16.1.09
12.1.09
Flowerbomb
it's died down a bit but it still reminds me of Angel. There's
something both fragrances have in common that I just don't like. Maybe
it's the patchouli and vanilla.
For reference, I do like Green Tea based fragrances, Safari, Warm
Vanilla Sugar and occasionally Chanel no 5.
Sent from my iPhone
6.1.09
Backup teeth
On wedding stuff
would be worn just for the morning. I didn't know this would be so
hard, I didn't know I would lose my mind.
But I've got to deal with flowers, cakes and hairdressers, not
deciding on the dress is locking up progress on everything else.
Sent from my iPhone
2.11.08
Moving
us while we're down by raising the rent about 20%. Also, neighbors
love karaoke.
--
Sent from my iPhone. Please excuse the typos.
New perspectives on my flat
necessary nurofen plus and reading a whole lot of travel porn on my
laptop. Capsule hotels! First class cabins on planes! I fondly
remember the Pod Hotel in NY.
I look at my tiny flat, and realize that if I look at my life as a
journey, this place is just a cheap economy cabin on the way somewhere
better.
Then I started cleaning up, because it's almost time for us to check
out of here.
--
Sent from my iPhone. Please excuse the typos.
29.10.08
This is not your email address.
Not spam, though I am disgusted at the inbound signal to rubbish ratio in my accounts. I don't see the debris scooped out of my email swimming pool until I log into gmail.
2034 spam messages? What a waste of bandwidth. Most of them are in the wrong character set too, sent by hacked computers that are much closer to sentience than their owners.
No, I have a common word @ gmail email address that people keep handing out to their friends, business associates, and signing up for accounts on websites.
Some of them are just confused, but not really stupid people, so I feel bad publicly ridiculing them. There's the person who sent me a picture of a very ordinary middle aged man, seated at his desk, from their shiny new O2 iPhone. There's the lady involved in church events who also donates blood at an NYC bloodbank. I get the occasional email for her that I bounce. At some point, she's going to stop punching in the wrong address.
And then there's people who play poker online.
This is an automated message sent from Full Tilt Poker.
Your Player ID: JASONR42000
Your E-mail Address: Not yours, idiot
Validation Code: HahahahaNO
Please follow the instructions below to complete the e-mail validation
process.
As a security precaution, we require that you maintain a current,
validated e-mail account at all times in order to play on the site.
A validated e-mail account allows us to provide you with customer
support, and helps to maintain the security of your account. This
validation code will only be valid for twenty-four hours.
========================================
HOW TO COMPLETE THE VALIDATION PROCESS
========================================
To confirm that your new e-mail address is correct...
1) Launch the Full Tilt Poker application
2) Login to your account
3) Choose "Account / Validate E-mail Address" from the menu bar
4) Enter the 6 letter Validation Code in the space provided
5) Choose "Validate"
========================================
IF YOU ARE NOT THE OWNER OF THIS ACCOUNT
========================================
Full Tilt Poker will not send any unsolicited mail to e-mail addresses
that have not been validated. By taking no action, you will not receive
any e-mail correspondence from Full Tilt Poker. If you wish to have
your e-mail address removed from this account, please forward the
contents of this e-mail to support@fulltiltpoker.com
I got four of these, with different activation codes. You'd think after two attempts that our gambling Einstein would get the picture, that perhaps he'd better use his real address so he can win FABULOUS PRIZES.
==
18.10.08
Waiting to take off
--
"Mass stupidity is not a conspiracy" - Dave Ramsay
12.10.08
From the 'office' today
--
"Mass stupidity is not a conspiracy" - Dave Ramsay
8.10.08
2.9.08
14.8.08
Lonely Burger
You can't see it in the pic, but this burger is a cyclops. It only has
one, staring eye on top it's bun.
9.8.08
Way too early again, on the way to work.
collecting vitamin D.
31.7.08
26.7.08
19.7.08
16.7.08
Voda/Samsung in Southbank
Instinct? Will it have better data plans than iPhone on Voda ?
12.7.08
8.7.08
11.6.08
5.6.08
12.5.08
Touchy iPod
But not as much sentimental value as my 3G iPod. I mean look at those red lights! http://www.flickr.com/photos/20262161@N00/184391331/ AWESOME. Retro Mac fonts. Plays your songs with no guff. Downside - hard drive doesn't like drops.
I'd probably still be using it if not for that.
5.5.08
The Monday MiseryBlog Chaser
The Monday MiseryBlog
Bloody Hell, What About Us Mate?
http://www.touchpodium.com/2008/05/04/first-signs-of-iphone-developement-program-being-opened-worldwide/
because I like the included map. What about us mate *indeed*.
Rumour sites are pointing at late June for iPhone, G'Day Edition, and
Optus (Yes, we suck a bit less than Telstra) as main provider. Though
the phone is said to be unlocked, so you can go anywhere you like,
even prepaid.
The biggest reason I didn't buy an iPhone in November was lack of
warranty. I regret it now, but I just know that the thing would have
died about half an hour after I got it home. And then I would have to
arrange for it to go back to the States, and it would have been this
whole *thing*.
The *second* biggest reason is that Australian data plans suck, unless
you have a 'special' device like a sidekick. The iPhone is no better
than my current phone/iPod Touch combo unless it has a decent data
plan. Optus have already bumped up the data allowance on their prepaid
plans, and it seems their other plans will be upgraded soon.
4.5.08
28.4.08
26.4.08
Browsing the Dell Site
I wonder how many Mac Pro owners buy these silver-bezelled, webcam-
packing lcds instead of the brutally overpriced Apple ones?
--
Sent from my iPod Touch
8.4.08
Thinking of Triplebooting Your Mac? Here's the links you need
3.4.08
Stormy
2) No power in my homer suburb for well over 24 hours
3) ns0.xname.org is down, killing my domain and email.
Urge to kill, rising........
And that's without bringing up Dave's problems.
/I don't want to go home.
29.3.08
PHD Comics: C-C-Coffee...
Yep. There are plenty of manuals that do this to my brain. Like the
tangled skein that is VPN configuration - I think my mind shuts down
in self-defence.
Sent from my iPod
19.3.08
17.3.08
15.3.08
Lost! On an Island!
http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/03/14/losts-lost-opening-sequence/
(And a good demonstration of why they don't do it on the show. :D)
7.3.08
23.2.08
22.2.08
Update on 'boootiful canine of peace'
"People say 'he attacked your sister, doesn't that change the way you
feel about him?'. It doesn't change the way I feel," Diesel's owner
said.
Wow isn't there some way this bogan princess can be charged with
assault? Criminal negligence?
I feel bad for the tradie, actually. Probably a prime target by the 'we
wuff our land pirhanas' contingent.
21.2.08
But pitbulls are beauuuuuutiful animals!
The real hilarity is the video of the dumb whore owner that ran on the
news tonight. Her sister got her leg shredded and she was whining
about her dead dog!
/Got another nail?
20.2.08
12.2.08
A Leopard Ate My Website
directory permissions are okay, this page has the solution.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306884
And if you're using Filevault, you'll need to read this -
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20071224093830773
though in Leopard, "chmod +a "www allow search" /Users/username"
works fine.
3.2.08
And this is why I had to walk a few extra blocks to work this morning
Checking it out on the way home to see if it's still 1945.
28.1.08
Thoughts on multitasking
- Theres no such thing as 'flow' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)) in multitasking, and this is the mode in which we are most productive doing complex work
- Women are colloquially better at it…. But most 'traditional' women's tasks (housework, watching children) require frequent, small, bursts of attention, and don't require you to load any knowledge ('state') on the situation into your head. More complex or potentially dangerous tasks (such as attending to a squirming infant, and ironing) are *not* multitasked for obvious reasons.
- Multitasking is a copout for not setting boundaries with other people. "Sure I can do that for you….(while I juggle my five other projects)
Giving up multitasking for a week
Or at least cutting it back….
I'm flustered and whether I have ADD or not, it sure looks that way. Task X and Y are both due, but if task Y is more boring or daunting, I'll 'multitask' it with task X and end up barely touching it.
I've learned this behaviour over time, but maybe I can change my habits.
It means taking responsibility for how I allocate my time, and not putting down a task I've started until I reach a checkpoint or until I have to do so. It means setting boundaries with myself and other people.
I've read this http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/01/27/2221228&from=rss and then followed it up with this - http://fabadger.blogspot.com/2005/11/giving-up-on-multitasking.html
The latter advocates a task handling structure of
- Job in
- Job allocated a time to be done with full attention
- Requester informed of where their job is in my scheme of things
- Job done
I think that could work.
/I've got STOP MULTITASKING!!! Inked on my wrist.
//Buddhism has many, many words devoted to this concept, which indicates its been a Known Issue in the human brain for some time.
27.1.08
On projects
much you've already invested in it.
You can motivate yourself by inviting feedback from others.
Turns out I'd rather eat ground glass than apologizing when I've done
the wrong thing. But I do know when it's the right thing to do. And I
will do it, as I'm not a passenger, a pet or a child in this life.
--
Sent from my iPod touch
23.1.08
Two Hands
RIP. Gut feeling is 'tragic accident' instead of 'Michael Hutchence MK II'. Probably took enough sedatives to suffocate in his sleep, as he had pneumonia.
Very sad as he was about to hit it big via the next Batman movie.
iPod Touch is "Mainstream wifi mobile platform"
And a seeeeeeexy one.
/I broke. My icons jiggle.
//Roll on SDK?
Sorry guys
Offering my apologies...
I groped the bull and I think I broke it's mojo. I'll be consulting some voodoo texts to work out how to restore it.
/Hang tight! Its only money!
30.12.07
Boomwave Klique iPod Touch Case review on MacTalk
http://forums.mactalk.com.au/showthread.php?p=417510
I did a bit of a review on my new iPod cover, linky above.
--
Sent from my iPod touch
28.12.07
My Boomwave Klique, let me show you it
27.12.07
Updates
after my last post, so thanks QF. (Wasn't your screwup).
Bag arrived with all of my stuff still in it, including DVDs, and TSA
had repacked neatly. Can't complain at this point.
I have an iPod touch case (The Ultimate Case, possibly,
pda/wallet-style) that is biding its time at the local Fedex center with
a status of "Package not due for delivery". A week without my good jeans
has given me the correct perspective on such things, and at least I know
where it is.
21.12.07
10.12.07
Crates o' bags
baggage line will send you) and there are a couple of crates of bags
coming in on the QF94 today. There's bottlenecking at LAX, and your
ass on the plane is higher priority than your baggage.
He didn't *really* know where my baggage was but at least he was
sympathetic, so I'll wait and see if my stuff turns up on Worldtracer.
My luggage vs security theatre
Samsonite with a Chococat tag.
Seeing as Qantas have no idea about anything, electronically speaking,
I'm going to try my luck today at the Tullamarine T2 Qantas baggage
services.
Day 3 without my luggage, bets on malice or incompetence?
This http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=9114&page=1 is a pretty good mirror of my experience, complete with staring at the useless WorldTracer page.
9.12.07
Don't Expect Luggage To Arrive, or, Friends Don't Let Friends Fly Delta
They can't track it. They have no idea where it is. Bob from Bangalore
can't help you.
I've been calling Qantas too and they've been only slightly less
useless, but as the fault didn't originate with them that's not all
that surprising. As the final carrier, it's their responsibility to
check
http://www.worldtracer.aero/filedsp/qf.htm and offer useless
platitudes.
Luggage has now been missing for 48 hours, somewhere within JFK,
because Qantas have no record, so there has been no handoff.
If anyone has any better ideas re: Delta, let me know, but I'm going
to try to hunt down a number for the JFK terminal Baggage Claim .
3.12.07
New York, New York
life before.
Spent the weekend in the big Apple, of which Ive only seen a tiny bit
and probably not the good parts . Yesterday I explored some of uptown
and today was downtown, Wallstreet, Battery Park, Soho, Noho, possibly
Tribeca. I dont know, I got lost a lot. But if I hadn't got lost on
53rd trying to find MoMA, for example, I wouldn't have found the
Berlin Wall piece, off the sidewalk in a little courtyard (scene where
world got better). And I found Ground Zero more or less by accident,
wondering briefly why there were all those cranes behind Century 21
(where world careened off into absolutely fucked up with no reset
button) .
Though tawdry Century 21 right next door kind of makes me smile. It
seems kind of wrong, but as I get older I know there's no Right. We
are what we are. We tolerate. We do our best.
Second ever snow experience while I was there. It has stopped snowing
much by afternoon, but the sidewalks were slick with ice. I learned
quickly to not try to walk on a slope (can't keep your balance). You
have to brace your leg muscles at every step for stability. Came
close but did not fall on butt in a grubby snowdrift, or worse, slip
into traffic. I'm sure nobody does that, but if you know me, you know
I'd find a way.
Thanks to the many free wifi providers I used along the way to help me
find stuff not on the Lonely Planet map. This would be the Pod Hotel,
CBS, Staples, the free NY city wifi on Wall Street, and occasionly
Linksys. Another tactic that worked was getting directions off a
display iPhone at AT&T. Heh heh heh.
Five million photos of NY will be going up on my blog shortly.
As an aside, the food's a bit overrated, and the closer to the
tourist strip you go, the crappier and more expensive it gets. Rhode
Island is better.
Note - everyone I sat near in every Starbucks seemed to be a British
tourist. Also tourists asked me for directions a lot.
Other than the ice and losing a glove, no bad experiences. Subway
stinky but not dangerous during day and early evening.
--
Sent from my iPod touch
26.11.07
Ducks
report, or doing my laundry. I coaxed myself out of the hotel with
the promise of getting the couple of groceries I needed while I was
there. (I can't wait until I can get home and Leopardize this laptop.
Blank slate, two years of binary cruft just squeegeed off. Right now
it chugs along reluctantly).
Current Inventory : Boston Duck Tour receipt, a Harvard fridge
magnet, and a Red Sox teddy bear.
I went to Back Bay this time, to check out stores like Neiman Marcus
and the rest of the pretty nice shopping district. This is in the
vicinity of the Mass State Library and the Trinity Church as well.
(Nobody seems to pronounce their way through the whole word
'Massachusetts' . I'll be watching for this next time I see a tv show
or movie set around here. ) Pics on Flickr.
I went looking for the flagship Boston Apple Store allegedly also in
this vicinity, close the Prudential building, also hoping to leech
some wifi for Google Maps. Well, said flagship store is still a
construction site. I was still not sure I hadn't just missed it,
until I noticed that someone had helpfully stuck an Apple sticker on
the metal building notification placard on the fence. I like that
there are people out there far, far nerdier than me. This also
restored my faith in Google Maps - when Google Maps on my iPod can't
find an Apple Store, I should just accept that it probably doesn't
exist (yet).
It was getting up in the afternoon so I went to the Prudential center
to book onto a Duck tour, the last of the day as it turns out
(www.ducktour.com) . You get into a 1940s all-terrain vehicle,
whimsically painted up, and you get a driver with lots of personality
giving a tour, driving you to the Bay, *into* the Bay, around the
Bay, and then back to the mall. I actually had a really good time.
The only downside was the cheesy tourist photo I picked up afterwards
(mild extortion pricing. And as usual, I look like I'm on drugs.).
Anyway, Duck tour rules. Do it.
Conserving my cash for New York next weekend, after another week at
work.
21.11.07
Dave and Busters
fun there. The food is pretty good, and if you could weld a video
arcade to the side of a TGI Fridays this is pretty much how it would
look. I killed some Aliens and then went back into the mall to blow
torch a few more holes in my credit.
19.11.07
Psychically clean and tumble dried
to just chill out and blend in. So I found this laundromat near the
university with free wifi.
Got plenty of walking exercise over the weekend which is important,
because I've eaten all kinds of stuff lately that you won't find in
the Atkins book.
--
Sent from my iPod touch
18.11.07
I'm in ur Boston, eating ur lobster
Boston, near the waterfront. I'm surfing the free wifi here, courtesy
of the city. I found the Mall and the Hard Rock Cafe. Even though we
just lost Melbournes, I didn't feel like going to a chain restaurant.
Sent from my iPod touch
17.11.07
16.11.07
NyQuil vs jet lag
I'm feeling displaced in a way that I never have before, and simultaneously irritated at my own cowardice. I'm not in freaking Kowloon, I'm in a first-world country with every modern convenience (except maybe a coin laundry, I still have to figure that one out).
I'm getting a weekly workday routine sorted out, and every normal thing I can do is suddenly so important. My iPod playlists , reading a book, geeking out, watching The Chaser's War on Everything, even going to the mall, I need to do every normal thing I can so I have that sense that I'm still connected to my life.
13.11.07
Should have paid more attention to Family Guy
Woke up 8am again (don't know why I do it here, I don't do it at
home!) , though about going out to the mall but decided to stay in
until work to give my immune system a break.
The hotel is great, the food is great. (I'm going to post about that
on www.auslowcarb.com) .
I'm blogging from an ipod touch which is amazing. (do want an iphone ,
but decided to wait for an Aussie 3g version). It is pretty lame out
of the box, but once properly hacked it does most things my Palm used
to, and for the things it doesn't there are workarounds.
For the family guy fans, Pawtucket is a real place. I need to watch
that show again because I will get more of the jokes .....
(any incoherence is still due to jet lag, apologies. )
Btw the thanksgiving day parade in NY will feature a giant hello kitty
balloon ! I won't be in NY until the week after though.
Ps I miss you Dave.
Sent from my iPod touch
9.11.07
Checking in
Paid the $10 for internet access at the hotel, it was good to Skype Dave.
In the US now
I'm now in the US.
Its allegedly sbout 6 degrees c outside, not that it really feels it. Its not all that cold. I've spent most of this trip uncomfortably warm, I think everyone sets their thermostat too high (including planes).
I went (briefly) to the mall and all the chain stores, Borders, Starbucks, etc, are all exactly as you would expect. Went to the Apple Store, I think the iPod touch is going to win out, just because the thing has a warranty when I take it home. Le sigh...
I have too much energy because I'm jetlagged, but I'm going to crash any time now.
I'll post more (possibly photos) later.
7.11.07
5.11.07
4.11.07
04-11-07_1952.jpg
04-11-07_1952.jpg
Originally uploaded by MidBlueMac.
Waiting on a tram, because my train got cancelled due to graffiti. At this point, i dont know whom are the bigger asshats, connex or vandals.
04-11-07_1903.jpg
04-11-07_1903.jpg
Originally uploaded by MidBlueMac.
Looks like storm damage, on the waterfront near Flinders st station.
30.10.07
12.9.07
This aint a scene, it's a GODDAMN ARMS RACE
http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/12/first-free-open-gui-iphone-unlock-software-tested-it-works/
Apple has decided that future firmware updates probably *will* break installed apps http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/12/apple-backtracks-updates-will-most-likely-break-3rd-party-iph/
after initially claiming today it was neutral toward third party software.
The arms race is on, people!
Its amazing what the hacking / open source community can do, with their concentration focused like a lazer beam on a shiny, shiny device with 'Property of AT&T' written on it. (The apple on the Tree of Knowledge probably looked a little tastier, but not much.
/I can has iPhone in Australia?
11.9.07
iPod Touch potentially useless as PDA
Wow, Apple products quite often have one stunning oversight, a glaring brainfart in a well thought out package (in the case of the iPhone, its the pricing curve).
But this, this is *special*.
However, my gut feeling is that something about the software wasn't ready for prime time and as it wasn't mission-critical, the Touch was going out anyway with the function disabled (fixable via future software update).The iPhone should have much the same software, but leaving references to the phone functionality in the Calendar app would be shoddy.
I guess in a month or three, the thing might be hackable or upgraded to the Palm/iPod replacement I wanted. Or maybe by then we'll hear something concrete on 3G. Who knows.
8.9.07
Touch!
I cancelled my impulsive iPod touch pre-order, as I changed my mind on getting one the second the arrived. Taking a risk on there being available stock, but I want to put a few more miles on my 5G Ultra Classic iPod first. Free wifi ala' Telstra and Nintendo DS might have sealed the deal of course :D
I can't wait until this thing is out and cracked like a Cadbury Creme Egg.
update
Hmm... too soon to tell for realsies, but a few features whose existence can't be confirmed or denied include Bluetooth, a Mail client (eh, webmail) , and being able to edit iCal (What?)
You could say, it's an iPod. Do you need this stuff on an iPod.
And you'd be right, these are things I can live without... but I can live without a new iPod too.
Its really making sense to hold off and wait and see how it all shakes out. I have a phone, a PDA, an iPod. There's no hurry.
27.8.07
27-08-07_1901.jpg
27-08-07_1901.jpg
Originally uploaded by MidBlueMac.
Damaged but luminously beautiful, a lift display panel at Southern Cross station.
16.8.07
16-08-07_1934.jpg
16-08-07_1934.jpg
Originally uploaded by MidBlueMac.
Giant clock-looking light installation at Fed Square
15.8.07
15-08-07_1854.jpg
15-08-07_1854.jpg
Originally uploaded by MidBlueMac.
This machine gave me one of those horrid 'mother' drinks before i got a chance to punch in my selection. I guess its the only way coke can sell that shit...
27.7.07
Because I'm an INTJ
I hate Comic Sans serif
I hate nattering debate on minutae when I CAME UP WITH A SOLUTION
FIFTEEN MINUTES AGO and it's a good one.
I hate that when the nattering goes on another hour or so, that I can't
actually kill you with my mind.
/"You should have listened to me" will be on my tombstone
27-07-07_0739.jpg
27-07-07_0739.jpg
Originally uploaded by MidBlueMac.
Yeah, something is amiss here. (these sculptures belong to an optus ad campaign )
20.7.07
Bacon Krispy Kreme burger
Bacon Krispy Kreme burger
Originally uploaded by satanslaundromat.
I'd be tempted to try this... just to see if I survive
(Like most burgers, without the bun it's low carb!)
12.7.07
15.6.07
Things I hate about office life #1
…Salescritters playing barista at 9:00am, coffee machine peak time.
You don’t need your cappuccino perfectly frothed, okay? I know you and your five cubemates in the queue behind you don’t need to do any actual work, but some of us do.
11.6.07
24.5.07
The new command center
The new command center
Originally uploaded by MidBlueMac.
I finally settled on a new desk. It's really very different from what I *thought* I wanted, which was more of an Imposing Desk of The Nerd (+2 Int, +2 Spirit). I stumbled upon this one online literally the day before we went to the cheerfully evil, wallet draining flatpack store.
I have a weakness for clever, multipurpose objects. I was musing over solving the space problem in the 'computer room' by wedging a desk into the wardrobe. I also wanted to buy a chest of drawers. I'd decided that all those homes on Apartment Therapy *really* achieved their zen unclutteredness by less furniture, not more, and an abundance of storage space for their stray widgets and technocrap.
This desk is a modern version of the classic secretary desk, and the second monitor sits on top pretending to be a tv. I can control my laptop via my bluetooth kb and mouse.
20.2.07
Emo without a cause
It's not a matter of just trying to focus somewhere else - really, I'm working very hard to distract myself.
"Well... lets see what's on TV. Hmm ET! Trashy. Has potential.
Brittney Spears! Geez, she looks depressed. And bald. With two mini K-Feds. Sucks to be her."
And then I'm thoughtfully reminded that Brittney is stupidly, stupidly rich and could jet off anywhere at a moment's notice. Its not as if I cared ten seconds ago, but right now this situation seems terribly unfair.
I have a lot of things going right at present. Why the hell do I keep trying to sabotage myself?
19.2.07
Let the record play
I didn't load up enough music on my iPod, it's a slightly emo selection and I don't feel emo at all now. Just strange. Disjointed. It's funereal. I'd made some predictions about the future that turned out to be dead wrong. In a good way, but still strange, and the new data means my worldview gets recompiled. (I had another post where I elaborated, but that sort of thing is just begging for the KarmaHammer).
On a personal level things have been pretty good of late... I *know* saying that is asking for trouble, but here we are.
As for the webcomic... working on that, but the next time I natter about that will be when I've posted something.
