Merry Christmas everyone

Posted in Linkage on Thu Dec 25, 02:13 pm. Shoutouts.

The 5 Best Data Visualization Projects of the Year including the following video for Radiohead’s House of Cards that Youtube really doesn’t do justice.

Posted in Design on Wed Dec 24, 07:16 am. Shoutouts.

The Rules from this thread on Yay suggest:

1. The first article title on the Wikipedia Random Articles page is the name of your band.
2. The last four words of the very last quotation on the Random Quotations page is the title of your album.
3. The third picture in Flickr’s Interesting Photos From The Last 7 Days will be your album cover.
4. Use your graphics program of choice to throw them together, and post the result.

My photo won’t win any awards but here’s what I came up with based on an article on the Emperor of Japan and the quote “I once invested in a whorehouse, I made a fortune on that place.”

Posted in Design on Tue Dec 23, 09:12 pm. Shoutouts.

I am sitting at the top of a mountain, next to the burnt out remnants of a space telescope, and drinking Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. The mountain is Mount Stromlo and it’s the first time I’ve been up here since Loz drove me up the winding road and past the stables, describing the night the horses had tensed up, then panicked, and the half hour spent calming them before reversing away from the building, headlights shining for a second on what seemed to be the ghost of a woman in the night.

The last time it was dusk, and freezing, and a group of teenagers shot a potato cannon in huge arcs toward the kangaroos that scattered far below. Today it is unseasonably cool, but not cold, and the aeroplanes running the Melbourne to Sydney route make scattered contrails across the sky. From my vantage point near the dome I watch a shiny new four-wheel-drive crest the hill, and make a slow loop of the car park. The occupants point at the dome from their car, and hang a camera out the window for a photo. In the hour I have been sitting here, there have been four cars. No-one has got out of their vehicle.

On Wednesday night, Christmas Eve, I fly home to Perth after a month that at times has been jubilant and invigorating and at others, and in equal measures, frustrating and trying. This past week I’ve had to walk out of the office twice, for fear that I was on the verge of saying something I would later regret.

I sat with one balled fist on my lap and stared pointedly out the window, before making the decision to step out. The door beeps and rattles at me as I fight with the time-delay lock and the sound echoes in a corridor already filled with the rhythmic dinging of the broken elevator. I take the stairs and strike out past the depressing enclave of suburban desolation that is the local mega mall, to sit on a chipped green bench facing the lake.

The tradies across the water fire nails into radiata, and my back rubs against the white text scrawled on the bench, which cheerfully proclaims, “Belco cunts are shit.” I watch the ducks until I am again capable of interaction with other humans, then flirt with the girl in the coffee shop, and walk back to the office to clear the post-it notes and cherry pips off my desk.

Tonight, for the first time in a year, I found myself firing up seek and flicking through advertisements. This was not through any desire for another upheaval, or forced change of circumstance, but just because I was again curious as to what was out there.

I think a week off is going to do me wonders.

Posted in Mwah on Sun Dec 21, 05:39 pm. Shoutouts.

The riddle of the Wall-eyed pike is a logic problem, allegedly written by Einstein, that is supposedly so difficult that 98% of the populace can’t work it out. While I’m not convinced of either the origin or the difficulty, it does come in a handy printable format that is guaranteed to cause discontent around the family Christmas table. While my solution was neither as quick or as systematic as Chris’ ruled page of ticks and crosses, I got there in the end. If you’re stuck for something to do this festive season, or want to make that uncle you’ve never really liked tear out the rest of his hair, print out the above pdf and find the fish.

Posted in Randoms on Sun Dec 21, 09:18 am. Shoutouts.

Hello: I was just browsing my own name to see if my identity is revealed on the net, and I am pleased to see that it is not. I work undercover for the State of California. We desire not to be found on the internet, but it has happened.

Wut?

Posted in Randoms on Sat Dec 20, 02:14 pm. Shoutouts.

Posted in Vidiot on Sat Dec 13, 09:23 am. Shoutouts.

You can’t find your way around Territory Twelve. The art of drawing maps has long since been relegated to the backward and the insane. You can only breathe in the cities thin atmosphere and pretend to be okay. The fact is you won’t remember how you got here or how to get back.

Territory Twelve is the first exhibition of Martin Wills, an apocalyptic science-fiction romp. It runs from the 12th to the 18th of November at Ginger’s Garage, upstairs at 267 William St, Northbridge. More info at http://territorytwelve.com/

Posted in Design on Sat Nov 8, 12:29 pm. Shoutouts.

I love this so very much. Someone needs to expand this into a series where she investigates the scientifical truths of things that throw light against the wall whilst avoiding lying Icelandic poets.

Posted in Vidiot on Tue Nov 4, 04:54 pm. Shoutouts.

Buyer’s remorse. Rules and by-laws. Joint ticket: OK I’ll be your VP.

Bottle of Rum. 18 million cracks in the Ceiling.

Posted in Design on Mon Nov 3, 07:50 pm. Shoutouts.