Del.icio.us and Scouta...

I'm trying out Del.icio.us and soon I'll be adding Scouta for my radio related stuff.

We'll see!!

Windsurfing Diary

Saturday:
Where? Elwood Beach
Weather? 18-22 knots South
Using? 5.3sq m KA Kaos sail, Torquay 272
With? Morgs, Phil, Tone, BenD, Tubby, Donny (sort of- he used my gear!)
For? 1 hr
Rating? 2 out of 5
Why? Hands sore, rib hella sore, to tired etc...

Windsurfing Diary

Saturday:
Where? Elwood Beach
Weather? 22-28 knots west/south west
Using? 5.3sq m KA Kaos sail, Torquay 272
With? Warwick & Brendan. (but NOT don as he is soft.)
For? 4 hrs
Rating? 5 out of 5
Why?Oh man that was great. Perfect wind- steady and strong. Perfect direction. I went a little upwind from Elwood Sailing Club and got some huge 4-6m jumps. 12-15 huge forwards- no bail outs all good stuff. I give this five out of five despite the fact that I crashed at high speed while gybing and I'd say I'm 70% certain I've cracked a rib. Never mind, worth it.

Donny... WTF were you?

Windsurfing Diary

Sunday:
Where? Elwood Beach
Weather? 22-30 knots west/south west
Using? 5.3sq m KA Kaos sail, fantibc Rip 25?
With? Rai, Toby, Brendan.
For? 1.5 hrs
Rating? 3.5 out of 5
Why?damn I am unfit. And heavy. The new smaller board needs crazy strong winds to get up and boogie. When it did it was ok, it turns really well. But fitness was my main problem...

Oh and this happened:

Out of control high speed and then wham, shin down the board.

This should hurt like hell, but thanks to my knee reco- where my surgeon severed a nerve somewhere in that region, resulting in me having no feeling where the injury occured. Lucky days huh? It's a hell of a party trick. I can stick pins in my shin without pain...

This is NOT funny...

Clearly, you must see the humor in high-def television - baltimoresun.com:

"If you're looking for cheap, easy entertainment - and who isn't these days? - here's something that's always a hit.

Get yourself invited to the home of a friend who's just sunk two or three grand into a fancy high-def TV...

... no matter what he puts on, watch it for a minute or two.

Then shake your head and say: "Maybe it's me. But I just don't see any difference between high-def and regular TV.""

I just bought (actually Lay-by'd) a new LG HDTV, DVD/PVR/Digital tuner and 5.1 surround system and wish to take this opportunity to warn all who plan to visit: LOVE MY NEW HDTV or suffer the consequences...

Metzger has a serious crash...

Cycle News Online:

"Freestyler and Supermoto racer Mike Metzger suffered a broken back yesterday while performing a back flip for the Discovery Channel near the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, according to the Long Beach Press Telegram"

While injuries are par-for-the-course in FreestyleMX, I just hope that the Godfather has not lasting effects. This sounds pretty serious and ominous.

What would you do for a million dollars?

If I offered you a million dollars to do the following, would you do it?

- Run around in the sun on a hot day for a few hours.

Sounds bad right? Ok, I'll sweeten it:

- You get a 3 minute break every 5-10 minutes.
- Cool drinks and a shade umbrella. Maybe even a fan while you take a break.
- You can wear whatever clothing you want.
- I will provide a person with a towel every minute or so.
- I'll get a crowd to cheer you ever step of the way. Up to 15,000 of them.

If you fail, I'll still give you some money, a car and a driver and adulation.

Sounds good huh?

So why are these softcocks complaining?

Yoiks!

Tone sent this to me.

It's not exactly my best moment- nor best pic. But I like it...

Flickr Photo Download: Golf!

Flickr Photo Download: Golf!

Cameron Reilly's pic from our lil golf session last week!

Why you should go to William Shatner's webpage...

It's fairly simple:

• He released this album.
• He is on this show.
• His body of work is extensive.
  

Any album that features Henry Rollins and has the following exchange is worthy of your time:

BILL: I can't get behind so-called singers that can't carry a tune, get paid for talking, how easy is that? Well, maybe I could get behind that!
ROLLINS: Well, I can't! If you have to fix it with a computer: quantized, pitch corrected, and overly inspected, then you can't do it, and I can't get behind that!

So go now!!

Australia won't see iPhone 'til 2008- just as well...?

Australia won't see iPhone 'til 2008 | APC Magazine:

"Salivating over the Apple iPhone announced by Steve Jobs this morning? Lick your chops and collect that drool - Apple Australia says it won't be available in Australia until 2008 -- at least a year from now.

Of course, that's not to say there won't be a healthy trade in black-market iPhones on eBay as soon as they're released in the US. Just don't expect to get them cheap."

So. Yeah. Whatever.

Important points about the Iphone:

1/ Support
In the event it is offered by just one carrier in Australia (I actually think that is unlikely, however) then Telstra is the obvious choice. For users- where will they go for tech support? Apple? T-Store? Call 125 111? (Telstra's general mobile help number). I blogged about these very issues back when I was at Telstra and no-one looked like they were going to work out a plan for these "hyper phones".

I'm almost certain that if you go to a T-store or call FOH and they suspect even for a moment that you are having non-network issues (ie your phone freezes when you play music etc) they you will bounced out of there so fast it will amaze.

It's tough on FOH people as they will be expected to be full on tech, sales, customer relations experts while being paid $35k and treated poorly by all- customers and management.

2/ 3G
The iPone does not support 3G and certainly not 3.5 (or Next G). This might be a barrier to Telstra selling Gen I iPhones, as they are very, very, very, very commited to Next G. Did I say VERY? Good. They are.

3/ Network Lock
Ouch. This might be a killer for Oz, so perhaps the iPhone will be sold here stand alone- no support for any network and :use at own risk" But that would create a new set of horror show problems.

In short, kick back and wait- and hope they introduce a lot of these features on existing iPods and we can forget the iPhone!

These grapes are making me sour....

A letter from yesterday's Age went as follows:

Playing for the team
WELL, John Buchanan, we have all heard your remarks about England's Kevin Pietersen not being a team player, but I think you need to look no closer than your own team. One run required in Sydney of Friday, two deliveries left in the over, no pressure, game's in the bag, Matthew Hayden facing and Justin Langer at the other end in his last Test. What do you do, play for yourself — or as a team player and play a straight bat, block and leave it to Justin?

Well, you decide, but I feel Hayden was very selfish in not respecting the importance of the occasion. Sad.
Beverley Sage, Hastings, New Zealand

So, essentially she's saying that Hayden was selfish and as Buchanan is coach, he bears dome responsibility.

Oh, wait a sec...

Langer (20 not out) was at the non-striker's end when Hayden clouted a six and a single off Sajid Mahmood to draw level with, then surpass, England's total. Theirs has been the most prolific opening partnership in the history of Australian cricket.

"I'm actually a little relieved it's over," Langer said at the conclusion of his 105th and final Test. "I feel exhausted, to be honest. Talk about perfect finishes; I said to Haydos in that last over, 'Mate, I'm getting a bit emotional out here'. I kept looking at the runs; we had seven to go. I said to him, 'How about a six and a one to finish it?'

"As he ran past Freddie Flintoff, he said, 'The little fella doesn't want much. He wants a six and a one to finish it'. The next thing you know — smack! Six, one and then you realise it's all over. That was an amazing moment in my life, really. In terms of a script, you probably couldn't have written a better one."

Oh noes!!! Maybe instead of sending letters/emails to Australian papers Beverley, perhaps you'd do better to read them? Here's what I think.

Holiday snaps...

The holidays are done and dusted. Booooo!

This be what happened:

I'm curious about this parking sign. It's in the car park behind Acland st and I don't quite get it. I'm all for helping those in the community who are disadvantaged, but in a major shopping zone? Hell if you have $100 for a t-shirt in and Acland st shop, then you have $4 for the meter.


This is what happens when you try to keep up with an Oz Superbike champion. By keep up I mean "be as stupid". We walked the last two holes.


New Year's eve at Matty's place. Yeah, I can drunk boogie with the best (or worst) of them..


Rachel and 1st cousin, once removed, Ella. Gorgeous. We just wish we were seeing her in happier circumstances.


My late Godfather Greg Armstrong gave my mother a rosebush when my sister died some eight years ago. This is the best rose we've yet seen from it.



Rachel's brother James got a kitten for his birthday. Kitty's mad skillz insofar as Christmas tree climbing are fully mad. Sorry, what I meant to say was "the kitten is extremely talented at climbing fake trees"

Windsurfing Diary

Sunday:
Where? Elwood Beach
Weather? 22-30 knots south/south west
Using? 5.3sq m KA Kaos sail, Torquay 272 board
With? Donny Wooz, Toby, Matt, Carl, Rai, Ben, Morgs et al
For? 2 hrs
Rating? 4.5 out of 5
Why? Best day of the season- really consistent wind. I am finally getting to the bottom of what my new sail likes: lotsa down and out haul. New harness almost squeezed my kidneys out my ears. A Donny mod is called for!
Popped some big loops for the fans. A really big one out the back, mast tip didn't touch the water and I went right over it. One bail out sadly witnessed by almost everyone. I was rather stuffed after 2 hours- should have tried my new smaller board, but I'm getting old and I don't like new things.

In sad news, I discovered that my seven yr old Torquay board has gone soft under the rear footstraps. It's little wonder after the abuse I have heaped upon it. I am of a mind to get some expanding foam or epoxy and fix it. This board has been very good to me. In the seven years I've sailed it, I estimate the two of us (occasionally just the board on it's own) have done somewhere in the order of 3,000 forward loops. If you are wondering how tough that makes it consider this: I broke a custom board once on my very first loop. I broke a production board in about my 10th and a board I made myself on its first day out.

So, seven years and 3,000 loops is pretty damn impressive. I must post a pick of old yella...