The great Aussie BBQ goes universal

By MartiSpace and Aliens

As an Aussie, I love a BBQ; it’s an intrinsic part of our culture.

To me, it’s one of the quintessential summer time activities we enjoy sharing with family and friends. I have many fond memories of BBQs I’ve hosted or had the pleasure of attending. My favourite barbie story occurred some years back when we invited the street neighbours to our house for a ‘get to know you’ BBQ (we had just recently bought a house in the street and it was way of becoming part of our new local community).

Not only was our house in need of major renovations, but so too was our barbie. Not being flushed with funds, we were grateful for any donations, so when my sister offered her old BBQ, we naturally accepted it with open arms. Unfortunately for the BBQ, it would be the last day it would share its company with us.

Halfway during the cooking, one of the children shouted out that the BBQ was on fire. We all looked towards the BBQ, which was in full blaze. Thank goodness my work had gifted its employees with a kitchen fire blanket, which we used to smother out the fire.

So how did it all end up? Well, the meat was well cooked beyond recognition; the children thought it was the best Barbie they had ever attended and the adults will forever remember the first time they met their new neighbours. We still joke about it ten years on.

Got a BBQ moment to top that? Perhaps barbies aren’t big in your neck of the woods. Why’s that?

March 6, 2015

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Double Selfie

By MartiThat's life

I love watching people take selfies, it’s a wonderful way to reflect on modern day human behaviour (if I had my time again, I think I would become a behavioural scientist). I’ve observed everything from the ‘make me smirk’, to out right strange. Whatever the selfie scene, many make great sources of cartoon content.

Have you seen a memorable selfie moment recently? Do share and we’ll keep it a secret just between you, me and the internet.

February 28, 2015

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The ghost selfie

By MartiThat's life

Selfie gone wrong?

Ever taken a selfie where you’ve missed yourself altogether? Or maybe, you saw someone else getting into a selfie pickle.Â

Let me know and we’ll chuckle together, by leaving a commentÂ below.

Hey, I’ve just moved to a self hosted site, so if you used to follow me on WordPress, then subscribe to my email list to make sure you don’t miss out on more cartoons and freebies.

February 20, 2015

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A soft bump

By MartiThat's life

I have my work friend to thank for this one

She looked at my arm and said, ‘You’ve been bumped by an angel.’ Not understanding, I said rather intelligently (not), ‘Huh?’ She plucked the lone feather which was stuck to my jacket and showed me. It made me smile. Hope this cartoon makes you smile too.

And an important message for current followers of this site. I’ve finally plucked the courage to change over from this WordPress hosted site to self hosting. What does this mean for current WordPress followers of this site? It means that you’ll receive an alert when I convert. If you wish to still keep in touch (and I’d love you too as it might be rather lonely out there), then you’ll be promoted to re-subscribe. For current email followers, there’s no change as the emails will continue.

Why the change? I feel that I’ve outgrown the current environment and want to have more freedom with the development of my site. I have no skill set, so I’ll have to learn as I go. Rather than a well thought out plan, it’s a bit more like a leap of faith. Wish me luck and hopefully you’ll join me.

February 9, 2015

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Join me in an online experiment

By MartiFreebies, Space and Aliens

Help me sky rocket the charts & click to download my new free iBook, ‘How to make an alien activity book’

And yes I realise not everyone has an iPad, so if you have friends with children who you think would enjoy this, then send them this link.

Yes, I’m still here at the bottom of the image in the hope that if you haven’t clicked yet, you’ll do so now with a bit more patient prodding.

Those of you who have followed my site over the last 4 years know that I don’t go shoving my stuff down your throat (very often). So, if you’ve enjoyed my work so far, your finger clicking help would be appreciated as the e-world is a tough environment to crack. If you really want to make my day, then rate it on iBooks too.

So, back to the experiment. You’ll be able to check in live to see if the eBook is making traction. Once I have 5 ratings, there should be an overall rating displayed in the iBook Store. (Why 5 – well, even Google was a bit stumped on what number it was and the best it could find was ‘hear say’ on forums). Anyway, together let’s see what happens.

Are you in? Then click now.

February 6, 2015

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Evolution disruptors

By MartiDinosaurs

The unpublished works of Charles Darwin – Evolution Disruptors

Yes, you’ve probably heard of Endocrine Disruptors, but have you heard of Evolution Disruptors? Here’s my definition:

Evolution disruptors are man-made or naturally occurring objects that, at certain levels of exposure, can interfere with the natural selection genetic process and alter the future evolutionary path in animals. It can result in adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and genetic mutations in both humans and wildlife. A wide range of objects, both natural and man-made, are thought to cause evolution disruption, including the selfie stick.

Can you think of another examples?

February 2, 2015

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Eight instances of self indulgence

By MartiThat's life

Next generation selfie? You could make a full 3D selfie model out of this.

January 27, 2015

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Introducing Cosmic Caboodle

By MartiScience, Space and Aliens, Website announcements

Have you ever wanted to own your very own bit of outer space?

Perhaps a handful of gravel from Mars or a chunk of moon rock, or maybe you’re thinking a bit bigger… how about a planet, star or black hole?

Now you can own your very own piece of the universe

Come and visit as we are celebrating the official launch with a new product we call The Sizzler. Can you guess what it is? Check it out here.

In case you are wondering where this fits in with my regular postings, it was inspired by my soon to be released book How to make an Alien which involves outer space. I set up this site to engage with lovers of outer space (and aliens 🙂 ). I thought it would be a great way of continuing with the fun in the book.

Check out Cosmic Caboodle and leave a message to let me know what you think. Better still, subscribe too.

January 22, 2015

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Where it all started

By MartiThat's life

Ah, the selfie stick. Will it define our generation in years to come?

Not all are on board with the selfie stick. London music venue halls in Wembley are banning the selfie stick as it is considered a safety hazard to others surrounding the stick user, especially in crowded halls. Disruption to people’s view of the performances was another reason cited for the banning of the stick.

So what do you think?

Do you own one (but are too shy to admit it – fear not – you can come out here in a safe environment called the internet) or

Do you own one and brandish it everywhere you go with great pride and gusto?

PS. If you leave a comment below, I might just quietly share with you whether or not I own one.

January 21, 2015

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DIY dinner

By MartiAnimals

One of the 10 golden rules of cartooning is to make cartoons that don’t need explaining. Well, with good intent I assumed spanner crabs were common across the globe, but I discovered that they are predominantly found in the warmer parts of Australia.

I’m not sure why they call it the spanner crab, as it’s claws aren’t very spanner like. It lives in shallow sandy sea waters and hides itself under the sand. With only its eyes and mouth popping above the sand, it patiently waits for any small fish to unsuspectingly pass by.

Anyway, back to those golden rules. I’m assuming there are 10, but haven’t tried to create a list. Any ideas for 2 – 10?

January 13, 2015

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