To My Amazement Blogger Still Exists

Have you ever stumbled across something from your past that you had completely forgotten about? Well, that's what happened to me when I tried the new Bing search engine, which comes with the incorporation of the famous language model, ChatGPT. To my surprise, I discovered my old Blogger account, which I established back in 2005. It's amazing to think that I'm typing this message in 2023, almost two decades later!

Now, I've heard people say that blogging is no longer relevant, and some of my friends have even told me that it's a waste of time. But for me, it's not just about updating others on my life; it's more about starting a discussion and raising important issues that I care deeply about. 

In the sixteen years since I last wrote on my blog, I feel like I've grown a lot as a person. I have gained more perspective on issues such as climate change, indigenous rights (particularly the Voice to Parliament and Australian Constitutional inclusion of indigenous people), and other progressive reforms such as marriage equality, euthanasia, and abortion. These developments have made Australia a fairer and more inclusive place, providing its citizens with more choices. 

In addition to my interest in social issues, I have also developed a passion for reading books. I try to challenge myself by reading something new every week, exploring different genres and topics that I may not have previously known much about. For example, I am currently participating in Roger's Cheap Old Book Club, which is run by BookTuber Michael K. Vaughan. Vaughan is an expert on classic literature, particularly the works of H.P Lovecraft, Edmund Rice Burroughs, and Robert E. Howard. You can find his website below, where he discusses a variety of books in an interesting and informative manner: 

https://youtu.be/qF8Bejcw2IE

I have already finished reading February's book club selection, "The Prisoner of Zenda" by Anthony Hope, and I am now halfway through March's selection, Murray Leinster's "The Forgotten Planet" (1954).

If you're interested in joining the book club, you can find the full list of books below. All of these books are freely downloadable at Project Gutenberg in e-book format (epub is best for Kindles). You can also join the Project Gutenberg discussion on a Discord channel, which can be found on Vaughan's BookTube site on YouTube. So, whether you're interested in social issues or classic literature, there's always something new to discover and learn about

ROGER'S CHEAP OLD BOOK CLUB SELECTIONS FOR 2023

February

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The Prisoner of Zenda / Anthony Hope

 

March

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The Forgotten Planet / Murray Leinster

 

April

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New Arabian Nights / Robert Louis Stevenson

 

May

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The Three Imposters / Arthur Machen

 

June

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The Lone Star Ranger / Zane Grey

 

July

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The Last Man / Mary Shelley

 

August

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Gladiator / Philip Wylie

 

September

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The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard / Arthur Conan Doyle

 

October

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Ghost Stories of an Antiquary / M.R. James

 

November

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When the Sleeper Wakes (original non-revised edition) / H.G. Wells

 

December

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No Name / Wilkie Collins