I was pretty excited to get my Covid vaccine, maybe the whole stupid nightmare was coming to an end? The fact that I was to be vaccinated in Dublin’s Aviva stadium, AKA Lansdowne Road, where I’d enjoyed everything from international rugby matches to Roger Waters The Wall, surely meant that this would be another well-staged… Continue reading Why the Dublin Aviva Covid vaccine experience sucks, and how design thinking can make it better
Category: Pop culture
UFOs explained by Occam’s Razor
The long-awaited UFO report has more questions than answers On June 25, 2021, the US intelligence community released its long-awaited report into UFOs (unidentified flying objects) or, in a desperate attempt to own a new acronym, UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena). The report (which you can read in full here, via CNN) says that 143 witnessed… Continue reading UFOs explained by Occam’s Razor
Win Hempoffset merch (and Irish candy) on St Patrick’s Day
Worldwide Giveaway for St Patrick’s Day! Have a green one with these Irish treats and @Hempoffset merch! Get on Twitter and make sure you’re following @GaryJByrnes and @Hempoffset… Find this post, pinned to the top of either Twitter page, post a comment or share… And that’s all! Draw on 17 March 2021, winner contacted, good… Continue reading Win Hempoffset merch (and Irish candy) on St Patrick’s Day
Will you help our hemp leaf emoji campaign?
Hemp is a wonder plant, so let’s recognise that with an emoji! Hemp is a hot plant in 2021, and its popularity is growing. Hemp is a truly powerful plant, capable of saving the world from climate disaster. An acre of hemp can absorb 9 metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere in just one… Continue reading Will you help our hemp leaf emoji campaign?
Lockdown Dreams – free flash fiction ebook for you
Bestselling author, Gary J Byrnes, started this crazy Readathriller hemp offset project. But he keeps writing fiction on the side, mainly late at night, as we all pass through this feverish pandemic. Inspired by lockdown, these ten dreamy, super-short tales can be enjoyed on any digital reading device, and can be downloaded right now, for… Continue reading Lockdown Dreams – free flash fiction ebook for you
David Attenborough has a must-watch film on Netflix, A Life on Our Planet
David Attenborough and his emotional call to action David Attenborough has got to be one of the most-loved people in the world, and he’s part of the fabric of our lives. So his new Netflix film, A Life on Our Planet, comes at just the right time. Just when we think we’re finished, Attenborough delivers… Continue reading David Attenborough has a must-watch film on Netflix, A Life on Our Planet
Vampire kiss for you: shocking, free short film, soundtrack, ebook
I had the idea for Vampire Story a couple of years back, to tie Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, in with modern vampires living in Stoker’s hometown of Dublin. I didn’t realise how big the project would become. Making a film, even a short one, is a piece of work. Dozens of talented people, location permits, equipment hire,… Continue reading Vampire kiss for you: shocking, free short film, soundtrack, ebook
Love your life! Get 5 Gary J Byrnes bestsellers for FREE right now!
Free ebooks to help you get through the pandemic Times are tough, shit even. One of the best things we can do to get through this is to read incredible stories, ideally as free ebooks that are great for the planet and great for your mind. We can also be kinder to each other, do… Continue reading Love your life! Get 5 Gary J Byrnes bestsellers for FREE right now!
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism – Book review, how to survive it
What is ‘surveillance capitalism’? Your future behaviour is the product Shoshana Zuboff’s book is essential reading for anyone who has a smartphone or uses the internet. So, pretty much everyone should read this. When the product is free, then you are the product. This truism is taken to a new level by surveillance capitalism. Now,… Continue reading The Age of Surveillance Capitalism – Book review, how to survive it
Urgent manifesto for human resistance to AI, algorithms and tech domination, #ResistAI
Manifesto and call-to-arms to prevent a dystopia in which humans become unnecessary, or serve machines This Manifesto is about defining a simple, clear and direct set of rules for the people and companies that construct artificial intelligence, algorithms and technology. This Manifesto aims to prevent a dystopia where: humans are governed by AI and algorithms;… Continue reading Urgent manifesto for human resistance to AI, algorithms and tech domination, #ResistAI
A dystopian story, PET. Free download, any digital book format
Want a chilling vision of a possible future? Get this free dystopian story by bestselling writer Gary J Byrnes right now Read this dystopian short story now and see if ten minutes of fiction can make you rethink everything. Find it here on Smashwords, free in any ebook format, or you can just read online!… Continue reading A dystopian story, PET. Free download, any digital book format
How to get your book published. Write like George Orwell, scifi, fantasy
So you want to get your book published? You’ve always wanted to get your book published, but you just never had the time, right? So, now that we’re in a pandemic and can’t do shit, you feel that this is your moment? Good for you! So let’s get your writing out into the world! First… Continue reading How to get your book published. Write like George Orwell, scifi, fantasy
How to find the meaning of life, the sheer awesomeness of you
13.8 billion years The meaning of life can’t be found without an understanding of where you came from. The Universe that we know came into existence around 13.8 billion years ago. Nobody knows for sure. It was a Big Bang alright. Out of nothing came nature’s simplest element, Hydrogen, filling the Universe. With just one… Continue reading How to find the meaning of life, the sheer awesomeness of you
420 is a demand for change. Legalize hemp and cannabis worldwide now
What 420 means, origin story In 1971, five high school students in San Rafael, California, used the term in connection with a plan to search for an abandoned cannabis crop, based on a treasure map made by the grower (sounds like a movie waiting to happen). The group called themselves The Waldos, met after school at 4:20 PM,… Continue reading 420 is a demand for change. Legalize hemp and cannabis worldwide now
Beautiful news: Some cool stuff for you
The world can and will be better soon. To deal with the coronavirus we need to minimise infections by social distancing, until the vaccine is produced and widely available. And the news is good, with curve-flattening measures working, and a vaccine formula innovated, just this week. Longer-term, people should be discouraged from eating wild animals,… Continue reading Beautiful news: Some cool stuff for you
Adam and Eve: The greatest lie prevents true equality
“Adam and Eve is the greatest lie ever told. We were all female in the womb. So the male is made from the female, not the other way round. Always. Systemic inequality in law, religion and society is not just morally wrong, it’s Bronze Age, batshit crazy, and science disproves its basis. We must accept that our foundation stories are mostly lies. Or misogyny, the deluded punishment of all women for what Eve did in a story, will remain acceptable in most human societies.”
– Gary J Byrnes, March 2020.
Facebook says no
Facebook’s double standards: It bans our ‘Trump is the Antichrist’ ads but runs Trump’s re-election campaign lies Can you believe these guys? “I had a look at your ad account and unfortunately we won’t be able to re-enable it.” Meanwhile, Facebook peddles Trump lies and disinformation with impunity. Maybe they thought our article on Trump… Continue reading Facebook says no
So, is Trump the Antichrist that Nostradamus predicted?
Was Nostradamus right? Our investigation will startle you Is Donald Trump the Antichrist that Nostradamus predicted, and are we now in the ‘End Times’? You could be forgiven for thinking that the end of the world was upon us, with R.E.M.’s song sounding ever more apt on the radio, some American Christians calling President Trump… Continue reading So, is Trump the Antichrist that Nostradamus predicted?
The 2010s reviewed: 9/11; digital mind control; a global awakening on climate change
2010s events. What happened? Jesus wept. What a decade. While a ton of nasty shit went down in the 2010s, we must resist the temptation to wrap our minds up in binge-watched box sets. We can work harder to understand why things are the way they are, and actively embrace the ideas and actions that… Continue reading The 2010s reviewed: 9/11; digital mind control; a global awakening on climate change
Guernica by Picasso and climate change
Can art save us from catastrophe? I was in Madrid for the first time in November 2019, just before COP25, and was blown away by the food and the art. Picasso’s Guernica, in the Museo Reina Sofia, was the main event, a stunning depiction of man’s stupidity stripped bare. When the COP25 UN Climate Change… Continue reading Guernica by Picasso and climate change
It’s Blade Runner month, November 2019, live it
But it’s so 90s In the novel, Rick Deckard is sent to track down replicants in San Francisco – in 1992. The book was written around 1967 by Philip K Dick, and had one of the best titles ever: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 1992 was 25 years ahead of the time of writing.… Continue reading It’s Blade Runner month, November 2019, live it
