Science in the City

One of the first things you notice, fauna-wise, is the number of exotic-looking birds on campus here at JCU Townsville. Armed with the Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds loaned to me by my colleague Jordan back in the states, I’ve been merrily identifying the most conspicuous birds I’ve come across so far. In the [...]

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After checking out of the Civic House, I bought some stamps, and waited for the 1A bus to Hospital and University. The ride out of town took about twenty minutes, with stops at a small mall and several other unassuming points along a long roadway heading out of Townsville. The campus is set on a [...]

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Monday in Townsville was a public holiday, which happens when the carnival comes to town. Since the University was likewise closed, I booked a room at a modest accommodation in town, frequented by pensioners, backpackers and apparently the fair folk, as well.

After securing my stuff in my room, I walked to the nearby supermarket [...]

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The flight was long. There were weird smells. I was tired, but couldn’t sleep. When I did manage to get to sleep, someone would wake me up. I watched too much TV, even though the controller was only working intermittently. I got on the shuttle train in the wrong direction, and thought I was going [...]

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