Chandra Clarke's Blog, page 15

Un-beer-able

This week: a disturbing new trend in beer. Indeed, so disturbing, you might say that I’m mad as hops about it. In many countries, the ratio of male to female beer drinkers is roughly equal. In Germany, of all places, women apparently regard beer as unhealthy and unsophisticated. They even worry it might be fattening, […]

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The grass is always greener

I just finished reading, through bleary eyes in between the 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. teething child fusses, a book called The Quality of Life Report by Meghan Daum. It’s a story about a 30ish New York TV journalist who falls in love with “the simple life” in a small city in the American Midwest […]

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Gender fender benders

If you have any doubt that the so called battle of the sexes was getting more complicated and confusing, you only have to look at a newspaper. No, not the personal ads section. Dating has always been complicated and confusing. This is because no one has ever enacted “truth in advertising” legislation for first dates. […]

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Entrepreneurs vs Writers: Fight!

I have been to a fair few conferences in my day. In my previous life as a full-time entrepreneur, I’d go to a lot of business conferences. Now, as an author, I go to writing events — so far, primarily science fiction and fantasy gatherings. I have learned that you can tell a lot about […]

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Stupid Is As Stupid Doesn’t

File this one under “if only.” Some time ago, German scientist, Hans-Hilger Ropers, announced he was testing a pill that reduces the hyperactivity of certain brain cells, which in turn stabilizes short term memory and improves attentiveness. The researcher claims to have used it successfully with fruit flies and mice; a German newspaper dubbed it […]

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Mine

I’ve always been fascinated by how other people and other creatures perceive things. Thomas Nagel once famously asked “What is it like to be a bat?” We can’t know for sure, obviously, but it is fun to speculate. I’ve done just that in this short story. Mine is tale of fierce canine love and loyalty, […]

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Walk On

So today I read about an exercise craze called “Nordic walking.” This is like regular walking, only it requires the use of two sticks – you’re meant to use them like ski poles and push yourself along. Not just ordinary sticks of course, but carbon-fibre poles that retail for £70 (US $126). Experts say that […]

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Get Smart

The good folks over at the BBC thought they had worked out a way to make us all smarter. In a television show called “Get Smarter in a Week,” they had several dozen volunteers follow a regimen which included eating better food, adding more physical activity to their routine, and most importantly, doing “brain exercises.” […]

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Knock on Wood

Trees: We grow them, we depend on them, we even hug them. But have you ever wondered why? This short, humorous, fantasy story will make you see them in a whole new light. Available at Amazon and other book retailers:

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This is for the Birds… and the Squirrels…

Somebody in my family (I won’t name names, but I’ll call him “Son”) has a real thing for encouraging and fostering wildlife. What this means is that anyone visiting their house  feels like they’ve just walked onto the set of a National Geographic special. This is because they have no fewer than nine different feeders […]

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