Contextual memory

I had forgotten I knew the word ... but as soon as I saw the white pencil under the chair at Zarraffas I thought "someone's dropped their chinagraph"- it's been a while since I even saw one - years ... decades - when I was doing my media degree and we used them for marking radio tape (goodness - that really is a very long time ago!) it is amazing how memory works though, isn't it - we can totally forget we know something until something like that happens. I wonder how much else is rattling around in my brain without me knowing about it?

Pioneer One

I have found a science fiction series on the web which is available free of charge but donations are welcome because it is funded from viewer contributions. It's called h and tells the story of a downed Russian spacecraft which has supposedly returned from Mars carrying a passenger - a young man born on Mars (the first Martian to set foot on earth? - although he hasn't actually yet because he's been confined to a hospital bed after being carried from the crash site) and sent back to Earth as the Martian colony runs out of resources. That's the gist of it anyway. It's billed to run three seasons - only one of which is currently available - and while it has been an interesting look into the creative team's vision it has proved a little difficult for those of us without a good memory for faces. Over the course of the production at least two (I think) of the main actors have changed - either totally - or dramatically (heh heh) changed their appearance. I know, I know ... go with the flow - and I am, and looking forward to the next episodes when they are posted.

Nature or nurture or neither?

Boy pleads guilty to killing with axedeclared the headline and I couldn't help wondering if this was about Ivan Milat's relative who took a teenage friend into the Belangalo State Forest (scene of murders for which Milat is currently serving prison time) and murdered him with an axe. The whole thing does raise the issue of nature or nurture - and that if either or both of these influenced the boy to violence.

Yesterday the teenager pleaded guilty in Campbelltown Children's Court to the murder on the night of November 20 last year. David Auchterlonie's grandmother, Sandra, told the Herald last night she was still trying to find any relief in the fact that ''the evil seed of Ivan Milat had finally pleaded guilty''.

Sydney Morning Herald

By George ...

It may be the first and only time but as I was chatting with someone about making a weekly Skype call to Sydney, I was noting that the start of Daylight Savings Time is just around the corner which meant our call time would need to change. Yes, I said, that means we'll bring it back to 8am our time which will be 9am their time. I could hear S do a silent cheer - 21 years later she may never have to try to explain DST to me again (it usually happens a few times every year)!

Really?

This morning on the way to work, I was following a utility truck (aka ute) for a roofing company and the signage on the tailgate proclaimed "Colourbond and Zincalume specialists". Well, let's hope they're better at installing it than spelling it. Although there could be something to be said for making sure "U" is in a Colorbond moment.

Fandom

The 45th anniversary of Star Trek has led to a few marketing opportunities. You can have your photo added into a Star Trek mosaic. As the FaceBook entry put it:

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Limited Spaces remaining! Don’t miss the chance to add your picture to an officially licensed Star Trek photo mosaic. Each Star Trek Fan Mosaic uses photos submitted by fans as the building blocks that re-create an iconic image. Log on to www.fanmosaics.com/startrek today to upload your photo and purchase your commemorative print.

Blogging App

I have tried various Apps for blogging from the iPhone and iPad and have now found one that I'm happy with. It's called BlogPress - cost only a couple of dollars - and lets you write - with formatting - and edit blog entries so you can quickly fix that apostrophe or spelling error you wish you'd caught before you published the post! You can also upload photos but I've still to play with that functionality (won't be long now). It's so well-thought out and easy to use that it's made me feel like blogging again.

Fighting for their souls

A Gold Coast Pastor is this week attempting to attract more people to his church by holding a charity "fight night". A boxing ring will be set up inside the church and they hope to attract people who have previously thought churches were just for the "old or religious". The C3 Church, in Upper Coomera, was established three years ago and currently hosts about 350 people at its services. The report in today's Gold Coast Bulletin did not suggest how many were expected to go attend the fight night but it did say proceeds would go to local girl McKenzie Tamala who suffers from a rare cerebral palsy disorder. Parents wanting to attend the event may be pleased to learn that childcare will be available for children from five to 10 (their ages or the hours the care us available?). Only time will tell if this will help convince people that church is a hip and happening thing.

Trekking on

Who knew that it had been 45 years since Star Trek first hit television screens. I had no idea until yesterday when I received a message on FaceBook - and was stunned to realise that I had unconsciously chosen that day to start watching Deep Space Nine - as purchased from JB HiFI during their latest sale. I'm looking forward to watching it even though it will probably never match Star Trek: The Next Generation which is my favourite Star Trek.

Pause for thought

Hmmm ... Does it signify changing interests that instead of going to the Tech pages of Zite (personalized magazine available on the ipad) I head straight for the Psychology and Mind section? It pulls together reports from a variety of sources and there are always at least a couple of articles I bookmark (via Instapaper) to read later. Maybe one day I will get to read them - but for now at least I know where to find them. (One amazing thing about Instapaper is that once you have saved something you the option to send it to someone as text rather than as a link! Much better.). Of course I still do mosey over to the Tech pages - but not first.

Stylus

Sometimes you fluke it! Some time ago - when they first introduced the stylus for use with iPhone and iPods - I bought the Pogo Stylus which was fine but not perfect. Then I found the Targus stylus at a booth-type electronics store in a local shopping centre. they were kind enough to let me try it out "instore" and I liked it so much I bought two. I sometimes go back to the Pogo just to make sure I'm still happy - and I am - which is why I was pleased to read a comparison report on different brands of stylus in one of the tech press today - and the Targus was a winner!

Hot topic

If water takes different times to boil depending on the altitude - can you boil water in space?

In a word

One of the things I love about the digital age is that you can get a dictionary that will actually say the word for you - and even though it still hives the phonetic pronunciation, you don't have to rely on it - especially if this is something you've never learnt/been taught. Do they still teach it?

Census 2012

National Census Day was today - where everyone in the land stands up to be counted ... or in our case, sits down at the computer to lodge their eCensus online. S had put her hand up for the task - and while she would have preferred to have done it on the iPad, we weren't sure that the eCensus website had been optimised for this technology - so she used the PC. Which is strange because the Census form and questions weren't ... PC. It's not often I take umbrage but I did tonight. I think I was more disenchanted because I had really been looking forward to it ... I'm not entirely sure why but this year's Census had caught my imagination, possibly because there are some major social issues around at the moment and this offered a chance for a true "snapshot" of what our communities and society are about.

The sticking point was the marital status question. There was no option for "de facto". While this may seem like a small point - especially as some people have pointed out that the "de facto" option was available when Person 2, 3 etc entered their relationship to Person 1 - it can not help but skew the results, especially if one's marital status is used as a key demographic in tabulating other information. It could have been fine if you knew every household in Australia is the traditional familial model - but we know they aren't ... there are many variations and permeations.

It would have been fairer, and more representative, if they had included more categories in the marital status question. The available options were married, divorced, widowed, single - and I'm not sure if there was a "separated". It did not give a definition of "marriage" - as in married in a church vs civil union in anything other than a church. It didn't included an option for "not married because I don't believe in marriage but I've happily been with my partner for more than 20 years" nor an option for "not married because my partner for more than 20 years and I cannot marry because it is not legal in this country for us to do so ... and any civil union we enter into overseas is not recognised here" nor an option for "de facto" for whatever reason eg I cannot get a divorce for religious reasons but my wife and I have been separated for 20 years and I have been re-partnered for more than 15 of them and have 4 children by that union. I wonder if "engaged" was an option?

As I said to S, just before I suggested we have no part of this flawed exercise - it looks as though they were doing a proper count but it turns out they were only including you in the count if you were "purple" - whatever "purple" might be.

And who knew that completing the Census was compulsory under an Act dating back to 1905 with the possibility of a $110/day fine being levied for non-lodgement? Can there be Census Conscientious Objectors and how would one lodge a protest - and where?

Probably not

There's nothing quite like seeing the world through a young person's eyes. This is probably not the advertising approach you'd take to get more people to become organ donors.

Different rules

Of course they are going to have different security requirements and procedures at some grounds - and we've all heard stories of venues who prevent glass bottles being taken into sporting events but this suburban sports field may not be one of them. According to a report in today's Gold Coast Bulletin, back in 2009, Tutaki Olsen walked on to the field of a Melbourne suburban ground after the siren to congratulate a friend whose team had just won - and was hit in the head with a steel headed mallet by a rival fan. He has since forgiven his attacker's "mistake" - although it doesn't say whether that mistake was wielding the mallet - or bringing it along to a sporting event!

PDSD

Having trouble sleeping? You may be just one in a long line of sufferers of PDSD- Post-Dramatic Stress Disorder. Simply put, what you have watched or read in the last hour before putting your head down to sleep may have stressed you out of that I'm tired and want to go to sleep state. i'm still reading up on it but it seems that when you are in an Alpha state - as you are when you watch television (or drive) - you are 200 times more suggestible than when you are not in an Alpha state! Seems if advertisers could learn how to tap into this, they would have a way of prying open people's wallets and making more sales!

What say you?

There was an interesting article this morning on what approach you take to life and the people around you. Are you a naysayer or a yaysayer? Despite the obvious first observation - this is the first time I can remember having seen 3 y's in a word - it does give pause for thought. Do you encourage people by telling them they can do something or they can't do something - and what motivates each of us to our best action? Which reminds me, another article from this morning's reading looked at when we put in our "best" performances. According to research, we work best when we are under some pressure to perform - not too much pressure, not too little pressure. How much is too much, too little or just right (why do I feel like some porridge about now?) depends entirely on the individual. Wouldn't that make an interesting HR course in business - how to gauge how much pressure is the right amount for each individual employee to help them produce their best work ... they could call it (apologies to MasterChef) ... the pressure test.

Terms of engagement?

I have been watching the machinations within the new NSW Government, especially as it relates to public servants and their pay and conditions (since I was one in a former life). This statement, as noted in The Sydney Morning Herald, intrigued me:

Mr O'Farrell said the cabinet had decided to shorten the period for retaining excess public servants from 12 months to just three months and reduce severance payments for employees who reject an initial offer of voluntary redundancy.

Isn't this almost the same as a forced redundancy then if people are penalised for not accepting voluntary redundancy?

Dangerous precedent?

A Malawian man has been found guilty of circulating false documents after distributing Leaflet predicting The Rapture - the event which didn't take place on 21 May. Saduki Mwambene, a 39-year-old bicycle repairman, was given a six-month suspended sentence because he pleaded guilty to the charge. (Meanwhile, US televangelist Harold Camping who predicted The Rapture suffered a mild stroke over the weekend.). So how long will it be before local authorities start going after other religious organisations/believers and their publications - because, surely, they too must be based on faith.