We're going overseas in a while, and quite pathetically, I can't stand the thought of going more than a week without checking my emails, Google Reader, or this website. I have my trusty 4 year-old laptop that served me well throughout uni that I could take with me, but the 15+ inch screen and 3+ kilograms would make it a severe chore to lug around through airports and public transport.

The solution was me getting a very cheap and very tiny Asus EeePC. I got the 4GB Linux version for $299, and for the intended purpose it is ideal. … Read more →

This afternoon we played our second successive indoor final. As previously mentioned, i've had quite a pattern going on when it comes to finals, so I had expected to lose this one, not only because of the pattern, but also because our opposition was pretty good. Below is a pretty good action shot (that's me keeping).

It was a very tight game. They scored quite a lucky/awesome goal to take the lead, but Eric finished off a very nice equaliser. At the end of the first half I was on the floor after being palmed in the face.

The second … Read more →

After much continued pleading from the Mrs., this week I bought her a Nintendo DS so she could get her hands on the Cooking Guide 'game'. In the end I thought I should be encouraging her as much as possible to cook, so i'm expecting a pretty big return on investment!

I also got Sonic Rush and i've ordered New Super Mario Bros. and a protective case from overseas. The good thing about the DS is that there is basically no region protection/divisions so you can pretty much buy games from wherever you please (and save a fair bit of … Read more →

This afternoon we played the semi-final of the current indoor season. To make the finals has been a great effort for the team, considering we started the season essentially in last place on the ladder (we were actually second-last, but the team below us withdrew from the comp).

Unexpectedly our opposition today was the same side that beat us last week, finishing the season first, with us being second. With those final standings there was no way we should have been playing each other in the semi-finals.

Anyway, we shrugged that off and proceeded to absolutely annihilate them 8-1. … Read more →

One thing I couldn't resist getting recently was the complete set (as of today) of The X-Files - all 61 DVDs worth - for a very cheap $180 off eBay. I saw Channel 10's airing of the first episode a few weeks back and was hooked again. I think it's so cheap because as of this week, it ceases to be a 'complete' set with the impending release of the new movie due out on Thursday.

The X-Files is one of the shows that I absolutely loved watching in the late 90s, but never saw the end of as uni … Read more →

After having finally succumbed to the flu, i've spent the past day and a half sick at home. I'm feeling much better this afternoon, just in time to make it to see The Dark Knight at a free screening held by work's ISP company (quite ironic considering the pertinent events earlier this week and that they are a wholly owned Optus subsidiary).

I've never really liked Batman as a character, and i was mainly going for the Mrs. The movie wasn't that bad, but it wasn't all too good either. Without giving too much away, it felt like it rambled … Read more →

After having a generally quiet and normal working week last week, this one has started off with a bang.

Monday saw me driving down to the Gold Coast to replace a faulty computer in our small office down there. I didn't mind the drive, but it did take up much of the day just in transit.

Today was the real fireworks (not real ones of course), as a major Optus network outage not only severely affect our business, but much of the state in general.

We basically lost all connections to the Southern offices, and all our fixed and mobile … Read more →

Friday's news saw the 3G Apple iPhone get released, and thus crazy people queuing in the cold night and wetting themselves to get their hands on one. The Cult of Apple got their fix early that morning. As an aside, a friend who was there in Brisbane said that because Optus opened early to sell these things that they actually bypassed their standard credit history checks because that agency wasn't yet opened. Wait for the headlines of iPhone-induced bankruptcy.

Last night we actually had a quick play with one, as the same Mac-occult-membership-holding friend that queued up and got one … Read more →

It's been quite a busy week. Other than a fairly busy working week, the only thing that is blogable is me picking up Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 for the Wii for a very very cheap $35 in K-Mart's toy sale. I haven't played it that much yet, so we'll see how that goes.

The weekend went quickly enough. Saturday morning I got a haircut and then spent about an hour or so writing a script to fix some errors on this blog. A few weeks ago, after i got comment-spammed, i deleted the offending spam comments directly out of the … Read more →

Not only Spain, but football won in the European Championship final this morning. They showed that slick, attacking passing football can win games and win tournaments. The boring and dull defensive game, epitomised by the Italians and Greeks, that in recent times has proved effective in not losing games was ultimately outdone by proper and exciting football.

Spain play the Arsenal - and to an extent the Man Utd - way of football, and it was a joy to watch. In the final the Spanish midfield made the Germans look like schoolboys; the Germans could barely play the ball out … Read more →