Glass Wings Blog

The Glass Wings mailing list and blog is for general idle chit-chat about things we find interesting, especially humor, animation or other subjects relevant to the Glass Wings web site.

With "The Rainbow Serpent", Dick Roughsey shared the spirit of our country. His work is a gift to us all

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:17:57 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jan/28/rainbow-serpent-dick-roughsey-spirit-australia-childrens-book>

"It’s with good reason that The Rainbow Serpent by Dick Roughsey has
continued to be an Australian children’s classic for 50 years.

Heat records tumble in Victoria as authorities warn against complacency amid significant blazes

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:14:45 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/27/victoria-melbourne-weather-forecast-fire-danger-extreme-heatwave-bushfire-risk>

"Victoria may have sweltered through its hottest temperatures on record, with
preliminary readings of 48.9C at two locations in the state’s north-west both
higher than that recorded during 2009’s Black Saturday.

5 years on from the junta’s coup, Myanmar’s flawed elections can’t unite a country at risk of breaking apart

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:13:44 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/5-years-on-from-the-juntas-coup-myanmars-flawed-elections-cant-unite-a-country-at-risk-of-breaking-apart-272894>

"Five years ago, on February 1 2021, Myanmar’s top generals decapitated the
elected government. Democratic leaders were arrested, pushed underground or
forced into exile.

Disappeared bodies, mass burials and ‘30,000 dead’: what is the truth of Iran’s death toll?

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:12:35 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/jan/27/iran-protests-death-toll-disappeared-bodies-mass-burials-30000-dead>

"On Thursday 8 January, in a midsize Iranian town, Dr Ahmadi’s* phone began to
buzz. His colleagues in local emergency wards were getting worried.

A brief history of sugar

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:10:37 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

https://theconversation.com/a-brief-history-of-sugar-266189

"A few thousand years ago, sugar was unknown in the western world. Sugarcane, a
tall grass first domesticated in New Guinea around 6000BC, was initially chewed
for its sweet juice rather than crystallised. By around 500BC, methods to boil

My husband was murdered on holiday – and my whole world collapsed

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 04:18:27 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jan/28/my-husband-was-murdered-on-holiday-and-my-whole-world-collapsed>

"On a Sunday in October 1997, Eve Henderson looked down at her husband,
Roderick, as he lay in a hospital bed, unable to make sense of what she saw.
She was, she says, “a block of stone”. They were in the neurological ward of a

Most AI assistants are feminine – and it’s fuelling dangerous stereotypes and abuse

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 04:17:11 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/most-ai-assistants-are-feminine-and-its-fuelling-dangerous-stereotypes-and-abuse-272335>

"In 2024, artificial intelligence (AI) voice assistants worldwide surpassed 8
billion, more than one per person on the planet. These assistants are helpful,
polite – and almost always default to female.

Terry Pratchett’s novels may have held clues to his dementia a decade before diagnosis, our new study suggests

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 04:15:57 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/terry-pratchetts-novels-may-have-held-clues-to-his-dementia-a-decade-before-diagnosis-our-new-study-suggests-273777>

"The earliest signs of dementia are rarely dramatic. They do not arrive as
forgotten names or misplaced keys, but as changes so subtle they are almost
impossible to notice: a slightly narrower vocabulary, less variation in

Gay ice hockey drama ‘Heated Rivalry’ becomes a surprise hit in Russia despite anti-LGBTQ+ laws

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 04:13:33 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://apnews.com/article/heated-rivalry-tv-russia-gay-ice-hockey-f788b1dce58063e3797922402c9f7f3c>

"LONDON (AP) — If you haven’t heard of gay ice hockey TV drama “Heated
Rivalry” and its two lead stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie yet ... then
get your skates on.

Australian plumber is a YouTube sensation

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 04:11:56 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/01/australian-plumber-is-a-youtube-sensation/>

"Large swathes of the US were blanketed in snow and ice over the weekend, and
what better way to spend a snow day than going down a YouTube rabbit hole?
Everyone has their favorite oddity: ASMR, jazzy pop song covers, cooking