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Tram Town
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
 
Category: Apple
We mentioned that the Fruit Company was thinking outside the square/cube. It now seems that some folks have been trapped by this thinking!

 
Category: Stupidity
April Fool's Day is far in the past now so this article must be true!
A 13-month-old Perth baby sustained major burns when she was put in a clothes dryer, police said.
The baby was left with her mother's boyfriend at a home in suburban Warwick while the woman went to a gym for about an hour on Thursday.
Who was more stupid, the boyfriend or the mother who left the baby in the care of such a dolt?

 
Category: WHWTMSITW*
What is wrong with this sentence?
Another reason to worry about global warming: more and itchier poison ivy.
Near as I can tell it is a noun phrase rather than a sentence. That would be okay, I guess, except for the fact that it is the first sentence of an article in a newspaper. Don't they teach reporters grammar anymore?
The other thing that they don't teach them is scepticism and the need for independent thought.

* We have way too many scientists in this world.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006
 
Category: Apple
(or maybe not) Dell offers OSX as option? Or is Photoshop on the job again? You Decide!

 
Category: Important
This article in Saturday's Oz is a must read.
Men's secret out
The full horrific truth of Aboriginal abuse will emerge only when bureaucratic self-protection is swept aside, writes Nicolas Rothwell
Read it all, Jack.

 
Category: Photography
Upstairs at Michaels on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Latrobe Street is the Michaels camera museum. The website says it is not yet open but I can assure you it is. I was in town because I was going to get a couple of DVDs from JB but they were closed for stocktake. I looked over the road and there was a big sign promoting the museum. Entry is free and you might be lucky enough (as I was) to have a chat to the curator. The space is not much more than 5m × 5m bit it packs more into that space than can be found in any space ten twenty times that at the Melbourne museum.
Just One Guy's Opinion™.

Monday, May 29, 2006
 
Category: Dukes
Well... one Duke in particular who is about to turn 85 has had a book written about his supposed public gaffes (my father always called him Phil the Greek). One of his apparent sins recently:
At the weekend he again put his foot in it, saying he would do "as little as possible" at the London Olympics in 2012. "Opening and closing ceremonies ought to be banned," he said. "Absolute bloody nuisances."
He scornfully recalled the 1972 Munich Olympics, where the main arena could not be used for showjumping because it had to be prepared for the closing ceremony.
I couldn't agree with him more.

 
Category: Theatre
I meant to mention this a few weeks back but never got the chance. Sydney theatre group, Alchemy Theatre are performing a live, 30 second (paid) advertisement prior to their production of Romeo & Juliet (the ad's for NRMA's new roadside assistance package). Purists would disagree with me, I guess, but it's certainly an innovative way to raise money. News Ltd. have archived the article to their paid subscriber site but B & T mention it here (second article FWIW).
The company came up with the idea when they were thinking about doing a "next production" teaser spot prior to their current show -- another interesting concept.

Sunday, May 28, 2006
 
Category: Theatre
Our friends at Lunchtime Theatre are at it again. It must be Winter again. $10 gets you some bread, soup and a bit of theatre. That's gotta be good!

 
Category: Cuba
We've always been told the Cuban health system is particularly good but until this article I was a bit wary of the claims:
Castro healthy enough to live till 140 years old: doctor

 
Category: Racing
In Monaco yesterday, Schumacher (the older one) controversially span his red car at the Rascasse during the dying phases of qualifying obviating the risk of anyone knocking him off pole.
Jacques Villeneuve has launched a tirade at Michael Schumacher after the controversial end to qualifying in Monaco
Is Michael a cheat? To quote Bill Clinton: "It depends on what the meaning of the words 'is' is".
Jacques tops his whole commentary with this:
"This is embarrassing. Embarrassing for a world champion. It would even be embarrassing for Ide."
UPDATE: He was eventually pinged and sent to the back of he grid. Can you hear the drums?
UPUPDATE: Jean Todt was quoted as saying "Michael was on his final timed lap and he was trying to put his first place beyond doubt". Hmmm...

Saturday, May 27, 2006
 
Category: Story
This is a lovely story written by Teller (the shorter, quieter half of Penn & Teller) about an opening of an exhibition of his father's art. Well worth the read!

Thursday, May 25, 2006
 
Category: Duh!
It turns out that supermarket bags are not quite as evil as some of us had been lead to believe. The best thing about the News article, though, is the fact that a "Sydney beauty therapist" is quoted saying she "was relieved to hear about the Productivity Commission's report as it removed some of the guilt surrounding the use of plastic bags". Who tells them to seek the opinion of beauty therapists?

Wednesday, May 24, 2006
 
Category: Apple/Asian Sweat Shops
Those under-paid Asians have sure been working over time in the innovation department. I'm sure glad that I don't jog 'cos this is really stupid! (read right through to find new levels of stupidity)
UPDATE: Summary here.

 
Category: Telly
A fine collection of (American) TV commercials for toys. A lot of these toys were available here from memory but possibly with slightly different names. Buggered if I can remember whether the ads were locally voiced though! (I reckon they were thinking about it)

Tuesday, May 23, 2006
 
Category: mp3
Apple and iTunes and iPod are all rubbish! Give Up!

 
Category: 50/50
In the TTT this morning one of the Small Letters to the Editor from Paul Custance amused me: "So Todd and Brant were prepared to cut off their legs. Apart from Paul McCartney, who's going to want a one-legged gold digger?"

Monday, May 22, 2006
 
Category: Braxy
I was stunned when I heard on ABC radio news yesterday that Steve had claimed that "the Howard Government had to accept responsibility for the abuse in Australia's indigenous community because of inaction". I was not the only one. Slatts had this to say:
The violence and abuse has been going on for at least three decades and the shiploads of money — but mind you, little condemnation from Labor governments — did nothing to stop its expansion.
And of course, Bracks being an ex-teacher is so much in the thrall of political correctness he can’t understand that well-meaning responsible individuals were reluctant in the past to comment on the scandalous situation for fear of being branded ‘’racist” by the likes of ATSIC and its supporters.
Bracks himself in the past would not have referred to such matters, because to do so would be, to use his favourite chicken-shit word, “inappropriate'’.
I couldn't agree more.

Sunday, May 21, 2006
 
Category: Iraq
I reported on an article from the New York Sun about violent death rates. The good folk at Best of the Web have shown the comparison to be unfair on this page with this postscript:
We of course sympathize with the broader point King and Colon are making. But it's important to be careful with numbers. Without meaning to, they have painted a misleadingly Pollyannaish picture of Iraq, and that's the wrong way to counter the liberal media's misleadingly Cassandrian one.

 
Category: War
By Victor Davis Hanson: In the Eye of the Beholder: Imagine if we’d reported and opined on WWII the way we do now. Read it all, Jack.

 
Category: Trams
The Sun has news of a competition to name a Restaurant tram. HURRY, HURRY, HURRY! The competition closes tonight.

Friday, May 19, 2006
 
Category: Language
Learning a new language can be an absolute dog!

 
Category: Apple
The Fruit Company is certainly thinking outside the square (or should that be cube?)

Thursday, May 18, 2006
 
Category: Iraq
SEE UPDATE BELOW
An article in the New York Sun written by Alicia Colon provides an interesting comparison:
I happened to catch Rep. Steve King, a Republican of Iowa, on C-span last week and he rattled off some startling figures that demonstrate how off-base journalists are when it comes to reporting on the war in Iraq. According to Mr. King, the violent death rate in Iraq is 25.71 per 100,000. That may sound high, but not when you compare it to places like Colombia (61.7), South Africa (49.6), Jamaica (32.4), and Venezuela (31.6). How about the violent death rates in American cities? New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina was 53.1. FBI statistics for 2004-05 have Washington at 45.9, Baltimore at 37.7, and Atlanta at 34.9.
UPDATE: The numbers fall a bit short of fair and balanced as noted by me here.

 
Category: Blame
Paul McCartney and his wife hold everyone but themselves to account for their separation:
The mega-star musician, 63, and former model Mills, 38, said in a statement that they had found it tough to keep their marriage going amid "constant intrusion" into their private lives.
The couple, who married in June 2002, said in a statement that it was an amicable split but that having a baby daughter made the break-up very stressful.
"Having tried exceptionally hard to make our relationship work given the daily pressures surrounding us, it is with sadness that we have decided to go our separate ways," the couple said.
"Our parting is amicable and both of us still care about each other very much but have found it increasingly difficult to maintain a normal relationship with constant intrusion into our private lives, and we have actively tried to protect the privacy of our child.
and
"Having tried exceptionally hard to make our relationship work given the daily pressures surrounding us, it is with sadness that we have decided to go our separate ways," the couple said.
"Our parting is amicable and both of us still care about each other very much but have found it increasingly difficult to maintain a normal relationship with constant intrusion into our private lives, and we have actively tried to protect the privacy of our child.
"Separation for any couple is difficult enough, but to have to go through this so publicly, especially with a small daughter, is immensely stressful.
"We hope, for the sake of our baby daughter, that we will be given some space and time to get through this difficult period."
This man has been a "celebrity" for well over 40 years now and has reaped vast rewards from it but he just does not understand some basics.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006
 
Category: Apple
I'm not convinced that I won't get one of these (black).

 
Category: Umpires
My eleven-year-old has aspirations towards umpiring. I'd always thought that would keep him from serious injury from impact. Not any more. And get this:
"We're very disappointed at the standard of umpiring," Mr Perkins said.
"I saw a decision I've never seen before. The umpire paid a 50m penalty against us because one of our supporters, who was well behind the fence, called him a cabbage.

 
Category: Carbon
Phillip Stott comments on Europe's carbon trading debacle.

Friday, May 12, 2006
 
Category: Prosthetics
Golly! Sticks out like, well, y'know.

Thursday, May 11, 2006
 
Category: Cars
It's just a couple of months until Cars hits the big screen. Here are the trailers.

Monday, May 08, 2006
 
Category: Politics
The name Baillieu is associated with many good things in Melbourne but the good folk at Diogenes' Lamp are not convinced that premiership will be one of them.
The new leader is Ted Baillieu, who looks like a Frankensteinian monster that Michael Kroger has cobbled together in his basement laboratory, using the body parts of dead Toorak bunyip aristocrats

 
Category: Football

Four seasons in one photo!
This is taken from the grandstand at the Coburg City Oval during the last quarter of yesterday's match which, incidentally, was won by Coburg, go us!
  • Winter - the dark clouds in the background had just dumped a whole mess of rain on us
  • Summer - sunshine
  • Autumn - some of the trees in the background are deciduous
  • Spring - new life: Coburg have won three in a row!

Thursday, May 04, 2006
 
Category: Food
I just had a magnificent lunch at The Homestead Hotel in Queens Parade North Fitzroy. I had a main course of Devilled Kidneys on toast. It was fantastic, even the toast was really nice. The best thing is that, while the kitchen is usually dark on a Monday night, once a month they have an offal night. Check out this collection of dishes from the last couple of months:
  • Deep Fried Lamb Brains & Aioli
  • Ox Tongue, Green Sauce & Bread
  • Tripe, Chickpeas & Chorizo
  • Roast Bone Marrow & Parsley Sauce
  • Confit Duck Gizzard Stew
  • Grilled Ox Tongue & Lentils
  • Deep Fried Tripe & Tartare Sauce
Looks well worth a visit to me!

 
Category: Madness
What happened to good old fashioned common sense policing?
A GRANDMOTHER spent a night in a police cell after a scuffle with a group of children in which she was threatened with a piece of wood.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006
 
Category: Facts
The AFL is hosting a terrific article explaining the reasons for and against changing the decision on Sunday's Freo-Saints game. We are currently awainting the decision.
UPDATE: The results are out and the upmires' decision has been overturned. I think this is a mistake. Just One Guy's Opinion™.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006
 
Category: PMG

As near as I can tell, the Postmaster General's department was split into two entities back in 1975 so this warning sign on the corner of William Street and Little Collins Street has aged pretty well over 31 years.
The small print is:
BEFORE EXCAVATING
NEAR HERE
CONTACT
NEAREST POSTMASTER
There are a few of these around town and I have three questions:
  1. Where would I find the nearest postmaster?
  2. How would he respond to my contact?
  3. What the heck sort of high voltage cable did the PMG have running underground?

 
Category: Viromunt
Here's an interesting article about the Great Barrier Reef.

Monday, May 01, 2006
 
Category: 3 years
Happy birthday to us! It's ironic, though, that this should happen during one of our sparsist posting periods ever. With a bit of luck and my big fete over and DB's health on the improve, we might be back on the horse soon.


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