Mind Flexing Sound Bites

The bodies that represent Australia's creative industries have converged in Canberra over a very concerning issue. Join writer Alia Parker to learn why they are asking you to put your name to an open letter to the government and why Big Tech's lobbying for 'text and data mining' exemptions to Australian copyright law sets a risky precedent. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss th...

Humans are struggling to prove their authenticity in the age of artificial intelligence. Join writer Alia Parker as she explores the failings of AI detectors and the steps writers of any creed can take to prove their human authorship and regain control of their own credibility. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...

Are we really that different to a power outlet? Join writer Alia Parker in this short thought expedition as she follows electricity into places you may never expect to find it, and discover the common ground we all share. (7 minutes) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindflexing.com.au

What is it that haunts us in the aftermath of loss? Join writer Alia Parker on this short thought expedition as she attempts to explain strange coincidences at odd moments. (10 minutes) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindflexing.com.au

How unusual is it for a river to run in reverse? Not as strange as you may think. Join writer Alia Parker in this short thought expedition as she explores two very different rivers in Victoria's High Country. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindflexing.com.au

Why are we forever wanting? Join writer Alia Parker in this short thought expedition as she looks for contentment in a world of wants. Turns out, wanting is not the problem. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindflexing.com.au

Writer Alia Parker takes us on a flight into the philosophy of hermeneutics while learning to trust the wind. What is it that we find in the spaces between? Enjoy this short literary thought expedition as part of a monthly series on mindflexing.com.au. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindflexing.com.au

S1 Episode 66 — Are cinemas a thing of the past? Writer Alia Parker takes a short trip down memory lane with an entertaining look at cultural relics from the not-too-distant past. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindflexing.com.au

It is noon on the grey coast of New Zealand’s Northland, a high tide of grey water under a grey sky and golden grey sand. Join writer Alia Parker as she reads a beautiful autofiction about how easy it is to not truly see the things right in front of you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindflexing.com.au

The word Anthropocene has dive bombed into our lexicon. But what is it and are we really in it? Writer Alia Parker explores this concept and looks at two of the countless ways it is coming to fruition. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindflexing.com.au

Observations about the love, justice and community of one of Australia's most feared and adored birds - the magpie - with writer Alia Parker. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindflexing.com.au

Searching for beauty and metaphors in rare mountain cloud formations, with writer Alia Parker. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindflexing.com.au

On your marks. Get set. Construct! There’s nothing like global tension to spark a land grab in outer space. Writer Alia Parker explores the new race to the moon. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindflexing.com.au

Writer Alia Parker explores the cyclical story of water and how it's shared, quite intimately, by all living things. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindflexing.com.au

Welcome to Mind Flexing, your fortnightly thought expedition to everywhere and anywhere. Strap on your boots (or put your feet up), take a deep breath, and let’s get flexing. They must have looked very warm, those darling little animals in their fur coats, skinned for meat and then what? We might as well wear them, share in their warmth. You’d have to hypothesize that’s how it all started, this we...

Could an ancient Greek myth and an even older Australian First Nation’s Dreaming story be one and the same? Writer Alia Parker takes a dive into these two heavenly tales. Thank you for Mind Flexing with me. To join in the conversation, jump in the comments at mindflexing.com.au. I’ll be back in a fortnight. Until then, keep 💪. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other...

Writer Alia Parker compares the fall of the great Library of Alexandria with the sacred rock art of Murujuga in northwest Australia, which is under threat from a devastating government decision. Thank you for Mind Flexing with me. To join in the conversation, jump in the comments at mindflexing.com.au. I’ll be back in a fortnight. Until then, keep 💪. This is a public episode. If you would like to...

In this short thought expedition, writer Alia Parker shares five thoughts about the sounds around us that we may take for granted and invites you to listen. Thank you for Mind Flexing with me. To join in the conversation, jump in the comments at mindflexing.com.au. I’ll be back in a fortnight. Until then, keep 💪. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers o...

Writer Alia Parker shares a short story about the death of a rather exceptional tree. Thank you for Mind Flexing with me. To join in the conversation, jump in the comments at mindflexing.com.au. I’ll be back in a fortnight. Until then, keep 💪. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindflexing.com.au

Writer Alia Parker looks for inspiration in the short stories that surround us in street signs and place names, including a few anecdotes of her own. Thank you for Mind Flexing with me. To join in the conversation, jump in the comments at mindflexing.com.au. I’ll be back in a fortnight. Until then, keep 💪. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get a...

In this short entertaining sound bite, writer and journalist Alia Parker examines why we develop preferences for certain coffee cups over others, and how its colour can change the taste. Thank you for Mind Flexing with me. If you enjoyed this essay, please subscribe, comment, click the ❤️ button, or share it with someone who would appreciate it. Until next time, keep 💪. This is a public episode....

What is that emotion you feel when something makes you so happy you become shrouded in a melancholic mist at that thing’s impermanence? Writer Alia Parker finds the answer in music and Japanese philosophy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindflexing.com.au

Journey back with Alia Parker to the time of the Great Wars and the Great Depression and discover the almost forgotten lives of the Rabbitohs. Thank you for Mind Flexing with me. If you enjoyed this essay, please subscribe on the Substack Mind Flexing page, where you can also comment, click the ❤️ button, or share it with someone who would appreciate it. Until next time, keep 💪. This is a public...

Robert Frost’s famous poem The Road Not Traveled is one of the most quoted—and most misused—poems in the world. So what does it really mean? Alia Parker offers a translation to help you see it in a different light. Thank you for Mind Flexing with me. If you enjoyed this essay, please subscribe, comment, click the ❤️ button, or share it with someone who would appreciate it. Until next time, keep 💪...