Monthly Archives: June 2005

Buy my stuff!

Since I’m moving to Japan, I have some stuff to get rid of… to sell, even. Let me know if you want it (contact details on the about page). Purchasing will be easiest if you live in Melbourne and know … Continue reading

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My grounds for supporting VSU

Today, the last in a series of emails I exchanged with Michelle Smith, Publications Officer of the University of Melbourne Postgraduate Association, about the relationship between identity politics and VSU (Voluntary Student Unionism). In today’s installment, I explain that one … Continue reading

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The Amber Spyglass (review)

Philip Pullman, The Amber Spyglass (2000; repr. London: Point, 2001), 549pp. 8/10 This is the last in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, notable because its characters’ main quest is to destroy the god of Abraham. It’s a splendid thing … Continue reading

Posted in Books, General | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Do rônin dream of electric girls?

CLAMP and Madhouse Production, Chobits, animated series (2002), 26 episodes, subtitled by a4e. 7/10

What if there were cute girl robots who could fall in love?

Such is the question that, no doubt, thousands of male rônin students living in Tôkyô guest houses have asked themselves. Motosuwa Hideki, the protagonist of Chobits, is one such man.

The answer to the question, if you’re unfamiliar with anime, may strike you as surprisingly sensitive. In the near-future that Chobits is set in, there are sexy girl robots, one of whom can fall in love, and it’s bad news for human women and the usual mix of heartache and joy for all concerned. Continue reading

Posted in General, Movies and TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Apple on x86: a gamer’s perspective

In today’s WWDC keynote, Steve Jobs officially announced that Apple is beginning to switch its CPU-based products from the PowerPC architecture to x86. Online responses have been varied, commenting on what effect the move will have on Apple’s sales, Linux, … Continue reading

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