Reckless

honeymoon

2011-05-02T08:26:00.000+10:00

So we're all ~~grown up~~ married now and just got back from our honeymoon.
Ok, New York was our honeymoon, so this was just a week away after our wedding.

We spent 7 nights in Moorea, which was fantastic. 5 nights on dry land, with our own private pool:

and two nights out over the water:

There are a few more pics here:

Moorea 2011

wedding

2011-04-07T11:54:00.001+10:00

If I don't update this thing, I won't be able to look back in twenty years and go "uurgh, what a dick. What was I thinking when I wrote this?".
How could I deny myself that pleasure?

Anyway, it's less than ten days till Deb and I get married, so I thought I should probably write something down.

We've got all the big stuff out of the way (food, drink, flowers, suit, dress etc), so the only thing left to do is tie it all together. I'm sure there are loads of little details we've missed, but it's already been a much more expensive undertaking than we expected, so I'm sure we can live without... whatever it is we've forgotten.

The biggest thing for me to do was sort out the playlist. This is the part that we didn't think through before sending out the invites:

Because we're having the wedding in Dunedin, there are a number of aunties and uncles who haven't yet made the switch over to FM. I'm pleased that they've suggested songs that they'd dance to, but I'm not looking forward to the type of dancing that some of these daggy old songs will break out.
Oh well, lessons learned for next time I suppose.

I'm actually looking forward to the whole thing. Deb's dress has been hanging up in the hallway for a few weeks (inside an opaque bag), and it's really hard to not peek inside. I'm sure she'll look fantastic, but I don't want to get all weepy, so maybe if I peek now I'll be ok on the day... Fine. I won't peek.

new york

2010-08-31T22:20:00.001+10:00

So, we went to New York for a fortnight.
Deb kept things up to date over here: http://deb-reid-holidays.blogspot.com/, including a Twitter feed in the side bar.
I'm far too lazy to actually write anything, so just assume that I had a great time and look at some photos:

New York 2010

Or on a map:

View Larger Map

guildford

2010-06-13T17:15:00.003+10:00

One of Deb's colleagues owns a vinevard in Guildford, so on Friday night, a bunch of us went up for the night.
We had a big barbeque, plenty of wine (supplied by the host) and a nice bonfire (which is currently this site's background image).
The stars were incredible and enough to make us consider adding camping to our holiday rotation. I spent half of the night staring straight into the sky (and saw a couple of shooting stars for my trouble). I don't remember the last time I saw a night sky as clear and unpolluted as that. I'm annoyed I didn't try and take a photo, but I was enjoying it too much to bother.

In other news, it froze that night.
It made me realise how long it had been since I heard my feet crunch on frosty grass.

Here's some pics:

goodbye web albums

2010-05-23T09:01:00.000+10:00

So, Picasa has a nice feature where you can create an album and then sync it online.
It means any album changes you make are automatically uploaded/altered online.

You can add new photos, add captions, tweak the colour.

So, what do you think happens if Picasa's database decides to get itself corrupted? The albums still displayed, but the contents had disappeared.
As the albums were set to automatically sync, what do you think happened?

Yup. 90% of the photos I've uploaded over the years have disappeared.
That wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't added the damn things, one by one into blog posts:

If I really want to get things back the way they were, it's going to cost me half a day at least.

Part of me is considering paying for hosting and creating my own site, independently of Google.

The other part is a lazy bastard.

I wonder who will win...

ron mueck exhibition at the ngv

2010-03-18T21:53:00.001+11:00

From Ron Mueck Exhibition

month of vegan - day 7

2010-03-07T21:41:00.000+11:00

Bagels for brekkie (cinnamon and raisin this time) and the usual tea.

Unrelated to the vegan thing, I picked up Moon on blu-ray to watch with dinner this evening. Gotta say, I was impressed. It was a simple story, but really well executed.

We went to Bread and Butter Cafe in Camberwell for lunch. They have quite a few things we're able to eat, as long as we ask then not to put parmesan on top. Deb had a pumpkin risotto that looked like baby food, but was actually really tasty. I had the first gnocchi meal that I can remember having, and it was great!
I wonder if I'm starting to pick up more subtlety in the flavours of things I eat. Not because meat was covering up things, but because at the moment, I'm much more aware of what I'm eating. Whatever the reason, it's a positive experience (it's also helped me cut down on the salt a bit too).

My boss gave me a bunch of leeks from her dad's garden, so tonight we made leek and potato soup. Yet another triumph (though it's pretty damn hard to mess up soup). Having a stick blender just makes this stuff so damn easy. You cook everything till it's soft, then blend it while it's still cooking in the pot.

Ok, I know it's not new technology, but it's still pretty cool!

Deb's starting to talk about how we can incorporate vegan... err.. vegan-ness into our lifestyle. I must not be a total convert, as the thought totally freaked me out. I'm happy to cut right back -perhaps vegan on weekdays- but I'm not quite ready to commit to something that big just yet. Fish sauce? I miss fish sauce! How the hell can anyone miss that rotten smelling shit? Blue cheese? Actually, dairy is probably the hardest thing to give up. Imagine a world without icecream, milk chocolate, full cream coffee or cheese! Yeah, doesn't sound so flash does it?

So, thus ends the first week. People said the first week would be easy, so I might update again in a week's time to see if I've started hallucinating or anything.

month of vegan - day 6

2010-03-06T20:08:00.000+11:00

Wow, tea and toast. Bet you didn't see that coming!

We decided to do our big fruit and vege shop at the Vic Market for a change. The prices are cheaper than the Camberwell market, but you really do need to shop around. I don't know if I could be arsed doing that every week!
We had our lunch there as well, which was pretty tricky to shop for. We got a couple of juices and Deb found some lentil balls and a mixed bean salad (and pretended that she couldn't see the broad beans in there). I had a vege pizza that was the only one that didn't list cheese in the ingredients, and I couldn't see any on the cold pieces they had stacked up. I felt cheated when I bit in to find cheese in there. I wasn't going to stop eating it because the damage was done, but it made me realise how you have to pay so much attention if you're going to take this seriously. Also, it tasted really greasy and fatty. I hope all cheese doesn't taste like that when I'm allowed to eat it again.

For dinner I tried my hand at making the Japchae from the other day. I think it turned out pretty damn good. Maybe a little less oil next time though.

month of vegan - day 5

2010-03-05T18:53:00.030+11:00

Tea and toast. If this is being vegan, I'm not going to have any problem getting through the month.

This is the 5th day at work. Not another salad or sandwich, but time for a stir fry from the local Thai place. I had green curry veges with flat rice noodles. I barely noticed the chicken was missing, and was pretty stuffed by the end of it. Workmates are starting to get used to the idea, and the weight loss I've experienced (3kg or so in the last week) has made a couple consider doing it themselves, at least for a few weeks.

I met up with Deb after work, so after catching the train home we called into a new Asian place in Camberwell to try it out. The name "Steam Soup" made me think it would serve the flavoursome Asian style soups, like Tom Yum, or Vietnamese Phở. When I got mine home and opened it up, I realised how appropriate the name really was. It had about as much flavour as steam.
This was a bowl of barely cooked mushrooms and veges in a broth that could have passed as water if you put it in a glass. Worst.soup.ever. I tried to pep it up with soy sauce, but even that didn't help much.
Maybe I should have read their website first and realised that if they put the same effort into the translation as they did the soup...

month of vegan - day 4

2010-03-04T21:30:00.015+11:00

I think we've fallen into our old breakfast routine: toast and tea, followed by a mad scramble to ride to the gym with enough time to have a proper workout. Apart from Saturday mornings, we didn't really eat meat or eggs, so there wasn't going to be much change. I'd thought we'd be having scrambled tofu or fruit platters by now, but there just isn't enough time (unless one of us gets up at 5.30am, and that is never going to happen).

I couldn't do four days of soy coffee in a row, so popped down to the local Boost for my morning pick-me-up. My internals are definitely rearranging themselves around the new diet. Food (especially juice apparently) doesn't spend a long time inside my body any more. I guess it doesn't take as long to break it all down, strip out the nutrients and get rid of what's left. I actually feel much better during the day; I don't get lethargic after a big meal and I don't have to suck in my stomach as much.

For lunch, I went to a Korean restaurant in the city and had Japchae. It's pretty much just veges and noodles, with a soy and sesame sauce. Really tasty, I'll have to try making this at home.

Deb went out for dinner with "the girls" tonight. They went to our local Thai place, who don't seem to make anything that doesn't have fish sauce or shrimp paste in it. She had the usual green curry, but with vegetables instead of chicken. As long as she feels guilty about the fish sauce, I think it's ok :)

While she was out, I made a Korean style bibimbap, which is essentially a bunch of sautéed veges on top of a bed of rice. What makes it awesome is the chili paste I was introduced to recently. It's called gochujang, and is chilli, glutinous rice and fermented soy beans that have been left lying around for a year or so. It's not like normal chilli sauce that keeps getting hotter the more you eat. It heats up to a certain point, but kind of plateaus after that, so you don't end up with a burnt tongue at the end of the meal. Highly recommended.

I also had a bottle of wine, which may, or may not have used egg whites for fining. It's really difficult to know which producers use animal products, because it's not regulated (they aren't obliged to tell you one way or the other). We've decided to do our best, but not be obsessive about it. I'm not about to cut our options down that much.

month of vegan - day 3

2010-03-03T18:59:00.002+11:00

Ok, so the soy coffees are pissing me off. We can make crisps taste like any flavour under the sun, but can't make soy milk taste like milk? I thought soy could be bent to the will of food scientists to taste like anything! Why does this stuff taste like hazelnuts??

*ahem*

Just peanut butter on toast for brekkie with a pot of black tea. I think I actually prefer tea without milk. It makes me feel like an English cowboy for some reason.

We seem to have run out of fruit and veges much faster than I expected. We're out of the basic salad materials already, so it's just a sandwich for lunch. Tomato, avocado and hommous is actually a pretty tasty sammie.
People at work are moving from curiosity to pity to laughter. I've dropped a kilo already, so who's laughing now?!
Man, I'm hungry.
Fruit is tasty and all, but it doesn't give you that full feeling. I'm starting to wonder if that's what we're supposed to feel like, without a big ball of flesh slowly dissolving in your stomach. Deb has felt hungry for almost three days now. She seems to have plenty of energy, but is complaining constantly. I'm learning to block it out.

Chickpea curry for dinner, with flat bread wraps. The chickpeas were soaked overnight, assuming that would be enough to soften them up. We learned after we started eating, that they probably should have been soaking for a week (or should have come out of a can). I don't think they're supposed to crunch like that.
This is all a learning experience, so we know next time to start with boiling water when we soak them.

month of vegan - day 2

2010-03-02T12:25:00.001+11:00

Bagels again for breakfast. Breakfast is easy; as long as you replace the marge with something made from vege oil, everything else can stay the same (toast with jam/peanut butter, fruit etc).

Salad again for lunch, which still isn't a big departure from the norm. Might have to buy some dressing though, as the one I threw together with mustard, balsamic and red wine vinegar was a bit weird. I think the red wine vinegar was near the end of it's useful life (it's supposed to look red right? Not the anaemic looking crap that's in the bottle).

My second soy coffee was slightly easier to drink than the first.Still not my favourite by a long shot.

For dinner, we had a big vege stir fry, and threw in some tofu instead of chicken. I might have to look into how to cook that stuff (or at least find out the right type) as it pretty much disintegrated as soon as it went in the wok. It said firm on the packet, but maybe you're supposed to shallow fry it first or something.
Live and learn.
Like every other tasty asian mean, the stir fry sauce we had in the cupboard had fish sauce in it. Ended up replacing that with some thai chilli sauce and half a cup of peanut butter. Not bad, but next time we might want to mix the two together first; I ended up with a piece of broccoli that tasted like the world's largest peanut.

Also, I'm starting to notice an internal change. One related to the ol' digestive system.
It's not worth noting yet, it's only been two days, but it's something I hadn't considered.

month of vegan - day 1

2010-03-01T21:05:00.014+11:00

We started the day with a couple of bagels and a pot of tea (no milk though; soy milk and tea go together like ice cream and fish).
Not bad, but nothing out of the ordinary so far, except the dairy free spread we're using. It's called Nuttelex and tastes like margarine did back in the 80s before they got the recipe right. The texture is fine, but it smells a little rancid.

I had my first soy flat white for the week, which was an experience. It's like a normal coffee, except it tastes like shit. Ok, it's not that bad, but I'm not a fan of the weird hazelnut taste or the fact that my mouth dries out when I'm half way through the thing.

Lunch was our usual tuna salad, except without the tuna. I think we replaced the tuna with more than it's weight in other ingredients (corn kernels, crunchy noodles etc), so I felt full at the end. Not a common occurrence for the humble salad!

For dinner, we thought we'd go with the stereotypical vegan staple: lentils. They're actually really easy to cook, and make a great base for anything you want to throw at them.
We did a spicy lentil soup, which I think turned out really well (note to self: fewer onions next time. Far fewer onions).

verdict: The first day was a breeze. Will try and take photos of the meals if I remember.

(this was far tastier than it looks)

month of vegan - prologue

2010-02-28T21:00:00.002+11:00

Some time in January, I got into a discussion about veganism. I was extolling the virtues of meat, while the other party was of the opinion that we didn't need the stuff.
At some point in the (drunken) discussion, I said that I would go vegan for a month to see what the big deal was all about. Deb had her triathlon during February, and didn't want to have any drastic change to her diet before then, so we agreed on March.

Sunday the 28th of Feb was Deb's triathlon and also the last day of meat, seafood, eggs or dairy for 31 days. Shame we didn't do it in February, because March has 31 bloody days! To prepare, we loaded up on fruit and veges at the market, and spent an hour at the supermarket reading the backs of packets. I had NO idea that milk solids were in damn near everything we eat. Check out the ingredients for most chips.

Go on, I'll wait...

No doritos, marshmallows, regular coffees or anything with fish sauce in it (which rules out a fair chunk of asian dishes). No jellybeans, salami, cool mints, kebabs or chcolate milk (or any milk chocolate for that matter).
Actually, listing that stuff out makes me realise how much shit I eat.

Ok, we're off.

This is the last meat we're allowed until April:

(not the guy on the left, I meant the barbeque)

picasa and google earth are still awesome

2010-01-24T19:19:00.003+11:00

I hate the idea that my parent's photos are trapped in a cupboard and run the risk of never being seen again. There's also the problem that those photos are unique, and have no backups. That actually bothers me more to be honest.

This is why whenever I go home for a visit, I try and scan at least one album. On my last trip, I decided to copy all of the photos from their computer (including these scans) and get them into some kind of order.

Picasa again made this really easy, because now you can edit an image's exif data direct in the application, without having to install a third party app.

Of course, now that I've got my parent's photos as part of my photo library, I've been overwhelmed with the compulsion to tag everything. I've already done all of the faces, so I'm now in the middle of geotagging. Let me tell you, trying to find out where a photo was taken in 1975 is a lot of fun.
This is my best effort I think.

Mum and Dad's photo:

I knew it was in England somewhere because of the bus, and the side of the road the traffic was on.
There is a Grovenor Hotel on the left, and Walton's Jewellers on the right.
The only place I could find that could fit the description was here:

I opened the Panoramio layer on Google Earth to check out photos that people had taken in the area.
I think this one comes pretty close, considering they were taken over 30 years apart.
edit: the original photo was deleted from Panoramio, so this is a similar one.

And just a quick comparison:

So, in summay: No. There is nothing that you can't do as long as you have the internet.

xmas in lakes entrance

2009-12-28T16:33:00.001+11:00

Deb and I decided to spend Christmas at Lakes Entrance for a bit off a change of scenery.
The weather was a little rough to start with, but we both managed to get a bit of sunburn, so it must have cleared up a bit! We had a proper Christmas dinner with homemade pavlova, roast chicken and a crazy amount of wine.

Anyway, here's a couple of pics.

Our temporary Christmas tree:

Our homemade pav about to go in the oven:

... and the pav after we realised too late that the recipie was quoting temperature in farenheit:

Breakfast champagne:

Christmas Lunch:

Pav No.2:

Moreton Bay Bug @ the Ferryman's Seafood Cafe

From Xmas 2009

benn & julie's wedding in hawaii

2009-11-25T08:34:00.004+11:00

There's not a whole lot to write, except that this felt like a real holiday. One day of sightseeing (though driving around in a convertable isn't much of a chore) and the rest of the time was either spent at Benn & Julie's wedding or just lying around on the beach.

I sprained or cracked my thumb climbing back in the boat after snorkelling, which was the only adventurous part of the trip.

A++++ would travel again*.

Here's some pics:

* ebay gag.

viewing stats finally live in picasaweb

2009-08-31T13:17:00.002+10:00

I was happy to use Picasaweb instead of more popular sites (ie Flickr) because it integrated beautifully with the desktop version of Picasa and Google Earth. The one thing that I was disappointed with was the lack of viewing figures.
That has finally been remedied, albeit in a very simple form. There's now a view count at the bottom right of the photo. I don't know how much metadata Google is saving behind these figures, but it might be nice to see it broken down by month/geographical location one day.

The stats started being captured on 30-Jun-09, so they haven't been running long. Maybe after they get some real data to play with, Google will be able to give us more granular details about who is looking at our happy snaps.

I have no practical use for these figures, but it doesn't stop me wanting to know!

make it worth my while

2009-08-16T19:17:00.002+10:00

Kmart has been running ads recently stating:

"If you find a cheaper price, we'll match it"

Ok. So I've been shopping around for and have found a place that sells x for $100.
If I decide to not buy it from this store, and instead go all the way back to Kmart, they will lower their price to match it. Not make it cheaper. Match it.

Now why the hell would I bother doing that? Make it worth my while! Give me another 5-10% off. Give me a $10 gift voucher. Offer to polish my bloody shoes. Something!

Step up or fuck off. Cheap bastards.

barcelona

2009-07-27T22:31:00.003+10:00

And finally, the last instalment.

At Park Güell

Can you spot the kiwis?

Sagrada Familia

Barcelona's arc de Triomf

Mmmmm, pig legs.

And that's it! This was the last photo we took before getting back to Melbourne tired, happy and jetlagged.

provence

2009-07-20T21:19:00.005+10:00

Wow, I really went slack once we got back to Melbourne. I've finished Geotagging all of the photos, so I thought I'd better get my favourites up before I forgot what everything was :)

Here's where we ended up staying. It was a nice wee place (and yet another place that promised a washing machine but never delivered)

The main square in Arles

Theatre Antiques, Arles (and two tans that virtually washed off in our first shower in Melbourne)

Inside the Amphitheatre, Arles

Neat; 150 year old graffiti

Some back street in St Remy

The Papal Palace (Palais des Papes) in Avignon

and again

and again (with clouds)

yet again. Ok, I liked the sky.
>

...

The sunset on the way back from Avignon to Arles

Nice. Literally.

A secluded beach with bugger all parking (we had to walk a couple of km downhill to get here)

French beaches are neat

paris

2009-06-26T09:11:00.019+10:00

Photos now, text to follow.... well, probably not.
If you're after details, Deb's got it covered here.

From Berlin, we caught a quick train to Mannheim to connect to an even quicker train to Paris:

The apartment was still being cleaned when we arrived at 6pm, so we went for a wander to fill in an hour.

The Louvre was still there. No golden arches over it as yet.

We went to a local bistro for dinner (steak tartare thank you very much) and after a few hours watching the world go by, we finished our wine and called it quits for the night.

The next morning we took off to Montmartre for the day.

Sacre Coeur

And a bit of exotic foreign culture for good measure

We had lunch at romantic Montmartre cemetery, beers somewhere else and ice creams at yet another place before wandering home and out again for more food.

The next day it was overcast and rainy, so we went to the laundromat, and had pastries for breakfast while we waited. After checking out some local scenery, eg:

Notre Dame

we hit the shops (read: Deb hit the shops)

It was raining again that night, but instead of staying inside, we went Space Invader hunting.

We had a crack at some night photos of the Eiffel Tower as well.

I think Deb managed to step in every puddle between our apartment and here, so it was time to head back in preparation for Day Four: Proper tourist day.

Pompidou Centre

Pont Notre Dame

And Notre Dame itself, sans rain.

We cruised up to the Pantheon, and had lunch in the Luxembourg gardens:

A lot of the more familiar paintings at Musee d'Orsay were surrounded by people trying to get a photo. Most barely even looked at them first, so this photo is dedicated to them. In case you're wondering, it's Renoir's Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette.

This was taken on the museum roof while we were drinking our €3.30 ($6 AU) Cokes:

The obligatory Eiffel Tower shot (with space invader for good measure)

Then a (long) walk to the Arc de Triomphe to try and see some cars crash into each other. It never happened, so instead here's a photo of us, with my holiday jowls starting to creep in. Why is bad food the tastiest?

The next morning we caught the train to Avignon. More to follow soon...

berlin

2009-06-24T18:10:00.010+10:00

Ok, so I didn't get around to updating this as often as I thought. Too much else to do I suppose!

Berlin really surprised me, there's a lot more going on there than I expected. Loads of museums, cool bars, funky shops. Well done Berlin!

Anyway, here's some stuff we saw there. They're in chronological order, so probably don't flow as well as they could, but that's how we do things here.

The German flag flying outside the Reichstag

Scary looking dude near the Siegessäule

The Siegessäule itself.

Loads of buildings and monuments have bullet and shrapnel holes in them from the war.

View from the Siegessäule looking towards Brandenbuger Tor

A Soviet War Memorial in Tiergarten

The Brandenburger Tor was commissioned as a sign of peace. Looks pretty damn imposing if you ask me!

Stormtrooper. There's really not much else to say about this guy.

This is a few pics of the "Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe".
I guess they didn't feel the need to sugar coat the name at all. Apart from the bus loads of school kids running through the place, it's pretty overwhelming.

A chunk of the Berlin wall in Potsdamer Platz

“Mother with Dead Son”. A memorial to the victims of war and tyranny

Berliner Dom in the evening.

You can tell you're in Paris when you can see the Eiffel Tower. This tells you you're in Berlin

A random head shot from the Bode museum. He's a saint or something.

This was a ball carved inside a ball, inside a ball etc etc

Another from the Bode Museum. It's the locking mechanism inside a chest. Very cool.

Yeah, Zeus. As in father of Apollo, god of Mount Olympus, don't fuck with me or I'll shove a lightning bolt up your ass, Zeus! *

Detail of a prayer niche from the Maidân Mosque (in the Pergamon Museum)

A bust of Nefertiti from 1300 or so BC. This was supposedly found in the artist's workshop, but an art historian has recently claimed it's a copy dating from 1912.
Whatever, it's still older than me.

The Berlin ball (Fernsehturm) looking from the Marx-Engel Forum

Marx, Engel, Parker

Part of the old Berlin Wall running through the Invalidenfriedhof cemetery. Some of the headstones were moved so the border guards had a clear line of sight.

And that's Berlin. Will hopefully have a few minutes one evening to get some Paris photos up, but it's looking more likely that they'll have to wait till we get home.

*Die Hard reference

prague

2009-06-11T07:54:00.005+10:00

I really didn't know what to expect in Prague. Was it going to be a run down, grey city? Was our apartment going to have no hot water and an armed guard on the door?
Turns out I was pretty wrong.

Prague is the sixth most visited city in Europe, so really has it's shit together. We had a massive apartment, a new gas kitchen and wifi.

Again, I was going to do a proper write up, but really can't be bothered. We just finished a day wandering through Berlin and after a few pints in town and a bottle of wine at home I don't have a lot of words left in me.

Prague Museum looking down Wesceslas Square

The Municipal Building

Detail of the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square

Church of Our Lady Before Týn

View from the Old Town Hall

It rained for a few hours, so we had to find shelter :)

Rear view of St Vitus Cathedral, Prague Castle

Check out the look on this Prague Castle Guard's face. One hard dude!

Deb and I looking over the castle wall

Detail of a sarcophagus in St Vitus Cathedral

Bibles in St Vitus

This is the crazy retro panelling that's in loads of the tube stations

Part of the 80,000 names that are written on the walls of Pinkas Synagogue. This was actually really moving as it gives the holocaust some scale.

And some pics from the Old Jewish Cemetery

vienna

2009-06-09T02:43:00.012+10:00

So we said goodbye to London and flew to Vienna.
After getting the apartment sorted out and buying a few groceries, we had a wander into town.

I'll pad this out later, so here are some pics in the meantime.

St Stephen's Cathedral (or Stephensdom).

A carriage waiting for customers at Stephensplatz (outside the cathedral)

Dinner at Kix Bar

Space Invaders

Griffin outside Parliament

Statues on the Parliament roof

Women on a fountain outside Parliament... they are so gonna do it!

Kunsthistoriches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts) and Deb

Mozart Monument in Burgaarten

After a full day on our feet, Deb earned an icecream (which people in Vienna seem to eat for breakfast lunch and dinner)

This guy is a stud. No wonder this is Austria's drink!

Schönbrunn

Gloriette (Commemorating the 1775 victory over the Prussians at Kolin)

Not sure what this means, but it sounds great!

The big wheel is Riesenrad at the Prater fun fair

View from Riesenrad

The "Original" Sacher Torte. It wasn't bad as far as cake goes, but they're really milking the name.

Inside the State Opera House

Intermission. Time to squeeze in a bit of champagne.

And so we say farewell to Vienna. Land of ice cream, "melange" and wurst stands.

Next update: PRAHA

london

2009-06-03T22:02:00.007+10:00

So, it was pretty weird being back in London again after 5 years away. It seems cleaner for a start. I guess that's the Olympic machine getting underway. Hopefully they can keep the momentum going after the games are over, because the place looks great!
There's a new shopping centre that was a mound of dirt when we lived in Shepherd's Bush. We popped in on Wednesday morning to fill in time before checking into the hotel.

The NZ war memorial in Hyde Park corner was completed a few years ago. It's actually pretty cool and not your usual granite slabs.

We never made it to the changing of the guard while we lived over here. By chance, we arrived at Buckingham Palace just as the crowds were gathering. Unfortunately we didn't have time to stand around for half an hour, but saw dudes marching up the Mall as we walked down it.

After catching up with one of Deb's workmates for lunch, we wandered back down to St Pauls. The whole time we were in London, the weather was fantastic, so pretty much every photo we took had blue sky as the backdrop.

It was nice to go back, and great to see that the city is still developing. The buses are more frequent, the oyster card works well and there is very little graffiti or rubbish around the place.

We couldn't find wifi around anywhere, so I'm writing this on the University of Vienna campus. Neat! The only problem is that it's 2.20pm, we haven't had lunch yet and we've been drinking beers so we can sit at the tables. Probably time to pay up and find a loo :)

Next update: WIEN

the best way to start a holiday

2009-05-27T14:35:00.000+10:00

super mario hand farts

2009-03-30T17:18:00.001+11:00

It will all make sense once you see the video

community spirit

2009-03-20T08:36:00.005+11:00

It's great when the internet can still make me laugh

freeview. more of the same shit

2009-03-13T19:40:00.001+11:00

big frikkin spider

2009-03-07T13:47:00.003+11:00

This dude was hanging outside the house when I got back from doing groceries. I can't be certain, but I think I heard it whistling to itself.
Smug little bugger.

For the record, from tip to tip, it's a little over 6cm.

earthquake

2009-03-06T22:14:00.002+11:00

Melbourne got hit by a mild earthquake this evening. It was all over Twitter within minutes.
I know I say it a lot, but technology is cool.

In other news, my folks have broadband! I can finally use remote assistance without a lag long enough to make a cup of tea.
Very exciting... the earthquake and the broadband

woman calls cops over cheeseburger

2009-02-25T18:12:00.001+11:00

Have a listen to this:

carmina burana, alternate lyrics

2009-02-21T21:34:00.001+11:00

hehe

spooky

2009-02-18T20:14:00.002+11:00

I sat down to watch the latest episode of the Simpsons.
During the opening title sequence, I thought to myself "I wonder when they're going to update this. It's been around for a hell of a long time and is really starting to look old and dusty".

Turns out, I'd already seen this episode, I just hadn't updated the media library to show the latest file.

When I started watching the real latest episode, I was pretty amazed to see the whole thing in wide screen HD. New title sequence and new look for the show itself.
Did my subconscious pick up something in the news about this, or am I some sort of precog?
Either way is neat.

It remains to be seen whether the new format will compensate for the writing that has slowly dropped away over the years, but it's a nice change for now.

pomegranate * update *

2009-02-07T18:55:00.003+11:00

I was at the supermarket today and saw that they now give out instruction guides on how to open the stupid things.

the future of movies

2008-12-08T18:37:00.001+11:00

dad in e.timor

2008-12-08T11:35:00.001+11:00

I think this is a pretty neat pic

only gordon freeman can save us now

2008-11-23T11:12:00.003+11:00

So back in September before the LHC was turned on, Reddit sent an emergency package to CERN with the message "Get this to Gordon Freeman, he'll know what to do".
Turns out they got the package:

(Who's Gordon Freeman?)

holy ghost vs pendulum & mc gq

2008-10-30T23:11:00.001+11:00

tilt shift

2008-10-08T22:40:00.004+11:00

I saw a cool video on Gizmodo today and it made me want to do the same... except taking less time.... and not as a video... without spending any money on a lens.

Ok, it made me want to emulate it without any effort :)

This is a photo we took in New York. With a bit of Photoshop magic, it looks like a model from a dodgy 70s Superman movie.

Neat huh?

happy birthday cocksucker

2008-09-17T07:42:00.002+10:00

I got a cool pressie from Deb this morning!

it's a guy thing, you wouldn't understand

2008-08-22T09:54:00.000+10:00

(mobile email)
>
>

photo test post

2008-08-15T09:41:00.000+10:00

I can't wait till Google (or someone) makes a blogger iPhone app.
Maybe then you'll be able to write a post and then add a photo as an
afterthought instead of planning ahead.
At the moment, the only way to attach a photo to an email is to
actually start in the gallery. If you write the email first, there's
no option to add a photo later!
Just one more annoying quirk that Apple overlooked.
Well, they either overlooked it, or Steve Jobs decided that this is
the way that people should be working from now on.

iPhone test post

2008-08-15T08:49:00.000+10:00

(mobile email)

taken at world youth day

2008-07-22T09:34:00.001+10:00

ken lee...

2008-07-10T08:27:00.001+10:00

hehe

ghostbusters

2008-07-08T22:21:00.006+10:00

We're having a company awards night soon. You know, one of those evenings where they try and make you forget that you're unappreciated the other 364 days of the year.

Anyhoo, it's an 80s theme night, so four of us decided to go to as Ghostbusters.

I ordered four flight suits from a US Army Surplus store a few weeks ago, not really thinking about the time it would/could take them to get here. With the awards night on this Friday, they have to arrive in the next two days, otherwise instead of these:

we'll have to wear spray painted versions of these:

which don't really look that authentic, even without the hood.

The fun/fiddly part was making the proton packs out of meat trays, old cups and bits of bucket.

The gun is a spray painted "Pleasure Supergun" with the sight and handle cut off. The barrel has flashing lights in it, and I cut out the speaker that makes machine gun noises. It actually looks pretty cool when it's running. I still haven't figured out how to attach it to the hose, but if all else fails, I still have a couple of glue sticks left :D

The hard part now is waiting for the next two days for those damn suits. I really think I'll be gutted if they don't get here in time,

laziest character development ever

2008-07-02T21:06:00.003+10:00

Heard from the female lead role during the pilot for J.J. Abrams new show "Fringe":

"Petty bastard. He's pissed because his best friend sexually assaulted three marine privates, and I'm the bad guy cos I put him away"

and later:

"If my past job performance as U.S Marine Special Investigator offends you..."

Nothing like having to fit an entire back story into a couple of lines of dialogue.

christian vs atheist beliefs

2008-06-30T21:18:00.019+10:00

Gods that Christians
don't believe in

Gods that atheists
don't believe in

Aesir
Agasaya

Agdistis
Ah chuy kak
Ah cun can
Ah hulneb
Ah puch
Ahulane
Ahura mazda
Aine
Airmid
Aizen-myoo
Aji-suki-taka-hi-kone
Akea
Alberich
Ama-no-minaka-nushi
Ama-tsu-mara
Amaethon
Amaterasu
Amatsu
Amatsu-kami
Ame-no-mi-kumari
Ame-no-wakahiko
Amidaam-no-tanabata-hime
An
Anahita
Anat
Anath
Andhrimnir
Andraste
Andvari
Angrboda
Angus og
Ankt
Annapurna
Anouke
Anshar
Anu
Aphrodite
Apollo
Apsu
Apukohai
Arawn
Aray
Ares
Arianrhod
Artemis
Artio
Asclepius
Asherah
Ashur
Astarte
Astrild
Athena
Athirat
Athtart
Atla
Atlas
Audhumla
Ba'al hadad
Baal
Baal-hammon
Baalat
Babd catha
Bacchus
Badb
Baku
Balder
Balor
Balrama
Bast
Ba xian
Beg-tse
Bel
Belatu-cadros
Bellona
Belobog
Benten
Benzai-ten
Bergelmir
Berstuk
Bes
Beyla
Bhuvaneshwari
Bimbogami
Binzuru-sonja
Bishamon
Bixia yuanjin
Blodeuwedd
Borghild
Bosatsu
Bragi
Brahma
Bran
Branwen
Brighid
Brigit
Bris
Brono
Buddha
Bugid y aiba
Buluc chabtan
Burijas
Butsu
Bylgia
Camalus
Camaxtli
Camulus
Cariocienus
Caswallawn
Ceres
Ceridwen
Cernunnos
Cerridwen
Cerunnos
Chac
Chalchiuhtlicue
Charun
Chemosh
Cheng-huang
Chien-shin
Chimata-no-kami
Chup-kamui
Crnobog
Cupid
Cybele
Cyhiraeth
Dagda
Dagon
Dagon
Dagur
Daibosatsu
Daikoku
Dainichi
Damkina
Danu
Davlin
Dawn
Dazbog
Demeter
Dev
Dewi
Dhanwantari
Dhumavati
Diana
Diancecht
Di cang
Dionysus
Disen
Don
Donar
Dosojin
Dozoku-shin
Druantia
Durga
Dylan
Dziewona
Ea
Ebisu
Eir
Ekchuah
Ekibiogami
El
Elaine
El elyon
Elli
Emma-o
Enki
Enlil
Enyalius
Enyo
Eos
Epona
Ereskigal
Erra
Eshara
Eshmun
Farbauti
Faunus
Fenrir
Flidais
Flins
Flora
Forseti
Freya
Freyr
Frigg
Fudo
Fujin
Fukurokuju
Funadama
Futsu-nushi-no-kami
Gaia
Gama
Ganesha
Ganga
Garuda
Gauri
Geb
Gefion
Gekka-o
Geong si
Gerd
Giobhniu
Gu
Guan-di
Gun
Gwydion
Gwynn ap nudd
Hachiman
Hades
Hadur
Hai
Haniyasu-hiko
Haniyasu-hime
Hanuman
Hathor
Haulili
Haya-ji
Heimdall
Hel
Helios
Heng-o
Hephaestus
Hera
Hermes
Hermod
Hestia
Hiaka
Hiiakawawahilani
Hinakuluiau
Hiruko
Hod
Hoderi
Holler
Hoori
Hors
Horus
Hoso-no-kami
Hotei
Hsi-wang-mu
Huitzilopochtli
Hygeia
Ictinike
Ida-ten
Idun
Ika-zuchi-no-kami
Iki-ryo
Inanna
Inari
Indra
Inti
Irmin
Ishtar
Isis
Isora
Ixtab
Izanagi
Izanaki
Izanami
Janus
Jarilo
Jarovit
Jinushigami
Jizo
Jord
Jormungand
Juichimen
Juno
Jupiter
Jurojin
Juthrbog
Juturna
Kagutsuchi
Kalaipahoa
Kali
Kaluannuunohonionio
Kamado-gami
Kamapua'a
Kami-kaze
Kaminari
Kamohoali'i
Kamooalii
Kanaloa
Kanayama-hiko
Kanayama-hime
Kane
Kane-hekili
Kapo
Kapohoikahiola
Karewit
Kari
Kartikeya
Karttikeya
Kathirat
Kaupe
Kawa-no-kami
Kenro-ji-jin
Keoahikamakaua
Keuakepo
Khepri
Ki
Kiha
Kingu
Kinich ahau
Kishar
Kishi-bojin
Kishijoten
Kishimo-jin
Ko-no-hana
Kojin
Koleamoku
Korrawi
Koshin
Kothar
Koya-no-myoin
Krishna
Ku
Kuahana
Kukailimoku
Kukaoo
Kukulcan
Kukunochi-no-kami
Kuni-toko-tachi
Kura-okami
Kurma
Kuula
Kvasir
Laamaomao
Labraid
Lada
Lado
Laga
Laka
Lakakane
Lakshmi
Laran
Lares
Libintia
Lie
Liza
Llyr
Lofn
Loki
Lono
Lonomakua
Lotan
Lugh
Luna
Macha
Maeve
Magna mater
Magni
Mahulu
Maia
Manannan
Mani
Manua
Marduk
Margawse
Marisha-ten
Marowit
Mars
Maru
Marzanna
Matangi
Math ap mathowny
Matka gabia
Matka ziemia
Maui
Mawaya-no-kami
Maya
Mebd
Medb
Melqart
Menhit
Menthu
Mentu
Mercury
Mextli
Mider
Mikaboshi
Milu
Miming
Mimir
Minerva
Miro
Mithras
Mixcoatl
Miyazu-hime
Moaalii
Modi
Mokosh
Mokualii
Moloch
Monju-bosatsu
Mooaleo
Morrigan
Mot
Mummu
Murukan
Musubi-no-kami
Myrrdin
Nacon
Nai-no-kami
Naka-yama-tsu-mi
Nammu
Nanaja
Nanna
Nanse
Neith
Nemain
Nemesis
Nephthys
Neptune
Nergal
Niamh
Nikko-bosatsu
Ninazu
Ninhurzag
Ninigi-no-mikoto
Nintu
Ninurta
Njord
Nominosukune
Norns
Nott
Nut
Nyorai
Oanomochi
Odin
Ogoun
Ohkuninushi
Oho-yama
Ohonamochi
Ohyamatsumi
Okuni-nushi
Ops
Orgelmir
Oro
Osiris
Ostara
Ouli
Owatatsumi
Oyamatsumi
Pales
Pan
Papa
Parvati
Pele
Perperuna
Persephone
Perun
Phaethon
Phoebe
Phoebus apollo
Pilumnus
Pluto
Podaga
Poliahu
Pomona
Porewit
Poseidon
Proserpine
Puea
Qadeshtu
Quetzalcoatl
Radegast
Raiden
Ram
Rama
Ran
Re
Resef
Reshep
Resheph
Rhea
Rod
Rugiviet
Ryo-wo
Sabazius
Sae-no-kami
Saga
Sakhmet
Sambo-kojin
Samulayo
Sarasvati
Sarutahiko ohkami
Saturn
Segomo
Selene
Sengen
Septu
Seshat
Seth
Seti
Shachar
Shaka
Shakti
Shalim
Shamash
Shamayim
Shapsu
Shemesh
Shen yi
Shichi fujukin
Shinda
Shine-tsu-hiko
Shiva
Shoden
Shoki
Shu
Si-wang-mu
Siebog
Sif
Simargl
Sin
Sirona
Sita
Siwa
Sjofn
Skadi
Sleipnir
Sol
Stribog
Suijin
Suitengu
Sukuna-biko
Surya
Susanoh
Susanowa
Svantetit
Svarog
Svetovid
Svetovit
Syn
Takami-musubi
Takemikadzuchi
Taki-tsu-hiko
Tatsuta-hime
Tawaret
Tefnut
Tehwom
Tenjin
Teutates
Tezcatlipoca
Thanatos
The zorya
Thor
Tiamat
Tlaloc
Tonatiuh
Toyo-uke-bime
Toyouke-omikami
Triglav
Tsuki-yumi
Tu
Tu matauenga
Turris
Tyche
Tyr
Uba
Uga-jin
Uga-no-mitama
Ukanipo
Ukemochi
Ulaulekeahi
Uli
Ull
Utu
Uzume
Vali
Valkyries
Vamana
Vanir
Var
Veles
Venus
Vertumnus
Vesta
Vidar
Vishnu
Volturnus
Vulcan
Wakahiru-me
Wata-tsu-mi
Wepwawet
Wurukatte
Xipe
Xi wang-mu
Xochipilli
Xochiquetzal
Yabune
Yam
Yam-nahar
Yama-no-kami
Yamato
Yarikh
Ymir
Yu-huang
Yuki-onna
Yum kimil
Zababa
Zana
Zedek
Zeus
Zirnitra
Zislbog
Zizilia
Zroya

Aesir
Agasaya
Agdistis
Ah chuy kak
Ah cun can
Ah hulneb
Ah puch
Ahulane
Ahura mazda
Aine
Airmid
Aizen-myoo
Aji-suki-taka-hi-kone
Akea
Alberich
Ama-no-minaka-nushi
Ama-tsu-mara
Amaethon
Amaterasu
Amatsu
Amatsu-kami
Ame-no-mi-kumari
Ame-no-wakahiko
Amidaam-no-tanabata-hime
An
Anahita
Anat
Anath
Andhrimnir
Andraste
Andvari
Angrboda
Angus og
Ankt
Annapurna
Anouke
Anshar
Anu
Aphrodite
Apollo
Apsu
Apukohai
Arawn
Aray
Ares
Arianrhod
Artemis
Artio
Asclepius
Asherah
Ashur
Astarte
Astrild
Athena
Athirat
Athtart
Atla
Atlas
Audhumla
Ba'al hadad
Baal
Baal-hammon
Baalat
Babd catha
Bacchus
Badb
Baku
Balder
Balor
Balrama
Bast
Ba xian
Beg-tse
Bel
Belatu-cadros
Bellona
Belobog
Benten
Benzai-ten
Bergelmir
Berstuk
Bes
Beyla
Bhuvaneshwari
Bimbogami
Binzuru-sonja
Bishamon
Bixia yuanjin
Blodeuwedd
Borghild
Bosatsu
Bragi
Brahma
Bran
Branwen
Brighid
Brigit
Bris
Brono
Buddha
Bugid y aiba
Buluc chabtan
Burijas
Butsu
Bylgia
Camalus
Camaxtli
Camulus
Cariocienus
Caswallawn
Ceres
Ceridwen
Cernunnos
Cerridwen
Cerunnos
Chac
Chalchiuhtlicue
Charun
Chemosh
Cheng-huang
Chien-shin
Chimata-no-kami
Chup-kamui
Crnobog
Cupid
Cybele
Cyhiraeth
Dagda
Dagon
Dagon
Dagur
Daibosatsu
Daikoku
Dainichi
Damkina
Danu
Davlin
Dawn
Dazbog
Demeter
Dev
Dewi
Dhanwantari
Dhumavati
Diana
Diancecht
Di cang
Dionysus
Disen
Don
Donar
Dosojin
Dozoku-shin
Druantia
Durga
Dylan
Dziewona
Ea
Ebisu
Eir
Ekchuah
Ekibiogami
El
Elaine
El elyon
Elli
Emma-o
Enki
Enlil
Enyalius
Enyo
Eos
Epona
Ereskigal
Erra
Eshara
Eshmun
Farbauti
Faunus
Fenrir
Flidais
Flins
Flora
Forseti
Freya
Freyr
Frigg
Fudo
Fujin
Fukurokuju
Funadama
Futsu-nushi-no-kami
Gaia
Gama
Ganesha
Ganga
Garuda
Gauri
Geb
Gefion
Gekka-o
Geong si
Gerd
Giobhniu
Gu
Guan-di
Gun
Gwydion
Gwynn ap nudd
Hachiman
Hades
Hadur
Hai
Haniyasu-hiko
Haniyasu-hime
Hanuman
Hathor
Haulili
Haya-ji
Heimdall
Hel
Helios
Heng-o
Hephaestus
Hera
Hermes
Hermod
Hestia
Hiaka
Hiiakawawahilani
Hinakuluiau
Hiruko
Hod
Hoderi
Holler
Hoori
Hors
Horus
Hoso-no-kami
Hotei
Hsi-wang-mu
Huitzilopochtli
Hygeia
Ictinike
Ida-ten
Idun
Ika-zuchi-no-kami
Iki-ryo
Inanna
Inari
Indra
Inti
Irmin
Ishtar
Isis
Isora
Ixtab
Izanagi
Izanaki
Izanami
Janus
Jarilo
Jarovit
Jinushigami
Jizo
Jord
Jormungand
Juichimen
Juno
Jupiter
Jurojin
Juthrbog
Juturna
Kagutsuchi
Kalaipahoa
Kali
Kaluannuunohonionio
Kamado-gami
Kamapua'a
Kami-kaze
Kaminari
Kamohoali'i
Kamooalii
Kanaloa
Kanayama-hiko
Kanayama-hime
Kane
Kane-hekili
Kapo
Kapohoikahiola
Karewit
Kari
Kartikeya
Karttikeya
Kathirat
Kaupe
Kawa-no-kami
Kenro-ji-jin
Keoahikamakaua
Keuakepo
Khepri
Ki
Kiha
Kingu
Kinich ahau
Kishar
Kishi-bojin
Kishijoten
Kishimo-jin
Ko-no-hana
Kojin
Koleamoku
Korrawi
Koshin
Kothar
Koya-no-myoin
Krishna
Ku
Kuahana
Kukailimoku
Kukaoo
Kukulcan
Kukunochi-no-kami
Kuni-toko-tachi
Kura-okami
Kurma
Kuula
Kvasir
Laamaomao
Labraid
Lada
Lado
Laga
Laka
Lakakane
Lakshmi
Laran
Lares
Libintia
Lie
Liza
Llyr
Lofn
Loki
Lono
Lonomakua
Lotan
Lugh
Luna
Macha
Maeve
Magna mater
Magni
Mahulu
Maia
Manannan
Mani
Manua
Marduk
Margawse
Marisha-ten
Marowit
Mars
Maru
Marzanna
Matangi
Math ap mathowny
Matka gabia
Matka ziemia
Maui
Mawaya-no-kami
Maya
Mebd
Medb
Melqart
Menhit
Menthu
Mentu
Mercury
Mextli
Mider
Mikaboshi
Milu
Miming
Mimir
Minerva
Miro
Mithras
Mixcoatl
Miyazu-hime
Moaalii
Modi
Mokosh
Mokualii
Moloch
Monju-bosatsu
Mooaleo
Morrigan
Mot
Mummu
Murukan
Musubi-no-kami
Myrrdin
Nacon
Nai-no-kami
Naka-yama-tsu-mi
Nammu
Nanaja
Nanna
Nanse
Neith
Nemain
Nemesis
Nephthys
Neptune
Nergal
Niamh
Nikko-bosatsu
Ninazu
Ninhurzag
Ninigi-no-mikoto
Nintu
Ninurta
Njord
Nominosukune
Norns
Nott
Nut
Nyorai
Oanomochi
Odin
Ogoun
Ohkuninushi
Oho-yama
Ohonamochi
Ohyamatsumi
Okuni-nushi
Ops
Orgelmir
Oro
Osiris
Ostara
Ouli
Owatatsumi
Oyamatsumi
Pales
Pan
Papa
Parvati
Pele
Perperuna
Persephone
Perun
Phaethon
Phoebe
Phoebus apollo
Pilumnus
Pluto
Podaga
Poliahu
Pomona
Porewit
Poseidon
Proserpine
Puea
Qadeshtu
Quetzalcoatl
Radegast
Raiden
Ram
Rama
Ran
Re
Resef
Reshep
Resheph
Rhea
Rod
Rugiviet
Ryo-wo
Sabazius
Sae-no-kami
Saga
Sakhmet
Sambo-kojin
Samulayo
Sarasvati
Sarutahiko ohkami
Saturn
Segomo
Selene
Sengen
Septu
Seshat
Seth
Seti
Shachar
Shaka
Shakti
Shalim
Shamash
Shamayim
Shapsu
Shemesh
Shen yi
Shichi fujukin
Shinda
Shine-tsu-hiko
Shiva
Shoden
Shoki
Shu
Si-wang-mu
Siebog
Sif
Simargl
Sin
Sirona
Sita
Siwa
Sjofn
Skadi
Sleipnir
Sol
Stribog
Suijin
Suitengu
Sukuna-biko
Surya
Susanoh
Susanowa
Svantetit
Svarog
Svetovid
Svetovit
Syn
Takami-musubi
Takemikadzuchi
Taki-tsu-hiko
Tatsuta-hime
Tawaret
Tefnut
Tehwom
Tenjin
Teutates
Tezcatlipoca
Thanatos
The zorya
Thor
Tiamat
Tlaloc
Tonatiuh
Toyo-uke-bime
Toyouke-omikami
Triglav
Tsuki-yumi
Tu
Tu matauenga
Turris
Tyche
Tyr
Uba
Uga-jin
Uga-no-mitama
Ukanipo
Ukemochi
Ulaulekeahi
Uli
Ull
Utu
Uzume
Vali
Valkyries
Vamana
Vanir
Var
Veles
Venus
Vertumnus
Vesta
Vidar
Vishnu
Volturnus
Vulcan
Wakahiru-me
Wata-tsu-mi
Wepwawet
Wurukatte
Xipe
Xi wang-mu
Xochipilli
Xochiquetzal
Yabune
Yam
Yam-nahar
Yama-no-kami
Yamato
Yarikh
Ymir
Yu-huang
Yuki-onna
Yum kimil
Zababa
Zana
Zedek
Zeus
Zirnitra
Zislbog
Zizilia
Zroya
Yahweh

this is why we need a car

2008-06-22T13:11:00.001+10:00

It's pouring with rain and I want to get some stuff from Ikea. It's a 5 minute drive or close to 40 mins catching the tram(s). I'm not sure if you've noticed, but wet people smell
when they're sitting beside you.

lawsuit waiting to happen

2008-06-19T21:05:00.003+10:00

These guys win the award for dumbest product ever:

Why bother teaching your kid not to eat Lego when these buggers come along and undo all your hard work.

Thanks to Penny Arcade .

the official god f.a.q

2008-06-11T21:37:00.000+10:00

Read the F.A.Q here

os x tip: alias for network folder

2008-06-05T18:11:00.003+10:00

Here's a quick Mac tip that I figured out by myself today. This is a big deal, because I'm not a mac fan (we just have a mac mini for a media server)

After Deb upgraded to OSX Leopard, OS 10.5, or whatever the hell they're calling it these days, we lost the ability to create an alias to a network folder (in Windows, the closest equivalent is a shortcut). I scoured the interwebs and couldn't find any way around it.

The solution is really simple:

Create an alias for any old file
Open the alias file info
Click on "Select new original"
Navigate to your network folder and click ok

And that's it! Too easy.

God knows why the powers that be decided to drop that bit of functionality, but if I've learned anything from the Mac community it's this: Steve Jobs is god and don't you fucking dare question ANY decision that Apple makes. If you don't like something it's because YOU are wrong and what you are trying to DO is wrong.

google earth 3d plugin

2008-06-03T20:14:00.036+10:00

This is pretty freakin sweet: Google has created a proper 3D plugin for Google Earth.
Basically, you can bung Google Earth into a web page and do anything with it that you can do with Google Maps.
Google

excessive phone bill

2008-05-28T19:25:00.001+10:00

If you've ever microwaved a cd, this is even better.

re're saring our rown rives

2008-05-26T18:58:00.003+10:00

As weird a concept as this is, its a hell of a lot more fun than a lot of the "entertainment" on western TV

H.E.R.B

2008-05-22T23:01:00.001+10:00

princess

2008-05-21T23:40:00.001+10:00

how long do your socks last?

2008-05-15T18:42:00.003+10:00

moving graffiti

2008-05-14T23:08:00.003+10:00

This is hard to describe without using the words "fucking" and "awesome".

chicken coconut soup

2008-05-08T13:10:00.001+10:00

We've made this a few times recently and it keeps getting better with each ingredient we add.

1 Tbsp peanut/vegetable oil
6 spring onions (or a small, finely chopped normal onion)
Tbsp chopped chilli
2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 Tbsp lemongrass (I use the stuff from a tube as it's not all woody)

3 cups chicken stock
1 can coconut milk
1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 can creamed corn
1/2 can Baby corn (cut in half longways)
Thinly sliced chicken breast
Salt to season
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Heat the oil in a wok or large pot and fry the spring onions, chilli, ginger and lemongrass for a minute or so.
Add the chicken stock, coconut milk and fish sauce and bring to the boil uncovered (if you cover it, the coconut milk goes all curdled and disgusting).
Throw in the creamed corn, baby corn and chicken and let it simmer for 7-8 minutes.
Season with salt and add the soy sauce, mix it up and serve. I'm sure the presentation would look better with a sprig of coriander on top, but you won't find that gunk in my kitchen.

high tech poster

2008-05-06T13:54:00.001+10:00

This is an informational poster out by our lifts.

In case youre' wondering, clicking didn't do anything.

miscalculation

2008-04-26T12:24:00.001+10:00

Why are burger patties sold in packs of 4, but hamburgers in packs of 6?

mario theme with wine bottles

2008-04-15T22:59:00.001+10:00

Patience. So much patience

geebung

2008-04-02T19:21:00.001+11:00

i love this guy

2008-03-09T16:12:00.002+11:00

riding home

2008-03-09T13:54:00.002+11:00

royal exhibition building

2008-03-09T12:19:00.003+11:00

garfield minus garfield

2008-03-04T21:18:00.003+11:00

For some reason it took me years to realise that Garfield just isn't funny (seriously, how many times do you think that people will laugh at lasagne?)

Now if you take Garfield out of the picture all together, it makes:
"an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolor disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life"

garfieldminusgarfield

cbd

2008-02-17T12:57:00.002+11:00

Just filling in time, waiting for Deb.

rail trail photo map

2008-02-13T19:03:00.004+11:00

This is neat. It's now easy to embed my photo map right on the page instead of linking out to it!

View Larger MapThanks to the commenter on this page for the tip on using your own map.

how many?

2008-02-11T09:45:00.001+11:00

This has always bugged me:

As I was going to St Ives
I met a man with seven wives

And every wife had seven sacks
And every sack had seven cats
And every cat had seven kits

Kits, cats, sacks, wives
How many were going to St Ives?

The person telling this "riddle" usually looks smug when they tell you the answer is 1, instead of the alternate answer of 2800 you could have fairly calculated (if you were only counting the kits, cats, sacks and wives that the riddle requests)
I want to know how you can tell which direction the man and his wives are travelling in! Assuming they aren't just standing still (which is yet another option) they could also be on their way to St Ives to sell the 2744 cats, which would seriously slow them down, enabling the narrator to catch up and easily overtake them. Also, if the answer really is 1, you would have to assume that the narrator was a kit, cat, sack or wife, which was never mentioned.

This is similar to those stupid "brainteasers" like: "There's a large room with a high ceiling, a man is hanging dead at the end of a short rope 5 metres above the floor. There's nothing else in the room except a large puddle of water. How did he die?"
The "answer" is apparantly that he stood on the block of ice, put the rope around his neck and waited for the ice to melt. One problem with this, is a block of ice that big would have taken a very long time to melt, so the bloke would have died of hypothermia or starvation before he was strangled by the rope.
Who's to say though that he wasn't hung by a lynch mob who then washed away all of their footprints with a hose?

Yeah. Think about it.

These kinds of ambiguous riddles do nothing except wind me up, because there is NOT just one answer, even if only one answer was supplied in the FW:FW:FW:FW chain email that you received.

Verdict: welcome to Monday.

and i thought they were just a myth

2008-02-10T15:42:00.000+11:00

Deb swept our steps out and found this little bugger:

I'm not a big fan of spiders, so knowing that I'd been walking barefoot past this web for the last month is a little creepy.

rail trail

2008-02-08T17:35:00.002+11:00

Deb and I did the Otago Central Rail Trail in NZ a few weeks ago.

It was three days and 150km of riding (which doesn't sound too bad until you realise you're riding a mountain bike on gravel the whole way).

The accomodation was great, the scenery fantastic and here are some photos:

Click the picture above to view the album.

deathstar

2008-02-07T09:35:00.001+11:00

off to nz

2008-01-24T09:08:00.001+11:00

Deb and I are hitting Dunedin for a couple of weeks including three days cycling through central Otago. Should be nice if a little tiring.

kitty

2008-01-19T09:07:00.000+11:00

andy roddick v michael berrer

2008-01-16T21:17:00.002+11:00

It's 9.10pm and 18 degrees. Normally it wouldn't be too bad, but I've gotten used to the 28 degree evenings. I'm cold and Deb's lips are turning blue.

australian open

2008-01-16T19:22:00.002+11:00

We got some pretty good seats tonight. First game is Sharapova v Davenport.
I might post some more pics later.

we are so insignificant

2008-01-15T19:04:00.000+11:00

I don't know about you, but things like this make my mind explode.

federation trail

2008-01-13T11:49:00.001+11:00

We're currently on the Federation Trail. It's surrounded by chemical factories, rubbish dumps and thistles. Appropriate then that it was built over an old sewage line

this burger is too big

2008-01-09T19:46:00.002+11:00

it's good to have options

2008-01-08T17:16:00.002+11:00

Best when firm or soft.
So which is it? Should I eat them when I first get them, or wait a week until they get mushy.
I hate being confused by food.

pointing out the obvious

2008-01-07T13:42:00.002+11:00

So, what other options do pedestrians have?

at least it was early in the ride

2008-01-05T14:05:00.002+11:00

I was on my way to the gym on a SATURDAY when this happened. Bugger

what's with the shoes?

2007-12-30T08:45:00.000+11:00

merry xmas

2007-12-30T08:44:00.001+11:00

Roast lamb, roast veges, ham, fruit salad, plum pudding, pavlova.
It may have been only Deb and I for Xmas lunch, but that was no reason to miss out on anything!

cloudburst

2007-12-21T21:43:00.001+11:00

The rain in Melbourne for the last few days has been ridiculous. It's been falling so hard that water bounces back up to your waist. I joked about buying an umbrella off the guy from our noodle shop tonight, so he fashioned a raincoat out of a big rubbish bag for me. I laughed at the time, but it really kept me dry. I guess I owe him a beer!

We've had leaks in our lounge roof in the past. The first time it was repaired it didn't rain again for six months, so we didn't know that it wasn't fixed. The second time around, the roofing dude said he couldn't find any leaks on the roof, but bogged up the most likely areas, so every time it rains we expect to come home to a big puddle of water on the table.

And now you know the back story.

Deb was out on the booze tonight and I felt like having a laugh. I sent this picture message to her phone:

It was a 2 minute photoshop, so it doesn't look like much at this size, but I guess it looked convincing enough on her mobile screen, as her phonecall's first words were "what the fuck?!"

It made my night anyway :)

pre-owned chump

2007-12-21T18:13:00.001+11:00

I took time out from the stress of trying to find the perfect xmas present to have a look in EB Games. Super Paper Mario is selling brand new for $99 or pre-owned for $95. What a great business! They buy back the game for bugger all then sell it again for almost the original price! Do mugs really buy these pre-owned games or am I missing part of the equation here?

meetings are suck

2007-12-18T10:13:00.002+11:00

"no to all" tip for windows

2007-12-16T19:06:00.000+11:00

This is probably a well known tip, but I discovered it today and it is totally invaluable!

When you're copying a large number of files from one place to another (as I tend to do when backing up photos), you're presented with this option:

For simplicity, you can just overwrite all of the existing photos with an exact copy, which really is just a waste of time. What's even more of a waste of time though is sitting there for 20 minutes clicking "No" for every file so that you only copy over unique files.

Here's the tip: hold down Shift when you click no. It's essentially a virtual button that says "No to all" on it. Frikkin' sweet.

Thanks to Jigar Mehta who happened to be the first link I clicked on.

back up your photos

2007-12-16T18:19:00.000+11:00

The hard drive that I store all my photos on is starting to play up. I can't open a couple of dozen photos, but luckily most of them are backed up in various locations.
The problem now is finding out where the dodgy files are and replacing them either from the backup drive (that I haven't used as often as I should), Deb's laptop (that only has backups of more recent stuff), the portable hard drive that we used in Vietnam (that was going to be used as a proper backup drive from today) or my backup at work (which was current as of around this time last year).
This year, the plan is to build a proper RAID file server so I won't have to worry as much about failing hard drives. Of course, I also need to figure out what the hell RAID really is, but that's a small detail.

hehe, neat

2007-12-15T15:29:00.001+11:00

I couldn't wait until we got home, so I posted this from the train :)

Here's a better photo now that we're home:

and one that the Jeweller took:

Ian from Ellissi was fantastic. He's really down to earth and having spent his entire working life in the trade, knows his stuff too.

Legend.

maybe the coolest thing in the world

2007-12-14T09:18:00.001+11:00

Create your own plastic 3D models with this:

Product page

I love the idea of being able to print out my own Angelina Jolie action figure.

another tree

2007-12-09T21:59:00.000+11:00

We've got our tree up now.

It's sitting in front of a window, so is hard to take a good photo. You'll just have to use your imagination.

stupid fruits of the world #19: mango

2007-12-09T19:54:00.000+11:00

If there's ever been a strong argument against intelligent design, it has to be the mango.

On the outside, it looks like a normal, easy to eat fruit, but no. To prepare it, you have to cut the "cheeks" off and to avoid wastage spend a further 5 minutes hacking slivers off the great big seed in the middle. It still looks tasty, so you inevitably try and nibble the remaining flesh off the seed, but instead end up with masses of hairy fibres between your teeth.

Verdict: fuck it, stick to apples

8-bit christmas

2007-12-07T09:09:00.000+11:00

This is in downtown Madrid (Spain for you less worldly types).

Thanks to Gizmodo and Clipset

nice tree...

2007-12-01T11:58:00.001+11:00

This from the fashion capital of Australia.

i'm assured it's hygenic

2007-11-29T15:43:00.001+11:00

I came back from grabbing some lunch to find that desert had been supplied.
Shame it was my favourite red stapler.

Now I'm going to have to set the building on fire.