Friday 31 August 2007

News News News

Well it has been a while since I dipped my net into the murky waters of Australian News sites... but I have found a few gems.

First up - imagine a time when a device the size of an iPod nano can hold 30,000 movies! Well it seems that scientists are looking at ways to manipulate atoms... makes sense it would be great to make storage devices smaller - although they need to remember that the device you view it on needs to be larger then say a needle point!!!

Second... OK so I am not a big fan of them BUT I still reserve the rights of individuals to wear whatever they like. This article is regarding a BAN of saggy baggy pants, in some cities in the US. Ummm isn't this the land of the free?? what about the Bill of Rights?? Ummm anyway moving on. I think that things like this are a social issue not one that should be legislated. I think that if we paid no attention to them then like most teenage fads and fashion fads they will eventually die out - but alas this kind of action will just make more people aware of the injustice. Just because I don't like the fashion doesn't mean that people should not be allowed to express them selves.

Three... OK burning rubbish is that a good idea? If a place is over filled with rubbish and raw sewerage why not burn it all away? Does that sound like good environmental practice to you? Well no! but if you where to super heat the rubbish and destroy the harmful contaminates and then employ the poor people of the community to run the furnace and harness the heat from the burning for things such as heating water then you have a sound way to rid a place of rubbish and make something useful for the local area. Check it out - the thing that amazes me is that it was harder for him to make a low tech furnace. That is something we need to think about as we enter this ever changing world... what do we do with all the jobless if everything is done by machine and is automatic... something for a longer entry me thinks.

Four... You think your head is worth a lot... how about encasing it in diamonds and calling it art! $100 million for a skull - hey I could get you one from the local boneyard for less... of course you'll have to arrange the diamonds...

Five... Good news regarding horror books from Australia - it seems that the trend of decent horror novels are growing in Australia with independent Publisher Tasmanic releasing a range of new authors and books. More about the upcoming range and the collaboration with British Horror write Paul Kane here. I admit that my taste in books lies firmly in the range of Fantasy and Science Fiction although I do love to wander in the world of Horror Fiction and really loved Joe Hill's novel - even if it didn't scare me as much as some people. I have Joe Hill's new short story book on my wish list at Amazon and I really do think that he will develop into a author that I can read again and again. Now a horror Sci-Fi that would be something... Hmmmm

Well five is all I have time for so have a looksee and let me know what you all think about them or send me links for things that might interest me or people who read this blog.

Cheers!

Thursday 30 August 2007

Thank Wil



Wil you gave me something to laugh at... and scratch my head...

WTF indeed!

Zebra v Croc

The Church of Ank!

The Church of Ank!

Ank Ank Ank!!!

Worship the Zebra God!

Meditate on the Holy mystery of Ank!

Deny the Crocodile god of blasphemy!

Ank, Ank, Ank!!!

Join with us now as we watch the Zebra God in physical form defy the evil Crocodile god...

Worship the one true form of Hope - and go for the eye!

See above for the Video of our God in action. (youtube didn't seem to want to paste into this entry - obviously the Evil Crocodile god is against me - save me oh holy Zebra of Holiness!!)

Thanks to Connie for that one!

Wednesday 29 August 2007

Ghostwood

Oh boy I have found a cool new band! and they are Australian - from out of Sydney.



So check out the clip and see what you think... Very Cureish so I am hooked - easy really! great little guitar riff at the beginning really caught me!

Yes something new and all through a single of the week at iTunes! would've thought it!

Sunday 26 August 2007

Tarot - which one and I...



I am equal parts the Emperor and the Magician... something in that for all of us

You scored as The Empress and The Emperor, The Empress stand for a strong woman or strong female influnce such as mother, sister, girfriend/wife. The Emperor stands for a strong man or strong male influnce in life such as a father, husband/boyfriend, brother ect. Both are very strong willed and are influencal to someone. They take on many responsiblities sometimes to much, love toi lead the pack. Both a reliable and are ready for action at any moment

The Empress and The Emperor

80%

The Magician

80%

Justice

65%

The Lovers

65%

The Devil

60%

The Hierophant

60%

The World

60%

The Fool

55%

The High Priestess

45%

The Hanged Man

40%

Judgement

40%

The Hermit

35%

The Moon

35%

Death

30%

created with QuizFarm.com

Envrionment

OK time to get all practical and environmental on you all. I have just been visiting Todae and checking out there impressive catalogue of low power usage items, solar and wind power generators and assorted other items. Go and check them out if you have the time, I have selected a few items that I think are both useful and easy to use and install into your everyday house - then I get into the bigger and more fanciful items.



The picture above is a shower saver which can be viewed here it is really just a switch which turns off the water so you can soap without wasting water then switch the water back on to rinse off. This is something that I think would easy to use and something most homes could easily install.



LED lights, basically use put in LED light instead of Halogen globes or use them in the normal Bayonet or Edison Screw sockets. Prices range from $14.95 and they can


longer then normal globes. Go here to check out all the styles and types.



Portable Solar Charges, for anything from your Laptop to your mobile phone, all through the use of the Sun. The price point of $149 is steep for the initial costs but I guess you will make that back with use of the charger - as it can charge a range of items and has a USB port a standard Car Charger port and a lot of adaptors for popular phones etc it can be used to charge almost anything. Something to think of a special gift or purchase with the tax cheque. More info here


OK so you want to save 50% of your electricity bill - install one of these! At $17,000 it will take a few bills to save the initial cost but it is effective and very efficient! I worked out that own electricity bill is approx $1000 a year (give or take) so if I saved 50% that'll be $500 a year so in 34 years I would make back that initial cost. It seems a little extreme and I guess if I were building a house and installed this as part of construction the cost would seem less... I am not sure though $17,000 is a lot of low power usage items that I could buy for my house and reduce my electricity usage through that... If costs are lowered on such items then I guess it could get better in the future.

But at least they are coming down in price and like all new technology as we get better making them the costs are reduced. So I say if you can afford panels on your home get them so people like me can one day actually afford to buy them...

I guess like most things it is do what you can, we really must look at ways we can change our behaviour and our usage of things like oil and power. I do not believe that nuclear energy is the way to go we can use Wind and Solar energy to create better sources of power.

I heard a scientist on the Morning Show on Triple J this week talk about the MANY uses of Oil other then burning for energy and I wonder if we will find ourselves at a point in the future unable to comprehend why we burned a resource that is so useful. Maybe then we will realise that sometimes economics and business are not the answer to our needs, maybe then we will kick ourselves for being so damn stupid. I doubt it though.

Tuesday 21 August 2007

I took a quiz...



Well it didn't paste so well... So here is the results of 'Which author's fiction are you...

Answer...

William Gibson wrote your book. Technology terrifies and delights you.


Which makes me laugh as I am just reading my first Gibson 'Neromancer' at the moment - nearly finished. Looking forward to reading more of his stuff as well. hahaha such is life sometimes.

10 random things about me

1. I play drums in a band - Stover [lame I know, you all know that one already]
2. I have travelled to Europe, USA, Asia but never to Western Australia or the Northern Territory. Although I would like to, but here I can fly to an exotic OS country for the same price as flying to Perth (WA Capital)
3. I have written about a quarter of a comic book story line - although I cannot draw or know anyone who can so it will probably stay that way. Similar with short stories and a novel idea I had. I would love to be able to say I am a writer even if I only publish one book - and never make money from it.
4. I tend to do much; then when I have nothing to do I am like a lost child who just wonders around in a daze. I need to be doing something and hence write lists of things to complete just so I can tick it off and feel that I have achieved something with my time off. I even put fun things on the list like * play video game. If I feel I have achieved nothing in a day I get upset with myself and depressed.
5. I have smoked drugs but aside from once having a bad trip (I think it was laced with something) I really don't get that effected. Although somewhere in the back of my mind I am afraid that if it did really feel good I would get addicted very easily - I avoid drugs now - aside from alcohol... even then I limit myself (I know some of you wouldn't believe that but I really do).
6. I cook. I love to cook. I love to eat different things. I love to learn how to make new things and then do a dinner party for friends/family and make them something special. I would love to own a restaurant and cook whatever I wanted!
7. I don't like letting people down.
8. I find it hard to be happy in the moment instead I relive things afterwards and am happy about it then. Most of the time I am too busy worrying about too many things to be happy when I should be.
9. I always thought there would be more in my life then there is - I probably look too much at what I am missing then what I have - I have to remind myself all the time that I am lucky and I have people who love and care for me.
10. Dream house is some kind of mansion (I have the plans in my head) with a large amount of space between me and my neighbours (I am talking 5 minute drive). Yet my dream car in a early model Landrover.

Thanks Jeff - Constance and Anjel have put this up already so I'll send this out to the next person who reads this - post in the comments that you posted this and I'll edit to your name and link!

Resident Evil 4 - Wii

OK so I have become a little game Obsessed at the moment... It must be the cold weather and the extra time I have from work atm... I need something to do with my days and gaming seems like a good idea. Hey at least I am not wondering the streets - although I could really get into writing - which I do plan to do - Scratch that I WILL TOMORROW write at least something.
Anyway I was going to write about RE4 for the Wii which I bought on a whim last week and BOY it is cool! Very much a FPS (First Person Shooter) with a little bit of a difference and that comes through the Unique Wii controller. You can aim with the Remote and you move with the Nunchuk - but it all seems so much easier then say when I played Bioshock the other day on the Xbox 360 - is that me or is it the Wii controls? I can't answer that without further study. But friends of mine whom have played all the RE games for the PS2 said straight away that this version was faster (in turning) and possibly more easier to play due to the aiming and use of the controllers.
So what do I think? Well the story line is really good and the games play really well although I sometimes get a bit arressive and shoot too much and run out of ammo! I think that sometimes I am suppose to just run or what for a timed cut scene - I guess I just have to realise that I canna kill them all - they just keep coming!!!
So what will I give the game being that I am only up to chapter 3 - 9/10 atm - that could go up as I get further into the game.
Anyway If there is one reason to buy a Wii then this is the game !!! It does everything that the Wii is capable of doing and offer the best type of game play that the system offer - in the realm of hardcore gaming that is.

Friday 17 August 2007

BioShock

OK I had lunch with a friend of mine yesterday and we got on to talk of games and the console war and all that jazz. Now I am looking (wishing) to own one of the more powerful next gen consoles in the coming future the choice is whether I go for a 360 or a PS3. We chatted about the benefits of both and I must say that I agree with Dazza and believe that the main reason to buy SHOULD be based on the Games that are on offer and which console will meet the needs of the games that someone like me has. To that end I have been looking at the games on offer.
And I found BIOSHOCK I have yet to play a demo but this looks like one fun and full on games something that I could really enjoy. And the 360 has some other features and games that I really do like - but then again so does the PS3 and with the deals going around at the moment both of them seem like a good buy.
Not that I have any money to buy either - so this is all just some kind of fantasy and I am enjoying the thought of maybe one day getting my self all sorted to be able to purchase one of these systems.
Oh well!
Nuff said

Wednesday 15 August 2007

Back from the Dead

Well perhaps not dead as such - just been a little busy...
OK what have I been doing that has kept me away from here, well Work for one thing - I have been working on a major project and it kinda took up a lot of my time and energy - I did a 7 day week then worked my normal week straight after so I guess that was a 10 week really and that also was the week I started rehearsals for the next production I am in - OLD TIME MUSIC HALL. I am the Chairman and the Villain in the Melodrama - for those of you unfamiliar with the concept of Music Hall check out this or this they are really a lot of fun and I suppose for the US readers your Vaudeville is taken from Music Hall. Anyway so I am busy with that - I had to write my speeches and am still editing as we head into the final week... at least I can have the script with me on my podium.
The band also did a small gig for friends and such so we had to do a few rehearsals for that and the gig went well although one of our friends was so late we ended up meeting him at McDonald's after for Sundaes!
Then I think I just needed some down time and I wanted to get my toon up to level 70 on WoW - which I did just the other day!! WooT!!!! Now the server is down for 48 hours and boy I would have been pissed if that had happened before I got to 70!!!
So I have some time back again and am settling into a new routine - although I have already worked two extra shifts this week - Hey I get all day tomorrow off!!! WooT! I hope WoW is back then because I am really itching to play again! Now that I am 70 I need to get cash for my flying mount that everyone else seems to have! :(
OH well I hope that you are all well in Blog land and I do intend to keep up to date now and write a little more often - hey I have to reach 100 posts! hehehe A little competition never hurt.
OK then see you all later!