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| R.A.T.! Random Aussie Tune! This is part of my ongoing attempt to make Australia seem like a country not just populated by wildlife out to kill you (even though it is) and always on fire or under water (only half the time, to be honest) by posting songs I like by Aussie (not Kiwi) artists. Tomorrow as I type this (that is, April 25) is ANZAC Day in Australia. It is one of the very few days that crosses all divides; everyone acknowledges the importance of this day. As such, I will be giving a song here that tells of a Vietnam veteran's return. Redgum, the band, were an Adelaide band, and I was going to put one of their non-serious songs here, but the timing is too good, so this song, which is played at this time of the year every year, should be here. John Schumann, the lead singer and principle song-writer, ended up entering parliament. Yes, our musos don't just talk the talk (as those who remember my Midnight Oil post might recall). He represented the Greens Party. I voted for him. Seen live? Yes. Overseas success? No. 'I Was Only 19 (A Walk In The Light Green)' by Redgum (1983) |
| This came up in a discussion of pseudo-archaeology and then pseudo-science I had at the pub the other day. I tried to avoid the Backfire Effect, and when it got heated, I forced the discussion down such an absurd path everyone was laughing. OBSCURE PHRASE OF THE DAY! Today's phrase is Rosenthal effect. This phrase means "the manner in which one’s beliefs, biases and expectations can have an impact of the phenomena under investigation". It is also known as the Pygmalion effect, and is a form of Confirmation bias, but more centred on causing direct outcomes. If you expect a person to have a poor performance, your bias in that regard will result in them having a poor performance when this effect is in play. Likewise, if you expect to find evidence of Noah's Ark when you go hunting on Mount Lofty in the Adelaide Hills, then you will find evidence that supports your theory. Just another of those weird phrases that crops up. Your challenge today, should you accept it, is to write a story where this is the inciting action. |
I've added a new entry to my "Writing Blog Number 2"  : "20250423 Two Songs, One Meaning (Using Similar Story Ideas)" In which I demonstrate worrying about "stealing" ideas is not a biggie... |
| I may have gone overboard, but Jeremy assures me it's okay. Still, I am rather happy with this 90 minute piece of writing... "Re: April 22, 2025" |
New question over at
And 'tis here: "QOTD: Tuesday April 22, 2025" On a personal note, I hope people have at least liked the questions I've been posting while Lilli has been occupied with keeping huge bits of WdC ticking over... |
| R.A.T.! Random Aussie Tune! This is part of my ongoing attempt to make Australia seem like a country not just populated by wildlife out to kill you (even though it is) and always on fire or under water (only half the time, to be honest) by posting songs I like by Aussie (not Kiwi) artists. Last time on RAT, I talked about The Black Sorrows and mentioned I first came across band leader Joe Camilleri in Jo Jo Zep And the Falcons. Why not look at one of their songs? They were not around for very long, but this song certainly seemed to strtke a chord as I did hear it a bit when it came out. I have always liked it, and it was what made me follow Joe to The Black Sorrows. Seen live? No. Overseas success? No. 'I Will Return' by Jo Jo Zep And The Falcons (1980) |
| I told great joke about Medusa, but when I finished it, everyone just sat there stone-faced. Then I told a joke about Heracles, but it was really laboured. My Icarus joke didn't land very well. I had a joke about Queen Pasiphae, but she had a cow the first time I told it. My King Midas joke, though - that was pure gold. |
S 🤦  - I tried to come up with a joke about Pythagoras, but it just wasn't right. Perhaps I need to approach it from a different angle. |
| I've added a new entry to my "Writing Blog Number 2" : "20250421 Reposting Another Old Blog - Negative Reviews" How to deal with things when/if I review your work, I guess... |
| R.A.T.! Random Aussie Tune! This is part of my ongoing attempt to make Australia seem like a country not just populated by wildlife out to kill you (even though it is) and always on fire or under water (only half the time, to be honest) by posting songs I like by Aussie (not Kiwi) artists. Back to our regular scheduled Aussie-ness. The Black Sorrows were led by Joe Camilleri, who I first heard leading Jo Jo Zep And The Falcons. The Black Sorrows went for a more melodic musical style of blues rock, mixing a heap of genres together to create something that did become instantly recognisable to Australians. They are still performing and releasing music to this day, in fact. Seen live? No. Overseas success? Some in Europe. 'Harley + Rose' by Black Sorrows (1990) |
| So, talking to a USian via Skype... Do USians all pronounce the word emu as "ee-moo"? He seemed to think so, and it took me some coaching to get him to pronounce the word properly. It is pronounced "eem-you". Oh, and while we're at it, "Aussie" is pronounced "oz-zee", like Ozzy Osbourne, "Melbourne" is pronounced "Mel-b'n", and "Brisbane" is pronounced "Briz-b'n". Just so if you are ever allowed to come over here you know what we're talking about. |
| Yes, I pronounce it ee-moo, and now Imma gonna spell it that way, too. Don't tell me what to do 'cuz you're not the boss of me, Awssee man! |
| R.A.T.! Random Aussie Tune! This is part of my ongoing attempt to make Australia seem like a country not just populated by wildlife out to kill you (even though it is) and always on fire or under water (only half the time, to be honest) by posting songs I like by Aussie (not Kiwi) artists. The start of April has seen me posting tunes by bands I like that are cover songs done for a radio programme called 'Like A Version.' This the final one I will be sharing for the time being. Dune Rats were a band I discovered in 2016 through two songs - 'Bullshit' and 'Mexico', which they released with Aussie hiphop artist Drapht. I was going to put 'Bullshit' as my song from them until I looked at my list of LAV songs and saw this one. 'Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again' has been a staple of Aussie rock for decades. Originally performed by The Angels (the band I have seen live more than any other I wasn't involved with), when I looked at that band for RAT I included a different song. But this one needs to be somewhere. It will get a crowd of Aussie pub-goers screaming at the top of their lungs the add-on bits. It is one of the greatest sing-along songs ever written. Oh, and for those of a senstive nature... THEY'RE JUST WORDS! This song is acredited to Dune Rats & Friends. the friends include some female singers I have talked about before and some scheduled to be talked about in future and two old guys. Who? The Brewster Brothers... two of the three men who started The Angels! Full circle! So, I am finishing Like A Version with a scream-along song. Seen live? No. Overseas success? Not yet, but it should be there. 'Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again' by Dune Rats (& Friends) (2022) |
New question!
The Internet here in rural areas SUCKS! Anyway, the question is: "QOTD: April 18, 2025" |
| I've added a new entry to my "Writing Blog Number 2" : "20240418 An Old Blog (Story Matters!)" In which I post an old blog post by someone else about what makes a story a story... |
| One more reason I love this country. Back in the 1970s to 1990s (maybe earlier, I don't know; I wasn't born then) they used to play Easter messages paid for by the Christian Television Association about the "true meaning" of Easter, as they saw it. I realised this year I haven't seen them for a while so did my research. It seems because the Australian Skeptics were not allowed to put their version up on TV, the TV channels were showing bias, and so all mentions were removed. Apparently the CTA were told they could continue to present it in their advertisements, but they had to say it was an opinion/belief only. There was no backlash or outcry. Why? Sure people can work it out. |
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Those who praise the coming of Armageddon may also see their fondest wish come true.
I hadn't heard of the backfire effect - or at least not termed that way - and this led me to do a little reading about it. Cognitive biases are so interesting. We are not rational creatures!!