Electioneering

Sitting at a coffee shop this morning, I heard a man excitedly telling someone that elections are currently being held in Lebanon and they are paying people's airfares to get them to come back to vote. They also pay for motel accommodation but his friend who had taken up the offer had opted to stay in the village instead. Not sure if it's true or not but you'd think that a system for postal voting would be a lot cheaper although not nearly as people-friendly.

Comment: Garbage

Letter to the Editor, The Daily Telegraph, commenting on NSW Premier Mr Nathan Rees, who used to be a garbage collector:

"I would not trust Nathan Rees to bring in my garbage."

(My emphasis - I could have sworn it worked the other way!)

Hold the phone

How much are you paying for your SMS text messages? An article in The Daily Telegraph this week (I do their crosswords and puzzes) surprised me - at 25 cents per 160 characters, that puts SMS messages at $1000 per megabyte. It's a pretty penny to pay - and if they weren't included in my phone/data plan already, I might have to think seriously about using them as a (serious) communications method.

Pocket watch

The broad-headed snake is the most endangered in Australia - apparently because of encroaching bushland. However, I am confused - or I could just be reading the situation incorrectly. According to the article I saw in The Daily Telegraph "The snakes are only found in small pockets within 200km of Sydney". Rather than the researchers suggesting more bushfires might be the answer to saving the broad-headed snakes, shouldn't they be looking to have more people with clothing with small pockets move into the areas?

Freedom of Information

News yesterday of proposed new Federal freedom of information laws here in Australia that would mean the Government could not refuse a request on the grounds that it would embarrass them. Neither will they be able to refuse on the basis of causing misinterpretation of its activities or causing confusion or debate. Why is it that I’m getting the feeling that freedom of information prior to this hasn’t really been … especially since application fees have been charged. The report I read in The Daily Telegraph (“Still only $1”) did not say when the draft legislation is likely to be enacted.

Cheerio Homer

Homer passed away earlier today from lymphoma complications.  He was 15. This is him in happier times, doing one of his favourite things (he had many) - playing the bed game. Thanks for spending the time with us Ho. You were terrific and it's not going to be the same around here without you.

Great Escape?

Most of us remember the iconic scene where Paul Newman's - big oops - that should be Steve McQueen's* character, on the run from the Germans, riding a motorcycle which was later (reportedly) used by The Fonz in "Happy Days", attempts to jump a fence to freedom. Of course, some of us cannot remember whether or not he made it (or, apparently who "he" was). The question is not that ... but rather whether the film "The Great Escape" was based on the real life escape On This Day in 1944 where 76 prisoners of war escaped from Stalag Luft III. Only 3 made it to "freedom". Of the others, when recaptured, 50 were executed as an example to the other PoWs. (How much has film and television done to desensitize us to the real impact of war?)

*The bits in red were added as an update - for obvious reasons - once the error was pointed out - ever so discreetly - thanks D.

Special little somethings

If you're after that special something for a little person in you life, Smiggle has two products that rate a second look. First there's the Voodoo Pencil Case (heart-shaped black and red pins apparently sold separately) which is doll-shaped, made of canvas, and has a place on the head for a photo! And then, supposedly, but I haven't been able to find details on this, there's another product which encourages children to "Hug a Stranger". Concern about these products has been raised with Smiggle by the Kids Free 2B Kids group.
For all non-children whose curiosity is now piqued and who do want to hug a stranger, full instructions can be found at Hug-a-Stranger which also has links on how to give a good hug; and how to defend against a bear hug from behind.

Photo story

Front page news last weekend had nude photos of one of Australia's more controversial political figures as a teenager ... almost. Pauline Hanson immediately protested saying they were not photographs of her teenage self and has had papers served on several media outlets - probably including the one that said when they contacted Ms Hanson before publication she had not kicked up a fuss - and surely, they posited, she would have if it had not been her. Ms Hanson is contesting a seat in this weekend's Queensland elections. It was odd though that the next day, when media were interviewing the gentleman who provided the shots, they had obscured his face. He reportedly found the photos, taken over 20 years ago, while going through images to be digitally copied and the person helping him commented that they would be worth some money. Going price for chivalry: $15,000 or thereabouts was the figure mentioned I think.

Numbers question

If there are 10,921,246 people currently online with Skype - am I one of them - ie are there really 10,921,247? If I go offline, and without wasting other people's time on this ... how can I check if the online number has decreased by one ... hmmmmm (^scratches head thoughtfully^)

Extreme sports

Hillah, Iraq: It was a close game ... and in the final minute of play the BudKirat striker had only the Sinjar goalie to beat to tye the game at 1-1. Then a shot rang out - yes, that was a shot rather than a shout - and the about-to-score player was dead. A Sinjar fan was arrested soon after. I suspected some people took their sports seriously, but this is taking it too far.

True words

There's a saying that goes a little like: if we forget history, we're doomed to repeat it. But what "makes" history? "On this day" gives little slices of it, and two of today's entries in The Daily Telegraph's column deal with famous "true" words. In 1912, with the words "I am just going out. I may be some time" Englishman Lawrence Oates, on his way back from the South Pole with Robert Falcon Scott, and celebrating his 32rd birthday with frostbite, left the tent in which they were sheltering - and died in a blizzard.
In 2003, citing as one of his reasons that he believed Saddam Hussein's regime did not have viable weapons of mass destruction, British cabinet minister Robin Cook resigned rather than support plans to invade Iraq.
In retrospect, both of these were statements that turned out to be correct. Would the course of history, as we know it, have been changed if, at the time, people had "heard" what they were saying - and acted accordingly?

More "hope"

"Someone will call you soon ... hopefully." What a strange and worrying thing to be told after registering your arrival for an appointment. Was it because I was 15 minutes early - having been third in line at the General Enquiries desk when I arrived - or because "soon" is a relative term of time at a customer-service-based government organisation.

March madness

Hearing of the massacres in Alabama and Germany, I was wondering yesterday about other similar tragic losses of life and remembered the one at a school in Scotland some years ago. incredibly, it was noted in today's "On this day". It was at Dunblane, Scotland, and the shooting spree left 16 children and their teacher dead. That was 1996 - March 13. So, is there a possibility that these are not random dates? Has any research been done on the timing of similar incidents. Could they be related to Seasonal Affective Disorder in the Northern Hemisphere? Or is this just a way of trying to make sense of the unfathomable?

We hope ...

Words you don't necessarily want to hear/remember as you're sitting atop a rocket waiting for it to blast your shuttle into space - something like:  "we hope the repairs took care of the (dangerous) leak".  NASA apparently wasn't able to find the cause of last week's leak but have replaced the parts which could have been causing the problem - and hopefully this will fix the problem.  

A bli(m)p on the radar

Hmmm ... more from Slashdot - and just as well it isn't April 1 (yet) or I'd be worried that what I was reading wasn't truthful.  The headline "US Pentagon Plans For a Spy Blimp".  The story:  the Pentagon is intending to fly a blimp at 65,000 feet to provide a continuous view of Earth's surface via radar surveillance.  It would be too high for surface-to-air missiles, or other aircraft, to reach, and solar power will keep it operational for its 10-year life.  A prototype is under design.   Of course, there's getting to be so much "stuff" in orbit now that before long there'll be no space for anything else.  Don't believe me ... here's an artist's impression.

Personal worth

Ever pondered the real value of your contribution to your workplace?  The 'good' news is that some companies, reportedly with IBM and Microsoft among them, are apparently measuring just that for each employee.  The key currency seems to be (non-verbal) communication and the greater the measure - the greater your value:  better to be one with a large dark-coloured circle - 'thought leader' rather than a small pale circle 'not contributing a hell of a lot''.  (Thanks to Slashdot for the article.)

Ink jet

My fountain pen has sat, unused, in my drawer for some time but I fished it out this morning to start using it again. Ink colour this time: purple - a change from the usual jet black. Well that's the eventual plan but first I have to wait for all residual traces of the black to depart. I flushed the business end of the pen under running water for several minutes earlier today yet three crosswords, several notes and a dozen scribbles later, the ink still writes black. Thank goodness I am a patient person with a passion for the feel of ink on fine quality writing paper. There's nothing quite like it.

Fogging

A good while ago a work pal told me of his response whenever someone made a disparaging remark to him. He replied with "and so am I" which, he told me, left the other person with nowhere to go because he was agreeing with them. This tactic made an appearance in Sydney's The Daily Telegraph yesterday in an article about bullying. "Fogging" as it was called, is reportedly a good counter to bullies because it confuses them - they usually expect their intended victim to fight back rather than agreeing with taunts. Hmmm. As long as the bully isn't a thug too this could work well.

Fighting Words

The Palm operating system for PDAs may be dead (or at least dying) but it seems PalmI the company, is not. A recent Engadget report tells of Roger McNamee's claims that the new Palm Pre will bring the downfall of the iPhone. McNamee is with Elevation Partners, "the Palm-rescuing investment firm'! The rationale - by launching the Pre two years after the i Phone's appearance, all the "early adopters" will be coming off the two-year contracts they signed and be looking for the next funky new thing - the Pre. It might just work - for the initial push - but for the not-so early adopters, the battle to convert them may just depend on features and functionality - and if Apple ever introduces copy and paste functionality for the iPhone and iPod touch!

Plane sight

Spanish police have arrested a 66-year-old Chilean at Barcelona airport after discovering the cast on his broken leg was made entirely of cocaine. X-rays revealed the man did indeedhave a broken leg - but there is some speculation as to whether the break was intentional. The man was also transporting cocaine in two fake beer cans, and in two hollowed-out stools. Total haul - just under 5 kg. So much for hiding the contraband in plain sight!

Time on your hands?

There is probably at least one person right now who is scanning Google Earth, pixel by pixel on a computer monitor looking for items of interest: Atlantis? Crop circles? Naked people? If you're pressed for time but are still a little curious, you can check out the Top 10 Google Earth finds as reported in a recent issue of Time.

Vegetable peeler 0; Swivel Sweeper 1

I purchased a new vegetable peeler the other day - one that slides on your finger and fits in the palm of your hand. And that should have been all there was to it - except that when I tried to peel on apple it wouldn't. Hmmm. Not very good; until I realized it was a vegetable peeler, and an apple isn't a vegetable. I have not yet had the opportunity to try it on a vegetable and I am actually a little hesitant because I don't want to know I wasted my $3-something, or that I'll need to take it back to the shop for refund or exchange. The good news is that I am absolutely ecstatic with the Swivel Sweeper - a carpet sweeper/vacuum clearer hybrid of sorts - and it's not just because it has "headlights": it works ... as long as you remember to empty the dust tray when it's full!

Facing the cuts

Aaargh - the global economic downturn continues and has now started to hit television - remember that was what some of us were planning to watch more of rather than going out on the town.  Latest casualties from the UK are Wire In The Blood, Heartbeat, and The Royal.  The Bill is being cut back to a single episode a week.  The good news is that I still have entire runs of some programs on DVD and will keep investing in ones that take my interest when the price is right.

Vinyl revival

Well, not exactly, but it may be a way to finally get those LP records transferred to a digital format so you can listen to them in the car, or on a portable music player. In Jaycar's new catalogue, out today, I noticed something called a USB/SD Turntable/Receiver which can record your LPs directly to an SD card or flash memory without a computer or software. Of course, you could use it as a turntable too, but that wouldn't be as convenient to carry around as, say, an MP3 player or iPod Touch. The price is a very reasonable AU$169 - and as well as recording to SD card, it can also do playback from them. Hours of fun - and useful to boot.

Sending a message

A German bus company has apparently introduced "chat buttons" so passengers can let other passengers know they are open to having a conversation. I was unable to find other reports on this in a quick net search so I don't know the details of how it works - and whether it can also let your co-riders know that you're not interested in chatting with them. (Source: Daily Telegraph)

Take note(s)

I'm not sure that I have a use for this right now but this tool looks fantastic. It's Etherpad - an online tool which allows everyone to see and work on a document at the same time. And obviously, if you're also on Skype you can talk to each other while you're doing it - which will make the exercise a whole lot easier! There's a brief intro video showing what it can do on the site. (Of course,it could also be a way of sidestepping the lack of an IM program on your work computer but I'm sure no-one will advocate that ... especially when you can already do that through GMail.)

Open letter to Apple

Dear Apple
Wouldn't it be wonderful if all the flash memory you have ordered from Samsung (is it really their total production until the end of April?) was going to be used for a new product to be announced at the June Conference? Well, it probably is, but wouldn't it be fantastic if that product was the new NetTouch: a cross between an iPod Touch and a netbook (apologies to Psion if they have finally managed to successfully trademark/protect the term "netbook"). My vision of it: it has an environmentally friendly clam shell which folds completely to the back of the machine - or, more likely, an optional leather case which the NetTouch slips into for protection. There is a 10" touch screen and the same great features as the iPod Touch except that there's also copy and paste functionality. It has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2 or 3 USB hubs, built-in mic and speaker, and a built in stand so you can sit and watch iTunes content or do VOIP calls without having to hold the NetTouch. Now this may seem a bit far-fetched, but I've seen the (now discredited) rumours of the MiniMac doing the rounds and know that it's time for a "new" product - and you could really do so much better than another iteration of the iPhone. And we don't need a small device with a keyboard. What's the use of learning to type if you can only peck at tiny tiny little keys; oh wait, there's an idea - what about some interconnectivity with wireless keyboards? And the ability to use your existing phone as a modem?
I know that all of this would need to be well in hand for a June launch - and, given that, I'd also like to say that I'd be happy to test-drive the NetTouch for you - and I'd do a better job of holding on to it than Telstra senior management did of holding on to the dog-food/Windows Mobile 6.5-loaded phone at WMC earlier this week.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Cheers.

New experience

We're off to see a performance of Fairy Queen this weekend and already it has had a profound impact on me. It was responsible for my first visit to Spotlight - a fabric and craft chain - where there are aisles and aisles of things to do, things to see. Who knew there was such a thing as a quilting calculator or that you could get metres and metres of faux fur from animals that could never really exist in the wild - not to mention large wooden initials, bigger than a handspan (notice that convenient sidestepping of another metric vs imperial decision and/or conversion). Or shiny fabrics; fabrics with animals, plain fabrics, textured fabrics; zippers, buttons, tulle ... too much to take in. My mission (a success bar the hyperventilation and getting lost among the fancy dress costumes and paint sets): purchase at least 300 metres of Gutermann #23 thread (which is actually dark brown) for Oberon's costume. Don't think I won't be watching that character with much interest!
(Did I mention that this production of Purcell's Fairy Queen is the first anywhere in the world by a GLBT choir.)

Name of a movie starring Nicolas Cage

What's the best way to approach a monkey? Try not to appear "different" seems to be the answer, based on the attack this week by an otherwise "tame" chimpanzee on a person known to him. Travis, the 14-year-old 91kg chimp, had just finished a meal of fish and chips and ice cream when he stepped outside for a moment - and then refused to come back in when his owner, Ms Herold, called. At some point, Ms Nash arrived on the scene - except it was not the one Travis was used to - she was now driving a different car and had changed her hairstyle from long brown to short blonde. When she offered Travis a teddy bear, he "went" wild, attacking her - possibly because he did not recognise her. (Gives a whole new meaning to "stranger danger" doesn't it?) His owner, who has said that she and Travis had often shared a glass of wine before snuggling into bed, was forced to use a shovel and knife to try to save Ms Nash who was so badly mauled in the attack that attending paramedics initially thought she was a man. The New York Post carried a story entitled: "Pri-Mates. That happy couple: Bizarre love of gal & ape". It will be interesting to see if this story ever makes it to one of those US reality shows featuring police and/or other emergency services - especially for a replay of the 911 call - part of which follows but you'll need to select it to read it - as some may find it distasteful. During the call, Ms Herold screams "Oh, my God! He's eating her! He's eating her face!"

Update 6 March 09 (select the following lines to read): The woman has lost her hands, nose, lips, and eyelids and may be blind and suffering brain damage.  Hospital officials are reported in The Daily Telegraph as saying it's unclear if her condition can improve at all.  Travis was destroyed soon after the attack.

ATM raiders

Sydney has seen a number of BAM raids in recent months where people use gas to blow up ATM machines to rob them. We’re about to be hit by a new lot of ATM raiders – the banks who own them. They are changing their fee structure for ATM usage - including introducing a disloyalty fee if you use another bank’s ATM. Seems part of the new economic modelling: automate and then charge more and more for your customers to self-service.

Subs Zero

Probably the last thing you want while you’re deep underwater in your submarine is to run into something. This happened to two submarines earlier this month when they collided with each other mid-Atlantic Ocean. Both subs were damaged but didn’t spring a leak. So how do two 150metre-long subs come to find themselves at the same spot and same depth in the ocean - displaying a skill which would have no-one lining up to challenge them to a game of Battleship? Investigations continue but early suggestions are a possible procedural error – ie not maintaining a safe distance between the vessels; bad luck - or by design - the two vessels may have been unable to hear each other because of technology designed to make then invisible to enemies. This particular innovation, if it were the cause, may ”need more work”. The good news is that the collision did not compromise nuclear safety: important as each sub can carry up to 48 nuclear warheads on 16 missiles. (Source: The Daily Telegraph.)

Hold the phone

First there were reports of the iPhone being used by folk wishing to gain an unfair advantage while playing pub trivia – phone a friend and/or consult the internet – and now there are concerns that some people are cheating at casino blackjack using a card counting application on the iPhone or iPod Touch. This is, of course, illegal as it gives people a better chance of beating the odds at tables. Where will it all end?

Art or handiwork?

Reading about the Mona Lisa in Lego, ie made out of, this morning I was intrigued to see the angle columnist Elizabeth Fortescue had taken. She questioned whether art is still art if the artist doesn’t "do” it. She used the example of Damien Hirst, the UK artist famous for dead sharks and cows in tanks of preserving liquid. If the work is carried out by others, albeit to his specifications, is it still “his” – especially as that special touch the artist brings to the finished work is not included – and anyone following the same specifications can reproduce the piece? (Can you patent an art idea?) As an aside, mate T, when we were talking about this, pointed out that Elizabeth’s background is in architecture – where award winning designers have their works assembled by others.

Losing your memory

How would you like it if someone showed you pictures of spiders while giving you a mild electric shock – and encouraged you to remember the images so you would come to associate the pictures with the pain? Then they have you in the next day, show you the pictures again, and try to startle you with random sudden noises? Then they measure how strongly you blink, in reaction to the sounds, to see if you’ve had a strong startle response. Oh, and did I mention that you and the group of people with you have been split into two smaller groups, known only to the researchers, who has given one lot of you a beta blocker – similar to that given to heart patients – and the other have received a placebo pill.. (There could also be a group there who get no pill but this isn’t reported in the Daily Telegraph article I’m reading about the experiment.) This is what Dutch researcher Dr Merel Kindt and his helpers have done with a group of 60 men and women. The result: the group given the beta blocker showed a much milder startle response than the others – and when they were re-tested the next day, after the drug had left their system – they still had a milder startle response than the others - leading researchers to the conclusion that the painful memories were erased. In theory, the report says, it could eradicate memories of traumatic events from years earlier. It might also help-patients overcome phobias, obsessions and eating disorders.
Across the Channel, British experts are raising possible ethical concerns: “... before eradicating memories we must reflect on the knock-on effects on individuals - society and our sense of humanity.” How can you learn from a mistake if you can’t remember it. Or, I could pose other questions: what effect are these drugs having on people who are already taking them for heart conditions? Are their memories already undergoing change/s? Would the use of beta-blockers be a feasible defence in a criminal trial – either for or against the accused?
Back here in Australia, T reminded me that wiped memory is part of the premise for Joss Whedon’s new (first broadcast in the us last Friday!) series, Dollhouse. In it the Dolls aka Actives are reset after each mission with new personas including memory, muscle memory, skills and language. The story follows key character Echo who begins to become self-aware, which you wouldn’t think would be a problem since the Actives are supposedly volunteers ... unless, perhaps, their deal is that they’ve signed up to forget. It may be some time before we know here I haven’t heard of an Australian release date yet.

Milk

We saw “Milk” yesterday, the new Gus Van Sant film about Harvey Milk - the first openly gay man to be elected to office in the United States; also the first one to be assassinated. I have vague recollections of the events that unfolded in San Francisco in the mid-to-late 1970’s. I’m sure Milk’s murder made the news here in Australia but fear it may have been overshadowed by the other breaking news at the time: the Jonestown Massacre where over 900 souls were lost after following Jim Jones’ instructions to drink poison. In the closing sequences of “Milk”, there was a graphic which read that Milk’s ashes had been scattered together with some grape Kool Aid (reports suggest Flavor Aid packets were found at the JonesTown scene), and bubble bath. The film raised, for me, many questions. If you have an end in sight; is any action justified to reach that goal? What is the nature of power; does having influence change a person? If so, is it possible to have power and not be corrupted by it? Can power be taken or does it need to be bestowed? Did Pat White shoot Milk and Mayor Moscone because he perceived they had slighted him – as I understood it from the film. Or because he was a man under pressure and they seemed to be the focal point for no reason except they were there and he believed them responsible? It was also humbling (? it’s difficult to find the right word here) to know that some of the folk who helped and supported Milk are still around, and doing good works, these 30-odd years later. Makes me wonder how they have reacted to the film and their, and Milk’s, portrayal. For example, Anne Kronenberg, who worked as Milk’s campaign manager for his successful Supervisor bid. In the film she is a lesbian then – and now, a mother of three working in a US Government department. I read a comment by her on an item on the Ellen.com site and she made the point that Harvey Milk had been a great bridge builder – bringing together different groups – woman, seniors etc – and that was certainly portrayed in the film. Lots to think about here including how close to actual events is Van Sant’s portrayal of the Life and Times of Harvey Milk eg Milk had apparently made an audio recording to be played in the event of his death: there was no mention in the Wikipedia entry as to the contents of the tape except for Milk’s suggestion for possible replacements for his Supervisor position in the event of his demise.

Dodging a bullet

It’s not uncommon to hear of Apple chasing someone for infringing on their intellectual property, but the shoe’s on the other foot at the moment with Picsel Technologies claiming that Apple, and others, have used their patented method of accelerated screen updating in over 250 million handset worldwide. It’s good to know that Apple don’t have a stranglehold on innovation. Although it doesn’t seem as though IBM is doing a bad job – according to Engadget, they’ve apparently just been granted a patent for bionic body armour which is intended to bestow the wearer the power to dodge bullets. Hmmm ... was it only last week that Microsoft investors were complaining about its R&D?

An uncertain tale

AKA Vacuum Cleaner 1; Lizard ? ... Well, there really isn’t that much more to say about this, except that it’s probably proof, yet again, if it were needed, that I can only concentrate on one thing at a time. The lizard was hiding behind the power point under the sideboard, among the cat-fur tumbleweeds. As I whooshed them up, I noticed movement as the lizard made a dash for it; tail-less, but whether that was from the vacuum cleaner or some previous encounter, I couldn’t tell. (I’ve never thought to ask before: does a lizard tail amputation look like a wound, or does it sever cleanly?) I encouraged it to “run” or at least hide properly, and determined to keep the nozzle well away from it – until I was distracted by Em, our timid cat, as she made a dash from under the table where she had been hiding, past the vacuum cleaner and up the hall, slipping and sliding on the floor boards as she went. When I was sure she was away okay, I turned back to the vacuuming, just in time to wonder what that “long skinny black thing” was – as it disappeared into the nozzle. I think Mr Lizard might have fared better if I hadn’t emptied the vacuum dust repository before I started cleaning today (and yes, NOW I know NOT to press the button on the top, because that makes the bottom swing open, dumping the contents on the floor). I turned off the vacuum and emptied it straight away but couldn’t find an intact lizard (sans tail) in there so I’m not sure what happened to it. I shook the hose a few times but nothing fell out so I can only hope it’s in there, clinging, spiderlike, inside the hose until it thinks it’s okay to come out. It has about a week to make its escape – hopefully it still can!

Mark (my) word

What do you do if you accrue scarce resources? You use two words using _c_r_e in the same sentence. Of course, if you play ecarte while doing it, you've used three - which is all that the WordBook dictionary lists for this letter combination. Of course, Aard lists others: ecurie, scarfe, scerne and scorse - but until I can find them in a standard dictionary, they'll never be allowed in Scrabble. And I've just found an interesting function on my WordBook dictionary - on the iPod - when looking for "ecurie" - to check it wouldn't show up in a standard dictionary - WordBook offered a list of "Sounds-like Matches". I'm not quite sure how they figure "whackier", "joker" and "each year" make the cut - but it's nice to be offered alternatives. Finally a way to look up a word when you're not sure how it's spelled (long an enigma for me with hard-copy dictionaries).
WordBook is available for iPod Touch (and iPhone) and includes contents from WordNet 3.0 c 2006 Princeton University, Wiktionary.com and Wikipedia.com plus it has crossword and anagram functionality. (Yes, I know, another reason to move to the iPod Touch but it's probably also available for other platforms.)

Public reaction

News last week from the UK of a 13-year-old boy fathering a child has been followed this week with the news that the boy, Alfie Patten, is only one of three teenagers who claim they could be the father of Maisie. Two other lads, one 14, the other 16, claim that they, too, slept with Chantelle Steadmans (then 15) and could be Maisie's real father. One is even calling for a DNA test to confirm the child's parentage. According to The Daily Telegraph today, both of the other boys and their parents (although what they could add is unclear) have made sworn statements in front of a solicitor detailing their nights of sex with Chantelle. Chantelle's family insist she lost her virginity to Alfie and that he is the father. Earlier reports had suggested that Chantelle was taking birth control pills but missed one.
My question: is it possible that there would be fewer "fathers" stepping forward if the story had not made front page news around the world? This is where newspaper reporting just doesn't work sometimes ... I'm curious to know when Alfie was identified as the father - before or after the birth. It's unlikely that Chantelle kept her pregnancy secret and you'd think that all of the lads might have cottoned on sooner that they could have been the father - rather than when the birth became "news". But at least there might be some support and help forthcoming for mother and child given the story has gained such prominence .. and served as a reminder for others to be vigilant with their chosen method of birth control. (My Uncle Mick used to say that a pill held firmly between the knees worked every time!)

In the bag

This is intriguing. Both in it being "capable of arousing interest or curiousity" and "disturbingly provocative". I noticed the ad last week but filed it away somewhere in the back of my brain - but here it is again in today's paper: Forensic Medicine. A one-night a week Certificate course - no entry requirements or exams - over 25 weeks - covering the basic elements of forensic medicine, and open to the general public. As the toe tag on one of the two feet in the ad reads: "What happened? Who is the person? When did he die? How did he die? And possibly, who did it?! Fascinated? Then this certificate course is for you."
The course is being run at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, and information packs are available by calling (02) 9554 3100 between 10am and 4pm Monday - Friday. (I'm calling for mine today - and I'll be looking for my book on forensic medicine that I have secreted away somewhere in the bookshelf. Well, it can be a fascinating subject!)

Name game

Today mark's the 72nd anniversary of the granting of US Patent 2,071,250 for "Linear Condensation Polymers". Without /it them, the nylon toothbrush (1938) would not have been possible ... because "nylon" wouldn't have been around - by that name at least. We know the patent was applied for in 1931 but the origin of the name "nylon" is unclear. Wikipedia carries a couple of theories including that if inventor Wallace Carothers had his way it would have been called "No-Run" (which is how cartoon dog Scooby-Doo might pronounce Nylon). According to the WordBook and SlovoEd dictionaries the word Nylon was coined in 1938 - the year following Carother's (lemon juice and potassium cyanide) death following a lifetime of depression and a belief that he had no ideas left (according to Wikipedia). Carothers had earlier invented neoprene - as found in wet suits and laptop pouches.
But back to nylon: on another website (PBS) it's suggested that nylon was patented in 1935 before hitting the market in 1939 - which just goes to show, you can't be sure who to believe on the internet. As they say ... hours of fun.

No comment

I wasn't aware that there was a Gizmodo Australia site until earlier this week; and was excited because here was a place to go for home-grown comment. Of course, you have to take the following into account, as quoted from the site: Gizmodo Australia moderates comments to avoid spam and abuse. We're looking for comments that are interesting, substantial and/or highly amusing. (My emphasis - but only because it's scared me off!)

Two sides

It seemed like a nice enough story and one that I thought I would read because it screamed "good news". The NY Times story "A Ring, a Grate and a Rescue" told of a "blogger ... thrilled after workers retrieved her college class ring, which appeared to be lost in Time Squares." I'd read about it on an RSS feed so went to find the actual story for the full details - except I didn't have the URL so I Googled the blogger, Jean J. Hsu, saw a link to her blog and thought I'd check it out there. It would have been better to stick with the original plan - because on her blog, Essential Luxuries, Ms Hsu tells how she is less than impressed with the NY Times piece and the reaction to it, and to her original blog about the incident. Not quite the "good news" story I was looking for but quite an interesting look at human nature.

Chinese food for thought

It could just be one of those stories that circulate on the internet and are better suited to the urban legend site snopes.com but I couldn't find this story there when I checked just now. There are allegedly 40 "death buses" currently operating in China, replacing firing squads as the preferred execution method. They've been in use since 2004 and as well as carrying out the execution by lethal injection, and streaming video of the death to watching officials, it's rumoured that the execution buses facilitate the harvest and sale of organ - a criticism that was levelled soon after the buses began operation. USAToday carried the story back in June 2006 so I'm not quite sure why it's been posted as on the Gizmodo site this week, referring to the "new" buses.

Ipso facto not exacto

It's nice to have "facts" at your fingertips thanks to the internet - but it can propagate mis-information. Case in point: the correct name of the new German minister of economic affairs - Mr. von und zu Guttenberg. His full name is Karl Theodor Maria Nikolaus Johann Jacob Philipp Franz Joseph Sylvester Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg. All good so far, except at some point before he was appointed, someone changed his Wikipedia entry to add the name Wilhelm (between Philipp and Franz). When German and other media reported his appointment Wikipedia was among sources checked, so the incorrect full name was used in some cases. Meanwhile, back at Wikipedia, the change was reverted, and the call went out for a check on what Mr von und zu Guttenberg's correct name was. This shouldn't have been a problem - facts at fingertips remember - unless you're checking with one of the media outlets that had picked up the incorrect name from the Wikipedia entry. So, says an article in SlashDot, the circle was closed: Wikipedia states a false fact, a reputable media outlet copies the false fact, and this outlet is then used as the source to prove the false fact to Wikipedia. And thus it would be easy to slip into the mis-information age aka ipso facto not exacto.

R&D suffers

Microsoft was recently awarded its 10,000th patent so you think people would be happy to be invest in a company that places such a high premium on innovation. Not so much. SlashDot reports that Microsoft shareholders are cross that the company is spending billions of dollars annually on "pointless" R&D - when Apple is making the same revenue gains with one-tenth the spend on research. Not sure how the news that the entire Flight Simulator development team at Microsoft being let go will be received by them. Meanwhile, over at Sega, the development budget has been slashed by 20% and other cost-cutting measures are being put in place.
Of course, you have to wonder if all R&D and innovation is worthwhile. Designer Steve Lee has come up with what he calls the "most pretentious keyboard in existence ... but it's damn nice looking" ie he's taken to a new Apple keyboard with a can of paint so he has a completely white keyboard with some character but no characters. Probably works best if you're a touch typist (as he is).

Multiskilling

Browsing the job ads this morning I came across this one "Driver MR/Chicken Catcher". The successful applicant will be an "experienced chicken catcher with MR licence required to drive crew truck and catch chickens at farms, 5 nights per week". What exactly does a chicken catcher do? According to an article in Brisbane's The Courier Mail last year, chicken catchers catch barn chickens which are then sent to the abattoir. It is a disappearing art and good chicken catchers are apparently hard to find; so much so that mechanical chicken catchers have been developed - first the chicken vacuum which was discontinued after protests from animal rights groups, and now another, which sweeps the chickens onto a metal ramp and whisks them along a conveyor belt to cages. Chicken catching happens at night and a good chicken catcher can apparently make up to $80,000 a year. Who knew?

Time's up for Palm OS

Word on the Engadget site is that Palm has decided to concentrate on webOS and Windows Mobile rather than furthering the Palm Operating System (OS). It's a shame because this was the OS that converted me to PDAs and hand-held computing. For once, here was a system where you could have your information saved automatically when you switched between applications; here was a system where you could write on screen and have your handwriting (as long as it conformed to Palm's Graffiti system) converted to text. It will be missed.

iPod for books

Amazon has announced the new version of its electronic book reader aka Kindle 2. In reporting its release, BBC Online said “The increased storage capacity brings Kindle closer to the idea of being an iPod for books.” Of course, you could just invest in an iPod for books – aka the iPod Touch, although the iPhone has the same capability. Sure, the screen’s a little smaller than the Kindle’s, but it’s got loads more memory, comes in colour, and lets you run other applications on it as well. Also, chances are you can wander into most stores and pick one up today rather than having to wait (and some suggest, wait and wait) for Kindle delivery. One drawback though: you won’t get access to the Kindle-exclusive Stephen King-offering which reportedly features a … Kindle. And did I mention the Kindle 2 (2GB) costs US$359; the iPod Touch (16GB) US$299 or (32GB) US$399. (I've quoted US dollar prices since I'm not sure when the Kindle 2 will be available outside the US.)
And to be fair, I'd better mention something else: the Kindle 2 has introduced text to speech - so you'd also get a kind of talking book too - although it wouldn't be anything like a human voice reading to you. The US Writers/Authors Guild is upset about this, claiming that owning a Kindle doesn't give you the right to read a book out loud - that's an audio right (which probably costs extra!).

Concerns both grave and acute

In a moment of frivolity, I was transcribing a passage from the book "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" to send a pal from BookClub and realized that I had no idea where to find accents on the computer keyboard to put the accent on some French. I checked the MS Word help function, the on-screen keyboard, the internet etc etc without luck (ALT+something or other didn't work) until finally I realised that all I needed to do was copy one from somewhere else on the web and paste it in. Voilà: é

Self-help

Stephanie Meyer (not that one ie the Twilight Series) has taken self-help to a new level by delivering her own baby in the car on the way to hospital. Formerly an emergency doctor with The Gold Coast Hospital, the now GP Meyer had expected a longer labour - based on a 23-hour labour with her first child, Caleb. Not so ... on the 5-minute drive to the hospital, she had her husband pull over to the side of the road so she could deliver the as-yet-unnamed baby boy. Once delivered, her husband helped by loosening the umbilical cord from around the child's neck and they continued to hospital - before returning home 3 hours later.

Poor timing

The Snake cartoon in today's The Daily Telegraph has two panels. The first shows two crocodiles, mostly submerged in water: Croc #1: "Have you ever been married", Croc #2: "Nar, but I like kids!". In the second panel Croc #2 continues: "But I don't think I could eat a whole one". The timing is unfortunate as only last week in northern Queensland, a 5-year-old boy disappeared from a river bank, presumed taken by a crocodile as his 7-year-old brother watched on. A report I read yesterday suggested the crocodile had originally lunged toward the older brother, but the younger one had jumped in front of his sibling, trying to distract the crocodile. Other reports suggest the 5-year-old followed his dog into the river and was taken then. The search for the boy continues.

Birthday greetings

Today marks the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin, "evolution by natural selection" theoriser, as published in 1859 in On The Origin of Species. But what gave him the idea? In a new book, Darwin's Sacred Cause, co-authors Adrian Desmond and James Moore argue that Charles Darwin was motivated by a loathing of slavery, and the desire to see its abolition , perhaps fueled by the cruelties he witnessed on his travels. A BBC article on the book can be found here and it also includes a link to an interview with the authors.

I am extremely ... surprised

Gizmodo today carried an article about Google search capabilities. If you go in Google in Firefox and type "I am extremely ........." with ......... being the condition you want to search - Google will return the numbers. So, I went in to have a look - not believing that there could be 4,750,000 pages with "extremely depressed". Nope .... by the time I got there it was 4,480,000. Tired had dropped from 12,300,000 to 8,530,000; and there were 14,000,000 results for happy - which I'm still pondering since they were running at 769,000 with the Gizmodo results. Hmmmm. Between the searches, extremely terrified of Chinese people had dropped from 303,000 to 85,600. Why is it so?

Not 1984

Lynne Brindley, CEO of the British Library, is concerned that our memories are being erased - website by website. As an example, when President-Elect Barack Obama took office, all references to former President Bush were erased from the White House website. Another? Many websites for the 2000 Sydney Olympics disappeared as soon as the Games were over.
SlashDot reports Ms Brindley sees the British Library's role, and that of other similar institutions, as being responsible for preserving "history" including websites - the same way hard-copy print works are preserved. So, the British Library plans to create a comprehensive archive of material from the 8M .uk domain websites, as well as collecting and archiving material relating to the London 2012 Olympics.

Time please

It's not often I read a review of time management books that's entertainng, funny and informative - but Chris Hardwick has managed to combine all three in his recent Wired offering "Diary of a Self-Help Dropout: Flirting With the 4-Hour Workweek". In it he reviews books by three time management gurus by trying their systems out. Excellent work and well worth a read.

Star talk

Tired of using your unexciting headset for internet calls? This may only appeal to Trekkies but a new Skype/VOIP phone has hit the market. It looks like one of the original StarTrek communicators - and if you can't remember what they look like (and you call yourself a Trekkie?) you'll be able to check it out when StarTrek the Original series is launched on Blu-Ray on April 30. If you can't wait that long, follow the link to the Engadget story which has a pic.
The good news is that the USB-powered "phone" comes complete with Velcro backing so, when you're not using it, you can position it in a prominent place for passers-by to see and admire.
And on the subject of StarTrek, it seems that Gene Roddenberry and his recently-deceased wife Majel Barrett (a crew member of the original Enterprise; the voice of the Enterprise in later incarnations; and Counseller Troi's mother in StarTrek: The Next Generation; and cast in other Roddenberry works eg Earth: The Final Conflict) will soon be blasting off into orbit - hopefully never to return. Their ashes will be sent far enough into space so they will not fall back to earth, the way Gene's did the last time he = and I think Scotty as well - was sent off.

Hearts and Harlequins

As a special Valentine's Day offering, Fictionwise - the eBook company where I obtain digital content - is offering, among other things, 15 free Harlequin titles.  Normally I would jump at the chance of free books but I'm just not sure I can reconcile myself to what I regard as such blatantly romantic content.  Will there be a storyline besides person meets person? Or am I confusing this with Mills & Boon (do they still exist - and are they still colour-coded based on degree of steaminess?).  Will I permit myself to be swayed by their blurb?  Would you?  From Regencies to vampires, from sexy suspense to heartwarming reads, Harlequin has a romance for every mood and every heart!

Still it does represent an opportunity for people who want to give eReading a go the opportunity to try other content than the free eBooks Fictionwise usually has on site.  

This being said, I am enjoying the girl meets vampire tale I recently downloaded ie Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.

Cube solver

A couple of weeks ago there was news of a man who had finally solved Rubik's Cube - 27 or so years after he started working on it. That's a long time to persist with something and he was probably very pleased to finally cross this off his "to do" list. Hopefully he also made time to concentrate on "life" as well during that time - because much can happen in over a quarter of a century. For anyone taking up the task today and not opposed to seeking a hint or two along the way, a program for helping solve the puzzle of this colourful cube is available for purchase for use with your iPhone or iPod Touch from Apple's iTunes Application Store.

Troubled times

Things must be bad on the economic front - word is that Google has reported its first-ever drop in quarterly profit. But the other word is that they are faring much better than expected in the "economic storm". (Source: Topix Computers)

What's in a name?

Research just out from England's Newcastle University suggests that if you want your cow to give more milk, you have to give her a name. Cows with names like Daisy, Gertrude or Buttercup give more milk - up to 284 litres a year more - than no-name cows. While calling for "the personal touch", the study does not say if the actual name itself eg Bruiser, Pig-Face or Jericho could influence milk production (or not).

Sighting

It makes total sense that a passing spacecraft would stop for a look at the Inauguration activities for President-Elect Barack Obama last week. Why then is there such surprise that a UFO was captured on video over Washington during the ceremonies? The footage I saw, attributed to CNN, shows an object speeding from right to left, in the distance, behind the Washington Monument. Attempts to view the fly-by in slo-mo failed to identify the object as more than a blur.

Doubt

We saw "Doubt" (starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman) this afternoon and thought it was excellent. As well as the human characters, there was an additional character - the weather - very reminiscent of the landscape/weather influences in E Annie Proulx's work. The film is dedicated to a Sister Margaret McEnree SC- who was formerly known as Sister James (the name shared, or perhaps of, a Nun in the film). Rating: 4/5 - well worth a look even though others have suggested it is too much like the one-act Pulitzer Prize winning play by author-screenwriter-director John Patrick Shankey from which this work hails. What is in "Doubt" -did he or didn't he; will she or won't she; has she or hasn't she? Much to ponder post-theatre.

Memories

Working my way through a backlog of receipts as I do my tax, I chanced upon one dated 14 Jan 2003 for my first digital camera (as funded through the sale of a Palm I had won in a newspaper competition). $529 for the Casio EXS1 - a 1.2MP beauty which is still doing good work with another owner (Hi T!).

Just the ticket

House on the market and not selling? You might want to investigate Traude Daniel's method of "selling" his villa in Austria - it was 1st prize in a raffle he organised. The 9,999 euro99 (approx AU$200) tickets sold out within days - which you might expect for a luxury villa worth euro830,000 (approx AU$1.6 million). Difference between villa value and ticket revenue = euro159,901 (approx AU$316,000) in Traude's favour, leaving a tidy sum left over after expenses - and no worry about buyer finance falling over.

Quotable quotes

In the Movie section of the Daily Telegraph today I found this:
"We both came from [struggling] working-class families - people often don't believe that with me, because I speak nicely - but that is the case." The speaker - Kate Winslet - referring to herself and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Now, I'm not sure but the "struggling" would seem to be an editorial insert for clarification ie all working-class families "struggle" - but who knew this would affect each family member's verbal ability, vocabulary and acumen? Is this a bit of a stretch or is it a recognised phenomenon? More research needed.

Goodbye, Will Robinson, Goodbye

Bob May was an integral part of the 1960's TV classic "Lost In Space" but we never knew what he looked like - and even the photo accompanying news of his dealth on the weekend showed him in costume as ... The Robot. He used to joke that he got the job because he fit into the robot suit - which was apparently not that far from the truth: he was on set when someone sent him to Irwin Allen (the show's creator) who told him if he could get into the suit, the job was his. Although he worked on many other shows including "The Time Tunnel" and "McHale's Navy", the Associated Press article I read reported he was particularly fond of his role as The Robot and considered the suit a "home away from home" - and from time to time, on breaks, smoke could be seen coming from the suit which was too cumbersome to remove for short periods.

Oops

Police in the US are searching for a shoplifter who allegedly left a store with 6 designer Dooney & Bourke purses shoved down her pants. When she was approached by a guard outside the store, a car pulled up and the woman attempted to get in, but fell out and was run over by the vehicle. She recovered quickly and jumped onto the front of the vehicle, only to fall off and be run over a second time. On the third attempt the woman made it into the vehicle which drove off. Although The Associated Press article didn't say as much, it seems the police may be hopeful of tracking the woman down - based on a description of her, a cheque she dropped at the scene, and the vehicle's registration number.

Big news

Remember the giant keyboard that Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia jumped on in the 1988 film "Big"? Well, if you've harboured a secret hankering to have a go on the Walking Piano built by Remo Saraceni, and you're planning to visit Philadelphia's Please Touch Museum - you can. The couple who bought the 16-foot keyboad after the movie's release are gifting it to the museum and it will be on display from next month. Chopsticks anyone?

Word usage

Doing the crossword today, I am across the clue "Marriageable" - which turned out to be NUBILE. According to the Wordbook (Princeton University) dictionary nubile is an adjective meaning "of girls or women who are eligible to marry". This is not the meaning I had ascribed to "nubile" - I had thought of this as "buxom" - as in healthily plump and vigorous with pleasing curves. But apparently not so either - according to Wordbook, in 1973 nubile was first used in sense of "sexually attractive". As the Readers Digest used to say, and probably still does, "it pays to increase your wordpower".

Down to earth

I was feeling pretty pleased with myself for more than halving the time it took me to complete the Astraware Fiendish Sudoku of the Day - until I submitted my score online and came back to earth with a resounding thud. I can only aspire to get the most difficult puzzles out by hand in less than a minute!

New Technology

While in Queensland recently, we saw Skype in action with some friends calling relatives in Turkey. It was amazing to see folk we haven't seen in years, on the other side of the world, and to have a guided tour of their Christmas decorations. So today I set myself up as a Skype user - and can't wait to use it myself. I wonder if I know any of the 8,597,949 other people currently online.

Readers Digest

I noticed a magazine called "Waiting Room" in a doctor's surgery the other day but wasn't adventurous enough to check out how old they were. No such problem this evening in checking out the newly arrived Reader's Digest magazines that have appeared in the lounge at the hospital where we've been visiting a mate - the dates were, in order, July 1994, March 1999, April 2000 and October 2001.

Greatest gift

We had just arrived at my partner's brother's place after a 10-hour drive (and a 4.30am departure) when they suggested perhaps we would like a nap after our journey. We could have kissed them with gratitude - and for keeping the children "on hold" until we surfaced, fresh and ready to face the world, 90 minutes later. This is the nicest present we have received in a very long time.

Lost brothers

I was surprised the other day to find out that D, who I have known for many many years, had not realized that I have two brothers not one. Not quite sure how that could have happened because you'd think that would be something that came up in conversation from time to time. So imagine how I felt when talking with a friend of many many many years standing when she mentioned that both her brothers were coming to her for Christmas lunch. "Both?" I blurted - thereby signalling quite well that brother #2 had escaped my attention! Almost makes me want to do a random poll to see who else out there is hiding siblings.

Shoes and socks

I admit it. I am one of the people who has visited a website where shoes are thrown at a facsimile of George Bush. I didn't know what it was until the site opened (the link was sent to me by a trusted friend) and I was surprised that once there, the visitor's role was not to throw the shoes but to move President Bush across the screen as the shoes are tossed at him. Each time a shoe hits Bush, you lose one of your four lives - and your efforts are timed. All sounds innocent enough but from the way the game is scored, and I realize I might have misunderstood the purpose of the game, it seems you get a higher ranking the faster you get him hit. This is really quite hard and counterintuitive as you would see if you visited the site. There is also a similar shoe-tossing site which has reportedly had almost 1.5 million visitors - where you do get to do the shoe-throwing - and which has the ranking of the Top 25 Bush-Shoeing countries. The top 3, when I was there a few minutes ago, are the US, France and ... Australia.

Ante up

Why can't real life be like television If it were, some maths whiz (or is that wiz - as in short for wizard) could do a "Numbers" and work out where the next ATM "bam raid" Is most likely to take place - and be in the running for the $100,000 reward. Or, given how little some of the raids have reportedly netted, it would make sense for one/some/all of the gang members to find themselves a patsy, set them up, point the police to the time and place, and claim the reward themselves. Of course that could blow up in their faces too but it would seem safer than pumping a volatile gas into a big metal box (aka ATM) and blowing it up.

Taking the fun out of Facebook

Carmela Rita Corbo and Gordon Kingsley Maxwell Poyser have reportedly revised their Facebook status - with one dropping their profile and the other updating their account to keep the public out according to The Daily Telegraph. This follows them being served legally-binding documents via their Facebook accounts as ordered by Australia's Supreme Court. This could signal the end of Facebook's fun run as a social networking site - and makes it 12th time lucky for those trying to serve the documents to the couple who have reportedly defaulted on a $154,000 loan.

Curtain call

German actor Daniel Haoevels may not have been from the "realism" school of acting previously, but he has now been "initiated". According to the University of Southern Queensland:

Realism was a style of theatre established before the turn of the 20th Century that attempted to put the theory of naturalism into practice. It looked at putting 'a slice of life' onstage and also creating verisimilitude, that is, an overall harmony among all elements of the production. Realism focuses upon method acting, which means the actors became the characters, and creating a piece of theatre that rings true of life itself, whereas Brechtian acting demands a distinct detachment between the actor and the character.

"Slice of life" is right - given that Daniel slumped to the stage after cutting his throat with a fake blade - but this wasn't exceptional acting - it was more because what he actually slit his throat with was a real knife. Investigations are continuing as to how this could have happened; was it foul play by another who wanted to "stab him in the back" so-to-speak - or an accident - that the props were switched? Daniel survived the attack.

Phone tag

Macquarie Bank has started laying off workers with the tap on the shoulder saying "you're out" coming via a phone call. Word around the bank is that people have stopped answering their phones.

Jesus saved

Not sure if it's the same one I blogged about last December 26 but in Florida recently a Baby Jesus stolen from a Nativity scene was recovered when local law enforcement officers tracked the GPS device mounted inside the statue. Last year's blog told of a New Baby Jesus being fitted with a GPS after the previous Baby Jess was stolen, despite having been bolted down. An 18 year old woman has been arrested for the latest theft. Probably not surprisingly, reports suggest that a slew of US churches and synagogues are now taking up a security firm's offer of a free GPS to keep their Saviours safe.

Keep your shirt on

Here in Australia we say "keep your shirt on" - usually in a slightly impatient tone - when people are trying to rush us for no apparently good reason - often in traffic. But perhaps this could be seen as more literal advice for some drivers in the US and Australia after last month (it's taken me this long to remember it and look up the details). Police attending an accident where a car had rolled at Hastings, Vic, found the driver and passenger were naked. It didn't say if they were wearing seatbelts. The names of the 18 year old female driver and her fatally injured, naked 19 year old male passenger were not released. There were reportedly no suspicious circumstances.
Meanwhile, in California a couple of days earlier police had apprehended a drink-driving suspect after his van hit a car. It was only after tasering him (can "taser" be a verb and is it safe to hit someone in control of a motor vehicle with driver with a Taser - and was the vehicle moving at the time - and if it wasn't, why did they have to Taser him?) that they discovered he was driving his car "completely" naked. Given these reports were truly within a couple of days of each other, does this mean some kind of global naked driving ritual has been uncovered? And if so, is it something that happens all the time - or just for special occasions?

Goodonya

In the midst of all the doom and gloom of the world financial meltdown/crisis comes some lighter, brighter news. There's a new website - www.goodonyaaustralia.com.au - which looks at spreading positive news about business and people to help counter the bad news stories currently overloading the media. If you join the site, as well as being able to make a positive contribution, word is you can also have access to some discount offers.

Safety first

In a story reminiscent of the official who gallantly drank water from the Seine to prove it was safe and potable - and died a few days later from drinking the water - comes news of a police chief is southwestern Ohio who shot himself in the thigh after giving his daughter a lesson in gun safety. Names are missing for both victims - which is surprising given the amount of time I've just spent on the net looking for the Parisian event details - if you know, please pass it on.

People's Court

How much information from criminal cases should be made available to the general public - and at what point of the proceedings? A recent story from the US tells of details of a case in progress being posted to their Facebook account by one of the jurors - who was asking visitors to "vote" on whether they thought the accused was guilty or innocent because they were undecided. The court was alerted and the juror removed from the case.
Closer to home, here in Australia, supporters of Gordon Woods are planning to post details of his case on the Internet so people can make up their own minds as to whether Woods really is guilty - as found by the jury.

Snap shot

... or let he who is without sin cast the first (st)one. Golfer John "Wild Thing" Daly caused a bit of a ruckus today when he smashed a fan's camera against a tree during the Australian Open. The fan was understandably upset and contends he did nothing wrong - and that he did not provoke Daly by taking a quite close-up photograph of him, apparently with flash, as he left the course to retrieve a ball. Golf Australia, organizers if the tournament, are taking Daly's side, saying his "brain snap" because his eyes were stinging from the flash, would not have happened if the fan had followed the rules and obeyed the NO CAMERAS / PHONES edict. Hard to know where the fault lies really, isn't it?

Time after time

2008 has seemed like an interminably long year probably because it was a leap year (remember that?) - and it's not over yet. Official timekeepers are going to add yet more time - a leap second - onto 31 December to compensate for the Earth's rotation slowing - just a little, but enough to open the possibility of the "atomic clock" and other/real time falling out of kilter. It's just as well that the Boxing Day release of movie re-make "The Day The Earth Stood Still" is not based on a true story otherwise it would be hard to know where we stand.

Games people play

I am very much enjoying WordFreak Free from the Apple App Store where the player needs to deduce a five-letter word (all letters different). You get the starting letter and then try to work out which letter goes where by guessing five letter words: red means the letter is in the right place, yellow means the letter is in the word but currently in the wrong place. Hours of fun - as evidenced by the high scores on the game's website.

Same old song

... well- not really. Auckland City Council has introduced new rules for Buskers. They must have an annual licence but it's free as long as they adhere to the new Code of Conduct - a key feature of which is that their repertoire must have sufficient material for them to perform for at least an hour without repetition. Maybe they do it differently there - or maybe it's to protect people who live and work in close proximity to their "spots" - but the trick with busking seems to be to set up in high volume traffic areas - with (lots) of passing people traffic - preferably with small-ish change burning a hole in their pockets - and who are long gone before you're back to the start on your three-song-cycle (again).

Tech wars

Following the recent militant attacks in Mumbai, and apparent surprise that the terrorists had used mobile phone technology - I think I read somewhere that they used Blackberrys - today's news from Wired that the US military are working on a missile that would "fry" electronic gadgets comes as little surprise. What will be very interesting is how they will take out only the devices of "non-friendlys" as they target gadgets used for "military, industrial, civil and asymmetrical" purposes.The differentiation is important, of course, because gadgets like mobile phones and Blackberrys allowed civilians caught up in the Mumbai attacks to get real-time information to help them stay out of harm's way.

Drawing the line

Some time ago on this blog I pondered whether a photo of two folk made from Lego and being "intimate" constituted pornography (and if I didn't, I meant to). According to news report today, a ruling on a similar but cartoon depiction has been made in the NSW Supreme Court where a man has been found guilty of child pornography after an animation depicting characters from the Simpsons was found on his computer. The reports suggest Bart, Lisa and Maggie were engaged in sexual acts but there was also reference to a mother (Marge?). Alan John McEwan was fined and entered into a two-year good behaviour bond - and told that, had the images portrayed "real" children, he would have bren jailed. MobileMetro reports McEwan had argued that cartoon characters were not people but was told by judge Justice Michael Adams that the law was in place to deter the production of cartoons that could "fuel demand for material that does involve the abuse of children".

Have hammer ...

If you have an hour or so to spare and want to experience what it was like in the "good old days" when radio ruled the earth, go online and secure a copy of Escape's Earth Abides - a dramatization of George R. Stewart's novel about post-apocalyptic Earth. The hero of the narrative is Isherwood, an ecologist, and he and others he joins with along the way forge a way to the future with Ish's hammer as their guide.

D'oh to Bold move

In a move that has angered some, including mothers who think the timeslot inappropriate, a local Sydney television station has replaced its 6pm re-runs of "The Simpsons" with "The Bold and the Beautiful". I was quietly confident that this move would be met with stony silence and viewers staying away in droves - leading to a station re-think - but not to be. The bold Bold move has resulted in increased ratings for the soap - 20% higher than usual - due it seems to "working professionals" being able to watch in real time rather than having to timeshift by taping it for later viewing. So with figures like this, chances are those yellow people will not soon be moved back into the 6pm timeslot ... providing yet another reason to attach a DVD player to the television!

Original Gizmo

If you're a big fan of Gizmo - the animatronic puppet used in Gremlins - or of the Luke Skywalker light sabre - they're among the memorabilia you can take home - for a price - from the Profiles in History auction next week (11 December). Other goodies on offer: C-3PO's face, hands; the original Jor-El Tunic worn by Marlon Brandon in Superman The Movie; and Indiana Jones' hat and whip from the Temple of Doom. Me for mine - I want the 82-inch (7 ft; 2+m) flying saucer from Forbidden Planet.

Late note

Yahoo US News reports that if you're delayed on the New York City subway, you can get a "late note" for your boss or teacher if you're a student. It takes a while for the note to be sent - but at least it's some acknowledgement of the disruption to your life because of disrupted rail services. Chances are that a similar system will not be introduced here in NSW ... there are enough disruptions that the powers that be who run the rail system could go broke. Okay, that might be a little harsh but it really can be a problem - and that's not even touching on the overcrowding and general timetabling issues!

Question of colour

Whenever people tell me they've bought a new car, I ask them what colour. There has long been anecdotal evidence that lighter coloured cars are safer - and we can now all breathe easier because a study by NRMA Insurance here in Australia has confirmed this - with light or brightly coloured cars about 10% less likely to be involved in crashes at dusk, or dawn, or other times when visibility is low. The safest car colours are white, yellow, cream, beige and red. Not so good in low light situations - green, black, blue and silver. As reported in The Daily Telegraph, the study also found there was a correlation between car colour and the severity of accidents - with the average cost of repair for lighter coloured cars being less than for darker coloured cars. But alas, Adam Macbeth, NRMA spokesperson, is reported as saying that colour is not usually a factor considered when people purchase a vehicle - 9% of NSW buyers considered the colour and look of the car the most important feature.

Under the sun

The BBC News recently carried a story about Santa Coloma de Gramanet in Spain which is installing solar panels at its main cemetery in a move to generate power for homes. While the scheme, first proposed a few years ago, met with some opposition from families of local residents, it has proceeded with the panels installed, unobtrusively, atop masoleums in the cemetery. The panels currently cover about 5% of the cemetery's area, but there are plans to install more. The cemetery's solar park is currenlty the largest of the city's five solar parks, with the others mostly atop buildings.

Positions vacant (for a reason)

Next time you're thinking about possible job outlets, you could spare a thought for these two (now missed) opportunities - neither of which appeals to me:
* Taser (electric shock delivery) test subject
* First taster for for the NASA $US154 million water recycling system which is designed to convert sweat, moisture and urine into potable (drinkable) liquid. (Which reminds me of the slogan for the original Aliens movie: In space, no-one can hear you scream! - or something like that)

Black Friday

Here in Australia (and possibly other parts of the world) Black Friday is when the 13th of the month falls on a Friday. Imagine my confusion then when earlier this month I kept reading about the upcoming Black Friday in the US. Last I heard they were working on the same calendar as us, even if they are a day behind. A quick look on fount of (all) knowledge Wikipedia suggested Black Friday was actually the Friday after Thanksgiving, so called because it was seen as the start of the Xmas shopping season and the start of retailers profitable or "being in the black" period. Black Friday is also said to have been so named following the first recognition of the super sales day in Philidelphia where record numbers of vacationing bargain-hunters blocked roads and caused enormous gridlocks - "Black Friday". But regardless of the origin of the nomenclature, Black Friday lived up to its name this year with one 34-year-old Wal-Mart employee in New York trampled to death trying to hold back a horde of eager shoppers; and two men killed when they shot each other in a crowded Toys-R-Us store reportedly after their women folk started arguing.