“Uncle” Terrance Dicks, on DVD or Blu-Ray. When you’re 84, a hashtag of your name on Twitter is seldom a good sign. So it proved today, as I caught up with the announcement of the death of the English television and book writer and editor Terrance Dicks. I’d only met him on three occasions, and […]
About paulfcockburn
Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist, specialising in equality issues (disability and/or LGBT+), popular science, and arts & culture.Author Archive | paulfcockburn
Why Media Packs are Useful—for Freelancers
When researching magazines as potential markets for freelance journalism, nothing beats the detailed reading of as many issues as possible, to familiarise yourself with the available “slots” and – importantly – who writes them. (If the same bylines keep appearing in particular parts of the magazine, don’t initially waste time pitching those.) Readership details from […]
15 Accessible Adventures
Trust properties across Scotland are more accessible than you might think. WORDS: PAUL F COCKBURN Barry Mill Dundee & Angusbarrywatermill@nts.org.uk; 01241 856761This working water-powered mill is a rare example of Scotland’s industrial heritage: according to reviewer EdinBlue, access is by a short pathway from the car park, although “if you can’t manage the incline you […]
What has Kepler done for us?
After nine years in deep space, NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has run out of fuel. Paul F Cockburn asks what it’s shown us. The American Space Agency NASA’s decision to retire its Kepler Space Telescope, after nine years, may be the end of an era in exoplanet discovery, but no one will likely doubt the […]
Bruce: From Murderer to Mythic Monarch
When researchers unveiled, back in 2016, a digitally-reconstructed image of Robert the Bruce it was arguably the first opportunity any of us had to look into the face of one of the most important figure in Scotland’s history. Layout of article in The Scots Magazine. With no contemporary portraits surviving, the two-year research project – […]
Man of the Hour
If he’s remembered at all, Charles Piazzi Smyth, born in Naples on 3 January 1819, is either the astronomer who first showed the increased clarity from mountain-top stargazing, or the mystical pyramidologist with bizarre theories about the Great Pyramid of […]
Who’s That Girl?
In case you haven’t noticed there’s a new Doctor in the TARDIS—but is Jodie Whitaker really rewriting the show’s approah to gender and sexuality? Paul F Cockburn investigates. Just in case you’ve not noticed, Doctor Who is now a woman. The original announcement – made after the 2017 Wimbledon Men’s Final – horrified some people, surprised […]
