Sunday, May 25, 2003
Jo Photo
MrT 5/25/2003 09:58:00 am [+] : Feedback!
An Idea a DaySaturday, May 24, 2003
This sounds like my sort of web site. Finally somewhere to post my own wacky money-making schemes. Check it out by clicking here.
Here's an example.
Modify mobile phones to act as guns in a harmless and public war game. Handsets would be capable of locating other phones in the immediate vicinity. Mobile phone users could point and shoot, sending a signal to the target phone, which would read on the recipient's screen as "You're dead."
or what about this one....
Create a mobile phone orchestra. In contrast to typical concert performances, the audience would be asked to ensure that all mobile phones are switched on during the performance. The audience would also enter their phone numbers on arrival and musical elements would be sent to each phone as a ringtone. The performer on stage then plays a modified keyboard that calls the phones in the audience to create an electronic symphony.
This is addictive.
Mount windmills to the exterior of train carriages and convert the wind power to electricity powering the laptops or walkmans of the passengers.
MrT 5/25/2003 03:27:00 am [+] : Feedback!
An Australian WinterWednesday, May 21, 2003
Well it's finally stopped raining. Although it's now very cold, and those two V-neck jumpers that Vic bought me are certainly coming in handy. I am on a bit of fitness surge after my weekly trips to the chiropractor, and already feel better and have lost nearly half a stone.
We're still looking for a new place to live, when our lease here expires. We haven't been to see anywhere yet, but will probably start soon.
Otherwise, things are pretty quiet.
MrT 5/24/2003 03:54:00 am [+] : Feedback!
Monday, May 19, 2003
Went to Trialfinders yesterday and looked into flights back home for the weddings. Looks like we could go via either Tokyo or Bangkok and it would be a 9hr/12hr split in terms of flight times, which actually works out quite well. Just need to get the time off work - but looking at the moment to come back mid July and return mid August. Hopefully I can get three to four weeks off around this time. Will keep you posted.
Joseph has started speaking now, not English of course, but definately babytalk. He says "Oy Oy Oy" to everyone back home.
MrT 5/21/2003 04:01:00 am [+] : Feedback!
If I was in charge.....Sunday, May 18, 2003
At work we were exchanging ideas of what laws we would pass if we were in charge. I think I would make it illegal to have a greatest hits album unless you had released at least three proper albums beforehand.
I think I would also ensure buskers had actually learnt to play their instrument before inflicting the noise on the rest of us in public places. I think at least a Grade 3 achievement in their chosen instrument is reasonable.
Life plan
Victoria, Joseph and I have been updating our life plan this evening - which can be dangerous. I mean last time we did this, we ended up in Sydney, Australia!
MrT 5/19/2003 10:31:00 am [+] : Feedback!
MiscellaneousSaturday, May 17, 2003
Good luck to Jane on moving into her new house. I hope she has many happy days there. I remember moving into Beckside all that time ago. It's amazing how long you can last with a Winged Wonder, a remote control and a toasted sandwich maker.
We've not been up to too much this weekend, just taking it easy. I have just watched a program about chinese cooking and felt inspired. So I raided the cupboards and cooked chicken noodles. It was absolutely disgusting and incredibly salty - I think I am going to have to go and drink about three pints of water now.
MrT 5/18/2003 12:22:00 pm [+] : Feedback!
OZ Icons: Part 4 - The UteWednesday, May 14, 2003
Part four of OZ icons is the Ute, short for utility vehicle. It's one of the great OZ icons that does actually exist when you get here. I was prepared for the old commercial pick-up replacement, but didn't realise they were so popular amongst the boy racer community too. The above photo is of a Holden souped up ute, that retails for about $40,000. Like 4WDs at home, they are equally spotted in the mid city as out in the bush. Most of the trailer covers are never actually removed and don't despair if you have a family, the four door ute is also a reality!
MrT 5/17/2003 12:37:00 am [+] : Feedback!
Chiropractor and his Staple GunMonday, May 12, 2003
I did my back/neck in last Monday bending down to pick something up off the bedroom floor. I decided that I couldn't afford to be incapacitated and so I took some advice from a colleague at work and hopped off down to the chiropractor. Now, I've never been sure what they actually do and it was a bit of a surprise when he pulled out what looked a cross between a hole punch and a staple gun.
I had to lie on my front while he told me that all my bones and joints were "plain out of whack" - which must be a medical term.
He then sort of stapled them back into place again, by taking the gun and shoving it deep into my spine and then firing a few quick blasts. It felt very sore whilst he was doing it and so I felt sure that it must be working.
Although I have to say that so far, I don't think it's made any difference at all. I think I will stick to the pain killers and hot water bottle from now on.
MrT 5/14/2003 12:57:00 pm [+] : Feedback!
Geoff tells us that SARS has spread to Tyneside - Sunderland Are Relegated Syndrome!Saturday, May 10, 2003
MrT 5/12/2003 12:30:00 pm [+] : Feedback!
Playtime!Thursday, May 08, 2003
MrT 5/10/2003 11:28:00 am [+] : Feedback!
Favourite Philosophy ExperimentWednesday, May 07, 2003
After reading 101 experiments in the philosophy of everyday life I think I have found my favourite one:
"Just think of the infinite places that exist, near or far, at this moment.
Famous sites: the Piazza San Marco in Venice, the ramparts of Jerusalem, the entrace to Central Park off Fifth Avenue, the Yamoussoukro cathedral, the Pyramids, the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aries, the Colosseum in Rome, the Champs-Elysees, the Forbidden City, the Red Sqaure, the Parthenon, Trafalger Sqaure, the Red Fort in Delhi, the Topkapi....an endless, infinately extendable list of styles, squares, buildings, cafes, statues, panoramic views of every kind.
There is more. Think also, until dizziness sets in, of the multiplicity of humbler places. Anonymous unpresuming spaces: backyards, little squares, impasses, narrow streets and alleyways. And even of these humble corners: store rooms, barns, larders, cellars, cupboards, garages. In the humidity of the tropics, the dryness of the deserts, the damp colds of the misty regions. With palm trees or birches, cacti or ancient pines, white sand, red rocks, muds, permafrost, the pure whiteness of the wave against the deep ocean blue.
And then there is the inexhaustible list of what people are doing, what everybody is doing at this instant in all the places of the world: making love, crying with pleasure or with pain, eating, dying, sleeping, sweating, toiling, enjoying themselves, amazing themselves, envying each other, travelling, cooking, reading, returning home, singing.
You can bathe in this multiplicity, be carried away with the infinity of alternatives. The place you are isn't simply one spot with an infinity of others. It contains all the others. And it's entirely within your head. Permanently available. To one and all."
MrT 5/08/2003 12:28:00 pm [+] : Feedback!
Kites and Grass FightsTuesday, May 06, 2003
It's been great to hear from Alan and exchange memories about the Peter Powell stunt kites, grass fights on the Knavesmire and of course the infamous Norfolk Broads holiday.
MrT 5/07/2003 01:52:00 pm [+] : Feedback!
IQ and ESPSunday, May 04, 2003
OK, so according to BBC's Test the Nation I do have an IQ of 130 ( see breakdown below ). But Lucy gets the prize for ESP in knowing this before I had even taken the test.
Result Breakdown
Language 10/12
Memory 12/12
Logic 20/22
Numbers 11/12
Perception 9/12
Common Sense - Absolutely none at all
What about the Which Muppet are You? test.
You are Kermit the Frog!! You are loyal to your
friends and don't really know how to say No.
No matter what you were doing, you would drop
it in a second if a loved one was in trouble.
Victoria kept doing this test as she wanted to come out as Miss Piggy but kept coming up as Gonzo!
MrT 5/06/2003 11:55:00 am [+] : Feedback!
Comfort FoodSaturday, May 03, 2003
Well it seems most of my childhood memories actually belong to someone else! I better stick to the present for now.
Got very little sleep last night and so lolled around today and thought about comfort food. What do you eat when you really need something comforting, warm and filling? Well I've mentioned hot chicken sandwiches on many occassions, but what about fishfinger sandwiches on lightly toasted bread with plenty of salt, vinegar and tommy K. Simple toasted cheese, onion and ham sarnies do the trick - and hot bacon sandwiches with tomato and brown sauce combination are always welcome. Sausage dinner with onion gravy or even better toad in the hole with proper sausages bought from the butcher. Beans on toast tastes really good if you haven't had them for a while - especially with some extra butter in the sauce and a sprinkle of black pepper.
For a real treat, Victoria likes to slow cook mushrooms with a bit of garlic and butter then add cream and a slug of white wine. Serve on a plate and use some crusty french bread to mop up the juices - Yum.
Small World
Well if the Internet is good for one thing, it's looking up useless but otherwise impossible to find information. As an example, I searched for other Tim Ward's ( in the style of Dave Gorman ) and within minutes found a jazz musician, a minister,a real estate manager, a computer software contractor, a travel writer, and a passenger aboard United flight 175 (shudder).
Still it's this guy that I think sounds the most interesting.
MrT 5/04/2003 01:09:00 pm [+] : Feedback!
A Warning
Not sure Victoria would find this one funny!
MrT 5/03/2003 07:18:00 am [+] : Feedback!
Our Earliest MemoriesThursday, May 01, 2003
I was changing Joseph this morning, and started to wonder how far back he will be able to remember. Do memories not lodge themselves at all when we are very young, or do we remember them and then just forget them as we get older.
I started to think back to see if I could bring back my very first memory. It's difficult, because you can't tell whether it's a real memory or whether you are just remembering a later conversation or a photograph.
Ok - so here goes. I definately remember our holiday on the Norfolk Broads with Joan and Ron. Mum and Dad bought me a fishing set (Shakespeare) and I used it with spectacularly unsuccessful results. In the end, as we approached Morecambe, a load of dead fish were floating next to us. Dad and Ron fished one out of the water and attached it my line and took photographic proof. Jane fell into the water feeding the swans and we spent a great deal of time in pubs with Children's rooms playing pinball and fruit machines. These are proper memories not ones from photographs or cine films - I guess I was about seven years old then.
What about earlier? Well I remember another holiday ( it seems childhood holidays stick in the memory ) where we went down to Plymouth in the mustard Rover. I don't remember too much, but when we were on our way back someone ran into the back of us in a multi-storey car park. I suppose I was about five or six then.
I'm struggling before then, many more memories but I'm sure they are all later. I remember staying up and playing cards with granny in the bar at Scarcroft and sipping weak Martini's and Dubonnet's. I remember falling down the cellar steps there and dragging all the empty coke bottles crates on top of me. And of course, I remember balancing on top of a football and falling through the plate glass window onto a table of crockery.
So five years old is the best I can do at the moment. Vic says that she can remember going on holiday in Italy and climbing out of the water onto some rocks. She was three years old. She used to ask her children at Westfield about their earliest memories, they said that they remember being "babies". But that could mean anything from six months to 4 years old for them I suppose.
What's your earliest memory?
MrT 5/03/2003 07:07:00 am [+] : Feedback!
OZ Icons Part 3: Gowings
This OZ Icon is about the store that is this year celebrating it's 135th year of service, "Gowings". The fine gentlemen above is John Ellis Gowing who stepped ashore in 1857 from the American ship "The Commonwealth". He originally came to farm the land but eventually opened one of the most enduring male outfitters in Australia or "Blokeatorium" as it is more commonly known here.
It's a bit like a massive Army and Navy Store. It sells just about everything, and it's the sort of place you are likely to find a pair of Y-Fronts next to a Coffeepot next to a Hand warmer. Finding what you need on it's six floors can be a bit of a challenge, but they actually employ "floorwalkers" who don't sell anything or stock shelves, they just greet and guide customers around the store. Sort of old-fashioned isn't it.
It still does remarkably well and I guess appeals to the outdoor and adventurous. It has a prime city location in Sydney and has stores all over Australia. It is and always has been a family run affair with John Edward Gowing now running things and Stephanie Gowing recording the official family history at the Gowing Web Site.
One of the stories I particularly like from the history section is from the War period, when Ted Gowing used his experience from serving in the RAF to help the marketing effort back home:
"The slogan 'Gone to Gowings' originated when Ted Gowing was serving in the Royal Air Force in England. He saw placards saying 'Gone to Lyons', advertising the famous chain of cafes. It occurred to him then that 'Gone to Gowings' sounded even better
The advertising campaign had a cheeky beginning. When Farmers department store was across else road from Gowings (on the site now occupied by Grace Bros), big footprints led from their store across the road. An advertisement in the Herald asked: Why does a man cross the road? To go to Gowings!' Farmers complained about this, so Gowings withdrew the ad. "
Anyway have a look at the website, and let me know how many pairs of Y-Fronts you would like me to bring back!
MrT 5/01/2003 10:57:00 am [+] : Feedback!
