Protium the Heathen

Fuck Me.. He's Posted Something!

2010-06-18T09:34:00.002+08:00

RSS feeds blinking...

Just a quick message to anyone who actually gets this new post notification, that I am now blogging some silly stuff on a new social blogging site we are developing. You get your own blogname at a shared domain with some great networking features.

Come and see me at the Angry Baby Blog.

Head over to Online Infidels and join in the fun.

See you around.

Aussie Soap

2008-12-05T19:30:00.003+09:00

It always amuses me when other cultures attempt to imitate the Aussie way.

The UK show "Fry and Laurie" did a piss funny take on Aussie soap operas with this video. It's old but a bloody ripper.

Christopher Hitchens is not great!

2008-11-25T19:38:00.002+09:00

Will you stop fucking rocking backward and forward... it makes you look stupid!

Hang on.... you are!

Tip of the Kippah to Atheist Media Blog

Jesus Is A Cunt!

2008-11-23T13:20:00.005+09:00

This whole show is about an hour long and I bet you tear up while watching it and feel angry afterward!

African Witch Children is a disturbing program looking at the superstition and poverty, coupled with Christian teaching in Nigeria/Africa, and the subsequent effect upon the lives of innocent young children. It contains disturbing images.

You wont believe some of the things done to these proclaimed witch children... set on fire, nails hammered in their heads, tortured, abandoned, murdered... in the name of Jesus!

It shows the incredibly dangerous delusions superstition can create that can cause a mother to kill her own child.

Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6

Dashboard Jesus

2008-11-22T19:25:00.002+09:00

Just over a minute long and made me laugh... Good old Aussie humour!

Spoiled

2008-11-12T15:43:00.004+09:00

Bugger... I was going to get this book and read it... but there's no bloody point now!

Hat tip to LOL God

"I'll be back!"... unfortunately

2008-11-09T17:58:00.003+09:00

I'm not a big fan of Arnie but I loved the "Terminator" series. Action from start to finish, annoying brat Son and mega-tough Mum with a Terminator trying to kill said annoying brat 'cause he changed history in the future... hmmmm...

I found this great video of the Terminator arriving on the 25th December 00... and had to share it!

Pisser :)

ومن الغباء أن بيرنز

2008-11-09T17:21:00.006+09:00

The title is supposed to say "The stupid, it burns" direct from a translator... I'd love to know if it means that in Arabic, because if I re-translate it says "It is foolish that Burns"... not quite what I intended but anyhoo... (and why a capital B in Burns... is that a reference to the Simpsons?)

This clip redefines "stupid"!

A debate between an Iraqi "Researcher on Astronomy" and a physicist on Iraqi television. Apparently, this is an important question in the Islamic world...

-From the transcript-

Interviewer: Lunar and solar eclipses, sunset and sunrise, and the changing of seasons -- how would you explain all these phenomena, if the Earth is not round, as you claim?

Fadhel Al-Sa'd: The sun circles the Earth because it is smaller than the Earth, as is evident in Koranic verses.

Have you ever seen how the sun moves? I have seen the sun moving. The sun makes one move every 24 hours.

What I say is based on Koranic science. He bases his arguments on the kind of science that I reject categorically -- the modern science that they teach in schools. This science is a heretic innovation that has no confirmation in the Koran. No verse in the Koran indicates that the Earth is round or that it rotates. Anything that has no indication in the Koran is false.

"Anything that has no indication in the Koran is false."

"The sun circles the Earth because it is smaller than the Earth, as is evident in Koranic verses."

Can you say "moron"?

Christains wouldn't say anything like this... would they?

Creation 'Science' Made Easy

2008-11-08T18:12:00.002+09:00

I just had to post this. You have to subscribe to YouTube user potholer54's Channel.

The 'Made Easy' series is designed to explain the evidence that shows how we got here, from the Big bang to human migration out of Africa, and to counter the unsupported idea that this somehow happened through the power of an invisible being.

There's a great collection of very classy videos, here's one I really enjoyed.

Perth Atheists with PodBlack Cat

2008-07-13T12:31:00.005+08:00

At the Perth Atheists' last meeting we had a great talk by Kylie Sturgess of PodBlack Blog and I thought I'd share it here. Kylie is a remarkable person and is in the forefront of teaching the next generation in Western Australia.

Thanks heaps Sturgo

I'm going to record our talks whenever possible so hopefully there will be more to come.

So please enjoy Perth Atheists first presention...

Belief in Weird Things! (35MB 40mins MP3)

Recent Developments and Educational Directions. July 2008

A look at research into belief of the paranormal and pseudoscientific and how teachers and others can contribute to rational thinking.

Still Around

2008-07-13T09:19:00.003+08:00

I thought I'd better explain why I've been so quiet lately.

Our business has been extremely busy and taking most of our time and the little spare time I've had I've concentrated on the Perth Atheists.

Another disconcerting issue is my health. I've had an almost constant headache for the last 2 and a bit months and an amazing condition called ophthalmic migraine which causes the strangest visual effects. My doctor has managed to control my blood pressure the major reason for my headaches and they are slowly becoming a thing of the past and the brain fog is lifting. Yay!

My sedentary lifestyle is obviously an issue as I never exercise. In fact going to work involves walking down stairs and sitting at a bench all day and then walking upstairs again 10 hours later. We just ordered a Crosstrainer workout machine so hopefully I can force myself to spend an hour a day on that. I'm sure Thump will push me onto it... I guess it's time to stop the smoking and drinking as well... bugga

As most of you all know we had Fiery stay here for two weeks which was a lot of fun even though we were working most of the time. It was unfortunate I was in the middle of massive headaches while she was here and it took a while for her to understand why I was so grumpy in the mornings but I think she enjoyed her stay. We certainly enjoyed the time with our adopted sister and miss her deeply. Jake still likes to lie on her bed and Thump's son calls it Fiery's bedroom :)

All in all things are brightening up. Thanks for stopping by and I'll attempt to get back into posting, even if it's just the odd pisstake I find.

No Cream, No Nivea, No Vaseline, No nothing!... WTF?

2008-04-20T14:16:00.003+08:00

What a pile of Islamotard toss! I reckon he's getting the HORN thinking about it. I wonder how many women got raped after this pathetic tirade. Sick fucks!

Fucking Dinosaurs in the Bible?

2008-04-20T14:03:00.002+08:00

Found this over at Altoona Atheist and loved it. Ahhh Pisstake heaven.

EXPELLED: All Pisstakes Required

2008-04-20T09:41:00.004+08:00

I've followed the wretched movie EXPELLED story for ages now and as always, in true "laugh religion off the planet" style, pisstakes are appearing. Here's a couple to enjoy.

Sexpelled: No Intercourse Allowed
Sexpelled: No Intercourse Allowed tells of how Sex Theory has thrived unchallenged in the ivory towers of academia, as the explanation for how new babies are created. Proponents of Stork Theory claim that "Big Sex" has been suppressing their claim that babies are delivered by storks. Furthermore, Stork Theory proponents warn of the serious moral dangers posed by teaching children that sex has a function. They point out that evil dictators such as Hitler, Stalin and Mao all believed in Sex Theory, and they may have even had sex themselves.

-------------------------------------------------------------

FSM Expelled
Is the Flying Spaghetti Monster being kept out of big academia? Is FSM creationism a viable origins theory? This new movie seeks to discover the truth?

Not More Fart Jokes!

2008-04-12T13:44:00.003+08:00

Sorry I've been so quiet lately. The business is going and growing crazy and leaves little time for anything else. I still have to organise a bedroom and finish installing our projector in the home theatre system because someone's coming to see us soon... So much to do, so little time. Oh well!

This is guaranteed to make you laugh though...

How To Speak Aussie

2008-03-29T07:24:00.002+09:00

Fiery... this is for you.

SOURCE

"A New Zealand man has been sentenced to community service after telling police he had been raped by a wombat and the experience had caused him to start speaking "Australian".
Arthur Cradock, a 48-year-old orchard worker from Motueka on South Island, rang police on February 11 to say he was being raped by the slow-moving Australian marsupial at his home, The Nelson Mail reported.

He rang back soon afterwards to say he was withdrawing his complaint against the wombat, a court was told.

"Apart from speaking Australian now, I'm pretty all right you know," he told police in the second call.

Cradock pleaded guilty to using a phone for a fictitious purpose and was sentenced to 75 hours community work.
Prosecutors said alcohol played a large part in Cradock's life, although his defence lawyer said he was not drunk on the afternoon of the phone calls."

Ohhh... those pesky wombats!

Shocking Crimes in Perth

2008-03-26T09:08:00.002+09:00

I'm still here... just really busy.

I thought I'd show the rest of the world some of the shocking crime going on in Perth these days. Is there no end to this?

SOURCE
"GNOMES were among a hoard of allegedly stolen garden statues found in the boot of a car that was so weighed down by its stash it was scraping the ground.

Police stopped a Holden Commodore with three men inside in suburban Langford about 11pm yesterday when they noticed the back of the car was hitting the ground. They found 33 ceramic and clay ornaments in the boot. The statues weighed between two and 25kg each and ranged from snails to gnomes and elephants, with an estimated value of $1,500.

Three Langford men, aged 19, 26 and 30, have been arrested and will be charged by summons with trespassing and stealing"

Of course a quick look at The Worst Of Perth will show you why people go to such great lengths to remove them.

More Pisstakes

2008-03-10T19:32:00.006+09:00

OK I got awards coming out my arse (ass is a donkey... Equus asinus!)

Thanks Poodles and Sean for the thought. I'm going to break the chain and risk not getting a visit from Santa this year... cause that's the way I roll... (actually I feel bad but I don't want to only choose 10 of the blogs that make me feel good)

I think I might change my blog to "Blasphemous Pisstakes". I'm really time restrained but enjoy a good laugh at the end of a day... after a day of peering into service manuals, broken shit and dealing with psychotic customers... I need it lite & easy...

Sooo... A couple of great pisstakes caught my attention recently and almost made me loose my lunch...

The Lord Will Not Be Mocked!
I haven't watched Edward Current before and it took a couple of minutes to realise he couldn't be serious... so top marks.

and of course a video that gives us a much better understanding of these huge Catholic ceremonies...

Remember, if these don't make you laugh there is a 30 day, "no questions asked" refund... just send an email request to cunts[at]religion.suks

Kent Hovind's Floater

2008-03-01T15:36:00.002+09:00

This is old but hey, I just saw it.

I love Ali G, he's a pisstake champion and who better to pisstake than Kent Hovind.
The look on Kent's face is priceless...

Keep it real... Respect!

Tagged... again

2008-03-01T11:30:00.002+09:00

OK. I'll play

Fiery tagged me with a the Nearest Book meme...

I must...
1. Pick up the nearest book with more than 123 pages.
2. Go to page 123 in the book.
3. Find the first 5 sentences.
4. Post the NEXT 3 sentences.
5. Tag 5 people

Now I'm in the workshop so it's mainly catalogues which would be boring... looking... looking... hmmm. I will have to look into the Technical Manual pile... and the nearest one with 123 pages is...

The Radio Handbook (Fifteenth Edition 1959)
Published by Editors and Engineers Limited
Summerland, California, USA

and page 123 sentence 6,7 & 8 says...

"The correct value of operating bias, and the static plate current for the push-pull tubes may be determined from the Eg vs. Ip curves, which are a derivation of the Ep vs. Ip curves for various values of Eg.
The Eg vs. Ip curve may be constructed in this manner: Values of grid bias are read from the intersection of each grid bias curve with the load line. These points are transfered to the Eg vs. Ip graph to produce a curved line, A-B."

Well Fiery, you asked :)

And of course there's no one left to tag so I'll take my curves and bugger off!

PS... Why do Americans drop the L out of solder. I've always wondered that. "Soddering" seems like something consenting adults do ;-)

Sad Chicken

2008-02-26T19:15:00.002+09:00

I've just finished invoicing the days work and look down and see this...

Jake's done very well. This is his xmyth present and it's February.

This is one of the longest serving rubber chickens we've ever seen.

Respect...

waaaahhhhhhhh

2008-02-24T09:28:00.002+09:00

In my last post I said, "Sorry I'm being a lazy poster but we are so damn busy I hardly get time to scratch... (not that I need to!)"

Business has gotten even busier (listen to my skite) so I've been upping my fees trying to slow them down, give a few of them pause before they bring me another broken piece of electronic equipment that they absolutely must have before Friday even though it's Wednesday arvo and it's been busted for 2 weeks running. It's not working. They're still pouring through the door.

I cope with oceans of beer and Skyping my new online pals. And I take the time to scratch. I need to now. Morons are starting to give me hives and they've all got equipment for me to take a quick look at ASAP.

Had Sean over twice while he was in Perth. Hell of a guy that one.

Jake needs a wee so I'd best go find somebody to take him outside to do his business. I can't be arsed because I burn like a lobster if the sun touches me skin.

On ya for checkin' in on me!

Tom Cruise and The Little Bit of Wee

2008-01-21T19:26:00.000+09:00

Sorry I'm being a lazy poster but we are so damn busy I hardly get time to scratch... (not that I need to!)

Altoona Atheist posted this and I'm sure a little bit of wee came out while I watched it :)

Of course the original inspiration for this pisstake came from here... What a fucktard... Remind me never to fly with this tool...

The Defective Spoon

2008-01-18T19:25:00.000+09:00

Found this from YouTube user Vendel via JREF and cracked up. Uri Geller has to be one of the biggest wankers of my lifetime... Bring on the pisstake...

WHAAAAAA..........................................

2008-01-17T19:39:00.001+09:00

We reopened on Monday after a nice break and have been totally rushed of our feet since. A record number of jobs booked in in 3 days. I need a holiday!

Today was a rightoff! I spent 5 hours working around a driver software bug in a studio install I've been doing that required windows registry hacks to make it stable. I was pulling my hair out... We had no Internet or phones and the projects manager's mobile was flat. Just me and the 8 PCs. Oh and it got to 44C today. My brain hurts.

So when I got home I thought I'd better see what my friends are up to and I saw T&A's post.

Just what I need to calm down so I went through his steps...

Follow the links provided and randomly come up with a band name, album title, and a cover.

1. Go to this link and use the title of the subject as your bands name.

2. Then go to this link and use the last four words of the last quote as your album title.

3. Follow this link and use the third picture for your album cover.

4. Use photoshop or whatever you have and create the album by putting all of these components together.

So, without further ado please welcome the latest atheist pop sensation...

BookRunner

Thanks T&A I needed that.

Doubting Faith

2008-01-16T09:14:00.000+09:00

Benazir Bhutto Assassination Malware

2008-01-11T08:33:00.000+09:00

Be very afraid when you see messages like this that tell you you need to download something to view a video or the like.

SOURCE

There's been a bit of discussion about malware-laced codecs recently and annoyingly enough within hours of the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, malware authors started capitalizing on this news to spread a new fake codec. This time it is purported to be an assassination video of the former PM.

On the McAfee Avert Labs Blog, Rahul Mohandas writes, "These malware authors attempt to social engineer users into believing they are downloading a legitimate codec for playing the video. At least 10 Blogger websites are observed to be hosting this fake video (at the time of writing this blog) which redirects the users to the typo-squatted domain containing fake codec . . ."

There are a plethora of websites which attempt drive-by installations when unsuspecting users visit websites returning search engine results for “Benazir Bhutto”. Many of these compromised webpages have malicious scripts injected into the webpage which points to the 3322 domain. These webpages contain obfuscated variants of the MS06-014 exploit which is perhaps one of the most popular of all the exploits we see on a daily basis.
This fake Trojan Codec is detected by the current DATS as Puper. The downloaded exploit is detected as VBS/Psyme and the executable is detected as Generic Downloader.c

Judging by comments on the McAfee blog this trojan is very difficult to remove so y'all be carefull out there and make sure your OS and Anti-Virus is being updated on a regular basis.

Japanese Tradition

2008-01-08T23:44:00.000+09:00

"Her in doors" said I don't laugh that much so if I find something funny I should post it.

Well we all know I love a good pisstake and this is one of the best.
Enjoy a lesson on how to eat Sushi... you may need a pencil and paper to take notes on measurements and angles :)

At least you now know why most Japanese peoples feet smell of vinegar ;-)

Sexual Consent

2008-01-08T22:56:00.000+09:00

Found this over at BS Alert and found it rather amusing and worth sharing...

New Blog in Town

2008-01-08T21:40:00.000+09:00

Poodles over at Atheist Rants has started DOUBTING FAITH, a blog for people who are confused about their faith or religion.

Often people get to a point where it all seems too confusing and they wish for alternative views without judgemental, proselytizing or irrational thoughts clouding things up.

Poodles has got a group of Atheists together who are committed to offering a clear and concise and rational objective view for anyone who cares to ask a question.

If you have doubts or even just seek to understand what Atheist means please post a question to Doubting Faith

You might even find me there...

God Hates Women

2008-01-06T17:24:00.000+09:00

This picture made me laugh at first and made me want to make a comment like "Is this the first Wet Burqa Competition"... then it made me feel kind of sad... now I'm not sure what I feel.

Pharyngula had an interesting link to this article regarding women and religion... well worth a look.

...Like the rest of the prophets, Mohammad probably materialized from the heavens. After all, a woman's body is a dirty, sinful thing, which is why women are taught from an early age to be ashamed of their bodies and to keep them covered always...

Conditions of Islamic Dress Code
1. Clothing must cover the entire body, only the hands and face may remain visible (According to some Hiqh Schools).
2. The material must not be so thin that one can see through it.
3. The clothing must hang loose so that the shape / form of the body is not apparent.
4. The female clothing must not resemble the man's clothing.
5. The design of the clothing must not resemble the clothing of the non-believing women.
6. The design must not consist of bold designs which attract attention.
7. Clothing should not be worn for the sole purpose of gaining reputation or increasing one's status in society.

Crazy stuff!

Late Greetings

2008-01-06T11:30:00.000+09:00

I just got this today. It must have got caught up in the mail. Thanks George.

Guest Blogger: Cliff v Led Zeppelin

2008-01-03T15:04:00.000+09:00

Recently T&A had a post about THE Led Zeppelin concert.
As I commented, a dear friend of mine successfully bought a ticket and I asked if he could write a bit of a review. He has happily obliged and bought back Thump and I a T-Shirt as well! (We are having them framed)

Cliff is a Professional Audio supplier to Radio, TV and Recording Studios, a Drummer and an Audio Engineer/Producer.

I flew into London a couple of days before the concert and the first thing that hit me was the enormity of this concert. There was no one in the whole of Great Britain that didn't know that this concert was on, why it was on, where it was on and who was playing. Even my 86 year old mother up in Scotland knew all about it. The vibe about this event was incredible. There was more fervor about it than the last general election when Tony Blair got ousted!

This was a benefit concert to raise funds for the educational foundation that Ahmet Ertegun started just before he died in November 2006 at age 83 backstage at a Rolling Stones concert. Ahmet was the founder of Atlantic Records along with his brother Neshui.

Part of the process to eliminate ticket touts was that you had to front up at the venue to collect your ticket the day before or on the day of the event and produce your confirmation email, the credit card you purchased your ticket with and photo ID. You were then wrist banded and given your ticket. At the concert to get in you had to show your ticket, wrist band and randomly picked people were asked for there photo ID.

The O2 which is the renamed Millennium Dome is a massive complex. Even the surrounding forecourt and entrance to the North Greenwich Tube Station where most people arrive and depart is huge. Once inside you soon realise that the 20,000 seat auditorium is only part of the facility. The entrance lobby which includes the box office, merchandise stands, cafes and restaurants is about the same size as any city square you care to mention. Then off to the right is a boulevard with a continuous succession or bars, cafes, restaurants, night clubs. skating rink, karaoke recording studio, and more outlets still under construction. It's basically a whole city centre under the one roof.

At the merchandise stand the T-Shirts, Mugs, Programmes and Limited Edition Posters all sold out by the end of the concert. People who missed out on tickets in the ballot were going to the venue just to purchase what they could as a memento of this historic event. The organisers admitted that they had entirely underestimated the demand for these items and had an emergency shipment of more T- Shirts printed up the afternoon of the concert and they sold out even before the concert started. They are now collectors items.

The concert started at 7:15pm with Harvey Goldsmith (the promoter) announcing that the concert had raised enough money to secure, in perpetuity, a full scholarship to a university in the USA, one in Turkey and one in the UK and because they had raised so much money they had secured 5 full scholarships to a brand new university which was being built right next door to the O2. All of these scholarships are for ever! The concert was already a success.

After 5 minutes of a documentary about Ahmet, which was part of the DVD that is inside every programme, we were asked to welcome onstage the house band for the first half of the concert which was Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings followed by Keith Emerson from Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Chris Squire from Yes, Simon Kirke from Bad Company and Alan White from a whole string of UK bands. This instant Super Group started the concert off with non other than Fanfare For The Common Man - the crowd erupted! IT WAS ON!!!!

Following on from this was a constant procession of artists who came on and did a song or two backed by the well rehearsed Rhythm Kings. There was Paulo Nutini, the last artist to be signed by Ahmet, Michael Sanchez in his bright red Zoot Suit, Alvin Lee, Paul Rogers, Maggie Bell and Foreigner accompanied by the St. Lukes Anglican Choir in a fitting rendition of I Want To Know What Love Is.

This brought the first half of the 4 hour concert to a close.

The stage was cleared the house lights went down and an old black and white newsreel of Led Zeppelin's first tour in America was projected onto the rear screen. The band entered the stage - the crowd erupted - Led Zeppelin launched straight into Good Times Bad Times and the electricity in the air was amazing! Ramble On was next. Third song in, Black Dog, had the crowd singing as loud as the band was playing, an experience I'll never forget. In My Time Of Dying, For Your Life, Trampled Underfoot, Nobody's Fault and No Quarter followed. Robert Plant announced that there were people from 50 different countries there that night and collectively we had created the 51st. then sang Since I've Been Loving You. This was followed by the mammoth Dazed and Confused featuring the unique violin bowing technique of Jimmy Page playing his twin neck guitar while encased in the Green Laser Light cage of old. Classic stuff! He then launched into the intro of Stairway To Heaven and honestly I have never witnessed a crowd reaction like it! Hysterical screaming and cheering don't even come close to describing the euphoria at that moment. Every guitarists Badge of Honour is to learn that opening sequence and here in front of us was the man who wrote it, playing it for us WOW!
The Song Remains The Same blistered forth followed by Misty Mountain Hop and finishing the set with the brilliant slow pounding of Kashmir.

And talking of pounding - I am here to tell you that Jason Bonham is every inch his fathers son! This guy drove that band with all the power, skill and dexterity of his dad. Reading an interview with him in the days before the concert he was hoping to do justice to his dad's memory and knew he would be feeling his dad's presence over his shoulder in this full circle moment in time. John Bohnam Was There! The guy I sat next to on the train to Scotland the following day had been at the concert and he admitted to knowing nothing of drums or drumming but expressed amazement at how tight the band played and how good the drummer was.

If they thought that they were getting away with no encores then they were sadly mistaken. The band left the stage to rapturous applause and cheering which lasted unabated until they reappeared about four minutes later and treated us to Whole Lotta Love. Words cannot describe the reaction to this. The crowd went ballistic. Off they went again to a thunderous reaction, shaking the whole building then returning a couple of minutes later to give us the ultimate version of Rock and Roll. That was it! The band members linked arms and took several bows. Jason Bonham then broke free and turned to the other band members dropping to his knees and performing the "We Are Not Worthy" genuflect several times before they all exited the stage for the final time.

In the 40 minutes or so it took to exit the building along the boulevard (I was seated stage left at the side) the vibe still continued out into the night air with several Mexican Cheers which would start at the back of the crowd and continue through to the people who were at the exit. Even with alcohol available at the concert there were no incidents and everyone was too high on the experience as comrades to cause any trouble. I can't wait for the DVD.

As Witnessed By Cliff Blackburn

Holiday time...

2007-12-28T07:17:00.000+09:00

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.

2007-12-26T14:47:00.000+09:00

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?

2007-12-23T19:36:00.000+09:00

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

2007-12-17T10:08:00.000+09:00

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

2007-12-17T08:47:00.000+09:00

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

2007-12-16T15:10:00.000+09:00

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

2007-12-15T14:52:00.000+09:00

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

2007-12-13T19:29:00.000+09:00

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

2007-12-04T09:21:00.000+09:00

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?

2007-12-02T14:33:00.000+09:00

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

2007-11-26T17:28:00.000+09:00

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

2007-11-19T20:09:00.000+09:00

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

2007-11-16T10:08:00.000+09:00

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!

2007-11-10T10:32:00.000+09:00

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

ha ha...

Kiwi

2007-11-09T17:51:00.000+09:00

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

2007-11-03T18:19:00.000+09:00

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

2007-11-03T09:02:00.000+09:00

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

2007-10-28T12:56:00.000+09:00

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

2007-10-27T07:33:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-26T15:16:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-22T08:59:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-20T13:01:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-19T06:59:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-18T08:51:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-16T06:45:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-13T16:49:00.000+08:00

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...

2007-09-23T17:30:00.000+08:00

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.