Blog

The thoughts, opinions, happenings, and just plain ramblings of a seemingly boring person.

Peer Pressured Into a Wii U

Categories Gaming, Geekery

WiiUEight years ago I bought the Nintendo Wii, and now I've taken the plunge into the current console generation by buying a Wii U.

I bought the console following a praiseworthy persistent barrage of peer pressure from some colleagues at work, but really, all the convincing I needed was to see the trailer for Yoshi's Woolly World, which I somehow missed from this year's E3.

Words cannot describe how much I adore Yoshi, but that is something for another post.

When the Wii U launched in 2012, I was less than enthused, and part of me still is. … Read more →

Three Days Without Internet

Categories Internet, Technology

Keep calm there is no internetThis past week, we were without internet for a full three days. It doesn't seem like much, but I can't remember a time in the past 10 years that we were completely without our main internet connection for so long (disregarding temporary connection performance issues).

I'm not sure what caused it, and despite Internode's (my ISP) best efforts, Telstra haven't given any explanation as to why my whole phone line was unceremoniously disconnected. Internode were great throughout the whole ordeal, keeping me informed every day (sometimes multiple times), and proactively noticing another Telstra stuff-up before I did: Telstra originally only … Read more →

Me and My Pebble

Categories Geekery, Technology

My pebble watch on my wristI've wanted a Pebble smartwatch for a while, but the price (US$150+) had always put me off. They recently dropped the price to only US$99, which was right in my ballpark, so yay!

I think it's the perfect device for me. Although I like the idea of a fuller featured smartwatch, like the various Android Wear devices now being sold, I definitely do not like the prices (at well over US$200), or the fact that you need to charge them almost every day. I have enough trouble remembering to charge my phone!

The Pebble platform and development community has matured … Read more →

Grammar By Instinct vs. Rules

Categories Life, Work

Continuing with the MOOC that I am taking on English Grammar and Style, last week we covered adjectives. I can't believe I'm learning so much from this course that I didn't previously know! Below is my writing submission for the week.

I was fascinated by this week's adjective material, as it really highlighted how much of grammar I know solely by instinct rather than by rules.

The perfect example of this was the demonstration of the 'Royal Order of Adjectives'. I did not even realise that adjectives had to be placed in a certain sequence in order for them

… Read more →

Online Course: UQx: Write101x English Grammar and Style

Categories Life, Work

Free online courses seem to be all the rage at the moment. Heck, even my Dad has taken a few courses from some American universities. I've decided to take the plunge and am enrolled in a course offered by UQ:  Write101x: English Grammar and Style.

This choice of course may surprise some. "Aren't you a technical writer, Lucas?!". Yes, but whilst I think I can write fairly decently, for the most part I don't really know why. Trying to understand that 'why' is mostly why I'm taking this course.

This first week involved submitting a 300 word blog … Read more →

Surface Pro 3

Categories Geekery, Technology

Microsoft Surface Pro 3Our portable computer, the laptop known as Viktor, has been getting on a bit this year. At four-and-a-half years old, it's definitely into the senile years of its technological usefulness.

I started looking into getting a replacement earlier this year, initially looking at ultrabooks, but after Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 3, it seemed perfect for what we wanted.

We got the i5 256GB model (of course with a Type Cover), and after using it for a couple of weeks, I believe that it is the almost perfect compromise between a tablet and a laptop.

But that's the thing: … Read more →

Lego Cleaning and Science

Categories Geekery, Lego

Washing LegoToday was the third time I've put a bunch of grubby Lego in the washing machine to get it clean.

Yes, the washing machine.

Thanks to the internet, I learned that this was the most effective and painless way of cleaning a large amount of Lego at once. Just chuck the separated pieces into a laundry bag (usually used for bras etc.), add a little detergent, and set the machine on a delicate or hand-wash cycle.

The results are surprisingly good; just be careful of putting in large and/or transparent pieces because they might get a bit scratched.

One of … Read more →

Belated World Cup 2014 Post

Categories Football

Germany win World Cup 2014My new Lego addiction has meant there hasn't been much time for blogging, but I am determined to catch up!

Firstly, a very belated post on the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

This year's World Cup was one of the best football tournaments I have had the pleasure of watching. Other than the (mostly) fantastically good match times for us down here in Australia, the football itself was also a joy to watch.

Not many teams had boring defensive strategies in mind, and nearly all seemed to want to have a crack at the opposition, regardless of stature. That made for … Read more →

Lego New and Old

Categories Geekery, Lego, Life

My completed old LegoI posted last year about my rekindled love of Lego, and since then it has gone slightly nuts. My desk at work is now covered in minifigures and small Star Wars sets, and I recently completed The Simpsons series of minifigures. After seeing The Lego Movie (which is my favourite movie of the year so far), I couldn't help myself but get Benny's Spaceship from Amazon (super excite), and am now waiting for the Super Secret Police Dropship to be released here in Australia.

A few weeks ago I retrieved most of my childhood Lego from my … Read more →

Getting My Beard On

Categories Life

I've always despised shaving. Getting up earlier in the morning than I otherwise would, and trying to get my eyes to focus on my face whilst putting whirring blades up against my cheeks and neck is definitely not my favourite part of the day.

I've had a goatee/Van Dyke since 2003, but I've finally decided to change things up a bit. Beards seem to be all the rage now, and I'm lucky to work at a company where my worth isn't valued by how I look, so there's no better time to grow it out and try the "full hobo" … Read more →