Author Archives: Content Catnip

Creepily Correct Predictions Circa 1880 About the World in the 21st Century

Albert Robida was born in 1848 and died in 1926. A French illustrator, etcher, lithographer, caricaturist, and novelist, he came up with some creepily accurate predictions about World War II and also how our world would look like in the 21st Century. He wrote a futuristic trilogy in the same vein as Jules Verne OfContinue reading “Creepily Correct Predictions Circa 1880 About the World in the 21st Century”

The Sea Chair: Oceanic Imposters Turned Into Elegant Art

The Sea Chair is an ingenious and clever response to a growing encumberance that’s carried by our oceans – floating rubbish. Studio Swine and Kieren Jones have merged traditional fishing practices, industry and synthetic materials to fabricate a chair made from discarded plastic on-board of an old fishing vessel and using a custom-made seapress. TheContinue reading “The Sea Chair: Oceanic Imposters Turned Into Elegant Art”

The Culinary and Poetic Legacy of Robert Burns in Scotland

Robert Burns is a cult figure amongst Scottish people for his celebrated poetry and folk songs from the 18th Century. He used to write in the Scots language and also English with Scots dialect. Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns has travelled far beyond Scotland, to become a universal song for New Year’s Eve. EveryContinue reading “The Culinary and Poetic Legacy of Robert Burns in Scotland”

How to Liven Up a Tired Old Rental Flat (Part 1)

Here are a couple of cheap and easy ways to bring the funky into a rented flat (a.k.a apartment. Flat is what we call it in New Zealand). These simple tips will allow you to create a bright, funky and comfortable living space while also being able to get your bond back. Ideal for Uni studentsContinue reading “How to Liven Up a Tired Old Rental Flat (Part 1)”

Poetry For Inspiration: The Sea, The Sea

Exhultation is the going Of an inland soul to sea Past the houses – past the headlands Into deep Eternity Bred as we, among the mountains Can the sailor understand The divine intoxication Of the first league out from land? Emily Dickinson. American (1830 -1886)    

Ask Us Anything And We Will Answer…Google Before Computers

Remember what it was like when you needed a question answered, and you consulted a book and not Google? Back in the analogue age, we consulted unweildy encyclopaedias which smelt of dusty paper and a pleasant musty ink. Or you could ask the New York Public Library? By writing on a little cue-card, which was researchedContinue reading “Ask Us Anything And We Will Answer…Google Before Computers”

Winning Life’s Trifecta

It’s 2015 baby! Is it time to dust away the cobwebs and start on that new regimen of lifestyle changes? Is it? I don’t put much stock in new year’s resolutions. Any day is a good day to begin the rest of your life. Without getting all Dr. Phil on your ass, here are someContinue reading “Winning Life’s Trifecta”

Got enough books? What a stupid question!

Here are some book inspired goodies that will satisfy the avid bookworm inside of you, or inside of someone you love. Each has a great Christmas snuggle factor to them. Book Bricks Lovingly crafted in Melbourne by Light Reading, these bricks are customised to reflect your literary obsessions. They are novel enough to stand aloneContinue reading “Got enough books? What a stupid question!”

Iceland’s Powerful Wilderness + Indigenous Wisdom From Around the World

Black Elk: Oglala Sioux (1863 – 1950) The first peace, which is the most important is that which comes within the souls of men when they realise their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all of its powers. When they realise that at the centre of the universe dwells Wakan-Tanka, and that this centre isContinue reading “Iceland’s Powerful Wilderness + Indigenous Wisdom From Around the World”

Short Form Writing on Wonder

Some things lead into the realm beyond words it is like that small mirror in fairy tales you glance in it and what you see is not yourself; for an instant you glimpse the Inaccessible… And the soul cries out for it. Alexander Solzhenitsyn Start with the little things seen through a magnifying glass ofContinue reading “Short Form Writing on Wonder”