Sunday, August 07, 2005
Tai Chi
I've just had my first Tai Chi lesson. Hopefully I'll manage to remember some of it next week.
Friday, August 05, 2005
The B&G Public Speaking Competition
I've just watched the annual Burton and Garran Hall public speaking competition. There were eight speakers who each had seven minutes to make their point, whatsoever it was, in-front of an audience of their peers and a panel of three judges. What follows is my recollection of the speakers most important (from my perspective) points.
The first speech (by the president of the residents association) advocated that hall residents be held accountable not to the laws of the land, but to a special code of our own. This lead him to propose that we would then need a group to police these laws, a group of Student Storm-troopers ("an SS", if you will). His last point was a suggestion that this "SS" would need a strong, reliable, dedicated person to set the laws and to lead their enforcement. He finished with a "Thank-you" (after a hastily stifled "Danke").
The second was a rather humorous speech about terrorism. It began with a brief discussion of some of the more inept members of the intelligence, security and governmental communities and moved on to a brief discussion of terrorism and security. While the speaker got in a few good points (and a laugh or two) the later part of the speech focussed on humorously portraying some prominent residents as "terrorists".
The third speaker took on the problem of global poverty. With a number of appalling statistics (that 70 children died of malnutrition during the speech, for example) and some good rhetoric, he made well the point that it is revolting that one in two people exist in abject poverty (surviving on less than $2 per day) when so much is spent on weapons. This speaker won second place and a prize of $100.
The fourth talk discussed Barbie and her recent break-up with Ken. Perhaps, the speaker posed, this is a sign that Mattel is attempting to make the world Barbie and her friends more resemble the one in which we live, to make their live more resemble the way we live ours. Or perhaps, she countered, it is an attempt in marketing driven by the fact that the boyfriend is no-longer popular with the target audience.
The fifth speaker told us about that cornerstone of modern technology (and comedic practice): the screw. This lively, entertaining talk took us back to the screw's invention in ancient Greece, through its use in war and peace to the development of the more modern varieties that surround us today. He ended with an exhortation that we all "keep screwing" and was awarded first place and the prize of $150.
The sixth contender returned to the discussion of global poverty. While his talk was amusing and he raised some valid points (contending that Bob Geldof is going the wrong way about ending poverty) I didn't pay much attention and so this brief mention will have to do.
The seventh brave soul to face us attempted to show that "the structure and the perception of time are invalid." A noble and learned topic but one which I am not sure can be covered in seven minutes. In her talk, the speaker appeared to conflate a number of concepts (time and our perception of it being the chief example) drawing on the weakness of one subjective definition of the present, proposing another point out that they are mutually exclusive (which is not, in my opinion, the case) and moving on from that "contradiction" to assert that time does not exist.
The eighth and final speaker (and the winner of $50 and third place) spoke to us of the game of murder (hunting your assigned target with a water-pistol whilst avoiding your own assassin) and the fear it caused, of spending hours lurking in wait only to find you she was waiting in the wrong building, of deciding that food and bathing were really that important -- "it's only five days." A very funny speech about fear and its role as both a motivator and an inhibitor of our actions.
The first speech (by the president of the residents association) advocated that hall residents be held accountable not to the laws of the land, but to a special code of our own. This lead him to propose that we would then need a group to police these laws, a group of Student Storm-troopers ("an SS", if you will). His last point was a suggestion that this "SS" would need a strong, reliable, dedicated person to set the laws and to lead their enforcement. He finished with a "Thank-you" (after a hastily stifled "Danke").
The second was a rather humorous speech about terrorism. It began with a brief discussion of some of the more inept members of the intelligence, security and governmental communities and moved on to a brief discussion of terrorism and security. While the speaker got in a few good points (and a laugh or two) the later part of the speech focussed on humorously portraying some prominent residents as "terrorists".
The third speaker took on the problem of global poverty. With a number of appalling statistics (that 70 children died of malnutrition during the speech, for example) and some good rhetoric, he made well the point that it is revolting that one in two people exist in abject poverty (surviving on less than $2 per day) when so much is spent on weapons. This speaker won second place and a prize of $100.
The fourth talk discussed Barbie and her recent break-up with Ken. Perhaps, the speaker posed, this is a sign that Mattel is attempting to make the world Barbie and her friends more resemble the one in which we live, to make their live more resemble the way we live ours. Or perhaps, she countered, it is an attempt in marketing driven by the fact that the boyfriend is no-longer popular with the target audience.
The fifth speaker told us about that cornerstone of modern technology (and comedic practice): the screw. This lively, entertaining talk took us back to the screw's invention in ancient Greece, through its use in war and peace to the development of the more modern varieties that surround us today. He ended with an exhortation that we all "keep screwing" and was awarded first place and the prize of $150.
The sixth contender returned to the discussion of global poverty. While his talk was amusing and he raised some valid points (contending that Bob Geldof is going the wrong way about ending poverty) I didn't pay much attention and so this brief mention will have to do.
The seventh brave soul to face us attempted to show that "the structure and the perception of time are invalid." A noble and learned topic but one which I am not sure can be covered in seven minutes. In her talk, the speaker appeared to conflate a number of concepts (time and our perception of it being the chief example) drawing on the weakness of one subjective definition of the present, proposing another point out that they are mutually exclusive (which is not, in my opinion, the case) and moving on from that "contradiction" to assert that time does not exist.
The eighth and final speaker (and the winner of $50 and third place) spoke to us of the game of murder (hunting your assigned target with a water-pistol whilst avoiding your own assassin) and the fear it caused, of spending hours lurking in wait only to find you she was waiting in the wrong building, of deciding that food and bathing were really that important -- "it's only five days." A very funny speech about fear and its role as both a motivator and an inhibitor of our actions.
Intelligent Design
Intelligent Design is dangerous. The thought that anyone, anywhere, could think of teaching this as fact (which, in the scientific sense, implies some form of verifiability) is truly mind blowing. Have we not yet moved on from being frightened by thunder and lightning?
RSChem is Burning Down, Burning Down, Burning Down...
RSChem is currently on fire. There haven't been any reported injuries, but they have evacuated that precinct of the campus.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Postcasts and Recharging
A while ago, Hack programme on JJJ did a story on iPods. According to one of the Apple service people they interviewed, the short battery life that lots and lots and lots of people experience with an iPod is due to excessive recharging.
Like most battery technologies, those used in the iPod will only last a certain number of recharge cycles. Once that number has passed, the battery life begins to decline. The obvious solution is the charge only when necessary. The obvious problem with this solution is that my iPod charges automatically when it's attached to my iBook.
My question then is, if we aren't supposed to charge unless necessary, and if the iPod charges when connected to a computer, then why does iTunes have support for podcasts?
Like most battery technologies, those used in the iPod will only last a certain number of recharge cycles. Once that number has passed, the battery life begins to decline. The obvious solution is the charge only when necessary. The obvious problem with this solution is that my iPod charges automatically when it's attached to my iBook.
My question then is, if we aren't supposed to charge unless necessary, and if the iPod charges when connected to a computer, then why does iTunes have support for podcasts?
Monday, August 01, 2005
A question for Jonny...
A thought just occurred to me. Has John Howard ever actually identified an election promise as "non-core"? Or is it something that we need to divine for ourselves?
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Shoes and Shoelaces
Why don't shoes have real eyes for the laces? Is there some aversion suffered by the makers and designers of modern footware, to holes that don't tear? Stupid bastards!
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Buying Software
I just bought a copy of Photoshop Elements 3.0. As I've got a digital camera now, I thought that I'd better get something in which to edit the photographs I sure to take. It's been a very long time since I last used (perhaps "fumbled with" might be more accurate) Photoshop and I'm looking forward to learning it.
On the other hand, if the application itself is as dodgy as the installer, then this could be a painful experience.
On the other hand, if the application itself is as dodgy as the installer, then this could be a painful experience.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Apple - iTunes - Podcasting
Apple - iTunes - Podcasting
With the new iTunes update, I've been able to throw out one more of the third-party applications on my iBook: iPodder.
Pretty soon, I won't need any thing but the applications OS X ships with (plus LaTeX and iWork).
With the new iTunes update, I've been able to throw out one more of the third-party applications on my iBook: iPodder.
Pretty soon, I won't need any thing but the applications OS X ships with (plus LaTeX and iWork).
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Hmmmm
I'm currently sitting in an Internet cafe in Launceston, which hasn't changed in the nearly eight months I've been away. It'll be good to get back to Canberra though.
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