Test

Vegetarians are unevolved and live in trees

Further proof, if ever it was needed, that the most meat-loving nation on Earth cannot tolerate those of a vegetarian persuation. First we had Sam Kekovic telling us that it's bloody un-Australian not to eat lamb. Now Sam Neill tells us that eating red meat is critical for human evolution!

Album demo

I've been trying to get some more tunes finished for my first album, Tenth Floor - so far I have four finished tracks and have six or seven others in various states of completeness. My target is to get them all ready by the end of the year.

This demo is a compilation mix of several works in progress (32Mb, 13 mins 37 sec, 320kbps, 140 bpm). Some of the completed tunes are listed on this page in the right sidebar.

You can click on the blue arrow to listen in your browser without downloading (uses Javascript) or right-click to download a copy. I recommend using headphones, unless your computer is connected to a stereo, otherwise the bass may not be audible. Let me know what you think, I'd appreciate comments and feedback.

How Australia lost the best ODI ever

To be fair, it's not often that Australia lose at cricket, but it's always memorable...need I remind you of England's Ashes triumph in 2005?

After scoring 434-4, the highest ever One Day International score, South Africa managed to score 438-9 with a ball to spare. Here's the match report from The Age.

Fraudband

The World Bank has confirmed what some Aussies and most recent British immigrants have known for a while...Australia is lagging behind on internet speed and access.

Why Data Mining Won't Stop Terror

This is an excellent Wired article on the futility of current efforts to store and analyse all telecommunications in the hope of preventing terrorist attacks. Do the sums, it just doesn't add up.

F1 prophet set for comeback

As if you needed a reason to listen to the most excellent BBC Radio 5 Live, they have resurrected Murray Walker's commentating career, which will breathe some extra life and excitement into the Formula One season. We can look forward to some fresh Murrayisms such as

"Excuse me while I interrupt myself..."

and

"I don't make mistakes. I make prophecies which immediately turn out to be wrong."

Cycle safely at night with Pac Man

A practical and fun way to jazz up your bike and be highly visible at night...and improve your highest score :o)

Tennis Mad!

Whilst loving parents will do almost anything for their child, this father crossed the line.

Purple sausage

It seems I've been a bit preoccupied with food recently, maybe food really turns me on? For example I always thought a "purple sausage" was a risque euphemism, now I "stand" corrected (ooh, er!).

The real Purple Sausage is from New Zealand, according to The Consumerist...and it's not the tastiest looking item I've ever seen. If you have ever tried one, I'd be interested to know if it tastes as bad as it looks.

The Full English

To be fair, I have to admit the food in Oz is generally fantastic - very tasty, healthy, high quality, great variety and good value. What more could a Pom ask for? Well I really do miss a good old fashioned full english breakfast from a greasy spoon. Sadly the spoons Down Under are just too clean! I'll keep looking and maybe find a downtrodden dive run by an ex-pat who skillfully dodges the health inspectors. In the meantime, I must make do with the ramblings of Russell M Davis, who has a true passion for Eggs, Bacon, Chips and Beans.

Google-zon

Ok, so the Web has revolutionised the way many people live and work - from global communications and personal publishing to shopping and news broadcasting. Have you ever wondered what is likely to evolve over the next decade, if current trends continue at their staggering pace? Here is a prediction (Flash movie contains sounds and images), courtesy of Albino Blacksheep

When you wish upon a star

If you are obsessed with celebrities, then sign up at PopBitch.

Otherwise, if you are interested in stars of a celestial kind, then this may be the ultimate gadget for you.

Futurology round-up

In our power hungry world, whether you are using a mobile phone, MP3 player (aren't these the same thing now?), cordless drill or electric/hybrid car, we all want more power from our batteries. Now the answer seems close at hand, thanks to nanotechnology.

Looking forward to an era of flexible electronics with stretchy silicon than can be worn on people, planes, walls...looks like another nanotech breakthrough but be warned, there are risks and they ain't pretty!

Silly billy

After what happened to this man in Sudan, I bet Kiwis and Welshmen are glad they don't operate a dowry system!

Haiku

If you loved the classic

A crash reduces
Your expensive computer
To a simple stone


then check out this collection of computer error messages, beautifully crafted in Haiku.

Marks out of ten?

This is the racy advert used by Microsoft to promote their MS Office Student Teacher Edition in New Zealand, according to an article in The Register



I suppose the next logical step would be to Rate The Teacher...

;o)

Travelling light

We all like to take as little as possible on planes and there's nothing more satisfying than avoiding a huge queue at the luggage carousel or the nightmare of a lost or pilfered bag. OneBag is the definitive site on the subject of what to take, what not to take, what sort of bag to use and how to pack it...a comprehensive must-see site for regular carry-on travellers (oooh, matron!)

Public Information Films

The BBC has been featuring a series of old UK public information films this month. My favourites are Fridge Fear (sort out that old fridge before it kills a child!) and Protect Survive (what to do in a nuclear explosion, minus Morph and Chas!). The films deliver their serious messages with the deadpan matter-of-fact delivery of a 1950's bank manager. There is a cheerful nostalgia of a bygone era and the you can usually guess how much they spent on the budget (usually very little).

You can view all the films at National Archives website. Thanks to Gomer for the link :o)

How to keep in touch with friends and family on the other side of the world - useful tips, tools and websites

Six steps for keeping in touch with friends and family on the other side of the world

1. Get Organised

Firstly, in order to keep in touch with people on the other side of the world, you need to be organised. Ensure contacts are up-to-date, including mobile, work, home numbers, email addresses, instant messaging, Skype. Encourage your friends to get online. If they are already online, find out what tools they are using.

2. Windows of opportunity

Time zone differences will mean that there are only specific periods in the day when you are likely to be able to contact people, or when they will be able to contact you.

For example, the time difference between Melbourne, Australia and the UK is currently +11hrs. Assuming you and your friends need their beauty sleep before going to work, you plan not to call each other after 10pm local time. The windows of opportunity are then

• 8-10pm (UK) = 7-9am (Australia)
• 7-11am (UK) = 6-10pm (Australia)

Once British Summer Time starts the time difference will be +9hrs (as Australian Summer Time has ended). The window of opportunity is just

• 7am-1pm (UK) = 4-10pm (Australia)
• or a quick call at 10pm (UK) = 7am (Australia)
  

Another opportunity is on Friday night (UK time) - if you know your friend has been out late and may be awake beyond the usual time, this also opens the possibility for a highly entertaining drunken conversation, although only one of you is likely to be drunk, the other could be having breakfast :o) I don't recommend drinking regularly in two time zones, unless you have the constitution of an ox and a boss with no sense of smell!

Daylight saving times vary from one country to another. Generally, UK and Australian times switch on the same days (end of March, end of October). This year the Australian government has extended daylight saving by a few days until the end of the Commonwealth Games.

3. Try to plan ahead

Instant messaging is great, it connects you quickly to your mates when they are online. Sometimes though it pays to plan ahead and get a richer experience. For example, your friends in the UK are planning to get together on a Friday evening and return later to a mate's house. If you know in advance, you can plan to be online at the same time and chat with the group. You could also invite other mates who are in different locations and have a conference call. It can be like being in the same room, especially if your conversation is broadcast with speakers and you have a webcam connected.

4. Skype

Skpye is probably the most useful software for keeping in touch - free calls to Skype users, video calls and conference calls. Very simple and free to use. All you need is a laptop or PC and something to talk/listen such as a headset, USB phone or built-in speakers and microphone. You can also buy credits for SkypeOut, which lets you call normal phone numbers for a very cheap rate (about 1.8 Euro cents per minute) to most local and international destinations. For technophobes and others who do not use Skype, they can still call you very cheaply. A service called SkypeIn (30 Euros per year) allows you to buy a local phone number which routes through to your Skype account. If you are offline, it has an answering service. For example, if your family live in London and you live in Australia, set up a SkypeIn number with a 020 London prefix and your relatives can call you for the cost of a local London call, which would save them lots of money.

5. Instant Messaging (IM)

There are lots of popular IM programs (MSN, Yahoo, Jabber, ICQ, AIM, IRC) and you will find your friends use a variety of them. Trying to convince all of them to use the same program is a fool's errand. Better to find out which services your friends use and set up an account with each of the providers. You can then manage (aggregate) all these services using a single program called Trillian - login once to all IM clients, see who is online, chat with friends and to set your status for all IM systems with a single click. Unfortunately it does not include some of the specialised features of each IM client, such as nudges and winks in MSN, but they are really not the reason you use these programs, right?

If you are at work and cannot install programs, visit Meebo http://www24.meebo.com/ - it allows you to login to your favourite IM, has your contact or buddy list and you can have multiple chat windows - it all works within a webpage and there is no software to install, just don't tell the IT department ;o)

6. Collaboration tools

Here are a few other tools I have found which aid online collaboration and make using the internet a more social and enriching experience.

• del.icio.us - stores your bookmarks, you give each one with multiple tags which are like keywords. You can send your bookmarks to other users and all del.icio.us users' bookmarks are publicly available and searchable (mine are in theb tag cloud at the bottom right of this page) - and your favourite websites are accessible to you, wherever you are in the world. del.icio.us can be a very useful alternative search engine, to find things that other people like. There is also a plug-in for Internet Explorer and an extension for Firefox, which makes tagging links very quick and simple. Personally I would recommend Firefox as a far superior web browser and there are loads of cool extensions to enrich your internet experience.
• Flickr - photosharing website which uses tags to classify your pictures, it makes is very easy to upload and share your favourite pics…you can notify friends when you have uploaded new photos.
• Setting up your own weblog (blog) is also a good way to communicate with friends, sharing thoughts on a particular subject or highlighting interesting things you have seen or done. My earlier post Getting the blogging tools right discusses how I set up this blog, with no coding and minimal web know-how.

I'm also looking at some new tools for personal file sharing to simplify sharing larger files, such as home movies (and anything else you care to mention) between friends, without the need to installing software. When these are more fully tested I'll update this post with some details.

I hope this list is useful to you and welcome your thoughts and comments.

Edible trivia

Everyone knows that beer and crisps (or chips as some like to call them) are far from trivial pursuits. Carlton put trivia quiz questions on the inside of the beer bottle top...now Pringles has followed suit, but with a twist. Instead of using the packaging, these nuggets of knowledge are printed on the food itself!

Get your rocks off

Clever scientists have found a way to microwave ores to release the valuable minerals from the rock in double quick time, using far less energy than by traditional methods and increasing yield.

Put this on my Xmas list

iPod tie

Clever design for kids chair

Sustainable paper chair that grows with your child and records their artistic development. What a great idea!

How to buy a laptop on eBay - tips to get a good deal and avoid scams

How to buy a laptop on eBay - tips to get a good deal and avoid scams

Microsoft caught cheating AGAIN!

Microsoft solve a problem to solve a problem, but it's definitely not cricket...hardcore Sudoku fans look away now!

Toxic toads threaten disaster

Link to BBC News article

Stickam test

Get Stickam for Free.

How to get rid of hoodies

This great Teenager Repellent gadget is right up there with the TVBeGone and the legendary (or perhaps apocryphal) Brown Sound Machine.

Vision of the future

Here's how microchips will be made in a few years time, article courtesy of Wired News

Aussie blokes fail in eBay popularity contest

Link to article in The Age

Ban the bulb

A very cheap, simple way to save money and the environment at the same time, with precious little effort...Ban The Bulb. Full article can be found at BBC News.

Reborn

Rebirth, one of my favourite music software tools, has now been released for free by Propellerheads. I'm looking forward to producing some old-style acid techno grooves in the near future...should be fun! Thanks to the Making Music blog for the handy pointer.

Bad news for chuggers

UPDATED POST: I have found a few new websites that provide an excellent channel for online giving and also corrected an earlier omission by listing Empower The Children (keep up the great work, Rosalie!)

It's great to see people getting more accustomed to online charity giving and far more civilised than being accosted in the street by a charity mugger (or chugger, as they are unaffectionately known in London's Tottenham Court Road area). Also interesting to note what many people have suspected for a long time...that the costs of direct fundraising are considerable, leaving far less money to channel to the eventual good cause.

If you are interested in online giving, here are a few sites I have used:

• UK (Give Now , All About Giving , Charity Giving , CAF )
• Australia (CAF Australia , The Australian Charities Fund, Our Community )
• Kiva allows individual donors to sponsor businesses in the developing world through micro-credit loans. Project progress is reported through the site and the donor can decide whether to reinvest their money once the loan has been repaid.
  
• Global Giving is an online marketplace for donors to connect with pre-vetted projects, according to their particular field of interest.
  

and sites for some for charities I personally know very well:

• ERDS - Economic Rural Development Society, based in Kolkata (or Calcutta as it used to be called), India, focusing on grassroots economic development, social work and awareness, health, agriculture, environment and literacy projects in over 100 villages in West Bengal state. Founded by the charismatic entrepreneurial spirit of Sri Madhu Basu, this organisation serves as a great example and resource for other smaller NGO's operating in the region.
  
• Tzedek - Tzedek is a Jewish overseas development and educational charity based in the UK and founded in 1990. It channels funding to small grassroots projects in Africa and the Indian sub-continent. Tzedek works regardless of race or religion with some of the poorest communities of the world, providing direct support to small scale, sustainable, self-help development projects for the relief and elimination of poverty. Projects are evaluated using project criteria. Click here to donate to Tzedek.
  
• Empower the Children - Rosalie is a very experienced special needs teacher who has spent many years working in the orphanages of Kolkata with Mother Theresa's Missionaries of Charity. She collaborated with her friend Janet to recently set up her own programmes and raises funds in the US through Empower the Children. Click here to donate to ETC.
  

Email and RSS feeds

This blog is now available as an RSS feed, or via email subscription. Thanks to Feedburner for providing this excellent free service.

The future of TV

An interesting article about the impact of IPTV from The Register.

Australia Day - Public Service Ad

The theme of the ad is to encourage people to eat lamb on Australia Day,but I think the ad company went far beyond their remit. This comedy classic has created a storm of complaint for it's anti-PC rhetoric and was banned in NSW...however I'm glad to report it was aired on TV in Victoria :o)

Click here to see the advert (.wmv format)

Getting the blogging tools right

Blogger is a great tool for anyone like me who does not want to spend hours fiddling with code. However it has a couple of key shortcomings which had initially made me look elsewhere for a free blogging host, namely the absence of:

• calendar navigation
• category posting

Thankfully, there are people with more talent, time and motivation who solve these little riddles and make my life (and doubtless many others) a lot happier. Firstly, a big thanks to Ecmanaut for his calendar code hacks and installation tips :o) and also thanks to the guys Dynarch for the overall calendar template.

Secondly thanks to those clever people at del.icio.us for their social bookmarking, which provides a great way to tag, store and retrieve bookmarks and to Greg Hill for the FreshTags which integrate with del.icio.us tags and make the categories work. Thanks also to FreshBlog for guidance and useful examples.

None of this is any fun without good browser software. I was getting very, very frustrated with clunky old IE and have found Firefox to be a breath of fresh air. Smooth integration with extensions such as Performancing have helped me to create a simple, fast, non-technical process for surfing and publishing my blog. I'm also enjoying using Colorful Tabs and SessionSaver is a life saver.

The prodigal returns

Another sharp piece of transfer action by Rafa Benitez, putting Robbie Fowler back where he belongs in a red shirt. A very exciting prospect indeed and he didn't cost a penny :o)

Twist and shout

We came pretty close to disaster the other day, when a mini-tornado ripped through the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne! The centre was at Blackburn, about 4km from where we live. We were already out driving when the wild weather struck and remarked how it looked a bit like the film Twister, minus the flying cows!

Cheese and Biscuits

If someone in Australia offered you a "natural slice of tasty Coon", what would you expect to be eating? In the spirit of adventure (and because I'm a big foodie) I decided to find out.

Strength - The ratings go something like this

• Mild - fair enough
• Tasty - shouldn't all cheeses have a taste of some sort? Who would buy a tasteless cheese (some would argue that Edam falls in to that category)
• Bitey - answers on a postcard?

Format - Cheese slices come in three distinct formats: block, slices and "natural" slices. The block is self-explanatory. "Natural" slices are in fact slices from a block of cheese (for lazy or astigmatic people who either can't be bothered to cut slices or are unable to cut them in regular straight lines). It must be deduced that "slices" are an unnatural creation … as anyone who has read the side of a packet can testify!

I decided to try some tasty natural cheese slices and was looking for a brand I recognise. Apart from the supermarket own brand, the shelves are dominated by two competitors:- Bega and Coon!

I nearly fell out of my trolley when I saw that one … how do they manage to sell anything under that brand name? Does the word "coon" mean the same in Australia as it does elsewhere in the English-speaking world? Well apparently it does, but no-one seems very bothered about it, because the inventor was named Edward William Coon.

Ok, so that's one mystery solved, but it didn't explain anything about the actual "flavour" of the said cheeses. As it happens they were akin to most mild supermarket "cheddar" clones, thoroughly underwhelming. For a truly tasty cheese, we ventured to Queen Victoria Markets to buy some truly tasty cheeses. I can personally recommend Watsonia - a semi-soft cheddar with a mature flavour which rivals anything I've bought at Neal's Yard in years gone by. It only comes in rounds, not natural slices, so I also bought a cheese knife for some extra DIY. Also, the King Island Triple Cream Blue Brie is amazing, very similar to gorgonzola. Not good for the diet, but fantastic food for the soul.

Greetings from Melbourne

Howdy y'all, or should I say g'day mate!

Welcome to my first attempt at blogging. Being on the other side of the world from loved ones, I thought it would be a good idea to create a place to

• keep everyone up to date with our progress in Oz
• share some first impressions of Oz
• post photos, videos and some new tunes I've been working on