Conversations

Nuking the moon, putting mirrors in space and blowing up the Polar ice caps are just some of history's hairbrained schemes to control the weather, an obsession man has had since the dawn of time.
As a major heatwave tears through Europe, millions of people are frantically trying to stay cool, or praying for some relief. Their desperation is not new.
For thousands of years, human civilisations have been obsessed with trying to control the weather, to stave off drought and famine, in order to survive.
There are ancient tales of great kings who could part the oceans, and deities who would bring down the rain if they were presented with the right kind of sacrifice.
But it wasn’t until the last century that we suddenly had the technology to actually do these kinds of things, or at least attempt to do them.
Some of these wild ideas - to bring water to the desert, drain the Mediterranean Sea to make farmlands, simply make Russia a warmer place to live - have involved blowing up the Polar ice caps, putting mirrors in space, and nuking the moon.
They sound dangerous and unlikely, but some of them have come true.
And now, many people are at work on brand new gigantic geo-engineering solutions to counteract the effects of the warming planet.
Palaeontologist and explorer, Tim Flannery, has been tracking the progress of some of these schemes.
A Brief History of Climate Folly, written with Emma Flannery, is published by Text Publishing.
This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.
It explores weird science, crazy science, Elon Musk, China, Trump, feats of engineering, space exploration, the human ego, wild weather events, magic, supernatural, religion, God, divinity, human sacrifice, famine, starvation, migration, global warming, climate change, European heatwave, Paris heatwave, fossil fuel, deforestation, COP, climate change policy, sea levels, floods, Summer, water, gas, electricity, solar power, politics, renewables.
To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

John Hockney's memoir gives a rare insight into the unusual life of one of the world's most famous artists.
He grew up in the industrial town of Bradford in Northern England and was one of five children in a creative household, led by his iconoclastic father Kenneth, a conscientious objector who always told his children to 'never worry what the neighbours think'.
During the war, there were many shortages. As child, John's brother David would creep downstairs in the morning and draw on whatever paper was available.
He drew figures, streets, houses, landscapes and cartoons on the white edge of the newspaper, his mother's magazines, or whatever comics arrived that day.
When David got his first sketchbook at the age of 10, his parents realised his drawing was much more than compulsive doodling.
This episode of Conversations was first broadcast in 2020
Further Information
John Hockney's memoir is called The Hockneys: Never Worry About What the Neighbours Think

For more than a century, Melbourne's Abbotsford Convent was occupied by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, and the "wayward" girls and orphans they took care of. Patricia Sykes was one of those girls.
She was dropped off at the orphanage with her three sisters in the early 1950s after their mother died.
Their father couldn't afford to take care of four girls at home, but wanted them to stay together, so an orphanage felt like his only option.
As a girl, Patricia, a gifted student who loved music and words, desperately wanted to escape the convent.
But later in life, after finally finishing school and then university as a mother and mature student, Patricia returned to Abbotsford Convent.
As a poet in residence, Patricia went back on her own terms to hear and to tell the stories of dozens of women who passed through its doors, and to interrogate her own understanding of her time with the nuns.
Patricia's collection of poetry is called The Abbotsford Mysteries. You can find information about all of Patricia's books online.
This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer was Eliza Kirsch.
It explores religion, Christianity, Catholicism, Australia of yesteryear, modern history, Melbourne, Victoria, nunnery, orphanages, grief, sisterhood, education, women's rights, motherhood, losing a mother, the Queen, writing, books, late life career change.
To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Science writer David Epstein on why freedom can be the enemy of success and how we can all benefit from less choice, not more.
We live today with vastly more freedom of choice than our ancestors.But there’s also plenty of research telling us all this choice is making us more anxious, overwhelmed and less creative.In his book, Inside the Box, David makes the case for how constraints can unlock creativity and satisfaction.
And why after writing this book he now believes that narrowing your options can truly set you free.
Further Information
Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better is published by Macmillan
You can learn more about David Epstein here
This episode was produced by Jen Leake and the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.
It explores creativity, innovation, creative burnout, relationships, technology, art, music, rules, deadlines, science, General Magic, Apple, Iphone, sport, choice, anxiety, creative thinking, rules.

Veteran performer Paul Capsis on his strict upbringing and the strong female role models who helped him stay in school despite the brutality.
A powerful and expressive voice, flamboyant physical presence, and mane of dark hair have become his trademarks as a performer.
But when Paul was growing up in inner-city Sydney as the child of Greek and Maltese parents, these same qualities brought him a world of trouble. At school he was relentlessly ridiculed and beaten.
The love of his Maltese grandmother, Angela, and other family members, helped Paul stay in school despite the brutality; as did immersing himself in the music of his favourite singers, Janis Joplin and Billie Holiday.
This episode of Conversations was first broadcast in 2018
The producer was Michelle Ransom Hughes and the Executive Producer was Pam O'Brien.
It explores performing, singing, homophobia, bullying, Maltese heritage, Greek heritage, strong female role models, Janis Joplin, cabaret, grandmas, women, inner-city Sydney.