Bend in the Weather

You may laugh at the subject, but after the Federal government introduces mandatory Internet blocking whilst the Victorian Police and State Government are introducing a 'timeout corner' I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the introduction of compulsory milk and after noon naps in the work place. Remember in Victoria this comes directly after the 2am lockout on hotels and clubs is reversed after being a failure.

Seriously, does anyone else feel like they are being treated like a child?

Enough of all the bullshit legislation and start making people accountable. This generational problem of 'it's not my fault' has grown tired.
Time for legal adults to start acting like adults. If you want the privilege of driving a motor vehicle and consuming alcohol these all come with responsibilities. Don't want the responsibility, then don't take on the privilege. It's that simple.

The current government mentality of mollycoddling irresponsible members of society shows the contempt it holds the general population in.

Parents control what your own children get up to. This includes out in public and on the Internet. You alone are responsible for your child, not your parents, not your neighbour, not your child's school/teacher and certainly not the government. This is your responsibility and privilege of raising a child.

You wouldn't sit your children them down in front of a TV with an open bookcase of adult movies in plain sight (well we hope you wouldn't), so why do you allow your children to sit unsupervised on the Internet?
These are the same parents who boldly claim they wouldn't let their child walk aimlessly through a multi-level shopping centre for fear of predators, yet are happy to let them run unaccompanied with a keyboard and mouse on the biggest shopping-centre there is.

To those who enjoy a drink, do so. But do so responsibly. The whole violence on the streets/in clubs on a Friday and Saturday night is appalling.
I see no 'fun' in binge drinking and then waking up in an emergency room (if lucky), or never waking and lying in a morgue.
Don't think it's that serious? Take a read through the emergency reports from the inner city hospitals after every weekend.

No-one is saying don't drink. However if your behaviour effects others maybe you shouldn't.

To the governments and police forces in this land. Grow some balls and prosecute those that behave in anti-social behaviour. The rash of stupid legislation has to stop. America had one crack-pot who will soon leave office. Do we need to oust officials at all levels here before some sensible laws are passed? As public officials you are there to represent the people. Is creating laws that affect/restrict everyone of their civil liberties, to stop a select few (ineffectively I might add) representing the people? I think not.

Enough is enough, the violence and stupidity has to stop. It's unacceptable and it has to be stamped out. Laws need to uphold the values of society; they shouldn't be introduced to protect the stupidity of a select few. Those acting anti-socially, have given up their right to be part of society. Start arresting, fining or imposing jail terms on these individuals, but don't lock up society instead.

With the Arias for 2008 already getting plugged by Channel 10, one has to wonder if this year they'll be as 'smart' to try subliminal advertising throughout the coverage this year.

Many of you may have found you got the munchies for Chupa Chups or even KFC. Throw in a batch of adverts also for Telstra Bigpond, Olay, Big W and Toyota (and "oh what a feeling!") during last years Aria Award ceremony.

The ACMA took their sweet time deliberating over the issue, and has ruled Channel 10's use of subliminal advertising during the 2007 Aria award ceremony was in breach of the code of conduct.

One has to ask - was this the only time they did it?

Was NoDoz advertisement used during the AFL Brownlow Medal Count? Is SingStar used during Australian Idol, and Jenny Craig and Fitness First during The Biggest Loser?

Don't stress, you can still jump in now and get your advertising lined up for the 2008 Arias

It's soooo reassuring to hear what Channel 10 has stated in relation to the finding:

• distribute the investigation report to relevant production staff (both in-house and external) to ensure that future productions of ARIA Awards are consistent with ACMA’s view;
  
• not use the same rapid cut use of sponsor logos for the upcoming 2008 ARIA Music Awards;
  
• use the finding as an example in regular code training sessions with staff, to ensure future compliance; and
  
• highlight the code clause in their external production agreements.

Hmm... great work their ACMA -- you've let them off the hook with no more than a wiggle of your index finger. No fine, no enforced 'apologies' on air. You really are a toothless tiger. You make the laughing stock we call the ACCC look like a bully by comparison.

I might try that the next time I'm pulled over for a breathalyser:

• I promise I won't drink that much again
  
• I really will leave the car home next time.
  
• Over beers next time re-enact the entire scene for all to watch
  
• I'll tell all my friends to do the same.
  

Can I also get off with a stern warning?

Strange that Ch10 thought it was fine, and all 'hip' to do ... particularly after it's a practice that's been frowned upon since the early '70s!
Did you really think it was all above board -- "Seriously 10"?

Responding to Sandra's Post on the top 25 IMDB movies...

(Bold the ones you saw in theater, italicize the ones you saw some other way instead, and leave the unseen ones alone.)

Here's my scores:

1. Titanic (1997) $600,779,824
2. Star Wars (1977) $460,935,665
3. Shrek 2 (2004) $436,471,036
4. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) $434,949,459
5. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) $431,065,444
6. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) $423,032,628
7. Spider-Man (2002) $403,706,375
8. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) $380,262,555
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) $377,019,252
10. Spider-Man 2 (2004) $373,377,893
11. The Passion of the Christ (2004) $370,270,943
12. Jurassic Park (1993) $356,784,000
13. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) $340,478,898
14. Finding Nemo (2003) $339,714,367
15. Spider-Man 3 (2007) $336,530,303
16. Forrest Gump (1994) $329,691,196
17. The Lion King (1994) $328,423,001
18. Shrek the Third (2007) $320,706,665
19. Transformers (2007) $318,759,914
20. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) $317,557,891
21. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $313,837,577
22. Iron Man (2008) $311,708,133
23. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) $310,675,583
24. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) $309,404,152
25. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) $309,125,40.

I knew I was a movie whore, but 23 outta 25... wow. (I'm planning on seeing Iron Man, and never really was interested in the The Passion of the Christ).

It seems I do enjoy the big screen... there's nothing like cuddling up with a loved one and watching something fly out and hit you whilst you both jump and cluth each other. Having said that, it's mainly the 'big titles' I go to the movies to watch, I probably see a ratio of 50:1 (Home:Cinema).

Well... that filled in 5 minutes of boredom as I wait to head to the hospital...

We all enjoy a good holiday. Getting the time to take one always seems to be the problem for me however. I think I may have just found the answer...

If you're like me you grew up watching The Wonderful World of Disney at 6:30pm every Sunday. Here we marveled at cartoons of Mickey, Goofy and other great Disney characters. (So much so, many the hostnames on my home network are now named after Disney characters! ).

It also introduced us to classic 'childrens' movies like Herbie, 101 Dalmatians, Mary Poppins and Alice in Wonderland.

It's probably the dream of every child to visit the magical place of Disneyland or DisneyWorld.

With the help of Google you can now explore DisneyLand without leaving your chair!
Google has produced a 3D interactive representation of Disneyland inside Google Earth.

If you've got Google Earth installed try the following:

1. Once Google Earth loads, search for "Disney World".
2. Click on the golden Disney Mickey Ears - This will load an information window.
3. In the info window click on Show Disney World in 3D.

The 3D world contains over 1,500 3D models and will let you explore right through the park. The models are highly detailed and a sight to behold!

It's nearly as good as being there!
Just think - no more queues for rides, no long-haul flight getting there, and the park is now open 24 hours for you.

Have fun exploring!

MrPointy, This blog post is just for you! 


Your wicked Java way,
Ensures dodgy apps are hear to stay.
We all know Java sucks,
Yet you insist we try our luck.

Process freezes and applications hung,
Dont worry, Java has just begun!
We know you're a Java nut,
But don't think we'll fall in the same rut.

Write once, run anywhere,
Sucky applications we just can't bare.
Eclipse and NetBeans; your preferred IDE,
Give me a simple text editor; and forget IcedTea!

Java certainly has it's place,
Use it in Windows with it's poison lace.
System programming requires C,
Leave Java out of it, let us be!

Show me one decent Java app,
That memory it doesn't sap.
Just one app that will not crash,
That doesn't make my system thrash.

Python, C, and Perl is what to use,
It's bound to avoid the blues,
Use them next time you need a script,
Not that silly Java dialect!

There is no more to state,
Java just isn't that great!
Avoid coding in Java at all cost,
So your reputation is not lost!

Many claim Java is here to stay,
Though we know it's had it's day.
It's time to leave the plight,
And come to see the light!


NB: For those confused, I work with MrPointy who is an avid Java fan and coder.  We all take pleasure in poking him in relation to his one-eyed views on Java.
       If you are wondering on his choice of alias, read up on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and her favourite wooden stake.

We all love taking the piss outta Telstra.

Though they do make the job easy on us...

These two YouTube videos sum it up well.


Video 1: http://www.youtube.com/v/Py6kF7761Eg


Video 2: http://www.youtube.com/v/Vfz7yTqF6aE

It's been a while since my last blog entry.

There has been a few reasons.

1. Haven't been on my computer much.
2. Had the flu for three weeks.
3. Purchased a 42" Plasma TV and setup a HTPC to keep all our movies/music/photos on!
4. Had a few weeks of on-call support for work.

Rest assurred -- I'm still alive! 

I'll be posting more this week, including:

• An update on Duke (our new dog!) -- with more photos (coming -- I promise!)
  
• Details of our HTPC
• Details of the new computer I've just bought -- with hardware virtualization -- allowing me to run Windows and Linux at the same time with no performance loss! 
• A post on the new version of SuSE Linux 10.1 -- that will be the main driving OS of the new workstation (and powering Xen).
• A posting on the new 2.0 Beta of Firefox....   that now includes a spell checker and anti-phising tools!
  

If there is anything else you would like me to write about ... let me know! 

I find life with the Internet is as common as getting up in the morning.
I often find that routine tasks I used to use a manual system I rely more and more on online equivalents.

Here is a quick run down of some of the quick resources I use regularly.

• Dictionary - Easy to use when you're looking for a dictionary for a quick lookup of a word.
• Thesaurus - Great when you're finding 'that' word.
• Urban Dictionary - For common 'slang' and non-formal English, handy for forums and the like.
• Flickr - Find a particular photo you are after.
• Wikipedia - Great online encyclopedia.
• Computing Dictionary - Excellent way to find the definition for those computing acronyms!
• Movie Database - IMDb contains everything you ever need to know about a movie or television show.
  

Best of all, a lot of these are available as Firefox search plugins.  This means you can drop down the list where the Google search sits in the top corner and select your desired website and type in your search option.  Very funky!

There is a bunch of other sites that regularly make it to my bookmarks and it includes:

• Bureau of Meteorology
• Australian PostCode search
• White Pages and Yellow Pages
• WhereIs
• TV Guide
• Travel Time on the roads
• OnlineConversion - covert any measurement!

These are just a few of the sites I use on a regular basis.   My local web database has thousands of sites -- ensuring everything is only a click or two away. 

So what sites do you rely on to quench your thirst for knowledge?

Jason, one of the guys I worked with at Telstra wished to sell his notebook.

Pauline and I have been in the hunt for a good notebook for some time... after our old one had the screen die on us. That notebook was going to cost us more to repair than buy a new one!

So we jumped at the opportunity! It's only approx. 6-9 months old and at $700 with all the goodies included it was a bargain! So it's gone to a good home!

The computer is a Compaq Presario V2157AP Basically it's a widescreen, 1.4Ghz Mobile Celeron, with a 40GB HDD and 256MB of memory. Comes with a 802.11b/g wireless connection, 10/100 ethernet port, a built in modem, firewire, USB2, Dual-Layer DVD ReWriter and a 6-in-1 digital card reader! More than what we need.

Basically we'll use it for photo storage and able to watch xvid movies whilst on holidays!

Here are some pictures of it in action. Click to see larger versions.

Melbourne is currently hosting the 2005 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Artistic Gymnastics is the form of gymnastics where competitors compete on various pieces of apparatus and are judged by a score of 10.0.

You will see competitors on the Vault, Pommel Horse, Uneven and Parallel Bars, Rings and Balance Beam.

The event runs from 22/11 - 27/11. Channel Seven are telecasting the event from tonight until Sunday night at 8:30pm. (though Sunday starts an hour earlier).

Those in Melbourne can also benefit by viewing the competition live by purchasing tickets at Ticketek. Ticket prices are quite modest and is a good lead-up for many prior to the 2006 Commonwealth Games that are being held also in Melbourne.
The event is being held at Rod Laver Arena (used most often for the Australian Tennis Open), so viewing should be quite good from all angles.

Australian's are sports made, and Melbourne, Victoria is the capital for sporting events. (They also hold the Australian Grand Prix, Australian MotoGP, Australian Golf Open, The Melbourne Cup and the AFL Grand Final, also hosts the MCG and Telstra Dome stadiums).

Melbourne is the perfect city for me. I'm a mad sports nut and it's fantastic to get out to some of these events.

If you can't get to the event, make sure you check in and watch some of the Gymnastics. These dedicated athletes are bound to leave you speechless as the pull off performances and feats you didn't think was humanly possible!

I marvel at the endurance and strength as well as agility that these athletes bring. It's also important to remember that most of the female competitors are quite young with several only teenage girls.
The stress and nerves competing at the highest level at such a precise sport is also astounding.

Good luck to all athletes and hope it's a successful event for each competitor!