A Dialogue on Contemporary Art and the Venice Biennale A picture is worth a thousand words: this well-known adage established the superiority of the visual art form over the written word, implying that complex ideas or deep emotions can be conveyed much more quickly and effectively through a single image than by reading or writing lengthy prose. While most of us will accept this on its face value, a cursory visit to any contemporary art exhibition will quickly challenge even

Food diary from the ancient Medina of Tunis Feeling down? Have some harissa. A bit stressed? Take some harissa. Broken hearted? Eat some extra harissa … Harissa makes everything better. I first encountered Harissa in the Medina of Tunis in May 2026. How I had managed to spend 3 and 40 years on this planet without indulging in this most beautiful of condiments, I do not know. Harissa Makes Everything Better. Written by Reeta Dhar. Cover Art by Darren Pryce. The silent medina

It happened with social media. It is happening with capital gains. It may happen with AI. Governments around the world are adopting the 'fast follower' strategy to close regulatory loopholes around technology and taxation: Once one government figures out the right policy setting to achieve a given outcome, others don't waste any time to follow. This is the fastest governments have moved to develop and legislate uniform laws across multiple jurisdictions.

This piece is less a critique of Disclosure Day, the new UFO movie by Spielberg, and more of a discussion on why Spielberg made Disclosure Day (although I do critique it at the end). If the interviews with the legendary director are anything to go by, the man is a true believer. Judging by his body of work in the alien genre, perhaps he always was. What has become clear, however, is that he caught the same bug I did back in 2017. The difference is that I moved on while Spielb

Once upon a time, we lived in a world where the we could not get enough of tech. Silicon Valley aroused religious fervour. That tide has turned: The veneer of innovation and idealism that long kept Silicon Valley in the public's good graces has all but worn off. The challenge now is to stop Big Tech from ruining AI as well.

Confession: I am writing this article mostly for the benefit of folks who are staying at my home whilst I am off wandering the world (hurrah to the share economy). To the extent it helps others discover great cafes and restaurants in Coogee that are going the extra mile to deliver an elevated dining experience, that is a bonus!

20th of January, 2025: On a freezing winter's day in Washington, Trump was sworn in as the President of the United States of America for the second time. The chill captured the mood of at least half the nation and perhaps, most of the world, as the mad king was once again handed the reins to the most armed nation in the world.​ Michelle Obama broke tradition and did not attend the inauguration. She did not put forward some fake excuse either ...

What possesses us to leave behind a comfortable home and head off into the unknown? I am not referring to luxury travel or the sort of travel one does with organised tour companies either. Rather, I am talking about the self-directed, budget-conscious journeys that intrepid souls embark upon through distant lands. As adventurous as such a form of travel may sound, it is not without its trials.

Say there was an eternal afterlife – what would you choose to take to the other side? Your house? Car? Gourmet food and wine? That comfy sofa in the living room? Maybe some favourite clothes, jewellery, makeup and shoes? What about some underwear? Pharaohs packed all this and more. The reason we know this is because of the infamous discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, the most complete and spectacular unplundered royal tomb discovered in the Valley of the Kings ...