Hey, you're always asking me where I find stuff...
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Demented Moles Update
Hooray! We're back in the winners list. We beat the Foreign Legion
5-3. And I have to say, I scored a great goal. It is extremely
satisfying to blast in a shot over the keeper's head from close range.
Looks like the team is becoming a bit more settled now - so perhaps we
can get a few more good results.
5-3. And I have to say, I scored a great goal. It is extremely
satisfying to blast in a shot over the keeper's head from close range.
Looks like the team is becoming a bit more settled now - so perhaps we
can get a few more good results.
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
This might be the future
I've been thinking very hard about music and how to sell it. I am on the way (slowly, slowly) to writing and recording my own music, and at some point I would like to have a go at selling it. For a long time the only way to sell music has been to approach a record label, and get them to do it for you. But as we all know, this approach has its problems. The main two reasons musicians have needed to go to record companies were they needed help getting their music recorded (it's an expensive process) and they needed help getting the music distributed (it's a complex process).
But now recording music in your bedroom is CHEAP. With a laptop I can record music more easily than the Beatles could (although not as good obviously). And distribution? Well, you just upload the music file to a P2P network and let everyone else do the work. The only problem with that is it can be hard to get paid. So obviously there's a market there for someone to create an internet-only record label. Musicians could record their music and then send it to the label who would distribute it for them, collect payments and reimburse the musicians according to the terms of their contract. And funnily enough, here's a record label that's doing exactly that: Magnatune - We Are Not Evil.
But now recording music in your bedroom is CHEAP. With a laptop I can record music more easily than the Beatles could (although not as good obviously). And distribution? Well, you just upload the music file to a P2P network and let everyone else do the work. The only problem with that is it can be hard to get paid. So obviously there's a market there for someone to create an internet-only record label. Musicians could record their music and then send it to the label who would distribute it for them, collect payments and reimburse the musicians according to the terms of their contract. And funnily enough, here's a record label that's doing exactly that: Magnatune - We Are Not Evil.
Friday, May 21, 2004
Spare 15 minutes
OK, so if you have a spare fifteen minutes and would like to find out how the movie Troy turns out (without actually spending a few hours watching it), this summary isn't too bad...
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Herding cats
Or rather, herding one cat.
I've discovered over the past week or so that looking after a hyperactive kitten can be quite a draining experience. At times Milly can become so involved in her favourite activities that she gets kind of anti-social. Like when she insists on using feet for target practice - it is very hard to concentrate on other things (like cooking) while she is sinking her claws and teeth into my big toe.
The trick appears to be letting her continue on with it until she gets bored. Unfortunately this tactic requires nerves (and toes) of steel, and there have been a few times when I've given in to temptation and tried to get her to stop, which only makes her continue, but with much more energy.
In time she'll settle down a bit I'm sure. A few people have told me that when a kitten does something naughty you have to give her a little squirt with a water bottle, and eventually she'll learn not to be naughty. I have tried this - so far it seems she has learnt very well that the water bottle is to be avoided. I don't see her associating nefarious activities with the water bottle though - she's just learnt not to do them when the bottle's nearby...
I've discovered over the past week or so that looking after a hyperactive kitten can be quite a draining experience. At times Milly can become so involved in her favourite activities that she gets kind of anti-social. Like when she insists on using feet for target practice - it is very hard to concentrate on other things (like cooking) while she is sinking her claws and teeth into my big toe.
The trick appears to be letting her continue on with it until she gets bored. Unfortunately this tactic requires nerves (and toes) of steel, and there have been a few times when I've given in to temptation and tried to get her to stop, which only makes her continue, but with much more energy.
In time she'll settle down a bit I'm sure. A few people have told me that when a kitten does something naughty you have to give her a little squirt with a water bottle, and eventually she'll learn not to be naughty. I have tried this - so far it seems she has learnt very well that the water bottle is to be avoided. I don't see her associating nefarious activities with the water bottle though - she's just learnt not to do them when the bottle's nearby...
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Demented Moles Update
Oh dear, the Moles have now lost two in a row. Is the season slipping out of our grasp? Last night we played the top team, the Albert Park Rangers. They were quite good, and we ended up losing 5-7. I got a yellow card, and a corked bicep. It's quite painful. Now I understand why footballers can sometimes miss a week with a corked thigh.
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
The view from work
I'm quite lucky that my office is up the nice end of town and has a good view of Parliament, the Treasury Gardens, and St Patricks Cathedral. This photo of the Cathedral is a bit murky (another dark Autumn day in Melbourne), but I still like it.
Vote for Rupert
Some time ago I used to Watch Survivor So You Didn't Have To. After a while though the pressure was too great, and at the end of the previous season I stopped doing it. (For those who don't know - every week I sent out a recap of the week's episode, explaining what happened and cruelly mocking the contestants.)
Anyway, last night was the finale and Boston Rob and Amber got engaged, they were the final two contestants, and Amber won Survivor All-Star. (That has to have been one of the most boring finales of Survivor ever.) So does that make Amber the greatest Survivor contestant yet? No, of course she isn't. Her only survival skill is to find a man, dazzle him with her looks and get him to provide for her.
This time around, the producers are letting the public vote for one of the All-Star cast to receive $1million. If you've watched the last two seasons you know who the best Survivor contestant is. His name is Rupert. He is strong, compassionate, fair, good at fishing, works hard, smart, good at strategy. If anything, he's just a little too strong and too good, which is why he doesn't win. If ever someone deserved a million dollars for hanging out with numbnuts like Johnny Fairplay and Bahstan Rahb, it's Rupert. So vote for him. I did.
Anyway, last night was the finale and Boston Rob and Amber got engaged, they were the final two contestants, and Amber won Survivor All-Star. (That has to have been one of the most boring finales of Survivor ever.) So does that make Amber the greatest Survivor contestant yet? No, of course she isn't. Her only survival skill is to find a man, dazzle him with her looks and get him to provide for her.
This time around, the producers are letting the public vote for one of the All-Star cast to receive $1million. If you've watched the last two seasons you know who the best Survivor contestant is. His name is Rupert. He is strong, compassionate, fair, good at fishing, works hard, smart, good at strategy. If anything, he's just a little too strong and too good, which is why he doesn't win. If ever someone deserved a million dollars for hanging out with numbnuts like Johnny Fairplay and Bahstan Rahb, it's Rupert. So vote for him. I did.
Monday, May 10, 2004
Milly
We have a new kitten! Her name is Milly and she's 12 weeks old. In effort to be responsible cat owners (instead of just encouraging strays like FrancisFrancis) we adopted Milly from the RSPCA cat shelter. This is a good way to do things, because at the shelter they neuter the cats, vaccinate them, and put a microchip under the cat's skin. So if Milly disappers and ends up in the cat pound or an animal shelter they will scan her to see if she has a microchip and when they find it will be able to match her up with her owners (i.e. us).
Anyway, there'll be some pictures of Milly up here soon...
Anyway, there'll be some pictures of Milly up here soon...
Thursday, May 06, 2004
Rojor
In my building there are 28 floors, not including the ground floor. As is the case in most high rise buildings, the lifts are designed to take you to a range of floors, but not all of the floors. I have to use the lifts that operate between 17 and 28. There are 5 lifts that do this. For the past few months something strange has been appearing in these lifts. One by one, someone has been scrawling the word "Rojor" high up above the door on the inside of each lift. I have no idea who is doing it, but I do know a couple of things about the person who I will call by their tag - "Rojor".
1. Rojor is tall. The spot above the door of the lift where the tag goes is quite high up. I wouldn't be able to reach it without jumping, and someone who had to jump to do it wouldn't be able to write - no time to get the letters up neatly. And it's a very legible tag.
2. Rojor is patient. As I said, it has taken a few months for the tag to spread to all the lifts, and it's quite rare that you could ride the lift all the way by yourself - they stop frequently. So Rojor has to wait until no-one else is in the lift - and that means Rojor must carry a texta almost all the time, ready for the opportunity to scrawl the tag.
My guess is Rojor is a courier. A courier has every reason to carry a texta, and they often visit the same buildings over and over. More specifically I think Rojor is a bike courier - bike couriers just seem to be the kind of edgy hipsters that still like to tag up, get on their bikes and fly down Bourke St listening to speed garage or something. I don't think someone that works here could plausibly carry a texta around all the time.
Anyway, when I get the chance I'll take a photo of the Rojor's tag - but I don't want to do it when there's someone else in the lift, cause then they'll think I did it.
If Rojor is a courier, then I wouldn't be surprised to see the tag in other buildings in the CBD. I'll have to keep an eye out.
1. Rojor is tall. The spot above the door of the lift where the tag goes is quite high up. I wouldn't be able to reach it without jumping, and someone who had to jump to do it wouldn't be able to write - no time to get the letters up neatly. And it's a very legible tag.
2. Rojor is patient. As I said, it has taken a few months for the tag to spread to all the lifts, and it's quite rare that you could ride the lift all the way by yourself - they stop frequently. So Rojor has to wait until no-one else is in the lift - and that means Rojor must carry a texta almost all the time, ready for the opportunity to scrawl the tag.
My guess is Rojor is a courier. A courier has every reason to carry a texta, and they often visit the same buildings over and over. More specifically I think Rojor is a bike courier - bike couriers just seem to be the kind of edgy hipsters that still like to tag up, get on their bikes and fly down Bourke St listening to speed garage or something. I don't think someone that works here could plausibly carry a texta around all the time.
Anyway, when I get the chance I'll take a photo of the Rojor's tag - but I don't want to do it when there's someone else in the lift, cause then they'll think I did it.
If Rojor is a courier, then I wouldn't be surprised to see the tag in other buildings in the CBD. I'll have to keep an eye out.
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Ray to Nowhere
And now, for public release, a little tune I mashed together, featuring an Australian group called "Cut Copy" (using their song called "Going Nowhere") and a well known American lady. Get it here.
Firefox
Well, I just bit the bullet and installed Firefox. Without a doubt it would have to be the FASTEST browser I have ever used. Get it now.
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