Muesli musings

Hello readers! Today’s blog post was triggered by a mundane observation that turned out to be interesting. Have you ever noticed that in a box of muesli, the largest pieces (e.g., Brazil nuts) tend to rise to the surface? I was reminded of this phenomenon yesterday, when I noticed that a bag of mixed herbs … Continue reading Muesli musings →

Is lava wet? And other questions

Hello readers! I’ve been playing more Tears of the Kingdom recently, and some of the “lava physics” in that game reminded me of various questions I have been asked over the years about lava in films and video games. This blog has hosted plenty of “cool rocks” since its inception, but we haven’t yet talked … Continue reading Is lava wet? And other questions →

Making maps

Hello readers! Today’s blog post is mostly waffle with some updates. I’m very busy readying the second book in the Highmoor series for publication, so you can expect an announcement on that soon. I’m also very slowly creating a map to go with each book, and this has been a lot more time-consuming than I … Continue reading Making maps →

The court is in session for chord progression

Hello readers! This week I’m asking the question which has been plaguing humanity since the advent of the 12-tone equal temperament scale: can you copyright a chord progression? A rather interesting court case has started in Manhattan, where the heirs of the co-writer of Marvin Gaye’s song Let’s Get It On are accusing Ed Sheeran … Continue reading The court is in session for chord progression →

Marching onward

Hello readers! This week I finally started making a map for the Highmoor book series, which made me realise two things: 1) getting this map to a presentable state is going to take more time than I anticipated, and 2) I need to start thinking more carefully about distances traveled, the state of roads, how … Continue reading Marching onward →

Busy doing nothing

[Originally published: 13th Feb 2023] Hello readers! It has been a very long time since I have posted anything, and there is a good reason for that. Firstly, I was away for over two weeks thanks to my job. Then, while I was away, I caught Covid - so I was in no position to … Continue reading Busy doing nothing →

Mid January already?

[Originally published: 16th Jan 2023] Hello readers! Much to my surprise, we are already halfway through the first month of 2023. For some reason, I feel as if I've been incredibly busy, and yet I haven't much to show for it. That being said, I thought I'd provide a progress update as we go into … Continue reading Mid January already? →

Quizmaster Time

[Originally published: 18th Dec 2022] Hello readers! I was recently tasked with hosting a quiz for the office Christmas party, and I thought I'd share some of my favourite questions. Also, as my festive gift to you, I thought I'd share some cool rocks. Here you go. What is that cool rock? No, this isn't … Continue reading Quizmaster Time →

200 books and counting

[Originally published: 4th Dec 2022] Hello readers! This week we passed another milestone: over 200 copies of my books have been ordered on Amazon. In fact, the total now stands at 230. Many thanks to everyone who contributed towards this statistic! Breaking down the sales... This morning I made a graphic to show the popularity … Continue reading 200 books and counting →