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A Small Announcement
In which I make a small announcement at our engagement party which would possibly please Dr Emmett Brown.
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United States of Anxiety
Arriving in the US, I find that Americans are far less cocky than they are made out to be, and that a nation purportedly built on hopes and dreams is slowly succumbing to fear, uncertainty and doubt.
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Configuring OS X Mail For Gmail Without Duplicates
A short explanation of how to set Gmail up with OSX Lion’s Mail.app, without any mail duplication.
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In Poor Taste
In which we use a popular beverage to explain funny tasting water and rancid chicken, after a night on unusual cocktails. We also happened to go to Valparaiso.
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The Navel Of The World
An awesome 30th birthday present takes me to a place I first read about in a comic strip.
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Chile Con Carne, Cafe Con Piernas
Chile is more than just mountains, condors and woollen clothes. It also does a nice line in repressive dictators and inept presidents. And the finest coffee establishments around – even for non-coffee drinkers.
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Bits And Pieces: Spain and Brazil
Flamenco and Samba infused facts and observations.
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Rio, Grand
Our final few days in Rio included one of the country’s most famous views, one of the world’s most famous footballers and a bunch of the city’s tiniest inhabitants.
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Redeeming Features
In which a day of endless queueing and crowds is redeemed by samba singing and street parties.
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Going Long
In which we take a while to get to Rio, spend some time in their lovely baggage reclaim hall and listen to some new music.
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Facebook Engineer Fired For Using Facebook Way Too Much At Work.
A cautionary tale for those of you addicted to social networks.
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Pomegranate City
Sitting at the foot of the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada mountains, Granada could easily be put in the shade. Instead, it shines as a beautiful combination of the old and new and offers up some architectural wonders that fuse Moorish design with Western Medieval and Renaissance ideas.
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Sangria, Siesta, Jamon and Fiesta
When I think of Spain, I think of siestas, sangria, jamon, the Inquisition, the Civil War, rain and cheesy european club music. Madrid manages to deliver all of these in the first day and night.
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Unfinished Sympathy
A short list of all the things I’ve been meaning to write about over the last few weeks, but didn’t get around to through sheer, unvarnished, Gen-Y-esque laziness.
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First Half Damage Report
In which we take stock of the various minor calamities to befall us during the first three months of adventure.
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Bits And Pieces: Jordan and Egypt
Flotsam and jetsam from the Middle East.
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Night Watch
In which an attempt to conquer my circadian rhythm goes wrong.
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Family Feud
When your gender-bending step-mother steals your throne, there’s only one thing you can do.
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Religious Mutability For Fun And Profit
How the boy got his name: just so.
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Train Of Events
In which one sleepless night follows another, after unrest causes a wrinkle to our travel plans.
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Desert, Oasis
In which we spend time at a small Egyptian desert oasis near to the Libyan border and adventure out into the Sahara desert.
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Cairo Chaos
Our first day in Egypt takes us to the singular remaining ancient wonder of the world. There are many wonders besides.
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Crossing Jordan
Eight days in Jordan have given me a wealth of experiences and a new point of view on this wonderful country.
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Live Camel, Live Rally, Dead Sea, Dead Phone
A fantastically bizarre day, marred only by one minor mishap.
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Mars Rover
Wadi Rum, in the southern desert of Jordan offers plenty to see and do. Except, perhaps unsurprisingly, water.
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Wadi Moussa Rally
Missing the bus to Wadi Rum forces us to accept the offer of a fast ride from a mysterious robed stranger.
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The High Points
Day 2 of Petra sees us climb, via various modes of transport, to three high points above the canyon, and lets us experience its most famous monument from an intimate and unique vantage point.
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Made Of Stone
One of the new seven wonders of the world, Petra entirely lives up to and exceeds already high expectations.
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Welcome In Jordan
Our first day in Jordan goes some way to dispelling the endlessly negative picture of the Middle East that is presented by the Western media.
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The 54th Annual Away From Home Awards
It’s awards season again, and after months of furious lobbying, all the locations were on hand to see who’d go home with the glory.
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Bits and Pieces: Vietnam, Cambodia
Another round up of detritus that didn’t fit anywhere else.
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Angkor, Zen
Sunrise over the remarkable Angkor Wat momentarily spellbinds observers.
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The Killing Fields
Fair warning: This post describes crimes against humanity that are not for the faint-hearted.
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Caught Short By Short Shorts
In which we see the limited sights of Phnom Penh and receive help from our tuk-tuk driving adopted guardian uncle, Tom.
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One Of Our Thursdays Is Missing
Taking place almost entirely in the Bookworld, this story suffers a little for Thursday less strong than normal. As with all Fforde books, however, the finale ties together disparate plot elements well, this time with what feels like a funny pastiche of Heart Of Darkness.
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Gimme Shelter
In which we go in search for rabbits and find crabs, and experience first-hand the dubious quality of cheap construction methods.
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Sea Green
Take one sea, roughly chopped and add a small pinch of hot ferry. Throw in your pre-cooked monkey and shake vigorously. Leave for 2 hours, after which time your nausea will have risen nicely. Serve while green.
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Beach Time
In which we take it easy for a few days on the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc, off the south coast of Cambodia.
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Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?
A true classic that I should have read a long time ago, with brilliant characterisation of the major protagonists. The central question of what it means to be human is beautifully set up and then tantalisingly left unanswered, as Deckard realises he cannot honestly give the definition any more. The subtext that most things in […]
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Into The Rice Bowl
In which we venture into the Mekong Delta, find out lots about the rice industry, see rice factories and rice farmers, and try a local delicacy. With rice.
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First Among Sequels
Takes a while to get going, with a lot of exposition and a number of seemingly unrelated threads, but really sparkles in the last third as they are expertly woven together. Fforde’s appetite for metaphor and the subversion of narrative mechanics is seemingly boundless. This thinly veiled critique on modern society’s lack of attention span […]
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What Is It Good For?
A visit to Viet Cong tunnels and a distressing but important exhibition on the effects of war make for a difficult but interesting day.
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Super Sad True Love Story
A post-modern tragedy set during the decline of American influence. The protagonists are by turns vulnerable and infuriating, unable to take what they want, instead worrying more about a society that is collapsing around them. Lacks a satisfying conclusion to match the tense build up, reflecting the passivity of the characters.
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Bits And Pieces: Thailand, Laos, Vietnam
Thoughts, snippets and happenings on our first three countries that didn’t fit into other entries.
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Something Rotten
More laughs from Fforde with his customary punning and wit. He has built a funny and coherent narrative throughout the series and it is nice to have a resolution to some of the sub-plots here, even as other avenues are opened up. And where else would you find Hamlet, Emperor Zhark and The Jabberwocky all […]
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Kaleidoscope
A whistle-stop tour, starting early and taking in the sights of Mui Ne, is memorable for its colours.
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To The Lighthouse
In which we take a leaf out of Virginia Woolf’s book, or one of them at least, and head south on a scooter to see an site of special significance.
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Sh*t My Dad Says
This is clearly a book that came from Twitter. Many of the funniest moments come entirely outside the anecdotes, as Halpern adds a few choice quotes to the end of each chapter, without bothering to wrap a narrative around them. Luckily, there are enough good stories here to make up for the relatively poor writing. […]
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The Well Of Lost Plots
Another good read from Fforde, which benefits from a more compelling plot than his previous. It is fair to say he has mastered the genre, and perfected the art of ironically employing cliched narrative devices to great humorous effect. It’s a lot like cheating actually, but I can forgive him because it’s genuinely laugh out […]
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Charming Town, Cham Island
Hoi An has grown on me significantly since I arrived, reminding me that I shouldn’t judge things while tired, and giving me the chance to make a weak Greek pun.
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Howdy!
Technology and travel stories from a global roaming, kangaroo loving, sake drinking gaijin pom.
Check out my projects and my resume, take a look at some code on Github and feel free to contact me.