Wow it's been quite a while since I last blogged. I'm kinda over the election now, only time will show how wrong the Australia public is.
I haven't been blogging because I've been caught up with a few things, mainly it was nearing the end of my Tafe Course - eSecurity and the work load was piling up... only just finished actually... what a relief... spending three nights a week at Tafe really takes it out of you, especially when you've been working 8+ hours before hand.
I also got a parking fine.. !@*(#&!@(*& which was unjustly given, and I got into a minor accident as well :((( who the hell puts a crossing right after a round about, and who the hell runs across a crossing in the dark and when it's raining O_o!!!!!!
Anyways, it's all good now... looking forward to a holiday down at Jervis Bay towards the end of January and can't wait till our office closes for Xmas.
We've also got an Xmas Party on the 22nd... lawn bowls! w00t.
Expect more entries from now on.
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Monday, October 11, 2004
The future of Australia - Part One
Argh, the result of the election are in, and it doesn't look too good for Labor and I guess Australia as a whole. I'm quite disappointed at the results really, and IMO Latham ran a good campaign (focusing on policies instead of on Howard's inadequacies), whereas Howard's compaign focused more on Latham and his apparent 'inability' to lead. To me it seemed a bit more cleaner... and fairer to focus on the policies. I guess the majority of Australians thought otherwise.
Now usually, I'll just go "meh" and go on with life, but I feel that this Liberal victory, would mean defeat for Australians. I am really disappointed with Australia as a whole and I'll just rant on a bit, feel free to leave whenever you get bored... Or bring out the popcorn and munchies, it's going to be a long one. :)
The Liberals now have control of the Senate as well as the lower house, which means that any bills that the Liberal party wishes to pass through, will pass through freely as they have the majority vote. This means things that Howard has been pushing like the sale of Telstra, FTA, abolishment of Medicare, education, etc will be achievable in this term of government.
These things among many concern me the most.
Telstra, which was a government entity was established out of tax payers money. Hence most of the telecommunication infrastructure is owned by Telstra, but paid for by the public. Now because Telstra was government owned, it layed most of the cables and network across Australia, which for a private company to do again is not economically feasible.
To sell off Telstra, would mean that Telstra as a private company would be able to control this vast network of tax payer funded infrastructure. Now if a competitor wished to access or used those lines, it is up to Telstra to charge what it sees fit. Obviously thats not really fair since the infrastructure and the reason why Telstra is so big, is because it was paid for by the general public. If Telstra remained public, then the money SHOULD go back into other areas of government and to maintain and improve the existing infrastructure. Telstra can remain accountable to both the government and the general public. If Telstra was privatised, the money goes back to shareholders and investors, with the general aim being profits and not providing services to the community. There is no more incentive to improve.
We can see this already, a 4.2 billion profit (not sure on this figure), but not much of the profits is going back to improving the network. For example, Agile Communications, a private communications company has had to install it's own ADSL infrastructure in SA for some communities because Telstra has not been able to keep it's own network up to date. Now some people might say that its not economically sensible to install it everywhere, and there's no demand. Well quite obviously there is a demand, because a privately owned company has found it to be economically sound to install it's own infrastructure in that community. Now Telstra being Telstra, is charging this company "rent" (electricity, cooling, storage space etc) to provide a service that Telstra can not provide. (Note: the DSLAM, the device which allows ADSL has to be stored in the Telstra exchange)
Imagine what will happen when Telstra is fully privatised... increased line rental and call charges. Even with the advent of VOIP, the adoption rate is limited by the amount of money required for broadband access.
What should we do about it? Well in my opinion, Telstra can be sold off... but only the retail section of it. The infrastructure should be and must be kept in public (Government) control.
FTA? Well i admit I don't know much of it, but the some particular sections of the FTA (parts which concern me) scare me. For example, media - the agreement allows or mandates a certain amount of American programs to be shown, a certain percentage during prime time (I think, not too sure). This is to the detriment of the Australian film industry.
Another example, copyright and DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act), the FTA also mandates an alignment of Australian copyright laws TO American copyright laws, this means that the copyright period is extended from 20 years to 50 years (thanks Disney), and can be renewed at the end of the 50 years. (this means that a company can hold a copyright perpertually - just by renewing it every 50 years). DCMA... I don't know enough to talk about it, so I'll just leave it there... all I know is, it's bad and was enacted and pushed through American Congress due to pressure from the music and film companies of America.
There are other parts within the DCMA that kinda scare me, but I do not undestand or know enough about it to discuss it.
Health:
Quality health should be available to everyone, the abolishment of Medicare and the decrease of doctors using bulk billing means that the cost of treating illnesses will increase, this makes it difficult for low income earners, both young and old (think single mothers, pensioners...etc) to afford the medical expense required to see a doctor.
This is compounded by the "baby boomers" population, which is nearing or at retirement age.
To be continued...
Now usually, I'll just go "meh" and go on with life, but I feel that this Liberal victory, would mean defeat for Australians. I am really disappointed with Australia as a whole and I'll just rant on a bit, feel free to leave whenever you get bored... Or bring out the popcorn and munchies, it's going to be a long one. :)
The Liberals now have control of the Senate as well as the lower house, which means that any bills that the Liberal party wishes to pass through, will pass through freely as they have the majority vote. This means things that Howard has been pushing like the sale of Telstra, FTA, abolishment of Medicare, education, etc will be achievable in this term of government.
These things among many concern me the most.
Telstra, which was a government entity was established out of tax payers money. Hence most of the telecommunication infrastructure is owned by Telstra, but paid for by the public. Now because Telstra was government owned, it layed most of the cables and network across Australia, which for a private company to do again is not economically feasible.
To sell off Telstra, would mean that Telstra as a private company would be able to control this vast network of tax payer funded infrastructure. Now if a competitor wished to access or used those lines, it is up to Telstra to charge what it sees fit. Obviously thats not really fair since the infrastructure and the reason why Telstra is so big, is because it was paid for by the general public. If Telstra remained public, then the money SHOULD go back into other areas of government and to maintain and improve the existing infrastructure. Telstra can remain accountable to both the government and the general public. If Telstra was privatised, the money goes back to shareholders and investors, with the general aim being profits and not providing services to the community. There is no more incentive to improve.
We can see this already, a 4.2 billion profit (not sure on this figure), but not much of the profits is going back to improving the network. For example, Agile Communications, a private communications company has had to install it's own ADSL infrastructure in SA for some communities because Telstra has not been able to keep it's own network up to date. Now some people might say that its not economically sensible to install it everywhere, and there's no demand. Well quite obviously there is a demand, because a privately owned company has found it to be economically sound to install it's own infrastructure in that community. Now Telstra being Telstra, is charging this company "rent" (electricity, cooling, storage space etc) to provide a service that Telstra can not provide. (Note: the DSLAM, the device which allows ADSL has to be stored in the Telstra exchange)
Imagine what will happen when Telstra is fully privatised... increased line rental and call charges. Even with the advent of VOIP, the adoption rate is limited by the amount of money required for broadband access.
What should we do about it? Well in my opinion, Telstra can be sold off... but only the retail section of it. The infrastructure should be and must be kept in public (Government) control.
FTA? Well i admit I don't know much of it, but the some particular sections of the FTA (parts which concern me) scare me. For example, media - the agreement allows or mandates a certain amount of American programs to be shown, a certain percentage during prime time (I think, not too sure). This is to the detriment of the Australian film industry.
Another example, copyright and DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act), the FTA also mandates an alignment of Australian copyright laws TO American copyright laws, this means that the copyright period is extended from 20 years to 50 years (thanks Disney), and can be renewed at the end of the 50 years. (this means that a company can hold a copyright perpertually - just by renewing it every 50 years). DCMA... I don't know enough to talk about it, so I'll just leave it there... all I know is, it's bad and was enacted and pushed through American Congress due to pressure from the music and film companies of America.
There are other parts within the DCMA that kinda scare me, but I do not undestand or know enough about it to discuss it.
Health:
Quality health should be available to everyone, the abolishment of Medicare and the decrease of doctors using bulk billing means that the cost of treating illnesses will increase, this makes it difficult for low income earners, both young and old (think single mothers, pensioners...etc) to afford the medical expense required to see a doctor.
This is compounded by the "baby boomers" population, which is nearing or at retirement age.
To be continued...
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Friday, September 17, 2004
All Work and no Internet makes me KILL KILL KILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Argh, I've been stuck on a project at a client's site where I don't have access to the Internet. I think it's a human rights issue not to allow staff to access the Internet from work! How can they deprave a geek of the Internet, it's like keeping a fish out of water... it's totally unfair. I've created a lobby group called the WorldWide Group for Universal Internet Access for all Geeks, and I'm accepting donations now.
Anyways, as I said, I don't have Internet access from where I am working now, this means that I cannot keep updated with current news and events as well as other forums and websites I visit. :) Normally that's okay, so long as I have work to keep me busy, but.... we ran out of work... so after making up some work and finishing that... I stared at the computer screen for 3 hours... just staring... not doing anything... just staring at a Windows Explorer screen. I would've stared at the desktop, but since it's an open office, it would've been blatently obvious that I had nothing to do.
I'm really looking forward to the weekend now... it seems that it's the only time that I can actually seem to get something done... During the week I work from ~8-5 and then I have classes from 6-9 three days a week. The commute to and from work adds up to 2 hours. As you can see, I end up with very little time left during the day. I usually get home very tired and end up just winding down and relaxing at home. I've got so many things that I want to do, but so little time to do them all. Whoever set a 5 day working week should be shot. A 3 or 4 day working week sounds much much better and is a better balance between working and play.
Anyways, as I said, I don't have Internet access from where I am working now, this means that I cannot keep updated with current news and events as well as other forums and websites I visit. :) Normally that's okay, so long as I have work to keep me busy, but.... we ran out of work... so after making up some work and finishing that... I stared at the computer screen for 3 hours... just staring... not doing anything... just staring at a Windows Explorer screen. I would've stared at the desktop, but since it's an open office, it would've been blatently obvious that I had nothing to do.
I'm really looking forward to the weekend now... it seems that it's the only time that I can actually seem to get something done... During the week I work from ~8-5 and then I have classes from 6-9 three days a week. The commute to and from work adds up to 2 hours. As you can see, I end up with very little time left during the day. I usually get home very tired and end up just winding down and relaxing at home. I've got so many things that I want to do, but so little time to do them all. Whoever set a 5 day working week should be shot. A 3 or 4 day working week sounds much much better and is a better balance between working and play.
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Six Months gone, many more to come. (So I hope :P)
Before I start, I actually had another post yesterday, but I was asked to remove it.... :) Why? That's for me to know and you to find out.
Yesterday marked our sixth months of togethernessness, I took half a day off and spent it with her. It was a great afternoon and it's really amazing how fast time flies, it's also really amazing how she puts up with me. Full commendation to her :P
I know she's reading this, so Thanks :P, I've really enjoyed the time we've spent together these past six months and although it hasn't been real smooth sailing, I do hope we'll spend more heaps more time together in the future. :)
Yesterday marked our sixth months of togethernessness, I took half a day off and spent it with her. It was a great afternoon and it's really amazing how fast time flies, it's also really amazing how she puts up with me. Full commendation to her :P
I know she's reading this, so Thanks :P, I've really enjoyed the time we've spent together these past six months and although it hasn't been real smooth sailing, I do hope we'll spend more heaps more time together in the future. :)
Monday, September 06, 2004
Snow?!? IN SPRING?!?!? O_o
Well I'm going to blog what probably everyone else is going to blog about today and it's about yesterday's hail storm. In my whole life, I have not seen a hail storm as big as this. Below are some pictures that I took after the storm had past.
The day started off sunny and it looked like it'll turn out to be a very nice day, then towards midday the storm clouds started rolling in. There was a relatively big storm and heavy rain in the afternoon, and usually in Sydney, that'll be about it - there won't be rain for another few days. How wrong was I, later on that night sitting in front of my computer. I heard distant thunderclaps. 40 minutes later the thunderstorm was right on top of my head. Heavy rain ensured, and although I heard about the hail in other parts of Sydney, I did not expect it to hail again.
I look out the window of the study and what do I see? Hail! and not just one or two stones, it was coming down in a bucket. The below pics are the aftermath of the storm.
This winter was cold and I said to someone before that it's so cold that it'll start snowing soon. Well I was right. :) The hail completely covered everything!
My dog.
During the storm he was running around trying to find shelter. He ran from one end of the yard to the other trying to find shelter. I found him just sitting against the backdoor with hail and rain falling on him. I quickly let him inside and dried him off. The fur was starting to freeze and there were bits of hail among his fur. After the storm had passed we let him back out to play in the hail (or is it snow?).
The morning after.
This photo and the following photos were taken this morning at about 7am. The storm passed us at about 10pm the previous night. The hail stones are still there... quite nice actually.
The road.
Our front yard.
The day started off sunny and it looked like it'll turn out to be a very nice day, then towards midday the storm clouds started rolling in. There was a relatively big storm and heavy rain in the afternoon, and usually in Sydney, that'll be about it - there won't be rain for another few days. How wrong was I, later on that night sitting in front of my computer. I heard distant thunderclaps. 40 minutes later the thunderstorm was right on top of my head. Heavy rain ensured, and although I heard about the hail in other parts of Sydney, I did not expect it to hail again.
I look out the window of the study and what do I see? Hail! and not just one or two stones, it was coming down in a bucket. The below pics are the aftermath of the storm.
This winter was cold and I said to someone before that it's so cold that it'll start snowing soon. Well I was right. :) The hail completely covered everything!
My dog.
During the storm he was running around trying to find shelter. He ran from one end of the yard to the other trying to find shelter. I found him just sitting against the backdoor with hail and rain falling on him. I quickly let him inside and dried him off. The fur was starting to freeze and there were bits of hail among his fur. After the storm had passed we let him back out to play in the hail (or is it snow?).
The morning after.
This photo and the following photos were taken this morning at about 7am. The storm passed us at about 10pm the previous night. The hail stones are still there... quite nice actually.
The road.
Our front yard.
Monday, August 23, 2004
Bushwalks are fun.
Monday, August 16, 2004
dias yehT !sdrawkcab ti dear
.elpoep (2,1) owt eseht no ogniht drawkcab siht emalb nac uoY. sdrawkcab lla s'ti tub ,ereh si etadpu ym lleW .glob ym etadpu ot elpoep edur owt yb dlot saw I yadoT
.ti detrats yheT
...nageb ti woh si ereH
* KCiS^RoS *sEhSooD* wocpUm ni eht ecaf
update your blog
sdrawkca ti dear
<-_-cnc> update your blog
<-_-cnc> lazyass
<-_-cnc> :D
.yllamron txet eht dear nac ouy yhw si hcihw dedrawkcab neeb evah txet sdrawkcab ehT
!meht rof tsuj yrtne golb wen a dedda I. won yppah er'yeht epoh od I
.ti detrats yheT
...nageb ti woh si ereH
* KCiS^RoS *sEhSooD* wocpUm ni eht ecaf
<-_-cnc> update your blog
<-_-cnc> lazyass
<-_-cnc> :D
.yllamron txet eht dear nac ouy yhw si hcihw dedrawkcab neeb evah txet sdrawkcab ehT
!meht rof tsuj yrtne golb wen a dedda I. won yppah er'yeht epoh od I
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Ringu
I was talking to my girlfriend last night, when she mentioned that one of her close friends had given her a belated birthday present. Well that's perfectly fine and dandy... And it was to me, until she showed me it on MSN via her webcam... it was a ring. At this point in time I should say that the close friend is a male, and when she showed it to me, my heart sank like a rock. Inside I was feeling immensely jealous, sad and guilty all at the same time.
The reason why her friend got her the ring, was that sometime last year her friend and herself went shopping and this was where she first saw the ring. At that time she didn't want to get it, and when she went back to get it, it wasn't there anymore. Fast forward to this year and while her friend is down in Melbourne, he chances upon the same ring design again. Being the close friend that he is, he buys it for her and gives it to her as a gift. Jolly well good friend eh?
Anyways, putting it like that makes it seem as if I have no reason to feel jealousy right? Wrong... sorta. :) I was still feeling jealousy towards her friend, when I tried to rationally think about it, I was thinking that giving someone a ring and acceptance of that ring means that you now own them. This thinking probably came from my cavemen ancestors...
Caveman: Here, place this mammoth tusk necklace on your neck.
* Cavewoman accepts necklace from Caveman
Cavewoman: *Gasp* Why thank you!
* Cavewoman puts necklace on*
Caveman: My pleasure.
* Caveman *bonks* the Cavewoman over the head and takes her back to his cave.
Hence giving someone jewellery means that you now own them. So, as you can probably see a Caveman giving another Caveman's woman a gift, probably caused a few violent arguments back in my ancestors days. (I should say at this point that my lovely girlfriend reads this blog, Hello *thumps his chest* Greetings! :)
I gave it some more thought and I realised that it's not the actual item, but the actual thought and feelings that come along with the item. To me, and I guess many other guys, giving your special someone jewellery whether it be a necklace, earring or ring is a sign of affection (and for some commitment >:D). Hence the reason why, buying an engagement ring is such a long and engaging process. To tell you the truth, I actually start sweating whenever I go into a jewellery store. So many choices, so many chances to buy the wrong thing! :D
Acceptance and wearing of the jewellery item is a sign that the receiver acknowledges the affection and is also affectionate to the gifter. For example, when you were young, but not that young (say early teens). Did your mother or other relative not buy clothes for you as gifts? I bet that most of the people out there actually wore the clothes given to you, even though it might've been daggy or not your kinda thing. Why did you wear it? Was it because you wanted to please your mother/relative?
I guess I applied that train of thought to the gift, I thought of it as a sign of affection. Writing this now and putting my thoughts down has calmed me down a bit, and I know now that it's a different kind of affection (I hope! :) , but it didn't last night... so sorry if I was a bit down last night :)
Even though I'm feeling better now, I still feel a bit iffy about my girlfriend wearing another guy's ring, but I still want her to wear it coz her friend obviously spent a lot of money on the ring. I'll try and get a photo of the ring. *Stay tuned*
What are your thoughts on this? Please add your comments in the section below.
The moral of this story is? I now have to save up and buy a better ring. :(
Monday, July 26, 2004
The Warning.
AND I crashed her computer to set an example. So don't do it again. Otherwise I'll format it and put a Macintosh OS on it. You have been warned!
[Edit: Fixed up grammar, changed threat to a bigger one].
Friday, July 16, 2004
Today's upLIFTing experience.
Let me tell you about I story, that I just made up, which is entirely true, and the identity of the people involved has nothing to do with this story.
12:03PM: I receive a call from my GF... She's on her lunch break, and we arrange to meet up.
12:04PM: I Walk to the elevator, and run the last few steps as I see that the lift is on my floor.
D'oH Too late! As I jab my finger on the "Down" button, I hear the lift arrive on the level before. "DING".
12:05PM: I impatiently jab the down button and notice that the other two lifts are taking their time coming up. The first lift appears to be coming up, but stops on level 1. The second lift is still on the Ground level... Doing nothing. Impatiently jab down button again.
12:07PM: The first lift is still making it's way up. AH HA! The second lift has arrived, and the paint was starting to dry too... Damn I always miss out on fun stuff.
12:07PM: I press the Ground floor, because funnily enough... I want to go to the Ground Floor. The doors close and I'm on my way. Luckily my girlfriend called when she did, I was starting to feel hungry as well. *GROAN* the lift slows down as it approaches level 3... (I'm on level 4) and the lift finally comes to a stop... With a shudder. I impatiently wait till the doors open and allows whoever it is to enter _MY_ lift.
12:08PM: I realise that the door's aren't going to open. Being a nice guy, I try and open the lift doors for them. Hmm, the button that opens the door isn't working, and whilst I'm frantically pressing that button, I notice that the Ground floor button isn't highlighted anymore. Now I'm frantically pressing both the Ground Floor and the Door Open button.
12:10PM: It appears that I'm not going anywhere. The damn demons, gremlins, elves or whatever makes the lifts work apparently didn't like me jabbing the Down button in the lift lobby and have hence locked me within the confines of the lift. By myself... :(
12:10PM: I press the Telephone button on the lift to call for some support and it sounds an alarm. I mean what the hell? O_o Anyways, I get in contact with some person who took down my details and assured me she'll get in contact with a technician. Who shall be arriving shortly. (Yeah right).
12:12PM: I call my girlfriend, and tell her that I'm (quite obviously) stuck in a lift and that she should have lunch without me :(
12:30PM: Still waiting, I'm getting get motion sickness even though the lift isn't moving. This is partly because of the other two lifts (there are three) moving up and down, rocking my lift and partly because I'm thinking that I'm finally getting rescued and the lift is being slowly winched up or down.
12:35PM: I'm still here waiting... I'm feeling quite nauseous now.
12:36PM: Still here.
12:43PM: Still here... Oh wait, the ground button is highlighted now. OH OH THE LIFT IS MOVING. YAY!
12:44PM: I reach the ground floor and basically rush out of the lift, lest it try to consume me again. The technician comes out towards me and I ask him "What was wrong with it", to which he replies, "It stopped". I reply "..." and then walk off to buy some lunch.
The moral of the story is that you should shower everyday, otherwise you'll end up smelling.
12:03PM: I receive a call from my GF... She's on her lunch break, and we arrange to meet up.
12:04PM: I Walk to the elevator, and run the last few steps as I see that the lift is on my floor.
D'oH Too late! As I jab my finger on the "Down" button, I hear the lift arrive on the level before. "DING".
12:05PM: I impatiently jab the down button and notice that the other two lifts are taking their time coming up. The first lift appears to be coming up, but stops on level 1. The second lift is still on the Ground level... Doing nothing. Impatiently jab down button again.
12:07PM: The first lift is still making it's way up. AH HA! The second lift has arrived, and the paint was starting to dry too... Damn I always miss out on fun stuff.
12:07PM: I press the Ground floor, because funnily enough... I want to go to the Ground Floor. The doors close and I'm on my way. Luckily my girlfriend called when she did, I was starting to feel hungry as well. *GROAN* the lift slows down as it approaches level 3... (I'm on level 4) and the lift finally comes to a stop... With a shudder. I impatiently wait till the doors open and allows whoever it is to enter _MY_ lift.
12:08PM: I realise that the door's aren't going to open. Being a nice guy, I try and open the lift doors for them. Hmm, the button that opens the door isn't working, and whilst I'm frantically pressing that button, I notice that the Ground floor button isn't highlighted anymore. Now I'm frantically pressing both the Ground Floor and the Door Open button.
12:10PM: It appears that I'm not going anywhere. The damn demons, gremlins, elves or whatever makes the lifts work apparently didn't like me jabbing the Down button in the lift lobby and have hence locked me within the confines of the lift. By myself... :(
12:10PM: I press the Telephone button on the lift to call for some support and it sounds an alarm. I mean what the hell? O_o Anyways, I get in contact with some person who took down my details and assured me she'll get in contact with a technician. Who shall be arriving shortly. (Yeah right).
12:12PM: I call my girlfriend, and tell her that I'm (quite obviously) stuck in a lift and that she should have lunch without me :(
12:30PM: Still waiting, I'm getting get motion sickness even though the lift isn't moving. This is partly because of the other two lifts (there are three) moving up and down, rocking my lift and partly because I'm thinking that I'm finally getting rescued and the lift is being slowly winched up or down.
12:35PM: I'm still here waiting... I'm feeling quite nauseous now.
12:36PM: Still here.
12:43PM: Still here... Oh wait, the ground button is highlighted now. OH OH THE LIFT IS MOVING. YAY!
12:44PM: I reach the ground floor and basically rush out of the lift, lest it try to consume me again. The technician comes out towards me and I ask him "What was wrong with it", to which he replies, "It stopped". I reply "..." and then walk off to buy some lunch.
The moral of the story is that you should shower everyday, otherwise you'll end up smelling.
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