You're Done Tipping Your Fuckin' Hat

The Sutherland to Surf is on this sunday, and I think the most important part of my training will be the music on my iPod Shuffle. As such, I want to share with everyone the list of songs that will inspire my every step.
WWE - Triple H Theme
WWE - Randy Orton Theme
Jay Z/ Linkin Park - Numb\Encore
Jay Z/ Linkin Park - Jigga What\Faint
Linkin Park - Lying from You
Linkin Park - Bleed It Out
Foo Fighters - The Pretender
Foo Fighters - Best of You
Foo Fighters - My Hero
The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger
The Fratellis - Flathead
The Killers - Mr Brightside
The Killers - Leave the Burbon on the Shelf
Kanye West - Jesus Walks
Kanye West - Stronger
John Williams - Superman Theme
Timbaland - Throw It On Me
?? - Rocky Theme
Rob Zombie - The Great American Nightmare
Rob Zombie - Living Dead Girl
Marilyn Manson - Lunchbox
50 Cent - I Get Money
Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet with Butterfly Wings
The Beatles - Helter Skelter
Nine Inch Nails - Starfuckers Inc
Nine Inch Nails - Head Like a Hole
Third Eye Blind - Semi Charmed Kind of Life
Bush - Glycerine
Dropkick Murphys - Captain Kellys Kitchen
Dropkick Murphys - Shipping Up to Boston
Dropkick Murphys - Kiss Me, I'm Shitfaced
Dropkick Murphys - Tessie
Diddy - Bad Boy for Live (Remix)
AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long
Chris Cornell - You Know My Name
Flo Rida - Low
Kurupt - Its Over
Fall Out Boy - This Aint a Scene, It's an Arms Race
The Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated
My Chemical Romance - Mother
My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade
Martin O'Donnell - Halo 3 Theme
Rancid - Ruby Soho
Iggy Pop - Lust for Life
The Kingsmen - Louie Louie
Nas - Ether


As usual, this post is after the fact. I FINISHED. I ran the whole 11km, and I did it in 55 minutes. I am so proud of myself. I didn't really plan to run it, Lan and I had just been running every sunday, and this came up. Seemed like a good idea, and it was.
The most I had run leading up to the event was 8km. I can honestly say that I am probably the healthiest I have EVER been.
At the very least I brake one stereotype of a computer scientist / gamer / comic fan.
The other thing about the run was that despite listing all these songs I ended up needing less than half to finish the race.

I have been thinking lately about the phones, and iPods and other things that I have with me or would like to have. I think the ultimate personal media device would be one that included these features:

• A Camera - At least 5 Mega Pixels, a decent replacement for a real camera.
• An MP3 Player - The bigger the storage the better, at least 250GB.
• A portable hard drive - This is just as a secondary mode, much like the iPod can be used as a usb drive
• A video player - For this you want a good screen on the device, which would also be used as the controls for the mp3 player and the viewfinder for the camera
• A GPS - A full featured one.
• A pedometer - A very good one, including software to monitor intake.
• Software - A Calender, Email, Internet Browser, basic office package.
• Wi Fi.
• THE MOST IMPORTANT PART - A battery that will recharge as it goes, such as solar power, or biothermal. Something that doesn't have to be recharged each night.

I recognise that a lot of phones, such as the iPhone, or my own N95, perform most of these tasks, but you need an all in one.
Also this list is the bare essentials for the ultimate Personal Media Device. A number of other things should be included but aren't a must, such as an ebook reader etc.

Treat me good, I'll treat you better, treat me bad and I'll treat you worse

First and foremost, way to go Australia. We did it, it took a lot of McDonalds, a lot of TV and a whole bunch of fatso's but we are now the fattest nation on earth. Woo Hoo.

To: Fat People
From: The Divine Mathew

I Hate You All. But I will do everything I can to help, you just have to want it.

I don't think we needed a study to prove it, but it happened. After watching hot women, men are 'stupider', they act more impulsivey.

How to win at arguments http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/how-to-win-arguments-dos-donts-and-sneaky-tactics.html


Funny Batman trailer spoof - it really only works if you have seen all the trailers.

Well it finally happened, my 360, which I thought would avoid it, finally succumbed to the red ring of death.
I looked on the MS website and it said I was out of warranty. I knew that all 360's had had a warranty extension of three years but I couldnt remember how long I have had it, so I thought 'whatever' and started looking for places that would repair it. Then I checked the manufacture date. It was December 06. I was still in warranty. Called up MS, got them on it, and am shipping it to them today.
As usual this post was sitting for ages, so it was returned in a week. Its a big problem, but the solution is so easy, they have done the right thing.

There should be more articles on the internet like this. Well thought out, well written discussions. (For those not bothering to read it, it is a long discussion between two game journalists on the pro's and con's of GTA 4). Not everything has to be top ten lists and three line comments. I am so sick short snips of junk that you forget as soon as you read it. Thats why magazines like Time are so good, they get in detail, they research, they interview and it provides for a much better article. The net needs more of it.

I Can Bench Press a Car, Im an Ex Football Star

This isnt just an excuse to post this video:


Who am I kidding, or course it is, but their is still a story behind it. Turns out, its really an ad for Wii Fit. Pretty damn good.

This is a great story. Kind of, it starts off cool/funny then turns sad.
A hippo in South Africa has wandered down to a beach and is hanging out in the surf, it has been moving south along the cost for two months. The problem is that hippos are dangerous, really, really dangerous. If it gets to close to a settlement they will have to move it. This presents a whole different problem. If they tranq it, it runs into the water and drowns. So they are hoping it goes home of its own accord.
I will try and follow this up as best I can.


A teacher in Utah has been suspended because she dared to teach children in years 7 & 8 about sex. But she taught them about masturbation, oral sex and homosexual sex. Since two of those are 'sins', the community, is naturally in an uproar. Unbelievable, parents want teachers to teach manners, to teach discipline, basically to parent their kids so they don't have to, but when they do so, when they teach them about things that are an everyday part of life, they are reprimanded.
The quote of the article has to be:

"I'm really angry right now. I want someone to apologize to those kids and say 'I'm sorry this is not part of the curriculum,' " said Sara Dewitt, a parent who said she first heard about the teacher's comments from her child last Friday.

Because I guarantee their have been children crying themselves to sleep knowing they were taught something out of the curriculum.
I do not get religious people. I just don't.

So Australia is out of Iraq huh.
"[K-Rud] said the Iraq deployment was making Australia more of a terrorist target."
So let me get this straight. Being there made us a bigger target, so rather than going after the 'bully' we retreat and hope they forget about us. It must just be a point of view thing, because to me, that is the STUPIDEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD. If someone is threatening you, and it is within your power to ensure they never threaten ANYONE ever again, wouldn't you do it?
I would, and thats why I have to back McCain, and thats why I voted for Howard. Stay the course. Finish the Fight.

I was at the gym last week, as I do. Anyway, they have a Fitness First music video channel there, I don't normally listen (Although I do watch a few of the clips, like this one, or this one) as I have my iPod. But I was listening to it last week and they were playing the usual top 40 stuff, Usher, Rhianna, etc. I don't really like this music (Umbrella-ella-ella was catchy and addictive though) as I have always considered it 'soul-less', over produced, manufactured, focus tested into perfection junk. However while I was listening they also played a Queen song.
This made me realise what I consider to be the harshest critisism of these songs:
Anyone of these singers could replace another and it would sound EXACTLY alike.
None have their own style, none bring anything unique to the table. Get someone other than Freddie Mercury to sing a Queen song and it sounds wrong, same with Lennon (The thought of Christina Aquilera singing Mother on this CD makes my blood run cold, and is cause enough for wiping earth from existence)

In an effort to lighten things up:
Here are 14 creative ads.

8 medical terms your doctor uses to insult you.

The funniest resume mistakes you can make.



Babe of the Day: Kim Kardashian

Second Best Killer That I Have EVER seen

Ok, the last few weeks I have been living a double life. One is work, gym, friends, family, Lana, etc. In my other life, I'm an eastern european immigrant, just arrived in Liberty City.
I have been playing GTA IV, a LOT. Whats not to love. This game blows away the excitement found in most movies and pretty much every game out there. When having a shoot out with the cops, you stand there watching the bullets fly off the car, the windshield shatter and the cops duck down searching for cover. When trying to get away the cops will do whatever it takes to bring down you down. I was escaping from the cops after one entanglement and when I got free all the shots, at least 20 were all around the wheel well, and the tyre had been blown out.
The best thing I can say about this game is that it raises the bar, and shows how lazy other game makers have been.
It re-invents and refines so many points that it is an absolute MUST play for everyone, even for a few minutes. I go for the chop in two weeks. I'm not worried, I'll be glad when I am all fixed up. Which thanks to my mutant healing factor will be about three minutes after I'm done.

A really good article. Does my generation (Generation Y, anyone born after '81) have no culture? To re-cap what is in the article, we have no new defining music, we have not added anything to movies or television. Previous generations can be identified easily, and richly with simple words, hippies, baby-boomer's, Generation X. All of these have full stereotypes associated with them. My initial reaction was that our contribution would not directly affect music and television, it would instead be how we have shaped the internet. Although Larry Page misses out on being a Gen Y'er by 4 years, Mark Zuckerberg (Created Facebook) is right in there (He's actually born the same year as me, which makes my list of accomplishments seem small). We are the first generation who have grown up with it, (which is why I will always refer to us as Generation.com), and as such, we want to be responsible for it, much the same way that previous generations wanted to be responsible for their own leisure activities, which is where the generational music and movies come from.

Another interesting article. It is the story of a Disney cast member who played Jack Sparrow through out the Park. Its a job that I would do, even if the conditions are as strict as they say in the article.

Babe of the Day:
Megan Fox

Some Kind of Miracle

Ok, I got all inspired and here we go with a massive hit of your weekly healing touch.
Me:
I've been keeping busy, movies, friends, GTAIV and the search to find a book worth reading.
Lately I have felt more at peace with my place in the world. I think a lot of it comes from realising who I am and what I am. This has helped me realise why I am different from others, why I shouldn't compare myself against them and ultimately, what I can do to help others and myself.
This realisation didn't come from any one source in particular, so I can't suggest anyone thing to help, but I can list a few things that can only improve your way of life.

• Exercise - Do I really need to list the benefits.
• Meditation - This has NOTHING to do with religion or spirituality, its just something I do to center and relax myself.
• Relationships - Family, friends or loved ones. Get out there and interact. The biggest benefit this has is that listening to others problems, and their solutions can help you with yours.
• Relax - As someone who suffers physically from stress (which is crazy because I don't think I have ANY), it is a huge benefit being able to relax from time to time.

Looking at buying a house, or just interested in what you can get for your money? Follow this link, it compares some properties based on area. E.g.

South Africa v. San Francisco – $500,000
In South Africa, for half a million dollars, you can purchase a genuine castle complete with armor, high security, and a golf course. Stradford Castle, nestled in South Africa’s most gorgeous lake, is engraved with words of wisdom from ancient dukes and holds precious hand-crafted stained glass.

In San Francisco, for 500K you’ll afford a junior one bedroom with a spacious sleeping alcove. If you crane your neck out the bathroom window, you may even get a “peek-a-boo view” of the Bay Bridge.

If you have found yourself wondering what peak oil is, and how it will affect the economy, here is a video that will explain it. Don't worry, you wont be bored, half the screen is a girl dancing. I mean, Im not trying to drive people away here. Honestly, the video is WAY to preachy to be effective. It tells what peak oil is, and then berates you from its high horse. HOWEVER, it is an effective way of communicating an idea. They should make a whole series like this, covering things such as the Darfur Genocide and the unequal distribution of financial resources.


The last thing I have to say is, expect more. I am once again in the mood to create, so I'll dust of the pencils, fire up the script writer, and even blow the dust of this old site.

He's Ordinary

Stole this idea from another blog, who I think stole it from someone else:
If you were independently wealthy, where in the world would you live and how would you spend your time?
I think mine is a pretty common answer. I would travel a LOT depending on the season, winter in the snow, summer in the sand. I would spend my time learning.

I am known for having no real personality, I am an amalgamation of different characters, from books, tv, movies, comics and so forth. Bit by bit, I have adopted different personality traits until all that is left is a chamleon of sorts, able to appear in a form pleasing to most people. Every now and again though, I abosorb something without intention. I have been watching (and highly recommend) the showtime series 'Dexter'. It is about a serial killer (who fakes emotions and his whole personality, although that is more of a coincidence), naturally I did not think that after watching this I would go and kill something, but I was wrong.
I killed a possum.
I didn't mean too, it ran out, and in swerving to miss it, I got it. With the front left AND the back right.
Now initially I thought it was just an accident. But since then I have come to realise that it wasn't. This was a strategic move by the possums. Im sure an autopsy will reveal that he was terminally ill. The possums chose him to be a sacrifice. Now the truce is broken, and it was officially broken by me. This means that in the eventual war between myself and the possums, the majority of the animal kingdom will have to align with the possums. I can count on the elephants, fish and cats. Im also pretty sure the dogs will join me, as for the rest. One possum down, many to go... once they make their move.

I went and saw the Foo Fighters recently. Wow, just wow. They were incredible. They rocked out for at least two hours. It was the longest set I have ever seen a band do, and each song was a hit. Just incredible.

For fun here are the bands / artists I have seen live:
Ja Rule
Ashanti
The Living End
The Rolling Stones
The Killers
Linkin Park
U2
Kanye West
Robbie Williams
Machine Gun Fellatio
Duran Duran
Marilyn Manson
Foo Fighters
Oasis
Chris Cornell

To me, for the most part, it reads like a top 10 (whatever) list of rock bands for the last ten years. Of course this list doesn't include all the plays, operas and musical I have also seen over the years.

Day surgery - YAY. Have to get a cyst removed from my sinus.

Review: Iron Man.
If you like movies than you should see this. It is in the top 3 Marvel movies ever (I would interchange Spiderman 2, X2 and this for the top three). The casting was brilliant, Robery Downy Jr carries the movie, as he is the title character, but the bit parts are excellent. Paltrow is subtle yet effective as Pepper Potts and Jeff Bridges is perfectly evil as the power mad Iron Monger. Had this come out last year it would have been comic movie of the year, but I'm still putting my money on the Bat.

Im back, and better than ever...Im back and better than never?

I wrote most of this post months ago, Im finally inspired to get back on track and start posting again.

My blood pressure remains high, but tests are being done, numbers are being measured. Im sure we will get to the bottom of this before I have a heart attack.

I did the majority of my scube diving course over the last two weekends. As it stands I dont think diving is for me. I LOVED when I was swimming along, looking at the coral, playing with the fish. LOVED IT. After diving, I dont think I can go spear fishing again. The gropers arent scared of people, they swim right up to you, the whole class was in a circle doing some exercies and these gropers just swam amongst us, just like a puppy that gets excited by a group of people. There is no sport in killing them, there is no hunt. Its shooting fish in a barrell.
UNFORTUNATELY, I do not seem suited to underwater conditions. Upon rising to the surface I got an incredible pain in my cheeck, and my teeth and gums on the left hand side of my face went numb. This happened on both Saturday & Sunday, hurting so bad on sunday I could not finish the course. My teeth are still numb and its Wednesday.

Taronga is getting a baby elephant. Im actually excited about this. Its going to be so cool, a baby elephant, we need more of them, lots more. Im not sure if I have posted this or not, but I have very little interest in living in a world without elephants. I'd just jump a rocket and live forever in space.
It wont be born till 2009 though. Takes a long time to cook up an elephant.

Wow, no one saw this coming. No one at all. Who thought they would come looking for compensation, its..its just so shocking.

Currently Playing:

• Halo 3 - Online, step up one and all. No matter who it will end the same, you're all going to fall.
• Mass Effect - Great story, check, fun combat, check, interesting characters, check. This could be the first console RPG i finish since KoToR.
• Crackdown - Trying to finish up the acheivments.
  

Currently Listening:
Rehab - Amy Winehouse
Echos, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters

It was nice while it lasted

This has really annoyed me. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has announced that the Labor government is going to create an internet filter, that will block out a list of sites from being accessed, its done at the ISP (Internet service provider) level, so it will cover everyone.
I suggest getting a coffe because, me almighty, will I rant about this.
Ok, First and foremost, the most disgusting thing is that they are censoring the Internet. Once this starts it is a slippery slope. Once censorship starts then the internet will slowly turn into just another government controlled medium. Much like TV & Radio, there will be a LONG list of things you can and can't say. Fuck. There, if this was the TV or radio I would never have been able to say that. Many believe that this is ridiculous, that the government would never do that. Give it time. If the government is willing to curve to the religous right, it will continue to curve, bend and then brake. Do we really want another medium that talks about nothing but celebrities and tv shows. I use the internet because it is for the people, by the people (Not all of it but the majority of what I surf is). One by one these voices could be silenced. Hooray
Next is the comparison to China. Now I feel that any move towards Chinas internet is a bad one. The people in China cannot look up any sites that promote a free Tibet. This is the direction that Stephen Conroy wants to take us in. At least he is honest, people may say Howard was evil, but at least he was kind of subversive about it, this guy is just up front Super Villainy. I fully expect him to start wearing a cape, mask and cane, carrying around a cat and being flanked by two guys with ray guns.
Also in the article he compares freedom of speech to watching kiddie porn (Hereafter reffered to as kp, because even writing the words makes me ill). Now dont get me wrong, I COMPLETELY AGREE that kp is wrong. So wrong. If god and or hell really existed, I would personally send all those responsible (makers & consumers) there myself. It would not be a pleasant trip either, I'd make them suffer, my fury would be beyond compare. However, I dont think that freedom of speech = kp.
However again, you have to admire the villainy at work here, by making this comparison he has effectively written off his entire opposition, anyone that argues, much like I am doing now, he can turn to them and say, "Oh so you DO want kp?", which I will stress again. I DO NOT. He has created a straw man (as some may say I am) that is so one sided that it is almost impossible to argue with him.
This service will be an opt out program, so if you want access to everything the internet has to offer, you have to contact your ISP and say you want out. Again, because of the straw man Stephen Conroy created, this means that you are effectively telling your ISP, and by relation, the goverment that you want kp. This is another example of someone else having to take responsibility for those parents who dont want to parent. Rather than creating a service where responsible parents could opt in, ensuring that thier children are not exposed to erotic content (assuming here that the filter will block out the majority of erotic content, not just kp), they are blanketing everyone with it.
Another thing that irritates me is that there is no way for people to know what sites will be blocked. I can only assume the government wont give out a list (as that would essentially be a white pages for the real losers out there), so what is to stop them adding sites that speak out against the government. It won't happen (I hope), but there is realistically nothing stopping them.

There it is, my feelings, or as complete as I can get to them, on this piece of evil injustice. In summation, taking Chinas censored approach to the internet is a BAD thing, freedom of speech does not equal, or even compare to kp, and Stephen Conroy is months away from introducing to us his new secretary Darth Vader, and his deputy Sauron.

Hate to Say "I Told You So" but...

Another little rant. The entire time John Howard was in government he said he would not apologise for the stolen generation. I agree with him completely, for two reasons, first it makes no sense to apologise for something someone else did. We do not make Germany continually apologise for the war, because modern day Germany is not responsible. We had nothing to do with the stolen generation, we cannot apologise, because we are not at fault. This leads us to the second point, apologising means admitting fault, which leaves the government, as a whole, open to compensation claims. This is the more contentious issue. There is no reason why the current government should pay compensation to Aboriginal & Torres Straight Islanders for something that was done by someone else. Again, it would be like asking compensation from Germany and Japan.
An apology means one party taking responsibility for a wrong doing. There is no link between modern Australia, and the faults of previous generations. Without this link there can be no responsibility, there should be no apology, there most definately should not be one cent paid in compensation.

If the Aboriginals want to set up a compensation fund, that they foot the bill for, for the 10 year old girl that was repeatedly gang raped in the Northern Territory, by all means go for it. There is a direct link there. But no, white man can't interfere with anything that goes on, because that is their land, thier own style of justice will be handed out.
How dare they ask anyone to apologise when something like that is happening in thier own backyard. Get your house in order before you come and make demands of others.

Why We Fight

Todays headlines:

Today's National Coverage

• 61-year-old found hacked to death
• Victim's family grieves over hit-and-run
  
• Israeli embassy evacuated
• Man charged with 35 sex offences
• Punched and robbed for his mobile
• Father rapes, murders daughter: police
• Teen tortured: police

Why?

I cannot think of anything else to add.

Not everything is strippers and booze and buckets of blood

It often happens that the real tragedies of life occur in such an inartistic manner that they hurt us by their crude violence, their absolute incoherence, their absurd want of meaning, their entire lack of style

My Top Tips:

Work on my story continues, at a snails pace admittedly, but it continues. Its strange watching this story evolve, I have mapped out the current chapter, and the next, although they only take up about a line each, so its not detailed. But everytime I sit down this story just kind of appears, I haven't thought it out, but still its showing up, with characters and intrigue and already I have decided it will be a trilogy, to start with, and know of a few scenes and trilogy long story arcs I will be including. Its filling in these finer points that is strange, because it is so unexpected.

12 New Commandments:
Commandment the Fifth: Be your own person.
This seems kind of strange, in a list telling you how to live life, one of the points is to ignore others advice and make your own life. I present this as the most important of any commandment. At the end of the day each person is themselves responsible for how thier life turns out. Whether they accept this responsibility or not is something entirely different.
This does not mean that you should ignore what everyone else says and go stomping off on your own path, although sometimes that's what's needed. Listen and learn from others, there is a lot of knowledge out there. At the end of the day its what you do with what you have learnt that matters. If you like something, despite protests from others saying you shouldn't, ignore them, similarly, if you find yourself doing things you dislike, but pretending to like them just to fit in, I would sugggest a change.
Its a hard one to qualify, because it is a self negating statement. Learn to live with yourself, because you will be together for the rest of your life.

These are getting harder to think up each time, maybe I should have limited it to ten. Or seven, actually five would be great.

Random Updates:

Listening to people talk about something, anything with passion, is a powerful force. The two examples I have are:
1) On Howard Stern, they were talking about a party at a pizza place. The way they went on about how good the pizzas were, as well as the company at the party. If you could listen to it and not want a pizza, you live a sad life.
2) Listening to the 1Up Yours Podcast (About games). Listening to them wax on about a game, (In this case Mass Effect). It definately put this game on my radar.

Baby-sat my cousins all weekend. Man it was fun. One is 1 y.o, the other is 3 y.o. Its wierd to see what they see as fun, the three year old wanted games that had the appearance of competition, but only so that he could say he is the winner. The games were to revolve around him winning, and if he didnt the rules were changed so he would. We never lose the desire to win, but when do we pick up the difference between a win that we deserve compared to just being given a win.
The 1 y.o just wanted me to lay down so he could sit on my chest and look at me, or jump in and disrupt what ever the 3 y.o was doing.
I think they made me sick. Damn them.

So the Writers Guild of America is on strike. From what I can gather, the writers want more residual money, from dvds and they also want to get money for 'new media' as in shows sold over the internet. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers is saying 'no dice' to the whole affair. Refusing to give any residuals for the new media and not willing to renegotiate on the DVD residuals. This seems ridiculus to me. The AMPTP has to realise that now is not the time to be without tv shows. Without new content thier cash source will dry up real quick. DVD sales might boom, as will NetFlix rentals and possibly video game sales, it will be really hard to get back some of the audience it loses.
if people who previously werent buying DVD's start to now, they will realise how annoying 'free'-to-air is with its constant interruptions. So again, the DVD sales go up, but if the ratings go down, then sponsers leave, and then you really lose money. Its a slippery slope, I think that when scripted tv does come back, it wont be bigger than ever, but rather it will face a tough few months before it has pre strike ratings. But then again people are stupid so im almost certain to be wrong.

Caught in the Web:

I have for a long time been fascinated with the original fairy tales. I think its crazy how the original stories told to children when they were created, yet are now deemed to upsetting.
http://www.cinematical.com/2007/10/24/cinematical-seven-the-horror-of-fairy-tales/

This is just .... a sign of the times i guess. Ashley Maddison is a dating site, for those already in a relationship. Its created to facilitate adultery. I find myself, although initially disgusted, now almost not caring. It is just the way society is heading, there is a market there and these people are just selling to that market. Reminds me of when my grandmother wondered what was wrong with people that they had to go online to find a partner, why they couldnt just go to the pub and find someone. That seemed like such a no brainer to me, why should your partner be confined to the people you could meet at any one spot on any one night. By going online you are able to find more people with similar interests. Im not saying that the current dating model is wrong, but from a coldly, logical stand point, it doesnt make much sense. Hell, look how many marriages end in divorce (Maybe because of Ashley Maddison, yessssssss, way to tie it all back Matty), surely that shows that the current methods are heavily flawed.

I love this story, there was a traffic incident between a guy and girl. I don't know who was to blame, but there was mutual aggression shown, and then the woman gave the 'little pinky' motion to the man. This worked, as he got so angry he threw a bottle at her car. Of course he got fined and so on.
I love it. The "No one thinks big of you" is perfect in terms of what it wants to do. It works on the best principle, hit 'em where it hurts. If they are 'insecure' this will really piss them off, which may cause them to slow down.

Just incase you watch Resident Evil and think, that'll never happen. Oh how wrong you are. I predict Zombies appear in 10-15 years. America, where they originate, is lost within 6 months, EurAsia within a year, England 14 months, Australia 16-24 months (Depending on the intelligence of the Zombies). New Zealand 15 months. I, of course, will take 50 women of my choosing and live on the moon for 20-50 years, preparing a repopulation for when the zombies eventually die off. Hmm, they will probably eat the majority of animals, so I guess eventually I will be a vegetarian, that and deep sea fish.

Top 3 Hits of the Week:
1. Bleed it Out - Linkin Park
2. Famous Last Words - My Chemical Romance
3. Head like a Hole - NIN

Babe of the day:

Scarlet Johanson

Finish the Fight

Im going to some concerts soon, Marilyn Manson, Linkin Park and the Killers (provided I get tickets). I am super pumped for all of them, I love seeing bands live and think that they will all put on one hell of a show. Now for the two I already have tickets to I am going alone, which I didn't think twice about, its not everyone's taste in music and i really want to see it so I bought just the one ticket. Alana came along and said it was sad that I was going by myself, I hadn't even though of it until she mentioned it. Alana is coming with me to the Killers, she felt sorry for me. In hindsight I probably could have found someone to go with, but i decided against it.
That was a mistake, I should be more proactive, especially in friendships. Hopefully I can make this long term change, I have already taken the first step. The problem, as far as I can tell comes primarily from my ego, which stops me from asking for help, or for appearing weak before anyone else, which is why I didnt go out and ask anyone, because I see it as a weakness. It is ridiculus to think that having friends makes you weak, or that a simple thing like asking them to go to a concert will make me seem weak. I think i could also sense the futility in it, I was sure everyone would say no so i didnt bother asking.
Lots of things to think about, meditate on and work out. Thats why I have this blog, its cheaper than therapy.

I have defied Gods and Demons.
I am your Shield. I am your Sword.
I know you, your past. Your Future.
This, is the way the world ends.

Random Updates:

It was my birthday this week. I got diving lessons. Im excited for these, I never would have thought of it, but Im really excited for it. Im going to get my license then start finding shipwrecks and stuff. Plus Bond could scuba, so its just one more thing to help me become Bond.

I also got a surprise from Lana. It was awesome. I knew i was going away for the weekend, and I knew there were spa treatments (Massage, Facial etc) involved. I was shcoked when we started heading out west and the Navman said 89k's left, Penrith was only 40, we were going twice past Penrith, where the hell were we going?
Turns out we were going to Lilianfels, which is heaven. Lilianfels is a 5 star Hotel and Spa Resort in the Blue Mountains. It is owned by the Orient Express group, who also own our favorite Sydney hotel, the Observatory. It is much more relaxed than the Observatory, you walk into a giant lounge room, with (I assume since it was foggy) great views. We had dinner at the restaurant there, Dahleys, and it was excellent, filling but not heavy at all. Sunday was where it all happened though. We got up early, played some snooker, in a billiard room that looks like it should be filled with cigar smoking old men deciding who they make president, went for a swim, in the indoor pool, had brunch at the restaurant, then we went to the spa. We both had a volcano rock massage, which was fantastic. Whole body exfoliated, wrapped with a mineral mask, then wash it off and get the all over warm stone massage. After that we had tea in the lounge then went down for a facial.
Good god it was relaxing. If you have never had a day of luxury, I strongly suggest it. It is the perfect way to relax. I cannot speak highly enough of it or of Lana who got it for me.

Caught in the Web:

Its a long read, but I laughed throughout the entire thing so I definately think its worth it. Its a guide of what to do and what not to do on a first date, including examples.

This story is just creepy and really, really, really stupid. A guy lived in a flat with over 200 spiders, snakes and lizards. Guess what happend. He was found covered in web, filled with spiders and partially eaten by the larger spiders, lizards and snakes.

http://www.last100.com/2007/08/13/live-concert-recordings-on-usb-sticks/

This article is hard to describe but really really good. It shows the world map, representative of different statistics. The map showing HIV affected people is as you would expect, dominated by Africa. The toy exporter is almost entirely china. Really good, really interesting, although the data is from 2001, and a lot has happened since then.

Reviews:

Thirsty Merc (Live at Sharkies):
For a band that has as much difference between songs as Thirtsy Merc, they put on a concert that rocked pretty hard the whole way through. They started it off with a bang, with the hit Summertime. This song sounds completely different live, and it was a solid riff to open things up. They continued with a fair mix of their first and second CD, playing my personal favourites, "She's my brother" (Played a little faster, making it even better), "I Wish somebody would Build a Bridge" and the encore being "Emancipate Myself", which provided possibly the only time all night that the lead forgot his line, and even then It was messing up one owrd, which then sent him off.
The small crowd was good, but felt a little flat to start with, although you could tell that there were hardcore fans in the crowd and they made themselves heard. By the end everyone seemed to be much more into it. They stayed after the show and signed autographs for the fans.
King of Kings Rating: ****1/2

Babe of the day:

Beyonce

Earth Needs Me

I have been reading a few articles lately about sex. Now mind you I have NOT been looking for them, they have come up through Digg mainly, but they have been a good read, and raised a lot of internal discussions. The two different things include a really well written, well thought out piece about the way that porn has affected younger generations. To summarise the main points, as I see them, young men are now expecting more from their partners, as they try to live up to what they have seen in porn. Women are now expected to do more and more to compete with the videos that are easily available everywhere.

Now you have to offer—or flirtatiously suggest—the lesbian scene, the ejaculate-in-the-face scene. Being naked is not enough; you have to be buff, be tan with no tan lines, have the surgically hoisted breasts and the Brazilian bikini wax—just like porn stars.

Part of me sympathises with the author, however I also believe that it can be seen as a stumble in the right direction. Opening people to be more adventurous, or at the very least more accepting of their own and their partners desires can only be a positive thing in a relationship. Rather than resenting your partner for not doing something, or not being able to talk to them about it, which would bleed into other areas of your relationship, possibly as fuel for other arguments, surely it is better to have a, potentially awkward discussion, letting them know how you feel. I think that being more open about what you want can only be a good thing, I have said before about the importance of communication, however it must be a two way street. If you would like your partner to do something, look a certain way, you must be open to thier wants and needs.
The next article is the stories of a clerk at a video store dealing with the customers in the porn section. There are some great stories and you will really think about the type of people that hire porn. Although most of the customers live up to the stereo type, it gives you something to think about.

Just heard a great thing on Howard Stern, The Simpson's is popular for the same reason Stern is, both smart and dumb people watch it, and both get different things out of it.

All right Australia, well done. 54% of the adult population is obese. Not just overweight, f^@&ing obese. Think ahead, apart from the HUGE amount of diabetes that will plague this population, there is also the increased heart disease that will get them along with about a thousand other things that obesity will bring about. I want to see how these people justify it to themselves, I know that when they look around, the majority of people look like them but that doesn't make it a good thing, to paraphrase "just cus its there don't make it fair" (This comes from a Las Vegas monorail ride where two women were talking about potential child names, somehow they decided that "Just cus its white don't make it right", playing the race card in naming a baby. How do they expect to move ahead if they are so hung up on the past).
I was going to say I am not here to judge these people but I am. A fatty who doesn't care they are fat will be a drain on the medical services of this country as well as on their families and anyone else they drag into their deep fried hell, and here we come to the heart of my anger. If someone is destroying their life with overeating and a lack of exercise, and they transfer these bad habits to their children that's when it becomes OK to condemn them. Its child abuse, maybe not intentional but no less evil.
If someone is actively trying to lose weight then they are doing the right thing, and these people escape my anger.
Turns out there are still some people with brains out there. A company in America has started to charge their unhealthy employees more for health insurance. Makes perfect sense and should be adopted NOW in Australia, all over. The amount of money that baby boomers are going to cost the health system is huge, add to that the fact that their for the most part fatties and it damn near doubles, they sure as shooting should be the ones paying for it. But knowing how its going to pan out, nothing will be done until its too late (think cityrail), at which time taxes will be raised to fund the now urgently needed hospitals and health insurance premiums will go up due to the strain of the fatties.
Its a viscous circle, the only way to stop this is for changes to be made. The only ones who can make the changes are the baby boomers, but its in their best interest not to.

They can be a great people, Kal-El. They wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I sent them you... my only son

This article seems to be a no brainer, however I can understand that it is not as cut and dry as it may seem. California as a state is in trouble. It does not have enough money to fund its services etc. This is a problem. A group, cartel, if you will, of marijuana growers have offered to pay taxes from sales, in the amount of one BILLION dollars. Of course to pay these taxes marijuana would first have to be legalised.
On one hand desperate times call for desperate measures. If there is an untapped revenue stream that could earn the state billions of dollars each year, it seems ludicrous to pass it up. Alchohol and tobacco are both legalised and heavily taxed, so there is precedent of addictive drugs being used as a tax revenue. Also a gentleman in the article raises a good point, the first state to legalise marijuana will experience an economic boom, as people will travel from all over the country for it.
On the other hand it would be harder to keep some drugs illegal while legalising marijuana, but, as I said alcohol and tobacco are legal. It would set a precedent, dealers of other drugs could start doing the same thing. I think the public perception is that any drug that can kill you straight away, like heroin etc should be banned, while those that kill you slowly should be allowed (I know you can die from alcohol poisoning but..Every point I try and make is struck down by my own logic. I cannot see why this is not going to happen, however if there is a counter point I would love to hear it, not being sarcastic, I really would.

My Top Tips:

Watch Tom Green, its online and its free, what more could you want. Don't think of the 'Freddy Got Fingered' Tom Green. Its much more like a Late Night Show, but its very, very laid back.

Random Updates:

I think I've ranted enough. As for me I have been super busy lately. Taking on extra work and upping my gym schedule to four times a week. I want a week off.

Dancing has started up again. Its so much fun, Im so glad we are going.

Caught in the Web:

If you're looking to waste some time, and who isnt. I strongly suggest this game. You guide a bouncy ball into the target, sounds easy and it is, but the ways it can be done is where the game gets really fun.

A list of the top 10 History Mysteries, almost rhymes. Includes Robin Hood, and the Voynich manuscript, which I had never heard of. Just reading it shows how much we still have to learn about the past. It doesn't go into great detail, but it sparked my interest and further research into some of these things.

On a smilar note, here is a list (with pictures) of 7 deserted areas, these include obvisouly chenobyl, but it also includes a US ghost towns, abandoned airfields and other places that have just been left behind. I like the siberian fortress the most. Just seems like it would have been something to see, when it was standing.

Reviews:

The Simpsons Movie:
I laughed almost the whole way through. Thats all I want from a comedy. It wasn't epic, it wasn't the be all end all for the series. It was good.
King of Kings Rating: ***1/2

Babe of the day:

Erica Durance

Its a magical world Hobbes old buddy, Lets go exploring

The concept of 'countries' will be dead in the future. Much as Voltron propehsised the world will realise that only by working together will progress be made. No more thinking in terms of countries. Think in terms of the world. Yes we may have gotten unemployment low, but globally there are larger problems. I don't want to sound too much like a hippy, and I realise that it will take something HUGE to bring about the change, but it will happen. Thus speaks the morning star.

My Top Tips:
Contribute to your super. If in Australia (and I know we have gotten a few other countries ducking in for a few seconds), and earn under $58 000 send $1000 (If you have it), into your
superannuation fund. The government will chip in a maximum of $1.50 for every $1 you put in, up to $1000. This will work out better than savings, not immediately, but in the long run, and its important to remember the long run.
Alright I'm lazy and this doesn't really matter anymore, whatever

Random Updates:
The weekend was god damn fantastic. Alana and I went and saw Play! A Video Game Symphony, which while geeky was really good. We got a hotel room at Rydges World Square, went to Dinner at Angus SteakHouse then on sunday had breakfast at Pancakes.

Caught in the Web:
Daily Lit - Is one of the best things I have found. You choose a book (From a list of public domain ones) and they send you it via email, bit by bit each day. If you're like me, you'll end up reading 4 or 5 parts a day, I think that has a lot to do with the story I chose (Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom). It has started strong and keeps me wanting more, more, MORE.

Instructables is a great web site. It provides instructions on damn near everything. if you're ever looking to kill an afternoon, weekend, month or year building something this place has the project for you.

Review:
Play! was really different. Some of the pieces went well. Starting it off with Mario was good, because its a well known fast paced piece, relaxed the crowd. A lot of the music was very dark and war like, which while good, didn't allow for a more rounded overall sound. There were some parts that slowed it down, I though Sonic managed to cover more bases stylistically, but overall a definite A++.

Angus was excellent. I have a friend who works there so I've been meaning to go for ages. Im glad I did, everything was fantastic, the steak was incredible, cooked to perfection. The sticky date pudding at the end was so good. Alana's dessert while tasting light was deceptively filling. Expensive, but worth it as a treat, A+.

I'm Too Sexy For This Blog

Despite my rant last week about the budget, after further investigation I read that we are still in rising international debt. That's where our surplus should go. Pay off as much as possible. I know that the average person doesn't care about it, but from my point of view that should become the number one priority when dealing with the tax surplus.

When the &^%$% hell did celebrities become the collective moral compass?
This is directed at actors and musicians, why the hell are these people being questioned about anything other than music or acting. I don't care what an actor thinks about the environment, If i wanted an opinion I'd ask someone who knows what the hell they are talking about.
As an example, think back to high school, the attention seeking 'actors' and muso's. Would you really listen to ANYTHING they had to say?
They should stick to what they are paid to do and nothing else.
The Aviator said it best:

DON'T TALK DOWN TO ME! Don't you ever talk talk down to me! You're a movie star, nothing more!

Weekend Update:

Caught in the Web:
http://www.livescience.com/technology/destroy_earth_mp.html

From the list, 10 Things We Learned From Spiderman 3:
1. EMOs are a product of alien symbiosis
3. If your girlfriend is hanging from the roof of a demolished skyscraper, never fear. Nonchalantly take some pictures and introduce yourself to her father, who also doesn’t seem to give a shit.
7. If you want to kill someone real bad, then go to church and pray and maybe, if you’re lucky, God will provide you with an alien suit made of pure evil.
9. Bad boys eat cookies, drink milk and mimic their lecturers down the phone in a hilarious manner.

I wish there was a real Department of Evil, It would be such a refreshing change to deal with someone honest.

MISTER KENNEDY ...

Thinking about Spider man a little more, I think if they had adopted a more common trilogy thinking (Win, loss, win) I may feel better. I suppose I Sony wants it to be a franchise series (ala Bond) rather than a trilogy of blockbusters.

I am against using death as a punishment. I am also against using it as a reward.
- Stanislaw J. Lec

France elected a new President this week, and from my point of view, they chose well. In his acceptance speech he recognised that he has to repair the damaged relations between France and America, which shows he has fore sight Chirac never had. He has also said that he will not be pushed over by America, "I want to tell them that France will always be by their side when they need her, but that friendship is also accepting the fact that friends can think differently.".
A cynical person could see the new President befriending America as him seeking out allies, should he ever seriously anger the muslim population of France, and by assiociation one of the more militant middle eastern countries.

The budget was released this week as well. Previsouly it wasn't the sort of thing that would interest me, but I've taken a very basic interest this time around. Tax cuts are a big issue, but I think I would rather be taxed and have the money spent well (which it never is, damn corruption). A lot is being made of the amount spent on higher education, with $5bn being given, which is a good start. I do not think enough is being spent on the military, but I am a cautios person who believes in the words of Flavius Renatus Vegetius "Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum" (If you want peace, prepare for war).

KENNEDY

Edge won the title, Edge won the title, Edge won the title!!!
When people ask me why I like wrestling, I can forever use this last week as an example of its unpredictable, exciting nature. At Wrestlemania a guy named Mr Kennedy won "Money in the Bank" which means he could challenge for any world title at any time. On monday he lost MitB to my current fav Edge (In real life he had torn his bicep clean off the bone and will be out for 6+ months, hence he had to lose). Also on Smackdown the current champ, The Undertaker (who has also had an injury that will take him out) had a long match and at the end Edge comes out, cashes in MitB and wins the title, much like he did at New Years Revolution two years ago.


Weekend Update:
A go go go weekend, that was somewhat disapointing. Saturday was rushing around, shopping at Miranda, the city going to the gym and getting Alana. I got a lot done so hopefully this coming weekend should be easier. Sunday we went to see the babies, which I usually love, but this time I was annoyed, I spent too much time fixing computers, not enough with cousins.
Holding out hope for next week though.

Caught in the Web:
http://project-apollo.net/text/rpg.html
This site has taken up probably a whole day of mine. It goes through all the cliches used in games, tv shows, movies, cartoons etc. ive linked specifically to the games but its great for all of them, go through them and realise just how predictable some shows were.
It has to be good, they even have an article on Jiggle Physics.

Continuing on the nerdy vibe thus far, this is pretty funny.

Here are just a few more random links that i found fun:
Top ten history deaths.
Top 25 quotes, which is quite cool.

This guy needs to be shot. A judge is has sued for $65 million dollars. So straight away you think its a big thing, a house sale gone wrong or something big. ITS OVER A PAIR OF PANTS. He handed them to a dry cleaner, who thought he lost them, then found them. Its so stupid I wont type it out, ill just quote:

"Manning said the cleaners made three settlement offers to Pearson. First they offered $3,000, then $4,600, then $12,000. But Pearson wasn't satisfied and expanded his calculations beyond one pair of pants.

Because Pearson no longer wanted to use his neighborhood dry cleaner, part of his lawsuit calls for $15,000 — the price to rent a car every weekend for 10 years to go to another business.

"He's somehow purporting that he has a constitutional right to a dry cleaner within four blocks of his apartment," Manning said.

But the bulk of the $65 million comes from Pearson's strict interpretation of D.C.'s consumer protection law, which fines violators $1,500 per violation, per day. According to court papers, Pearson added up 12 violations over 1,200 days, and then multiplied that by three defendants."

http://mashable.com/2007/05/10/gmail-users-are-younger-richer-good-in-bed/

The King of All (New) Media

I was asked recently why I believe I am a god. After much deliberation, and researching on what exactly a god is, I suppose my answer is simply because I believe.
I choose to believe I am a god, in much the same way billions of people choose to believe in a god. It comes down to how I see myself and what I will become. I think that I am everything I should be at any point in time. This doesn't mean I am perfect, it just means that, to quote another God, "I am that I am".

My new workout routine has killed me, my calves are destroyed, whenever I get up it hurts like hell, they relax after a while but its insane. I'm not really complaining though, i do like the new routine, I have a day on my legs, a day on my back and a day on my arms. Its been almost a week since I wrote that, my legs did hurt for ages, although they were joined from time to time by my arms, chest and back. I have to go tonight and destroy them again. The things i do to maintain my divine look.

Weekend Update:
Wow, another pretty boring weekend. It is self imposed though as a means to save money. i hung out with Lana, watched a fair bit of DVDs, went out to dinner and gym'd it up.
Elaborating on the dinner, we went to the mall, a little too early for dinner, it was still pretty busy everywhere so we decided to have a coffee. That led into another so we emerged right around dinner time. This was great timing, unfortunately we were presented with a closed up mall. All the cafes & restaurants we thought would be open had all closed up, before 7:30. So we were left to choose between the big three. It's frustrating, if for no other reason than during winter the clothes are nicer, its just that you never get a chance to wear them.

Caught in the Web:
Ok, apparently scientists have discovered kryptonite in Serbia. It is not, unfortunately a part of Kal El's home world, it has the same name as the rock that Luthor steals in Superman Returns. It is sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide, the person who discovered it Google'd it and found out it was in the movie. I think its a cool story but i think its the kind of story that reporters dream of just because they get to be creative with the title.

• Superman "S" stands for Serbia?
• Scientists unearth Superman's "kryptonite"
• Superman Should Avoid Serbia
• Can Lex Luthor be far behind?
• Kryptonite Discovered; Adamantium Remains Elusive <- My Favorite because the person is obviously a fan of comics.

A follow up to this story is that scientists have discovered the most earth like planet out there, its large than earth, its about the same temperature and it orbits a Red Sun. Sound like Krypton? This leads me to think we may soon know if we will have super powers under the red sun of krypton, much like kryptonians do under our yellow sun.

Its 2007 right?
I'm serious, go and get the paper just to double check.
It is?
Good because this threw me into doubt. A high school that STILL has segregated formals. What The Fuck? I'm not kidding. This is the most insane thing I could ever think of. I was going to blow up about this but I really shouldn't, it is so weird, I cannot fathom how this was still going on.

Review:
The Sopranos
This is going to be a tough review. How do you review a show that changed the way television is made. That seems like a big statement but its true, without the Sopranos there would be no Lost, Prison Break, Deadwood or even Desperate Housewives. The Sopranos was unique in that it showed not only the big important stuff in the characters lives, whacking people, shaking down business' etc it also showed the most mundane ordinary parts as well, which humanises the characters and helps the audience connect with them.
The show revolves around Tony Sopranos and his two families, the one with his last name & the friends of his. Tony suffers a panic attack one day and has to go to therapy. This sets up the premise of the show, Tony trying to balance his personal life, family, mother, therapy etc with his professional life which includes taking control of a New Jersey family.
The story comes from hassles of everyday life, with its own unique twist. Tony fighting for control, against the feds, trying to work with New York are each mirrored in his family life, which makes it relate-able to the lives of the audience. The characters are shown as human, having to cope with even the smallest problems, despite being involved in organized crime.

Divine Commands:

• Watch:

• Sopranos (Final season now on ... torrents)
• Listen to:
  
• Sugar Ray (Fly),
  
• Dropkick Murhpys (Shipping up to Boston, Tessie)
• Wolfmother: Woman
• Go and See:
  
•