Down Under: In A Sunburned Country
...Cook was now free to go off and fulfill the second part of his assignment—to explore the lands of the South Seas and bring home anything that looked scientifically interesting. To this end, he had with him a brilliant and wealthy young botanist named Joseph Banks....
How to Write the Great American Indian Novel
All of the Indians must have tragic features: tragic noses, eyes, and arms. Their hands and fingers must be tragic when they reach for tragic food. The hero must be a half-breed, half white and half Indian, preferably from a horse culture. He should often weep alone....
Bamboo bikes in Sydney
Interested in getting a bamboo bike, and live in Sydney? Okay, that's niche, but I did some research into this as a Sydney resident, coincidentally interested in getting a bamboo bike, so figured I'd jot it all down in case it's useful for others. Firstly, the reason...
So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed
It turned out that public shaming had once been a process. A book of Delaware laws I discovered at the Massachusetts Historical Society revealed that if Jonah had been found guilty of “lying or publishing false news” in the 1800s, he would have been “fined, placed in...
The Log From The Sea Of Cortez
When the permits arrived, they were beautifully sealed so that even a soldier who could not read would know that if we were not what we said we were, we were at least influential enough spies and saboteurs to be out of his jurisdiction. And so our boat was loaded,...