Category: Consciousness

Superman drowned by novelty phone booth


Picture this. There’s a baby hanging from the window of a burning building. Clark Kent is looking for a phone booth to whip out his inner superhero. And all that’s left on the streets of Metropolis are novelty phone booths like the above. Superheroes everywhere are scratching their heads.
Courtesy of Dvice.

February 1, 2009

The perfect storm name

One last cyclone post. I don’t understand why the weather bureau picks such innocuous names for storms – is it to create an undue sense of ease? Who gets scared by the impending arrival of Larry, Norbert, Katrina or Ellie?

If the Bureau of Meteorology really wanted us to respond accordingly to their warnings they should rebrand cyclones as something to be feared.

I know cyclones are named in alphabetical order and in alternate genders – but the list needs refining. 

They should be called Jezebel, Genghis, Adolf, Josef, Saddam and Julius – intimidating names that inspire pictures of destruction.

February 1, 2009

An ‘Ellie of a storm

EDIT: Looks like BOM have removed Ellie’s tracking image thing. So there’s no image for you to watch anymore.

That heading is bad. Really bad. If you didn’t bother reading to the end of my last post, and haven’t been listening to your local ABC today – you may not be aware there’s a cyclone coming for North Queensland. It’s no big deal. Unless you haven’t been in a cyclone before, then perhaps you should tape up your windows, fill your baths with water (unless they’re outdoors – then there’s a dengue risk), buy lots of canned food, batteries and candles (although you should read this first).

What I think is particularly funny about cyclones is what it reveals about the inner psyche of North Queensland. North Queensland is demographically bi-polar. A 50/50 split between “locals” (those who have been here all their lives, or for longer than 20 years) and us “ring ins” who are here for a couple of years of “career progression” only to pull up stumps and leave. Townsville has a massively transient population thanks to the army, the university and the mining industry. It makes for an interesting dynamic all year round – but particularly when there’s a storm brewing. 

There are two reactions to a cyclone’s impending intersection with the coast line. The understated approach, preferred by locals, where you insult “ring ins” for making a fuss. Point out “this is only a category one”. We’ve been through much bigger before. Pick up potential flying objects from your yard, and go about your daily business almost as usual. 

The other reaction is what leads to mile long lines at the grocery store and a region wide shortage of milk and survival equiptment. 

I subscribe to my friends Facebook status updates via RSS (which is pretty cool because it gets around the workplace Facebook ban) – and I’m thinking that I might collate responses to cyclone related Facebook status updates to use social networking to report impending disaster – that’s the done thing these days. What do you think Facebook friends/blog readers? Is this a horrible invasion of your privacy – I’m looking at you Leah and Stuss.

February 1, 2009

The Internet is out to get you…

So says Google. Who today, for a brief moment, applied their “content may harm your computer” disclaimer to every result. Even Google, as noted in the Flickr image below…

It’s the ultimate catch all disclaimer. Any website may harm your computer. It’s not surprising that Google have made this strategic decision to avoid law suits. The Bureau of Meteorology has been doing the same thing for years – issuing severe storm warnings at the drop of a hat, just to avoid liability when a storm hits and people weren’t ready.

Incidentally, there’s a category one cyclone bearing down on North Queensland. Batten the hatches. It’s a big one. Maybe. It will hit sometime tomorrow. Maybe. It will intensify. Maybe. You have been warned.

Now is an appropriate time to panic. It’s what everyone else is doing. The mob mentality means massive queues have formed at local shops as people stock up on supplies. Tropical Cyclone Ellie is not even predicted to come that close to Townsville and it’s not particularly likely that flooding will cut of access here at this point in time. Unlike in Cairns. They should panic buy. Who’d want to live there.

Now that I’ve said all this the cyclone will either hit Townsville directly, or by some quirk all the rain it brings will cut off road access and we’ll run out of milk by Tuesday. Better hit the shops. Just in case. And remember. You have been warned. This site may harm your computer.

February 1, 2009

The best bits – February 1, 2009

Here's what has excited me from the blogosphere today.

  • Gears Of War PC Hits Expiration Date

    • Proof that game companies hate customers. And further proof that Tetris on Facebook is the best gaming option out there.

  • Create Your Own Bokeh for Beautiful Photo Effects [Photography]

    • Just to clarify…br”What’s a bokeh you say? It’s that oh-so-wonderful fuzziness in the background of photographs with a shallow depth of field and accompanying starry highlights. You can create you own bokeh effects with a little craftiness. The term bokeh is an anglicized version of a Japanese word used to describe the portion of a photograph that is out of focus behind the area of principal focus in a picture. When you see a portrait that has a creamy soft background and a nice crisp focus on the person being photographed, you are seeing bokeh. The shape of the highlights—sometimes round, hexagonal or other geometric shapes—is determined by the shape of the aperture in the lens”

  • If DaVinci invented the iPhone

February 1, 2009

The best bits – January 31, 2009

Here's what has excited me from the blogosphere today.

January 31, 2009

No comment

Dear Readers,

I don’t like to beg. Really. It is so unbecoming. Desperate even.

I’m getting more visitors than ever before to this blog. And less comments. 

Why don’t you comment? Don’t you love me? Am I boring you?

It’s really not that hard to comment. Is it? You don’t even have to have anything useful to say. Is it because I used to insult commenters I disagreed with? I’m a changed man. Promise. Try me. 

I do get a lot of comments from people trying to sell Xanax and viagra. But that’s no good for the self esteem.

It makes me sad. 

Is there a topic that would evoke more comments? Something that would generate a “buzz” or some controversy maybe?

That’s enough grovelling for now. And pandering. Don’t make me use my sad eyes.

January 30, 2009

The best bits – January 30, 2009

Here's what has excited me from the blogosphere today.

January 30, 2009

Clever

From here. Somewhere. Spotted here.

January 30, 2009

Prison Break: New Zealand

January 29, 2009

The best bits – January 29, 2009

January 29, 2009

Gyroscopic Fail

January 28, 2009

From the desk of: other people

One of the things I really enjoy about blogs is being able to draw on the collective wisdom of people trailblazing a path that we plan to head down in the not too distant future. At the moment I’m enjoying a bunch of blogs from students currently studying at theological college.

I’ve subscribed to Bathgates.net for quite a while because Dan (who doesn’t blog enough) kept sharing really interestng posts from it via google reader. I like it’s style – that is to say I really like Ben’s style. He’s got a great post at the moment full of tip for people embarking on theological study. It’s well worth a read. One of the sad things about using a RSS reader to get all your content is that you lose the really nice design work people have done on their blogs.

Another absolutely superb design (it really is stunning and functional) – matched by great content and the longest,  most philosophically deep “about me” page I’ve ever read – can be found at Dan Anderson’s papermind – I know Dan in real life (or IRL for you internet people). He’s a top bloke and is currently considering the purpose of studying  philosophy while studying theology. The discussion is written in a style somewhat representative of Sophie’s Word – although the protagonists are a pair of slightly distracted philosophers. Worth a look thus far. Dan was also kind enough to add my blog to his blog roll so I’m responding in kind with this little plug. Did I mention that I really like his design? I do. WordPress is aesthetically quite pleasing.

January 28, 2009

The best bits – January 28, 2009

January 28, 2009

How to chuck an un-Australian sicky

1. Actually be too sick to turn up to work.

2. Phone in yourself, and don’t put on a “sick voice”.

3. Offer to do work from home. 

4. Actually do work from home. 

5. Take cold and flu medication and try to indulge in the “natural remedies” suggested by your blog readers. 

6. Accept your condition with well practiced stoicism – don’t complain about the bouts of dizziness, condition induced sleep deprivation, hacking cough  and nose that feels like it has been punched several times by a 400 pound heavyweight boxer. 

7. Go to the doctor and get a medical certificate to justify your continued absence from work. 

8. Sound as cheery as possible when your wife wakes you up as she leaves for work. 

Have I missed anything?

January 28, 2009