First dictated post using Dragon

Okay, so this is the first of my blogs that I’m dictating by Dragon.

Well last night was less than impressive I have to say. It seemed that something as simple as a table plan for a meal that was planned over two months ago, can be a hard thing to get right. So in the end I spent nearly half the evening standing up, but fortunately they tended to be enough waiters around to keep the supplied with sparkling wine.

The CEO of my wife’s company was suitably embarrassed and I ended up sitting at his place on the top table big some of his quite pleasant wine. I of course maintained a suitably cool and collected exterior throughout the whole rigmarole, and I hope managed to get from Marcella a firm promise that I will be able to hold Chaz day in Brisbane later on this year!

After all the presentations finished, the music started adaptable buildup sons myself as I don’t want to risk screwing my leg up again after the pain in my hip had finally gone away on Friday. Naturally I wasn’t too impressed when Marcella started to make a bit of a fuss because I didn’t want to go have a dance!

Obviously by this time I was starting to get slightly bored, so I started to make a few subtle hints it could be a good idea to move on. It’s still took nearly half an hour for us to leave, and head off to the casino. Unfortunately Cliff Richard was also having a concert at the complex that evening so the place was heaving with oldies!

Anyway moving away from the areas frequented by the hoi polloi, Marcella and I hit the roulette tables and after about an hour had made a 200% profit! Which unfortunately taking into consideration Marsalis hairdressing bill of the afternoon and the cab fares to and from Burswood, meant that at least we did not finish the day on a loss!

So anyway, I am finding that Dragon is not that hard to use, but I am finding that I need to relearn how to dictate as it’s been nearly 6 years now, since I had a secretary who did all my typing for me!

 Well, time for lunch, and a short session of Mass Effect 2 before trying to do some more work using Dragon. Mainly I want to see exactly how much I can create compared with typing.

Anti Development rant

Saw this add on Realestate.com.au and it made my blood boil.

http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rsearch?a=o&id=105928944&f=0&p=10&t=res&ty=&fmt=&header=&cc=&c=89163684&s=qld&tm=1264724466

Now I know that it’s not the first piece of forest to be ‘developed’ but what annoyed me was that my uncle lives nearby and the area backs onto national parkland and has a high eco-diversity. Developing this area would do nothing except increase traffic, pollution in the area and would seem to me to being just a tool by the council to increase the council levies in the area.

There are hectares of land that are not forested  and can built on, between Bonnogin and Brisvegas so why destroy this area? This is of course is hot on the heels of the Federal Guvmnt not wanting to class the Koala as ‘endangered’, as the decline in Koala numbers is linked primarily with the redevelopment of the forests they live in and of course the states where the veggie dropbear lives are under ALP control and in the pocket of developers you might be very cynical as to they the Federal Guvment is behaving in this way.

Time for a bex and a lie down I think

Crap breakfast TV now with added Krudd!!

If it wasn’t bad enough that we are entering into an election year so we’re going to be bombarded by Pollies facile and superficial media presences. it seems that Sunrise has done the ALP a big favor and will put the Ruddbot on prime time.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/rudd-tv/2010/01/20/1263663103759.html

Now it is claimed that the ruddbot and his advisors will not know the content of the calls, but do they realy think that in an Election year the guvmnt are going to risk the glorious leader made to look like and idiot on TV? not only is this cheap electioneering but it will also be used by the ALP to create policy on the run.

And not having the Mad Monk on at the same time is just crap, putting him up against the Deputy PM is an insult parlementaryspeaking. What we want as voters is to see what the leaders of the two major parties have (or have not) got to say for themselves.

Presumably the slot will be called ‘Buen Dia Senor Presidente’, maybe the ruddbot needs to have a chat with Hugo Chavez.

Lerm does Perth..sort of

Arranged to meet lerm at the Belgian bar in town as thought it would be the best kicking off point. Off course he turned up late with two girls in tow. One was a tall, slim blonde and the other was short and dumpy..and my first thoughts were that it was a set up and that he was going to use me a foil with miss spherical so he could score with the leggy blonde.

Fortunately it was not the case and they were work collegues of his, although I suspected that he was having ‘in depth’ business planning meetings with the blonde.

Because our mutual friend is ashamed of his blogging lifestyle I had to pretend to be an military collegue so I had to think of a plausible history for me in case asked in about 5 seconds. Fortunately both girls were to pissed to really ask too many questions.

After a couiple of drinks more of lerms alleged work collegues turned up so we used it as an excuse to do a runner.

Went into a trendy bar that’s just opened a few doors down and had some more booze and some food whilst we discussed many topics. After dinner i had planned to show him another ‘in’ bar but it was just closing so we headed to an oirish pub around the corner. Lerm cracked the shits a bit as he couldn’t get a proper martini but he had fun flirting a bit with the barmaid.

Then headed to the Sheraton for a finale of single malt before I headed home.

Have a small hangover this morning. I blame the water I had with my malt.

I had a good time, just wish it had not been a school night.

Thanks to Lerm for shouting dinner although I think if we’d been to one of my haunts we’d have had to share the bill. Next time I take him out though I’ll ensure we go to places with more eye candy so he doesn’t get bored.

Danger, Will Robinson!! Danger!!

Well Lerm is in town and we’re out for a few drinks tonight.

Marcela has decided to dodge the evening so it will be just Lerm and myself against the forces of darkness in the CBD.

BDA tomorrow….

Guess Chavez got a 360 for Xmas

You’ve got to hand it to Hugo Chavez despite the fact that his country is sinking under the strain of his Bolivarian revolution (the only thing revolving is Simon’s bady, in its casket everytime Chavez invokes his name for another weird idea), he’s still thinking about the important things.

He’s just devalued the currency but then told retailers that they can’t raise prices (like thats going to stop inflation) and sent the army in to make sure. He’s nationalising banks and media outlets left, right and centre. Oh and he’s letting the rest of country have blackouts so that the inhabitants of Caracas don’t have to suffer. But he still has time to slag off consoles.

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/games/playstation-is-poison-to-children-chavez-20100119-mhg5.html

Now I agree that Playstations are poison ..being a 360 fan myself. However considerin he’s militarising all aspects of Venzeulan life you’d have thought he’d want the kids to be familiar with killing via  console games and not playing with little dolls.

Oh well I bet the poor in their sqaulid barrios really appreciate hugo looing after their kids moral welfare.

An Interview with bob Hawke..excellent!!

Andrew Dentons “Elders’ series has been on the whole very good with to date my faves being David Attenbrough and Dame Elisabeth Murdoch.

But this weeks episode with Bob Hawke was truely amazing.

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s2301431.htm

Now I know it is a repeat but I missed the first showing.

I loved the sideswipes at the Ruddbot and the odd subtle dig at PK. but once again it helped remind me of how much we actually do owe him and of the hard work he put in to modernise Australia whilst he was PM even though it meant going against the wishes of his former collegues at the ACTU.

It is the mark of a great nation when our PM can be described as ‘a lothesome drunk’!!

KFC ad racist and yet this is not?

The timing could not be better.

First we have the KFC ad storm where many Seppos expressed their ignorance by attacking an advert as racist because it involved cricket, windies supporters, australians and fried chicken. The fact that it had nothing to do with the USA except that the corporation involved is Headquartered in the USA. KFC bow to the mob even though it was only for transmission in Oz and the Windies have been sponsored by KFC for years and we had no complaints from the carribean. So yes another strike for american cultural imperialism. Next tiem I see an american movie stereotyping either a pom or Aussie  ithink I call for it to be banned as well. Just in the spirit of fair play you understand.

But anyway it seems that the leader of the US Senate a member of the Democrat party no less has had some pretty overt racist comment s quoted in print.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8451091.stm

And where are the demands for resignation from the ‘racially aware”? Where are the screaming headlines? The youtube clips where people are venting their fury at what are pretty purile comments?

The answer there came none.

Hmm can you say ‘hypocracy’ children?

So my recommendation is to all those Americans who wish to point out alleged racism in others. Have a word with the so called Democrat party. Oh and get a passport and actually see the world.

……PS My apologies for all those well travelled and intelligent Americans out there.  except fro PNB of course!

War against whalers about to escalate?

The sinking of the Sea Shepard ship the Adi Gil in Commonwealth bay has in one foul  move showed the world how firm the Japanese are in their intent to continue their Illegal whaling campaign no matter what the cost.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/whale-protest-boat-cut-in-half-20100106-ltp7.html?autostart=1

I say ‘illegal’ as their whaling campaign is not for real research and is in reality a cover for harvesting whalemeat for the japanese domestic market. despite this market being well served by the legal indigenous catch. The ‘market’ is in fact a cover for a small but vocal lobby group. What is really disappointing is that this is happening during a sea change in Japanese politics and with a centre left government in place.

The Japanese ICR (sic) have even been running ISR missions from Albany to locate the anti-whaling vessels. The success of these flights is seen in todays sinking.

Our illustrious government is as usual steely eyed in its opposition to whaling in the Southern oceans as can be seen by this statement by Pete Garrett our Environment Minister (allegedly)

“We have reminded the masters of protest vessels of their obligations under international law to take all steps to ensure safety of life at sea, particularly in the inhospitable conditions of the Southern Ocean. We are also passing the same message to the government of Japan.”

So I bet the Japanese whalers are really scared. In fact there is a Team America colouration to the Australian governments response to the continual slaughter of cetaceans by the Japanese. By threatening to go to  court if the Japanese don’t come to a diplomatic agreement to cease their activities.

My question is where are our vessels? And our ISR assets making sure that the Japanese stay out of our waters whilst they continue their internationally condemned activities. Japan is not the economic power it once was and I’m sure the PRC wouldn’t mind helping out by making sure that no whaling vessel could dock in Asia. Until of course the japanese government removes the latest schoolbooks which excused the Imperial Armies excesses in WW2.

What amazes me is the lack of noise from the environmental lobby and the zero demands for boycotts of japanese goods. We should be seeing mass media protests against the whalers and it’s just not happening. Maybe Al Gore could do a film about it…. I also just wonder how long it is before lethal force is used by either side in this sad yearly event.

My position is clear any whaling vessel caught in our national waters should be boarded and confiscated by naval vessels not coast guard vessels. And we should have naval vessels shadowing the whaling fleet whilst in international waters to protect the protesters.

Ideally i would like the ships sunk in their home harbours preferably by the DGSE who are good at that sort of thing. However I can’t see that happy event occurring.

Avatar a critque *WARNING SPOILERS*

Finally got to see Avatar in 3D yesterday.

I have to say in balance I don’t know if it was worth the wait.

pro’s

- The world of Pandora is beautifully realised and well thought out. The SFX are amazing

- The idea of a highly evolved networked ecosystem is well thought out, and just because it is a rich ecosphere doesn’t mean that it’s ameneable to homo sapiens.

- The na’vi are not your standard alien they are deinitely feline.

- Slow interstellar space travel.

- movie moves along at a fair pace, and whiklst it is a long film it holds your attention.

Cons

-The depiction of the military is pathetic and utilises almost every negative stereotype you could want. To the informed eye, yes it is clear that a PMC is running security on Pandora but the imagery and lexicon used is likely to confuse the majority into thinking this a a pure military support role.

- The attack on the spirit tree  is almost laissez faire. The humans know that the na’vi are massing and know that they have aerial troops and yet they are completely out flanked by an attack from above. They clearly have unguided rocket pods on the gunships why did they not use those to volley fire into the area before moving in with ground troops? Also the use of mining explosives as bombs isn’t a bad idea but making the shuttle fly so low is just stupid. it should have been much higher as with that large amount of explosives pin point accurancy was not needed.

- Na’vi arrows were able to penetrate the gunships armoured glass? I mean WTF? These are stone tipped arrows. Even when fired from a bow that is say at least double the strength of a long bow it is still going to shatter and bounce off glass that is meant to repel small arms fire. Also why weren’t the smalley tilt rotors using armoured glass? it does not make sense.

- the story is pretty derivative, sort of  ‘pochantas’ meets ‘dances with wolves’ meets ‘aliens’ with every ‘noble savage’ stereotype you could want with positive scientist stereotypes and negative corporate/military stereotypes.

- Cameron is allegedly quoted as saying it’s a comment on Iraq and the ‘Stan. well I’m terribly sorry Mr Cameron but what you have produced is actually a hi-tech western or allegory about the rise of the Dutch east india company or the Raj. But it clear form some comments that resource wars are the natue of the day in the mid 22nd Century.

- if the Na’vi are so in tune with the planet why can’t they tell that the dozers are coming? surely the trial of destruciton would have caused a reaction in the ecosphere network? 

- The na’vi are highly evovled in their ecosystem but they are also at an evolutionary dead end. Because they are at a stone age level of basic technology andf their culture is as it is, there is only a slim chance that culturally they will evolve much further. Even if the humans weren’t there for the unobtainium the Na’vi would end up being an anthropological curiosity.

- The attitude of the scientists to the na’vi is so paternal it is unbelievable. they have tried to set up schools and give them medicine and teach them standard english. This is the attitude of the colonial era not of the near future. And yet the scientists are meant to be ‘the good guys”

-Finally if the mineral is so rare. the corporation weill be back but with more troops and with wepaonary that is not so effected by the flux. Can you say ‘orbital bombardment’ children.

Conclusion.

What could have been a great movie, is in the end only an average one with the story letting it down major time. Cameron has made to Na’vi to be a mixure of Masai and indigenous americans and is not telling the future he’s re-telling the past. It’s a real shame as the premise of the networked ecosphere is great and the SFX are almost breathtaking. if the movie had been made three or four years ago then i’d have said ‘fair enough they’re slagging of haliburton and Bush’ but even then it would have been only half right.

Sherlock Holmes was much better and more original