Categories
Net

This week’s funniest spam email, and why a strong email password is good

I don’t normally see much spam thanks to the spam filters, but I did see this funny one a few days ago: IMF APPROVED PAYMENT LETTER. GOOD DAY TO YOU, It is a great pleasure to contact you this day as i have just been appointed the new Chief of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)  ... [More]

Categories
Net

A photo of mine reused by the Myki Customer Experience Panel (but I don’t mind)

Yesterday I was taking a look at the Myki Customer Experience Panel web site — that’s the set up where they ask a cross-section of Myki users about the system; get them to answer questions about what they’ve seen and how things are working for them. While some may moan about the extra cost, it’s  ... [More]

Categories
Clothes Working life

Shirts

A bit over a year ago I stopped wearing a tie to work, mostly because nobody else at work wears a tie. When you wear ties, they can be the distinguishing feature in your work attire. When the tie is gone, it’s harder to get away with, for instance, wearing white shirts every day. So  ... [More]

Categories
Bentleigh Clothes

Want to dress like Sherlock Holmes? The menswear shop in Bentleigh is selling Deer Stalkers

Spotted at Stanley’s Menswear in Centre Road: UK-made Deer Stalker – a snip at $129.95. (Apart from sleuthing, I guess you could also use it for stalking deer.)

Categories
Net Social media

I be influential in piracy, me hearties (according to Klout)

Some interesting stuff on social media in the Financial Review the other week: This month, Cathay Pacific partnered with Klout to offer to anyone with a score over 40 free entry to the airline’s business class and first class lounge at San Francisco International Airport, the key hub for those working in Silicon Valley. Neat,  ... [More]

Categories
Home life Net

Oh no! Home Interwebs is down

Disaster! No internet at home. Yesterday iiNet/Netspace had major outage in Victoria. It was eventually fixed, but even after a modem reboot we couldn’t get back online. Then I noticed the home phone (yes, I still have one of those) was getting no dial tone. My assumption initially was that this was just an unhappy  ... [More]

Categories
Melbourne music TV

Sights of Old Melbourne Town – as seen in music videos

Dragon: Are You Old Enough (1978) — around Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, including the now-gone behaviour of riding the running board on a tram, and a Silvertop taxi back when they really did have a silver top. John Paul Young: Yesterday’s Hero (1975) — around Swanston Street Paul Kelly: Leaps and Bounds — mostly the Nylex  ... [More]

Categories
Doctor Who Food'n'drink Friends and loved ones

My super-talented sister excels herself again

This creation by my super-talented sister, for Isaac’s birthday.

Categories
Sport TV

Digital TV can sometimes look like crap

Where digital TV really fails is handling lots and lots of moving objects on screen at once. Look at these two grabs from last night’s ABC news. In the first, host Ian Henderson is shown. With little moving, the picture is very smooth — even with the slightly dodgy ABC blue screen. (See it bigger)  ... [More]

Categories
Health TV

“A pint? That’s very nearly an armful!”

Tony Hancock’s legendary line in The Blood Donor was “A pint? That’s very nearly an armful!” (I really should find the DVD somewhere and watch it again.) I referenced it the other day after going to the blood bank, and Ian noted that Tony Hancock was from Ian’s home town of Birmingham, and kindly snapped  ... [More]

Categories
Culture transport

Metro mosaic

The mural at Patterson station that I noted some time ago has now been completed and officially opened. It includes a rather neat mosaic version of the Metro logo: (zoom) More faces contributed by (mostly) local community groups and schools have been added. Note Bender from Futurama in there. (zoom) Apparently they got sponsorship from  ... [More]

Categories
Culture Melbourne

Melbourne’s laneways – the epitome of style and sophistication

(Little William Street)

Categories
Video games

Flashback to 1984: The Challenge Chamber

One of the lesser-remembered 80s Australian computer games magazines is PC Games. At least, I assume it’s lesser-remembered because it doesn’t seem to have a Wikipedia entry, although its UK cousin does. PC in those days simply meant personal computer, not necessarily the IBM/Microsoft platform it does today. Australian PC Games ran for, I think,  ... [More]

Categories
Doctor Who transport

My blabbering in the TARDIS

Deep within the bowels of the ABC studios at Southbank… …there is a Triple J studio called “TARDIS”. Well, recording booths. I discovered that they’re not bigger on the inside. I was there the other day at lunchtime. My blabbering has shown up as part of a Triple J “Hack” story on the costs of  ... [More]

Categories
Retrospectives Video games

Retro Gamer edition 100

Yes, it’s true: I paid extra money to get a magazine about old video games sooner. I truly am a sucker for nostalgia. But hey, it’s the 100th issue, with a reprint of edition one as a bonus!!! PS. 8pm Saturday: Spotted today at my brother-in-law’s birthday barbecue, this tattoo of Rik’s:

Categories
Sport

Video: What you get to see trackside at the Grand Prix

If you’ve never been to the Grand Prix (which is on today), here (from 2009 when I went for The Who concert) is what you get to see trackside. Can’t say it appeals much to me. Note what I assume are sonic booms.