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Biochar–Carbon Sequestration
I first heard of biochar as terra preta, the black fertile earth found in parts of the Amazon. I was fascinated that charcoal could make such a difference to soil productivity. The question then is can we translate this knowledge to a practical methodology for Australia, converting farm and household organic waste into field improving…
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Writing badly
Writing for a few years doesn’t make me a writing expert, but it has given me a little distance and perspective on my own work. Now, I can see some of the flaws in my style. In fiction, I overuse the characters’ names. The reader doesn’t have to be hit over the head with whose…
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Dinosaurs Wore Coloured Feathers
Earth’s sole sentient standson cliff tops, looking to the stars.Below, unheeded, the thoughtless rangethrough cooling oceans, jungle landsand unrolling, unmapped plains.“Tonight, we try.”Feathers preened, muscles trained.Reptilian brains abuzz.The launch is power, synchronised lift,and all but one fall back.He is their defiance of limits,wearing moonlight and aimed for its heart.They will conquer new worlds, live forever.…
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Out of the Shadows by Kay Hooper
Kay Hooper teased for ages about Bishop’s backstory. In Out of the Shadows, we finally meet his Miranda (is her name a play on the Miranda warning?), and she’s a character strong enough to hold her own against Bishop. I don’t want to give away any of the plot twists, so I can’t really talk…
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The Cloud of Unknowing
Can you review a spiritual classic? I’m certainly not going to try. I’m currently reading A C Spearing’s translation of The Cloud of Unknowing, about a chapter or two at a time. It makes some interesting claims–like why we have two nostrils instead of one–but reminds us we’re not to read it to amuse our…