I got some good news today: my configure-to-order MacBook Pro will arrive earlier than predicted. Originally it had been estimated it would arrive on July the 12th (another two weeks from now).
If I'm a little distracted next Tuesday, you'll know why :)
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Holiday...
My European holiday is starting to shape up. I'll be away for five weeks, visiting a multitude of cities and countries, topping it off with a visit to my friend George, who lives in Romania.
As we'll be in France or French speaking cities for around 15 days of the trip, I'm trying to decide whether I should commit to a crash course in French for the next two months. V can probably cover us in Northern Italy (shy of a week).
Better start saving some bikkies!
As we'll be in France or French speaking cities for around 15 days of the trip, I'm trying to decide whether I should commit to a crash course in French for the next two months. V can probably cover us in Northern Italy (shy of a week).
Better start saving some bikkies!
Sunday, 17 June 2007
The Forbidden Kingdom
I have just been reading that there is a Jackie Chan/Jet Li collaboration in the works to be released next year. The Forbidden Kingdom is another movie based on the legend of the Monkey King. It is rumoured that Zhang Zi Yi will also star.
I've enjoyed other Monkey King movies, and most of the modern Chinese movies targeting the US (Crouching Tiger, Flying Daggers, Hero, Fearless) have actually been quite watchable.
So why do I have a bad feeling about this one? While I'm a fan of these actors individually, they have very different styles - I don't see a natural chemistry there. And in theory, considering the post-Fearless era, Jet Li won't be too focused on Kung Fu (rather, acting?).
We will see. In 2008.
I've enjoyed other Monkey King movies, and most of the modern Chinese movies targeting the US (Crouching Tiger, Flying Daggers, Hero, Fearless) have actually been quite watchable.
So why do I have a bad feeling about this one? While I'm a fan of these actors individually, they have very different styles - I don't see a natural chemistry there. And in theory, considering the post-Fearless era, Jet Li won't be too focused on Kung Fu (rather, acting?).
We will see. In 2008.
Monte Carlo
I was happy (and grateful) to receive the news that we (V + me) are going to Monte Carlo (Monaco) for a week at the end of August.
I am going to spend a few extra weeks in Europe while I'm there. Given the location, the French riviera is a no-brainer, but I'll try to finalise the itinerary within the next week and a half.
This should be great -- I really loved the trip we took to Europe (Italy/Spain/UK) back in 2004.
I am going to spend a few extra weeks in Europe while I'm there. Given the location, the French riviera is a no-brainer, but I'll try to finalise the itinerary within the next week and a half.
This should be great -- I really loved the trip we took to Europe (Italy/Spain/UK) back in 2004.
Thursday, 14 June 2007
Thinking Out Loud...
I wonder how much AC/DCs' Back in Black influenced The White Stripes' Denial Twist? (Musically; not lyrics)
Sunday, 10 June 2007
Hittin' Season
We are at the eve of the Tri-nations, which will be the final opportunity to bed down the Wallaby team going into the Rugby World Cup. Some thoughts:
- Connolly has declared "experiments are over". Clearly, the Gregan-Larkham-Giteau-Mortlock back line will be back. I'm not sure we learned anything from the out-of-position experiments (Giteau at halfback, Ashley Cooper at inside center) other than they would be very bad selections if you've got other choices.
- There's a world of difference with Ashley Cooper playing at outside center instead of inside center. It seems clear that he is the no-brainer choice if Mortlock gets injured. (Why don't the Waratahs try to sign this guy, considering he's up for a new contract? He'd be a better choice than trying to convert Tahu!)
- Noone seemed to mention it, but Larkham had a terrible game against Fiji!
- From Australia A, I think Clinton Schifcofske, Ryan Cross, Lachlan Turner, Josh Holmes, David Pocock and Tatafu Polota-Nau have been outstanding in the Pacific Cup (admittedly, against weak competition). Ryan Cross, in particular, has looked good considering his move to inside center. I think any of those players could be elevated to Test level and not embarrass themselves.
- I also think that Australia A's Berrick Barnes' and Will Caldwell's stock has risen. I think Peter Hewat's has gone down, and I think Kurtley Beale hasn't really had enough game time to show anything one way or the other. I think Barnes' size will make him difficult to be elevated for the World Cup, but Norton Knight hasn't exactly set the world on fire...
- The Junior All-Blacks line up is pretty strong! They will give Australia A a run for their money in the Pacific Cup final.
I think if we pull ourselves together (in terms of wayward passes and dropped balls) that we're actually not looking all that bad! But the All Blacks showed quite a bit of improvement from their first test, and South Africa's first XV must have every top tier nation a little worried.
Saturday, 9 June 2007
Technology Refresh
I've had a 12" Apple Powerbook for almost 4 years, which is arguably the best technology purchase I've ever made. It's also about the longest I've ever actively used a notebook for day-to-day work.
Prior to this purchase I'd never really been a fan of the Mac, which, from occasional usage in the late 80's and early 90's, had always left me with the impression of a nicely designed but unresponsive graphical interface. In short, the hardware just couldn't keep up with the software. (The phrase "pulling teeth" came to mind when waiting for System 7 to boot up). Also, as a closed source desktop, volume economics meant that Windows had the support of a much greater software ecology by comparison.
And before you ask: no, I don't get the "one mouse button" thing either.
However, I have been a UNIX user since 1992, and in 2003 I was using a notebook with Linux installed for daily work. During that year, I was sitting in a conference room in California and was faced with a painful scenario of having to configure a closed source wireless driver paired with closed source VPN software. The "painful" part of the scenario was that that the supplied object code for the different software components made individual assumptions regarding the version of the underlying kernel (i.e. expecting different kernel versions).
While I was able to dodge something up to get this combination working, it occurred to me it was absolute insanity that I had to work so hard to get network access going ("in this day and age!"). [As an aside, even open source wireless under Linux is still diabolical in terms of a lack of standardisation of configuration options between different wireless chipsets!].
At roughly that time, it came to my attention that Mac OS X (released 2 years earlier) was based on BSD UNIX (tick!). As the OS could assume it was running on Apple hardware, it also had a well integrated network stack (tick!). It also didn't suffer from any ambiguity as Linux did in terms of GNOME and KDE slugging it out for desktop mindshare (big tick!). Given the tax incentives via salary sacrifice, it ended up being an easy decision to buy a Powerbook 12.
From the perspective of daily productivity, not only is the Mac OS X interface both simple and beautiful, but it is also practical. If you haven't seen Expose, it is a far more natural and effective implementation of "alt-tab" under Windows. It is very easy to get used to, and you really notice not having it on alternative systems.
When I changed employers (3 years ago), I briefly used the supplied IBM Thinkpad T41. The Thinkpad, while having an industrial design that NASA in the 70's could have been proud of, was of a relatively decent spec. But O my lord, Windows niceties such as Outlook had me contemplating russian roulette. Once I felt I was competent with the company endorsed tools and software under the standard build, I switched back to my Powerbook, and have never looked back.
The Powerbook is starting to get a little long in the tooth now. It has a 1 GHz PowerPC chip (G4), 1.25 GB of RAM, a 1024x768 screen (I often use a high res external monitor) and a 100 GB hard disk (a manual upgrade prompted by a previous hardware failure). It only just keeps up with my daily work activities, but what is really compelling me to upgrade is the ability to use server virtualisation (Parallels or VMWare) on the new Intel-based Mac notebooks.
The 15" MacBook Pro I just ordered a few days ago (while sitting in the Qantas lounge in Tullamarine airport) will have a dual core 2.4 GHz Intel chip, 4 GB RAM, a 7200 rpm 160 GB hard disk and a 1400x900 screen. The graphics chip and dual link DVI will allow support of my external 2560x1600 monitor at native res! And for these capabilities, the new notebook is a mere pound heavier than my old system.
The only drawback is that the customised build is going to take a month to deliver! I can't wait!
Prior to this purchase I'd never really been a fan of the Mac, which, from occasional usage in the late 80's and early 90's, had always left me with the impression of a nicely designed but unresponsive graphical interface. In short, the hardware just couldn't keep up with the software. (The phrase "pulling teeth" came to mind when waiting for System 7 to boot up). Also, as a closed source desktop, volume economics meant that Windows had the support of a much greater software ecology by comparison.
And before you ask: no, I don't get the "one mouse button" thing either.
However, I have been a UNIX user since 1992, and in 2003 I was using a notebook with Linux installed for daily work. During that year, I was sitting in a conference room in California and was faced with a painful scenario of having to configure a closed source wireless driver paired with closed source VPN software. The "painful" part of the scenario was that that the supplied object code for the different software components made individual assumptions regarding the version of the underlying kernel (i.e. expecting different kernel versions).
While I was able to dodge something up to get this combination working, it occurred to me it was absolute insanity that I had to work so hard to get network access going ("in this day and age!"). [As an aside, even open source wireless under Linux is still diabolical in terms of a lack of standardisation of configuration options between different wireless chipsets!].
At roughly that time, it came to my attention that Mac OS X (released 2 years earlier) was based on BSD UNIX (tick!). As the OS could assume it was running on Apple hardware, it also had a well integrated network stack (tick!). It also didn't suffer from any ambiguity as Linux did in terms of GNOME and KDE slugging it out for desktop mindshare (big tick!). Given the tax incentives via salary sacrifice, it ended up being an easy decision to buy a Powerbook 12.
From the perspective of daily productivity, not only is the Mac OS X interface both simple and beautiful, but it is also practical. If you haven't seen Expose, it is a far more natural and effective implementation of "alt-tab" under Windows. It is very easy to get used to, and you really notice not having it on alternative systems.
When I changed employers (3 years ago), I briefly used the supplied IBM Thinkpad T41. The Thinkpad, while having an industrial design that NASA in the 70's could have been proud of, was of a relatively decent spec. But O my lord, Windows niceties such as Outlook had me contemplating russian roulette. Once I felt I was competent with the company endorsed tools and software under the standard build, I switched back to my Powerbook, and have never looked back.
The Powerbook is starting to get a little long in the tooth now. It has a 1 GHz PowerPC chip (G4), 1.25 GB of RAM, a 1024x768 screen (I often use a high res external monitor) and a 100 GB hard disk (a manual upgrade prompted by a previous hardware failure). It only just keeps up with my daily work activities, but what is really compelling me to upgrade is the ability to use server virtualisation (Parallels or VMWare) on the new Intel-based Mac notebooks.
The 15" MacBook Pro I just ordered a few days ago (while sitting in the Qantas lounge in Tullamarine airport) will have a dual core 2.4 GHz Intel chip, 4 GB RAM, a 7200 rpm 160 GB hard disk and a 1400x900 screen. The graphics chip and dual link DVI will allow support of my external 2560x1600 monitor at native res! And for these capabilities, the new notebook is a mere pound heavier than my old system.
The only drawback is that the customised build is going to take a month to deliver! I can't wait!
Cold and Wet
Finally, the long weekend is here... Since I've been back from the US, the last few weeks have involved a couple of trips to Melbourne, and other out-of-the-office activities. I'm happy to be home for the forseeable future.
Unfortunately, summer is well and truly gone. Going from spring to summer six months ago, the effect on Sydney was immediately obvious -- people outside in a very festive, partying mood. I had never quite noticed Sydney coming to life this way on the whim of a changing season, but the contrast in temperature between spring and summer was extreme.
It looks like winter is going to be a little harsher than in more recent years. The storms from the last few days have resulted in 50,000 people in Sydney blacked out, as well as 50,000 on the Central Coast, and 100,000 in the Hunter Valley. Nearby Cremorne Wharf was swept into the harbour last night.
And I thought the weather in Melbourne was bad :)
Unfortunately, summer is well and truly gone. Going from spring to summer six months ago, the effect on Sydney was immediately obvious -- people outside in a very festive, partying mood. I had never quite noticed Sydney coming to life this way on the whim of a changing season, but the contrast in temperature between spring and summer was extreme.
It looks like winter is going to be a little harsher than in more recent years. The storms from the last few days have resulted in 50,000 people in Sydney blacked out, as well as 50,000 on the Central Coast, and 100,000 in the Hunter Valley. Nearby Cremorne Wharf was swept into the harbour last night.
And I thought the weather in Melbourne was bad :)
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