Joffa Blogs

So much to catch up with ...

Origami boulders, top-rated dunnies, oh, and don't forget the little people ...

and if you're feeling constructive, why not build a new solar system?

It's space junk.

Yep, aren't we messy?

I wonder if Found magazine will ever get to include stuff from near Earth orbit?

Maybe after 40 plus years, some of what you see here are chunder bags from those guys 'n' gals with the right stuff... well, maybe they lost some of it.

Some of the other junk we humans produce should be orbited too, like

alarmingly big Nigerian condoms
all of the tasteless balls

The Smack & Crack Picture Show...

How

can things

this pretty

be so

attractive

to so many?

Dat's da most

ridiculous ting I ever

hoid!

GREETINGS EARTH LIFEFORMS

Can you hear them - the helicopters...

Here's a trick! would you like to celebrate Micro$oft's monopoly tactics? Insert smart tags now!! (requires ver 5 browser & javascript on)

Here's a great musical thang to do ... the Beatles still want you to love them do ..
but they haven't shelled out too much!

The south pole of Mars is wet!

And don't it look purty too?

Don't stare at it too long or you may gow hair on your palms...

Makes you wish you had telescopic vision, eh?

In case you're wondering about the past, you can now look up Who, What & When something happened...
It won't predict the future, but you can find out when the next bus is leaving...
... and you can look back at us all stuck down here.
Please make sure you keep the plastic bags out of the reach of small children.

She's SO cyoot!

It's not every day

Australia gets drunk
You see George W letting it all hang out
The Bible is so easily understood..

... and perhaps that's just as well!

We've all had bad days but...

Remember, it's not (yet) true that Paul is dead
Compared to some, you're not a moron
Mister T probably hasn't abused you yet
If you feel about in your purse/wallet, you
won't find too many inexplicable objects

Did someone say "truth overboard"?

If you're in a questioning mood, how about a little quiz?

What colour are you
Which British Band are you?
how old are you and how long will you live?

I wouldn't want to spread useless information ... You do need to know this:

There are approximately ten million bricks in the Empire State Building.
The phrase "Often a bridesmaid but never a bride" actually comes from an advertisement for Listerine mouthwash.
1 millennium = 3,153,600,000,000 seconds and 1 second = 10,000,000,000 shakes (find out more)
Georges Perec wrote a novel without using the letter "e" -- but then, he was French ...

Why don't you try Nate's word galaxy while you're at it?





				b
		j		e
b	l	o	g	s
		f		t	h	e
		f
		a

I'll live a long time...

It's OK, I'll live a long time; researchers now tell us that sleeping more than 8 hours a night reduces life expectancy. With little kids in the family, theres little/no chance of that happening ;)
Futurist Ian Pearson has produced a technological timeline of the future (PDF) which looks at IT & telecomms - a big ask I reckon. It contains such gems as:
- Shopping Barbie acts as personal shopper for children ... 2004
- 25 % of TV celebrities synthetic ... 2010
- Orgasm by email ... 2010 (is this related to the last one?)
- Robotic kitten interface ... 2002 (ditto)

"If truth is beauty, how come no one has their hair done in the library?" -- Lily Tomlin

For anyone being waylaid by Windows or flummoxed by Linux, here's the Illustrated Guide to Killing your PC (I'm sure Mac users can adapt the advice here...)
Whatever you do, don't be mistaken for an idiot!
WARNING! this is Not for Girls
WARNING! this is Not for Guys

Today's quote:

"I believe that forgiving them [terrorists] is God's function. Our job is simply to arrange the meeting." - General "Storm'n" Norman Schwartzkopf

Will someone please marry Theresa? "Theresa is a girl who is looking for love in one great big public place. The 34-year-old (!!??) rented a billboard on Interstate-24 in Nashville to proclaim her husband search and then launched a web site, Marry Theresa, to spell out what she wants in a man and what she's willing to give."

I bet Theresa's the sort of gal who could use one of these beauties!

The cost of babysitting / RU George? / Harry Potter's scar

There's been a cost of living study published, with New York as the base city scoring 100 points, Blantyre (it's in Malawi) scores 29.3 points compared to the world's most expensive city, Tokyo, which is more than four times costlier, scoring 134.0. In May 2001 the hourly babysitting cost in Tokyo was $US 15.67 !! (In Sydney? $US 3.21) Is Evil Krusty the clown Mayor of Tokyo yet?
By the way which Beatle are you? (I'm Ringo ... but I don't even like steam trains!)
is this a "slip-up"? Check here to find out - "10829 Slip-Ups collected so far!" Even the Harry Potter film, famous for its accuracy has a few.

Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others - Groucho Marx

This just in:

EU Directive 456179:
In order to meet the conditions for joining the Single European currency, all citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland must be made aware that the phrase "Spending a penny" is not to be used after 31 December 2001. From that date, the correct terminology will be: "Euronating".

How much for ze leetle girl (or boy)?

Have you been thinking about putting yourself up for sale lately? Ever wonder how much money you could get on the open human market? HumanForSale.com will attempt to place a value on your life using a variety of criteria in 4 basic facets of life (physical,mental,lifestyle,personality). [LOTS OF POPUPS]; it's also only concerned whether I live in the US or Canada (Jeez I'm glad I didn't put my income down in US dollars!)

I am worth exactly: $1,573,020.00. (The average value for a male is $1,895,578.00; Average value for a female is $1,669,531.00)

How about a Random link from Yahoo to spice up your browsing?
What about Just One Thing new each day?

We may be older than you think ...

The US Census Bureau reports: "By 2025, the number of people age 65 and over throughout the world will nearly double, while the number of children will increase just 3 percent."

Remember "Trustworthy Computing"?

Bill Gates recently raised the issue of "trustworthy" computing for Microsoft customers ... have a look at http://trustworthycomputing.com for more...

But wait! There's more!!

Electromagnetic Pulses Reach Three Times Light Speed
Researchers using what they call a "coaxial photonic crystal" have managed to send electromagnetic pulses a significant distance at three times the speed of light. They claim that the project, although remarkable, breaks no laws of physics.

Now I dunno about physics, but this sounds pretty kewl dunnit? 3 X 186,000 miles/sec = 558,000 miles/sec

And here's a high bandwidth piece of tasty Flash - Broken Saints. It's planned as a 24-part online graphic novel with, at the time of this review, 15 completed chapters.

"Broken Saints is an online graphic novel that uses Macromedia’s Flash to tell a creepy and thought-provoking story. The creators felt that there was lots of ‘entertainment’ on the web, but nothing that really compelled viewers to become involved with the direction of a tale or its characters. "

... haven't had time yet to look at much, but it's definitely one to bookmark.

ZZZ Online seems to feature kewl science/tech innovations & discuss them... space junk, bacteria batteries, jet-powered bicycles, you name it...
Seems to be written using better English (it's a Russian site) than many others from the US..
Overclockers Melbourne is a local site revelling in hacking* & tweaking hardware
Tweak Town ditto, although they modestly note that "TweakTown has transformed into one of the biggest and most successful tech media websites in Australia and the world for that matter, being accessed by many thousands of readers every day with a total “hit” count nearing 10,000,000." (We all know that "hits" are a useless measure by now, don't we? ... ah well...)

good to see some Oz hackers* online...

*Hacker - This is someone that seeks to understand computer, phone or other systems strictly for the satisfaction of having that knowledge. Hackers wonder how things work, and have an incredible curiosity. Hackers will sometimes do questionable legal things, such as breaking into systems, but they generally will not cause harm once they break in. Contrast a hacker to the term cracker.
< http://www.geek.com/glossary/glossary_search.cgi?h >

Oh we're like creatures in the wind...

... and wild is the wind

Have you seen Lockergnome? the source of lots of good freeware stuff for the PC. Chris Pirillo also has a blog which is usually worthwhile...

The Lockergnome monthly newsletter is one of the half-dozen newsletters (not work-related) that I do subscribe to.

"Security experts have found a way to gain access to the computer hard drives of users of Morpheus, which has taken over from Napster as the leading internet song-swapping service...It means that the personal details of up to two million people could be exposed to prying eyes." BBC Report

People who comment on services like Morpheus/Gnutella/etc. seem to presume the people that use them don't have any smarts ... alternatives which have no spyware, no popups, have and will continue to be published and distributed. Seems to me organisations like the MPAA/RIAA/BSAA don't get it - people are gunna download & share digital versions of everything they can. Trying to extract $$$ in every context isn't worth the effort.

Factoids

The median lethal dose of caffeine for an adult human is around 10 grams. Find information on caffeine and it's over-consumption at < http://www.thecaffeinepage.com >

With the exception of the U.S. and Canada, the Internet population in every country is predominantly male < http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/ >In Dec 2001, average USA web users spent 33 hours per month online (work & home), while in Australia we spent nearly 8 hours a month online.

The Internet has become the primary communication tool for teens, surpassing even the telephone among some groups, according to a study by AOL. < http://cyberatlas.com/big_picture/demographics/article/0,,5901_961881,00.html >

Meta blogging, maps, the "p" in hamster and more ...

Rebecca Blood essay on the history of blogs
Linkwatcher a kind of real-time monitor of selected blogs;
Weblog Review, where blogs are reviewed by other bloggers
BlogHop

Quote Dubya to Vladmir Putin: "You're the kind of guy I'd like to have in a foxhole with me.'' Add that to the list of world's worst pickup lines.

Can't they learn how to spell? The gruesomely commercial Hampsterdance site is now a Flash site...

[ Coming soon,,, a picture gallery]

Factoid

With the exception of the U.S. and Canada, the Internet population in every country is predominantly male. In Dec 2001, average USA web users spent 33 hours per month online (work & home), while in Australia we spent nearly 8 hours a month online.
< http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/ >

For regular web browsers, here's the 404 message page

Here's a handy picture converter - Pic2HTML lets you make ASCII art from a local file...

# In this satellite image, I'm round about where the "X" is... #

ajooayjfjjoojjffooaybbbfbfjyobbbyfofoyboooojoyoobayjbyooyjjafjboayooaafobfoaooofyooofbobooaaobbjfyaobfaoj
fafafbjbayafaffbooyofyyoafojoboaoaofaoafooybjojooajyaooboaooyfajfbjfjbfofajoffoyofoofoyybjfbjaojoafjofaaf
joaooboaaofyyjabaojyayafooboyjyjobfofaaojyfaofyoyjoofbbfyabofofffjboaobyffooyaaoyoobfaybbjjfjyfjaobobjooy
aabooooofbbojbbabjyayboboojaooobyabofbafobboaaoobyajbfojoofyoaboojoaaoffjbofjooojfjafafaofaaboooabbjyoayo
ojaoybofoabyobbjyoojjbyojayjbojyoaoofjaooyabjjjjobooajfyfyaooooyyoofyobaofjooojjoaaboyjyfbbbaoaoyojjojofb
obooojojyyoyayofaoobyyybyfobfjobjbjooooobajbojaooajbojoyyoojyoajoyjfaojjfooyjoyafofyjbboabooojfoajobjfoof
bjbfoabaoobjfjbyooofojbbojboojjjojbojfjyojoofofbjofoyjbyfyfooboooyjojoojfyobjojaboobobaojffbjoojyoooofabo
ffojyyabooajooyoabobjfaoyyfooabafofooyojboojojybooffjjafyjafofaaofoyjoofboyyooaooyajaobboffaooayboyoobbbb
aaafbjjbayyyoofojyjojyjyofboabyyybyyfjobyboooaoyoafyofjjjooyoofofooaoajbjabaoffooooyjjbfyofbofaojjafooaja
yooobyjoyyboyaafyojffjooyjjoaooayjbjjbjooafjboafoboooobaoobyaajfojoafyjyyaboaoyjaofyybjoaoobjofjobfoabjjj
bfbabaaofbabjffjojofbaobjoobaafjyjfaaoooaooobybfboboXofofbbojooffbojyyyoojojyofobooayafafbbooyjobfffybjoo
bofjoffjfjbfooaboooobjfaoojaboyooobfofoofofybybjjoaoyofofyyaoyojfobojobaaoyoobjyyyjaoyaajyyoafobabjjfyayy
aaoyyoffffbjoybjjbbooooofoyoyyjjoyojfyjjaaybooyaoyooaaboaojbofjjbajoajfjfoofobbfjafyooofooaybfofofoajfoao
yfjyyoffbbyajoajyyafoayafbyfbaboffoyoobfoaabajofyojjoooojbajbboaoyjooofyoyafjjfffoyffayfafjjojyoafbyjyjaf
abojyofajafjjjybojofyyyoabfoaaoffybooboojajffofooyaafooaooyyfyffaofjbaojjyobbfofybyofaajjbfojyojoobffoafa
yoyabjyoaoabybjoooobjjabbfbajobfjoybyooaoaoaobaoooyoobfaobjojoyboafaobaaoajfobojoyffyofyjfyjbjjboobjofjao
ooajjajooboaabobyabfbyooobyaobjaoyafyoofajbobaafoyaofojfooaojojofofofjaffyyybjbayoyoboobajobojabyjjoooooj
fyabjaoyboyoooybjboobfyoboaooyoboooooojabfoaooobaffjoayjjyobbaoyoabaaffybjaoayofjfofbfooyfbbyjoaooyyffoof
bfbjbfaoyjoffjbojobajyjbofaboabfooobjfyojoajoybfjyofoyyoooboyaajafyobjobfoaffbybjfbjyjboyfbbyoybjybjabbba

And another thing...

Most Australian readers will know of the Macquarie Dictionary; their website includes the Concise Dictionary and other features such as the "Book of Slang", a "Weekly Word". As well as being able to search for words, the online dictionary does something the paper one will not do: allow you to add words. Like a web search engine, you can suggest content for the dictionary, with a simple web form.

Here's a new phrase: Googlewhacking -- "an offbeat pursuit of bored Web surfers -- is increasing in popularity and spawning its own legion of enthusiasts. The game starts by typing two unrelated words, such as colonoscopy and cockatiel, into Google's search bar, with the goal of obtaining a single result. The challenge is to find two words so disparate that only one match will occur among Google's 3 billion indexed Web pages. The idea originated with Gary Stock, who tracks the trend on his Web site." There's also official rules.

"I woke up this morning with a nasty scullion toenail. Yech! I called my foot doctor, who I thought was a counter-cultural type, but he turned out to be a recidivist establishmentarian—a real podiatric troglodyte. So I flew up to Davos in New York to consult my ayatollah pal. Since he’s always on the move—this guy is one peripatetic theocrat!—I couldn’t find him at first. But I eventually spotted him at the dessert table with Bill Gates and Alan Greenspan. As this threesome munched on plutocratic strudel, Greenspan recommended a remedy that he says he swears by: rototiller vivisection. "

Another day @ the coalface

Well, back to work again, after a week away at the Grampians, a great place to visit if you're in the land of Oz

SCOOP! Came back to a pleasant surprise - Vic Export has won an award at the 2002 Australian Gov't in Technology awards! (not sure if it's gold or silver yet ...) There may be a trip to Canberra in this?? 19 March 2002...

Below are today's finds...

Quote - A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any other invention in human history, with the possible exception of handguns and tequila. -- Mitch Radcliffe

Best Books of 2001 For readers who prefer "hardcopy" - (and don't we all for some circumstances?) - here's a list of links to various website "best books of 2001" lists from the San Francisco Public Library website.

KnowPlay - From the KnowPlay "about us" page :"Our mission is to simplify access to useful and high quality information services. Our goal is to simplify your life." The unadorned design (á la Google) is easy on the eyes, while the pared-down number of options makes for an unintimidating online encounter. Users can scroll horizontally through the menu at the top to subject categories such as maps, finance, music, local information (weather, movie listings, etc.), reference (dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, quotations, etc.), and recipes.

Urban Legend Combat Kit

The Urban Legend Combat Kit is a free collection of canned responses to help you combat Internet myths and urban legends. When someone sends you an urban legend, just cut and paste the appropriate response from this site.

< http://www.netsquirrel.com/combatkit/index.html >

Here's my first link Business Access

I only include it 'cause it's my main site at work..

Here's another one I work on: Vic Export

.. oh and I also put content on here: Business Channel

well that's done.... now what about what I'm really interested in??

Well well well

Here I am, on a blog...

after years of cruising the web and lurking in the nooks & crannies of the ether, I'm publishing my own stuff again.

Just new to this Radio blog software, so it'll look bland until I learn how to tweak it...

What's this for?

Well I'm using this blog to post my own ramblings & links to kewl stuff

When I get it figured I'll put up some pics I find...