One of the beneficial side effects of a birthday party are the traces that remain in the form of gifts that mirror relationships and mutual perception. The gifts that were given to me in March were most creatively and carefully wrapped, so that I was deeply touched by the thoughtfulness of the many wonderful people that I am privileged to regard as part of my life. Now, over a month later, I find myself left, in particular, with substantial quantities of red wine and books, books, books, books – reassured by this acceptance and affirmation of what has been the greatest passion of my life for almost as long as I can remember: the written word.

i've just received my second tresspass order. i wish i could say it was for my daring political activism (i did trespass on the waihopai spy base back in the late 80s but i got away with that, & i'm sure i've crossed the line many other times) but sadly, these trespass orders are being served on me by the owner of the house next door to mine in wellington.

So... yesterday I went to Brighton for a simple little visit. Had a lovely time visiting with old friends. I had said all day long that I wanted to go back to London no later than 7pm as I had work to do and an event to prepare for. Well, soon it was 9 and I can't remember how many glasses of wine later it was... finally got in a taxi to catch the train back to London. By 10:30 I finally ended up home back at Furtherfield. As I walk up to my door I notice that the curtain in my bedroom was knocked down. Strange I thought.

i am not sure what to do with all the photos from tibet that i am receiving. tanks and soldiers on the streets, dead bodies, monks protesting. one that appears to be chinese soldiers preparing to dress as monks: their heads are shaven and they are carrying orange and maroon robes folded neatly in their arms. what is that about? what might they do disguised as monks? in another, a white woman holds a sign that reads "China, would you shoot me too? The world is watching."

generally, i'm a fan of public transport. i've had mostly good experiences on public transport from buenos aires to barcelona to belgrade. i've zipped across london on tubes & buses, people-watched on the new york subway, commuted effortlessly by train between glasgow and edinburgh, ridden trams in melbourne, trolley-buses in wellington and subway trains on rubber tyres in montreal, and travelled by horse-bus in cuba. i've covered most of india by public bus and train. and i have come to the conclusion that brisbane has the worst public transport system in the world.

As the city of Linz prepares for the European Capital of Culture year Linz09, controversy and dissatisfaction have been increasingly spreading. The following is a statement from the Freie Szene, the independent art scene of Linz, on the current situation.

Maschine brennt / Up in Smoke

Statement on the current culture-political situation in Linz from the Freie Szene, the independent art scene of Linz

What does culture need?

One of my favorite columnists, Annalee Newitz, recently wrote about how the English language is changing through the influence of international communication: "The Queen's English is Dead". As often as I have experienced monolingual English speakers happily, but erroneously thinking that everyone speaks "their" language without realizing how much other people may be struggling to understand them, I appreciate an article like this very much. However, it is only one of many, many sides to a much more complex story.

So here I am, in this magical space know as Furtherfield. I’ve just taken a homemade toasted almond pie crust out of the oven for a little dinner party later tonight, and am now sitting with a cup of tea in the quiet and still HTTP gallery debating how on earth I start this blog. As the first artist in residence here I feel quiet honored to be here. It’s a live/work space where I’m the only one who lives here, but others come to work here. It kinda feels like having your friends over to play every day.

i suppose it is autumn here in indooroopilly - i've put the feather duvet on my bed even tho it's not quite cold enough. we're wearing more clothes and saying things like "isn't it cold" but in truth it's pretty mild.

New Media was a genre based on a community in the 90's.
In the 2000's, it became a series of practices understood as a group of media arts
It is currently being historicized as a movement.

(However, it is also a meme used within the communications industry, which is a problem. Don't confuse them, or as little as possible.)