibly suitable cricket ground, but before I was able to park and have a look around, I got a creepy feeling about the car […]
- [Stargazing](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/12/31/stargazing/): Many of you may already know, I’m an astronomy nut. I love space and everything to do with it.* I’ve watched Carl Sagan’s brilliant TV Series Cosmos dozens of times (and happy to watch some again with anyone interested). I’m half way through the first series of the Discovery Channel’s The Universe series. I’ve got The Teaching Company’s  Introduction to Astronomy DVD Course. And I just signed up last week to Swinburne Astronomy Online’s Short Course. And yesterday, I bought my very own telescope. They don’t make telescopes like they used to, eh? It’s a fully automatic whizz-bang thing, I basically press […]
- [Bill Maher's Christmas Message](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/12/25/bill-mahers-christmas-message/): I’m a huge fan of Bill Maher – although I do disagree with him from time to time. This year his Christmas message is spot on. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ro3wuck_ro]
- [Upcoming Movies](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/12/13/upcoming-movies/): Ahh, ‘serendipity’. A word which is almost ALWAYS followed by it’s definition: finding good things when not looking for them. Which is what happened when, on the weekend, I was forced to clean my house. Well, most of my house. In doing so, I discovered – or should that be, rediscovered – my Christmas present from last year! Movie vouchers! Trouble is, they expire…. on 31 December 2010! So I have about 3 weeks to go and see four movies. Or three weeks to see one movie, with three friends. Or two movies with two friends. The possibilities are, well, […]
- [Tighter Airport Security Is Worth Sacrificing A Little Privacy](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/12/07/tighter-airport-security-is-worth-sacrificing-a-little-privacy/): I’ve written before about how precious we are, as a society, when it comes to nudity. Our clothes are a mask, behind which we hide our self-consciousness and our insecurities. So when the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) started using body-scanner machines that can ‘see through’ clothing, there was a not unexpected outcry. And again when, at the end of November, the TSA introduced more in-depth frisking for anyone who refuses the body-scanners – including physically ‘patting’ the genital area. CNN News reports on an confrontation with a passenger, which includes a description of the procedure: Watch Here “Privacy advocates” […]
- [Is Older Always Better?](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/10/22/is-older-always-better/): You may remember Jen McCreight. When an Iranian clerk blamed women wearing revealing clothes for causing earthquakes, she accidentally started a global event called Boobquake, which scientifically proved him wrong. This year her father, Mike, also got into the newfangled blogging game, and started If I Were King, a little place for him to write about whatever is pissing him off at the time. He’s a smart guy. He makes a lot of good points, and his blog is always an interesting read. But today he wrote something I found myself disagreeing strongly with. Writing about the US Supreme Court, […]
- [Handbags Don't Cure Cancer](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/10/08/handbags-dont-cure-cancer/): If I wore a bra, it would probably be black. Or grey. Maybe white, red or blue, depending on what else I was wearing. It would be as comfortable as I could get it, but I wouldn’t expect it to cure cancer. If I had a handbag, I’d like it on the kitchen table. Or the backseat of the car. Maybe even in the bathtub, or on the toilet. But I wouldn’t expect that telling people where I put it would cure cancer. But that’s the latest Facebook meme going around at the moment. Last year it was “tell us […]
- [An Alarming Tale](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/10/05/an-alarming-tale/): Guest post by Hamish Lucas. Daylight savings is here again! What a wonderful time of year it is. Crisp cool evenings, warm afternoons and extra long days are conducive to getting more work at home done and more play time with our baby boy. It truly is one of my favourite time of year, which is why, when the clock ran forward an hour last Saturday, I was in an excellent frame of mind. That is until Monday morning. By Sunday evening i was still yet to put all our clocks forward to match the new EDT (GMT-9). My trusty […]
- [Bad Astronomy is Actually Good Astronomy](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/09/28/bad-astronomy-is-actually-good-astronomy/): Space. It’s fascinating. I’ve geeked out on space stuff since I was a kid. I had books and videos about the solar system, I built Lego space stations and spaceships, and of course I watched sci-fi movies and tv shows. In 1989, when the Voyager 2 space probe passed Neptune, I poured over newspaper clippings and magazine articles with full-colour glossy photos of the murky blue gaseous planet. So when I heard that Hubble 3D was showing at the iMax theatre, I had to go. It’s only 45 minutes long but it’s filled with some amazing footage. Incredible scenes of […]
- [Donate Your Organs](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/09/16/donate-your-organs/): My brother used to have a “Don’t take your organs to heaven, heaven knows we need them here” bumper sticker on his car. I respected his decision, but I didn’t agree with it. Something about the idea squicked me. This was before I’d cemented my atheist beliefs and come to terms with the likelihood that there is no afterlife. I was young. I had naive questions, like “we don’t know what happens when we die, what if we do need our livers?”. I think a part of me was secretly hoping the vikings were right, and after my passing I’d […]
- [Who's Afraid of Islam? America Is.](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/09/06/whos-afraid-of-islam-america-is/): Artist rendition of the “Ground Zero Mosque”Can’t we all move past the whole “They’re different to me, I’m scared” thing? Last month the Pew Research Center released a report showing that most Americans don’t know what religion their own President is. The survey found that nearly one-in-five Americans (18%) think Obama is a Muslim, up from 11% in March 2009. Nearly half (43%) say they do not know what his religion is. He is, actually, a Christian – a fact that only a third of adults (34%) correctly answered, down from 48% in 2009. Well, he says he’s a Christian, […]
- [Stability Alone Is Not Enough](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/08/26/stability-alone-is-not-enough/): Ever since Australian voters couldn’t make up their minds about who they want to run the country, I’ve gotten a bit sick of hearing the word “stability”. The independents say they want it, both parties say they can deliver it, and the other team can’t. Everyone’s focused on making sure that whatever government forms out of the democratic no-man’s land we’ve created, it will be built to last. Since when has that been all that matters? There’s no point being in power if you’re not going to do anything – or worse, do bad things that damage the country. The […]
- [Film Review: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/08/16/film-review-scott-pilgrim-vs-the-world/): Graphic novels are all the rage in Hollywood. Every year since 1981, at least one comic book has been made into a feature movie. And it’s happening more and more – in 2011 there will be eight comic book adaptations hitting the theatres. Who said Hollywood’s running out of ideas? The latest is one you may not have heard of – Scott Pilgrim. First released in 2004, there have been only six issues of the black-and-white graphic novel. It was widely well received, winning several awards, and developed a strong cult following. The film centers around 23 year old unemployed layabout […]
- [The Problem of Authority](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/08/02/the-problem-of-authority/): When Too Much Information Is A Bad Thing We’re inundated with information all the time, from every source imaginable – traditional media like newspapers, television and radio; new media like blogs, forums and podcasts; conventional in-person interactions and a host of other forms. That’s a fantastic thing. To think that now I can type “vaccination” into Google and get more than 15.2 million results in less than one-fifth of a second is phenomenal. Twenty years ago, we could only dream of such a huge volume of information. It was amazing back then, when a complete and searchable encyclopedia could fit […]
- [Election 2010: What Matters To You?](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/07/29/election-2010-what-matters-to-you/): Politicians and the media love dictating the issues to us. But in a democracy, it should be the people who decide what’s important and where the debate should be. Kevin Rudd was big on that, hosting the Australia 2020 Summit to decide how the country should be run. But only 1,002 out of more than 22 million people got a chance to attend, so it’s likely you weren’t there. Julia Gillard also seems to like the idea, promising a “Citizens Assembly” of 150 people if she’s elected, that will determine her climate change policy. Elections, of course, give us a chance […]
- [The Truth About (Some) Men](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/07/28/the-truth-about-some-men/): That self-appointed voice of masculinity, AskMen.com, has released it’s annual “Great Male Survey” for the year. “Great” is their adjective, not mine. With over 100,000 responses, the survey proclaims to “shed serious light on how the modern man thinks and behaves — professionally, romantically and in his downtime – in 2010”. But nobody seems to be questioning the actual survey itself. It’s filled with “great”, although often trivial, insights into the AskMen.com readership. For example, I found it particularly interesting that presumably, the modern man in 2010 is 100% straight.  The questions were all loaded with a clear heterosexual bias, […]
- [Cash For Clunkers Could Be Too Effective](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/07/24/cash-for-clunkers-could-be-too-effective/): Yesterday, Prime Minister Gillard has promised a “cash for clunkers” scheme that Labor will introduce if re-elected. The scheme will give people $2,000 if they trade in an old, pre-1995 car for a new car that meets current emissions standards. It’s not a new idea – Cash For Clunkers was a program Obama introduced eleven months ago to boost the brink-of-bankruptcy US auto industry. So I thought it might be interesting to have a look at how that went, and it turns out it was actually pretty successful. For analysis, here’s America’s most trusted newscaster explaining that success: Click Here
- [The PowerBalance Scam](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/07/21/the-powerbalance-scam/): I saved a workmate from wasting $20 the other day. Granted, it’s not a huge sum, but there’s a global financial crisis and every bit helps. You see, she was bidding on eBay during her break, and I asked what she was trying to buy. Turns out she’s buying a magic product designed to make her stronger, more flexible, and more balanced. It could probably make her invisible, able to fly and see through walls. It’s a kind of magic. PowerBalance bracelets are the latest craze in town. Particularly in the sports and gym industries, where people will buy any […]
- [A Label Can't Tell The Whole Story](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/07/18/a-label-cant-tell-the-whole-story/): If you’ve never heard of Courtney Roulston, it’s probably because – like me – you don’t pay attention to anything about Masterchef. But she’s a contestant on the popular cooking show and, apparently, she has a girlfriend. That in itself is not unusual. What’s strange, to some people at least, is that she doesn’t call herself a lesbian. She had a boyfriend for seven years before hooking up with her current girlfriend of three years. Social commentator and blogger Mia Freedman found this situation surprising. She writes: “I found what Courtney says so interesting on so many levels. I’m of […]
- [Some Food Tax Funnies](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/07/15/some-food-tax-funnies/): I posted the other day about moves to introduce taxes on junk food and soft drink, and it stirred up an interesting and thought-provoking discussion in the comments. But it was getting a little heavy, so I thought I’d introduce some levity on the subject from two comedic acts I very highly admire: Penn & Teller, and Jon Stewart. I’ll start off with  a clip from a recent episode of Penn and Teller’s Bullshit! This clip is not safe for work, and contains some fairly strong language! [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIvAU9MEuBw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1] The full episode is available on YouTube. The Daily Show with […]
- [Don't Tax Our Drinks](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/07/11/dont-tax-our-drinks/): It’s a debate that’s been a part of political discussion since the Magna Carta in 1217. A debate about the role of government in our everyday lives – how much say, if any, the government has over our individual rights and liberties. Essentially, it’s Big Government vs Limited Government. Most people would agree there needs to be some form of government: there needs to be rules (laws) to stop people stealing each other’s stuff and being bastards. But above that, there’s an awful lot of debate. Libertarians like The Cato Institute, or conservatives like the US Republican Party and the Australian […]
- [Some Thoughts About Australia's New PM, Julia Gillard](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/06/30/some-thoughts-about-australias-new-pm-julia-gillard/): On 24 June 2010, the Hon Julia Gillard MP was sworn in as Prime Minister of Australia by Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce, the Governor-General of Australia. And when that happened, she made history. She became the first female prime minister, and the first PM born outside Australia since 1915 (Bill Hughes, who was born in London). She’s the first unmarried PM, although other PM’s have been widowers at the time of office. She’s childless (although a recent letter to The Age stressed we should call her “child-free”, as she hasn’t lost any children) and openly atheist. So what does […]
- [Cala Boca Galvao (Anatomy of a Meme)](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/06/24/cala-boca-galvao-anatomy-of-a-meme/): It’s world cup fever, and the internets is no exception. Google’s got it, Twitter’s got it, and if you’ve got it you can surf the net to the sound of vuvuzelas. Like anything popular, it gets a huge amount of real-time Twitter action, but some disgruntled fans in Brazil started a hoax that took the world by surprise. Commentators of all sports routinely face criticism: whether they’re too enthusiastic, not enthusiastic enough, or have a one-word “special” vocabulary (looking at you, Mr. McAvaney). Carlos Eduardo dos Santos Galvão Bueno, more commonly known as Galvão Bueno, is a Brazilian soccer commentator […]
- [Getting Cluey About Elections](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/06/19/getting-cluey-about-elections/): “Not even the almost-certain demise of Steve Fielding is enough to make me follow this election. On election night I’m getting as far away from TV, radio, internets and phone reception as I possibly can.” That’s what a friend of mine said during a Facebook conversation in response to the Just Plain Stupid comments about paid parental leave from Family First Senator Steve Fielding. I can totally understand my friend’s feelings, as neither major party seems a good choice right now. On the one hand, the incumbent Labor Party has failed to achieve many of it’s core election promises, not […]
- [Boobs cause Earthquakes, Abortions cause Oil Spills?](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/06/14/boobs-cause-earthquakes-abortions-cause-oil-spills/): I don’t know how she does it, but Jen McCreight always seems to find the wackiest of the wack-jobs, the nuttiest of the nut-jobs. You might remember her as the unwitting instigator and spokesperson for Boobquake, where she proved that wearing “immodest” clothing doesn’t actually cause earthquakes. Because that was the theory being suggested by Iranian Friday Prayer Leader Kazem Seddiqi: that “women who do not dress modestly lead young men astray … which increases earthquakes”. And last week she found another moron, but this time from the good ole’ USA: preacher Joseph Herrin. In his latest abomination blog post, Herrin manages to link […]
- [When Social Media Stops You Getting a Job](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/06/07/when-social-media-stops-you-getting-a-job/): Is your online life putting your job – or potential future jobs – in jeopardy? Social commentator Mia Freedman wrote on her blog last week how she used Facebook and Twitter accounts to help sift through potential new employees. Having sorted through the pile of resumes and leaving five possible candidates, she looked online and quickly wrote off three of them. “One had a constant stream of Facebook updates bitching indiscreetly about her current job. Another evidently spent much of her time getting drunk and a third had some very strident views I disagreed with. Stridently.” – Mia Freedman Her post sparked […]
- [The Case for Coming Out](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/05/21/the-case-for-coming-out/): Jason Akermanis gives Brad Johnson a celebratory tit-gropeThe Twittersphere was in uproar on Thursday after footballer Jason Akermanis told gay AFL players to stay in the closet. It wasn’t long before Jack Marx replied on Crikey, brilliantly rebutting Akermanis’ article sentence by sentence. Almost overwhelmingly, public opinion seems united under one umbrella sentiment: Jason Akermanis is a homophobic retard. To be fair, I can understand Jason’s point – AFL has a strong ‘macho’ culture and players are renowned for their juvenile antics. Do a Google News search for Brendan Fevola, Wayne Carey or Ben Cousins for just a few examples. […]
- [What Facebook Should Do](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/05/15/what-facebook-should-do/): The world’s largest social network, Facebook, claims to have more than 400 million users (a little hint to Facebook: if you have a page of statistics, timestamp it so we know when those stats were updated). But it’s facing a growing outcry from disgruntled users, as it frequently alters its privacy policy making more and more information public. The blogosphere is being flooded with posts explaining why you should – and why people have – quit Facebook. Quit Facebook Day is a website calling for people to delete their Facebook accounts on May 31 in protest. Four students at New York University have raised over […]
- [The Age shows a surprising lack of Fearless Good Judgement](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/05/05/the-age-shows-a-surprising-lack-of-fearless-good-judgement/): Vile, obscene and offensive. That’s how the Herald Sun described tweets that comedians Wil Anderson and Catherine Deveny made about the Logies. And reading the sensationalist outrage the Herald Sun whipped up about them, I was reminded of Julian Morrow’s brilliant talk at the Andrew Olle Media Lecture last year. Co-founder of The Chaser and executive producer of their controversial War on Everything television program, Morrow knows a lot about public outrage.

- [Introducing: Ed Brown](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/04/30/introducing-ed-brown/): It’s about time I let you know just who I am! Mainly I’m just a smart-arse geek with a passion for technology, sci-fi and politics. I have some very strong opinions, which will no doubt come out in my writings. I work in the warehouse of a small but growing industrial hardware business in Melbourne, Australia. I’ve been a tech enthusiast since I was a kid, writing games and programs in BASIC on my family’s ZX Spectrum. For most of my 20s I was a hardcore online gamer, playing in a few competitive clans for various first person shooters. Late […]
- [Mystical Experiences are a Load of Crap!](https://reallyedbrown.site/2010/04/28/mystical-experiences-are-a-load-of-crap/): 49% of Americans need a strong dose Wake The Fuck Up. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, 49% of Americans say they have had a religious or mystical experience. And by that, we’re talking a “moment of sudden religious insight or awakening”. Really? Come on. Unless you’ve had a near death experience, discovered a plague of locusts in your living room or seen a bush on the side of the road spontaneously combust, you haven’t had a mystical experience. What you have had, probably, is a straightforward epiphany. You suddenly realised something that your subconcious had been working […]

## Pages

- [About Me](https://reallyedbrown.site/about-me/): Ed Brown is a science lover, skeptic and geek. I hosted the Science On Top podcast for nine years before, well, 2020 happened and the podcast podfaded. On Mastodon at @reallyedbrown@mastodon.social.


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