Holiday time...

Well... Thump and I are off for 5 days in the south of WA in a little touristy town called Busselton. Busselton is famous for (amongst other things) its Jetty. The Busselton Jetty is the second longest Jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. It was built in 1865 and is 1799 metres long (5902 ft). It has an underwater observation area and is a favourite dive spot.

I did production for a music festival down there last year and looked around for a pet friendly B&B and scored a lovely little place in a forest.

Poor Jake knows somethings up and he keeps looking sad. Last time we were packing suitcases and the like we went to Bali and he went to a kennel. He was not happy!

So... I hope you all have a great New Year celebration and we'll be back next Wednesday to hear about your stories. We're making videos and taking heaps of snaps so I'll work on a slide show thingy!

Have a good one y'all

Opening the present.

Thump and I had a peaceful Xmyth and it was fun to watch our little boy open his present after being so patient...



Hope you all had a good break.

Who is Benny Lava?

I was over at Aardvarchaeology and cracked up at this... one of my favourite things is a good pisstake.

How can you go past the lyrics...

"Have you been high today?
I see the nuns are gay
My brother yelled to me
I love you inside Ed!'"



Reason's Greetings

Seven Things

The evil overlord Sean the Blogonaut has tagged me AGAIN!

I have to list seven random and/or weird things about me. There's nothing unusual or weird about me... what are you talking about?

1/ I was born on the same day (not year) that Bertrand Russell, Pope Clement XIII and Sid Vicious died. It's also Ground Hog day in the US.

2/ I'm a redhead with freckles and choose to shave my head. (Actually it's cause it was receding a little bit and the sides would grow fastest so I kept getting called "Crusty the Clown)

3/ I have acute senses and can tell what soap someone used to wash their hands with from 20M and flourescent lights drive me batty 'cause of the flickering.

4/ I lived in Bali Indonesia for 12 months in a "haunted" house.

5/ When I was 15 and learning to drum I found I could get my Led Zeppelin records and observe where the songs started from the label position and then "scratch" a permanent count in to all the tracks by pushing down on the tonearm so I could drum along . It was cool.

6/ Most people that know me or of me believe I can fix anything electronic.

7/ At around 12 or 13 I dismantled my parents TV set, a brand new valve black & white unit and one of only a few in the street. They were very upset by this but I did manage to get it back together and working.

I tag...

Fiery
T&A
Bender01
Evolveintobirds
TBA

The Perfect Present

What a gift idea... USB Wine.
This is awesome. The French really have got their technology together to be able to deliver this... I mean it's got Star Trek Replicator written all over it and it's available now for only 9.95 Euros. It comes in three colours and is PC or Mac compatable and the choice of French wines is amazing.




I think you need faith to make it work however!

The Four Horsemen

If you've a couple of hours to spare this is a very good watch.

"On the 30th of September 2007, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens sat down for a first-of-its-kind, unmoderated 2-hour discussion.
All four authors have recently received a large amount of media attention for their writings against religion - some positive, and some negative. In this conversation the group trades stories of the public's reaction to their recent books, their unexpected successes, criticisms and common misrepresentations. They discuss the tough questions about religion that face to world today, and propose new strategies for going forward."

Part 1 (1 hour)

Part 2 (1 hour)

The Great Rubber Chicken Shortage

Our dog Jake loves rubber chickens...

He goes through one in around 3 weeks. Usually the arse goes first 'cause that's where the squeaker is, then the legs and finally the head until he's "loving" a small piece of yellow rubber.

Recently they have been hard to get and his piece of yellow rubber got very small. He was very happy when they were back in stock as you can see.

There's even a new one wrapped up under the tree for him.

The (not so) Unexplained Meme

T&A has dobbed me for a meme. SO has Poodles and Fiery :)

There just aint enough of me to go around.. This is for all of ya...

The rules are as follows:

1. You should post these rules

2. Recall and relate a time when you experienced a "paranormal event"

3. Explain it rationally if you can

4. Inflict this meme on 5 other people

In my early twenties I was a bit of a rockstar in my hometown down south in New Zealand. I was playing in 4 bands, pulled $1500 a week (not band for late 70s), owned a house, had a lovely wife, and we had serious parties. I enjoyed making wine, especially Sake and Elderberry in one gallon jars...

One night after a few we (three bandmates and girlfriends) were having a session when we were all alerted to an alarming news story on the radio... There was a UFO flying around the city of Christchurch. WTF? We all heard it and me and boys decided to get in the car and follow it... as you would.

We jumped in my 1964 Datsun Bluebird and listened to the radio for where it was last seen. We drove around and followed it for hours... it would try to land behind buildings and suddenly screamed of again and we followed again... It went on for hours...

Four guys driving around all seeing and hearing the same thing... must be true!

We gave up after a while and went home, the girlfriends/wives had all crashed at my place and laughed when they heard our story.

The bass players girlfriend had put six trips (LSD) in the jar of Sake we were drinking.

My 64 Datsun Bluebird didn't even have a radio, we checked!

Hey it was paranormal to us!

I will tag...hmmmm...

1/ Bender01 A new (soon) blogger and a tech friend of mine...(come on mate!)

2/ Thump Thump Eyes... my beautiful partner

3/ Reg Golb cause it would be interesting

4/ Delise cause I've lurked but never said anything but I think she is very cool (Sorry Delise)

5/ You!



Aye

CUNTS but not what you think

I’m an annoyingly honest person. I call a spade a fucking spade and can’t conceive ripping someone off! Simple.

This becomes a problem because in what I do I always seem to upset customers by being brutally honest about the choice of gear they own and their ability to understand what it does. A knowledge of the principles of recording, playing mixing etc will allow you to get the most from your gear even if it is cheap and featureless… but it certainly isn’t my job to train people… or explain sound principles or basic fault finding… perhaps the salespeople should do that or at least confirm the person has a brain slightly larger than their ego.

Our (Thump Thump Eyes & I) business is quite specialist in what we do. We repair and service professional audio equipment used in studios and nightclubs and bands and theatre… anything that plugs in and makes noise so we get a huge range of customers that are using very specialist equipment that often requires years of experience to understand the music/acoustic/sound theory … let alone how to actually operate it.

So… 40% of our business is professional recording studios, TV studios, radio stations, location sound recordists, production companies, touring bands, international acts, professional DJs etc all “Calmly Using New Technology Successfully”. No problems. Everyone's happy. Nice earner… CUNTS…

40% of our business is repairing cheap, crappy, poorly made, 600 parts supplied by the lowest bidder JUNK… I’m talking DJ mixers, turntables, soundcards, keyboards, guitar amps, speaker systems, etc all used by wannabes or weekend warriors that have no concept of how to patch, mix, play, edit, master etc and for some reason whenever that wonderful piece of equipment doesn’t make them sound like a million bucks… it’s my fault. “Consumers Using New Technology Stupidly”… Always a drama, hours of trying to explain how it works… CUNTS…

20% is the frigging churches… these are worse than wannabe rock stars 'cause they “believe” the equipment is faulty… they “believe” they know how it works…they “believe” they have all the experience in the world… they “believe” it’s good ‘cause they’ve been on the xwad forums and purchased (tax free) the best quality gear they can… but…whoops… they’re fucking stupid… and it sounds like shit… “Christians Using New Technology Stupidly”… Always a drama, hours of trying to explain how it works… CUNTS…

You know I’ve been blessed three times this week already by pastors because I explained how something worked, proved their gear worked and suggested perhaps the fault was possibly not in their gear but in the way it’s wired or being used…I tell them perhaps “Christ Understands, Not The Sheep”… CUNTS… baaa

Everyone wants their gear fixed today… Oh yes they knew it was fucked last Saturday and it’s Thursday already but “we really need it for the weekend”… “Crazy Unorganized No Talent Shits”… CUNTS…

I have a pile of jobs that are a little difficult for various reasons and get put back… ie.. Parts hard to find, very intermittent faults, customer can’t decide if it’s worth spending $200 to repair his $100 turd… This pile I call the “Can Usually Not Today“ pile… yes you guessed it, the CUNT pile.

I actually really enjoy what I do… I’m just a grumpy old cunt I guess!

And yes I have been gluing more today…

ya know what shits me?

Customers Using New Technology Stupidly. These goddamned idiots, if they didn't need to shit they'd lose their own arse, it's enough to drive a man to drink. Which I am, or will. Actually at the moment I don't need beer because I'm gluing speakers and.... glue.... it's good glue. good stuff I tell you. wow.....

Shit! I almost started writing poetry about glue but I slapped myself silly in time to spare you.

So.... where was I.... before I giffed the snue I was talking about... what the fuck was I talking about???? No it wasn't nothing, it was something.... CUNTS!!!! That's right. CUNTS...How many times do they have to ask the same stupid questions? Were they not listening to the answer the first time or do they just like the sound of my voice????

Well let me tell you, pissed off Kiwi is NOT something you want to wake up to in the morning.

I've had about all the workshop I can handle at the moment, the dog needs to take a shit and I'm tempted to mark territory along with him. And what the fuck is up with the heat????

Where'd I put that damn glue????

Please Help Protect Ayaan Hirsi Ali

I got an email from the AFA today that speaks for itself...

From Margaret Downey
Many of you have inquired about the safety and whereabouts of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Yes, it is true that Ayaan's United States security/protection was removed the day after the Atheist Alliance International's (AAI) 2007 convention. We are saddened to learn that she can not safely return to the United States unless she is assured of heavy security.
Sam Harris is helping to generate funding to help Ayaan return to the United States. Please see the message below from Sam.

AAI is sending this information as a service to those who attended the 2007 convention. If you are not interested, please simply delete this message. If you would like to help, please circulate this information far and wide.
AAI is not soliciting funds from you. We are acting as a disseminator of information. Here is Sam's message:

Urgent Appeal: Please Help Protect Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is the most prominent advocate of free speech and women's rights in the Muslim world, and for this she must live under perpetual armed guard, even in the West. Unfortunately, on October 1st of this year, the Dutch government officially rescinded its promise to protect her. Now, Ayaan Hirsi Ali's friends, colleagues and admirers must come to her aid.
I have created a page on my website that links directly to the Ayaan Hirsi Ali Security Trust.

The money raised by this trust will pay Ayaan Hirsi Ali's security expenses. In the event that money remains after these costs have been met, it will be used to encourage and protect other dissidents in the Muslim world.

The ongoing protection of Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a moral obligation. It is also a strategic one: for here is a woman doing work that most of us cannot do--indeed, would be terrified to do if given the chance--and yet this work is essential for preserving the freedoms we take for granted in the West.

If every reader of this email simply pledged ten dollars a month to protect Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the costs of her security would be covered for as long as the threat to her life remains.

Thanks in advance for your support.
Sincerely,
Sam Harris

Baring My Arse

Joe tagged me with an earliest memory meme. I have to…

* Describe my earliest memory where the memory is clear, and where "clear" means I can depict at least three details.
* Give an estimate of my age at the time.
* Tag five other bloggers with this meme.

Well... this has been very difficult for me as I have very little recall of any events of my childhood. I am guessing it is due to a brain malfunction that created dyslexia which still persists and years of migraine in some form or another. (I’ve never told this to anyone but my current wife so lap it up :)

My earliest clear memory was bed time in my parent’s house. I was sitting on my bed taking my socks off and I got a weird sensation (similar to descriptions of stroke as I think about it) and then my central focus of vision went black and two white squares appeared with numbers and letters scrolling through a sequence. It scared the shit out of me and went on for about 5 minutes or so. I remember trying to stand up or shout but couldn’t.

This is my first memory before I started school at 5 so I’m guessing it was around 4.

All the next memories are of being bullied at school and being treated as a slow learner by teachers and friends as I had trouble reading and writing and had a terrible speech impediment. (Plus I was short, fat, freckled and red haired.. your classic freak!)
I'd be out there counting shit (tiles, paving stones, scratches on my desk) all the time and not talking to anyone. I remember spazzo got said a lot.

The visual effect continued for many years at different times and I got used to it. Looking back it reminds me of watching hexadecimal values displayed by the test program of equipment I’m repairing.

Recently I’ve been getting another visual effect described as ophthalmic migraine. It’s fun without drugs :)

I’m almost normal now… whatever that means.

I have no idea who to tag as every blogger I know has already been tagged except for…

OzAtheist and Johnny (Fiery can you organize that?)

Arse sufficiently bared, time for a drink.

Tree Man

This is quite shocking and you have to feel sorry for the poor guy.
SOURCE

Dede, now 35, baffled medical experts when warty "roots" began growing out of his arms and feet after he cut his knee in a teenage accident.

Dede's problem is that he has a rare genetic fault that impedes his immune system, meaning his body is unable to contain the warts.
The virus was therefore able to "hijack the cellular machinery of his skin cells", ordering them to produce massive amounts of the substance that caused the tree-like growths known as "cutaneous horns" on his hands and feet.




Bloody hell... makes my Psyiosis seem insignificant.

Genius Only Zone!

I wonder what criteria this actually uses to get this result?
Still, it makes me look good :)



ha ha...

Kiwi

I don't know if it's because I am a Kiwi or if I'm just an old sentimental fool, but I love this animation. The point where our friend realises he can't really fly brings a tear to his eye... and mine.

It's had over 12,000,000 views so I bet everyone but me has seen it before but I love it and it's worth watching again if you've seen it.

Atheist Blogroll

I joined the Atheist Blogroll.

Check out the scrolling banner on the right. I spent ages looking at some of our fellow freethinkers blogs and there is some great stuff out there.

I feel a touch intimidated.

Great job MOJOEY

Poo Stain Jesus

Wednesday night in Oz is "Chaser's War On Everything" night. This week they did a very funny parody on the finding of images of Jebus in strange places...



Now... Your wondering if anyone complained aren't you?
The ABC only got 60 complaints which I thought was rather good.

SOURCE
Religious groups have called it an "assault" on Jesus.
The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, said the ABC program "descended into the worst depths of adolescent humour" and called it "disgusting".
"It was gross and outrageous, a distressing and disrespectful parody of Christian people's faith commitment to Jesus Christ," Archbishop Jensen said.

Ho hum

Christian Democrats president Reverend Fred Nile called the skit an "outrage", and added that everyone's lives at the ABC would be at risk if Mohammed's head had been splattered on the bowl.

But the show's executive producer, Julian Morrow, [a fellow heathen] said through a spokesman that "the holy skid mark was provided by Jesus Christ".

he he... prove it wasn't

Pot Meet Kettle

ha ha. I read this at Joe's Big Blog and it cracked me up.
Source

A gift intended to promote diversity in Oklahoma is generating controversy instead.
Several state lawmakers are returning copies of the Quran to a state panel on diversity after one lawmaker claimed the Muslim holy book condones the killing of innocent people.

NO! A Holy Book condoning killing innocent people. That's shocking.

Pot meet Kettle

Damn the Cross Talk

SOURCE

This is interesting.

A MELBOURNE PhD student has developed technology to make broadband internet up to 200 times faster without having to install expensive fibre optic cables.

Of course the problem with standard telephone cabling is crosstalk (nothing religious) so...

Dr Papandriopoulos' research, which took a year to complete, uses mathematic modelling to reduce the interference that slows down downloading.

So with standard telephone lines and DSL hardware they can achieve speeds of up to 250 megabits/sec. That sure beats my 15 megabits now.

Liar Liar Pant's On Fire

SOURCE

HE is the saint invoked by more Catholics than Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary, but now it seems Padre Pio, the beloved Italian priest who bore the marks of the bleeding stigmata for 50 years, was a fraud.

NO! Who would have thought that?

The "stigmata" Pio carried on his hands, feet and sides were not gained in a mystical seizure as he claimed, but were self-inflicted wounds maintained with carbolic acid.

Liar liar pant's on fire

A recent survey by Catholic magazine Famiglia Cristiana found 31 per cent of respondents prayed first to St Pio for help, then Mary, and then Jesus.

Fools...

GOD FAQ

I found this wonderful site that asks all the necessary questions and answers them with the due care and respect deserved of the subject matter.

THE OFFICIAL GOD FAQ

Well worth the read.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali @ AAI 2007

I am fascinated by this woman. Ayaan Hirsi Ali talks of her upbringing and deconversion from Islam at the recent Atheist Alliance International Convention 2007.

Thanks to Rational Response




Part 2: Q&A

Khalwat

Direct from the Malaysian department of stupidity is this story.

source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22607206-23109,00.html
A YOUNG Malaysian couple caught making out in their car have caused a five car pile-up when they tried to speed off.
According to a report in The Star newspaper, the couple had been locked in an amorous embrace in a car park in the town of Muar when spotted by a police patrol car.
Realising they had been caught, the couple sped out of the car park and onto a main road, colliding with a passing car and causing three other vehicles to crash.
The couple, both Muslims aged in their 20s, have been detained and the man has been booked for reckless driving.
Muar traffic police officer Lim Aik Sin told the newspaper that the couple has been referred to the district Islamic religious department.
Unmarried Muslim couples who are found alone together can be charged with "khalwat" or "close proximity", which carries a jail sentence of up to two months.
Malay Muslims comprise about 60 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people, and are subject to Islamic morality laws.

I can't imagine living in a place that has religious police. I would be locked up for life I think.
How can these 16.2 million people be so deluded and let this shit happen in the 21st century WTF?

All for having a cuddle in a car (who hasn't done that?)

Lucky they weren't enjoying a nice glass of red at the same time.

Grouse Sheila

In the comments of my post Two Ears my wonderful adopted Sister, Fiery passed a translation test from Aussie to 'Merican with flying colours and in return I promised a certificate.

Here you are Fiery. It's not much but it's the thought that counts :)

:)

A NanoFly On The Wall

I got an email from an importer yesterday discussing some new technologies in electronic equipment. The back of my head says it could be because this importer of very well known Hi-Fi, professional audio and video equipment knows something... something to ponder no doubt.

The article was about the construction of incredibly small circuits of components on flexible plastic put there by an Ink Jet printer and using the new technology of carbon nanotubes. [These one atom thick sheets of graphite are rolled into cylinders and possess some very fascinating electrical properties.] more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotubes

source: http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/31378

"Ink-jet printing is one of the most promising techniques for making large area, inexpensive plastic electronics on which a range of electronic components can be printed. These include transistor circuits, photovoltaic films, organic light-emitting diodes and photovoltaic films...."

The physical size of electronic devices is suddenly drastically reduced...



In the news yesterday was a couple of interesting articles relating to miniaturization of electronics... and perhaps something to keep an eye on.

source: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/12/1191696173795.html

“American researchers are breeding moths that can be steered by radio control. Next they may attempt to develop tiny cameras and sensors light enough to be fitted to the bugs……. The researchers created the radio-controlled insects by injecting computer chips into the larvae of giant hawk moths. When the larvae turn into moths the chips, activated by remote control, stimulate the flight muscles, allowing the bugs to be steered on the wing”

Of course this method isn’t particularly refined yet and is only in experimentation stages… or is it?

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/11/1191696075903.html

“VANESSA ALARCON saw them at an antiwar rally in Lafayette Square in Washington last month.

"I heard someone say: 'Oh my dog, look at those'," the university student recalled. "I look up and I'm like, 'What the hell is that?' They looked kind of like dragonflies or little helicopters. But those are not insects."

Bernard Crane saw them, too. "I'd never seen anything like it in my life," the Washington lawyer said. "I thought: 'Is that mechanical, or is that alive?' "

That is just one of the questions hovering over a handful of similar sightings at political events in Washington and New York….”

And of course

“No agency admits to having deployed insect-size spy drones, though several US Government departments say they are trying. But several federally funded teams are growing live insects with computer chips in them, with the aim of mounting spyware on their bodies.”

Interestingly

“Pentagon documents describe nearly 100 different models of robotic fliers in use today, some as tiny as birds, and some the size of small planes. The nation's fleet of flying robots logged more than 160,000 flight hours last year - a fourfold increase since 2003.”

"America can be pretty sneaky," said Tom Ehrhard, a retired air force colonel and expert in unmanned aerial vehicles… "

Hmmmmmmm...

Two Ears

Thanks Fiery and Sean for the wonderful heartwarming comments on my pathetic attempt at blogging. I don't know why it seems so hard. It's mainly a time thing but everytime I start posting something I think "Who cares" and delete it... Maybe it's a learning thing for me.

However I was shitted the other day or was it more shocked...

I've been a bit crook the last week. I got a severe ear infection last Saturday and downed a box of painkillers hoping it would stay at bay until Monday when I could get to a doctor... by Sunday my face had swollen up and I was in agony. I remembered we have a customer who is a doctor and his last words were "If you every need any medical help... just ring" so on Sunday morning 8AM my wife rang his mobile and within half an hour we had a box of the strongest antibiotics known to man on the condition I saw him on Monday to get the official script to take back to the pharmacy (drug store Fiery).

On Monday I went to his practice to get a check over and the necessary script and was waiting patiently (excuse the pun) in his waiting room in central Bassendean. [Bassendean is known for it's great export to the world... Rolf Harris... who I'm sure everyone knows of] anyhoo I'm sitting waiting with a group of about 30 other people all watching a small TV. I'm opposite the group and can't see it but can hear it and observe all the others who are glued to it.

It became obvious pretty quickly it was the live telecast of a famous WA footballer's funeral.
I was fascinated by the intensity of the people watching this TV, nothing else mattered, they had tears in their eyes and looked at each other for support, holding hands etc quite moving I thought... BUT THEN 20 minutes of sermons and the praising of the lord and jesus dying for our sins and "he's" in a better place now and the final stupidity.... The Lord's Prayer... everyone bowed their head, men were teary, women were crossing their hearts, the receptionist ignored the phone... everything stopped and was silent except for the TV blurting out the Lord's Prayer... well almost silent... I couldn't help myself... through the intense pain I managed a small sheep's bleet... It was probably a bad thing to do but hey I was sick :)

I didn't get to see the reaction if any as it was my turn... and the first thing my doctor did was look in my other ear... to which I said "no it's this ear that's sore".. "Well god gave you two ears so I can see what a good one is supposed to look like" WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Get me outta here!!!

I'm OK now...

It's all about me...

I wasn't really sure I wanted to do this blogging thing but I thought "Why not?"

I'm not really outspoken or good with words and I have limited time but I'll try and document the many things that shit me or interest me...

Hey I guess it's all about me. Soooo.. who the hell am I?

Hmmmm... I live in Perth Western Australia and own an electronics repair business with my wife. I like critical thinking and all things scientific. My head is usually in a technical manual and I find most fiction books less than interesting... I'm lousey at small talk and have poor social skills.

I have no belief in god, gods or the supernatural and am very satisfied with my understanding of the universe.

Till I think of something interesting to blog... Look after yourself.