May 28, 2009May 27, 2009Wednes Day Links
Posted by Michelle at 12:41 PM
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May 26, 2009Authors@Readings: Christian LanderLast night, Fox and I toodled along to Readings on Lygon Street to hear Ken Nguyen in conversation with Christian Lander. Listen to their (bootlegged) 30 minute conversation by clicking the arrow on the podcast widget below. You can enhance your listening experience by visiting the Stuff White People Like blog in one tab and ordering the book in another.
Posted by Michelle at 1:18 AM
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May 23, 2009May 22, 2009WebDu Day Two of TwoAfter staying up until after 1am last night completing contract work (thank goodness I decided to stay in and not to to Oskar's for drinks after Day One or I would never have finished the site updates) I was so surprised that I made the 7:45am Microsoft Mobile Breakfast. I wasn't the only one who made it, though a lot were a hellova lot worse for wear than I was - I heard some low moans (and not the good kind) of the soberly challenged. What a fabulous breakfast - because food is where it's at, right? Each round table accommodated eight guests. Two trays of food (one full of cut fruit, the other an assortment of pastries and mini-muffins), jugs of orange juice and bottomless coffee cups eased us all into the morning. Followed in short order by a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns and grilled tomatoes. The breakfast was entitled "Greasy Spoon" but it was anything but - thank goodness - and it was very good. Microsoft showcased their Windows Mobile 6.5 through an internet connectivity hindered powerpoint presentation. A presenter's nightmare when technology stands between you and successfully delivering your message. I suppose the mobile's background and icons were the choice of the phone's owner, but the pink tartan phone wallpaper and colour theme really did put me of the entire platform - I know, I know, but I am such a _girl_ sometimes. I found myself day dreaming more and more about how love it would be to have an Apple iPhone which was most likely, the opposite of the presentation objective. Judging by the questions, and there were a smattering, others found the talk interesting and informative. One of the impressive things about WebDU, amongst all the impressive things about WebDU, was the accuracy of the schedule. It must be easy to build up a time slippage, but the organisers and speakers kept to the schedule and so things started and finished pretty much when the Agenda said they would. You can read more about Day Two's Keynote and sessions on Pixelkin.com.
Posted by Michelle at 10:05 PM
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May 21, 2009WebDu Day One of TwoLive blogging from WebDU is Sydney is running pretty much as well as my "Vlog Every Day in April"! My (pitiful) defense is two fold: firstly, the internet connectivity is woeful. Secondly, I’m _paying lots of attention_ to the speakers. I doubt I could do them any justice as their live blogger anyway because I’m only hanging on to my understanding by the skin of my teeth most of the time anyway. Which is great cos who the heck wants to hear people say stuff you already know? WebDU is pretty much the real deal. Decent numbers of people, massive name tags, goodie bags and urn coffee. Just like a bought one. The morning started with a painless registration. My timing was perfect - straight off registration and into the first item on the agenda: the keynote. No mucking about, and more to the point: no mingling (which is actually a name for “standing around awkwardly not saying anything to anyone*” The keynote was a series of speakers, starting out with Geoff (chief organiser) then followed by Mike Childs, that american flash guy, Andrew Spaulding, that Coldfusion dude**. At time, I bagged (literally threw my coat and bag) on a chair and nabbed some morning tea*. I was hoping for “muffins” and when I saw “brownies” i was so disappointed, until I spotted the (larger than, but not by much) shot glasses topped with berries. As you all know, custard-based foods trump almost every else* so I brought my sustenance back to my nabbed seat, to check my email. Something I hadn’t done since leaving Melbourne the afternoon before. Just as well the custard stuff was delicious because the internets were a no-go even though my Airport was telling me I had full connection etc. It lies: my Airport. A young woman sat in the chair next to me. I looked at her name tag***** to see she was from Swinburne University in Melbourne. I said “guess what?” and held up my tag “The University of Melbourne” She had won her WebDU tickets by winning one of the Twitter passes I’d tried****** to win a ticket this way and it is interesting (for a couple of minutes though) to me that of the several hundred attendees, I should meet up with the first Twitter winner and she be from Melbourne. I had already decided, with the exception of one user-experience session on Day Two, I was going to be spending my entire time in the Flash/Flex stream.
*that’s not strictly true, mingling is like fishing - I toss out one liners and see who bites. My one liners are terrible. I hate fishing. **seriously, is Coldfusion gay? The Centaur kinda gives it away, it should just get the hell out of the closet. ***Look, what’s the use of queuing on one side of the table for food when you can totally go around the back of the table - that’s hardly queue jumping. c’mon! ****exceptions: jelly, watermelon, roast lamb, milky bar chocolate, sardines. *****I understand why size matters - easy to read a name and where you’re from etc but hells teeth, I can’t do anything for the swinging tag between me and anything else. I’d love to be able to tag it to my clothes or something. Note to Self: next conference, bring clipping-to-clothes stuff. (In a related note, Fox was telling me that at SXSW she had troubles with the large name tag, so instead of wearing it around her neck, she threaded it through her belt loops but was told officially to wear the lanyard around her neck or she wouldn't be allowed into the venue.) ****** and failed.
Things I saw in Sydney today:
Posted by Michelle at 11:45 PM
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May 19, 2009Wednes Day Links
Posted by Michelle at 5:07 PM
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May 15, 2009Sing-a-long FridayThanks Fox! I had actually forgotten how great this video is.
Posted by Michelle at 11:13 AM
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May 14, 2009News at 11 : Puppy LoveAs Fox was lamenting the use of her pot plants as preferred burial grounds, Jet upgraded his latest bone to “Most Beloved Thing”. After his late walk the other night, Jet removed the lamb soup bone from the potted plant he'd buried earlier and settled down on his astro-turf loo to eat the soft, dirty meat from it. It must have been during this time that he fell head over heels for this thing, because after he’d taken the easy meat from it, he decided to hide the bone inside his kennel. From my vantage point, inside on the couch – he was not impressed with me being on the deck with him and his bone, so I was watching him through the glass sliding doors – I could see him pawing and scratching at the blanketed layers inside his kennel. I assume he as trying to bury the bone in the folds of the fabric - away from other predators and close enough for him to keep an eye on. After a while he hopped out of the kennel and stood outside, surveying his handywork. His efforts seem to have failed to meet his own exacting “hiding” standards, and he appeared to be having a "bit of a think". He turned and looked at me through the sliding glass door, then returned his attention to the kennel doorway, the blankets, the bone, and had more thinks. What he thought while standing there thinking: I do not know; but he then must've hit on a plan because he began to tug at the blankets inside the kennel. He tug, tug, tugged them, inching them out the kennel doorway. While a human might manage to pull those flattened duvet and IKEA blankets through the kennel doorway, this dog only did half as well and so that’s where he left his bedding after 10 minutes of tenacious tugging – half way in, and half way outside, his kennel. He then climbed over the spewed bedding and back inside the kennel. I dared not go and see what he was up to in there, in case it was “private stuff”. But it was getting late, the night was rather cold and so I decided to go out and let him know it was time to come inside to a warm bed for the night. But he didn’t want a bar of it. He wouldn’t budge from his redecorated kennel. I lifted the hinged roof of the kennel thinking he would budge but I was wrong. I reached inside to pat him and tell him again it was bedtime and to come inside and he nipped at me. Having a “Most Beloved Thing” will do that to a dog. He had become this wild, protective, golum-esque creature with a growl and another sanp for me when I tried a second time. “Fine!” I said, “Sleep out here in the cold. See if I care!” I couldn’t leave him with his bedding in such disarray though, so I muscled him out of his kennel, refolding and remaking his bed. He jumped right back inside the kennel the minute I had finished and I left him to it, locking the sliding door behind me. As I was lying in my own bed, thinking he was a crazy dog for wanting to sleep outside on a cold almost Winter’s night when there was a perfectly warm human willing to share her bed with him, I heard clunking noises from downstairs. Clunking like something being dropped on the wooden deck. I thought Jet must’ve decided he’d had enough of the dark and the cold and maybe he had changed his mind and wanted to come inside. I went downstairs and pulled back the sliding door to a suddenly stock still, “I’m not doing anything over here by the sand pit!” Jet. He looked at me out the corner of his eye (as only dogs who are up to sneaky things can) before trotting back and disappearing into his kennel, completely ignoring me. Obviously, it was none of my business and I was just a nosey neighbour to him. I left him again, outside, in the cold in his kennel on the deck. Good riddance. Prefer your bed to mine? See if I care! The next morning revealed Jet had been busy overnight. He had, again, attempted to pull his bedding from the kennel – it was half in and half outside – this time the half that was outside was soaking wet from the early morning rain, and he was curled up tightly inside the kennel on what was left of the dry bedding. It occurred to me, seeing again what he had tried to do, was block the entrance to stop me (or anyone else) from getting into the kennel, and protecting his “Most Beloved Thing”. He was much more relaxed the next morning, bounding from the kennel still half asleep but mad keen on a morning walk. I figured the bone was buried deep in the sandpit which was now sporting an extremely flattened surface - Jet must've worked well into the night covering his burying tracks. His "Most Beloved Thing" hasn't resurfaced yet though I have no doubt Jet hasn't forgotten about it. He has the deck to himself all day today and I'm sure he's having a great old crazy time with that bone.
Posted by Michelle at 12:36 PM
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May 13, 2009Wednes Day Links
Posted by Michelle at 11:07 AM
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May 12, 2009May 7, 2009The GistGK (Overlord) : So, where's this favourite pub of yours again? MP (Underling by day / Roomie by night) : GK just told me I was fundamentally an annoying person. *words may not be in this exact order, or may, in fact, not even be all the correct words at all - but you get the gist.
Posted by Michelle at 8:18 AM
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May 6, 2009Wednes Day Links
Posted by Michelle at 12:25 PM
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May 5, 2009May 3, 2009Sunday SlowlyMy Sunday is slow - extra slow. Willo and I went to The Old Bar last night to see The Graveyard Train. They were supported by Brendan Welch and Abbie Cardwell who was particularly pleasent. I really love a good cover and her blue grass version of Cory Hart's old "Future's so bright, I gotta wear shades" was neato! Oh and loved her "Ode to Billie Joe" too. It was a great night, with beer and good music - topped off with a kebab on the way home at Lord Knows When - I regret ordering the "spicey lamb" because it was toooo spicey! Next time I'll just order after Willo and say "I'll have what he's havin'." I woke with a headache. Which is unusual. And I do not like it. I tried to banish it with poached eggs on toast and a cup of tea for lunch - but that didn't work. I tried coffee. That didn't work either so I had another. Finally, now at nearly 4pm the sun is lower in the sky and the capillaries in my brain have finally opened up enough to allow adequate blood flow. I'm feeling less pain.
This weekend, Jet has become the proud owner of a new room (kennel on the deck) but also of an "urban garden" (sand pending) and pool in the shape of a clam shell (half pool, half aforementioned "urban garden" awaiting "sand from the country", and currently hosting "favourite blue blankie"). He's one lucky puppy.
Posted by Michelle at 4:50 PM
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May 1, 2009 |
