Anthony's Web Site

Do you get lost on the web. Well TouchGraph LLC have developed a map of the internet using Google's search engine. Go to their page and enter a domain name to get a map.

logged by Anthony at 11:06:58 AM Link

Project Gutenberg is the brainchild of Michael Hart, who in 1971 decided that it would be a really good idea if lots of famous and important texts were freely available to everyone in the world. Since then, he has been joined by hundreds of volunteers who share his vision. Project Gutenberg is here.

logged by Anthony at 10:44:20 AM Link

In an attempt to overcome copyright laws an anonymous person has developed instructions on how to decrypt DVD in Haiku poetry.

logged by Anthony at 10:25:30 AM Link

Greg Dyke predicts a more public-focused broadcasting future

Greg Dyke, director general of the BBC, has announced plans to give the public full access to all the corporation's programme archives.

Mr Dyke said on Sunday that everyone would in future be able to download BBC radio and TV programmes from the internet.Source BBC

logged by Anthony at 9:42:09 AM Link

A BLONDE walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer.

She says she's going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000. The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for the loan, so the blonde hands over the keys to a new Rolls Royce. The car is parked on the street in front of the bank, she has the necessary documents and everything checks out. The bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan.

The bank's president and its officers all enjoy a good laugh at the blonde for using a $250,000 Rolls as collateral against a $5,000 loan. An employee of the bank then proceeds to drive the Rolls into the bank's underground garage and parks it there.

Two weeks later, the blonde returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41. The loan officer says, "Miss, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow $5,000?" The blonde replies....

"Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?"

logged by Anthony at 9:40:31 AM Link

The recent rain is a double edged sword. The heavy downpours have been helping to fill dams but have also been stiring up the mud and ash so the water is now more unusable and we contiune to wait longer before using some of the dam systems.

Rain hinders ACT water quality plan

The heavy weekend rain has proved a setback for water quality at some of Canberra's main water storages in the ACT.

The Bendora and Corin dams have been offline for some months because of erosion caused by the January bushfires.

Bendora water quality had been improving but the weekend rain increased turbidity.

ACTEW spokesman Aspi Baria says it is unclear when the storages can be returned to Canberra's water supply.

"We have still to keep on assessing and see," Mr Baria said.

"We have certain guidelines which ACT Health provides us with to say this is the water is considered safe and as soon as we reach those guidelines and have an okay with Health, we'll let the community know." Source ABC

logged by Anthony at 11:44:17 AM Link

The following are actual stories provided by travel agents:

1. I had someone ask for an aisle seat so that their hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window.
2. A client called in inquiring about a package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost information, she asked, "Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii?"
3. I got a call from a woman who wanted to go to Capetown. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information when she interrupted me with "I'm not trying to make you look stupid, but Cape Town is in Massachusetts." Without trying to make her look like the stupid one, I calmly explained, "Cape Cod is in Massachusetts, Capetown is in Africa." Her response was "click".
4. A man called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that is not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state. He replied, "Don't lie to me. I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state."
5. I got a call from a man who asked, "Is it possible to see England from Canada?" I said, "No." He said, "But they look so close on the map."
6. Another man called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas. When I pulled up the reservation, I noticed he had a 1-hour lay over in Dallas. When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he said, "I heard Dallas was a big airport, and I need a car to drive between the gates to save time."
7. A nice lady just called. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:20am and got into Chicago at 8:33am. I tried to explain that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois, but she could not understand the concept of time zones. Finally I told her the plane went very fast, and she bought that!
8. A woman called and asked, "Do airlines put your physical description on your bag so they know whose luggage belongs to who?" I said, "No, why do you ask?" She replied, "Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said FAT, and I'm overweight, is there any connection?" After putting her on hold for a minute while "I looked into it," (I was actually laughing) I came back and explained that the city code for Fresno is FAT, and that the airline was just putting a destination tag on her luggage.
9. I just got off the phone with a man who asked, "How do I know which plane to get on?" I asked him what exactly he meant, to which he replied, "I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these darn planes have numbers on them.
10. "A woman called and said, "I need to fly to Pepsi-cola on one of those computer planes." I asked if she meant to fly to Pensacola on a commuter plane. She said, "Yeah, whatever."
11. A businessman called and had a question about the documents he needed in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded him he needed a visa. "Oh no I don't, I've been to China many times and never had to have one of those." I double-checked and sure enough, his stay required a visa. When I told him this he said, "Look, I've been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express."
12. A woman called to make reservations. "I want to go from Chicago to Hippopotamus, New York." The agent was at a loss for words. Finally, the agent asked, "Are you sure that's the name of the town?" "Yes, what flights do you have?" replied the customer. After some searching, the agent came back with, "I'm sorry, ma'am, I've looked up every airport code in the country and can't find a Hippopotamus anywhere." The customer retorted, "Oh don't be silly. Everyone knows where it is. Check your map!" The agent scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, "You don't mean Buffalo, do you?" "That's it! I knew it was a big animal!"

logged by Anthony at 10:36:27 AM Link

A married couple are driving along a highway doing a steady eighty kilometres per hour. The wife is behind the wheel. Her husband suddenly looks across at her and speaks in a clear voice.

"Darling," he says. "I know we've been married for twenty years ....... but I want a divorce."

The wife says nothing, keeps looking at the road ahead but slowly increases her speed to ninety kph. The husband speaks again.

"I don't want you to try and talk me out of it" he says, "because I've been having an affair with your best friend, and she's a far better lover than you are."

Again the wife stays quiet, but grips the steering wheel more tightly and slowly increases the speed to one hundred and ten.

He pushes his luck. "I want the house," he says insistently. Up to 120. "I want the car, too," he continues. 130kph. "AND," he says, "I'll have the bank accounts, all the credit cards and the boat."

The car slowly starts veering towards a massive concrete flyover.

This makes him a wee bit nervous, so he asks her..

"Isn't there anything you want?"

The wife at last replies - in a quiet and controlled voice.

"No, I've got everything I need." she says.

"Oh, really?" he enquires, "so what have you got?"

Right before they slam into the wall at 160 clicks, the wife turns to him and smiles.

"The airbag."

logged by Anthony at 10:34:12 AM Link

Only in America...can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance...

Only in America...are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink...

Only in America...do people order double cheeseburgers, a large fry and a diet coke...

Only in America...do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters...

Only in America...do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and leave useless things and junk in boxes in the garage...

Only in America...do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place...

Only in America...do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight...

Only in America...are the least useful professions (professional athletes, movie actors & entertainers) paid so disproportionally much compared to people with normal jobs...

Only in America...do people buy domestic brand tires, because they want to "buy American," and install them on their imported cars...

Only in America...the budgets for advertising non-essential items, like soft drinks, exceed the economies of many third-world nations...

Only in America...do we use the word politics to describe the process so well. Poli in latin meaning many and tics meaning blood sucking creatures...

logged by Anthony at 4:20:12 PM Link

Well this week was a good weekend for Canberra region race drives.

Neil Bates finished fifth and continues to improve his Toyota. However maybe they should use extra glue on the front bumpers. Check out as his bumper is coming off his brother lost his bumper and other photos of the rally.

Meanwhile on the other side of the planet, Mark Webber, who polled third had a good result finishing sixth, ahead of Trulli and Schumacher. This moves him up the ladder in F1.

logged by Anthony at 10:14:51 AM Link

The other day I was in the local auto part store.
A young lady comes in and asks for a seven ten cap.
We all looked at each other and said, "What's a seven ten cap?"
She said "You know, it's right on the engine. Mine got lost some how and I need a new one."
"What kind of a car is it on," they asked?
I'm thinking maybe an old Datsun Seven Ten, but no, she said it's a Ford.
"OK lady, how big is it?"
She makes a circle with her hands about 3-1/2 inches in diameter.
What does it do?," we asked.
She said, "I don't know, but it's always been there."
One of us gave her a note pad and asked her if she could draw a picture of it.
So she makes a circle about 3-1/2 inches in diameter and in the centre she writes 710.
The guys behind the counter are looking at it upside down as she writes it...and they just fall down behind the counter laughing so hard in hysterics.
(for those who didn't get it, the directions... draw a circle, write 710 in the middle of it, and turn it around)

logged by Anthony at 9:47:34 AM Link

Laser breakthrough promises longer CDs

Researchers in Canberra and Paris have combined to increase the amount of information able to be stored on CDs and DVDs.

Professor Claude Fabre from the University of Paris and Professor Hans Bachor from the Australian National University have worked for five years to produce the quantum laser pointer.

It is a device that provides much improved accuracy of laser light, and dramatically increases the amount of storage available on discs.

But, Professor Bachor says it could take another five years before the product can be produced commercially.

"At the moment we are too excited about the fundamental physics but it will lead to marketing, and we will talk to companies to take it up," he said.

Source ABC

logged by Anthony at 12:40:06 PM Link

The Chinese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

The French eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine, and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

Conclusion:
Eat and drink what you like. It's speaking English that kills you

logged by Anthony at 9:54:41 AM Link

Do you believe it, the Liberal party has it mind set on selling Telstra. Now they have dragged the National party along as well. The majority of Australians do not want any more of Telstra sold. In recent polling 81% do not want it sold. But De-Anne Kelly still feels that people want it sold because they want jobs and opportunities. The things that the polling said people would do with the proceeds.

However if the question was worded, what would you like to see the proceeds used for, then the answer is assuming it is sold, not that they want it sold.

House of Reps set to pass Telstra sale legislationExtract

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Queensland National Party MP, De-Anne Kelly, whose Party has given in principle support for the sale, says what the Independents are doing is dishonest, leading their voters on, getting a result they want, instead of what their constituents want.

So what does De-Anne Kelly's survey of 69,000 households reveal?

DE-ANNE KELLY: 76 per cent of the people in my electorate would like to see the proceeds from Telstra spent on jobs and opportunities.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: But that doesn't mean that 76 per cent support the sale of Telstra does it?

DE-ANNE KELLY: Well, you can't get jobs and opportunities without the sale.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: As it turns out, her survey found 81 per cent opposition to selling Telstra.

DE-ANNE KELLY: Yes, on first blush people are opposed, but then they say, the very same people, that they would like to see the money spent on jobs and opportunities.

It bears out the sort of polling that's been done which says people have an emotional first response, then they think about the deeper questions of how money could be invested in their particular area to take them forward.Source ABC

logged by Anthony at 10:40:42 AM Link

logged by Anthony at 10:00:45 AM Link

Dear Maid,

Please do not leave any more of those little bars of soap in my bathroom since I have brought my own bath-sized Imperial Leather.
Please remove the six unopened little bars from the shelf under the medicine chest and another three in the shower soap dish.
They are in my way.

Thank you,
S. Berman

---

Dear Room 635,

I am not your regular maid. She will be back tomorrow, Thursday, from her day off.
I took the 3 hotel soaps out of the shower soap dish as you requested.
The 6 bars on your shelf I took out of your way and put on top of your Kleenex dispenser in case you should change your mind.
This leaves only the 3 bars I left today which my instructions from the management are to leave 3 soaps daily.
I hope this is satisfactory.

Kathy, Relief Maid

---

Dear Maid

I hope you are my regular maid.
Apparently Kathy did not tell you about my note to her concerning the little bars of soap.
When I got back to my room this evening, I found you had added 3 little Camays to the shelf under my medicine cabinet.
I am going to be here in the hotel for two weeks and have brought my own bath-size Imperial Leather, so I won't need those 6 little Camays, which are on the shelf.
They are in the way when shaving, brushing teeth etc.
Please remove them.

S. Berman

---

Dear Mr Berman,

The assistant manager, Mr Kensedder, informed me this morning that you called him last evening and said you were unhappy with your maid service.
I have assigned a new girl to your room. I hope you will accept my apologies for any past inconvenience.
If you have any future complaints, please contact me so I can give it my personal attention.
Call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM.
Thank you.

Elaine Carmen,Housekeeper

---

Dear Miss Carmen,

It is impossible to contact you by phone since I leave the hotel for business at 7:45 AM and don't get back before 5:30 or 6.00 PM.
That's the reason I called Mr Kensedder last night. You were already off duty. I only asked Mr Kensedder if he could do anything about those little bars of soap.

The new maid you assigned me must have thought I was a new check in today, since she left another 3 bars of hotel soap in my medicine cabinet, along with her regular delivery of 3 bars on the bathroom shelf. In just 5 days here I have accumulated 24 little bars of soap. Why are you doing this to me?

S. Berman More...

logged by Anthony at 9:25:10 AM Link

In Japan, they have replaced the impersonal and unhelpful Microsoft error messages with their own Japanese haiku poetry, each with only 17 syllables:

five in the first line, seven in the second, five in the third.

---

Your file was so big.
It might be very useful.
But now it is gone.

The website you seek
Cannot be located, but
Countless more exist.

Chaos reigns within.
Reflect, repent and reboot.
Order shall return.

Aborted effort.
Close all that you have worked on.
You ask far too much.

Windows has crashed.
I am the Blue Screen of Death.
No-one hears your screams.

Yesterday it worked.
Today it is not working.
Windows is like that.

Stay the patient course.
Of little worth is your ire.
The network is down.

A crash reduces
Your expensive computer
To a simple stone.

Three things are certain:
Death, taxes and lost data.
Guess which has occurred.

You step in the stream,
But the water has moved on.
This page is not here.

Out of memory.
We wish to hold the whole sky,
But we never will.

Having been erased,
The document you're seeking
Must now be retyped.

logged by Anthony at 2:06:54 PM Link

This is apparently a true story from the WordPerfect Help line, which was transcribed from a recording monitoring the customer care department. Needless to say, the Help Desk employee was fired. Actual dialogue of a former WordPerfect Customer Support employee

"Ridge Hall computer assistance; may I help you?"

"Yes, well, I'm having trouble with WordPerfect."

"What sort of trouble?"

"Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away."

"Went away?"

"They disappeared."

"Hmmm. So what does your screen look like now?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"It's a blank; it won' t accept anything when I type."

"Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?"

"How do I tell?"

"Can you see the C: prompt on the screen?"

"What's a sea-prompt?"

"Never mind, can you move your cursor around the screen?"

"There isn't any cursor: I told you, it won't accept anything I type."

"Does your monitor have a power indicator?"

"What's a monitor?" More...

logged by Anthony at 2:06:27 PM Link

Man on good behaviour bond after e-mail attack

A Canberra man has been placed on a good behaviour bond after he bombarded the computer system at the ACT Legal Aid office with more than 1,000 e-mails after he was knocked back for legal aid support.

The e-mails clogged the system and prevented staff from getting messages.

He pleaded guilty to five charges relating to improper use of computers.

His defence lawyer Darryl Perkins told the court he had admitted the behaviour was 'reckless' but it did not cause physical damage to the computer system.

Chief Magistrate Ron Cahill gave him a $2,000, two-year good behaviour bond. Edited Source ABC

logged by Anthony at 2:05:49 PM Link

1. You just tried to enter your password on the microwave.

2. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.

3. You call your son's beeper to let him know it's time to eat. He e-mails you back from his bedroom, "What's for dinner?"

4. Your daughter sells Girl Guide Cookies via her web site.

5. You chat several times a day with a stranger from South Africa, but you haven't spoken with your next-door neighbour yet this year.

6. You check the ingredients on a can of chicken noodle soup to see if it contains Echinacea.

7. Your grandmother asks you to send her a JPEG file of your newborn so she can create a new screen saver.

8. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home.

9. Every commercial on television has a web site address at the bottom of the screen.

10. You buy a computer and 6 months later it's out of date and now sells for half the price you paid.

11. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 40 or 50 years of your life is cause for panic and turning around to go get it.

12. Using real money, instead of credit or debit, to make a purchase would be a hassle and takes planning.

13. Cleaning up the dining room means getting the fast food bags out of the back seat of your car.

14. Your reason for not staying in touch with family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.

15. You consider second-day air delivery painfully slow.

16. Your dining room table is now your flat filing cabinet.

17. Your idea of being organized is multiple-coloured Post-it notes.

18. You hear most of your jokes via e-mail instead of in person.

19. You get an extra phone line so you can get phone calls.

20. You disconnect from the Internet and get this awful feeling, as if you just pulled the plug on a loved one.

21. You get up in the morning and go on-line before getting your coffee.

22. You wake up at 2 AM to go to the bathroom and check your E-mail on your way back to bed.

23. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. :)

24. You're thinking how true all of this is.

logged by Anthony at 2:05:30 PM Link

In the hospital the relatives gathered in the waiting room where their family member lay gravely ill. Finally, the doctor came in looking tired and somber. "I'm afraid I'm the bearer of bad news", he said as he surveyed the worried faces. "The only hope left for your loved one at this time is a brain transplant. It's an experimental procedure, semi-risky and you will have to pay for the brain yourselves."

The family members sat silent as they absorbed the news. After a great length of time, someone asked, "Well, how much does a brain cost?". The doctor quickly responded,"$5,000 for a male brain, and $200 for a female brain".

The moment turned awkward. Men in the room tried not to smile, avoiding eye contact with the women, but some actually smirked. A man, unable to control his curiosity, blurted out the question everyone wanted to ask.

"Why is the male brain so much more?" The doctor smiled at the childish innocence and so to the entire group said,"It's just standard pricing procedure. We have to mark down the price of the female brains, because they've actually been used."

logged by Anthony at 2:04:58 PM Link

Ethanol is a fuel alternative that is being proposed to be blended with Petrol for use in motor vehicles. Ethanol - What is it?

The sale of such ethanol-enriched fuel is irresponsible, for quite a number of reasons: increase the corrosion of the steel underground storage tanks and the fuel delivery systems increasing the risk of leakage. It also enables the fuel to spread on the water table to a greater extent.

High levels of ethanol in petrol could cause damage to cars.

The Federal Government's environment and agriculture departments, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, motoring and consumer groups, car makers and the Federal Opposition all support capping ethanol additives. Car makers warn that using high-ethanol fuels can void warranties.

While there is nothing wrong with the blended fuel provided the car equipped with the right engine.

There is a push from the Federal Government's backbench to force oil companies to include ethanol in all petrol sold in Australia.

The Federal Government's own finance department slammed the decision to protect ethanol producer Manildra from foreign competition

The Opposition accuses the Government of crony capitalism and alleges a conspiracy in a fix that fundamentally benefits ethanol boss Dick Honan.

Labor had a "legitimate" political point in pursuing the Prime Minister over claims he had misled Parliament over a secret meeting with ethanol producer Manildra.

logged by Anthony at 2:04:35 PM Link

The following concerns a question in a physics degree exam at the University of Copenhagen:

"Describe how to determine the height of a skyscraper with a barometer."

One student replied:

"You tie a long piece of string to the neck of the barometer, then lower the barometer from the roof of the skyscraper to the ground. The length of the string plus the length of the barometer will equal the height of the building."

This highly original answer so incensed the examiner that the student was failed immediately. The student appealed on the grounds that his answer was indisputably correct, and the university appointed an independent arbiter to decide the case. The arbiter judged that the answer was indeed correct, but did not display any noticeable knowledge of physics. To resolve the problem it was decided to call the student in and allow him six minutes in which to provide a verbal answer that showed at least a minimal familiarity with the basic principles of physics.

For five minutes the student sat in silence, forehead creased in thought. The arbiter reminded him that time was running out, to which the student replied that he had several extremely relevant answers, but couldn't make up his mind which to use. On being advised to hurry up the student replied as follows:

"Firstly, you could take the barometer up to the roof of the skyscraper, drop it over the edge, and measure the time it takes to reach the ground. The height of the building can then be worked out from the formula H = 0.5g x t squared. But bad luck on the barometer."

"Or if the sun is shining you could measure the height of the barometer, then set it on end and measure the length of its shadow. Then you measure the length of the skyscraper's shadow, and thereafter it is a simple matter of proportional arithmetic to work out the height of the skyscraper."

"But if you wanted to be highly scientific about it, you could tie a short piece of string to the barometer and swing it like a pendulum, first at ground level and then on the roof of the skyscraper. The height is worked out by the difference in the gravitational restoring force T = 2 pi sqr root (l / g)."

"Or if the skyscraper has an outside emergency staircase, it would be easier to walk up it and mark off the height of the skyscraper in barometer lengths, then add them up."

"If you merely wanted to be boring and orthodox about it, of course, you could use the barometer to measure the air pressure on the roof of the skyscraper and on the ground, and convert the difference in millibars into feet to give the height of the building."

"But since we are constantly being exhorted to exercise independence of mind and apply scientific methods, undoubtedly the best way would be to knock on the janitor's door and say to him 'If you would like a nice new barometer, I will give you this one if you tell me the height of this skyscraper'."

The student was Niels Bohr, the only Dane to win the Nobel Prize for Physics

logged by Anthony at 2:04:09 PM Link

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

-Sauce unknown

logged by Anthony at 2:03:02 PM Link

More reasons against the death penalty! More...

logged by Anthony at 2:01:22 PM Link

Well now you can say sorry dear I have to stay back and have a drink with my workmates so I can get promoted.

A drink with workmates gets you the good oil

THAT glass of Guinness is not only good for you, it may also be good for your career. And so is any other alcoholic beverage, so long as it's shared with your workmates.

A new study has found that those who enjoy a drink with work colleagues earn more and have a better chance of being promoted.

The study, from Stirling University in Scotland, has found that, on average, moderate drinkers earn 17 per cent more than their teetotal comrades. And even men who consume more than 50 standard drinks a week - or 35 units for women - take home more than those who abstain.

Having slipped out of the office for a lunchtime tipple at the Occidental Hotel in Sydney yesterday, Jeremy Dell and Steve Priestman toasted the findings.

Dell and Priestman believe that the key to a successful career is the ability to communicate with colleagues. "Having a drink helps the informal discussions," Dell said. "You form friendships and networks outside the structured bureaucracy that really help you."

Priestman, 29, a marketing analyst, agrees: "Going out to have a chat and a beer with a key person from work can be the clincher for a promotion."

Priestman and Dell drink with other AAPT staff no more than once or twice a week. But should they regularly refuse the offer of a Friday afternoon beer, their chances for a promotion could be affected, they claim.

"It's not so much the alcohol as the social side, and being part of a team," Dell, 28, said. "It's a young and social place. And there's sort of an implied pressure to join in."

Jim Bright, a workplace psychologist at the University of NSW, said that so long as the pub did not become an alternative workplace, and that a culture didn't develop that expects alcohol consumption, drinking with colleagues can build trust and strengthen relationships.

"It's long been suspected that it's not what you know, but who you know. And what you know about them," Dr Bright said. "At the pub you pick up on all the important pieces of information you might otherwise miss out on."

By Drew Warne-Smith and agencies. Source The Australian

logged by Anthony at 1:59:44 PM Link

Just to show how much of a problem a viruses attack can be, one recent virus that taunts Bill Gates. A quick search of Google for the key words "Billy Gates why do you make this possible? Stop making money and fix your software" and as at the time of posting this article the virus had generated 420 news articles around the world within the last 24 hours out of a total of 464 since two days ago. Credit to CNET and ZDNET for being the first.

Click to see the current count

PS Get the patch

UPDATE: 9 Sep count now up to 1280.

logged by Anthony at 1:59:07 PM Link

Nothing like looking to the future to avoid problems. Member for Monaro, Steve Whan wants to build house in an area know as Tralee, south of Queanbeyan, despite it being near the Canberra Airport flight path. Apparently Queanbeyan needs some block of land now to reducing housing prices and I tell you what I think those blocks will go cheap.

Aircraft noise no reason to halt land release: Whan

The Member for Monaro, Steve Whan, says aircraft noise should not restrict the development of land at Tralee, south of Queanbeyan.

Canberra airport has been lobbying against approval of the new suburb, claiming it is too close to the flight path.

Mr Whan says Queanbeyan, like Canberra, is fast running out of land.

He says it is having a big impact on housing affordability.

Mr Whan says local authorities cannot afford to sit idle.

"If we want to make housing affordable then we have to work towards getting more land released for housing," Mr Whan said.

"Now the issues for Tralee need to be resolved quickly but I don't think we want to just stall on these things.

"We want to make sure that we deal with any legitimate problems that people might have quickly , resolve them and get on with some release of this land."Source ABC

logged by Anthony at 1:57:44 PM Link

Some tips for all the people in the UK where record temperatures of 35C are being recorded. Nothing like the 39C we had last summer here and get regularly.

• The best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
• Hot water now comes out of both taps.
• You learn that a seat belt buckle makes a pretty good branding iron.
• The temperature drops below 35C and you feel a little chilly.
• You discover that in February it only takes 2 fingers to steer your car.
• You discover that you can get sunburned through your car window.
• You develop a fear of metal car door handles.
• You break a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30 a.m.
• Your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death?"
• You realise that asphalt has a liquid state.
• Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying hard-boiled eggs.
• The cows are giving evaporated milk.
• The trees are whistling for the dogs.

logged by Anthony at 1:57:15 PM Link

The continuing water crisis has prompted the ACT Government to move to level three water restrictions. At level three the use of sprinklers is banned, with only hand held watering of gardens and lawns allowed at specific times.

Sporting clubs have now warned that some sports may have to be cancelled if they can not water ovals.

logged by Anthony at 1:56:13 PM Link

Just to show everyone how close the world really is, University researchers have completed a study that demonstrates that everyone on the Internet are about five to seven people away. The study involved sending emails to a specific person with only a little knowledge about their occupation and the country they lived in.

From there participants sent chain emails to the people they thought would be closer and in five to seven emails the other person would be contacted.

Just six mouse-clicks apart

You can register on-line to try and send an email to someone you don't know.

logged by Anthony at 1:55:51 PM Link

Yes, parenthood changes everything. But parenthood also changes with each baby. Here, some of the ways having a second and third child differs from having your first:

Your Clothes

First baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.

Second baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

Third baby: Your maternity clothes are your regular clothes.

The Baby's Name

First baby: You pore over baby-name books and practice pronouncing and writing combinations of all your favorites.

Second baby: Someone has to name their kid after your great-aunt Mavis, right? It might as well be you.

Third baby: You open a name book, close your eyes, and see where your finger falls. Bimaldo? Perfect!

Preparing for the Birth

First baby: You practice your breathing religiously.

Second baby: You don't bother practicing because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing.

Third baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.

The Layette

First baby: You prewash your newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.

Second baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.

Third baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?

Worries

First baby: At the first sign of distress - a whimper, a frown - you pick up the baby.

Second baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.

Third baby: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.

Activities

First baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.

Second baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.

Third baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

Going Out

First baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.

Second baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.

Third baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

At Home

First baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.

Second baby: You spend a bit of every day watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.

Third baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

logged by Anthony at 1:55:10 PM Link

How is this for the latest gaming server.

147-node cluster running at some 1.5 teraflops.

The new ac3 system will use dual 3.06GHz Xeon processors for each node. The supercomputer will also have 300GB of memory, 1.2TB of storage, and run Red Hat Linux with a 2.4 series kernel.

What a shame it won't be used to run games.

Advanced Centre plans Linux supercomputer

logged by Anthony at 1:52:40 PM Link

Yesterday Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, the first convicted Bali bomber was given the death penalty for his involvement in the planning of the 12 October bombing. BBC Coverage CNN Coverage ABC Coverage

However I feel that giving the death penalty is unjust, especially in this case.

Amrozi appeared to celebrate the death penalty when the sentence was read out. It would appear he is looking forward to die as a martyr. The death penalty will be his reward not a punishment. If he were sentenced to life in prison, he would have to suffer and remember the crime he committed over all that time.

In a developed society killing another is never right. Evil begets evil. Killing Amrozi will not bring back any of the victims. Others feel Amrozi may have useful information that he could provide that would be taken to the grave if he were executed.

I am disappointed that Australia has not even made an informal request to impose life imprisonment instead of the death penalty.

logged by Anthony at 1:52:04 PM Link

Finally a Barbie you can relate to! At long last, here are some NEW Barbie dolls to coincide with her and OUR aging gracefully. These are a bit more realistic...

1. Bifocals Barbie. Comes with her own set of blended-lens fashion frames in six wild colours (half-frames too!), neck chain and large-print editions of Vogue and Martha Stewart Living.

2. Hot Flush Barbie. Press Barbie's bellybutton and watch her face turn beet red while tiny drops of perspiration appear on her forehead. Comes with hand-held fan and tiny tissues.

3. Facial Hair Barbie. As Barbie's hormone levels shift, see her whiskers grow. Available with teensy tweezers and magnifying mirror.

4. Flabby Arms Barbie. Hide Barbie's droopy triceps with these new, roomier-sleeved gowns. Good news on the tummy front, two-muumuus with tummy-support panels are included.

5. Bunion Barbie. Years of disco dancing in stiletto heels have definitely taken their toll on Barbie's dainty arched feet. Soothe her sores with the pumice stone and plasters, then slip on soft terry mules.

6. No-More-Wrinkles Barbie. Erase those pesky crow's-feet and lip lines with a tube of Skin Sparkle-Spackle, from Barbie's own line of exclusive age-blasting cosmetics.

7. Soccer Mom Barbie. All that experience as a cheer-leader is really paying off as Barbie dusts off her old high school megaphone to root for Babs and Ken, Jr. Comes with minivan in robin-egg blue or white and cooler filled with doughnut holes and fruit punch.

8. Mid-life Crisis Barbie. It's time to ditch Ken. Barbie needs a change, and Alonzo (her personal trainer) is just what the doctor ordered, along with Prozac. They're hopping in her new red Miata and heading for the Napa Valley to open a B&B. Includes a real tape of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do."

9. Divorced Barbie. Sells for $199.99. Comes with Ken's house, Ken's car, and Ken's boat.

10. Recovery Barbie. Too many parties have finally caught up with the ultimate party girl. Now she does Twelve Steps instead of dance steps. Clean and sober, she's going to meetings religiously. Comes with a little copy of The Big Book and a six-pack of Diet Coke.

11. Post-Menopausal Barbie. This Barbie wets her pants when she sneezes, forgets where she puts things, and cries a lot. She is sick and tired of Ken sitting on the couch watching the tube, clicking through the channels. Comes with Depends and Kleenex. As a bonus this year, the book "Getting In Touch with Your Inner Self" is included.

logged by Anthony at 1:51:50 PM Link

logged by Anthony at 1:51:15 PM Link

The Australian Rally Championship photos are available online with a searchable database. And hey they use the same cameras as I do.

Click here to open the site

logged by Anthony at 1:50:42 PM Link

The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, passed on from generation to generation, says that when you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.

In modern government/business management practices, however, a whole range of far more advanced strategies are often employed, such as:

1. Buying a stronger whip.

2. Changing riders.

3. Threatening the horse with termination.

4. Appointing a committee to study the horse.

5. Arranging to visit other countries to see how others ride dead horses.

6. Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included.

7. Reclassifying the dead horse as "living, impaired."

8. Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse.

9. Harnessing several dead horses together to increase the speed.

10. Providing additional funding and/or training to increase the dead horse's performance.

11. Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would improve the dead horse's performance.

12. Declaring that as the dead horse does not have to be fed, it is less costly, carries lower overhead, and therefore contributes substantially more to the bottom line than do the other horses.

13. Rewriting the expected performance requirements for all horses.

14. Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position.

logged by Anthony at 1:50:16 PM Link

Subject: Prospective Employee Assessment

To: All Managers

The following guidelines shall be used when hiring new personnel.

Take the prospective employees you are trying to place and put them in a room with only a table and two chairs. Leave them alone for two hours, without any instruction. At the end of that time, go back and see what they are doing.

If they have taken the table apart in that time, put them in Engineering.

If they are counting the butts in the ashtray, assign them to Finance.

If they are screaming and waving their arms, send them off to Manufacturing.

If they are talking to the chairs, Personnel is a good spot for them.

If they are sleeping, they are Management material.

If they are writing up the experience, send them to Tech Pubs.

If they don't even look up when you enter the room, assign them to Security.

If they try to tell you it's not as bad as it looks, send them to Marketing.

And if they have left early, put them in Sales.

logged by Anthony at 1:49:42 PM Link

I live in Canberra which currently has water restrictions and the dam levels is not getting better. While the chart is starting to go up as of August the real problem is that only Bendora Dam has drinkable water at present and if you click on the graph it is continuing to drop.

Information courtesy of ACTEW

This is live rain radar images for the area. We can't wait for it to rain.

Information Courtesy of BOM

logged by Anthony at 1:49:17 PM Link

As you may well know on the 18 January, Canberra was hit by a bushfire storm that destroyed over 500 homes. The public inquiry into

The ACT's chief minister believes that the NSW Rural fire service is responsible for not containing the fires in NSW. It is just a shame the fire didn't follow state boundaries.

Click for the latest on the Bushfires

This website has the best presented Canberra's bushfire pictures.

logged by Anthony at 1:48:29 PM Link

There are several men sitting around in the locker room of a private club after exercising. Suddenly a cell phone on one of the benches rings. One of the men picks

it up, and the following conversation ensues:

- "Hello?"

- "Honey, it's me. Are you at the club?"

- "Yes."

- "Great! I am at the mall two blocks from where you are. I just saw a beautiful mink coat. It's absolutely gorgeous!! Can I buy it?"

- "What's the price?"

- "Only $1,500.00."

- "Well, OK, go ahead and get it, if you like it that much..."

- "Ahhh, and I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the 2001 models. I saw one I really liked. I spoke with the salesman, and he gave me a really good price...and since we need to exchange the BMW that we bought last year..."

- "What price did he quote you?"

- "Only $60,000..."

- "OK, but for that price I want it with all the options."

- "Great! But before we hang up, something else..."

- "What?"

- "It might look like a lot, but I was reconciling your bank account and...I stopped by the real estate agent this morning and saw the house we had looked at last year. It's on sale!! Remember? The one with a pool, English Garden, acre of park area, beachfront property..."

- "How much are they asking?"

- "Only $450,000 -- a magnificent price...and I see that we have that much in the bank to cover..."

- "Well, then go ahead and buy it, but just bid $420,000. OK?"

- "OK, sweetie ... Thanks! I'll see you later!! I love you!!!"

- "Bye...I do too..."

The man hangs up, closes the phone's flap, and raises his hand while holding the phone and asks to all those present:

- "Does anyone know who this phone belongs to?"

logged by Anthony at 1:48:17 PM Link

This is a Geek test. It takes a while as there are many questions, but there are some funny ones. I got 29.98028% - Total Geek.

See how you go

logged by Anthony at 1:47:41 PM Link

My brother sent this to me from a Japanese web cam.

logged by Anthony at 1:47:13 PM Link

Before giving a presentation or a speech, prepare for tough questions by considering every possible concern. Take a piece of paper and draw a vertical line down the middle. Place negative issues on the left side; list positive issues on the right side. Then try to link each negative on the left to something positive on the right. (Adapted from Leadership Strategies newsletter.) Sourced from Weekly Business Writing Tips

logged by Anthony at 1:46:42 PM Link

Google the search engine, has enhanced their toolbar to prevent pop up windows. It works very well and has a toggle on/off so you can disable it on command. You can also add sites that should always allow pop ups.

Get it here

logged by Anthony at 1:46:07 PM Link

Dixie Chick Natalie Maines believes stars should speak out more. The problem with this is that stars would be using their ability to act/sing etc to promote their own issues. Imagine if Tom Cruise promoted more of the Church of Scientology or if Jerry Seinfeld promoted being Jewish suddenly religious values are being used in TV Comedy and movies. These are not the places for such issues. The main point is that the power of publicity should be used for the how it was gained. Using it to promote other values is wrong. Sure they could express their views at a rally and use their stardom at the rally, but not at a concert.

Dixie Chick believes more stars should speak out

Dixie Chicks front woman Natalie Maines believes the backlash she and her band mates faced after her controversial comments would never have happened if stars weren't so afraid to speak out. During a performance in London earlier this year, Maines sparked outrage when she told fans she and her band mates were ashamed that American president George W Bush hailed from their home state of Texas.

In the months that followed, fans turned against them, radio stations banned them and they were booed during performances. And Maines believes her comments wouldn't have been met with such shock if the public were used to hearing stars' opinions. She says, "It scares other people for us to speak out, and it scares other artists after what happened to us. But I think the more people get it out there, then it would be less of a topic and of a judgment if everyone just said who they were and what they were."

Maines defiantly stands by her remarks, explaining, "We're all aware of what I said. And my apology was for the words that I used, but not for the motivation behind the words and for my beliefs. I think we have all stood behind that." (wenn) Source Soundbuzz

logged by Anthony at 1:25:33 PM Link

1. Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

2. Some people are like Slinkies . . . not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.

3. Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

4. Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they use to.

5. According to a recent survey, men say the first thing they notice about women are their eyes, and women say the first thing they notice about men is they're a bunch of liars.

6. Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

7. All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

8. Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut save you thirty cents?

9. In the 60's people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

10. Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.

11. How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

logged by Anthony at 1:25:03 PM Link

In the world of romance, one single rule applies:

Make the woman happy.

Do something she likes, and you get points.

Do something she dislikes and points are subtracted. You don't get any points for doing something she expects. Sorry, that's the way the game is played.

Here is a guide to the point system:

Simple Duties:

You make the bed (+1)

You make the bed, but forget to add the decorative pillows (0)

You throw the bedspread over rumpled sheets (-1)

You leave the toilet seat up (-5)

You replace the toilet paper roll when it is empty (0)

When the toilet paper roll is barren, you resort to Kleenex (-1)

When the Kleenex runs out you use the next bathroom (-2)

You go out to buy her extra-light panty liners with wings (+5)

You go out to buy her extra-light panty liners with wings in the snow (+8)

You go out to buy her extra-light panty liners with wings but return with beer (-5)

You check out a suspicious noise at night(0)

You check out a suspicious noise and it is nothing (0)

You check out a suspicious noise and it is something (+5)

You check out a suspicious noise and it is something you pummel it with a six iron (+10)

You check out a suspicious noise and it is something you pummel it with a six iron and it's her pet (-10)

Social Engagements:

You stay by her side the entire party (0)

You stay by her side for a while, then leave to chat with a college drinking buddy (-2)

You stay by her side for a while, then leave to chat with a college drinking buddy named Tiffany (-4)

You stay by her side for a while, then leave to chat with a college drinking buddy named Tiffany and Tiffany is a dancer (-6)

You stay by her side for a while, then leave to chat with a college drinking buddy named Tiffany and Tiffany has implants (-80)

Her Birthday:

You take her out to dinner (0)

You take her out to dinner and it's not a sports bar (+1)

Okay, it is a sports bar (-2)

And it's all-you-can-eat night (-3)

It's a sports bar, it's all-you-can-eat night, and your face is painted the colors of your favorite team (-10)

A Night Out With the Boys:

Go with a pal (-5)

The pal is happily married (-4)

Or frighteningly single (-7)

And he drives a Mustang (-10)

With a personalized license plate (GR8 N BED) (-15)

A Night Out:

You take her to a movie (+2)

You take her to a movie she likes (+4)

You take her to a movie you hate (+6)

You take her to a movie you like (-2)

It's called DeathCop 3 (-3)

Which features cyborgs that eat humans (-9)

You lied and said it was a foreign film about orphans (-15)

Your Physique:

You develop a noticeable potbelly (-15)

You develop a noticeable potbelly and exercise to get rid of it (+10)

You develop a noticeable potbelly and resort to loose jeans and baggy Hawaiian shirts (-30)

You say, "It doesn't matter, you have one, too." (-8000)

The Big Question:

She asks, "Do I look fat?" (-1) (Yes, you lose points no matter what)

You hesitate in responding (-10)

You reply, "Where?" (-35)

Any other response (-20)

Communication: (When she wants to talk about a problem:)

You listen, displaying what looks like a concerned expression (0)

You listen, for over 30 minutes (+50)

You listen for more than 30 minutes without looking at the TV (+1000)

She realizes this is because you have fallen asleep (-2000).

logged by Anthony at 1:22:40 PM Link