The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
31December2005
Saw Narnia with the cousins yesterday; the kids all enjoyed it so they're obviou […]
Updates
29December2005
Am currently in England with Jenni and David and the cousins. Didn't get all the […]
Casablanca
19December2005
All I can say is: the is the first 'classic' I've \_ever\_ seen that I've actual […]
Search Term Spam
17December2005
Time for some more bizarre and completely irrelevant search terms; these are jus […]
Public Schooling, Religion, A Manifesto
17December2005
a few thoughts on public schooling... a lot to do with religion and state stuff […]
My Snow Coloured Dreams
15December2005
The year in France is coming to its end, and Reims is getting quiet. The five Au […]
Mysterious Packages Part II
11December2005
or, More Reasons to Worship the Internet Following-up my previous post. I […]
Dumping Core
11December2005
Ok, brain is full, desperately need to dump core to make space... Been doing lot […]
Australian Identity and Online Writing
11December2005
*Warning: Essay follows; this is what happens when the brain dumps core* A cou […]
What I Want From the Future
08December2005
This started life inside my head as a gadget wishlist, but it relates to a few o […]
Mysterious Packages
03December2005
Couple of days ago found a DHL sticker on my letterbox, saying they'd tried to d […]
The Universal Library
02December2005
A follow-up of sorts to *Turing's Cathedral* from George Dyson. The Universal Li […]
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
02December2005
Saw the new Potter movie last night. It's been a long time since I read the book […]
First Impressions Redux: Foreign- and Local-ness in French film and culture
Wrote this for In-Country Studies, we had an option to revisit our First Impressions project, which I wrote on foreign and local film in France. In this piece I revisit some aspects of foreign and local film, and tie it in to my own experiences as a foreigner over the year.
Updates/Weirdness
28November2005
Been experiencing some weirdness with the website over the last couple days, but […]
Matrix Reloaded & Revolutions
23November2005
Been a while since I've seen these, so over the last couple nights I watched the […]
White vs Beige, Round 3
21November2005
White makes unexpected 3rd Round comeback Apple played a little sneaky, showi […]
The Cyberpunk Educator
21November2005
Watched *The Cyberpunk Educator*, available for download, it got me thinking abo […]
The City
20November2005
[ Lost. Stumbling. The Silence of the City overwhelms me. Without Her sounds I […]
Desktop Specs
15November2005
After making lists of suitable desktop Beasts, I've gone back and reduced to a s […]
2006 Enrolment
15November2005
Just enrolled in next years classes... Was hard to make decisions as it's going […]
Site Updates
13November2005
Made a few changes to the site over the last couple days. * Dumped the ?tribes […]
Languages I Want To Learn
10November2005
This year in France (and travelling in Europe) has changed the way I think about […]
White vs Beige, Round 2
09November2005
Been researching further. Started by going after the high-end systems, completel […]
Drop that double-u-double-u-double-u-dot
08November2005
Seriously, get rid of those www.'s. They're clumsy to say, and they're four extr […]
A History of Violence
07November2005
Though only 1h35, this film is too long. It's okay all told, a take on the forme […]
Elizabethtown
07November2005
This is up there as one of the most confused movies ever made, proving that the […]
Turing’s Cathedral
29October2005
Interesting essay by George Dyson on the history of digital computing; the reall […]
QOTD: French and Saunders
28October2005
"Who's there?" "Madonna" "A Madonna, Mother of Our Lord?" "No, The Madonna […]
Procrastinating
28October2005
Finally finished my Project Proposal and sent it off... I don't think it makes a […]
I don’t HATE Microsoft
28October2005
I'm rather ambivalent towards Microsoft... Past experience has taught me not to […]
Reclaiming the label Amateur
27October2005
Let's take back the name 'Amateur'. An amateur isn't supposed to be someone that […]
Desire (1936)
23October2005
Just watched *Desire*, a Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper black and white from 1 […]
That’s not a knife
22October2005
Excellent comments on the state of broadband in Australia over on Bleeding Edge. […]
Site Updates
20October2005
Was hoping to change the ?bits feed to Atom1.0, but after writing it, discovered […]
Computer upgrade: White vs Beige
19October2005
It's coming time to get a new computer, and I'm hunting around, getting up-to-da […]
Some observations on ‘Spam 2.0’
17October2005
As much as I dislike the term Web2.0 (but can't be bothered pulling it apart as […]
Computing isn’t meant to be Easy
15October2005
Starting to realise that computers shouldn't be easy... \_All\_ computers should […]
Bird Flu
15October2005
*Bird Flu* in ?bits=myth, 'cause that's right where it belongs for now... The me […]
Site Updates
12October2005
At last, I've transferred to using the database to hold my longer essays (they w […]
Saved!
09October2005
Saw *Saved!*, quite a terrible movie really (at its heart just a love story, but […]
“How a faithful nation gets Jesus wrong”
09October2005
Interesting article over at Harpers.org about Christian identity in the States. […]
Pollution != Global Warming
07October2005
Article in the Guardian on a new World Bank report, with the disturbing note: *" […]
Blog/Search
07October2005
Made a couple little changes... Added a 'ping-o-matic' link so that I can notify […]
Modding legal
06October2005
This is very cool... The High Court of Australia just ruled that modding gaming […]
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
06October2005
Saw *Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas* last night. I'd heard about it and had been […]
Bible truth
06October2005
The Times Online reports on a new document on scripture released by Catholic Bis […]
Photo Updates
03October2005
Finally posted photos from the latest trip, as promised... There are four new al […]
Paris and Coffee
02October2005
Normally when Paris and Coffee are in the same sentence nauseatic convulsions re […]
Search Terms half-working
22September2005
Some more search terms; first the bizarre: "medieval photos of people" (that get […]
Converting Relative to Absolute links in PHP (preg_replace)
21September2005
It took a while, but I managed to get my head around the Regex syntax to change […]
let’s go out tonight
21September2005
Amarok tells me I've played this CD 26 times in the two days I've had it. And t […]
Site Updates
20September2005
Managed to recode the site's PHP backend, and converted to XHTML1.1 while I was […]
The Game
17September2005
Interesting article from Matt Baldwin on *The Morning News*. A series of three e […]
Winter, She Cometh
16September2005
Sat in my room shivering this evening; then realised I had bare feet and short s […]
Starbucks
15September2005
After five weeks of travel through places with varying coffee standards, I've co […]
Home Again
14September2005
Finally made it home last night -- just in time to get some essentials from the […]
Think You’re Fighting Spam?
14September2005
I found a link to 'SpamPoison' (.com) while browsing, and found it rather humour […]
A Collection of Holiday Posts, September 2005
07September2005
This post is a collection of ?bits written over the last couple weeks in my note […]
Barcelona
05Sep2005
Visited Barcelona Sep2-6. Explored the Barri Gotic, Barcelona’s ‘old town’ equivalent, which is built atop the ruins of the old Roman settlement, and houses the city’s cathedral. Also wandered around Montjuïc, where the complex for the Olympic Games was built.
A Coruña (y Betanzos)
28Aug2005
Visited A Coruña Aug26-28, with a trip to Betanzos Aug27. A Coruña is a big industrial town in Galicia, with a huge port and beautiful beach (and the weather was spectacular for bonus points). Betanzos is a small medieval hill-town, complete with thin steep streets; it’s recently expanded a great deal but most of the newer development is rather neglected.
Santiago de Compostela
25Aug2005
Visited Santiago de Compostela Aug23-25. According to legend the cathedral holds the remains of the Apostle James, and has long been a pilgrimage destination. The city is the final stop on the famous ‘Way of St James’ pilgrimage, a walk along the north of Spain. The cathedral is in the beautiful medieval Old Town.
(7 photos)
World Youth Day 2005
21Aug2005
Attended WYD2005 in Köln with an Australian group from Sydney. We spent a week on pilgrimage in France, then a week in Köln, with the final weekend spent at the Marienfeld, a huge agricultural field opened up for the occasion.
WYD Updates
19August2005
Currently in Cologne, here for a couple more nights... The atmosphere is amazing […]
Tripping Europe
06August2005
This is likely my last post around here for a while. I'm off to Paris tomorrow a […]
JK Rowling Interview
06August2005
Just read this interview with JK Rowling, lots of interesting information for an […]
Woo! Drink Good
03August2005
I knew it... Apparently regular/moderate alcohol is actually good for you. Moder […]
England, Holiday the Third
31July2005
OK, the oft-promised holiday report... Complete with photos in various albums th […]
Site Updates
28July2005
Added a proper upload system for the top banner image, so now the 'Wintermute' t […]
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
28July2005
Just finished reading Potter... Much earlier than I expected actually, but I fou […]
New Domains
26July2005
Bought a bunch of new domains today... None have websites available yet, they'll […]
More Photos
23July2005
Another 5 albums up today, on top of the 4 yesterday... Included are: Cardiff Ca […]
Photo Updates
22July2005
Well, they've been a long time coming, but I've finally got some photos uploaded […]
‘the Jedi Order, the geekiest people in the universe’
20July2005
Neal Stephenson on *Star Wars*; this is an article from a month ago in the NYTim […]
Did you sell any goods or services using the Internet?
19July2005
Currently filling out my tax return, and this has got to be one of the stupidest […]
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
19July2005
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp do it again. A masterful piece of fantasy with just e […]
Versailles
16Jul2005
Visited Versailles one Saturday evening; they open the gardens up, run all the fountains, have a few people running around in costume, and let off fireworks at the end of it all... Couldn’t take photos of very much because of the low lighting, but in the sunset it’s all very romantic
Connectivity
13July2005
Was in Paris with family when the bombs went off in London, having come through […]
Once more unto the brink
11July2005
Just returned from another French bureaucracy nightmare. My Carte de Sejour need […]
Updates
10July2005
Back home now; supposed to be working on my latest UTS assignment, so of course, […]
Touring With Family
08Jul2005
Travelled with family through England and to Paris in late June - early July. This album includes photos from Old Sarum, Hampton Court, London, Winchester, Glastonbury and Paris. Some of our trips deserved dedicated albums.
Cornwall: Tintagel
03Jul2005
Spent a couple nights in Cornwall in Boscastle, just down the coast from Tintagel. Tintagel is truely magical, from the little beach and Merlin’s Cave to the Dark Ages settlements and medieval castle atop the Head...
(9 photos)
Arundel Castle
01Jul2005
Visited Arundel Castle, home of the Dukes of Norfolk. It’s one of few castles to have been used both as a defensive castle and as a stately home (the family still live there), and with its constant use and extensions over the centuries, it’s exactly what a castle is supposed to be.
(8 photos)
Me and 20,000 other hippies
30June2005
Spent the night before the Summer Solstice (June 20-21) at Stonehenge. The only […]
bourgeois myth
25June2005
*"the big wedding of the bourgeoisie, which originates in a class ritual (the di […]
Cardiff
22Jun2005
Spent a day in Cardiff 22June2005, mainly visiting the Castle and wandering around the town
(5 photos)
Summer Solstice 2005
21Jun2005
Spent the day before the Summer Solstice at Avebury, which was full of hippies preparing for that night. Was staying in Salisbury with Stonehenge just up the road so spent the night there with a crowd of 10,000. The only time of the year you can touch the stones; the atmosphere was truely awe-inspiring and I hope the images give some idea of what it was like.
Updates
21June2005
I'm sitting in an empty bus somewhere in South-West England as I write this; I w […]
Wilton
19Jun2005
various sites around Wilton; Wilton House’s gardens are particularly beautiful, and ridiculously stereotypical -- they’re often used to shoot period films
(5 photos)
Reims, Festive
10Jun2005
A couple separate events from May and June; the city likes to throw a festival and show of its history. In the first case, the anniversary of the German surrender in 1945; the second, the Fetes Johanniques, centered around Joan of Arc’s successful entrance into the city and the crowning of the Dauphin, but really just a big ‘medieval’ event.
(4 photos)
press-ganging alive and well
10June2005
Interesting (read "scary") article from a Seattle paper -- about a kid that Mari […]
A place amongst the living
07June2005
Je viens de regarder *Une place parmi les vivants*. C'était... intéressant, un p […]
With Us or Against Us
01June2005
Matt 12:30 *"Anyone who is not with me is against me"* But also Mark 9:40 *"An […]
It’s Non
29May2005
Well the French have called 'Non', currently calling around 55% +/- 2ish. EC Pre […]
weird search terms 2
23May2005
ok, making this a ?bits category, cos I'm getting so many classic search terms s […]
Updates
20May2005
Been doing some more coding on the site, much of it you can't actually see, but […]
expensive habits
14May2005
Gonna have trouble adjusting to the different food offerings when I return home […]
BBC backstage access
12May2005
the BBC is opening up access -- their new Backstage the info into their own work […]
Tribes sidebar now available
11May2005
OK, so I've finally got all the coding done on the tribes sidebar - down the rig […]
CCD^3
09May2005
Yay! Just bought a camera... at last. It's the Panasonic GS400 video camera. Now […]
search terms
06May2005
how cool/utterly hopeless is this: NineMSN's google-killing search engine retu […]
lesser of two evils
06May2005
Been keeping an eye on the UK elections out of morbid fascination - no surprise […]
new articles up
01May2005
Got my latest UTS assignment finished in time... We had to select a sociological […]
Updates
28April2005
various updates, in no particular order: * Spain photos are up - Bilbao and Pa […]
10 days in Euskadi
26April2005
Spent 10 days in northern Spain during the uni break - flew in and out of Bilbao […]
God’s Rottweiler
26April2005
got to a point where i've got to say something bout Benny XVI (Seize)... In shor […]
Pamplona (y San Sebastian)
19Apr2005
Was in Pamplona Apr17-21, with a day in San Sebastian the 19th.
Bilbao
15Apr2005
In Bilbao Apr13-17... Beautiful city, in a strange urban/rundown sort of way - old town, then industrialisation, then mass production, &c... Everything sort of tacked on to each other (buildings/infrastructure), and so many different environments in a really small space (filmmaker’s heaven!)
In the Public Interests of Whom?
11April2005
funny watching the Austn media suddenly realise (5 months after the fact) that t […]
New Host!
08April2005
Got a new webhost... You shouldn't notice the difference though - for now the 'n […]
Paris, Enfin!
05April2005
Finally went into Paris! It was the first Sunday of the month, so... free museum […]
England, A Holiday in Two Parts
04April2005
I haven't really said much about my cpl trips to England, so thought I'd get som […]
L’Invasion du Manga
02April2005
Today in class we went through an article on the popularity of Manga in France. […]
Downloading Movies is...
02April2005
Installed Limewire and been downloading lots of anime lately... (discovered a pr […]
Update... With Photos!
22March2005
OK, finally delivering the oft-promised photos... The bar on the right displays […]
‘threats that no one country, however powerful, can fight alone’
22March2005
I'm watching Kofi Annan give a press conference at the UN HQ at the moment... Ca […]
So what are your politics?
17March2005
An Attempt To Sort Out My Thoughts In brief, I think I'd say I'm Catholic and […]
content+distribution
15March2005
An interesting post over at The New Normal. The convergence/divergence of medi […]
Around Town
13Mar2005
Shots from around Reims... A few funky night shots, some with snow, some more recent as it’s been warming up... Added more from end March
Chez Moi
12Mar2005
My studio in various messy states; check out the extremely ugly wallpaper and tiling
(9 photos)
Six Weeks Later...
07March2005
Well it took a while, but I'm finally online... That means there'll be a few lit […]
rébranché
07March2005
Finally got internet at home, albeit dialup. I'm still waiting on France Telecom […]
Stonehenge
16Feb2005
Everyone’s seen Stonehenge so this is relatively short (compared to the dozens of photos I have of it on my laptop). Went walkabout in the general area as well
(6 photos)
Sarum, Old and New
14Feb2005
a little hill and valley that’s been housing people for thousands of years... Oh and one of the biggest Cathedral spires anywhere, ever...
(9 photos)
Oxford
13Feb2005
Visited Oxford Feb13th... A couple interesting museums, lots of old stuff, and some amazing architecture
Trade-Slave
20January2005
Mentioned on *The Corporation*: slavery did not end because the market collapsed […]
Elves Of Valinor Warn Of ‘Critical Security Flaw’ in Palantir Browsers
16January2005
at defective yeti This is genius. Apparently the palantir browsers have (yet a […]
four legs good, two legs ...
12January2005
An interesting article on SMH today - talking about communism/marxism and fascis […]
Acts of God
04January2005
some good and some bad in the responses to the tsunami... I'm very impressed b […]