Saturday 22 December 2007

Amazing Perth Christmas Lights



The blurb with the video clip says:

26,500 light bulbs, 128 lighting channels, 5 kilometres of electrical cable, 220 man hours to set up and $3.40/night in power to run - the end result is thousands of excited children and adults viewing this amazing Christmas lights show.

Every light is synched to music which is heard by motorists on a FM92.5 as they drive past this home in Bishop Riley Way, Churchlands Western Australia.

We aim to raise $10k for children's charities - as at 21/12 we've raised $6,071 - drive by til December 28


If you're in Perth, check it out.

Update


We drove past the house tonight. The traffic was very heavy, and there were lots of people there. It's much better in real life than on You Tube, so check it out.


While you're there, make sure you make a donation, towards children's charities.

Sunday 9 December 2007

Mark Cullen

I was talking with a friend today, who goes to Riverview Church, and she loaned me a live CD of their worship. While I was looking for lyrics for the songs, I came across Mark Cullen's blog. Mark is involved with Riverview, and his blog looks interesting.

Check it out!

Wednesday 5 December 2007

The Night Before ...

I read this years ago, and found it on the urban legends website:

'Twas the night before implementation and all through the house,
Not a program was working not even a browse.
The programmers hung by their tubes in despair,
with hopes that a miracle would soon be there.
The users were nestled all sung in their beds,
while visions of inquiries danced in their heads.
When out in the machine room there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.
And what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a super programmer (with a six-pack of beer).

His resume glowed with experience so rare,
he turned out great code with a bit-pusher's flair.
More rapid than eagles, his programs they came,
and he cursed and muttered and called them by name:
On update! on add! on inquiry! on delete!
on batch jobs! on closing! on functions complete!
His eyes were glazed-over, fingers nimble and lean,
from weekends and nights in front of a screen.
A wink of his eye, and a twitch of his head,
soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
turning specs into code; then turned with a jerk;
And laying his finger upon the "ENTER" key,
the systems came up and worked perfectly.
The updates updated; the deletes, they deleted;
the inquiries inquired, and closings completed.
He tested each whistle, and tested each bell,
with nary an abend, and all had gone well.
The system was finished, the tests were concluded.
The users' last changes were even included.
And the user exclaimed with a snarl and a taunt,
"It's just what I asked for, but not what I want!"



I guess you have to be a programmer to appreciate it ...

Tuesday 4 December 2007

Street Art 3D

While browsing through blogs, I came across this site.  Among the art I came across the following picture.

It's a chalk drawing, on the road.  Isn't it amazing?

Tuesday 27 November 2007

Celebrate Testimony

My good friend posted her testimony on her celebrate recovery blog.  Take some time to read of her struggle to overcome addiction.  If you find yourself saying "me too", then please do something about it.  A friend once told me "how bad does it have to get - how low do you have to sink - before you realise that you can't do it by yourself?"  If that's you, check out the celebrate recovery site.  There is hope, a light at the end of the tunnel, loving arms waiting to catch you when you're at the end of your rope.  While browsing through the blogs, I came across One Day At A Time online, which is a site dedicated to the recovery process.

Do it.  It's important.

Tuesday 20 November 2007

Animusic

Someone emailed me the following video clip the other day:


Monday 29 October 2007

Busselton

We stayed in Busselton, Western Australia, the other weekend. Busselton is on beautiful Geographe bay.


While we were there we went to have a look at the Busselton Jetty.

The jetty is 1841 metres long - the longest structure in the southern hemisphere.



The jetty was originally only 130 metres long, and as time progressed they extended it bit by bit.



The last portion of the jetty has been destroyed by fire.  They have built an underwater observatory at the end of the intact part of the jetty.  You can descend 8 metres below water and through the observation windows look at the fish.

The tour guide said that the fish are just as curious about us as we are about them.  I was amazed at the variety of fish living around the observatory.  On the pylons there were  lots of colorful growths - the guide said that they were all animals: no plants.  An incredible view.



Friday 26 October 2007

The English Language

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will
be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which
was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, the British
Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement
and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as
"Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will
make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in
favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have
one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the
troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like
fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expected
to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.
Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have
always ben a deterent to akurate speling.

Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the language
is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th"
with "z" and "w" with "v".

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords containing
"ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl. Zer
vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu
understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze
forst plas.

If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl.

Intelligence Test

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too . Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Tuesday 23 October 2007

From the daughter of a Soldier

I received this in an email the other day:

From the daughter of a Soldier

Last week I was in Melbourne attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen.

Moving through the terminal was a group of soldiers in their uniforms, as they began heading to their gate everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering. When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red blooded Australian who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families. Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work, and enjoy our home without fear or reprisal.

Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers. He knelt down and said "hi," the little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her. The young soldier didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek. The mother of the little girl, who said her daughters name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Corporal and had been in Afghanistan for 5 months now. As the mum was explaining how much her daughter, Courtney, missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up.

When this temporarily single mum was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it. After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, "I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you." He then hugged this little girl that he had
just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying "Your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon." The mum at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet he saluted Courtney and her mum.

I was standing no more than 6 feet away as this entire event unfolded. As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of moment turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.

We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an Australian.

RED FRIDAYS
Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday.
The reason?
Australian's who support our troops used to be called the "silent majority". We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for Country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organised, boisterous or over-bearing. We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions.

Many Australian's, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of Australia supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every Australian who supports our men and women afar will wear something red. By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make Australia on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football team. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family, it will not be long before Australia is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?"
is..."We need your support and your prayers". Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday.

IF YOU AGREE -- THEN SEND THIS ON

IF YOU COULD NOT CARE LESS THEN HIT THE DELETE BUTTON.

IT IS YOUR CHOICE.

THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED---- SO WEAR RED!
LEST WE FORGET


A quick Google search reveals the following on Snopes.com

Origins: This story about a heartwarming encounter in an airport between a little girl and a troop of soldiers first began to circulate on the Internet in late June 2006. By late July 2006, it was also traveling about in a Canadianized form (see second example above), and by mid-August an Australianized version was on the move as well (third example above). Each of the three versions was often the first segment of an e-mail exhorting recipients to wear red on Fridays to show support for the troops.

Notice how the three versions - each presented as a true account of events the writer himself witnessed - differ from one another:

American
  • Takes place in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Courtney's father is a Marine who has been serving in Iraq for 11 months.

Canadian
  • Takes place in Trenton, Ontario.
  • Courtney's father is a corporal who has been serving in Afghanistan for 11 months.

Australian
  • Takes place in Melbourne, Australia.
  • Courtney's father is a corporal who has been serving in Afghanistan for 5 months.

The Australian version also changes most references to Courtney's mother from "mom" to "mum." We don't know if the original (which we have reason to believe is the American version) is an account of an actual event or is a work of fiction. What we do know is that the Canadian version has twice appeared in newspapers in Canada, once very clearly identified as having been gleaned from an anonymous e-mail circulating online, and once presented as something the author had himself witnessed.

Last updated: 22 August 2006

While I sympathise with the sentiment here, I believe we shouldn't be propagating fiction dressed up as fact. Please check these things out before forwarding them onto others.

A word of encouragement

I was talking to a friend last night, telling him about my business, and some of the struggles that I've been facing. He has run a small business for the last 20 years, so he's been where I'm at. He said he could relate to what I was telling him. He said
I want to encourage you ... but nope, I've got nothing.

I thought it was funny.

Saturday 20 October 2007

Prayer

I love Adrian Plass. He is a very funny guy. He came to Perth for a one night only performance. During the performance, he was talking about prayer, and how sometimes we totally miss the point. He was telling us about someone who prayed something like this:

Lord we pray for your holy fire. Lord we pray for that fire to come. Lord it will come and it will be a hot fire. Lord it will be a fire that burns, it will not be that cold fire. Lord it will be a burning hot fire, and it will consume that which was previously unconsumed. There will be a mighty conflagration, and we pray for your holy fire to come right now.

And Lord we pray for your holy rain. We pray that that rain will come. It will come Lord, and it will be a wet rain. Lord, it will be a wet rain that falls. It will be a falling wet rain, Lord. Lord it will not be that rising dry rain, but a rain that will fall, it will be wet, Lord, it will come, and it will make wet that which was dry. Lord there will be a moistening, of the unmoistened, when that falling wet rain comes, and Lord we pray for that holy rain to come apon us now.

And finally Lord, we pray for your holy wind. we pray for that holy wind, lord, we pray it will come, and it will be a real moving of the air. Lord, it will be a moving of the air, it will not be that wind of still air, that does not move, but it will move, and it will be a holy moving wind that will removes that which was unremoved.

Actually, as you were, lord, I think we got the order a bit wrong here, because, thinking about it, if your holy rain comes immediately after your holy fire, it will make a terrible mass, and your holy wind won't have a hope of shifting a great lumps of soggy ash, so perhaps thinking about it - if it's all right with you - we'll have your holy fire, followed by holy wind - not too quickly, or it will fan your holy fire to life just when we want it to go out - followed by holy rain just to freshen everything up, amen.


I'm glad God has a sense of humour.

Saturday 13 October 2007

Celebrate Recovery


A good friend of mine is championing the cause of Celebrate Recovery in Australia, in her new blog which can be found here. For those who don't know, Celebrate Recovery was born out of Saddleback Church. CR is based on a twelve-step program to help people recover from destructive behaviours, restore relationships and build new lives. In their own words,
"It was designed as a program to help those struggling with hurts, habits and hang-ups by showing them the loving power of Jesus Christ through a recovery process"
Other programs to come out of Saddleback include the Purpose Driven Life.

Check it out!

Sunday 30 September 2007

Strong Hand Of Love

My friend Alex is a Mark Heard fan. He sings a number of his songs, including "Strong Hand Of Love":

STRONG HAND OF LOVE
by Mark Heard.
Down peppers the rain from a clear blue sky
Down trickles a tear on a youthful face
Feeling in haste and wondering why
Up struggles the sun from a wounded night
Out venture our hearts from their silent shrouds
Trying to ignite but wondering how

We can laugh and we can cry
And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows
We can dance and we can sigh
And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows

Young dreamers explode like popped balloons
Some kind of emotional rodeo
Learning too slow and acting too soon
Time marches away like a lost platoon
We gracefully age as we feel the weight
Of loving too late and leaving too soon

We can laugh and we can cry
And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows
We can dance and we can sigh
And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows


From Dry Bones Dance
Back to The Mark Heard Lyric Project

Friday 28 September 2007

On The Verge Of Something Wonderful

I heard this on Sonshine FM the other day, and it struck me as a unique song. It's written by Darren Hayes, who has started out in his solo career after leaving Savage Garden:

A serpent, a rabbit
A walk in the forest
A tentative looking sun
A feeling, a moment
A bursting of bubbles
A panic to overcome

A samurai, an angel
An eloquent table
An AC that does not work
A road trip, a car wreck
A paperback novel
A lover who ain’t been hurt

When you let me go, now I’m on my way
When the world below, is cold and grey
On the verge of, on the verge of something wonderful
A resurgence, on the edge of something wonderful

For it, against it
Said he’d never meant it, but Harry still dropped the bomb
A trip to the dentist, the Hollywood black list
A moment that time forgot

When you let me go, now I’m on my way
When the world below, is cold and grey
On the verge of, on the verge of, something wonderful
At the edge of, on the verge of, something wonderful

You can dance in the devil’s shoes, you like walking in heels
There’s a decent living to be made in the selling out of ideals
You can lose your way in the big city
Get distracted and lost and feel pretty, Ooh, Ooh …

I want you, I need you
I don’t wanna please you, or belong to anyone
But life is for leading, for not people pleasing
A race that has never been won

When you let me go, when I’m on my way
When the world below, is cold and grey
On the verge of, on the verge of something wonderful
At the edge of, on the verge of something wonderful
On the verge of, on the verge of something wonderful
A resurgence, on the edge of something wonderful


Monday 10 September 2007

Osama Bin Laden Captured

I got an email from a friend of mine the other day that read:
Emails with pictures of Osama Bin-Laden hanged are being sent and the moment that you open these emails your computer will crash and you will not be able to fix it!

If you get an email along the lines of 'Osama Bin Laden Captured'

or 'Osama Hanged' don't open the attachment.

This e-mail is being distributed through countries around the globe.
Be considerate & send this warning to whomever you know.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS

If you Google this, you get the following hits:

From the Truth Or Fiction website:
There is no Osama Bin Laden suicide or any suicide photos, but one of the emails claiming to have the pictures is actually carrying a virus. The goal of the email is to trick recipients into clicking the attached file. That unleashes a Trojan Hose type virus that makes it possible for the virus writers to take over your computer and use it as a messenger for reaching other computers. It is similar to the Anna Kournikova virus that circulated before this one and tried to lure recipients into clicking the file by offering nude photos. The folks at Sophos Anti-Virus classed it as VBS/Nedal-A and say it's been around since 2002. For more details, go to:
http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=description&virus_k=99686

In June, 2002, a corrupted version of this Osama Bin Laden warning started circulating along with a virus warning that is an old hoax. It claimed that if you opened the attachment to the Osama Bin Laden email you would get a virus that will destroy your hard drive. That is not true. Then the eRumor also talks about an "Invitation" or "Olympic Torch" virus, which does not exist and is a hoax.

This is a hoax. Bottom line: keep your anti-virus software up-to-date, and don't open suspect emails and their attachments.

Tuesday 28 August 2007

Contact Approved Claims Personnel Immediately

I received this email the other day:
From: "paul reifenstein"
Date: 27 August 2007 4:44:29 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Contact Approved Claims Personnel Immediately.
Reply-To: vccmchart@yahoo.co.uk

Dear Customer,

We announce to you of our Visa Credit Card Prize.Your Email appears to be one of the 7 Lucky Winners, with the following Numbers:

Winning Number: 90038
Play Number: 777V-S-S
Registered Code: AX-0033V-L-3181-C-C
Notification Number 1100VC, KXQ
Amount Won: £1,500,000GBP (One Million Five Hundred Thousand Great British Pounds Sterling)

Please Contact your Claims Personnel citing the Numbers above for processing of your Claims:

Contact Person: Mr. Reynold Hunter
Email Address: agent.reyhunter@vccarduk.com

Mrs.Carmen Hart.
A quick Google search revealed one exact match on an obscure mailing list.

I think it's a scam for a number of reasons:
  • The sender is not from Visa, like the email claims to be. Their email address is a Canadian address.
  • The reply-to address is in the UK, and doesn't match the sender's address.
  • This address is a yahoo address, something that anyone can setup for free.
  • It's sent to "undisclosed recipients". That means it's the same email sent to many people. How likely is it that you've won, along with a thousand others?
  • The email address in the body of the email differs from the Sender and Reply-To address.
  • The general structure of the email matches other known scams. Eg having a bunch of numbers like "Winning Numbers", "Notification Number" etc.
Before you reply to any emails that look suspect, check out these sorts of details. Chances are, it's a scam.

Saturday 28 July 2007

US cat 'predicts patient deaths'

We were talking about this article the other day. A US cat that is reportedly able to sense when a nursing home's residents are about to die is baffling doctors. Oscar has a habit of curling up next to patients at the home in Providence, Rhode Island, in their final hours.

One of my friends said that perhaps Oscar can see the angels with the patient, just before they're about to pass into the afterlife.

All I know is that I'd freak if he sat on my bed. Hmmm, what are you trying to tell me ...

Friday 27 July 2007

Ericsson laptop promotion

I received this in an email the other day:

*Subject: **Ericson Promotion*

hello everyone!

The Ericsson Company is distributing free computer lap tops in an attempt to match what Nokia has already done. Ericsson hopes to increase its popularity this way. For this reason, they are giving away the WAP Laptops. All you need to qualify is to send this email to 8 people you know. Within 2 weeks, you will receive Ericsson T18. But if you can send it to 20 people or more, you will receive Ericsson R320.There are people within our building who have received their laptops so I thought I would share this information with you in hopes that you get one before they give them all out.

This is a hoax. A quick Google search reveals the following links:

From the Hoax Slayer website:

Ericsson has published a statement debunking these hoaxes on its website:

Ericsson is not giving away free phones. The chain mail you have received is a fraud and there is no person with the name of Anna Swelund working at Ericsson. At Ericsson, we are constantly looking at new innovative ways to market ourselves, chain e-mails are not one of them. We kindly ask you not to forward the chain mail further.

Similar messages claim that Nokia is the company giving away free phones for forwarding emails. This claim is also totally false.

In fact, any message that claims you can receive free products or money just for forwarding an email is sure to be a hoax. No legitimate company is likely to engage in such a haphazard and uncontrollable method of promoting their products.


Sorry guys, no free laptops.

Thursday 19 July 2007

Take the coffee quiz

It's amazing what you find on the internet. Take the following test for example:


Mingle2 - Free Online Dating

Monday 9 July 2007

Caedmon's Call

Someone asked me the other day where Caedmon's Call got their name from. After a quick Google search, I found the following on wikipedia:

The band's unusual name was inspired by Cædmon, an Anglo-Saxon monk who lived during the 7th century. Legend has it that Caedmon was afraid to sing in public due to a lack of musical talent, and shied away from occasions where he had to sing. One day, he heard God calling him to sing, but Caedmon refused at first out of fear. Eventually he decided to listen to God, and when he did, he sang beautiful verses that had never been heard before. Many songwriters tried in vain to write songs as good as or better than Caedmon's, but could not because Caedmon's songs came from God. Founding band members Cliff, Danielle, and Aaron decided on the name "Caedmon's Call" after all three heard this story during the same week and thought it was fitting.

Wednesday 4 July 2007

Thunderbirds - the meaning of FAB

We were watching "Thunderbirds" original episodes the other day, to show my kids what I used to watch when I was a boy. The show has lots of catchphrases, like "5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. Thunderbirds are go!", "Yes M'Lady", and my favourite "FAB". Of course, then the question was "What does FAB stand for?"




Wikipedia has this to say:

The characters use the radio sign-off "F.A.B." rather than "Roger" or "Over and out". Anderson was often asked what F.A.B. stood for, but stated it in fact simply stood for "fab" (short for "fabulous"), a 1960s catchphrase. During radio broadcasts it also stood for Fully Acknowledged Broadcast.


On a website where they interviewed Gerry Anderson, the producer of Thunderbirds, was this answer:

11. What does "F.A.B." stand for?

Perhaps the most frequently asked question by new THUNDERBIRDS fans, the definitive answer came from Sylvia Anderson herself during her promotional tour for her book YES, M'LADY. According to Sylvia, F.A.B. stands for...
...absolutely nothing.

It was something they made up on the spur of the moment during a writing session, Sylvia says, and it was never intended to stand for anything other than to spell out the letters of a popular British slang word--"fab"--during that era. Many people have attempted to find other meanings ("Filed, Actioned, Briefed", "Fine--Acknowledge Broadcast"), but it never meant anything other than "fabulous".


The Fun Trivia website says this:

The characters use the radio sign-off "F. A. B." rather than "Roger" or "Over and out". Anderson was often asked what F. A. B. stood for, but in fact it simply stood for "fab" (short for "fabulous"), which was a 1960s catchphrase. Later this was unofficially decided to mean Fully Advised and Briefed, following on from P-W-O-R (Proceeding With Orders Received), a similar radio confirmation code in the series Stingray. In Anderson's next series, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, S.I.G. (Spectrum is Green) would continue the tradition of initialled call signs.


Another saying that has lost it's meaning in the sands of time.

Monday 2 July 2007

Centre Isle

I love Caedmon's Call. One of the songs on their first album is "Centre Isle". I found the lyrics to Centre Isle the other day. It came with a footnote from the author:

In November of '95, the sister of a friend of mine from high school committed suicide. Having never been to a funeral, I was very apprehensive, especially since I had been asked to play a song during the service. Seeing her in that room along with all of those people who loved her and cared about her really made me think. I mainly wondered if whatever it was that had driven her to that point could have been worked out in that quiet room with that group of people. I suppose questions just lead to more questions. I wrote this song on the way back home in the car. (Derek Webb)

Thank God I'm back in my car
And driving home
And driving home
'Cause the air was thin and so cold
Back in there
It was my first time
Won't be my last time
And the questions rise
Expectations fall
In light of it all

There aren't words to say
Words aren't remembered
But presence is
A good friend once told me
And he was there
He was there
But she wasn't there
It's not fair
It's not fair

(Chorus)
What crimes have you committed
Demanding such a penance
That couldn't wait for five more minutes
And a cry for help
'Cause this room is so peaceful
And this room is so quiet
And I hate the silence
And I can't walk the center aisle

I've been here for over three hours
Behind the flowers
So beautiful and young
And so alive
And so in need of someone
Someone to talk to them
'Cause theirs are fragile lives

(repeat chorus)
And I think about my brother
And how I just stood there
With my hands in my pockets
And my heart in my throat

Thank God I'm back in my car
And driving home
And driving home
But in that place I leave
All my days of taking life for granted
And the words I wrote for her
And my best friend crying
And a young girl lying
On all our hearts
(repeat chorus)


It's that line that gets me every time: What crimes have you committed, demanding such a penance, that couldn't wait for five more minutes, and a cry for help...

Its a cry for help ...

Tuesday 26 June 2007

Self-Pruning Trees

My son asked why the branches of some trees seem to fall off without any reason.

I found the following quote on the National Association of Forest Industries website:
The self-pruning habit can be a disadvantage in a town, and the choice and positioning of some species need careful planning. The limbs of some eucalypt species are dropped progressively from the tree by a natural process: a fungus weakens the base of the limbs and the growth of the stem forces the branch to break off at that point. The limbs have a habit of dropping without warning on calm, hot days and for this reason many Australians are wary of picnicking or camping under large, old eucalypts. Bushmen refer to these limbs as 'widow makers'.


I also found some research articles on the same topic. John H. Schaffnew says in his paper that some trees develop "brittle zones" and "cleavage planes", which form weak spots in the branches. When the limb grows, it causes these branches to break off. Brittle zones and cleavage planes exist in deciduous plants which allows them to shed their leaves in winter. They also exist in fruits, which is why we can pluck a strawberry, or an orange and not take off half the branch as well.

Sunday 17 June 2007

End of an Era

It's the end of an era, the demolition of my old house. It was originally built as temporary housing in the early 1950's for people returning home from the war. Many houses in Western Australia were built with the same design. My father-in-law's house is a mirror image, except that he has extended it in most directions, nearly doubling it's size.

Our neighbour has lived in her original house since it was built. She has told us about the changes in the neighbourhood, how we didn't have a road out front, only a dirt track. The mail man, milkman, ice man, and veggie man all delivered their goods to the road at the top of the dirt track, and all the people used to walk up to the road to collect their mail and things. Out to the east was a dairy, where the cows grazed in the paddocks. Now there's two major highways. Out to the west was a pine plantation, now there's a university and a retirement village.

Even the last 15 years that we have been there, we have seen changes - our neighbour's house is now one of the very few original houses left. All the other original houses have been knocked down and converted into units.

Now all that's left of this house is a pile of wood, and the brickwork chimney and laundry. The end of an innings.

Thursday 24 May 2007

4 Keys to Effective Songwriting

I'm in print! The following article is on the Vineyard Worship website:

I started learning music when I was 8 years old. My parents bought an electronic organ, and I took music lessons. My family moved to country Western Australia when I was 15, and it was about that time that I started writing my own songs. When I left home for Perth, I joined Grace Community Church and eventually became the worship team leader. Apart from the songs that I wrote, we had some talented team members who also wrote worship songs. I organised worship team retreats where we would take time out to write songs together. We had a collection of home-grown songs that we played often, to our own fellowship and to other churches.

When Grace closed down, we came to Southside Vineyard Christian Fellowship and after some time I became worship team leader. Our song-writing attempts have not been as successful as in my previous church, but we have written songs individually and as a team.

Song Writing Structure

I had learned to play keyboards, and then later on guitar. When I started writing songs, I usually began with a chord progression or melody. I found that I would get a chord progression, a melody, or a drum pattern with an unusual beat, and around this I would form a song with a structure – an intro, verses and choruses, maybe a bridge, then an ending.

Every song needs a structure, something on which to hang the words and melody. If there isn’t a structure, then there’s no clear start or finish. A song needs to have ebb and flow – does it build up to a crescendo, is there a peak, a focal point to the song? Is there a bridge – a break in the song, different chords, a different tune? Is there space for a solo or lead break? You need to have a rough idea of the structure, which will get clearer as you progress through the song writing process.

Unless the song is an instrumental, songs need words. When I write songs, sometimes I have a word or phrase going through my mind. Sometimes it reflects where I am at in my journey. Lyrics don’t necessarily have to rhyme, but there needs to be a rhythm to them. When you write words, verses need to have the same rhythm so they are easy to sing.

You can think of a song as a story. What story does your song tell? What is the theme? Write words around that theme. That can help narrow down the field if words aren’t your strong point. Some songwriters think of a “hook” – a word or phrase that the song is built around. The hook repeats in the chorus, or maybe in the verses, to help hold the song together. We tend to remember the hooks in songs, long after we forget how the rest of it goes. It’s the part of the song we’ll sing when we’re trying to tell people about it.

Group Song Writing

In my experience, group song writing is a bit of a mixed bag. I wanted to write songs as a group, so we could “own” the song as a group. Song writing can be a real bonding experience. In practice, song writing in a large group is impractical. There’s such a diverse mix of ideas that it can be hard to build these into a song. Small groups seem to work the best, and the most successful times have been when one person comes forward with a basic structure, a starting point from which to construct a song.

Last year we tried this approach with Southside’s worship team. I brought in a song where I had the chords, melody and some words, but I felt that the song was incomplete. In the small group that we had that night, we were able to arrange the song and end up with a final product.

Recording

It’s important to record the songs that you write, so you don’t forget how it goes! I have stacks of entries in my journal where I’ve written some chords and/or word, thinking that I’ll remember how it goes. Looking back, I can’t for the life of me remember the tune or the rhythm.

If you don’t have a computer, then tape decks are cheap. Keep it nearby and ready to go so you don’t interrupt the flow when you get an idea.

These days, computers are commonplace and recording software abounds. I use a Macintosh iBook G4 and Garage Band. I can lay down tracks very quickly using the built-in microphone just for a rough structure, or take time to record each track properly, and later on mix levels etc. There are built-in loops so you can put down a drum track very quickly to give you something to keep in time as you build up the other tracks.

Handling Criticism

When I write a song, I pour a lot of myself into the writing. This song represents something of myself. I love to tell people about my music, but not everyone likes what I write. After all this time I still find it hard when I eagerly play a song I’ve just written and recorded to someone and they say they don’t like it. You feel like they are really saying “I don’t like you”. Just remember – you won’t please every one all the time. Not everyone will like your music – it isn’t a personal attack on you. Do you like everything that’s played on the radio? So when you play for people, be prepared that not everyone will like what you write.

Keep persevering – I’m sure that if you asked any artist today, they would say that they wrote hundreds of songs before they had a hit. With each song you’ll write, your skills will improve. Let the songs you write be a history of your journey.
Happy writing!

Scissor Sisters Live - Take Your Mama



Check out the barn in the background...very cool performance.

Monday 14 May 2007

Slow Dance

Received this from a friend of mine:

Slow Dance

This is a poem written by a teenager with cancer. She wants to see how many people get her poem. It is quite the poem. Please pass it on.

This poem was written by a terminally ill young girl in a New York Hospital .

It was sent by a medical doctor. Make sure to read what is in the closing statement AFTER THE POEM.

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done!
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,"Hi"
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.
--------------------
FORWARDED E-MAILS ARE TRACKED TO OBTAIN THE TOTAL COUNT.
Dear All:
PLEASE pass this mail on to everyone you know - even to those you don't know! It is the request of a special girl who will soon leave this world due to cancer. This young girl has 6 months left to live, and as her dying wish, she wanted to send a letter telling everyone to live their life to the fullest, since she never will. She'll never make it to prom, graduate from high school, or get married and have a family of her own. By you sending this to as many people as possible, you can give her and her family a little hope, because with every name that this is sent to, The American Cancer Society will donate 3 cents per name to her treatment and recovery plan. One guy sent this to 500 people! So I know that we can at least send it to 5 or 6. It's not even your money, just your time!

PLEASE PASS ON AS A LAST REQUEST.


Dr. Dennis Shields, Professor
Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology
1300 Morris Park Avenue
Bronx , New York 10461

A quick check of Google says that this is a hoax. There is no little girl dying of cancer, the American Cancer society will not donate money for each email sent. Dr. Shields has nothing to do with this hoax other than the fact that he forwarded the message and automatically attached his "signature" to it. Email tracking as described in the email is technically impossible.

Check out the following links:
According to the Truth Or Fiction website, the poem is actually from the pen of psychologist and writer David L. Weatherford (www.davidlweatherford.com).

Please check things out before passing them on.

Saturday 12 May 2007

Faith like potatoes


We travelled to Wagin to listen to Angus Buchan speak. Angus is a Scottish-born South African farmer who wrote the book Faith Like Potatoes, which has been turned into a movie. He is an interesting person to listen to with his down-to-earth, no-nonsense attitude.

Angus challenged us to live a life hungry for the things of God, to purpose to follow God, no matter what the cost. He said that our faith should cost something, because if it didn't cost something it wasn't worth anything. Going to church wasn't enough, because if going to church made us a Christian, then going to Macdonalds made us a hamburger. We needed to have a relationship with Jesus. We needed to talk to Jesus about people before we told the people about Jesus. If we only took one thing away with us from the night, then remember this: Jesus loves each one of us very much. There is hope, there is an answer, there is a way out of despair in Jesus.

A music team from a baptist church in Joondalup lead the congregation in worship. One of the local Wagin pastors welcomed us all and introduced Angus. They said that every available chair that the Wagin shire owned was put out, and there were still people standing. After the event, there was a BBQ dinner. I spoke with one of the organisers who said that there were 400 chairs and at least 150 people standing at the back of the pavillion, which makes this one of the largest Christian gatherings I've seen in Wagin.

Wagin's name means "emu watering hole", but is also known as the meeting place. Aboriginals used to come to Wagin as a central meeting place for the different tribes. Angus asked for people to give a show of hands to indicate where they came from. There were people from the North, South, East and West of Wagin, once again making Wagin the meeting place for the Great Southern.

Friday 11 May 2007

#90

I received the following from a friend the other day:

I got a call last night from an individual identifying himself as an AT&T Service technician who was conducting a test on our telephone lines. He stated that to complete the test I should touch nine (9),zero ( 0), hash (#) and then hang up. Luckily, I was suspicious and refused. Upon contacting the telephone company, I was informed that by pushing 90#, you give the requesting individual full access to your telephone line, which allows them to place long distance telephone calls billed to your home phone number. I was further informed that this scam has been originating from many of the local gaols/prisons. DO NOT press 90# for ANYONE. PLEASE pass this on to your friends. If you have mailing lists and/or newsletters from organisations you are connected with, I encourage you to pass this on.



I typed "pushing 90#" into google and got a stack of hits to say that this is a hoax. From the Hoax-Slayer website:

False, with some rare exceptions.

In rare cases, the information in the email can be true. Some business telephone switching equipment that has been configured in a certain way may be vulnerable to the scam. If a particular type of PABX phone system requires users to dial "9" to get an outside line then it is theoretically possible for a scammer to take control of the line. However, since the information is false for the vast majority of home phone users, and certainly for mobile phone users, the email can be dismissed as a pointless hoax and should not be forwarded.


See also:
http://www.sophos.com/security/hoaxes/donotpush.html

If you receive this or a similar message, please do not forward it to your friends and colleagues. Forwarding unsolicited chain letters wastes time and bandwidth.


Please let anyone else you've told know that this is a hoax, as well as anyone who told you.

Saturday 5 May 2007

University of New England

I had a chance to visit the University of New England in Armidale, NSW this week. There's this majestic building that is the heart and history of the university, called Booloominbah. The building was originally the homestead for the property there, which was a deer park. The property and building was gifted to the university by Mr T R Forster, on the condition that there would always be deer on the property.

I found this virtual tour on the UNE website. Take the tour, and look for the "Gordon Window" up the main staircase. I saw this amazing stained-glass window, which I'm told commemorates a British hero and 'the first commitment of Australian troops to fight for the Empire'.

You'll need Quicktime to take this tour. Click on the image below to begin.

Booloominbah

While you're in Armidale, check out TuneFM, the university radio station. Very cool.

Thursday 26 April 2007

Kingdom of Summer

I've started to read Stephen Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle series again. This is a series set against a backdrop of Roman Britian and Celtic legend. To my way of thinking it's like "...what would it be like if King Arthur was a Christian...". It's a gripping read.

The first book, Taliesin touched my heart. There are passages that I read that makes me feel brighter, stronger, more noble, and gives me hope that walking this path in life really is worth it all in the end. Taliesin's vision of a future kingdom of peace sounds like a vision of heaven to me. The following quote is from book 2, where Charis is speaking the vision once again to their son Merlin:

There is a land shining with goodness, where a man's word is his pledge, and falsehood is banished, and children sleep in their mothers' arms and never know fear or pain. It is a land where kings extend their hands in justice rather than reach for the sword; where mercy, kindness and compassion flow like deep water over the land, and men revere virtue, revere truth, revere beauty, above comfort, pleasure or selfish gain. A land where peace reigns in the heart of man, where faith blazes like a beacon from every hill, and love like a fire from every hearth, where the True God is worshipped and his ways acclaimed by all ...

There is a golden realm of light, my son. And it is called the Kingdom of Summer.

(From Merlin, by Stephen Lawhead)

I long for a place like that.

Wednesday 25 April 2007

ANZAC Day

Kings Park War Memorial





The Last Post



The Ode came from 'For the Fallen', a poem by the English poet and writer Laurence Binyon and was published in London in The Winnowing Fan: Poems on the Great War in 1914.

The Ode
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

We went to the ANZAC Day Dawn Service, and I was surprised to see the number of people gathered. News reports say that there were 40,000 people there, and judging by the sea of people I saw, I'd believe it. There were a number of video screens, so everyone could see what was happening. It was a moving ceremony with a solemn address.

Lest we forget.

Saturday 21 April 2007

Point Fraser

Today we rode our bikes down to Point Fraser, just off the Causeway in East Perth. When we first moved to Perth, this was just a carpark, then some lawn and aging playground. The City Of Perth started a redevelopment project and the first stage is now open. There is a car park, playground, amphitheater, and art.

The aim of the project was to recycle the storm water and runoff from East Perth, to recreate a mini-wetlands, and provide another recreation area close to the river. I think the result is fantastic, and like other developments along the Swan River foreshore adds tremendous value to Perth.








There are many seats along the pathways. Along the back of the seats are parts of a story, so if you follow the path you can get a picture of life in Perth. There are also snippets written in the paths. A couple of the seats also had snippets written in braille, made of raised chrome dots on the concrete background.

The amphitheater faces the river, and consists of four grassed tiers.

Behind the recreation area is a carpark, a bus bay, and roundabout.






There is a board walk over a spring that feeds into the river. Other board walks skirt some of the developed wetland areas and contain a marker with street signs and directions.

There are also free public BBQs throughout the area.












The playground in the center has swings and slides, a climbing wall, as well as a Liberty Swing, designed for children with mobility problems. This swing appeared on ABC's New Inventors program.

There is also a lookout which provides an excellent view of the playground and river.











There is a bust of explorer Nicolas Baudin, and a short biography of his life. This bust was donated to the City of Perth by the Terra Australis 2001 committee to commemorate the bicentenary of the Baudin Expedition.

Monday 16 April 2007

Ignoring Beauty

This article comes from the Desiring God website:

The Washington Post conducted an experiment to see if beauty could be recognized through the mundane malaise of day-to-day life. They arranged for Joshua Bell, a preeminent violinist, to play incognito in a busy corridor in D.C. one morning--a free concert from a musician who plays a $3.5 million instrument. He had his case open for donations and played the best music most of the workaday passers-by had probably ever heard. To what effect? Virtually none.



The article asks those who come into contact with street musicians: "Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? ... Do you have time for beauty? Shouldn't you? What's the moral mathematics of the moment?"



Is it immoral to ignore beauty?



I couldn't help but read it as a parable:




As it happens, exactly one person recognized Bell, and she didn't arrive until near the very end. For Stacy Furukawa, a demographer at the Commerce Department, there was no doubt. She doesn't know much about classical music, but she had been in the audience three weeks earlier, at Bell's free concert at the Library of Congress. And here he was, the international virtuoso, sawing away, begging for money. She had no idea what the heck was going on, but whatever it was, she wasn't about to miss it.



Furukawa positioned herself 10 feet away from Bell, front row, center. She had a huge grin on her face. The grin, and Furukawa, remained planted in that spot until the end.



"It was the most astonishing thing I've ever seen in Washington," Furukawa says. "Joshua Bell was standing there playing at rush hour, and people were not stopping, and not even looking, and some were flipping quarters at him! Quarters! I wouldn't do that to anybody. I was thinking, Omigosh, what kind of a city do I live in that this could happen?" (my emphasis)




She was appalled that anyone would have either the naivete or the gall to condescendingly flip a quarter at one of the world's greatest musicians. She was shocked that something as astoundingly beautiful was so easily disregarded.

Sunday 15 April 2007

All Will Turn Out Fine

This year I'm going to write music again. I thought I'd start by pulling out all the songs I'd ever written, and putting them all together. Below is the lyrics to the one I'm working on recording now.

All Will Turn Out Fine
© Paul Mulroney 1996

V1
Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever make the grade
Someday, somehow, I won’t be afraid
To walk by faith and not hold back
Whatever, come what may
Someday, somehow, I won’t be afraid

Ch
I see the Then and don’t know When
All this dreamin’s for
I see the signs and don’t know Why
Heaven seems so far
I see the Now and don’t know How
In all of these dark and troubled times
That all will turn out, all will turn out
All will turn out fine

V2
It seems the road I’ve set upon has dangers by the way
Someday, somehow, I will find the way
They beckon with their false perfume and lead so far away
Someday, somehow, I will find the way

Ch

V3
I hear a soft familiar voice cry gently on the wind
Someday, somehow, I’ll find my rest in Him
Resting in my Saviour’s arms I know I’ll finally win
That day, somehow, I’ll have my rest in Him

Ch
I’ll see the Then and I’ll know When
All this dreamin’s for
I’ll see the signs and I’ll know Why
Heaven seemed so far
I’ll see the Now and I’ll know How
In all of those dark and troubled times
That all has turned out, all could turn out
All has turned out fine

Saturday 14 April 2007

Magical Square Root Implementation In Quake III

One of the sites I regularly read is Worse Than Failure which looks at bizarre bits of code that programmers come across from time to time. (It used to be called WTF, short for "What the F...???", something that Rove has shortened to "What the?" and made a regular segment in his TV show.)

In the comments of one of the recent articles was this code snippet to calculate the square root of a number, which was originally written for Quake III.

float Q_rsqrt( float number )
{
long i;
float x2, y;
const float threehalfs = 1.5F;

x2 = number * 0.5F;
y = number;
i = * ( long * ) &y; // evil floating point bit level hacking
i = 0x5f3759df - ( i >> 1 ); // what the f...?
y = * ( float * ) &i;
y = y * ( threehalfs - ( x2 * y * y ) ); // 1st iteration
// y = y * ( threehalfs - ( x2 * y * y ) ); // 2nd iteration, this can be removed

#ifndef Q3_VM
#ifdef __linux__
assert( !isnan(y) ); // bk010122 - FPE?
#endif
#endif
return y;
}
Try Goolging 0x5f3759df and you'll find lots of references. It turns out that the above routine implements a theory called Newton Approximation of roots. The square root of a number can be approximated using a certain calculation, and can be refined by repeating using the results of the previous calculation. The tricky part is the magic number, which generates an initial result which is very close to the actual result, good enough for the purpose.

John Carmack is the programmer who wrote this piece of code. A genius indeed.

Very cool.

Thursday 12 April 2007

The Ashes

We were talking about cricket the other day, and the question of The Ashes came up. I had heard a long time ago that The Ashes came about because of a crushing defeat of England at the hand of the Aussies, and someone had presented to the Aussies an urn which contained the ashes of the cricket stumps from the match.

Wikipedia says:

The Ashes is a Test cricket series, played between England and Australia - it is international cricket's most celebrated rivalry and dates back to 1882. It is currently played nominally biennially, alternately in England and Australia.

The series is named after a satirical obituary published in an English newspaper, The Sporting Times, in 1882 after the match at The Oval in which Australia beat England on an English ground for the first time. The obituary stated that English cricket had died, and the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. The English media then dubbed the next English tour to Australia (1882-83) as the quest to regain The Ashes.

During that tour in Australia, a small terracotta urn was presented as a gift to the England captain Ivo Bligh by a group of Melbourne women. The contents of the urn are reputed to be the ashes of an item of cricket equipment, possibly a bail, ball or stump. The urn is erroneously believed, by some, to be the trophy of the Ashes series but it has never been formally adopted as such and Ivo Bligh always considered it to be a personal gift.



While I was looking for related articles, I came across this flash-based game of cricket. Enjoy.

Wednesday 11 April 2007

World of Warcraft as a contraceptive?


Warcraft Reduces Sex Drive - Click Here for more great videos and pictures!

Skullcrusher Mountain



A music video for the Jonathan Coulton song "Skullcrusher Mountain". Jonathan makes his songs available online (www.jonathancoulton.com) via the Creative Commons license, which enables projects such as this video. He has a podcast called Thing A Week where he puts out a song a week to keep his creative juices flowing. He's said he's going to keep it up until someone pays him to do it for real.

The song at the end of the video is "So Far So Good", another great Jonathan Coulton song.

Friday 6 April 2007

Little things you should know

1. The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

2. Coca-Cola was originally green.

3. Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.

4. Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

5. The state with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska

6. The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% ( now get this...)

7. The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

8. The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400

9. The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000

10. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

11. The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.

12. The youngest pope was 11 years old.

13. The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

14. Those San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

15. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David,
Hearts - Charlemagne,
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar

16. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

17. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

18. Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

20. "I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

21. Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that make them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.

22. No NFL team which plays its home games in a domed stadium has ever won a Super bowl.

23. The only two days of the year in which there are no professional sports games (MLB, NBA, NHL, or NFL) are the day before and the day after the Major League all-stars Game.

24. Q. What occurs more often in December than any other month?
A. Conception.

25. Q. What separates "60 Minutes," on CBS from every other TV show?
A. No theme song

26. Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace.

27. Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession

28. Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand

29. Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laserprinters all have in common?
A. All invented by women.

30. Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey

31. Q. There are more collect calls on this day than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day

32. Q. What trivia fact about Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny) is the most ironic?
A. He was allergic to carrots.

33. Q. What is an activity performed by 40% of all people at a party?
A. Snoop in your medicine cabinet.

34. In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase "goodnight, sleep tight".

35. It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month or what we know today as the honeymoon.

36. In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"

37. Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.


AND FINALLY

39. In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden.... and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language

Sunday 18 March 2007

Road Signs


We got a chance to go away for the long weekend down to Peppermint Grove Beach, which is near Capel, just south of Bunbury Western Australia. It is a beautiful location, nestled in among the sand dunes on the edge of the coast.


Getting there is an interesting drive through forest, farm paddocks and the like, until you reach the crest of a hill, and bam! instant suburb.

The road signs on the way caught our eye.

Not really that close to the edge, eh?

How can I overtake - the bridge is only as wide as the car!

Huh? What does this mean??

Proper John, but not a proper road??

What they mean is that they can't afford to make the road wider...


What CAN I do at this beach?

So we decided that they should all really be replaced by this one sign...

(This isn’t a real sign)

Monday 5 March 2007

Bill Gates and email

Received this from a friend the other day:

Got a strange email today saying that Bill Gates is doing beta testing and will pay you for sending on and email to all your fiends coz he is going to track it for 2 weeks??scam/junk?? any way I don't use outook express for my email. Below is a copy of it (deleted).


It's a hoax. I typed "for every person you send this email to" into Google, and the top 3 hits were pointers to sites that say it's a hoax. For example:


From the Urban Legends website:
Comments: This is a hoax, and a recycled one at that. Bill Gates isn't sharing his fortune via chain letter. No merger between Microsoft and AOL has been announced; indeed, it's hard to imagine an unlikelier event. Two of Microsoft's biggest rivals, America Online and Netscape, merged in 1998, making AOL Microsoft's main competitor. Trust us, if these two behemoths were to merge, you'd have seen it in the headlines a thousand times over.

Moreover, Microsoft cannot track the chain letters you forward, nor will Bill Gates pay you for replicating this insipid message. Why on earth would he?

Statement from Microsoft:

REDMOND, Wash., May 12, 1999 - Recently an email has been circulating on the Internet about a new "email tracking system" from Microsoft.
As you may have suspected, this is a hoax and did not originate from Microsoft.
Microsoft does try to investigate the source of these hoaxes and take appropriate action. However, many times the hoaxers take elaborate steps to shield their true identities and we cannot identify them. Privacy and security are very important to us here at Microsoft, and we work every day to build great software for the Internet that keeps information safe, secure and private.
We regret any inconvenience this may have caused you.
— Message to Customers on "Email Tracking Program" Hoax

Statement from Bill Gates:
Even more annoying than spam, in some respects, are hoaxes. I'm acutely aware of this because my name was recently attached to a hoax email message that was widely distributed.
People embellished the fraudulent email over time, as it was forwarded from electronic mailbox to electronic mailbox, but an early version read this way:
"My name is Bill Gates. I have just written up an e-mail tracing program that traces everyone to whom this message is forwarded to. I am experimenting with this and I need your help. Forward this to everyone you know and if it reaches 1000 people everyone on the list will receive $1000 at my expense. Enjoy. Your friend, Bill Gates."
The bogus message was widely forwarded, which surely led to some disappointment from people who hoped to receive $1,000 for passing along what was essentially a chain letter.
— On Spam: Wasting Time on the Internet


Bottom line, please tell your friend it's a hoax. Suggest that before sending it next time, that they Google the text of the message and see if it pops up on the hoax sites.

Budweiser Frogs

I received this from a well-meaning friend the other day:

READ IMMEDIATELY AND PASS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW !

Someone is sending out a very cute screensaver of the Budweiser Frogs. If you download it, you will lose everything!
Your hard drive will crash and someone from the Internet will get your screen name and password!

DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!

It just went into circulation yesterday. Please distribute this message. This is a new, very malicious virus and not many people know about it. This information was announced yesterday morning from Microsoft. Please share it with everyone that might access the Internet.

Once again, Pass This Along To EVERYONE in your address book so that this may be stopped. AOL has said that this is a very dangerous virus and that there is NO remedy for it at this time.

This is VERY important. If you receive a screen saver from a friend or anyone you may not know with the Budweiser Frogs in it, DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT OR OPEN THE FILE!

Press the forward button on your email program and send this notice to EVERYONE you know. Let's keep our email safe for everyone

This is a hoax. I typed "screensaver of the Budweiser Frogs" into Google, and within a minute got a stack of hits to prove that this is a hoax. Please check the links below:


In future, if you receive a warning of this type, please take a few moments to check it out for yourself before you just forward it onto others. I'm fairly sensitive about these, having a number of well-meaning friends emailing me these sorts of warnings all the time. A quick trip to Google usually confirms the virus (or not).