Firefox vs Explorer

I'm not a technologist.
For example I have a 10 year old tv, an even older stereo system and few other mod cons (except a second hand PS2 upon which much Singstar, KillZone and Rogue Trooper is played)(and only those games because I've seen other people play them).

But when I come across something good, I like to share it with others. This morning my Microsoft Internet Explorer automatically began to download version 7 of itself. I find IE to be frustrating and limiting and slow, but the thing that pisses me off the most is the bloody updates that change files and registry entries BUT NEVER explain just what the fuck they doing.
So anyway, v.7 downloads and I begin again to submit to the hassle of installing it (its been available for a couple of weeks but I just did not want to load the fucker (most everytime I do, I lose my settings or the bastards arses around with the rest of the computer, chews up clock time and generally fats around eating chippies and watching old episodes of Red Dwarf while hogging the brown couch of valuble ROM)

I was not surprised when the Microsoft installation screen began asking me to update and change a whole bunch of my settings, in other words devote time and energy to critical decisions with little or no explanation of the choices not shown or the nature of the consequences.
I decided fuck that and did something I should have done a long time ago.

I downloaded and installed Mozilla's Firefox browser.
I will never go back.

Things work faster and run far more economically than the old fat and bloated application. I had 3 screens to click through for installation and my favourites folder was automatically imported.

If you have not yet tried Firefox, I strongly urge you to. It is the Pepsi Taste Test of the internet, you can decide for yourself.
But in my opinion Firefox is a welcome guest who is courteous and well mannered on your computer.

[Link]

Day of the Tradies

Had to take today off, which meant I was 'working from home'.
The reason for this well needed break was the installation of our new air conditioning system (two wall mounted split cycle systems). And as long as we're doing that karin and I scheduled in a whole bunch more stuff to get delivered or fixed.
So I had a plumber come by and fix our toilets and a few taps, got a skip delivered so I could finally empty the crap out of the garage (something very stisfying about flinging rubbish HARD into the back of a skip and watching it SMASH TO PEICES (the exact same way as if the Hulk had done it).

But with out a doubt the best thing we got delivered today was our new mattress. I don't know much about mattress technology, I have slept on a lot of mattress's, so I do have experience in determining what is good, better or best. So let me tell you friend with confidence when I say this mattress is The SHIT!!
I just put my head down for 5 minutes, I slept for 1.5 hours... and I did not want to get up!
There are a lot of reasons to want to go to bed ( I can think of 2) but this mattres is a whole book of reasons by itself.

Keeping Busy

Well last Friday was my day on air at the radio station for the radiothon. Our goal was to raise $30k for a new transmitter over 10 days. By the time I got there it was day 8 and we had raised $17k (I'm glad to say by the end of Friday that had crept up to $20k).
I've been so busy with work and travel lately that I've not had the time to devote to Artsound FM, but I decided that I should take a day off and go in and help. Reporting for duty at 10am I was on air at 10.01am and co-hosted a 2 hour shift.
Then there was a 2 hour break manning the phones then back on for 2 more hours and rounded off my shift with more time manning the phones.
The good news is that by Sunday 6pm we had raised the $30k!!! So I feel happy that my small contribution helped.

Crazy Discount Weather!!!

ITS ALL GOT TO GO!!!!!!!!!!

You would not believe it partner, last Wednesday it snowed on Canberra. In fact it snowed on a great deal on the East Coast, from Hobart up to the Blue Mountains.
Please bear in mind this is November (or more accurately Movember!!) and therefore late Spring early Summer. Did I also mention this was Australia?!?

And today its 34C+ with bush fires raging from one end of the coast to the other. You would be hard pressed to believe me I know!
A lot of people may want to point to global warming in much the same way our ancestors may have pointed to witches in order to ascribe blame for all the ills of our weather. I'd suggest it was more a case of a very cold snap coming off the Antartic at an unusual time.

Or witchcraft....

There's a strong case for both, really.

Corny Arnie

Do you remember 'Last Action Hero'?
I do, but only because there was a great AC/DC single on the soundtrack - Big Gun. The version on the soundtrack (yes I bought it from the bargin basement bin) was a studio take, you can even hear the sound engineers at the end going 'that was awesome!'

It is definetly a classic AC/DC track and thanks to YouTube we can now watch the video including Arnie fooling around as Angus!!! (ho-ho now we larf!!)
Just classsic!
[LINK]

Now I Fly Fish

Got my fly rod yesterday and man it is sweet!!
For those who care its a Sage LE series 5 weight (even comes with its own case, which is handy). I'll spool on the line tonight and get some practice casting in for class next week.

I have to say that I've veiwed fly fishing as something of a goal from the moment I started this great hobby about 3 years ago. To be honest it is not as hard as it looks to cast, if you have ever held a tennis raquet and hit a ball - you can fly cast.
The great thing about the course I'm on is that at the end of it we go on a fishing trip!!!
Very good chance I'll catch a fish on one of those!!

A good use of your time

You have to wonder, who gets up in the morning and thinks to them selves - 'I reckon I'll teach some dolphins how to sing the Batman theme.'

And they still get paid, gotta love the science industry
[LINK]

Angry Monkey BMX Stunt

Haven't much of these guys, but this one is awesome [Link]

Notes from Adelaide cont'd

Now I'm back at my desk (for today at least, I'm off again tomorrow for a week) I thought I would finish off my previous post about Adelaide.
I'm not feeling too inspired to write elegant prose, so in no particular order;

ADELAIDE HIGHLIGHTS

1. 
   Had a cab driver who knew Damien Martin personally (showed me photos of the pair of them together) and claimed he had at one time or another transported most of the Aussie cricket squad around town. He was a cheerful enough chap but his B.O. was blinding.
2. 
   On the Saturday after climbing out of my hangover, I hired a bike by the River Torrens and had great fun going for a bike ride to the beach. Didn't get there in the end as my work colleague called me (he had just climbed out of his hangover) and I convinced him to join me on the bikes. What jolly good fun we had, up hill and down dale and going a bit off road here and there... An afternoon of total regressive fun!!
3. 
   Adelaide has one main drag whose opposite ends are as chalk and cheese. The northern end (Rundell St) has many cafes and restaurants, quite a classy district. While the southern (Hindley St) end is the red light district with quite a lot of seedy bars and strip joints.
4. 
   There is a LOT of heroin on the streets.
5. 
   On our last night in town I wanted to get away from the city (had enough of underage drunks, heroin addicts and seedy pubs - this is what happens when you travel with a Marine!). So we headed past the Gabba and the statue of the Don and found this neat little pub that had great music and atmosphere. Food was awesome, folks were friendly and on Mondays they host 'Pub Cinema' - on the bill for next week was 'Return of the Jedi' and Rocky'.

Overall impressions;
Adelaide has some great buildings and they've done a great job with public art. The food is wonderful, but I would expect nothing less from a city so close to the Barossa Valley. It was a fair bit cooler for me that week, but this is the changing of the seasons. Very easy to get around the city and the city is close to the airport.

Final conclusions - Could I live there... I would say yes I could, but I prefer where I am.

Honourable Mention

Another cartoon from Weebl and Bob, this time with a name drop of someone we should all know... [Link]

Sick Daze

I got back from Sydney on Tuesday night, just in time to make it to my Fly Fishing course I started this week.
But I woke up on Wednesday with a brand new passenger in my gut. It hit me about 10am at work and kept up a steady flow of house cleaning for 2 days, I lost 3 kilos. Today being Friday I managed my first solids, toast and marmite.
I know I'm feeling better when the first thing I want to do around the house is clean. But not having eaten anything for 2 days my energy level is low.
Now I actually have a legitmate excuse for my Playstation, but I feel guilty about 'wasting a day off'...
I don't think I'm quite right in the head yet.