Month: May 2004

That’s we called it way back when, mental arithmetic. I have no idea what the new PC label for the ability to perform calculations in your head is, probably Non Keying Calculation Processing Via Individual Synapse Manipulation, or some such. It’s so disappointing that Phee runs straight for her calculator to do even the simplest of numeric calculations and I’m pretty sure it shouldn’t be up to us to show how to perform ‘minuses’ using pen and paper.

Any teachers out there – is this normal? Do kids learn NKCPVISM these days or am I being an old fogey (again)?

That’s it. It’s a must see already – go and check out the first five minutes of Shrek 2 and tell me you don’t want to see it RIGHT NOW!

Unfortunately we in Australia have to wait until June 17th, a whole month after the US gets to see it. Stupid bloody school holidays.

Grumble mumble grumble.

(And thanks to Daniel you can ‘right click and save as‘ to download the 50meg high res Quictktime version)

Two stations I love listening to come from overseas. 6 Music from the BBC comes from England and CKNW sends me the hockey from Vancouver. Only problem is that if I want to listen to them I have to be at my computer, and that’s a drag on a warm summers day when you could be out cleaning the car as the hockey is playing.

To overcome this bugbear I gave in to my gadget fetish and purchased a stereo fm transmitter that plugs in to my computer. This great little USB plug’n’play box sends out a signal I can pick up on any FM radio throughtout the house and outside. Given the ridiculously high download limits from my ISP I could leave it going overnight and wake up to the evening show from London. Gotta love this internet thing.

Mena from Six Apart has, in the light of the response to MT’s new licensing scheme, asked how we use Movable Type. As I track-backed the original post I should respond.

I initially used MT exclusively for my own blog. My partner then became interested in blogging so I added her to my domain and over a year or so have added three other friends who wanted a simple yet powerful way to publish on-line.

Without my offering hosting on my server and the use of MT none of these four would have become involved in blogging. The new structure is simply too expensive for my situation so I will look elsewhere for a tool that allows me to continue to offer blogging to my friends and family for free.

Thanks Mena for taking the time to listen to your customers and users, I continue to wish Movable Type and Six Apart well.

Rob and I need your help.

It will cost you $30 but you’ll end up with a signed CD a month before its release date, beer, pizza and a twenty minute live set in our lounge room.

Let me explain.

Deborah Conway is releasing a new album and as a special offer if you purchase 25 albums from her site in one hit they (she and her husband Willy) will personally deliver them, sign them and perform a 20 minute live set.

This is pretty much our idea of heaven.

Now Rob and I could just buy 25 CD’s between us, $750 is pretty cheap to have Deb singing for you, but then we’d be left with 11 and a half CD’s each to get rid of. So drop us a line or leave a comment and let us know you want a CD – buy a new Deb Conway CD, get an invite. I’ve even added a ‘Deb Count’ to the front page.

Even if you can’t make the performance you will get a pre-release CD, signed and all. And if you don’t like Deb, give it away as a present!

Go on, you know you want to.

Okay, so it’s more we want you to. We’ll be your best friends….

UPDATE 18/5

Wow! 13 so far and, believe it or not, an email from Deb herself! 12 more to go people otherwise my family are all getting the CD for Christmas.

ANOTHER UPDATE 19/5

21 – thanks everyone who has ordered so far, we’re that (insert mental picture of Tony holding two fingers very close to each other) close. If you’re out of Melbourne, no matter how far, we’ll send you the CD’s so that’s no excuse.

Four more to go, four more…

Also there are some more up to date entries on the ‘Diary‘ page. Once we hit our mark the front page will be updated again.

I love my footy, I love my hockey (both here and there) so you can imagine how happy I was when SEN 1116 started here in Melbourne, 24 hours sports talkback (even thought they don’t know what hockey is).

The joy is double now that they are streaming on the net. It’s Windows Media and you can find the stream at http://203.166.224.163/sen_1116.asx without having to open their site.

I have Greg Stafford‘s number. It’s 10 and it’s on the back of his long sleeve jumper from last year.

Thanks to the wonder that is Ebay I finally got a game worn #10 jumper to match my #10 signed by Sheeds himself. Greg, you’re a marked man. Next family day I’ll be there with said jumper and Sharpie for your signature too.

And if you needed any more reason to support the mighty Tigers who could go past the fact they have put a basket at their front door in the sunshine so Moggie, the club cat, can rest the day away?

Movable Type have reacted the backlash against their new personal use licensing and I would now scrape in to their first level of licensing, but have no option to let anyone else on my server. The fee has been reduced too 0 it’s now only USD$69.95 for 5 authors and five weblogs but that’s AUD$100+ for not much more than adding comment registration.

For me it’s the end of the road for MT.
Continue reading “Moving Along”

I was going to try and write a paean to our new god, Richo, but I couldn’t do any better than Mark Fuller in The Age today.

For 12 years [Tiger fans] have waited for a day like yesterday. That perfect day, when the imposing frame, the stunning athleticism, the unstoppable lead, the powerful mark and the raking kick would align like the bolts in some enchanted keyhole, and Matthew Richardson would play like a god.

Enchanted keyholes aside, we were there; we chanted, we sang, we clapped until our hands were red raw and in years to come will be able to say we were there the day Richo came of footballing age.

Well some company has acted quickly to take advantage of Movable Type’s goodwill suicide attempt.

Pmachine have offered 1000 free copies of their top of the line CMS application – Expression Engine for those ‘tired of the limitations of [their] current publishing system’. Fantastically quick marketing.

It retails for what I would have to pay MT to continue upgrading but offers many more features, such as mobloging, better image support and allows me to continue to offer blogs to friends.

Thanks Pmachine for the free copy. Instant good will.