Category: Uncategorized
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I’ve decided to join the rough writers association instead
You’d think I’d been kicked in the head by a wild, bucking bull. I just can’t remember the exact year. Late 1970s? Early 1980s? Somewhere in that hazy paddock of memory, I was bestowed with honorary membership of the Australian Rough Riders Association and invited to “participate” in the upcoming national rodeo championships at Warwick. “Participate” is one…
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Sorry, I can’t change that, AI Dave
There’s a delicious irony creeping into the publishing world, and it’s getting harder to ignore. Writers are now being told by publishers that their work may be run through AI detection tools to ensure they haven’t used AI. Pause on that for a moment. A human writes a book. The book is then fed into…
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Those magnificent men in their flying… wheelbarrows
I might have an altitude problem — the result of a spoiled upbringing. Or an updraft. It began in the mid 1960s when I was six, seven, maybe eight. My father was a journalist at the ABC and he sometimes dragged his family along to potential stories at weekends. One time he interviewed a bloke…
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Why we need a smartwatch with sole
I’ve started walking on my hands. Not all the time—just enough to keep the numbers honest. My smartwatch, you see, has developed expectations. Steps must be taken, rings must be closed, and apparently there is a correct time for a grown adult to go to bed. Walking on my hands is my small act of…
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You say goodbye, I say halo
A lot has been written about The Beatles’ flirtation with eastern mysticism, but nothing has been said about my religious experience with the Beatles. Until now. It happened in 1969 when I was a Grade 6 pupil at Lindisfarne North Primary School in Hobart. Sixty-nine was a memorable year for me. Not only was our…
JOHN MARTIN'S TALES 