I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn ot in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
Up to a certain point, it is necessary for a man to live his life in the world in which he finds himself, and to make the best of it. But beyond that point, he must create a world of his own. And the greatest thing about life is that it is always giving us the opportunity to create something new. It is never too late to start over, to make a fresh beginning, to blaze a new trail.
Life is short, and we have but a brief time in which to explore, to learn, to experience, and to create. Let us make the most of that time, and let us burn brightly, like meteors across the night sky, leaving behind us a trail of light and inspiration for those who come after us.
Jack London

Latest Papers

The working papers collection comprises historical papers as well as current ideas and works in progress on some of the major issues and topics of our times.

Sleeping in a cloud (released 7 May 2025)
Some are unsure about sleeping in a cloud
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Karma (released 22 April 2025)
In a world in which Doechii’s "Anxiety" is on JJJs high rotation list, where Trump/Vance, Putin. Xi, Netanyahu and right wing populism threaten to wreck the world as we know it, Peter Dutton and David Littleproud are unelectable.
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Australian Frankenstein: Alexander Berry, Mary Shelley and Arawarra (released 30 March 2025)
Each historical era throws up its heroes and villains. Certainly Alexander Berry is a fallen angel moving from hero and rescuer of the survivors of the Boyd, innovative pioneer and trader to ruthless patriarch to Australian Frankenstein/grave robber and vicious environmental vandal.
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Riding the Bevel (released 13 March 2025)
Jeffrey Sachs and I were in Moscow in 1990. Sachs recent full blown speech to the European Parliament caused me to reflect on that time, the opportunities lost and the lingering tragedy and unprincipled opportunism that often underlies foreign policy.
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"Jerry Bailey" (released 20 February 2025)
The etymology of "Jerry Bailey"/Shoalhaven Heads and the Tragedy of Thom Davidson
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Farm (released 3 February 2025)
All things being equal it takes a long time, perhaps one hundred years to sustain a half decent farm. Money won’t buy it. Technology will not create it. You need three generations with a disciplined, unbroken vision. Every step of the way is fragile and the whole enterprise may come tumbling down at any point. Without enlightenment it can be an impossible, soul destroying enterprise.
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Fear and Intuition (released 22 January 2025)
Age, time and scholarship bring the ability to appreciate and comprehend strange confluences.
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Time (released 6 January 2025)
Old people will often say that, beyond their aches and pains, they still feel the same as they were when they were young. Time is a trickster.
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Wasp (released 1 January 2025)
Hands and fingers are evolved, advanced technology.
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Kia - Brief Etymology of A NSW South Coast Aboriginal Word (released 10 December 2024)
Many Aboriginal people have names beginning with the root "kia", names such as Kiami, Kiama, Kiara or Kiana. The name is derived from an auspicious Aboriginal word referring to the heavens, mountains and the spirit of Biame on the South Coast of NSW and beyond.
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