Welcome!
I am an accomplished, versatile writer with particular expertise in science and technology. With hundreds of feature articles, weekly columns, op-eds, and technical and specialist works published over the past fourteen years, I combine ability and passion for writing to produce stimulating, persuasive and informative copy for any situation.
Originally from New Zealand I have been based in the U.S. for several years. I hold a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
My portfolio
Take a look at True/False, a website I created to showcase some of my published popular writing, and Hexes and Cursors, my new blog aimed at computer programmers. Below are links to some other samples of my work.
- How Rodney Brooks revolutionised robotics Stuff
- A look at how a mission to build a robotic insect led to the Roomba.
- A keyboard in the palm of your hand The Sydney Morning Herald
- A survey of gadgets that let you type on your mobile devices using a virtual keyboard.
- Manned Mars mission: return journey to the red planet may be possible The Sydney Morning Herald
- We used to think that it was just too expensive to send humans to Mars, but it's now we know better — and we can even bring them back!
- Computers are easy to fool The Press, Christchurch
- A column I wrote about how computer virtualization works, even more relevant now when virtualization is so important than when I wrote it.
- DIY culture part of New Zealand identity The Press, Christchurch
- An op-ed I wrote defending the role of the innovative individual in science.
- Nuclear power pit-falls The Press, Christchurch
- New Zealand has always been nuclear free, but from time to time its citizens wonder if it should stay that way. This article takes a slightly unusual route to explaining why there is good reason to be cautious about nuclear power.
- A cage to block out the waves Stuff
- In an age of near-constant connectivity sometimes we want to cut ourselves or our devices off. This article looks at the physics of Faraday cages, the simplest way to do that.
- Psychobabble: Grounding Language in the Brain Junctures: The Journal for Thematic Dialogue
- An example of my academic writing, a summary of some my PhD work for a multidisciplinary audience.
Contact me
Please email any questions, comments or work queries to me at hgwalles@gmail.com.