Not Out
Retired, but not out.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
New TV Series
We're pleased to announce that JOOB has been cast as the title character for this remake of the classic 80s tv series.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Have you been saved?
While walking through the Hay St Mall today with JOOB one of the usual religious nutters that populate the western part made the mistake of trying to preach to me.
"Have you been saved?", he asked faling to hand me a pamphlet.I managed to escape while he tried to work that one out.
"Yes I have", I said, "I was heading straight for the net and the fucking goalkeeper got in my way."
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
His First Milk Tash
JOOB gets his first taste of a banana smoothie and in the process his first milk tash.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Overheard in...
Teenage Girl 1: ...well my mother can't complain because she was pregnant at sixteen as well.
Teenage Girl 2 (to her nearby boyfriend): Hey [name], I want to have a baby. You have to get me pregnant.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Meetup
We took some time out to join the Perth Bloggers meetup for this month. We haven't been for a while so it was great to catch up with everyone. It was the first meetup under the newly oppressive daylight saving laws.
But as always, someone always steals the show...
Monday, December 11, 2006
Beta Testing
We've move to the new Blogger beta code so you may have noticed the slightly different look. One day we'll actually get around to creating our own template. Unfortunately in the the move across TP seems to have gone missing. So please bear with us while we sort things out. If you notice any problems just drop us a line.
WTF?
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Friday, December 01, 2006
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Red Bull Air Race
We've been extremely busy over the last couple of months hence the lack of posts. We did manage to catch the air race, however. It was a bit hard to avoid given that much of it took place over our house. Here's some pics:
Qualifying on Saturday.
JOOB and TP watch qualifying.
The crowd on Sunday on the South Perth foreshore an hour before the race.
JOOB wonders what all the fuss is about.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Works for a living
Useless trivia alert:
In an astounding coincidence we've just realised that all three of us were born on a Saturday.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Friday, September 08, 2006
Brief Update
We've both been horribly busy. Which is good, I suppose. The only noteworthy events are that JOOB has almost got the hang of crawling, can now stand - with assistance - and kick a football, and today he had his first solids. Woohoo! More when we have time.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
QOTD
There's one thing worse than letting a probable terrorist walk free. That is a legal system that allows threats of torture to be used to collect evidence.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Perth Signs
Interesting songs. The real question is though, who the f*ck is Smokie?
Part of the government's push for those over 60 to continue working, no doubt.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Shoot to Kill
It's clear to everyone that the UN Resolution to stop the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel is going to fail, but the most telling fact is its number: 1701.
We come in peace,
shoot to kill,
shoot to kill.
We come in peace,
shoot to kill,
shoot to kill, men.
Australia v Kuwait
Nearly two months on from their last game in the World Cup, the Socceroos tonight are playing Kuwait. And the skill level clearly shows our lack of depth. Not so much the Socceroos but the Suckeroos - despite the fact that we just scored...and again.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Moneypenny?
You've probably seen this poster on public transport since June - it has taken me this long to get a photo of it. It's to advertise the implementation of the Seniors Smartrider. Is this Lois Maxwell aka Miss Moneypenny from all the good (and a couple of the bad) Bond films? Lois is living in Perth now. Anyone know?
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
QOTD
A lot of the people who are jumping all over Mel Gibson see him as some kind of a conservative or as a Christian. There's a lot of hatred of Christians in this country.
-- David Horowitz
TSI
Yep, it is that time of year again. Normally announced in late June or early July it seems that the lads at Tropfest had a bit of trouble with this one. So, without further delay the Tropfest Signature Item (TSI) is:
SNEEZEThat was worth the wait, wasn't it?
Any and all donations to the One Dog Said Tropfest production fund are welcome. Just click on the paypal link on the right sidebar and give! Give! Give!
Donations over $1000 are tax deductable¹.
¹ may not be available in all states and provinces. check with your tax advisor.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Iron Man
But now I've seen the Iron Man ironing board in the flesh (so to speak). . . I want one!
I blame hormones.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Boat Weather
Guy 1: how is it?
Guy 2: oh, it's just got a puddle in the front.
I'd hate to think how much puddling occurs out at sea.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Controlled Crying Day 1
We took JOOB in for his regular checkup with the Child Health Care Nurse yesterday and she suggested that now would be a good time to get JOOB to go to sleep by himself. I asked her if that meant controlled crying and she said yes. There's a lot of conflicting advice around about controlled crying - some are for it, some against - but the CHCN made a very poignant point. Once he begins teething his teeth have to be cleaned before he sleeps so he definitately needs to be able to go to sleep by himself before then. TP began teething at 4months so there's a good chance that JOOB will too. So now is the right time.
Tonight we began. JOOB has occasionally just dropped off by himself but the usual result of us putting him into his cot before he is asleep is screaming and crying. And JOOB didn't disappoint us. He was sleepy but still alert and awake when we put him in the cot. I caressed and spoke with him gently for 10-15 minutes and then said our goodnights. He took a full couple of minutes before the howling began. JOOB doesn't have a 'I want my mummy' sort of cry, he has a 'where the hell are ya' angry cry. If I wasn't his dad I'd be amused. Heck, I'm amused anyway. I like his spirit.
Anyway, we let him cry for five minutes - TP had to hide herself in the kitchen - before I returned to comfort him. It took another five or so minutes of holding and gentle shushing, but he settled down. Then I put him back in bed, wished him goodnight and departed. Nothing. Not a sound. I checked five minutes later and he was sound asleep. That was an hour ago.
So day one has gone well. Lets hope day two and beyond are equally successful. He's a smart kid. He'll work it out.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
QOTD
Young woman #1: So my mother-in-law is in Israel now.
Young woman #2: Oh. That really sucks. Bad timing, huh?
Young woman #1: No, I would say it's perfect timing. I don't want her to come back.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Monday, July 31, 2006
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Kaya again
We bought some kaya jam today. With JOOB constantly demanding our attention I think the likelihood of finding the necessary hour to make it ourselves is pretty low. However I am a little worried by the importer.
Weird Food of the Day
That's artichoke drink for those unable to read something resembling French or German. It wasn't bad btw. It just wasn't good either.
Friday, July 28, 2006
David Jones Drug Den
While using the parents' room at David Jones today, skribe and I observed a young woman enter one of the nursing cubicles.
Nothing odd about that, except she didn't have a baby. Twenty minutes later, she emerged somewhat woozily, washed her hands very thoroughly, then wandered off into the crowds.
Now, I don't like those nursing cubicles anyway: they're tiny, unventilated, and stink of many many used nappies. However, I appreciate that some mothers prefer a little privacy when they nurse.
The realisation that these cubicles are therefore being used for other, dubious, purposes is somewhat unsettling.
Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions. She could have been diabetic. She might have been upset. She could have been power napping. After all, the average nursing booth is a lot more comfortable than the average toilet cubicle. And without the ultra-violent ultra-violet lighting.
The fumes from all those used nappies would have explained her wooziness, but I very much doubt it.
The big department stores like David Jones and Myers provide really decent facilities for parents and families entirely free of charge. I would hate for a selfish minority to abuse these services and ruin them for those of us who actually need to use them.
Oh my gods. I've just turned into Helen Lovejoy: Think Of The Children!
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Football Glory
The Matildas are through to the 2007 World Cup after beating Japan 2-0 in their Asia Cup semi-final. They now play off against the winner of the other semi between China and North Korea to decide the Asia Cup. Way to go, girls!
Also, it is nice to see that Perth Glory has appointed both a coach, Ron Smith, and a CEO, Michelle Phillips. Smith is a particularly welcome addition after having developed the likes of Mark Viduka, Lucas Neill and Craig Moore during his tenure at the AIS.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Birthdays, Bubs, and Blackforests
I have a terrible secret: I share a birthday with John Howard. Fortunately, so do George Bernard Shaw, Carl Jung, and Stanley Kubrick.
There was a time when I used to look forward to birthdays, but then somewhere in my 30s I just seemed to forget about them altogether.
Like today. I could have spent the morning in bed. Instead, I trekked all the way over into the fashionable end of South Perth so I could join my mothers group to chat about baby-induced guilt trips and paranoias.
JOOB was a little overwhelmed and quieter than usual but then he found his voice again and was soon babbling away happily with his neighbour, and showing off his caterpillar action. Good baby! After all, while nobody will admit it, these mum-and-bub affairs are really just exercises in one-upmanship, aren't they?
Heh. He's the best present I could have wished for. If I'd been planning for my birthday like skribe had. He surprised me with my favourite cake when I got home, and we started into it almost at once.
After all, as we like to say in this household, it's only birthday cake when it's still your birthday.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
It's the simple things...
For the last few days I've been doing some post-production work on a corporate video for a firm in West Perth. It's all pretty basic stuff (fancy graphics, touchups, titles, etc), but it can be time consuming. Some of them take hours to do one setup. Others are literally five minutes work.
Today I visited the client to show him what I'd done. To see if there was anything I needed to fix. Apart from a few suggestions and a complete rewrite of one of the scenes (not a bad thing because the concept didn't work and it looked ugly) everything went swimmingly.
However, it never fails to amaze me that no matter how much time I spent on perfecting a scene it will always be the ones that I spend the least amount of time on that most impresses the client. Today it was the five-minute job, which consisted of me importing a graphic and applying two effects to it. That's it. But it did look pretty cool when it had finished rendering.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
15 Weeks After: The Fog of Motherhood
Nearly four months on, I'm beginning to appreciate that strange state of existence some call the Fog of Motherhood. Doom doom DOOOMMM!!!
It's like having tunnel vision while on medication. Everything immediately outside of the baby's needs becomes a haze and you seem always to be struggling in slow time. It's a combination of mothering instinct and chronic lack of sleep. Nurturing Autopilot: ON. All other operational processes: you're on your own.
So on the one hand, I've learnt to carry out some chores one-handed with JOOB slung over a shoulder.
But. I also find myself losing track of things all the time; not knowing what day it is or where I've left my keys or my mobile, not remembering there's still unpacked groceries in my bag, not aware of what's just been said on TV while I'm watching it... The other day I caught the Freo train to go to Subi and ended up in Swanbourne.
I've heard the motherhood fog doesn't lift for years. One day, JOOB might be toddling off to pre-school when the fuzziness will just suddenly blink out and you'll wake up to yourself again.
Or not. Meanwhile, I'll just have to tread warily through cottonwool-land and hope JOOB makes it out with me okay.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
This Week's Featured Cool Art
Yes, it's a wooden Ferrari being driven through the canals of Venice.
Livio DeMarchi's a Venetian-born sculptor with a delightful sense of the absurd. Check out his House of Books, which not only looks like a house built from books, but is furnished entirely with wooden sculptures of book-based furniture and wooden drapery and clothing.
QOTD
The best place to argue libertarian viewpoints is face down in someone else’s garden at 4am while you try to ignore the sounds of a dog eating that pool of vomit down the road.
-- Darryl Mason@Larvatus Prodeo
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Eau de Guava
We're out of guavas.
Already, I miss the crisp, clean fragrance of ripe guavas everytime I walk into the kitchen. It is an invigorating scent, a perfume that cuts through that heady smog of tropical fruit smells like a cool breeze.
And they're gone.
Ah, well. Guavas, like coffee, never entirely live up to their aromas somehow.
Growing up in Singapore, I was surrounded by guava trees, and seldom noticed them. Then, for long years in Oz, I only seemed to encounter the guava as a co-flavour in fruit drinks. A few days ago, my neighbour passed on some guavas that she'd been given too many of, and suddenly - WHAMMO! - our kitchen was sweet with the smell of ripe guavas.
And with it comes the memory of the spindly guava tree that grew by the door to my Year 1 classroom, whose fruit were few but always plucked by greedy little hands before they were ever nearly ripe enough. But even then, there was a smell - green and sharp.
There's nothing else quite like it.
Damn. We're out of guavas.
Meetup Pics
We went to the Perth Blog Meetup again last night. Fun with great people as usual. Here are some pics:
Rich explains the concept of Barcamp.
CW and Sirexkat listen attentively.
Simone attempts to ger her Nikon to shoot in low-light.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Worship at the altar of JOOB
JOOB will be making another appearance at the Brass Monkey on Wednesday 19th July at 7.30pm. Those wishing to meet the Great One are requested to pay in crisp one-hundred dollar notes (Australian or US currency accepted). We also remind everyone that the 'May the JOOB be with you. Always' T-shirts and mugs are now available online.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Sunday, July 16, 2006
JOOB: The Stranger Attractor
JOOB was assaulted twice by little old ladies today as we went down to Freo.
What is it about babies that impel complete strangers to walk up to you and tug at your arm or pull aside the flap of the carrier so they can get a better look at the little darling? It's very sweet and flattering, and just a little disconcerting, too! Hello, we haven't been introduced but let me just move this aside so we can see the bubby. Oh, isn't he cute? Uh, thank you. Nice meeting you. Oh, you've gone.
I guess it's as skribe once said: that having a baby is like gaining admission into some secret society. Suddenly, total strangers will ask how the baby is. Other parents with babies will exchange knowing smiles with you. People you've barely noticed in passing will remember you, and want to chat. I saw you at the bus stop once when you were pregnant. Is that the baby then? Coping well?
And little old ladies will not allow you to pass without first exercising their right to gawk and gush at the baby. It's a boy, is it? How old is he? What's his name? Oh, isn't he lovely.
Yes, he is lovely. And I love that he has allowed us as strangers to talk to one another like old friends, however briefly. Everyone loves a new baby - it reminds us of all the best that we hope for in ourselves, I think.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
14 Weeks After: Hello World
He said "Hello" again today.
It was so clear, so distinct, we both stopped and confirmed with each other that we'd heard the same thing. Does he understand what he says, does he recognise that certain syllable combinations generate more favourable responses from us than others? Can he even make such connections yet?
Should we be teaching him to say "Hello World" instead? He is a hacker's son after all.
Maybe other new parents experience this all the time, I don't know. It's not like we have a frame of reference here.
All I know is that he has been trying to stand and wanting to crawl since he was two weeks old. These days he can caterpillar-crawl, and grasp things, even reach for toys as he's lying on his tummy. He's working on sitting upright unaided, and maintaining his balance while standing with our help.
And he babbles, and sings, and laughs, and complains. He's a very vocal lad.
It drives me crazy sometimes. All this development on his part has its price; his appetite seems insatiable, his feeding demands seem to occupy every other hour I'm not tending him. I haven't been this tired since he was born. In a couple more weeks, we're looking seriously at introducing him to solids, even though experts currently recommend waiting until the sixth month.
But JOOB, as with just about everything else, is hurtling along ahead of schedule, so why not? He's been eyeing our meals for a while now. Perhaps we should be introducing words like "pizza" into his vocabulary now. At least it'll make more sense than "Al Gore" and "igloo".
Friday, July 14, 2006
Border Influence?
This wouldn't have something to do with Borders opening in town, would it? Not that I ever bought anything at Rellum anyway.
QOTD
- Pharmacist: You should probably re-sign your card.
- Woman: Why?
- Pharmacist: Well, you signed over the magnetic strip. You're supposed to sign over the white part down here.
- Woman: Then how would the machine read my signature? That doesn't make any sense.
- Pharmacist: No, it's a magnetic strip. It reads the information, not the signature.
- Woman: I don't think you know what you're talking about. That's not how the machines work. You're a pharmacist, not an electrician.
Then the pharmacist gave up.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Hmmm...
So, I've worked out that:
Microsoft will end up with Nine;
News Corp will end up with Ten;
AOL/Yahoo/Warner will end up with Seven.
But I just can't work out who the Australian Government will sell the ABC and SBS to.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
It's Official
FIFA Rankings are STILL shit!
Not only is Australia ranked below WC2006 first round exit nations like USA (16th), Paraguay (19th), Croatia (23rd) but also a swag of non-qualifiers like Greece, Egypt, Turkey, Romania, Guinea, Colombia, Denmark, Uruguay, Cameroon and Nigeria. Oh, and according to the FIFA Rankings Italy is only the second best team in the world. Brazil is still number one, despite not progressing beyond the quarter finals.
Borders Anomaly
Both are copies of Farenheit 451. Both are 50th anniversary editions. The book on the right is $3 more than the one on the left. Similarly there is a difference of $6 between different copies of Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
World Cup: Aftermath
Well, the month-long party is over. Rampant nationalism can be cast aside. The blood pressure can return to normal. And we can once again get more than a few hours sleep per night (at least those without three-month old kids, that is). At least for four more years, then the party starts over again.
I see Germany 2006 in the same light I see Sydney 2000. It was fun. It was friendly. And it was fuckin' fantastic. Sure, there wasn't the swathe of brilliant goals, or a stand-out player, but what we did see was pretty damn impressive. I would say that the quality of the football has improved worldwide over the last four years. Certainly every team had its day, even if that day was a draw or a narrow defeat.
Winners
- The Azzurri, of course. They came into the tournament under a scandalous cloud and left as champions. There are strange similarities between 2006 and 1982. Perhaps in 2010 we'll see another Italian football scandal. It's not like they're rare in any case.
- The Socceroos. Low expectations contributed to the overwhelming sense of joy and achievement. In my opinion they were the only side to really challenge the Italians on the park. We can always dream about what might have been.
- Germany and the Germans. They have managed to cast off the 60 year old scourge that overshadowed them and showed us what they're really like: friendly, nice and party-loving. They even managed to develop a sense of nationalistic pride without invading anyone.
- World Football. Some of the minnows shook the pillars of heaven and nobody was entirely disgraced. The World Cup is only as strong as its weakest team.
- Brazil. They went into the tournament as unbackable champions and left with their tail between their legs. Just proves the old adage: a team filled with champion players doesn't make a champion team.
- England. An entire generation of exceptional talent wasted on a lackluster Swede.
- Zizou. Impulsive. Idiotic. Insane.
- The 21 pass fiesta that Cambiasso finished in the Argentina v Serbia and Montenegro game.
- The little Italian general, Fabio Cannavaro.
See you next time, in South Africa.
Q&A
Q: How do you tell if someone is a Labor voter?
A: They're the ones with the smile on their dial.
Monday, July 10, 2006
The Final Comments
Firstly lets talk abiut Zizou's brain explosion. Totally inexcusable action. No sledge is worth a red card. Especially in the WC final. If you're not mature enough to put up with any sledge the opposition can deal out then you don't deserve to be there.
There's a lot of speculation about what triggered it. The Francophiles are claiming racist/dogmatist comments by Materazzi. Look at Materazzi's body language in the video above. If you make a really good sledge you know it. Particularly something racist or dogmatic. You expect some sort of retort. Materazzi isn't expecting any retaliation. He's concentrating on the play. I'm guessing whatever triggered Zidane's brain to explode was deeply personal. Whatever it was it was a tragic and foolish way to end such a sublime international career.
Secondly, the refs almost decided the winner yet again. The penalty against Materazzi was ridiculous. Just as the penalty against Neill was on June 26th. Some Socceroos fans chortled with glee at the Italians receiving some of the own medicine, but to me it's just plain incompetence by the refs. Too much hangs on their skills for them to be so inept. If they're not up to the job then it is definitely time to introduce additional support (additional refs, video, etc). I thought so after Italy bowed out in 2002, and the failures in this tournament just shored up that opinion.
Lastly, adding to my earlier post about Italian Destiny, it must be particularly relishing to fans of the Azzurri that it was Trezeguet that missed the penalty. It was Trezeguet that kicked the golden goal that won France Euro 2000 - the last time the two teams met. This is after the Italians had led for much of the match, only to see France equalise in injury time and win in extra time.
It is a good day to be an Italian and especially an Italian World Cup winning football player. Tomorrow, however, may be another story. Tomorrow the commission looking into the Serie A bribery scandal hands down its decision. And most of the Italian team are neck deep in it.
The Bet
Materazzi: I bet there's nothing you can do to stop yourself being considered as great as Pele and Maradona.Zidane won that bet.
13 Weeks After: Changing Challenges
Well, the World Cup is over. Now what do I watch during those 3am feeds?
Our baby book says that by now, our baby should have developed a regular schedule, and be able to sleep through the night with the need to feed just once maybe.
Sure. I'm obviously hallucinating those half-hour feeds around 9pm (optional), midnight, 3am, and 6am. Must be the lack of sleep.
By now, we've largely abandoned the baby book. It was a useful reference guide until JOOB arrived. Now we understand why the midwives say "Either read NO books, or ALL of them", and why their sacred mantra is: Every baby is different.
Repeat: Every baby is different.
JOOB, for example, is a month ahead developementally. Good baby! But he's not sleeping through the night like a lot of other babies his age. Ah, well. Growing/learning babies have big appetites.
In the meantime, even my breasts have memorised his feeding routine, and they wax and wane such that for maybe half an hour here and there, my bras actually fit.
Likewise, JOOB is now at that stage where he sometimes fits his clothes as well.
Baby clothes here are generally graded in three-month stages: 0000 is for newborn to 3-month-olds, 000 is for 3-month-olds to 6-month-olds...etc
JOOB was a small baby so even some size 0000 clothes looked biaggy on him, but because of his long legs he could only comfortably wear other clothes sized 000. Now he's outgrowing them all. Except the clothes his grandmother sent from Singapore, which are vaguely sized as S, M, and L, and which are still mainly all too big for him (and which are all thin, cottony clothes geared for the tropics but what the hey, JOOB can at least fit into them).
And let's not even talk about his newest achievemnt, besides singing off-key with his Dad, or gnawing on his wrist-rattles. JOOB's newest trick is the explosive bowel evacuation, which goes in every direction except down apparently, and has made nappy-changing time such an exhilarating experience. And the reason that his clothes are becoming such an issue.
Damned clever baby.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
QOTD
I don't know what is more disturbing, the fact that more Jihadists are planning an attack upon NYC or that the neocons are happily crowing 'told ya so!'. It's like a cancer patient being happy about finding another tumour.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Close Encounters of the Anecdotal Kind
It's funny the things that suddenly pop up in your memory.
This afternoon, skribe and I chanced upon Kim Beazley at our local shops.
Skribe said Hello. Kim smiled and said Hello. We went our merry ways and I joked about how close JOOB came to being kissed by his first politician.
Not just any politician, skribe observed. Possibly future Prime Minister.
And a memory bubbled up out of the depths of my past life: some years back my parents told me about how when I was about a year old, an associate of my Dad's used to bounce me on his knee. Then my parents pointed to the news on TV and there he was - the newly appointed President of Singapore.
Big whoop, thought I the unimpressionable teen. Everyone probably gets bounced on the knee as a baby by someone who then goes on to achieve their fifteen minutes of fame, that's just the odds.
And yet, it's also those sorts of close encounters with fame and history that makes for fun family lore.
Geek time
Last night, about an hour before going to bed TP was reading one of her favourite sites, Museum of Hoaxes, and I made the mistake of looking across and seeing the above picture. It was a mistake because it haunted me for the next twelve hours.
Now let me just say that about fifteen years ago I was a major navy geek. I could have told you just about any of the details about any US, Soviet or Australian suface ship or submarine including recognising them by a fraction of their silhouette. In fact I almost got into trouble once after the first Gulf War when the USS Missouri dropped into Freo and I started listing off details (including weapon ranges) while aboard. The Cold War was still afire, albeit a dying ember, and most of that stuff was still not openly discussed despite being easily accessible in books. So, anyway, I looked across and saw that picture and instantly knew that it was a Typhoon-class submarine.
The Typhoon is, and I quote Hunt for Red October, a big sucker. It's a 175 metres long which is about as large as a WW2 aircraft carrier. It's the biggest class of submarines ever made. It's also a nasty piece of work carrying twenty SLBMs (submarine launched ballistic missiles). Fortunately, only six were ever made. Oh, and did I mention that it is Soviet/Russian. I, and every Western navy intelligence officer, would have killed for a photo like that above fifteen years ago.
So, Museum of Hoaxes wasn't sure that the photo was legit. To many it looked photoshopped. To me it looked legit, but I had to prove it. The easiest way to do that was to find out where the photo (a series of four actually) was taken. So I fired up Google Earth and started my search.
My information is roughly fifteen years out of date so it took me a while to track down the necessary data to begin my search. So I did some before going to bed, and then when I did hit the sack all I could think about was where the photo was taken.
All but one of the Typhoons has been retired and that one is currently being used to test the lastest Russian SLBM. The missile launches are taking place in the White Sea (the targets is a pennisular bordering the Pacific btw) so that's the first place I looked.
My initial information was that the tests were coming out of Arkhangelsk, but I couldn't find any place that looked like the photo. Then this morning I happened to check the small city to the south-west of Arkhangelsk, named Severodvinsk and guess what? I found this. Oh, what we would have done to have Google Earth/Maps 15 years ago. It was only later, after noticing the warships and this in port, that I discovered that Severodvinsk is home to the main Russian submarine base.
Now I'm not saying that the photo hasn't been 'shopped. But it seems likely to me that it is legit. The location looks right. It is certainly located in the right area. It also feels right. So I'm guessing that the photo is legit and to the lucky people of Severodvinsk that this is a fairly common sight.
Ah, it's fun being a geek.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Can You Kick It?
Big Brother isn't the only place to find impractical jokes. You can always go to Berlin where two men have been arrested for placing cement-filled footballs around the city.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Destiny
If you're an Italian or just a fan of the Azzurri then there is something of an air of destiny about their performance in Germany. A feeling that another star adorning the jersey is not only inevitable but imminent.
Some might say that Italy's peformance so far has been lackluster. While they topped their group it was an unconvincing performance and the Italian media was scathing towards the team and Marcello Lippi, the coach. Then they narrowly scraped through on a disputed penalty against Australia. That game seems to have spurred them into action because they thrashed Ukraine in the quarters and then followed it up with a solid victory against Germany in the semis.
Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. History tells us that every time that Italy has scored 12 goals in a World Cup Tournament that have returned home as Champions. At this tournament they have scored 11 goals so far. History also tells us that only Brazil has beaten them (twice) in the final. Add all that to the fact that Italy hasn't been beaten since Sept 2004.
And there is also an air of justice about this tournament for the Italians. The wrongs of 2002 have been somewhat rectified by the penalty against Australia. But also the fact that the Germans won the tournament when it was last hosted in Italy (1990). Now the Italians have not only knocked the Germans out but may get to return the favour.
But I don't believe in destiny. Any illusions about inevitable victories in a World Cup have been snuffed out repeatedly, most recently in the 94th minute on June 26th, 2006. If Italy are to win they will have to earn it.
Happy 60th Birthday... The Bikini
Politicians and public commentators are decrying the turkey-slap affair, while North Korea is test-firing missiles. What a perfect backdrop to commemorate the 60th anniversary of... the Bikini!
Of course, there is every argument that the bikini as a concept is significantly older than than a mere 60 years, as the above Roman mosaic illustrates.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Needs more research?
According to this article, WA women are the most sexually active in the country. That's great! The question remains however are WA men equally active? If not, are the WA women heading out of the state for their dalliances or are the sistahs just doin' it for themselves? More life-changing news as it happens.
QOTD
I just the other day got, an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday.
-- Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska)
230
It seems only appropriate that on this day I make some sort of comment about the United States. Two-hundred-and-thirty years ago today a small band of idealists and dreamers started something that, after it was all said and done, made the world a better place. It cost a lot of lives, blood and hardship. A lot of lessons were learnt the hard way. Two-hundred-and-thirty years later most of those lessons seem to have been forgotten.
Pity.
Two years
Two years on and so much has changed since we started here. JOOB for starters. He has brought about a monumental change in our lives. For the better, mind you.
Two years on and we've written a lot more, made stacks of new friends, as well as the occasional enemy. We're still making short films and television shows, we still haven't won the lottery jackpot and the fellow inhabitants of this small, blue planet still continue to scare us with their nastiness.
Looking back at the past year of blog posts the thing that sticks out the most is that OneDog has become a photoblog. I would have squirmed at the idea two years ago, but then again we didn't have a bouncing baby boy to photograph back then.
Looking back at the equivalent post from last year I read this:
Six months on and perusing through the list of NY resolutions I'm very happy to report that I've only managed to achieve one of the things on the list. I'll let you work out why I'm so happy.As I said, so much has changed.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Ka Mate, Stop Fucking Around
The Italians are cruisin' for an Antipodean bruisin'. First the Socceroos are cheated out of the World Cup by them, now they've managed to piss off the Kiwis.
QOTD
George W. Bush beleives the terrorists hate us because of our freedom. His answer? Get rid of our freedoms.
Who says Republicans don't have a plan to win the Global War on Terror?
-- Mr Twister
Contacted by Strangers
I don't deal well with fame. A few years ago we achieved a small level of local recognition by doing some stuff that nobody, up until then, had done before. We thought it was cool so we did it. Then complete strangers spontaneously started saying stuff like, 'Oh, you're skribe,' and that really weirded me out. Thankfully everyone has long forgotten what we did and I'm only bringing it up now because I'm being weirded out again.
Complete strangers are adding me to their contact lists on Flickr. Now, sure contacts are just like bookmarks, but these strangers have been adding me as a friend and that's what's weirding me out. I've never even spoken to these people. They've never even left a comment. Just BANG add to contact list and check the friends box. Even that's not what's really got me weirded out. For some of them I'm their ONLY contact.
Now I don't mean to sound all cranky and standoffish, I'm sure these people are perfectly nice and once I get to know them we could be best friends. However, if you're going to do something like that introduce yourself first. At least leave a comment. After all, if I were to walk up to you in the street, smile and say 'you're my friend' you'd probably run a mile. Even with my charming good looks.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
I Need... A Digital Clock T-Shirt
Currently sick and sleep-depped, which is probably why I think this is a terrific idea.
I'd wear it to bed, and then when JOOB wakes me, I wouldn't have to grope around in the dark to find out what the time was. It's even a stopwatch, so I can time his feeds.
Okay, definitely must get more sleep.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
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