Living on the edge

What are the riskiest words you can enter into a search engine - forgetting for a moment what they might be from a national security point of view -surely someone, somewhere, must be watching for that. But I digress - the most riskiest words you can use are "free screensavers". Nearly two-thirds of sites returned by such a search are problematic for users - exposing them to spam, spyware and other dangerous downloads. And, beware, apparently the sponsored results are high on the list of offenders.
(Not sure where I pulled this from - but it's got a date of 060514 in my notes.)

Haunted house

Planning a trip to New York before Halloween and want to face your deepest, darkest fear ... well, there's now a way. Tim Haskell, an off-Broadway producer, has set up an interactive haunted houses in each of NY City's five boroughs. But the question is - do the 13 phobic obsessions he identified by polling New Yorkers translate to the rest of the world? And would they pay to go into a room to confront those fears? Especially if they knew there were actors in there to stalk and terrorize them? Apparently - since 22,000 visited one haunted house he set up last year. Tickets are available on the web (turn your computer sound down first though) but you'd best hurry if you want to go - the houses close on 2 November - which, incidentally, is the same date that Sculpture by the Sea opens in Sydney.
So, what are those phobic obsessions? Haskell said his survey found that most people were afraid of roughly the same 13 things, such as drowning, clowns, rats or cockroaches, as well as heights and closed-in spaces. Guess a visit the house is necessary to find out what the other seven are! But be warned, the added theatrical elements reportedly make this a more intense experience than your usual haunted house - making it too extreme for some - and I know if I went I'd be one of those that had a physical reaction - heralding a need for dry and/or clean underwear! I went to a haunted house at the Royal Easter Show a few years ago, and was absolutely terrified at the thought of walking 10 paces through a pitch black corridor. But we still do it don't we? It seems part of us loves a good scare - probably because it feels so good when it stops.

Motivation?

And did you hear the news from EuroDisney about some of the employees, dressed in their character costumes, having what has been billed as a "Mouse Orgy" in video of the incident which has found its way on to the net. Management was not impressed and there is talk of disciplinary action against the employees. Seems that before facing the paying customers for the day, some of the "characters" had a bit of a play around - pretending to be engaged in "affairs of the heart" - although by all reports, the activities may have been more sexual than romantic in nature. I thought about going to the web to have a look and ran into a dilemma. Could the video be construed in any way to be pornography? What is pornography? According to the SlovoEd dictionary, pornography is:

1) the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement
2) material (as books or a photograph) that depicts erotic behavior and is intended to cause sexual excitement
3) the depiction of acts in a sensational manner so as to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction.

So what was the intention of the players? Was it the same as the person/s who posted the video to the web? And does the intent of the downloader figure in the equation. Can you be arrested for downloading pornography if you are not doing so for sexual gratification? I'm not sure what else you would be downloading this material for but there may be a set of circumstances which could prevail eg if you did not know what you were downloading or ... well, I don't know, okay ... but perhaps it could happen! So, to cut a long story short, in the end, I decided not to download "Mouse Orgy" and somehow I don't think my life is any the poor because of it.

Hanging by a thread

You just never know what information is going to fall into your hands (or your ears) when you're listening to podcasts. Thanks to the BBC's Chris Evans, I now know that tiger slugs have an interesting way of ensuring their sexual partners don't do it with other slugs. Heavens, it also means that they don't do it with them again either - but there may be bigger things at play here.
Tiger slugs mate by hanging from threads in trees. While theyre hanging there, their sexual organs, which apparently are longer than they are, are released and mating takes place. Afterwards, one of the slugs bites off the other's reproductive organ and eats it - meaning they are well-placed to get on with the reproducton. The other slug probably just wanders off somewhere - not sure if their bits are going to grow back at all. It's interesting what the animal kingdom has worked out to keep some species going, isnt it?

Six Flags

When I was in Kentucky earlier this year, from a distance I saw a Six Flags theme park. If I hadn't, I may not have noticed two references to Six Flags in the news recently.
First off, the chain is looking to impose dress and behaviour codes so they can return the parks to families - discouraging anti-social behaviour like people taking their shirts and shoes off, clothes bearing profanities, and rude and offensive behaviour. There was no mention of keeping character actors from doing pretend boinking.
While this may be good for their flagging business, I'm not sure how it fits in with the piece of news - around Friday 13th - where the Six Flags parks at Valencia was offering guests the opportunity to take themselves and three friends to the front of some ride queues if they ate a live cockroach. There was apparently no shortage of takers with four dozen consumed in an hour at one point.
When I first heard of this it was on a podcast and I thought it was that if you caught a cockroach you could jump to the front of the queue. It seemed like an interesting proposition - but curious - did they have a cockroach problem they were hoping to quell?
I can remember having only seen one person eat a live cockroach (no, haven't seen anyone eat a dead one - people don't seem to do they? Even on Fear Factor it's live ones). But back to the coackroach eater. His name was Mark Everingham and it was a big'un. I'm not sure if my revulsion was in any way lessened by his bravado in actually biting the cockroach in half (we heard the shell crack) and chewing thoroughly before swallowing.
The Six Flags park also had a cockroach eating competiton - with prizes available if you ate 13 Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches in 13 minutes.
Of course, I remain curious about from whence came the cockroaches for guest eating - and whether different species of cockroaches have different flavours.

Reference point

Citizendium ... well the name's not quite as catchy as Wikipedia but its founder hopes the experts (experienced editors and subject authorities) vetting user submissions will give it the edge over the more well-known online reference site. Although not mentioned by name in the report I read, it did say that Citizendium's founder was a co-founder of Wikipedia. A test version of the new site is due to be launched in California presently but because of bandwidth issues, it won't be available to the general public. Offers of help can be lodged through their site.

Heckle

The Sydney Morning Herald has a reader submission column called Heckler where it invites people to write in with 450 words (previously 650 words) about whatever makes their blood boil. I sent this off earlier this week - and have had no response - so it wasn't what they were looking for ... but it seems a shame not to share it.

Readers ... 450 words - hang on … what kind of inadequate non-rant producing limit is that? Why would I use this as a reason to put pen to paper to vent my spleen instead of merely going off at drivers cutting in on me, people walking too slowly, too long queues, people who push in, people with annoying, stupid mobile phone ring tones, people who put recycling in the rubbish bin and rubbish in the recycling, people who dump their rubbish near the bins, thugs who regularly smash the glass at the bus stop, and people who don't keep the security doors closed. And people who aren’t nice to each other – and don’t pick up after themselves, their kids or their pets. (What do you mean don't bang so hard on the keyboard … can't you see I'm busy here.) And don't push in front of me at the lift, the lights, getting onto the bus, getting off the bus, getting the newspaper, crossing at the lights (if the little man isn't green, I'm not going anywhere!) and certainly don't blow smoke into my face. There's a reason I stand downwind of you - and for all of our sakes, don't forget that you discovered deodorant last summer. And no, I don't want to listen to any of your conversations "on the bus" - who cares if you're on the bus - they know you're not home because they would have rung you there. And don't be the bus driver who sails past the stop where I've agreed to meet my partner and am carrying a backpack, two picnic chairs, and 10” x 12” photo enlargements in nothing more protective than a bubble-wrap envelope. And certainly after I catch an express bus to get in front of you - and then get on and ask you why you didn't stop - don't sit there and lie to me and tell me that you did stop - and then, don't tell me to lodge a complaint if I'm not happy - because you know that's exactly what I'm going to do.
[Draws breath] I guess 450 words isn't such a bad limit after all. They say you can't maintain rage for long - but it's been a few months now, and if my partner's right (and it is hormonal) it will be a while yet. Of course, it could be because of violent US TV shows - as suggested by a senior magistrate in a road rage case this week. If that’s the case, with my reliance on television for relaxation, I may never get out of this vicious cycle!

The Dream

The Channel 9 television network in Sydney has just been sold for nearly $5 billion. I can't imagine how much money that is. Or what you could do with it - beside perhaps buy some art - although not Picasso's La Reve (The Dream) that owner Steve Wynne "elbowed" recently, putting a small hole in the canvas. The painting had apparently just been sold for $US139 million, but Mr Wynne (the one with the errant elbow - possibly due to poor peripheral vision) decided to release the buyer from the contract, and to have the painting repaired and keep it instead. Can't imagine what they must have felt when they heard the tear. The Age carried a report on the incident, and a pic of the painting.

Dress code

There's been a bit of press in the last few days about enforcing dress conditions - but it's not at a club or something semi-sensible - it's on religious lines. An airline worker has been told she has to wear her crucifix (cross) under her clothes - and Muslim women are under pressure not to wear their head gear. As a woman being interviewed on the BBC World Today Select program reasoned - really what does it matter what anybody wears as long as it isn't a bomb strapped to their chest.

Almost ...

If you were planning a carjack, you would think you'd be confident of your ability to actually drive the vehicle. Well, that seems not to be the reasoning of a woman in Sydney who recently flagged down a vehicle, "helped" the driver out, and jumped in to drive away - only to find out that it had a manual transmission and she didn't know how to drive it. Not the world's best plan. The woman was apprehended by passers-by.

A roundabout approach

According to a report from the BBC, a study about to be published in the Lancet suggests that ... an estimated 655,000 Iraqis have died since 2003 who might still be alive but for the US-led invasion. The study, conducted by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHBSPH) estimate that the mortality rates have more than doubled since the invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein, causing an average of 500 deaths a day. President Bush has already come out discrediting the report - saying that while the loss of civilian life causes him grief "Six-hundred thousand or whatever they guessed at is just... it's not credible." In the past, Mr Bush has put the civilian death toll in Iraq at 30,000 - and other independent reports such as Iraq Body Count's figure of 44-49,000 civilian deaths, based on media reports. The JHBSPH relies on a "cluster" method - and this originally showed that 100,000 had died in the first year of the invasion. If their reckoning holds true - it suggests that the death rate has increased to 250,000 per annum. Which suggests that the whole notion of introducing democracy to Iraq could be a moot point if they a) kept the occupation going long enough and b) increased their kill rate. Hmmm.

Weapons control

A 13-year-old student wearing a mask and a long, black (or green) trenchcoat fired a Mac-90 (replica of an AK-47) into the ceiling at his school earlier this week. When confronted by other students and administrators he told them "please don't make me do this." The action happened about 10 minutes before school was due to start - and as well as the weapon, he had a note saying he had planted a bomb in the school - as well as detailed plans for an explosive device, and of the school. The lad was arrested, and no device was found.

The question is - where did he get the gun? Apparently from his parents, who kept the weapon in a safe at home. How big must that safe be - and I guess you can't really call it a "safe" anymore since the lad now has the combination. And why did his parents have the Mac-90? Well, according to one local official "it is not uncommon for people in the area to own assault weapons".

Hmmm - makes you wonder doesn’t it - but certainly not about the number of shootings at US schools - which may or may not be on the increase if the reaction to the latest shootings is to have the US Government consider adding more security - rather than looking at gun control laws.

But at least there is a major distraction now … where did North Korea manage to get nuclear technology? And how do you stop them testing it (again) or using it should they ever be invaded - or if they get bolshi!

Barbed comments

Not sure if this is true or not - but listening to Dr Karl's program on podcast the other day, he said that of the two recorded stingray barbs to people's bodies in Australia, both had hit their victims in the heart. Dr Karl posited that this could be something to do with electricity in the body - almost as if the stingray detected and aimed for the electrical field. He cited the cases of a swimmer at Coogee - and Steve Irwin.

StarTrekking ...

A model of the StarShip Enterprise, possibly used in the title sequences of StarTrek: The Next Generation or possibly the Original Series (reports vary), sold at auction for $774,000 (AUD) the other day. In fact, there seemed to be more money than sense at the Christie's auction of StarTrek memorabilia with the lots going for many more times the reserves. Good thing I wasn't there - I might have wanted to walk away with Captain Kirk's chair, or a scale model of something from the show - maybe even Mr Chekov's plastic console.

I'll just have to make do with the "Verses" - episodes fans make themselves because they cannot bear to be without the series in one of its incarnations (and there have been a few). So sit down with the computer, and a broadband connection and check out what's on offer (links courtesy of the NY Times): the Scottish production at www.ussintrepid.org.uk; the Los Angeles based, exploring gay themes as well as the Universe www.hiddenfrontier.com, the Texan www.starshipexeter.com, or perhaps the "online community theater" offering www.starshipfarragut.com. Or maybe you’d like to follow the other 30 million downloads at www.newvoyages.com - which is now so popular it has scored Mr Chekov (Walter Koenig) as a guest star. Live long and prosper!

Premonitions

Some of the cars in the neighbourhood had their windows smashed last Thursday night. As I waited at the bus stop the next morning, Christine and John her husband came out and surveyed the damage to their car. He shook his head and said - you know, I didn't want to park it there last night - it was just that the other car was in my usual spot (around the corner) - and then - I almost put it in the yard.

Have you ever had the feeling that you should or shouldn't do something - and then regret that you didn't act on your original impulse? Or is this the universe's way of preparing us for when less-than-good-things happen. I remember feeling like that before our house was broken into a few years back. It was almost a relief when it finally happened - and it certainly wasn't the shock it could have been - awful yes, but not a shock.

A kiss is just ... a hiss

Some people will do the strangest things to set a new world record. Take Thai snake charmer Khum Chaibuddee who today won the title of "Dangerous Kisses" by kissing 19 king cobras in under an hour. The previous best was 11 venomous snakes (set in 1999 by American Gordon Cates). Khum Chai-buddee has been working with king cobras for 12 years in his village Koke Sa-gna - and has been bitten only three times in his life. But his world record bid has also set the stage for a growth in the tourism industry in the area.
According to the Bangkok Post, Koke Sa-nga is Thailand's only known village where most of the 140 households breed or keep cobras as a pastime or a means of making a living. The village has previously become a tourist stopover following documentaries which showed snakes coiling around the residents during their leisure time. Which should have been good news - except the fortune this should have afforded the previously impoverished area was constricted by the division of the village into two factions - each claiming to be the original Koke Sa-nga snake charmers. Eventually the government stepped in to patch the rift - seeing that it was possible to increase income in the area - from 3 million baht from donations and souvenir sales for each of the factions - to over 20 million baht a year. The Tourism Authority of Thailand has commissioned Khon Kaen University's faculty of architecture to design a larger stage for the snake show and king cobra exhibition centre under one roof. The village (47 km from Khon Kaen) may also be developed into Asia's largest living king cobra museum and study centre, which will also include the cultivation of indigenous herbs used to cure snake bites.

Wired tip

People are sometime scritical of the information contained on the internet - but here's something which may be of interest:

Not that you'd ever need to do it, but if you had to disarm an atomic bomb, wouldn't you like to be prepared? By Patrick Di Justo from Wired magazine.

The article takes you through the key steps: disconnecting the battery; removing the neutron trigger; removing the conventional explosive; and separating the U-235 masses (that would be the uranium) - in slightly more detail than this.
Lastly, the article notes: If these tips don't work, give us a call and let us know what we got wrong.

Predictable?

Don't know whether you've noticed that the price of petrol at the bowser has started to drop a little lately. Well, - if you haven't, the NY Times reports that OPEC has - and is considering cutting its production to stem the recent steep decline in oil prices. Let's hope an alternative is in the offing somewhere!

Terrorist act?

I had not heard of the Westboro Baptist Church before today - and I think I preferred it that way. Numerous stories about this religious group of approximately 150 members (80% of them related) populated the US press today after they had threatened to picket the funerals of the 5 Amish school girls killed earlier this week by "milkman turned madman" (so dubbed by ABC News Nightline). The Westboros make it a practice to picket - 6 per day, 15 on Sunday - and have started picketing funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq. As far as I can tell from the reports I've read (and I absolutely refused to go to their website), their message is that everyone but them is evil - and includes that "God hates America" (as they have reportedly paraded on the streets of Baghdad before the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime); and that "God hates fags". When bad things happen - it's God's will at work - punishing all and sundry (except them) for moral turpitude.
The main gist of today's media was that the Westboros had agreed not to picket the Amish funerals in exchange for airtime on national media. As one source said that it seemed an awful lot like negotating with terrorists!
I'm not sure if it is encouraging or not that there are groups out there - eg the Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club in this instance - who were prepared to shield the Amish (and the world generally) from the Westboros - especially if the moves by various legislatures throughout the States, eg Indiana, to make it a felony to protest within 500 ft of a funeral are not successful. Somehow 500 ft doesn't seem like nearly far enough.

Coincidence?

It's probably just a coincidence - but is there any reason that condoms and pregnancy tests are next to each other on pharmacy shelves? (If prescriptions were filled immediately, chances are I would not have noticed this!)

Friday night in town

This evening we went along to Hyde Park for the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Month Night Noodle markets. This is where a bunch of restaurants set up their stalls and offer a selection of culinary delights to enthrall the public. It was good food and a wonderful thing to do on a cool Spring evening. And after our meal, we went for a wander through the nearby art&about display at Hyde Park North - Sydney Life. The winner of this competition - prize $10k - was supposed to be announced today but we didn't see a winner's notice on any of the pics.
Update: Fixed link to art&about.

Stem cell research

Scientists are working on stem cell research again - this time by combining human cells with a rabbit egg. The hope is that this will allow scientists to perfect stem cell creation techniques without using human eggs. "Human eggs" is a matter of semantics though because they will be 99.9 per cent human and 0.1 per cent rabbit (or cow). Imagine if the fertilized eggs were allowed to grow to maturity: there would be people with their own rabbit's foot. How lucky is that?

Good news and bad news

There is so much non-good news around at present that it's a bit hard not to get infected by it. And even good news has its reciprocal - like the executive jet that landed safely in Brazil last week after a midair collision. The collision happened at 37,000 feet - with a new Boeing 737-800 (taken delivery of by airline Gol less than a month before) which crashed with the loss of 155 lives. The big question - after how did the collision happen - was, why wasn't it the smaller executive jet that crashed?

Sending it back?

Have you ever sent a meal back in a restaurant? I'm watching Jamie's Kitchen in Australia and they're talking about pressure in the kitchen - and one of those pressures is people sending meals back. I could have sent my lunch back yesterday (there was lettuce on my sandwich) but didn't. And now I'm trying to remember if I ever have. I know I've sent coffee back (not hot enough, too strong) but I can't remember doing it with a meal. Not that there haven't been complaints about meals: at Bilson's some years ago "this duck's not cooked" and at lunch yesterday "there's lettuce on this sandwich - I didn't ask for lettuce". It would be easier if I didn't have such an "iffy" stomach - but it often takes me some time to decide on what I'm going to have and as long as something resembling that arrives - I'm usually happy enough.

An Independent Source

I know it seems as though I might have run out of things to blog about because I haven't made an entry for a few days - so it's thanks to Deb for advice about the man who killed himself by picking his nose. Deb advised that what started as an innocent pick caused a nosebleed that could not be staunched. By the time the ambulance arrived the man had suffered major blood loss and a heart attack ... and he died before they could get him to the hospital. At this point. I would like to offer a source other than Deb, but since she made it up - I can't! But it just goes to show how much she cares about blog content! Thanks Deb.

Bargain bin

I visited OfficeWorks today and had a look through their clearance bin - following Michael's example of yesterday where he found a(n) 128MB XD card for $10. I scored too - a 1GB card for $38.72. It had been returned as it was labelled 2GB and when the previous purchaser tried to use it - it came up as 1GB - but it's big enough for me. (Well, now that I have 3 x 1GB cards, it is.)

Jericho Junkie

Against my better judgment, I have allowed myself to be sucked into watching a new series - Jericho. It's on at 8.30pm on a Thursday evening - and it has been on two weeks now. But I haven't watched either of the tapings I've done - instead, I find that late at night, just as I'm about to go to turn off the television and go to bed, the "coming up next" announces an encore performance of … Jericho. So, I sit up for the next hour and watch it - and think - no, it's far too manipulative, turn it off and go to bed. But I am mesmerised, unable to move - and the next thing I know the closing credits are rolling - and I'm vowing not to get caught again. (That being said, I don't think it was any worse the second week - at least the escaped convicts seem to be out of the running now, and we know that there have been nuclear explosions in a number of US cities.)

MVEMJUN1

Well, any of the mnemonics you've used to remember the names of the planets of our solar system are out of date. Pluto has now been relegated as "not a planet" and renamed as a number - 134340. And how is this so? Here's an except from the Wikipedia entry:

In August of 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefined the term "planet", and classified Pluto, Ceres, and Eris as dwarf planets. Pluto is also classified as the prototype of a family of trans-Neptunian objects. After the reclassification, Pluto was added to the list of minor planets and given the number 134340.

Somehow, it's just not the same. (Not that it's likely to bother me given I didn't get it right in the title - where's Saturn?)

Arrrr-nnoying

Aaargh - and it's not even talk like a pirate day. I've taken to listening to and watching podcasts - and am becoming increasingly annoyed at a disturbing new trend ... advertising. Sponsorship messages weren't too bad - "this program brought to you by ..." type of thing. But I don't know how many more times I can take the GridIron Gang trailer - or the latest IBM innovation message. I've started to fast-forward through them - and I am getting better at it - but advertisers please be aware - it's okay the first couple of times then it just becomes increasingly more annoying! Yes I know that all brand recognition should be good but it's not ... okay!
Update: I decided to give some feedback to CNN about its video podcast "In Case You Missed It" which used to be a quite manageable about-2-minutes - and still is, except for the more-than-2-minutes sponsorship program about Ford - some at the beginning of the pod - and the full one at the end. The message suggests you can choose to view the full Ford program - which you can - except you've already downloaded it. It might have been okay if it was only over the course of a week or on alternate days but it seems to be constant. I've reached saturation point now - and am about to unsubscribe to what was otherwise a great podcast - but when the associated sponsorship is longer than the pod ... well, it might work in the US, but not for me. So I've sent them an email to let them know - cause I decided there was a good chance they don't read my blog.

Remember the Segway

Seems that the manufacturers of the Segway just cannot win. Despite recent announcements of the launch of two new models of the Segway Personal Transporter, there is now an active recall of all 23,500 of them. A software glitch has been found that makes the wheels unexpectly reverse direction, throwing off the rider! The good news is that the problem should be able to be fixed with a software upgrade.
According to a Wired report this is the second time the scooters have been recalled since they first went on sale in 2002. In 2003 the first 6,000 devices sold were recalled - again the problem was that riders were likely to fall off - but this time it was when the battery depleted.
Hopefully this won't affect those planning to take a Segway tour of San Francisco.

Vale Margaret

If you look up "on this day" on the internet for 24 September you should, but won't, find the passing of Margaret White who finally succumbed to the cancer she had battled for the last several years. She was "seen off" at 2.15 on Sunday morning by her friends and her cousin who had cared for at home before her hospitalisation early last week. They were all with her as she took her final breath - sorry to lose her but glad she was no longer in pain and trapped in a body that had failed her. Margaret was a special woman who did much to make the world a better place. She will be greatly missed. Vale Margaret.

Targetted?

Thanks to The Daily Telegraph's article on designer handbag thieves, I feel like a target. Yes, I know there are probably lots of others who carry around heaps of stuff with them - but my little backpack doesn't look like it holds a laptop, Palm, smart phone etc etc etc. And even though the stuff is insured (it all is now) I'd hate for it to be taken from me - especially just because the paper decided to run an item and pic saying that thieves could be looking at a $6,000 haul! Of course the illustration they used was for a designer handbag (itself worth a dollar or two) - makeup, coin purse ($200+), iPod, camera ... the list went on - it was a pretty big handbag!

Replacement Palm

My newish Palm LifeDrive stopped working last weekend - wouldn't even turn on. So I rang Palm to arrange a replacement - and of course we went through the general "have you tried this, have you tried that" and finally they gave me a replacement number and the process started.
The process is supposed to go like this:

1. Get the replacement number from Palm.
2. Send in your Palm - with this number - to their drop-off centre.
3. They will send you an email saying that the Palm has been received.
4. Receipt of the Palm starts the process for a replacement to be couriered to you.
5. You receive the Palm and rejoice in having it back.

Well, I sent the Palm off on Monday afternoon - and I didn't hear a word until 10:15am on Wednesday morning when the replacement Palm arrived. A couple of hours later I received an email telling me it had been despatched, and the next day I received an email telling me they had received my old unit.
Great work Palm!! I don't give a jot about the comms as long as I have the LifeDrive.

And Kovko makes two

The Daily Telegraph had an item the other day about Private Jake Kovko's death in Iraq on 21 April this year from an injury sustained from his own pistol. Their point was that this was not the first time such an incident has happened. They told of another serviceman, Trevor Petith, in Vietnam - who on 21 April 1985 also died from an injury sustained from his own weapon. 21 years to the day.
I did some quick research (read "google") on Petith and although he is mentioned on a couple of sites, it doesn't say what happened to him - just that his holidays had been cancelled and that was the last time his family saw him alive - and that his homecoming was sad.

Eye=popping ...

Kim Goodman of Chicago has a rare gift - the ability to "pop her eyeballs to an extrusion of 11mm" - making her the current world's record holder. So how do you find out you can do this? For her, it was apparently after she had been hit in the head with a hockey stick. Now she can do it at will - and when she yawns. In the couple of items I read, I couldn't find a reference to whether she had been able to harness her skill to a "useful" purpose - as had Brazilian Claudio Pinto (7 mm) who until recently had a job scaring visitors in a haunted house. It's unclear whether he chose to leave or if he was laid off - and it wasn't mentioned if it was the eye-popping that was the scaring tool - or whether he would just leap out of the dark and yell "boo" - if someone did that to me, having their eyes popping wouldn't help the effect - because mine would be covered, closed or being carried away by my fleeing body! But, I have to admit, the picture of Mr Pinto doing his thing is pretty amazing! (I only included a link to the pics of both Kim and Carlo here so you can look only if you want to: Carlo's is more "graphic").

Marrickville Festival

We took time out yesterday to take a walk up and down Marrickville Road to enjoy the Marrickville Festival. It was fun - and there were some great stalls for Sydney Council (thanks for the water bottle and squeezy ball) and MGM (Marrickville Galleries & Museums).
It was a lovely sunny day for the event - and it was nice seeing so many people out and about in the local community.

Labelling

This was sighted on a pack of ginger biscuits from overseas - and this seems to make a lot more sense in labelling foods rather than solely with the numbers. It gives a better idea of how this food would equate with others - especially for those of us who have no idea how much our recommended daily allowance for, for example, sodium is. Would it make a difference if we knew that that candy bar we love so much actually has 110% of the recommended daily intake of salt? And what was that <holding hand to ear> "let's have another one because it was so yummy"?
Is the problem not so much portions - as not knowing what those portions represent and therefore not being able to make informed decisions?

Hedgehogs - One; McCurry - None

Hedgehogs take heart - McDonalds has agreed to redesign it's McFlurry ice-cream containers. When the containers were littered, hedgehogs would lick inside the container and then become trapped, causing them to starve to death. McDonalds is now making the lids smaller so hedgehog's heads cannot enter.
Not so lucky is Kuala Lumpur eatery McCurry, which insists its name is an abbreviation of Malaysian Chicken Curry. It has lost a five-year battle with McDonalds over use of the McCurry name. Even though the open-air eatery serves spicy fish-head curries, tandoori chicken and other Indian dishes, the name McCurry and their signage featuring colours distinctive of McDonalds had the multinational chain concerned that customers would confuse McCurry with their outlets.
Word on the street is that McCurry's is planning to appeal the ruling.

Mass hiss-teria

Reuters reports that dozens of children have fainted, apparently because of mass hysteria, after school authorities in Nepal killed a snake, considered as sacred by many Hindus. Laxmi Secondary School in Lekhnath town in Kaski district, west of the capital city Kathmandu Since Tuesday, at least 67 Laxmi Secondary School students, aged between 9 and 16, have had fainting fits - where they suddenly scream, cry and faint. Some recover after a couple of hours while others have not yet fully recovered. Some of the afflicted students said they had fainted after seeing a huge snake that was poised to bite them. The school was closed and there are moves to have shamans exorcise the slain snake's spirit before the school reopens Sunday. Doctors told school officials it was a case of hysteria caused by fear of divine retribution for the snake's death. Hindus regard snakes as sacred and Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, is shown wearing a serpent as a garland.
Cases of hysteria are not uncommon in Nepal according to the Hindustan Times. According to their report, the hysteria can be linked to Maoist insurgency, communist rebels, forced migrations and other pressures faced by Nepalese youngsters.

Blog pedantries

On occasion, when I'm reviewing previous blog entries I notice a mistake - could be a spelling error or grammer (that was intentional) or even that I've left the post as purple when importing it from my desktop - and I'm torn between going back and fixing it and leaving it "as is". When reading a friend's blog the other day I was intrigued to see that I'm possibly not the only one who goes through this - because the mis-spelling I'd noticed in one of her recent entries - understandable because she had been typing with her elbows at the time - had been corrected. But it raises the question - what is a blog and how should one be regarded - and do visitors go back over entries? For example, recent posts here have referenced earlier posts ... but would it be better/more cohesive to simply go back and update the original entry? Hmmmm.

... in the rain

It rained heavily overnight,and that's continued this morning. Which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't raining inside the bus as well. I'd been dripped on within seconds of sitting in my regular seat this morning and decided to move to the other side of the aisle. There was a leak there too, but only on one seat. Seat #1 seemed much more affected by the rock and sway of the bus. As we journeyed, I pointed the drip out to the new arrivals who went to sit there. And that's when I was reminded what a wonderful thing communication is. At one point I'd been reading and missed the couple moving into the seats - but I just looked up above their heads, and the man, sitting closer to me, looked up too - saw the water droplets - and shepherded his travelling companion out of the seat and further down the bus. It's also amazing to see that people do choose their bus seats - not sure how - but there were some people who were not the slightest bit interested in the "under leak seat" and immediately forged towards the back of the bus. How do you choose a seat on the bus (if you're lucky enough to get a choice)?

Telephone talk

When the phone rings, do you know who's calling? In recent tests, respondents were able to correctly tell who was calling 45% of the time - leading the researchers to assert that "telephone telepathy" really does exist. I have a much higher ratio of getting it right - about 85% - although I dare say that if I didn't have caller ID on my work and mobile phones, I wouldn't do nearly as well. Seriously though, I have had occasions where the phone rings and it's someone I was thinking of calling only a couple of moments before.

And what's your "telephone obedience" like? When the phone rings do you have to answer it, regardless of whether you're up to your elbows in dishwashing, or soaking in the tub - or … well, doing anything really? If you do, you are not alone. (Why is it that … ET Phone Home … just popped into my head? And is that the phone ringing?)

Snakes and Indians

50,000 people died last year in India from snake bites; in Australia, with 10 species of the world's most venomous snakes, only 1 person died. The difference? The ready availability of anti-venom in Australia. There are moves in India to get anti-venom into local centres to help reduce the death toll - so people don't have to wait for hours for transport to a hospital for treatment - in which case it's usually too late.

Dilemma

On the way to lunch today I walked through the Pitt Street Mall and was not surprised to see buskers at work. What did surprise me, and perplex me more than just a little, was that the five black-suited dancers were twirling sharp pointy things - scissors - a pair in each hand. Now, I'm not saying they weren't competent or good, but it just seems that it is a slightly dangerous thing to do. Yes, I know there are people out there who juggle chainsaws - but most kids can't get a hold of several of them to practice. Scissors are a different thing. So, I was left with a dilemma - to kick in when the hat was passed - or walk away with my money still firmly clutched in my hand to protest the scissor twirling whirling dervishes. Yes - I walked away quickly before they were finished so I wouldn't have to decide!

For what?

How long was Friends on air for? I'm not sure, but the real question is: Is the "for" necessary in that question? Would "How long was Friends on air?" not elicit the same answer? Is it an illicit use of "for"? And in what circumstances, such as this, can "for" correctly be used? Next time round, I want to attend a grammar school - even perhaps a grammar grammar school (elementary my dear Watson). Or perhaps I could just play for a while with The Grammar Gorillas.

Solid foundation

Spare a moment today to think about your shoes - and depending on whether you're male or female - you'll probably think about them differently. In both case, they're the point of contact most of us have with the ground - but that's where the similarity seems to end. Generally speaking men's shoe choices are activity based while women's shoe choices are mood based - you can apparently tell a lot about a woman from their shoes - and possibly even from the height of their heels. Why/how did you choose the shoes you're wearing today?

In the picture

What do photo-journalist Grace Robertson and Dick Muir have in common? Lots - considering Dick Muir was Grace's pseudonym when she was first trying to carve out a career in photo-journalism in the 1940's. She sent in her first batch of photos under the name Dick Muir. They were returned. She sent in another batch - which were also returned, but with the note "persevere young man" - which she did. To hear Grace talk about her life and work, visit the BBC Women's Hour site.

Short of the mark

Khagendra Thapamagar may not get to claim the shortest man title just yet ... in an item titled Short Changed on today's early morning news (not sure which one, I was channel surfing three lots at the time), it was suggested that he will have to wait until he is 18 to claim the title of the shortest man in the world. Does this mean there is no "shortest teenager" category? (Hope he doesn't develop any sort of complex about all this!)

A tall story

Sperm donors in the US need to be at least 5'10" tall before they can participate. Who would have thought that height would be the most sought-after trait?

Dead unlucky

Virginia Yates, 60, of Vermont, was killed recently after she fell getting off a pontoon boat onto a dock. According to a witness, she sustained a twisted ankle and a bump on the head - not life-threatening injuries - but because she was unable to walk up the 100-plus steps to a nearby house, rescuers decided to ferry her across the river to a waiting ambulance. Ms Yates was strapped to a backboard and placed on an airboat - which then began taking on water, capsized, and sank, taking Ms Yates with it. The emergency services personnel, none of whom were injured, were unable to recover Ms Yates until some time later.

Talking point

Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the net, there's news of a mermaid or maybe it's an Authentic Organic ALIEN Corpse UFO Time Traveler. I found this on Snopes, together with more photos - and a link to the eBay seller who was selling these but is now selling something else - no doubt also a conversation piece for any home. When I followed the link, there was a "Bodies The Exhibit Macabre Medical Wonders Corpse" - and you could "Buy It Straight Away" if you didn't want to bid and wait for 6d 07h 35m (and counting)!

Package information

There are moves afoot examining changing the packaging information on Australian foods - so that as well as giving standard nutritional information, packages will also have "exercise" details eg how much exercise do you need to do to burn off the energy a food contains. Another suggestion is to label foods like traffic lights - green, amber and red - so people could be steered away from foods high in fat, salt and sugar. The latter system is currently working well in the UK.

Mosquito

Harold Stapleton has perfected a device - dubbed "The Mosquito" - which produces a noise highly annoying to teenagers. When switched on it is barely noticeable - but after 5-10 minutes it emits a piercing wail which can only be heard by people under 25 years of age. This might work a little more effectively, and create less of an annoyance factor, than the plan in effect in some of Sydney's southern suburbs - where Golden Oldies are being pumped out of/in areas where the young congregage and the old wish they didn't.

See ya mate

Much will be written in the coming days of wildlife conservationist television star Steve Irwin who was killed yesterday while filming off the coast of Far North Queensland. I found this comment this morning. Seemed to cover most of the important things.
Some reports have likened Steve Irwin's death to that of Princess Diana - unexpected and tragic. Of course, we are a society that tries to avoid the very existence of death and dying - which is why it sometimes seems like such a shock when people do die - especially if they have a "good" public persona and following. The advice in today's Daily Telegraph advising parents to be honest with their children when they ask, and give them a chance to talk about their feelings, and allow them to grieve, could very well apply to the rest of us as well - now and for the rest of our lives.

Guinness Book of World Records

While trying to find out who was the world's shortest man today, I stumbled across an article on Craig Glenday, editor of the Guinness Book of World Records. In it there is a reference to the start of the book:

The book famously began in 1951 as an argument between Sir Hugh Beaver, managing director of the Guinness Brewery, and friends with whom he'd gone hunting in the Irish countryside. Beaver exclaimed that a bird he'd shot at and missed, the red grouse, was Europe's fastest; the others disagreed. Sir Hugh's well-stocked library could not resolve the matter, and "he realized you needed something to settle these arguments which must be raging in pubs all around Britain," says Glenday. Beaver hired the McWhirters, Norris and Ross, to be the editors and in August 1955, the first edition of Guinness Book of World Records was launched. It had a beer-proof cover and was sold to Britain's 84,000 pubs.

But who were the McWhirters? And why, in 1975, was only one of these identical twins with photoraphic memories and outspoken political beliefs, Ross, gunned down by the IRA?

But back to the shortest man. It used to be Gul Mohammed (India) who was 57cm tall but he died in 1997 aged 39. Current title holder Younis Edwan (Jordan) is 65cm tall. But there's a rising contender - Khagendra Thapamagar of Baglung (Nepal) - who at 14 can only contest the title of World's Shortest Man because he is considered to be "fully grown" at 50cm. A ruling on his claim to the title is in progress.

Grouper Groupee

There's lots written about YouTube but this morning I managed to find Grouper - which is a similar site recently acquired by Sony Pictures for $65 million. It's worth a visit for the landing page - a selection of thumbnails from site content is served and when you hover over one, it "pops up" at a slightly larger size, gives a caption, and a play button. Cool! The category list down the side is fun too! The only downside is that it appears to serve up a different selection each time you visit - which could be a plus for regular visitors but may make it difficult to find the preview for Stranger than Fiction again.

Las Vegas news

Warren Jeffs, recently arrested leader of a polygamist sect, appeared in a Las Vegas court earlier this week and said he would not fight extradiction to Utah on charges he arranged marriages between underage girls and older men.
Also in Las Vegas this week - news that the self-proclaimed wedding capital of the world will no longer cater for those who want to marry late at night on the spur of the moment. The Las Vegas marriage bureau plans to close its all-night counter. Of course, you can still get hitched at any hour - you just have to plan for it.

Cheese please

A couple of days ago I blogged about the NY Times' new perfume critic. Seems he's come along just in time. Word just out ... you can now get Eau de Stilton - which I guess is the equivalent of cheese phew in a bottle. Nigel White, of the Stilton Cheesemakers' Association, which commissioned the project, is reported as saying: "Blue Stilton cheese has a very distinctive, mellow aroma and our perfumier was able to capture the key essence of that scent and recreate it in what is an unusual but highly wearable perfume." I'm not sure I want to test it and see if it really does "recreate the earthy and fruity aroma" of the cheese.
Of course, cheese isn't the only thing being channelled into perfume - according to an ABC News Nightline Online report Who Wants to Smell Like Cheese there are people who dab on a little essence of almost anything eg dirt, new car, burnt rubber, burning leaves, library and even Play-Doh.

Good news me hearties!

It's almost Talk Like a Pirate Day again - and the amazing news is that if you're here in Australia, you may get to do it twice - which I think is a bit strange. A decision has been taken that because September 19 (official TLAPD) is a week-day, employers may not fully appreciate and embrace the event, so the Australian "organisers" have moved TLAPD to September 23. And as I be celebrating my first great, grand TLAPD observance, I might just be doing both! Aarrr. (You too can learn how to speak like a pirate - yarr, me hearties - you can be speakin' pirate-like!) Oh, oh ... just remembered, there's a site (a site? there are tons of them) you can go to and get a pirate name - "I might try that again" said the recently dubbed Mad Mary Flint which is slightly better than Iron Deficient Cynthia.

Hold the phone ...

Yesterday's Media Report on ABC's Radio National focused on the future/features of the mobile phone - and its possible replacement of dedicated devices such as the iPod (not yet) and as a data caster and entry to digital space. Well worth a listen - and a lesson. (Thanks for the SMS re this Lizzie.)

A certain ring to it ....

A little while ago I blogged about a ringtone being used by US students because it could not be heard by adults. Well, they've started advertising it on Australian television - and I admit I was perplexed when I saw it - because I couldn't hear it. The ad featured a picture of a mobile phone ... but was the ringtone being played? I guess I'll have to co-opt someone young enough to hear it to find out. Talk about feeling old!

And now for the ... nose

The NY Times has become the first English-language newspaper to introduce a regular column on perfume: so declared the BBC Select podcast I was listening to. The question then is what other language newspapers already have a perfume column? And thanks to the Mail & Guardian Online (South Africa) I now know it's Swiss. Also thanks to the Mail & Guardian Online for coming up with the headline: New York Times hires man with nose for a story. The man is Chandler Burr, author of "The Emperor of Scent: A True Story of Perfume and Obsession" (Random House, 2003) and he will review and rate fragrances in his column called Scent Strip in the NY Times' T:Style magazine.

Advertising ruses

An ad on this morning's television spruiked the benefits of a new abdominal exercise apparatus. It was demonstrated with some not very firm "before" shots and some very firm "after" shots - which is reasonable except the "after" shots were tagged with the line "results dramatised". Yep, we'll all be running out to buy that one.

Finally ....

Elizabeth Bolden may be breathing a sigh of "finally" this week - after becoming the world's oldest person. You wouldn't think it would be that hard - but she had to wait her turn. The title was only recently given up by the woman previously considered to be the world's oldest person - Maria Esther de Capovilla who died on the weekend of pneumonia. Elizabeth Bolden was born 11 months after Maria - in 1890 - yes, that's right - 1890! Elizabeth celebrated her 116th birthday a couple of weeks ago with her two favourite things - candy and ice cream (mmmmm .... ice cream).

Noticed ...

Chicago's main airport had a couple of noteworthy features including what must be about the longest concourse in the world! On the way to Louisville earlier this month, we had to change planes and that meant walking from one end of the airport to the other - a brisk 15-20 minute journey. But on the way I noticed the dinosaur (I'd walked past it without noticing it earlier in the day!).
Another feature was the hygienic toilet seat covers: the plastic sleeve is "moved along" one seat's worth when you pass your hand in front of a sensor. I tested: it's not the same bit being moved back and forth. Also worked by sensors:the flush, and the sink taps. And, as you'd expect, there are no main restroom doors so there's no fear of door germs on your way out either The other feature of Chicago that has left me intrigued is the Towers around the City - they look like huge golf tees complete with ball. What are they? Some have suggested water towers; some not. Homeland security devices perhaps - given that Chicago is the busiest airport in the US according to a recent poll - and I'd agree that it seems to be one of the biggest!
But it didn't have the fog San Francisco had that day - or the snow we flew over on the mountains (amazing given how hot it's been in the States!). (Notice the difference in quality between photos taken on the camera - and on the phone!)

Lies

It's probably never too early to learn that you should not lie - but is not telling the truth justified at any time? And is it something you should have to go to court over? And are these questions too "big" for an 11-year old? That's the age of the girl, who cannot be named because of her age, who's off to court for allegedly lying about the whereabouts of a seven-year-old boy who was later found hiding under her bed. The boy, Tyler Deacon, had apparently run away the day before. State Emergency Service (SES) officers had asked the girl if she could help, but she allegedly lied to them. The girl has been reported for hindering police and will be summonsed to face court. The report I read in The Daily Telegraph raised more questions for me than it answered. If she "lied" to SES officers, why was she reported for "hindering police"? If she was asked is she could help, is it a matter of semantics - yes, she could help but no she wouldn't. And what were her reasons for concealing Tyler's whereabouts? Did she consider him to be in danger and was she protecting him? Had he asked her to keep his whereabouts secret? And is Tyler to be charged with any offences? Of course, this is not to imply that running away and having someone say you're not there or somewhere else is the right thing to do ... but I wonder how many of us have done it or something similar. The next time the phone rings and you wave to your partner or whoever answers the phone for them to say you're not there, spare a moment think about it.

And now for the news (and how to edit it)

It's good to know when changes have been made to a news item - but it may not be exactly what the publishers had in mind. I had found an item on Yahoo News which read:

Man accused of online overseas extortion
AP - Charges have been filed against a man accused of persuading a teen to send him a nude photograph by threatening to ruin her parents' credit rating and saying he would come from the Middle East to have sex with her.

The encounter turned into a sting operation because the alleged perpetrator did visit the States (from Dubai) and tried to set up a meeting with the girl - who by that time had been to the police who began posing as her online. A number of charges have now been laid.

At the very end of the article is this statement:

(Rewrites throughout to correct suspect's first name to `Babir' sted `Babar,' based on updated information from sheriff's department; ADD that Chaudhry was visiting a brother, other details.)

Make a wish

For her 100th birthday, Gwen Dorling wished for a stripper. Now, two years later - she's finally had one - and for her next birthday - she wants two! Various reports from the UK today tell of Gwen, who lives in a residential facility called The Nunnery in Diss (not sure if Diss is the place), and how she had a few games of ten pin bowls and a "bit of alright" stripper as part of her 102nd birthday celebrations.
For those who can't imagine this story not having a photo to go with it - you're right - you can see it at the EDP site (... where Norfolk really matters!).

In case you missed it ...

Psycho Killer Raccoons Terrorize Olympia, Devouring Cats, Attacking Dog, Frightening Residents

OLYMPIA, Washington Aug 22, 2006 (AP)— A fierce group of raccoons has killed 10 cats, attacked a small dog and bitten at least one pet owner who had to get rabies shots, residents of Olympia say.
Some have taken to carrying pepper spray to ward off the masked marauders and the woman who was bitten now carries an iron pipe when she goes outside at night.
"It's a new breed," said Tamara Keeton, who with Kari Hall started a raccoon watch after an emotional neighborhood meeting drew 40 people. "They're urban raccoons, and they're not afraid." ...
Read the full report at the ABC News site.

Stargate SG-None

The Sci-Fi Channel has decided not to order another series of StarGate SG-1 - "the longest-running science fiction series on US television to date" (according to the Yahoo News). But StarGate fans will still be able to enjoy the spin-off StarGate Atlantis. I am an unashamed fan of SG-1 but I am still in a daze as to why one of the characters, alien T'elc, suddently went from bald to haired on the show - without explanation.

"… shut up"

The BBC recently carried an interview with Sha Zukang, China's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva. The interview looked at China's emergence as a super power - and its military build-up (it's third in the world - behind the U.S. and Russia). The big question is whether the world should be concerned. It may be that this quote as reproduced in the NY Sun's article reporting the interview, is not the best indicator:

"It's better for the U.S. to shut up," he said. "Keep quiet. It's much, much better." His voice rising, Mr. Sha continued: "It's the U.S.'s sovereign right to do whatever they deem good for them — but don't tell us what is good for China. Thank you very much!"

For more information on the BBC program "What China Wants", and for a link to a transcript of that program, click here.

Root cause analysis

A woman is suing an American company after being attacked by a legless female mannequin in one of its stores. The incident happened a year ago as the woman shopped for a blouse. The only one in her size was on the mannequin and as a sales assistant removed the garment, the dummy's arm flew off and hit the woman in the head. She was treated at the scene by paramedics - and later took herself to hospital. Injuries from the incident: bleeding scalp, cracked molar (requiring a root canal) and recurring shoulder pain.

Of course, in retrospect, it’s easy to see that this was an accident waiting to happen - obviously the mannequin was legless but it wasn't 'armless (well, initially, anyway).

Pardon me?

War is … hard when you're being shot at by both sides. It seems that 306 British soldiers were shot for cowardice, desertion and other offences in the 1914-1918 war. One of them was Private Harry Farr - and for years now, his family has been fighting to have him awarded a posthumous pardon and to have his name cleared. Why? Because they believe he was suffering from shell-shock and should not have been returned to the front-lines. The same seems to be true of others - although there may not be full and accurate records to satisfactorily show this - which is why a review of the cases has not gone quickly - and why, in 1998 the Government decided that it could not issue a blanket pardon because: it could not "distinguish between those who deliberately let down their country and their comrades and those who were not guilty of desertion of cowardice".

But that's changed now - and Defence Secretary Des Browne has announced that a group pardon would be presented to Parliament for their approval. After the announcement, Pte Farr's daughter Gertrude Harris, now 93, said: "Well to be truthful, I'm overwhelmed. I prayed that it would happen in my lifetime but I never realised really that it would. It's come really as a shock today. "We were determined for my mother' sake because she always said he was no coward, he was a very brave soldier and he fought for his country and he died fighting for his country." For more on this, see the BBC report.

Of course, the question is - what kind of civilised country executes its own people?

Flying suits

How long will it be before you have to strip naked and don an attractive one-size-almost-fits-all "flying suit" prior to boarding an international aircraft?

Public service

Spare a thought this week for Boy George - hitting the streets of New York - with shovel, broom, plastic bags and gloves to do five days of sweeping as part of community Service awarded for "wasting police time". He called them to his apartment late last year - where they found cocaine - and subsequently arrested him. Now, I know there has to be more to it than that - because isn't that what police are supposed to do? But back to the present - where Boy George's first day on the job seemed to be more about the media's interest in his community service than him getting the dose of "humility" he thought the exercise was meant to engender. In the end, the foreperson decided it would be better/safer all round if Boy George went back to the depot and spent his time working on their parking lot. Hopefully the media's interest in the star will fade enough by the end of the week to allow him to return to the streets.

Mystery solved

Listening to an American podcast earlier this year - 24 June - the announcer said "Enjoy the first weekend of Summer!" Does American Summer start early? Well, according to some American colleagues the answer is yes. It starts with the Solstice ... not on the first day of the month.

Raising the bar?

There's apparently a bar in China which lets patrons pummel the staff. BBC World's Select Today's podcast ran an item on it and discovered it does exist but it's only female patrons who get to strike up more than a conversation. And said a gentleman interviewed for the report: "there are a lot of stressed women out there". At least the staff are well-protected and seem to suffer no injuries in the course of these slightly unconventional - by any standards but possibly more so by Chinese standards - duties.

Namesake

The FBI has nicknames for some of America's most wanted criminals: and it's a Marketing tool. Names like the Miss Piggy Bandit, the Uncle Fester Bandit, and Attila the Bun (whose partner may or may not be the Cookie Monster Bandit!) helps get the media - and the public - interested in helping identify the wrongdoers. Easier to ring up and dob in Miss Piggy rather than "the person who held up ..." - you get the idea. Nicknames are not new of course: remember Billy the Kid and Jack the Ripper?

Aspirations

An English woman in her 90's has started a new hobby - parachuting. She's not just in it for the thrills - she's decided she wants to get the drop on the Americans who have the record for the world's oldest jumper at 96. The UK grandmother - her oldest child is in their '60s - wants to keep jumping into her "hundreds".

Now you see it ...

Just when you thought you'd never be able to have a tattoo because you work in a conservative industry ... here's a solution. A Colorado tattoo artist has worked out how to use ink that is reactive to ultraviolet light to create tattoos. You can see some of the results -in regular light (oops, perhaps not - since that's the point of it) and under blacklight on the Wired site. Of course, the banking industry and other places of work where they do use blacklight might present something of a challenge for keeping your new tattoo under wraps.

Lost in transit

In a previous Musing I commented on the number of pieces of luggage that go missing each year via air transport - and this is one of the reasons I am unwilling to assign things I really want to see again to checked baggage. The figures at that point suggested that worldwide 200,000 pieces of luggage go irretrievably missing each year - which would work out at about 4,000 a week - spread over all the airlines of the world. With the new security measures in place, you have to wonder how much those figures will increase (well, they would wouldn't they) ... which is why it was interesting to note an item from the BBC News this morning ... reporting that:

Around 10,000 bags checked in by British Airways passengers have gone missing at airports since the UK security alert began, the airline says ... It said half of them were still piled up at airports waiting to be delivered back to their owners.

So, does this mean it's "good bye" for the other half - and is it only the ones with laptops and ipods that aren't waiting for their owners to collect them? (Cynical ... me?) And if these are the figures for one airline - 5,000 in a week - which is more than the previous average for all airlines- what does the global figure look like? And how happy are the travel insurance companies about now?

Headline act

"Gun Herald reporter has his day in court - but at least he has good taste in newspapers" screamed the headline. A crime reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald allegedly pulled a gun on a reporter from The Daily Telegraph earlier this month. He (the alleged gun-wielder) is currently on leave following a group of his colleagues urging management not to fire him. The matter - a charge of common assault and possessing a prohibited weapon without a permit - is due back in court later this month. But will the Herald reporter repeat yesterday's trick - turning up at court with the opposition's paper?

Ice

I like it when I work stuff out … suggests the mind is still working: and that's a good thing. I received a wmv file from my brother earlier this week called "Ice" which shows a snappily-dressed businessman coming out of his house to find all the cars in the street ice-bound. He takes to his car with his briefcase scrapping off ice; chipping off ice, hitting off ice. It is hard, slow, cold work. But finally he is done... and he presses his alarm fob and the car in front of "his" beeps its response. I got there two seconds before this punchline - and I'm sure the folks around me wondered what was so amusing - but had to explain its the joy in realising a man has just de-iced someone else's car.

Jews or Christians

Listening to a podcast this morning, I heard someone of the Jewish persuasion suggesting there was one way to settle the question about Judaism or Christianity once and for all. When Jesus arrives, he said, just ask him if he's coming or returning ... that way we'll all know whether we should be Jews (coming) or Christians (returning).

Banking on it

Do you tell your bank that you're planning to travel overseas? And if you don't - do they have your current contact number so they can reach you when they've decided to block your credit card because they've noticed some uncharacteristic activity on the card - like buying a video iPod in California? The first indication I had that something was awry was when I received a phone call from a supplier who does a regular transaction on my card. They advised my card had been declined. "Declined?" I spluttered ... "Not possible." I was online at the time so I was able to check that no-one had been using my card and taking me up and over the limit - and then I thought, perhaps there was a "limit" on overseas transactions or some other glitch. Luckily, it was still business hours in Australia (10pm in the States) and I was able to quite quickly contact the Card section and find out they had blocked my card because of the iPod transaction ... not that they knew it was for an iPod. This is a very good reason to have memorised your customer number and identifier - it means you don't have to go through the whole "prove you are who you are" exercise - a very expensive option if you're overseas. "And is there a reason you didn't contact me before blocking the card?" I asked. Well, she assured me, they had tried to phone me (yes, on my home phone number as I later found out) and they sent me an email (never did get that). Never mind, at least someone had told me ... and I had found out within a couple of hours so it's not too bad - and they did agree to remove the block straight away. First thing Monday, I'll be checking my contact details with the bank and confirming their policies re card blocks.

Keyboard woes

It looked as though my Palm Keyboard had stopped working while I was in San Ramon. I was distraught. How could I cope on the plane home without it (this was obviously before they started preventing all but the most essential items travelling as hand luggage post 22/8 revelations of plans to blow up flights from the UK into the USA).
I tried to locate a replacement at stores within walking distance of the office and hotel in San Ramon - but the best I could find at Greatlands Target was a 30GB video iPod. But, back at the hotel the next day, I tried the keyboard again and lo and behold, it worked ... and then it didn't - and the Palm was pretending the keyboard was connected even when the keyboard was turned off. Hmmm ... maybe there was some kind of interference in that part of the hotel room - which it seems may have been the case because the keyboard is working fine now! Just as well I didn't buy a new one - that would have been wasted money (that could have been invested in an iPod!)

For Peet's Sake

Well if you can tell how good a place is by how busy it is - then Peet's Coffee is fantastic. I eschewed the hotel breakfast this morning in favour of a decent coffee - hence Peet's. The place is packed. What a buzz - and that's not just the coffee talking! Although there's no doubt that it was calling.
Update: Borders wins. A different, quieter crowd but definitely a crowd. And there are more tables here too - inviting long lingering although it may be that there is no other kind. It is cool to see so many people, all ages, reading.

Boxed lunch

We've heard people talk about them but what is a "boxed lunch"? Why it's lunch that comes in individually packed boxes. And everything in them seems to be individually packed - or at least the non-dry items: an individual slice of tomato, a slice of pickle, a lettuce leaf. Other stuff in the box: a breadroll with ham on it, two cookies (it is the States!), a packet of crisps, a sauce sachet ... and I think that was it - except for the moist towelette.

Warning

"Contents under pressure. Cap may blow off causing eye or other serious injury. Point away from face and people especially while opening" warned my ginger ale bottle. I had been looking for advice as to whether the bottle was glass or plastic. Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone could make plastic glasses feel like glass - slightly cool to the touch and with the right weight. Yes, yes, I hear you say, if one was going to replace glass with this substance - why not just use glass? I don't know "the" answer.

Flawed thinking?

The hotel I was staying at in San Francisco doesn't have a 13th floor. Well, to be exact, the 13th floor isn't labelled as the 13th floor - so it must be the 14th. I don't think there's just an empty space where the floor is meant to be - although it would be a pretty neat trick if there was. Although if you were intending not to freak people out - you'd have to put up a facade so it looked as though the top part of the building wasn't just floating there. Or perhaps the 13th floor is there but only 6" high.
What's the word for fear of 13?

Sunday sights

This should have gone with the last lot of pics but I was so busy trying to get them into a table ...
More sightseeing in San Francisco today - but not as much as I'd thought I would squeeze in. Might have something to do with the 11km walked yesterday - but it was fun - except that by lunchtime today - with another 8km up, I realised my feet were very sore and ready for a decent rest. I'd arranged for a car from the hotel at 6pm, hoping I'd be able to meet up with some friends who were flying into San Fran cisco today, but in the absence of word from them - I brought the car forward and here I am at 6pm, in San Ramon having a dry ginger ale and some pretzels while my laundry is quietly agitating in the laundry. And just as well too as I am down to my last sets of things (no need to go into details here). It's funny how places you've been before can seem familiar and fill one's heart with a feeling of comfort (or something akin to it). Can't wait to get home now and experience that feeling for real.
But first, some pictures from today's wanderings and Muni rides. I started out at Third Street and made my way up past the Meteron where lots of children were excitedly waiting to visit the Titanic Exhibit. Just before then, for those who know San Fran, there's the Sony shop - and I would have been prepared to excitedly visit it and openly (figuratively) salivate over the new Sony UX UMPC - oh, if only they'd been open - probably a good thing they weren't!!
Hmmm. If I'm going to describe the whole day - it could take a while. So, the short version. I took the F
Trolley to Castro and saw the biggest rainbow flag ever - and wondered where the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir - about to be in San Fran - are staying. Then back into town to have a wander around the markets at the United Nations Plaza. I think this is a less desirable part of town - and I would suggest that it is coloured by lots of neon and possibly some adult shops at night. Another short trolley ride took me back to California Street - and a visit to the Hyatt right next to cable car turn-round (although this one doesn't have the same turntable or crowds as Powell Street). Then it was down to Pier 1 and along that stretch - including a wander up to the TransAm building (the pyramid-shaped building). On the way there, I found a film crew although I couldn't tell what they were filming - although from the looks of the bikes, it could have something to do with motorcycle cops. I had a look at the cop/actors, but no-one looked familiar ... yes, yes, I know that, with my facial recognition skills, that means nothing!
Then I went along the pier fronts to have a proper look at the Bay Bridge (top level goes into San Fran, bottom level goes away from ... ) - and that was when I chanced upon the installation art. I know we have some BIG things here in Australia - but the mother and daughter (I have made the assumption that this is the intended relationship) and bow/arrow are up there. I am unsure of the symbolism of the life-sized and illuminated chef on the other side of the road.
I feel as though I know San Francisco a little more after this weekend - not yet enough, but it's a decent start.

Beans

Black, refried or pinto. This was the choice of beans to go with my mixed grill on Friday night at Chevy's - home of the Fresh Mex (I think that's what the welcoming neon promised.) No doubt I looked as confused as I felt because my Server casually said "so I'll surprise you then". Yes, that would be best. The refried beans were very nice - in fact, the whole meal was - the Mixed Grill. So if you're at Chevys, on Third (SoMa - as in South of Market, San Fran) I can recommend it.

And still more

... and there was going to be more SanFran pics but they wouldn't co-operate - and have been loaded into the previous post!