a day in paddington

softies

it was a while ago now, but...

ICE!!! THERE WAS ICE IN FERNY GROVE!!!!!!!!

pink

medieval fair

i had heard enthusiastic descriptions of last year's medieval festival. but nevertheless it was an order of magnitude cooler than i could had imagined. highlights: the furriers, mead and bread/cheese nuts at the buck, the giant hunks of meat cooking above fires, the renaissance fencing guys swords, the many smiths, the archery guys, the battle dudes, the other battle dudes, the swords, (oh the swords), the minstrels and the gypsy dancers, the jousting tourney, the guy who tried to chop a bit of wood with his giant sword after a few to many meads, and just an overall vibe that i can't describe exactly but i will say i can't stop smiling now thinking about it and looking at some of these photos. abbey medieval festival. i heard they need a new venue next year because the current venue isn't big enough! happiness

"Need any help with the laundry?"

moar fabrik sofner plz. kthx.

DopplerPad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR1KJ5PunD4
it's a cool looking music thing for iPhone

MUAHAHAA

The Tuesday song of the week is...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7DGr9xAVm8

Death Judge Ethel

Hello world in TiddlyWiki 2.5 and jQuery

Not sure if there is or will be a jQuery-ish createTiddlyButton. But in any case here is a super basic example to get you started with jQuery and TiddlyWiki...

http://jquery-hello.tiddlyspot.com/#JQueryHelloPlugin

(Presuming you know a little bit of pre-jQuery TiddlyWiki here, for example I haven't even put in all the macro handler params).

See it in action...

/***
<<jQueryHello>>
***/
//{{{
(function($){
  
$.extend(config.macros,{
  jQueryHello: {
    handler: function(place) {
      createTiddlyButton(place, "click me", "click me", function() {
        $(place).parent("div.tiddler").hide("slow").show("slow"); // woah
        $(place).append("We're not in kansas any more, Toto.<br>");
      });
    }
  }
});

})(jQuery);
//}}}

The world flag is quite beige

robertpykeSomeone should look at overlaying, with some kind of transparency, every countries flag, to see what the "international" flag is.about 11 hours ago from TwitterGadget

trevorandersen@robertpyke It'd probably just be a grey rectangle...about 11 hours ago from web

robertpyke@trevorandersen Possibly even beige.. how very neutral ;)about 11 hours ago from TwitterGadget

trevorandersen@robertpyke Almost what you're looking for: http://bit.ly/gl4m4about 10 hours ago from web

robertpyke@trevorandersen: Nice, thanks for that.about 10 hours ago from TwitterGadget

DanielBaird@robertpyke RT: "Someone should look at overlaying, with … transparency, every countries flag, to see what the "international" flag is."

I was intrigued and wondered how quickly I could do this. About twenty minutes for a very rough version. Here it is:
http://simonbaird.com/worldflag/

Here is some ruby:
http://simonbaird.com/worldflag/go.rb.txt

After a little more googling I found this:
http://www.flagpictures.org/countries.htm

but I think I am going to leave it now for more productive uses of my time. Anyone want to take over please be my guest.


Update:
I just realised it should be a jquery script that adds images one at a time and adjusts the opacity with each image addition. There's some chance I will actually make this because I would like to see it...

Once...

I found a tiny bug in the eZComponents Workflow module:
http://lists.ez.no/pipermail/components/2008-September/003894.html

Scott C on MJ

http://scott-c.blogspot.com/2009/06/goodbye-michael-jackson.html

Poor New Kids on the Block

Apparently they had to cancel their reunion tour of Australia due to poor ticket sales, citing the GFC as the main reason people weren't buying tickets. Perhaps they could open for Pink who sold out 58 shows on her Australian tour. 58!!! Australia loves Pink.

vintage skateboards

do i LOOK comfy?

ufo

heart iphone

mug stacking theory

monkey makes deposit?

lick. thirsty.

electro is the new rock

sleek aluminium unibody

shall i go around the boom gate?

what kind of dimwit drives around a boom gate?!

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25652753-3102,00.html

what were they thinking? i imagine this..

"hmm.. train coming.. boom gate down.. oh, it looks like i could fit the car right around that.. in a bit of hurry so.. yeah.. look at that.. no problem.. so glad we didn't have to wa.. BANG.

unfortunately for the gene pool they survived

set list according to the courier mail

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25652763-5012980,00.html

SET LIST

Old Friends/Bookends

Hazy Shade Of Winter

I Am A Rock

America

Kathy's Song

Hey Schoolgirl

Bebop-alula

Scarborough Fair

Homeward Bound

Mrs Robinson

Slip Slidin' Away

Bright Eyes

Heart of New York

Perfect

Now I Lay me Down

For Emily, Whenever I may find her

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard

The Boy in the Bubble

Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes

Only Living Boy in New York

My Little Town

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Encore:

Cecilia

The Boxer

Sounds of Silence

The Leaves That Are Green

Feelin' Groovy

Thursday night, replace Me and Julio with Graceland.

Simon & Garfunkel set list, Brisbane, 17/18 June, 2009

i expect the final of american idol this year would have been similar to this

...the audience began to boo loudly due to the slight discord in the background notes behind the bassoon's opening melody. There were loud arguments in the audience between supporters and opponents of the work. These were soon followed by shouts and fistfights in the aisles. The unrest in the audience eventually degenerated into a riot. The Paris police arrived by intermission, but they restored only limited order. ...Stravinsky himself was so upset on account of its reception that he fled the theater in mid-scene, reportedly crying... ...Nijinsky stood on a chair, leaned out (far enough that Stravinsky had to grab his coat-tail), and shouted counts to the dancers, who were unable to hear the orchestra (this was challenging because Russian numbers are polysyllabic above ten, such as seventeen: semnadsat vs. eighteen: vosemnadsat)...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rite_of_Spring

Good news if you are tired of hearing my blah blah about The Middle East

http://visitthemiddleeast.wordpress.com/
(i made a new blog)

for loop syntax in rakudo perl 6

# this is ruby
(1,2,3).each { |i| puts i }

# this is perl 6
for 1,2,3 -> $i { say $i }

# being perl of course you can do this (which isn't that different to perl 5)
for 1,2,3 { say $_ }

# but now this (looks like things might be proper objects now...?)
for 1,2,3 { $_.say }

# and even this
for 1,2,3 { .say }

# Update: and finally (for the golfing win...)
.say for 1,2,3

So anyway, if that's interesting then have a look at http://perlcabal.org/syn/S04.html#The_for_statement

And some good stuff at http://perlcabal.org/syn/S12.html#Attributes also.

You can actually install rakudo now without much pain (at least it was pretty smooth on my ubuntu box), see http://www.rakudo.org/how-to-get-rakudo

on the way up the sloping ramps to the top car park at indro...

K (to her 5 year old, meaning the back seats of the captiva): you're riding in the boot again, okay?

Me (seeing passersby eavesdropping): And this time, no screaming!

natal is really cool

Felicia Day trying the ball smacking game
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYuJivFFa-c

Promo with fake but plausible mock ups
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBYCDHPOpdw

Milo, the virtual boy, demo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDvHlwNvXaM

Also: His southern reaches...

robot acts like a human

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCK64zsZNNs

everyone says it's creepy and scary but i can only see awesomeness. this dude's great great grandkids will be mixing your margaritas by 2015.

middle east single of the week

I thought you'd probably be interested to know The Middle East have the single of the week on iTunes!

via greenapplecat

(maybe i should make a middle east fan blog...)

rolando 2 looks fantastic

http://www.handcircus.com/2009/05/06/rolando-2-trailer-now-live/

the previous night on earth

http://reel-around-the-fountain.blogspot.com/2007/02/night-on-earth.html

I went to that! Thought it sounded familiar.

So, Spunk Records. I think they might be the perfect label. The Middle East.

New Buffalo and The Middle East on the same night?

nice.

The Middle East, Fools Gold, Lyrics

These lyrics are now on my new web site for The Middle East. Find them here along with a few more at The Middle East Lyrics.

mean green's new chinchy blog

http://chinchy.blogspot.com/

mean green has many talents. he's recently added blogger to his extensive curriculum vitae. tune in if you into his kind of thing, which you just might be if i know anything at all

also, townsville folk you can see chinchy tonight (friday) along with aux

gamers against casual gaming

re my blah blah on casual gaming... this is the kind of sentiment i was responding to... (a vgcats comic strip)

a new video by MGMT for the song kids has joanna newsom in it

the video is so bad though that I don't think you should watch it. so no link.

"We own Dokdo Island tonight"

It was a movie about a b-boy contest. The Korean team were talking about beating the Japanese team. One Korean b-boy said (in Korean, i was reading the subtitles) "We own Dokdo Island tonight"

Briefly: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liancourt_Rocks#Role_in_Japan.E2.80.93Korea_relations

In extensive detail: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liancourt_Rocks_dispute

i am adopting this phrase and intend to use it in moments of triumph, either verbatim or with some variation.

For example, (imagine the voice of Jack Black or Dwight Shrute), "Dokdo island is mine now, baby" or "Get me some Dokdo".

I suggest you do the same. Report back via the comments.

on second thoughts...

i don't want the big plastic things, especially the drum kit. who has room for that?

want. i think... yep.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/01/joystiq-live-from-microsofts-e3-2009-keynote/

chess pwn

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Scott W <...@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jun 2, 2009 at 5:32 PM
Subject: New record
To: ...

My quickest victory ever!!! Thanks Tim :-)

The Middle East EP Available in iTunes

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=312251001&s=143460

scott c - these two are my favourites

http://www.quietstorm-gallery1988.blogspot.com/
http://scott-c.blogspot.com/

more paintings from scott c

http://scott-c.blogspot.com/2009/05/rest-of-quiet-storms.html

(a few more here but you have to scroll past the whales)
http://quietstorm-gallery1988.blogspot.com/2009/05/quiet-storm.html

morrissey and marr still available...! :)

cat versus virtual spider lolz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1flOvTeLjQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11qIk2asW6Y

please post videos of your cat attacking this: http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/

awesome spider

http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/ via @fremnet

Another fan of The Middle East

We are one of caterva not deny enteraos (endearing, if that), but with the entry that I will now let's give you even more angry. Me explicaré. Let me explain. If you talk about an Australian group, of which the only information we have is through their myspace, which have no record deal, which also have a long and published an ep already sold out and possibly cost you sweat find and tears, for nothing ... we are going to hate, I know ... because it is one of the best bands that emerged in the last decade.

Tim, Joseph, Mark, Jordan, Bree y Rohin forman The Middle East . Tim Joseph, Mark, Jordan, Bree and Rohin are The Middle East. Group exciting, full of nuances and surprising details, able to travel from absolute calm to the most epic landslide. We left for the "wise" label, but I only can mount the two videos I found on youtube, because although they are long, which is more than welcome @ it.  

Amazing!

Original article

Translated by Google
 

Fwd: Friday 3rd July

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Club Chinchy <...@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, May 27, 2009 at 6:08 PM
Subject: Friday 3rd July
To: ...


Hi Guys,

Please forward on!

Cheers,

Mash

return of the bunnies

previously...

Middle East gig review

http://spoz.blogspot.com/2009/03/leader-cheetah-middle-east-live-ed.html

A blogger from Adelaide liked them:

They're a winter wonderland of snow softly falling on cedar, of crackling fires, hot cocoa, ridiculously romanticised children's books about squirrels, and you looking longingly into the tickling white cascade outside of your bedroom window as all the homeless in your neighbourhood get mauled to death by roaming packs of wolves. Yup, climate change sure is a bitch (and I never knew Townsville had it this bad!) but no one else has ever made it sound quite so beautiful. Think The Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and Arcade Fire all coming together to sing Christmas carols. Imagine if Jim James from My Morning Jacket sung at your funeral. Picture Bat For Lashes, Jeff Buckley and Chris Isaac trapped in a glacier. They're the bluebird of happiness turning black with frostbite. They're that last red autumn leaf, clinging to the tree for dear life. They're ever so fragile, fleeting yet ever so forgiving to your ears. You only want more. You score this to any cinematic release and you'll be bursting into tears. I'm seeing a plastic bag dancing on the street, in a twirl of leaves.. and.. oh crap.. I think I've got something in my eye! *sniff* The Middle East leave me speechless, stammering, studdering and stupified. They shut me up completely.

CONCUR. :)

Click the link, there's more review and heaps of photos.

But actually I have something to say about The Middle East. It's about Rohin. Now he's the guy who isn't the lead singer. Jordan is apparently (I'm guessing) the main songwriter and sings vocals on Blood and so on. His voice is a delicate and beautiful one. But.. It's more of a low volume voice. It's perfect for quiet studio. In other words there's a chance that in some rock venues, especially bigger ones his voice might not have the capacity to blow your mind. Now he will probably get better with time. But here's the thing. Rohin is freakishly talented. He is a genuine rock superstar. He may have been born that way, I'm not sure. He can make your face melt quicker than cheese on a George Foreman grill. In a good way. A very, very good way. And he can do it with voice or his guitar (or a drum kit for that matter, but that's another story). But, (at least when I saw them at the Troubadour) he stayed kind of in the background. In fact he doesn't sing much at all except for some backup harmonies. He sang one line at full pelt I think in the darkest side and it was amazing. It made me want more. So anyway, my point? More cowbell.

Ps, did you notice the new drummer looks like Davey?

Pps, awesome sweater.

The Middle East essential links:

• http://www.myspace.com/visitthemiddleeast
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlSxtGqcZaA (Pig Food live)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6SG-K7s6oQ (Fools Gold/Gold live)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPO7DSVqYYo (Blood, live in Adelaide)

There are tour dates on the myspace page including (for any fellow Brisbane locals) 4th of June at the Old Museum.

I'm not really sure...

...if you need me to keep you up to date with the latest youtube goodness. But just in case you do, here you go... (I promise I will keep this kind of post to a minimum...)

Keyboard cat (not the original but it's my favourite one)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyauGeRa5T0

Slap chop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWRyj5cHIQA

I recommend the above unreservedly. But this last one is only if you're really bored..
wog shooting in kings cross as described by Clare Werbeloff


Update: I forgot to say, she made it all up. The police questioned her and she's like, er, I was just joking.

in 1969 they predicted the internet but not women's lib

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0pPfyYtiBc

frank black and some school kids

http://stereogum.com/archives/video/frank-black-performs-with-portland-school-of-rock_070342.html

milton train rainbow

rainbow in milton

it's not every day you see a giant sky shark

little totoro does NOT enjoy being laundered

sometimes 140 characters just isn't enough...

train jockey extraordinaire

my ferny grove train in the morning leaves at either 7:06, 7:16, 7:26 or 7:40. the 7:06 is express from enoggera to bowen hills, so that's the best one to take, and the one i'm usually on. work is at milton which means i need to change to the ipswich/darra line at either central or roma st. the 7:06 and the 7:16 get me to central or roma street about four minutes before an ipswich train. but on the 7:26 or 7:40 the changeover window is shorter, maybe a minute. so i have to hustle. a delay can cause me problems, and when i do miss it i have a 20 minute wait, so if i'm at roma street it's amost quicker to walk to milton. so today i was on the 7:40 and there was about a two minute delay somewhere near wilston. i jumped off at central, platform 2, and saw that the ipswich train on platform 5 was already flashing. the thing about the flashing is you don't know how long it's been flashing. you might have a few minutes to get there or it might be leaving in seconds. (they ought to increase the flash frequency gradually until the train departs but that's another post). the stairs at central were jam packed as usual so i figured i probably wouldn't make it and would be late for work. then it dawned on me that i still had a chance. i jumped back on the train i'd just got off. i moved up three carriages so as to be close to the stairs at roma street. i bolted off the train at roma street where the stairs and concourse are less congested, ran down the stairs of platform 5, across and up the stairs at platform 8. now the screens at this point actually weren't showing my green ipswich line so i thought i was a goner. but halfway the stairs i saw the train in it's usual place and the screen on the platform was green rather than cyan which means terminating here at roma st. just then the platform staff blew the whistle. i still had about 10 steps to go. i actually stopped running a bit, thinking the doors would close, but they remained open as i got closer and closed about a second after i jumped on. massive. win. (i really like trains).

more hot chip - so glad to see you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVzR-qciA58

it's so beautiful

current musical obsession: and i was a boy from school, hot chip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtxAou8c28k

it's so pretty with the vocal harmonies in the chorus

maps story

karen o maps angus crying

it's the old girl meets boy, boy breaks girls heart, girl writes beautiful song, boy doesn't show up to video shoot story.

also: maps means My Angus Please Stay (probably not true but cute)... and maps, because while he was breaking her heart he was on tour a lot or moving to berlin and she would look at maps to see where he was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYJjHCZN46U

heather havrilesky on parenthood

http://www.rabbitblog.com/2009_05_01_rabbitblog_archive.html#8863755254045257213

on gapminder

I just learned that Google owns that software now, it's called Trendalyzer. See http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/world-in-motion.html

lunch time viewing update

the abc news is still must see. but the daily show has gone out of fashion. mark likes TED. today's selection was Hans Rosling's 2006 TED presentation on graphminder. it's interesting stuff. all about visualising world statistics like wealth and health and many other things. linkage:

2006 TED Talk

More talks and videos at gapminder.org

Main web site, gapminder.org

You can use the software here

a fox can catch a rat under some snow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP15zlyra3c

(watch in HD if you can..)

lyrebird can imitate anything

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y

would you like some mercury with that?

Just like Liz Lemon I'm getting a flu shot tomorrow. It's not for swine related flus of course but just your regular garden variety flu. One guy said he doesn't want it because of the mercury content and because mercury is linked to alzheimers. I scoffed but sure enough some vaccinations for adults do contain some mercury. I'm getting my shot anyway, just thought I would keep my readers informed. See here for details. I thought I would include a picture but instead, here is Liz Lemon dancing... (!?)

musical obsession (a week ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYJjHCZN46U
maps, yeah yeah yeahs

assateague pony

assateague pony, april 2009 ocean city, maryland foal looking for her mother, on a wild barrier island on the eastern shore of maryland, USA

I forgot to mention...

Two of them (the fly and the sand buggy) were taken by a colleague of mine, Shaun. Here is his flickr page.

Please enjoy my wallpaper collection

My Wallpaper Collection

(If you want to download one you click the photo then find the little save icon under the photo and click it)

Brought to you by Dropbox (2 GB of disk in the cloud, automatically synced, version control, with clients for mac, windows, linux).

I only just got it but it seems pretty good.

Get Dropbox