I'm thinking a database backend for my photoblog is inevitable.
Good to see many of the new HD TV set top boxes are coming with PVR technology. Make it almost tempting, even with the $900 price tag. I think I'd prefer digital Foxtel when that comes out.
Kevin Mark worked at the BBC 15 years ago and has some interesting inside comentary (thanks Dave) on BBC's plans to release their programs on the net. It's also interesting to read his comments on hand editing tape using scalpels and sticktape. That's a side of video editing I never saw. By the time I got into it I could do it all on computer. Same with music.
The Age on Saturday had an article on piracy. What really got up my nose was a little grey side panel they had with the basic "facts". It was all rubbish ("you leave yourself open for virus' and hackers when using P2P software" etc.) but one sentence... "piracy is called peer to peer". Maybe in my anger I read it out of context but even if you tacked on "One form of piracy is called..." it's still so damn wrong. You may as well say "One form of priacy is called the internet." Morons.
Now my post from Monday that somehow never made it to "air". We never made it to the zoo...
A friend of mine recently got a digital video card that includes PVR technology. Pause that program, go make dinner, come back and watch the rest. My video card in my computer does that too, although it's reception is terrible. I'm tempted to try it in my old computer but I know it wouldn't deal with the video throughput required for PVR. Another friend said as we watched a program, paused it and kept watching, "that's silly". I think you'd need to have the option there with little or no effort for long enough to realise just how cool it is. It's something that maybe wouldn't blow you away but you'd sure miss it if it went away.
A great deal of my closest friends have started blogs. It's really quite cool. I'll be really freaked if Heath starts one again. His lasted two entries back in 2000. I wonder what Katie's blog would look like? It really is impossible to tell. We've been living together for over a year and she's used the computer maybe four times, most of which to write letters or play shockwave/flash games.
Hoping tomorrow will be good weather to go to the zoo. See the new elephant enclosure and some baby monkeys. Damn. Looks like rain ("few showers"), max of 15. Might still be OK. Otherwise might see a movie. Apparently Willard is out of cinemas already after only a week. Damn it! DVD out in US October 7.
Dave reviews the Walken gig from last Friday. Yes, Shoot The Genie do rule.
Heath heard "Mate". His friends heard "Mine".
Alternate economies. Starting on the premise that we'll all be out of a job in X years because robots will do all the work, Robotic Freedom by Marshall Brain [via Slashdot] continues on to theorise how the economy may work if most people did not have any work. Parts of it sound like a giant joke but I believe he's serious. The main suggestion is to give everyone (in the US) $25,000 to spend each year. Thus, everyone has money to spend, and in theory, time to do whatever they like. Be that create music, make up money making ideas, go insane with boredom and kill their neighbours. Anything they like. Because everyone is spending, the economy wins. Where does all the money come from? Advertising on $1 bills of course! The ultimate consumer society where companies buy their customers.
Someone seems to have forgotten inflation. And the desire for more that drives so many people on. Within about 10 seconds $25k will not be enough to live on. Those that want more will not be able to get jobs that give them more because robots have all the jobs. We'll all just turn into dead, constantly complaining weight that the robots will eventually crush into the ground.
Reminds me of my time at Ericsson Software Services back in 1999 when our boss came in and told us that it is actually in the company interest to fire everyone because headcount is directly related to shareprice and if we fire 100 people the shareprice will go up, regardless of the fact there is no-one to do the work.
A friend of mine has a similar theory for Australia. Apparently (and I have no numbers to back this up) it costs so much to administer the dole (welfare support, "Job Seekers" allowance and all that jazz) in Australia that you could give the dole to everyone single Australian whether they needed it or not and it would cost less. In theory, if we did this, people would not have to work to survive. They'd only need to work to improve their life and buy more shiny things.
It all sounds nice in theory, I mean, who doesn't like free money and the chance to never have to work again, all paid for by someone else's taxes. But it's the kind of thing I just don't think it going to work without blowing everything and everyone up and starting again. Any anyone who has read the Tripod trilogy will know even that may not help.
I suppose one day the little guy will rise up and crush the fat-cat run politics of today but until then, keep on spending.
Smokers are about to get free ads for their future.
In only occured to me recently that so many of the "for sale" signs around the eastern suburbs may not be people cashing in on their house suddenly being worth so much, but cashing in because they can't afford the repayments anymore. The harsh reality of owning a home, and thus, being owned by a morgage, is something I've never thought too hard about until recently. Selling a home was always a huge cashcow to me. Your $100,000 house is suddenly worth $400,000, you're rich! Except you have to go buy another house now...
The Age informs me that the massive housing boom has been mostly for houses, and not apartments. Which is amusing given how many houses are ripped down to build units/apartments these days. Which hopefully means the renters market will continue to rule. I hope to move sometime before or just into next year. Hopefully a bigger place. Amusingly enough, we'd like a house...
Looks like there is very little or nothing on the new release The Whitlams "Torch The Moon" that I don't already have. Many of the b-sides + rarities on there are quite good for those that don't have them though.
A reminder for all Australians with ripped CD MP3 collections:
Unlike US law, which the law permits the making of copies of copyright material for "fair usage" (such as copying a song to an MP3 player or PC), Australian law prohibits you from making any copies, even if you own the CD. This means that every time you rip files from a CD, you have committed a criminal act that, technically, could land you in jail for up to five years.
Suburbia, and it's complete reliance on the car, makes you fat [via acb]. I'm sure this is ancient news... [searching]... yep...
From this site 12th Feb 2001:
It is the design of cities above everything that is making Americans fat. Many cities in the US (and a lot of suburbs not in Australia) built around the assumption that everyone will drive to where they want to go, even if it's only a few hundred metres away. No sidewalks/footpaths, no crossings. If you tried to walk you'd probably be killed. (via acb)
Although I believe the new link is to a report on a study that proves the link. And the link in the archive is dead. The Age and it's dead links.
Another person I know at work quit to get a real job. This makes me happy.
My parents return from their year long trip overseas today. It's going to be very strange. I can't help but keep thinking if they've changed their hair. I'm weird.
I completely forgot about this. This time three years ago I reported that JB HiFi had been bought by Macquarie Bank. Bizaro. (another dead The Age link too). JB HiFi page at Macquarie Bank. Since then they've opened stores in QLD, NSW and WA just like they said they would.
Had some crazy pedestrians deliberately stand in the way of the car on Friday night blocking the traffic. I leant on the horn and eventually they moved, but how did they know I wasn't some crazy nutball with a gun? And that time someone jumped out of the car and hit my friend because he yelled at them? How did they know my friend wasn't buzzed off his head on something and could have killed them for that punch? How do they know? A mad died yesterday because he decided to yell at a driver for doing something stupid. The driver stabbed him as he leant through the window. I think my policy of avoiding conflict is something I'll stick with...
You know, we really shouldn't have to tell people to drive slowly around schools. New laws to limit drivers to 40kmh around schools in Victoria [ABC News].
I'm pretty unhappy our state government is being blackmailed into signing federal agreements.
THE Victorian government today indicated it would sign the Federal Government's health deal by tomorrow's deadline, after walking out of yesterday's premiers' meeting over the issue.Victorian Premier Steve Bracks and other Labor premiers staged the dramatic protest at the Council of Australian Governments (CoAG) meeting with Prime Minister John Howard in Canberra.
But they later buckled under the threat of heavy financial penalties and agreed to sign up to the deal by tomorrow, when the current agreement expires.
I hate Lotus Notes.
I saw the Australian Idol judges give all three barrells to one of the contestants last night, reducing her to a shivering blubbering wreck. I think I can see why people watch it now. So darn harsh. Still crap though. Particularly given the next bloke got nothing but praise and he was terrible, he just looked good.