Life, the universe and everything

Redirerction

2006-11-09T18:07:00.000+11:00

I've been playing around with different online blog servers, and Wordpress comes highly regarded having features that Blogger unfortunately does not, nor is on their roadmap. So until that changes, I shall redirect you guys to my new page at
fnurgle.wordpress.com
(please click on the link if not redirected automagically)

Changing face of politics

2006-11-07T09:00:00.000+11:00

The world watches the US political scene rather closely, and this week is no exception. From my limited understanding we are possibly looking at an election result that will shift the balance of power in the congress to the Democrats from the Republicans. Having the other majority party controlling the purse-strings can only be a good thing for the country, as this puts a "check and balance" on the laws being passed. Whilst it does restrict the governing party from passing laws and getting things done, it does limit the governing party pushing through anything that takes their whim at this point in time.

We have much the same situation here in Oz, where as the "Liberal" party (read: ultra conservative) are governing with a majority in the house of representatives and the senate. This enables them to push through any old guff, usually at a midnight sitting when no one else is looking. Laws touted as good for the country, but it is usually found out years down the track their private businesses made bucketloads of money out of the arrangement. The company providing the logistics for the Iraq troop support is a prime example in the US. Conflict of interest, or is it a case of being in the right place at the right time?

Having a shift in power in the US congress could mean a number of things to Australia, with one noticed in the reports yesterday being about Australian corporate involvement in the lead up to the Iraq war. This could be bothersome to the Howard government considering the timing.

edit: The verdict on Saddam Hussein has come in. Interestingly four days before it should have been announced. It seems rather convenient this be announced before the US election rather than after.

edit2: Have a look at this youtube video to see what the US administration think of their little war and the announcement GWB staged when it was "all over". Now GWB has announced Iraq was all about the oil... like that was news to anyone with half a brain? What's the next excuse?

Marley revisited

2006-10-28T09:42:00.000+10:00

I finished the book, and it did finish on a positive note -- I guess you can't really leave a book on a negative note as it might tend to upset your reader-base. :) It did encourage me to not take my puppy for granted as much as I was, and it helped me see the positive things she brought into our lives. -- not just the wanton destruction (of which she is slowly growing out of).

For any of you who have read the book, or are thinking of it -- you can visit the Marley & Me website. It has a few more details and anecdotes that were not mentioned in the book.

Marley and John

2006-10-24T00:50:00.001+10:00

I'm currently reading a book, "Marley & Me" by John Grogan. The book details the author and his new family's life and centres around their Labrador "Marley" and his antics. I can relate to it completely as my own Labrador is laying (and snoring) by my feet after a hard night of terrorising the kittens and chewing rawhide bones. Marley however has flaws that my lab does not possess, so for that I am grateful. Unfortunately Marley is not immune to the issues of aging and the book does become sad as he looses the spring he once had.

Because so many of the things he describes are so close to my experience, it's sad as he details Marley's later problematic years. I realise part of life is death, and we all like to hold on to what we hold dear. Unfortunately holding on is not always the right thing to do.

edit:
I'm not sure I can bring myself to reading the rest of the book. I have a vague idea of what the next chapter will be, but there must be more to it as there's more than the one chapter left.

Cole enquiry again

2006-09-30T09:56:00.000+10:00

This continues to be in the mainstream media in Oz.

If the AWB execs are charged under the new anti-terror laws, will their defense not argue there is no evidence of a connection between terrorist activities and the Saddam Hussein regime? If so, does that mean the Australian courts will have to decide and rule on this matter? What implications does that have to the current Oz government and our involvement in Iraq?

Ok, you may say I'm obsessed with this, but it makes me angry that an Australian company (or any company for that matter) can get away with this...

AWB in the news again

2006-09-19T11:22:00.000+10:00

The AWB is in the news again, this time the court case has been resolved about which documents can be used in the Cole enquiry. Interestingly, the judge made comment the AWB deceived the United Nations.

Of course, our politicians knew nothing of this...

What I can't understand is why GWB isn't pissed at Johnnie-boy for undermining his invasion of Iraq by supplying them cash before it all went down.

What has been accomplished in the five-year war?

2006-09-16T07:57:00.000+10:00

I just found an interesting article on terrorism and what actually is being accomplished in the current climate. It's something I may have iterated previously, and I feel reassured that others have come to the same conclusions as I have.

It's now five years after 9/11 and since that event our respective governments have participated in (to varying degrees) a fear campaign to help keep this subject in the forefront, perpetuated in many cases by the media. In our case in Oz, our government sent us all a fridge magnet. (The link is a joke, the fridge magnet was not!)

The newsletter I mentioned earlier, for those of you who may not have read it, suggests the goal of terrorism is to create terror in the wider society it is targeting, and the deaths of the victims are just collateral damage. If this is correct, why should we be giving the terrorists what they desire? Why should *we* change what we do in our daily lives? Why should I feel like I am doing the wrong thing if I want to take a photograph outdoors?

Surely our political leaders and their advisers can see this? Is there not a better way to handle this threat?

Politics and crocodiles

2006-09-08T06:41:00.000+10:00

This week showed some dramatic turns of events.

Steve Irwin, known as the crocodile hunter, was killed by a Stingray whilst shooting a documentary on the Ocean's deadliest creatures. Whilst not a fan of Steve myself, you could not fault him for his enthusiasm for his chosen path in life. Of course, this has been a huge media story in Australia, with the local media camouring for position outside the Irwin family's reptile park.

Our politicians, lead by their illustrious leader, PM John Howard, are backflipping on a deal whereby politicians superannuation contributions were reduced from 69% to a more reasonable level of 9%. It seems that newbie pollies are crying poor and "woe is me", so Johnnie has increased their contributions to 15.4%. Of course, this has bipartisan support. Not only that, it has now been reported that if pollies get "voted out" or fail to fulfill their duties and are dismissed, they get a payout of approx $30k.

About the only thing politicians can agree on is they are underpaid...

yah, me too.

The Iron Chef reigns supreme! (or I now have my plumbing sorted)

2006-09-01T17:18:00.000+10:00

The light is at the end of the tunnel. We now have functioning kitchen appliances. We have a new gas cooktop, electric oven, sink, and most importantly, a dishwasher!

I know this must not seem so exciting to most, but for a number of weeks we have been sustaining ourselves with only a vague semblance of a kitchen (for a portion of that we did not even have benchtops), comprising of an el-cheapo electric hotplate and a spattering of several other appliances such as Sam's family heirloom of an electric frypan that is celebrating it's 100th birthday this year. Needless to say, having a kitchen in this state did not inspire either of us to cook, nor when we did cook did it motivate us to cook well -- more so just to sustain ourselves -- not necessarily the most healthiest of dishes.

It's even exciting being able to wash the dishes in the kitchen sink rather than do the weekly load in the laundry tub. However now the dirty dishes can be hidden away in the dishwasher rather than create a mount everest on the laundry floor, much to the annoyance of the kittens who must have felt it had become their own private café with an oh-too-tiresome menu.

I'm even looking forward to doing some work on it this weekend, as no longer does it seem so overwhelming (of sorts). Because the end is in sight, everything is attainable... The battle is almost ovah!

The irony of it all

2006-08-28T23:58:00.000+10:00

A colleague just arrived back from San Francisco where he attended a conference. Unfortunately he was caught in the uproar and fallout from the British terrorist scare.

Interestingly it seems, currently passengers are no longer able to carry a plastic bottle of water on an aircraft, however they are able to carry on a flammable liquid in a glass bottle. I wonder if anyone has tried smuggling water on board in a vodka bottle?

Can no one recognise by causing all this upheaval to the general public, it is only furthering the cause of the "evil-doers" by causing us to alter our behaviour? So the answer from the government is a general environment of mistrust and fear...

Ploughing along

2006-08-20T08:42:00.000+10:00

Our kitchen appliances arrived yesterday -- nice new oven, cooktop and rangehood. They're all sitting out in the garage just waiting to be installed. So, motivated by this, we actually put some time into the kitchen and got a few things happening.

Today the sink will be installed, and we'll be putting a number of door handles on, so the vast majority of what was left over to do will be finished. At the very least, the fact the door handles are on will make it look finished! :)

We're still yet to purchase a dishwasher -- the initial reason we chose to renovate the kitchen!

Also, for any of you using ecto to write & publish your blogs -- don't switch over to Blogger Beta just yet. Authors of ecto don't have Blogger Beta supported at the moment, and have no timeframes as to when it will be.

Drivers and their like

2006-08-16T22:23:00.000+10:00

I've noticed over the past 15+ years of driving that some motorists fall into some interesting categories. Or perhaps I have just made all this up to pass the time...

Creeps - The ones who can't resist creeping forward when stopped at the traffic lights. You can toy with these motorists when they're behind you at the lights, seeing how little they will move forward at a time.
Drifters - These guys can be downright dangerous. They drift inside, and sometimes outside their lane, perhaps due to a number of reasons, one being a hard night on the turps the night before, or a mobile phone inserted on their orifice.
Leadfoots (for want of a better term) - These just have to get past you, no matter what speed you are doing or where they are going.
Pull-outs - These guys misjudge (or don't care about) the speed of oncoming traffic and pull out into it, causing the traffic to slow or make erratic collision avoidance maneuvers. These drivers are oblivious to the world around them.
Beamers - No, not the car. These guys, oblivious to the world around them (detect a continuing theme?), drive with their high-beams on, thus blinding everyone else on the road. Either that or they are oblivious to their own instrumentation, especially the BRIGHT BLUE LIGHT in the centre of their dashboard.
One-eyed beamers - These drivers deem that if one of their lights is out, they should drive with the remaining light on high beam as it makes up for the inadequacy.
UCD (unhealthy car disorder) - Ever seen those cars with the blue led's on their windscreen wiper jets? Or the ones with the personalised plates? Not only do these motorists pay an annual fee for the right to have the personalised plate, but their originality astounds with "RX7" or "GTS".
Brakers - The drivers who sit on their brakes, or touch them all the time, even when driving on a flat surface. This includes the drivers who simply MUST brake from 80 to 60 right at the road sign.

I'm sure there are more than these and I may return to revise the list from time to time.

A day of nothing

2006-07-28T17:56:00.000+10:00

Having a sickful day today. This morning was slept away as it was more pleasant than being awake. Im sure everyone knows the drill when winter comes in, the runny nose, the sort throat, sinus pain and headache.

Blergh.

Waking the neighbours on a sunday morning

2006-07-23T12:11:00.000+10:00

This just struck me as amusing this morning.

Up early on a Sunday morning (and not working for once) I hear Clio barking ferociously at something. Thinking it may've been a rodent of some kind, I didn't pay any great heed to it until she kept it up for an extended period of time.

Investigating what all the ruckus was about, she lead me out to the backyard, where a number of hot air balloons were meandering about in the sky.

Obviously these are things that must be told they are not welcome here, nor in our airspace, especially on a Sunday morning when people are trying to sleep!

A nice brisk morning

2006-07-22T08:35:00.000+10:00

The weather has been cold at best recently, which is unfortunate as I had a week of mild winter weather when I was in Queensland for a week recently.

Now normally I'm not one to discuss the weather incessantly -- that domain belongs to my parents, but 3oC is an extreme (for here). The annoying thing is I had thought we had reached the low point of the mercury and were over it -- we usually have a week of single digit mornings, then we warm up but no such luck this year as it seems it is a little longer.

I can remember as a kid walking to school and stepping on the "crunchy grass" that had frosted up that night and this year is the only year since my childhood that I can remember seeing it. Needless to stay, I stomped on the "crunchy grass" whilst reliving my childhood. Some reading this may disagree and say I relive my childhood more often than not, but I say pthbttbtbt to them and "you eat werms".

The cold weather isn't so bad, but when you're hurtling down the freeway at 100km/h and stop at the traffic lights there is an urge to hug the warmest thing around -- no it's not the other drivers -- even though they are in their climate-controlled metal beasts they still look rather cold -- it is usually the engine just below you.

The nice part of riding a motorcycle is belonging to the unspoken motorcyclists club. There's the casual nod as another rider passes you in the opposite direction, or a simple nod or a light conversation at the traffic lights -- usually regarding the weather!

Can't sleep

2006-07-05T02:09:00.000+10:00

It's 1:55am on a Wednesday morning and I've attempted to sleep to no avail.

Perhaps it is because of concern about one of our cats and his respiratory problems, perhaps it's due to the lovely new addition to the household, who has the habit of waking you with claws that require extraction from your skin, perhaps it's the big project I have to have bedded down at work before the end of the week. Or perhaps it's the coffee I had before bed.

My mind needs an off switch tonight.

Kitchen installations

2006-06-11T16:45:00.000+10:00

We have taken delivery of the flat-pack kitchen and have endeavored to put it together. For the most part, putting it together is not a demanding task but their have been hiccups.

One of the difficulties has been identifying the correct pieces as some have been incorrectly labeled or just not labeled at all. Add to that we have found two pieces/shelves that have the laminate on the incorrect edge. On top of that, there is a hinged opening under the oven, that has the hinges placed incorrectly.

So, we're at the stage where we have the pantry in its permanent location, and a few cabinets sitting in place. We've kind of stalled because we need a few things to happen before we can continue and get things moving again.

Things to be completed:

Pieces corrected that I mentioned earlier, so we can put together one of the more important cabinets as this one is responsible for providing a large amount of stability for the cabinets next to it.
Sink and benchtop in place and the trap/drain connected.
Appliances in place so the plumber can be called to hook up the gas cooktop and dishwasher.

As you see, there are still a number of things to do, and this is only but a part. For the moment, the world is my kitchen (or lack thereof).

Incommunicado happenings

2006-06-04T22:26:00.000+10:00

It's amazing the things that happen when you are offline from the Internet.

The Pirate Bay, a notable torrent site where links to questionable content can be found, has been raided in Sweden. After news of the raid had leaked to the 'net, it seems the Swedish Police website was DOS'd and the alleged source of the attack has been reported. A protest in Stockholm was organised, as it is widely thought the Swedish government has just caved in to the big American conglomerate that is the MPAA. Even though servers have been removed, The Pirate Bay is back online, and due to the global nature of the Internet, it has been moved offshore.

When will the MPAA realise the futility of it all?

What a week it was

2006-06-03T09:16:00.000+10:00

Our floorboards have now been sanded & polished and they look delightful and make the house look that little bit cleaner.

We've been out of the house since Friday last week, so we took the opportunity for a well-deserved break over the weekend then stayed the following week with a friend which worked out better than expected.

The dog & cats have been in boarding, which was a harrowing experience as the first few times the boarding kennels were called they just reported the animals as being "fine". It seems there are some less than enthusiastic employees working there. Now the animals are returned and there seem to be no lasting negative effects of the experience. Clio now seems just a shade less boisterous than she was before -- which isn't uninvited. Perhaps now the wave of terror will subside.

So now we're back in and slowly unpacking the contents of our garage and replacing it ever-so gently back into the house onto the still-hardening lacquer. There's still a slight smell, but that should fade over the next few days with some airing.

The kitchen carcasses (don't you just love that term?) arrive tomorrow, so the space is needed in the garage as the staging-point. :)

The way forward to new kitchen

2006-05-21T09:33:00.000+10:00

We have ripped up the ceramic tiles in the kitchen, only to find delightful 70's-style-brown vinyl tiles. Most of the carpet has also been taken up -- bar one room. We have demolished the kitchen -- luckily we have another one ready to be delivered! :)

Kitchen Before

Kitchen Now

We have found a tap, in the middle of the floor, underneath the old breakfast bar. This was unexpected, but hopefully we can tie it off without too much trouble and get it out of the way under the floor.

We need the house empty with all the floorboards exposed for this Saturday when the floor sanding will occur. After then it will be a few days without internet whilst we live in a less smelly location!

Iran and our track record

2006-05-17T07:38:00.000+10:00

This pretty much sums it up.

Look George, I dug a hole!

2006-05-16T16:57:00.000+10:00

Our illustrious PM has gone on another US jaunt, as he frequently does, to catch up with his mate George W and promise him a few more troops and various other secret things.

This time he dug a hole.

I'm sure there's a myriad of captions that can be added to this photo :)

Get yer back into it!
An honest day's work?
(As well as several derogatory versions I can think of!)

In other news, CNN turned on the cameras a little too early before GWB was ready

The Media circus

2006-05-07T08:57:00.000+10:00

The state of the Australian media is ridiculous.

There have been two miners trapped in a collapsed mine in Beaconsfield down in Tasmania for the last fortnight or so, and the Australian media have swamped the poor town, clamoring for interviews and even disrupting the rescue attempt on occasion.

On the plus side, miners in the local pub spun a yarn to an ABC reporter that was actually reported, indicating the media's desperation.

The PM must be devastated, as it has taken him and his ministers, the AWB and the Cole report off the front pages.

Renovation hell

2006-04-30T09:06:00.000+10:00

We're in the midst of renovation mode at the moment. The ceramic tiles in the kitchen and the carpet throughout the rest of the house is coming out, the floorboards will be polished and then the new kitchen will go in complete with lovely new stainless-steel appliances with a DISHWASHER! We've been without a dishwasher for about 18 months now and let me tell you it was really hard to going back to hand washing dishes again after becoming reliant on technology to do it. :)

In fact, a large part of the reason why we started the kitchen reno's was because we wanted a dishwasher. :)

Currently just under 50% of the ceramic tiles are up so the kitchen looks a little like a disaster zone. When that's done there's going to be some walls to pull out of the way before the floor polishing dudes can work their magic. We have to have everything out of the house for at least three days for that, including us, so that will be a logistical nightmare on its own.

It will be happy days when it's all done -- pulling up ceramic tiles is murder. :)

Cole, tips and noises in the night

2006-04-18T01:08:00.000+10:00

Our PM told the Cole inquiry that he was sure he had not been told of the misappropriations that the AWB had been up to in Iraq. He's a shrewd pollie, so either he is lying through his teeth or he had made sure there is no paper trail leading back to him. Either way it has been silenced in the news so the apathetic Australian news media have forgotten about the whole deal and as usual no one in government will be accountable for this.

We went to the tip today. Ooops I mean "recycling centre". A tip is a tip is a tip. It had the wind I remember as a kid, but it had far less seagulls. It also was staffed by delightful people who were only too pleased to help -- I think they needed to take a break from drinking tip juice. We were dumping various junk left from the previous tenants of our house, including an abundance of cardboard boxes. We also cut down some trees in the yard that were in various stages of diseases or decay before they infected other trees or fell on various structures. It's always sad cutting down trees, but it had to be done and it was fun to use a chainsaw. It reminded me of the original "Doom" when we would have chainsaw deathmatches. :)

It has been extremely windy tonight. I got up as the creakiness and scrapings caused by various wind noises stopped me from sleeping. Not that I normally have problems sleeping, it was more that I wanted to find out what the noises were and if something needed to be done about them before something came crashing through the window of something equally as disastrous. Needless to say, my paranoia was unfounded and all it was probably was a tree scraping on the guttering or something as simple as that.