Book Signing at the Maldon Books Book Hut
On Saturday, 12th August, between 11am-1pm, I will be signing copies of my books at the splendid Maldon Books Book Hut in Promenade Park, Maldon, Essex. Do come along for a chat. Fine weather forecast. This event, originally scheduled for 5th August, was rescheduled owing to inclement weather on 5th.
Is There Anybody Out There? BBC Four: The Sky At Night
The July 2023 edition of BBC's The Sky at Night examines the challenges of communicating with aliens. An amusing moment at 26:10 when Professor Doug Vakoch suggests that maybe aliens are going to be like cats: they know we're here, they just don't care.
A First Look at the Capabilities of ChatGPT
AI is undoubtedly going to have an enormous impact on our lives. It seems a good idea to experiment with its capabilities to identify the positive and negative aspects. As a first step, I asked ChatGPT to provide me with original ideas for a speculative fiction novel. Here is my question and the response: 'Give […]
Book Six Complete; What Next?
I have recently completed my latest book, with a working title of ‘Conditions Are Different After Dark’. While I go through the process of seeking a publisher, I need to decide what to write next. As a starting point, I am revisiting my published books to compare the elements that make them unique. My first […]
Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets
The Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets was founded by an Indonesian businessman and collector to preserve and share the culture and tradition. When I found this site online, I assumed the collection was small and housed in one or two buildings. I discovered that it includes approximately 1300 masks and 5700 puppets. There […]
AI Chatbots: Friend or Foe?
A recent Observer article posed the question 'Could a bot be your best pal?'. This raises several interesting issues, positive and negative. The concept behind an AI chatbot is not new. It is a logical progression from talking dolls and teddy bears and the Tamagotchi of the 1990s. Since the beginning of time, people have […]
The Lights Moved at a Uniform Speed...
The lights moved at a uniform speed, travelling with a purpose, intent, yet random in direction. Until a pattern began to emerge… The Visitors. Grounded sci-fi addressing climate inaction and global conspiracy from. Available from all good and online.
Three Temples in Bali
Bali is unique in Indonesia, with a Hindu population of 86.9%. One of the great pleasures of visiting Bali is touring the temples. Temples represent an important part of daily religious, social and cultural life and are meticulously maintained. On this trip, I visited three in the Ubud area, illustrated in the following photographs.1-3 Pura […]