Father's day 2007

I was given an espresso machine, and have been making some progress on my latte art. And on the spur of the moment, I took the family to Hillary's Boat Harbour. Here are some pics.

Fun in a box

Sportsday for Katja's school

A day in the life of a F/A-18 pilot

A Musical journey - what does it mean?

Last week at our music ministry night we discussed taking the congregation on a musical journey. We have 20 minutes, we can fill that time with five songs, or three songs, and just create space for worship. But how do we create this space?

For me to articulate what I experienced last Tuesday is difficult. Suffice to say that it changed my life. And my perspective on music. Who knew that you can create so many emotions and nuances in one song. It seems I have a lot to learn. It was an inspiring night.

My apologies to you readers, as I am just not able to convey what I experienced.

First post with my OQO Model 02.

So, it finally arrived last week, and I have been using it as my primary machine since. More on this later. By the way, I am inking this, of course.

My first tablet post

Today I received a Motion LE 1700 tablet to play with, in preparation for our UMPC trial. of course I am inking this as we speak, which is very nice. Not quite as fast as typing (yet), but I am sure I will improve as time goes on. For those of you who have not experienced the joys of writing rather than typing, I sincerely hope you will be able to experience the pleasure of plain old pen and paper with a modern touch.

The drawing by my five-year old. We had a lot of fun, and no child should have to battle with a mouse when holding a stylus is so much easier.

Punk rocker Arnold later becomes thirsty

Why are we different?

What sets us apart from animals? From Animal Planet, Animals did it first: Spoken language, religion, drug use and self-destruction. My colleague DM added the role of grandparents. With animals you seldom see grandparents getting involved in the raising of the young.

Anyway, back to the show, which then went on to state that there is another characteristic, our inclination to care for those less fortunate than us, extending even to other species - helping animals, especially those that suffer because of our human actions. Embracing this altruistic behaviour could see us taking much better care of our planet.

My view is very similar. We were placed here to govern. But we are not necessarily doing a splendid job. Whether global warming is caused by us or not is irrelevant. Fact is that we pollute more than we should.

But the solution is not simple. We have developing countries wanting to grow, and even introducing a carbon trading scheme will not curb the rapid growth in emissions. If we ever get a sensible carbon tax (~USD50/t), will this stop people emitting? I doubt it. Ultimately industry can pass on this extra cost to the consumer, and the world will still exist.

So what exactly is the solution? How do we find the balance between short term financial gain (which is very important to the shareholders who invested their money in companies, and expecting the highest possible return) and our responsibility to care for our planet? ANd why do they seem to be mutually exclusive? Are they? It seems that tonight I have only questions, no answers.

Time to get some sleep. Answers will come, as always.

C+C Music Factory-Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...

This is from 1990, and I just saw the video for the first time on MAX music channel courtesy of Foxtel. Anyway, guess why I like the video so much (embedding not allowed). Could it be Zelma Davis? Or the fact that it is such a funky song? Or both? It's both.

Excel VBA model enhancements

Right now I am working against a very tight deadline of Monday morning to completely rewrite a part of my main model at work. As a bit of background, I am moving my Excel-based database into Jet, and all my different customer files will follow in due course.

But to make that transition easy for my user base had me scratching my head for a good deal of last week. So my conceptual database design now complete (after a few revisions when special cases would make the concept fall over), it is time to commit fingers to keyboard, and start coding. If the first page goes well this morning, the rest should be easy.

Wish I could share more, but this model is what gives my company its competitive advantage in many areas. I do have some other ideas that I do not mind sharing. Some of you might find them useful.

In other news, I am still waiting on my Samsung Q1 Ultra and the OQO 02. Yesterday they were not yet ordered, and I am starting to think that I will have to lug my 4kg laptop around the world again instead of a 1kg Q1 Ultra, or even better, a 500 gram OQO.

Oh well, can't have it all, can we?

God is Faithful

After a week's worth of prayer, the answer came.

Competition - how fast can you go?

Let me know your score. In my opinion, iiNet is the best.

The children in July 2007

Tablet aids Old Testament's credibility

From the Australian, courtesy of Phil's blog.

Japanese IQ test

Very interesting. So far I do not qualify. Yeah, yeah, I know you did it the first time.

Verse of the day

This verse made it to my Inbox today, and caused me to reflect for a while. Why is it that we choose not to acknowledge God's handiwork everywhere around us? Just stop, and smell the roses. Look outside, and marvel. And be humble. We are so privileged to be made in His image. Ever wondered what God is like. Look around you, and look at yourself. Your heart is the same as His. Able to love, care with infinite ability. Yet sometimes we choose to do the opposite.

Psa 19:1
(AMP) To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. THE HEAVENS declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork. [Rom. 1:20, 21.]


Rom 1:20
(AMP) For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification], [Ps. 19: 1-4.]
(MSG) By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse.

No, we don't have good excuses. We as a human race think we are so clever, and masters of our own destiny. But we are not. And yet we can be. When we know God intimately, we can fulfill His purpose, and actually be all those things. Profound.

And my daughter just said I should write "God, you're the greatest one in the world."

Dreaming of the ultimate UMPC

This from the GottabeMobile website:

Unboxing the surprise package

What could it be? Pretty big box.





Oh, I see...

Run as if your life depended on it

I had some fun on Saturday night as I arrived home. Saw three boys, probably about ten years old, looking very suspicious near a street sign. I drove past, but then turned around, and drove toward them, catching them in the act of desecrating the sign with graffiti .

All I can say is, they ran quite fast. At the street corner they split up, and I chose to follow two of them. At one point I decided they had run anough, and accelerated to cut them off at the next intersection. They reversed, and now ran up the hill.

By the time I had turned the car around, they were gone.

I am reminded of the new advertising campaign against speeding. It associates speeding with men with small appendages, if you know what I mean. Apparently the previous campaign of showing blood and gore had lost its effectiveness.

So I am left wondering, why would someone choose to write illegible writing on a street sign, just to have it removed within a week. It just does not make sense. Unless, of course, the person feels he/she has something to prove...

When you're smiling...

the whole world smiles with you.

Save your backs, fellow bass players

Now here is an excellent invention. What I like about it is that it folds down flat when not in use. Space for me is always a premium, whether it be at home or when going to a gig.

And did I mention that I dislike carrying all my gear around?

Custom Line6 Variax 705 Bass guitar

Craftmanship in action. Watch it unfold here.

Samsung Q1 Ultra demonstration feedback

So I saw it today, and I was suitably impressed. The split QWERTY keypad on the side was not as good as I expected, with me frequently having to correct double-typed characters.

But I didn't care. Who needs that when you have the thumb-typing on the screen (which I found to be very responsive, unlike other models I played with today which needed a positive, slow touch to ensure accurate typing), and of course the hand-writing recognition of Windows Vista.

That was just awesome. It recognised my boss' scribbles, but struggled with mine out of the box. I swapped the stylus for my trusty Pilot G-2 07, and since I was holding a proper pen, my handwriting improved to almost legible. But Vista managed to get 100% recognition.

Of course it can only get better, as Vista's hand writing recognition software learns the way you write, and even learns how you write certain letters in different contexts.

But this is not a report on Vista's capability.

The only other product that came close was the OQO model 02 , very nice typing experience, fast processor, but only a five inch screen.

The Samsung's seven inch screen won me over, and I am already waiting impatiently for mine to be delivered, our company image of Windows XP Tablet Edition to be put on, and me starting to use it.

My original thought was to use it as a companion to my Dell Latitude D610, but now I am thinking I might try it as my main system for a while. Only when I program and run models do I really need something more powerful.

Samsung Q1 Ultra second generation

Isn't she lovely?

I hope to see her later the week. I love the keyboard layout, as it mimicks that of my Nokia E70. And if it will satisfy my needs, it will be so much lighter to lug around than my 3kg laptop...

Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 52+ evaluation flight

Want to be a fighter pilot? See if you are still not tired after this five minute workout.

Candidate for man of the year

I was cleaning out my mail, and found this cracker. Man, is he not getting it!

Excel 2003 and me - a lasting relationship, it seems

I was fortunate enough to be allowed to install Office Ultimate 2007 on my work laptop. Fortunate because Microsoft did a really good job with the applications.

My comments on each one I spent time with:

Outlook: Small things make it so much better, like having your calendar as a sidebar on the Mail and Preview page.

Word: Word remains Word, but I like the Ribbon.

Excel: I have known for a long time that "Compatibility Mode" ensures my custom menus created for earlier Excel versions will remain. The Ribbon is intuitive, and the cell grid is no longer a default gray colour, but a nice light blue. Impossible to replicate in Excel 2003, by the way. I tried… It makes the whole experience so much more eye-friendly.

Did not spend any time in VBA, so I do not know what new functions exist yet.

PowerPoint: One word: Wow! Want to change the style of your slide pack? Just hover your mouse over an option, and a live preview shows you what it will look like.

Access: Did not spend a lot of time in Access, but again the User Interface is much better than previous versions, and it refreshed my love of databases.

All in all, well worth the investment, and I do not want to go back to Office 2003. However, we do not always get what we want. Upon reconnecting to the network at work a few days ago, after a suspected IT policy change, my installation was never the same again, to the point where I had to re-image my machine (wipe it all, and start afresh with a clean operating system). So now I am back to the old and trusty Office 2003. I am so tempted to install Office 2007 again, but I promised the Desktop Support people I would not do this again. Perhaps if I back up the registry, set a system restore point?...

Music on Myspace

I created a profile in the Music section of Myspace today. Not much there for now, but it will grow. Go check it out.

Challenge the impossible

Surface computing

Check it out. Way cool.



Courtesy of Sebby's Blog.

How does your mouse cursor work?

Dig This: Do you have any idea what's holding up your cursor? I think you'll be quite surprised. Go to 1-click to find out. Make sure to move your cursor quickly and double-click every so often.1-click.

Courtesy of Steve Bass at PCWorld. Sign up for his Newsletter here.

Canon Powershot S5 IS

My Powershot A610 was destroyed photographing some nifty experiments, in very dusty conditions two weeks ago. Pictures were great, but every moving part is now contaminated with fine iron ore. Anyway, I have to replace it, and have been researching the latest Canon model.I like the larger lens, as well as the 12x zoom. It should make for better pics in low light conditions, such as when my daughter dances on stage. Hate using the flash at concerts, as it ruins the ambience of the stage lighting. Some places have really good prices on the S5 IS, and it is amazing how far technology has progressed in the short time I had my trusty 610.

Why another Powershot? There are lighter, more compact cameras available. But picture quality of the Powershot range is hard to beat.

Her job.

Funny. Have always loved Dr.Zuess.

The amazing colour changing card trick

Courtesy of Steve Bass ot PCWorld.

Windows XP to Vista conversion guide

If you are like me, you will stick to the old faithful XP, because of the plethora of old programs you use. But if you are not burdened by that, this PC Authority article will make you want to switch to Vista.

Am I going to be recycled today?

We dedicated our children to God this last Sunday. Not a big thing - just stating in front of witnesses that we will teach them about God whilst they grow up. And we had to explain this three times to my five-year old.

So in the car on the way to church she asked: "Daddy, am I going to be recycled today?" "What?" Repeat. "Oh, you mean dedicated!"

A Studebaker for Aubrey

Don't fall off your chair, mate. And don't turn too green. Come and visit, and see for yourself.

A tale of two donkeys

Mr. Hyde

and Dr. Jeckell.

Yeah baby!

Christmas of Oz - Dec 2006

Just some cool pics I took over the course of four productions. If you were there, it will mean something.
Running away from the scary wombat.

The witch melting away (My daughter thought she was a witch during rehearsal).

Adam leaping off the stage.

Stevo doing parables like, well, like it is going out of fashion.

The band: Zac, Mark, Billy, Trevor and Jonathan.

Friends are precious

One of my best friends will leave town shortly. And there are so many things we have not yet done together. Anyway, here is a pic of another of my friends, taken October 2006 when we went kite-flying.

The label is Family, as best friends count as family.

Whiteman Park - 5 May 2007

Took the in-laws there today, and saw some nice birds.

Strange maps of the world

Found this courtesy of Steve Bass at PCWorld's Tips and Tweaks.

The whole site is very interesting. Calibrate your view of the world by viewing it from a different perspective. The one below is based on population density.

Two of my main reasons for living

Coffee drinkers, save the rain forest, please

I was told about a serious malpractice today at work by a colleague. He watched a television programme that showed rain forest canopies being cut off to provide coffee plantations with more sunlight. This increases yield, and decreases costs dramatically. Instead of having to hand-pick beans off natural winding coffee plants, bushy, short plants are easier to harvest, and grow faster in the direct sunlight.

My immediate response was than I would no longer drink coffee then. The environment is important to me. More important than coffee, in fact.



Luckily there is an alternative. Rainforest Alliance certifies coffee beans grown sustainably. Don't settle for anything less. For more information see here.

Don't take your coffee too seriously

Found this on FurtherAfield: Six months in jail for complaining about coffee. And then see this blog entry on El Rancho Relaxo: Epic - Disappointing.

I need a few spare dollars...

I am drooling. Saw this Brubaker bass on the Ed Roman Guitar site.

Webcast now available

Well, not really my webcast. Spotted it at a service station in Carlisle. Yeah, baby!

The end of Easter - back to the salt mines

I spent last week in London on business. The Singapore London leg was nice, since I was upgraded to first class on Qantas. But I also wanted to get back home a day early, and all SAA could offer me, a Qantas customer, was economy class. It sucked. Not to mention that they broke my guitar, and stole a trinket that was supposed to be a present for my wife. That really sucked.

Sorry, all my RSA friends and family, but the short visit to RSA just reaffirmed my conviction to never return if I can avoid doing so. Harsh words, speaking about my motherland like that. Since in any population group, there is a normal distribution of people. Most people are average, some are really good, some are really bad.

One bad apple spoils the whole basket? Well, it certainly spoilt the moment I unpacked everything.

Hmmm, I did mention salt mines earlier. So what is the deal with calling going back to work going back to the salt mines? In Western Australia, there are two main salt mines, one at Dampier, and one at Port Headland.

Mining comprises letting water into a flat pond, sitting back and watching the water evaporate, leaving salt behind, and scooping up the salt with a front-end loader.

Hardly back-breaking work, if you ask me. I have a friend who used to manage both operations, and she always heard the same joke about watching salt dry. Even though it kept her very busy...

Rotosound and Elite - which is best?

I purchased a set of Bass Central Stadium Series Stainless Steel Elites strings today. We will see how they fare. The last set of Rotosound 666LD's are wearing out very fast.

In other news, guitar tablature is becoming legal. See the New York Times for details.

My son at three months

Some copy machines remember you

Interesting read. Truth or fiction?

What makes a band?

Take some musicians, let them play together week after week for many months, and suddenly, one day, it feels like we are a true team. Working together in perfect harmony. Andrew, Geoff and myself ending on a strange chord, together, without having discussed it beforehand. It just happened. Or did it?

Feel the music. Feel the leading of the Holy Spirit. In my view, it is all the same in the end.

Sunday was classic. Both Geoff and I made the same mistake, in anticipation starting to play the bridge of the song, and we had to do another chorus. D'Oh! It was very funny.

By the way, all my links have disappeared. I will redo them soon.

Scientists break the speed of light

And all you non-believers thought it could not be done. By the way, Einstein's laws were not broken in this experiment.

George Michael MegaMix

If you have not seen it yet, view it here. Great piece of work.