Lucky Dip

Product Review - Logitech S125i

2010-12-17T17:32:00.006+11:00

The Logitech S125i - Portable iPod Dock with Speakers

Logitech are well known (in Geekland), for their computer peripheral products such as, mice, keyboards, speakers, web cameras, remote controls,
and VOIP headsets.

On to the S125i, this is known as an iPod Dock or iPod Portable Speakers.

The fact is the S125i is a Portable iPod Dock with Speakers.
It's powered by AC or batteries, that's the Portable part.
The S125i will charge an iPod device, that's the Dock part.
And also play music through the speakers.
To connect non iPod devices there's a line-in port, a lead is not included.

I have a Sandisk Sansa MP3 player, the e260, so I use a lead to connect to the line-in port.

The S125i has 4 buttons:
a power on/off (with a green backlight when on),
a minus volume,
a plus volume, and
a bass boost.

There's 3 connections to the S125i:
an iPod dock,
a power socket, and
a line-in socket (3.5mm).

The flat base of the S125i has a compartment for the 4 AA batteries.

So, a nice simple design, well built, quality parts.

I bought the S125i for the portability, but also because of the AA batteries. Built-in batteries will discharge eventually and the device will be landfill. Bad.
I use rechargable 'Ready To Use' NiMH AA batteries.

I first noticed the Logitech S125i, in a local shopping centre, one of those places that is a carpark with some big electronic stores surrounding it.

It was $69 in one shop, and $68 in another. The recommended retail price is $69.95. I went home and researched it on the web a little.
The next time I was there it was $48 in one shop. I didn't check the rest. I thought next time I'm here will buy one.
When I returned, it had dropped from $48 to $29. I thought "they can't get much cheaper than that". So I bought one.
The next time, it was still $29 in the same shop, but also $30 in another. There was a 'price war' going on.
I checked again another time and prices were steady. I never saw it go lower than $29. I saved $40. Weird.

So, I started using the S125i and loved it. I could carry it around the house easily.
I was leaving home for a few months at least soon, so I wanted to be able to take it with me as my personal stereo.
I took it along on my trip and it was great.
But, suddenly it stopped. It powered itself off. The batteries were recently charged so I thought uh-oh.
I turned the S125i back on and it played on. Strange.
As the trip continued this happened more often until on my return I took it back to the shop and got a replacement.
The same thing happened again. What?
So I did some research on the web and found other cases of the same thing occuring but with other Logitech speakers.
The plot thickens.
Next I contacted Logitech Support. They said:

The S125i speaker has a power saving mode. This product will automatically turns itself off when there is no sound signal coming from the music source.
This feature is designed to conserve battery life.
As a workaround for this issue, I would suggest to turn the volume on your MP3 player on the highest level so that the speaker will easily detect the audio signal coming from it.

My Sansa e260 has two volume settings: Normal, and Loud. It was already set at Loud, so I put the player's volume to the maximum.
The S125i still turned itself off. At this point I gave up and just used the power lead all the time.
About four months later I did some more research on the web about the S125i and it's auto shutoff feature.
In a review for another Logitech speaker I noticed it mentioned that the auto shutoff feature was based on 2 minutes of less than 75% volume.
I was curious to see if the S125i did the same.
So I put the batteries in and set the Sansa e260 to Loud and maximum volume.
The S125i has not auto shut off since....So I must have made a mistake the first time I guess.
Maybe the speaker volume was set too low, even with the Sansa e260 at maximum.

So in the end, I am happy with these little speakers. The only downside is having to charge the Sansa e260 manually.
If you had an iPod you would be set. Plug it in, set it to high, and forget it.

Buddhism Continued...

2007-05-07T17:31:00.000+10:00

Well, the Tibetan Book of the Dead has lead me to The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche.
This gives a pretty in depth look at Tibetan Buddhism and some practical tips on meditation but I wanted something a bit more on the practical side, so now I'm reading Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das, an American who journeyed to Nepal in the 60s to learn about Buddhism.
This is good so far (about a fifth read). It breaks down Buddhism into the fundamentals and explains them clearly. I did get two mantras from The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying though:

Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum This is called the Padmasambhava mantra.

Padmasambhava is regarded as a Buddha by Tibetans and is known as Guru Rinpoche (Precious Master). In the 8th century B.C. he is said to brought Tantric Buddhism to Tibet from what is now Pakistan.

Om represents body, speech and mind. So we are using all three purposefully.
Ah represents the heart chakra or compassion. Hum means inseparability or indivisibility.
Vajra symbolises a thunderbolt (unstoppable force), a diamond (cuts through anything) and also active compassion.
Guru is a wise teacher.
Padma is the lotus flower which represents the enlightened mind because the lotus grows in muddy water but is stainless and so the enlightened mind is not influenced by the delusion, ignorance etc. it is surrounded by. It also represents wisdom.
Siddhis are paranormal powers attained through spiritual mastery and perfection. Hum means inseparability or indivisibility.

These 12 syllables are said to invoke the wisdom mind of Padmasambhava or Padmasambhava manifested as sound. They are a blessing said to be the equivalent of reciting the entire Buddha teachings.

and

Om Mani Padme Hum

Om represents body, speech and mind.
Mani means a jewel representing the altruistic intention to become enlightened for the benefit of humanity.
Padme means the lotus flower which represents wisdom of the enlightened mind.
Hum means inseparability or indivisibility.

These 6 syllables represent the intention to become enlightened by gaining wisdom.

My studies continue...

Quick Dinner

2007-02-08T13:15:00.000+11:00

I was thinking whilst I made my regular dinner that maybe others could benefit from my method. I like to cook but I also like to eat without waiting too long. This meal takes about 15-20mins. This is for one person but I'm sure you could adapt it fairly easily.

Notes on ingredients:

My philosophy is to get the best ingredients for the best price. But I'm not travelling crosstown to get some cinnamon. I mostly use the supermarkets and occasionally a deli.

Ingham Chicken Selections, Sweet Thai Chilli, Chicken Breast
These are one of the few microwaveable chicken portions on the market (the other brand I tried was awful). They are not 100% chicken but are 88% chicken breast which is formed. They taste good and are ready in 4 mins. They are 19% protein, 8.4% fat and 7.1% carbs.
There is a honey mustard version which is OK but I prefer the chilli. You can't really taste chilli and it's not at all hot, it just has a nice flavour. I am not a fan of chicken breast as they are often bland and dry but these portions are tasty.

Heinz Lite Salad Cream
We have used this in my family for many years (although Mum used the full fat version). It tastes great and has a distinctive flavour. It is 18.9% fat, so I use it in small quantities.

Sacla Italia Classic Pesto Pasta Sauce
This has 36% basil and 5% parmesan and tastes great. It is 44.3% fat so I use it sparingly.

Always Fresh Fusions Black Olive Tapenade
I'm a recent devotee of olive tapenade. This is has 83% olives and is 18.5% fat. Small quantities.

Ayam Chilli Sauce - Hot
This is 25% chillies and as it is hot you only need a small amount for that chilli kick.

Always Fresh Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Premium Reserve
This is reasonablely priced, cold pressed (retains goodness) and made in Victoria, Australia. People say you shouldn't cook with extra virgin olive oil as its strong flavour is lost or its too expensive. I would agree generally but when you are cooking some garlic on low heat it adds flavour to the garlic. So there.

Sasso Balsamic Vinegar - Modena
Modena is the place where the best balsamic vinegar is made and this is one is good.

Mazzetti Balsum Wine Vinegar Dressing
This is a nice vinegar which contains grape must which adds depth of flavour. Also from Italy.

Oregano
Firstly, don't ever buy oregano in a packet all chopped up. These are the leaves of the plant and have hardly any flavour. Go to a good italian deli and get a bunch of oregano which is the smaller flowers and they have a strong flavour, so you don't need much. I recently bought a bunch that comes packaged in plastic and it is very good. Previously I got a loose bunch from a local fruit and veg grocers. It takes a bit more work, as you have to remove the flowers from the stalks and branches and put them in a jar. It took me about 15 mins. It is totally worth it. It keeps indefinitely and depending on how much you use should last at least 6 months.

Bird's Eye Frozen Vegetables
I live alone so I don't buy fresh vegetables much as they don't last long in the fridge. I use frozen vegetables and am happy with the quality. This brand are made in Australia which is very important to me. Must support our farmers.

Ingredients:
Ingham Chicken Selections - 1 piece (they vary between 110g to 130g)
Bird's Eye Broccoli Florets - 100g
Bird's Eye Julienne Carrots - 40g
Bird's Eye Baby Beans - 40g
Garlic clove - 1, minced or chopped finely.
Heinz Lite Salad Cream - 10g
Sacla Italia Classic Pesto - 10g or Always Fresh Fusions Black Olive Tapenade - 20g
Oregano
Salt (sea)
Pepper (freshly ground black)
Always Fresh Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1 teaspoon
Ayam Chilli Sauce Hot - 1 teaspoon (optional)

1. Microwave the vegetables in covered glass/ceramic dish for 3mins on high (650watt oven). I use a Pyrex glass dish with a loose fitting glass lid.

2. Whilst the vegetables are cooking, chop/mince the garlic.

3. Set aside vegetables. Microwave the chicken in a covered glass/ceramic dish for 2 mins on high. I use a bread plate covered with a desert/breakfast bowl.

4. Whilst the chicken is cooking, cut the broccoli florets and beans into smaller bite size pieces. This helps to speed the rest of the cooking, allows more sauce to cover them and is easier to eat!

5. Set aside the chicken. Microwave the vegetables for another 3 mins on high.

6. Whilst the vegetables are cooking, pour the olive oil into a medium sized solid based saucepan on low heat and put the garlic into the oil. Make sure the oil covers the garlic. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't fry and brown which makes garlic get bitter. The idea is to soften the garlic and release the flavour. Add salt and pepper to taste, the salt draws out moisture from the garlic helping to stop the garlic from burning.

7. Whilst the garlic is softening get your serving bowl (I use a deep sided round bowl as it helps in the mixing stage and saves having too many dishes to wash) and put in the salad cream and pesto or tapenade (and chilli sauce optional).

8. The vegetables should be finished cooking by now. Put them aside. Microwave the chicken for 1 min on high.

9. The garlic should be ready now. Turn off the heat but leave the pan on over the burner (if electric remove from element). Put some oregano into the pan, I use about half to one teaspoon, I use my hands and rub it between my fingers to release the oils and flavour as I put it in the pan. Mix the garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and oil together and put in to the bowl with the salad cream etc. Mix it together. Add a half to 1 teaspoon of vinegar if you like. Vinegar has a lot of acetic acid which when taken with food slows the gastric acids from emptying the stomach which helps give a feeling of satiety and also acts a glycemic index lowerer as well. It is very good for you.

10. The chicken should have finished cooking by now. Remove the cover and microwave for 1 min on high. I have found that if the chicken is covered for the whole 4 mins it tends to sweat and get wet. I like it dry but moist so the last minute uncovered dries it out a little.

11. Put the vegetables into the hot pan, add salt and pepper to taste. Mix and cover. This absorbs some of the excess moisture and keeps the vegetables hot whilst finishing off the rest of the tasks.

12. The chicken should be ready now. Get a sharp vegetable/carving knife and slice the chicken so you have small bite size pieces. Put them into the pan with the vegetables and mix them together.

13. Put the chicken and vegetable mix into the serving bowl and mix the sauce through.

14. Voila! Eat a healthy meal that will stop you being hungry for awhile. For variations I alter between the pesto and the tapenade and the vinegars. Occasionally I add the chilli. I'm sure you could come up with some other flavours. Fresh basil, flavoured oils, lemon zest, lime juice etc.

If you give this meal a go I know you will enjoy it.

Rat Runs 'n' Speed Humps

2007-02-08T12:48:00.000+11:00

Hoo-fuckin'-ray! I received a letter last week from my local council saying that they will be installing speed humps in my street and two other adjoining streets in the 'next few months'. I hope it happens. The council has known that my street is used as a so called 'short cut' or 'rat run' since 1991, that's when they did a traffic study but didn't implement any action. Although they did replace a stop sign with a roundabout at an intersection in the street which made it easier for vehicles who cut through.

They did a traffic count in 1999 which showed 563 westbound and 427 eastbound movements each day, that is 990 vehicles per day in a street that is so narrow that parking is only allowed on one side and when two cars meet each other its like a game of 'chicken'. I recently had my driver's side mirror destroyed by a vehicle passing too close to my parked car.

This is clear evidence that my local council doesn't carry out its function; that is to represent the residents and use its budget to make the area the best it can for those residents. The canditates put up at elections are not people put forward by the community in many cases but people belonging to political parties who want the responsibility and power to change things according to their beliefs. This is back to front. It is not democracy. Yes residents democratically elect councillors but the choice of canditates is not democratic if a political party puts forward a canditate for the benefit of the party first and the community second.

Update:
The speed humps were installed 3rd to 6th March in my street and two adjoining streets. It has been intersting to see the change in traffic. There has been a reduction in traffic but two months after the speed humps there are still drivers who won't go away. There are a few who try to drive as fast as they can in between humps and others who don't slow down enough at the hump and scrap their cars.
There are still the diehard rat runners who drive down my street and connecting streets to go from main road to main road. I think we need to change the streets to one way facing each other so cars cannot continue from one street to the next. Unless you make it virtually impossible to cut through streets drivers will use them.

Food Safari is Delicious

2007-02-01T06:51:00.000+11:00

I have been watching Maeve O'Meara's Food Safari on SBS and it is the best food show I have ever seen. I have watched many food programs: Naked Chef, Food Lover's Guide, Surfing the Menu, Surprise Chef, Ready, Steady, Cook! and The Cook and the Chef to name a few. But this show is so good it makes me feel like I'm going to burst with I don't know what.

Maeve has gone to visit chefs who are passionate about food and got them to cook a few simple dishes from each of 13 culture's cuisines; Greek, Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai to name a few. The ingredients are all shown and there's tips galore. Its so great to see people who love their culture, their culture's food and a host like Maeve who loves food and ingredients so much. I am totally spellbound watching this show.

If you like food you have to got to watch it. Its short and sweet, 30mins. from 7:30 Wednesday's. There's 4 more episodes to go. Lebanese is next. Even if you think I don't like that cuisine or I'll never cook that cuisine, just watch and see great cooks going at it with care and love. Its cool.

http://www21.sbs.com.au/foodsafari/ if you want to check it out. Recipes are in text and video form.

God bless you Maeve.

Deja Vu and Prophetic Visions

2007-02-01T05:20:00.000+11:00

I have this theory about deja vu (From French, already seen), although its probably deja vécu (already lived). Anyway, from my own experience and intuition about it, what I think happens is this: when you are asleep and in the dream state, time doesn't exist, the normal rules of awake don't apply. You therefore can experience possible futures and you don't usually remember these experiences, but occasionally you do. So the possible future you experienced becomes the actual future and when the moment arrives, and if you are in the right state of awareness, the memory resurfaces and voila! deja vu.

The same probably applies to prophetic dreams but I have found that prophetic dreams aren't as accurate as deja vecu, in that they seem a bit more unreal or symbolic.

I once had a dream that I was upstairs (at my real school at the time) in a dark classroom and that people were applauding me. When I recalled the dream I thought "that's strange, why would I be applauded in a dark classroom?". A few days later I had video class and we were got into small groups and took a video camera and made a movie in about 30mins. When we all were finished the teacher turned off half of the lights, so the room was dark but not pitch black, and then played each groups' film. Probably to give us all encouragement the teacher got everyone to clap after each movie. When ours finished we received our applause and it made an impression on me because I couldn't remember getting applauded before. As I was thinking that, I recalled the dream and put the two together and was amazed.

So from that and other prophetic experiences I know that it is possible to glimpse future events and that is how I came upon my theory of deja vu.

Another interesting experience I had involved following my intuition and a brief prophetic vision.

I was at Crossways Hare Krishna restaurant eating my meal when I suddenly thought about a particular moment in the Seinfeld TV sitcom when Kramer said something funny and I laughed. After lunch I didn't have anywhere to be so I walked to the corner of Collins St and stopped and just waited until I felt where I should go. I turned right and walked down to Elizabeth St and waited again. I headed back from where I'd come. I started walking east down Swanston Walk and thought I'll go to the gardens. When I was near the gardens I needed a pee and I knew there was a toilet down the hill in the gardens, so I headed down. As I walked down I saw a girl who was practising stick twirling where you spin one stick with the other. I thought as I walked past her "if she's still here when I come back I'll say hello". So I go for a pee and start walking back and I see she's still there. So I walk up and say hi and we start talking about her sticks and then she stops and we sit down and chat. She suddenly brings up Seinfeld and tells me about the scene I had laughed at when at Crossways. I told her about that and how I found myself in the gardens and we both were amazed. We kept talking and she told me about her plans to move north and wasn't sure about it. I think I sort of pepped her up with some positive reinforcement and typical Sagittarian optimism and she said she felt much better and it was just what she needed. I remarked maybe that's why I was meant to find her this day. Because I felt a lot better for the experience as well. I can't remember her name, I think she was an Aries or Gemini. I remember seeing her once when I was coming and she was going at Crossways and we just said hi. I wasn't disappointed, I thought it kind of felt right, like a magical moment we shared. God I sound like a hippie...

The Matrix & Maya

2007-02-01T00:54:00.000+11:00

Whilst writing the last post, I mentioned the similarities of Maya (physical reality being an illusion) with the situation of the people in the film The Matrix. I thought I could delve into this topic a bit deeper.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In the world of The Matrix (written by Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski) the people of earth have been enslaved by the intelligent machines they created. The machines draw their power from humans by maintaining The Matrix; a virtual reality of earth, which lets the machines connect the unconscious humans to the power system without their knowledge.

Thus, the Matrix is an artificial Maya. But in this Maya, to become liberated or self-realised is to escape the Matrix to 'reality' or the real Maya as opposed to the artificial Maya of the Matrix. Confused? That's the point. Maya is an illusion. Illusions are not real. If you believe the illusion to be real, you are confused. But for the sake of simplicity let's say the Matrix is Maya.

The following is a broad outline of the story with some interesting details.

In the film, Thomas Anderson is an office worker (in the Matrix) who is also Neo an infamous computer hacker who receives messages on his computer monitor about The Matrix. He is contacted by Morpheus who offers him the choice of seeing the Matrix or living in ignorance, he chooses truth. He wakes up in his pod connected to the vast power system and is rescued by Morpheus and his crew in a hovership. After recovering from the physical effects of being in the pod, Neo is enlightened about the truth of reality.

Morpheus believes Neo is 'the One', a special person who has the latent ability to transcend the limitations of the Matrix and defeat the machines. Because Morpheus and his crew are aware of the Matrix they can use their minds to defy the limits of the Matrix's reality to some extent and achieve super human feats.

As part of Neo's training he is asked to jump from one tall building to another, in a virtual reality similar to the Matrix, after witnessing Morpheus achieve this feat. If he believes it is possible, then he can do it. He leaps and plummets to the ground. This failure leads members of the crew to doubt that Neo is 'the One', but Morpheus is not wavered in his conviction.

When Neo has completed training he is taken by Morpheus and Trinity to see the Oracle, a psychic who has predicted an emergence of "the One" but tells Neo he is not 'the One'. On their way to their exit (a hacked telephone line) Neo notices a black cat walk past a doorway and then sees it walk past again. He mentions it to the others as 'de ja vu' and is told this is a glitch in the Matrix meaning the machines have changed the Matrix. They are ambushed by the Agents (powerful sentient computer programs in the guise of secret police), Morpheus is captured and most of the crew is eventually killed due to a betrayal by Cypher; a member of the crew who wants to return to ignorant bliss in the Matrix. Trinity and Neo escape the Agents and return to the hovership. They decide to return to the Matrix to rescue Morpheus who is being interrogated by the Agents, who believe he can lead them to Zion, the underground home of other 'freed' humans.

In an encounter with the Agents, Neo dodges their bullets by moving faster than they can hit him. Trinity tells him she has never seen anyone but the Agents move that fast before.
Later Neo is left alone on a deserted train station with an Agent. He is able to defeat the Agent by matching his speed and strength.

As Neo reaches an exit he is shot by an Agent multiple times in the chest and collapses. Back in the hovership his heart stops because if one injured or dies in the Matrix the belief is so strong that the real body responds in kind. Trinity who was told by the Oracle that she would fall in love with "the One" whispers to Neo that she loves him and kisses him. Neo's heart starts beating and back in the Matrix he recovers and stands up. He now sees the Matrix as it really is, streaming lines of computer code all around him. The Agents fire at Neo, and in slow motion, he sees the bullets heading towards him. He knows he is The One. He says 'no', puts up his hand and the bullets stop in mid air. Agent Smith attacks Neo but Neo effortlessly blocks all punches and kicks him through the air and down the corridor. Neo flies into Smith's body and it explodes into little pieces, with Neo emerging in his place. The other Agents flee in terror.

Neo reaches the exit and the crew are able to destroy the Sentinels (killer machines) that are attacking the hovership. The end.

I will now outline the points of The Matrix story that relate to the concepts such as Maya, religion, mysticism etc.:

Thomas 'Neo' Anderson living in ignorance believing in Maya as reality.

Morpheus (Roman God of dreams) as a God like figure bestowing liberation upon the ignorant.

Morpheus believing in the coming of a messiah or The One, who will rescue the 'chosen' people living in Zion (Zionism: Jewish desire to return to homeland).

Neo dying and being reborn due to the power of love and faith of Trinity.

Neo becoming self realised and liberated from Maya and able to perform superhuman feats.

Neo dying in virtual reality (artificial Maya) and reality because he believes bullets can kill him.
The Oracle seeing beyond time and into possible futures.

Neo's feeling of de ja vu after seeing the same event twice.

Neo's ability (once liberated) to see time as relative and Maya as illusion.

Plenty to think about there.

The Void

2007-01-30T09:41:00.000+11:00

It's funny how you lead yourself around to things.

I am currently reading The Tibetan Book of the Dead or Bardo Thodol which translates as Liberation Through Hearing in the Intermediate State. Next I will be reading The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche.
How did I get here? I had recently read John Lennon in His Own Words and I recalled later that John Lennon had read The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead, before writing Tomorrow Never Knows (working title: The Void), the last song on The Beatle's 1966 album Revolver.
I was searching my libraries' catalogue for something interesting to read when I recalled all this. So I looked it up.

It is very interesting, if you are interested in re-incarnation and other spiritual topics, as I am. It was written by Tibetan Buddhists so it relates to their beliefs but can be useful to anyone.
The basic idea is that when a person dies there is a 49 day process before re-incarnating and if the Bardo Thodol is read aloud, their spirit will hear it and realize where they are and in doing so, become liberated and not have to be re-incarnated. Apparently this is a rare event, as it takes a person with lifetimes of dedication and good merits to achieve liberation. Although a person in the Bardo may realise where they are they may still have to be re-incarnated but at least they can have some choice in the matter. I think this is the case but I am a complete novice so I may be wrong.

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying is a like a preparation guide for the Bardo. Being a Buddhist would also be a preparation for the Bardo by default, as its tenets of compassion, mindfulness and right doing are skills needed in the Bardo.
From what I can gather from reading the Bardo Thodol is; when you are in the Bardo (although there are technically 3 Bardos) your mind manifests everything you encounter there. These can be good and bad experiences; memories, thoughts, karmas etc. But you think they are real and respond to them. That is the trap. By responding, you generate the conditions around you and so like a vicous circle you get carried along by your thoughts and feelings and sink lower and lower until you are attracted to a womb and become re-incarnated. Starting the whole cycle again.

Buddhists want to be liberated eventually so they practice their techniques in preparation for the Bardo or just the next life. By staying calm and mindful and being compassionate, in the Bardo, you will not be swept along by reacting to your manifestations and may become liberated by realising that everything is an illusion created by your mind. This is a very difficult thing to do. Anyone who has tried meditating by letting there thoughts flow by without getting carried along by them will know. It is also difficult not to believe everything in the physical world is an illusion (or Maya) whilst you are totally immersed in it. Just like the people in the film The Matrix (one of my favourites), who are actually in pods generating the power for the Matrix which is a virtual human world in which the inhabitants think is reality.

Personally I do not want to be re-incarnated, so I'm looking at ways to prevent it occurring, but if this is not possible, then at least to have some control over the matter.

I have also studied Krsna conciousness by reading The Science of Self Realisation, Chant and Be Happy, part of the Bhagavad Gita and some other Krsna books, and by talking to some devotees at Crossways Hare Krisna Restaurant in Melbourne. They believe that in this age of Kali Yuga (time of quarrel and contention) the best way to become liberated from re-incarnation (go back to Godhead or Krsna) is to chant the Hare Krisna mantra and when not chanting the mantra, to serve Krsna. They also believe in karma. This is a very basic overview obviously.

I met one guy at Crossways who is a follower of Krsna Consciousness but not a devotee who told me Buddism was created by Krisna for atheists so they can be liberated without believing in Krisna.

I will continue my studies.

Ship Ahoy!

2007-01-30T09:25:00.000+11:00

This looks like a ship to me. Although its really a bridge.

Elara

2007-01-30T09:14:00.000+11:00

This is a reworking of a photo of Elara one of the Suicide Girls (http://suicidegirls.com). I was thinking of putting it on a blue t-shirt, that's why the background is dark blue.

This girl reminds me of a girl I fell in love with once.

Francois Truffaut

2007-01-30T08:29:00.000+11:00

Been getting back into good old, Francois Truffaut lately. I love french films. I'm not sure why. I might've been French in another life...

I recently saw Farenheit 451 but didn't think it was very good. It had some interesting parts but didn't really engage me. I watched the extras on the DVD and found out the problems they had making the film. It explained a lot.

Next I saw The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cent Coups), made in 1959, it was Francois Truffaut's first feature film and is the first of an autobiographical series of five films featuring the character Antoine Doinel (played by Jean-Pierre Leaud), as Francois Truffaut.
It was an interesting film, subtle in many ways, using images rather than dialogue to convey meaning. I found it funny and sad in equal measure. It has made me want to see the rest of the series.
Before selecting this movie I knew it was the first in a series so I wanted to respect the order even though I also wanted to watch a later film. I hoping it will be worth the effort.
I did recall seeing a film with Jean-Pierre Leaud many years ago, at first I thought it was Jules et Jim but now I think it might've been one in this series. I just remember Jean-Pierre Leaud having girl trouble...
The next film is Antoine et Collette made in 1962 as part of an anthology collection, L'Amour a vingt ans (Love at Twenty). As luck would have it, it is the only film in the series that my library doesn't have, so I will have to hunt it down.

Other Blogs

2007-01-30T07:42:00.000+11:00

Lately I've been checking out two blogs I like:

Miscellany (http://melbournestories.blogspot.com/) and

Paul Oslo Davis http://pauldavisdrawings.blogspot.com/.

Miscellany is the adventures of a late twenties female school teacher living in inner Melbourne. Sometimes it makes me snort or chortle.

Paul Oslo Davis is a Melbourne illustrator and cartoonist. He also makes me chortle or titter. Paul publishes Raised Eyebrows which is Melbourne's only 1 page A3 zine/comic. If you like his work you may be able to get him to send you a copy.
He also had 2 cartoons published in The Age newspaper over summer which you may have seen.

He draws in a squiggly line style, which I really like. His sense of humour is strange which is up my alley.

Check 'em out.

The Gallagher Bros.

2006-09-25T18:07:00.000+10:00

A portrait from a found photo. This was created in August 2004 and I still like it, so here it is.

You With The Sad Face

2006-09-08T20:10:00.000+10:00

An experiment in negative space creates a sad face.

Drawing People

2006-09-08T19:50:00.001+10:00

I don't usually draw the whole person, just the face, but occasionally they pop out.

Three Faces

2006-09-08T19:41:00.001+10:00

Here's some drawings of faces I did in April. I like to draw faces with a left facing profile for some unknown reason.

Chunky

2006-01-30T21:03:00.000+11:00

This image is called Chunky. I took the photo this afternoon so its fresh off the press. I'd not noticed this building before, its interesting what you find when you're looking. Its somewhere around Queen St/La Trobe St in Melbourne's CBD.

Group of Three

2006-01-29T17:13:00.000+11:00

This image is called Group of Three. Its one of a series I've created recently. I take specific photos and then manipulate them with software. Often I'll just use one photo in its original state but this one has three photos combined. Some masking has been done also.

Terrorist Tunnel

2006-01-29T16:34:00.001+11:00

This photo was taken from platform 3 at Flagstaff train station in Melbourne's City Loop underground train network.

I was waiting for my train, as you do, and I had about 10 minutes to kill. I was standing amongst the 50 or so people around me and I was looking at the tunnel opening and I remembered I had my digital camera with me, so I get it out and start taking a few photos of the tunnel. Over the P.A. there's the usual "train delayed" announcement and then the bloke says "And no photography allowed" and continues on with another announcement. I thought "he's talking to me" and I noticed the big black dome with the security camera to the right of the tunnel. At first I thought "you've got to be kidding, this is a public place". I'd taken the photos I wanted so I put my camera away. Then I thought "oh, its because of terrorists that you can't take photos in the underground", you know, in case I was casing the joint for bomb placement. So I could understand, but on the other hand it bugged me. I fantasised about sticking my finger up at the security camera and then security guards arriving on the platform and me running through the people to get away.

Pipe Face

2006-01-29T16:24:00.000+11:00

I call this one Pipe Face. It reminded me of a face...in an abstract way of course.

Loop Chute

2006-01-29T15:46:00.000+11:00

This image is called Loop Chute. I was walking around Melbourne's CBD in January, investigating some alleys. I took a few good photos in this alley.

I like the abstract shapes in this one.

I Love You! Fuck You.

2006-01-29T14:40:00.000+11:00

A silly cartoon I drew on the train to the city one afternoon in January.

Hooks, Pop and Popular

2005-03-26T01:43:00.000+11:00

Sure we all have favourite songs, but what I also have is favourite parts of songs. In some cases I like the whole song, but sometimes the reason I like the song is mostly because of "the part". Maybe these parts are what people call "hooks". For people who don’t know, a "hook" is a part of a song that draws you in and captures your attention. It doesn’t have to be dominant or loud to capture your attention either. It can be a quiet or subtle part that has a distinct quality.

"Hooks" are probably what makes a song a "pop" song or not, but not always, as there are many great and loved songs that are not hugely "pop"(ular). But personally I have always been drawn to "pop" songs not necessarily popular songs. It is confusing, yes. Just because a song is popular doesn’t automatically mean that the song is a "pop" song. The confusion is in the definition. "Pop" was originally short for popular, but over time and mass media communication it has changed to mean a certain sound. If you ask people what is a "pop" song, they might say: it’s a song that is "catchy"; it gets "stuck in your head". These are the "hooks" at work.

Sometimes a "hook" is a beat or rhythm that is repeated in parts of the song. But sometimes it’s a moment, when the song’s "feel" changes. The song was moving along a certain path and then it seems to be transformed by the change of tempo, rhythm, beat etc. Often it is the addition of a distinctive part to the mix of the song that creates these moments. For me they are bliss. But as these moments are rare, I am always on the search for more moments. It is an addiction.

Here’s a few songs off the top of my head, that have these moments:

"Catch the Sun" – Doves (Lost Souls LP)
"Mousetrap" – Ride (Going Blank Again LP)
"Bury Me" – The Smashing Pumpkins (Gish LP)
"My Sharona" – The Knack (Reality Bites soundtrack LP and Get The Knack LP)
"This Is The One" – The Stone Roses (The Stone Rose LP)
"Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" – Travis (The Man Who LP)

See if you can spot them…

Raves Circa 1992

2005-03-26T01:27:00.000+11:00

When I was 23 and 24 y.o. I went to 2 or 3 raves in Melbourne, Australia. Raves were places where techno music was played and people danced and listened to the music. At this stage raves were still fairly small affairs. A big one might have 300-400 people. Some drugs were taken. People smoked those Indonesian clove cigarettes that smell sweet.

Some raves were held in dance clubs and some in warehouses. The warehouse where I went belonged to a community TV station that went on to become the Channel 31 community TV station. It was a cool old red brick building in a short street that ran down to the Maribyrnong River in Footscray. Between the building and the river was grass and trees for about 20 metres, so it was a nice spot.

I think the two raves I attended in Footscray were called "Every Picture Tells A Story". The first time a friend was to perform on stage and sing 2 songs. His girlfriend was in charge of the "sparklers", those sticks that you light and they throw off sparks. She handed me about 20 and asked me to hand them out. We lit them first, but half way down the stick. These things were sparkling alright. So I’m trying to hand lit sparklers to people in the crowd. People are backing away as the madman tries to shove lit sparklers at them. At this point they are getting hot in my hand as they were lit about 15cm from my hand. So I just threw them on the ground in front of a bunch of people. It was pathetic. I felt bad for my singing friend. Oh well, what are you gunna do?

The second time I took an LSD trip and had what people call a "bad trip". Everything was fine and I was on the dance floor with my 2 friends. The lights changed and I lost where they were. This made me a little anxious and then the music seemed to change. It got all foreboding and scary. Then the lights began to strobe (flash on and off at a fast rate). I could see snapshots of people dancing in strange poses with bizarre facial expressions. As people walked by on the edge of the dancefloor they were lit up for a second, so it was like being in a cloud of darkness with flashes of crazy people.

As I looked at the faces flashing before me I noticed some people look animalistic. One guy seemed to look like a goat crossed with a man and then I was staring at a guy who looked like a lion crossed with a man. As I was looking at him he turned his face right at me and kind of growled or snarled at me. I was thinking: fucking hell! I turned away and was looking at another face and it just melted like it was made of plasticine. Whoh. I was feeling a bit freaked out at this point, so I stumbled off the dancefloor and through the crowd and headed outside. I felt like I needed air. It was late autumn night so it was cool and I had on light clothing. I headed down to the river to clear my head. There was a person walking on the other side of the river which I thought was strange as it was all factories. I couldn’t even tell if they were male or female just a shape walking. I stared at them until I think I realised they were walking their dog. I sat down on a bench and hugged myself from the cold. I sat there for about half an hour.

Global Dimming and the World Trade Centre Destruction

2005-03-26T01:19:00.000+11:00

For fuck’s sake. Global Dimming? I thought global warming was bad enough but global dimming? I heard about global dimming from a TV show on ABC TV Australia called Four Corners. This show has been running on the government funded channel since the 1960’s (I think). They only have one story that goes for 40 minutes, so they take a fairly good look at a subject.

Before we tackle Global Dimming what is Global Warming? Basically when you generate energy from fossil fuels such as mineral oil, natural gas and coal; you are burning it. When you burn something in an oxygen atmosphere it releases CO2 (carbon dioxide), amongst other gases. These gases mix with the atmosphere and change it. The energy (heat) from the sun cannot escape back out into space and is trapped in the atmosphere, which warms. This effects the natural flow of the atmosphere. Weather patterns that have evolved over a long period of time to keep the atmosphere in balance are disturbed.

So what is Global Dimming? Four Corners explained it was all about clouds. Clouds form when dust particles in the air attract water. More and more water clumps together until they become heavy enough to defy gravity and we get rain. Clouds reflect some of the sunlight back into space.

Global Dimming theory says that the very fine particles released when burning fossil fuels also attract water in the air. As there are many tiny particles attracting water, these clouds are denser and reflect more sunlight than normal clouds back into space. How do they know this? Some scientists analysed the results of many years of water evaporation readings taken each day. The results showed less water being evaporated as global temperatures increased. How could this be? If the atmosphere is warmer shouldn’t water being evaporating more? They found sunlight is the biggest factor in water evaporation, more than air temperature. Less sunlight was hitting the water so it evaporated less. At the same time the atmosphere has gotten warmer.

How does the World Trade Centre’s destruction come into this? Airplane vapour trails. When airplanes fly they leave a vapour trail (burnt fuel). This forms long thin clouds which block the sunlight. From September 12th to 14th most airplanes were grounded in the USA. A scientist who was studying vapour trail effects seized the chance to see what happens when there’s no vapour trails to block sunlight. What he found was a big jump in temperature for those 3 days when the airplanes were grounded.

So here’s the scary part. Global Dimming is hiding the true effects of Global Warming. If we stop emission of fine particles but still emit gases that warm the atmosphere the global temperature will increase even more than it has so far.

So basically; we’re fucked. Thanks for coming.

Semblance of Siblance - (Like a Hiss)

2005-02-20T19:12:00.000+11:00

Whenever we met she seemed to be somewhere else but all that changed...
"You could shoot through, you know" I said
"Yeah..." She agreed.
The light changed and everything was different. It hits like a bolt of lightning. The idea!
"hey, I saw this guy on TV once, a doco about Paris in the 1920s I think, he was right amongst all the decadence when he was in his early 20s and he was reminiscing about it being the best time of his life....the thing is; there may be times in our lives when things seem effortless and things just seem to flow and there's much joy and pleasure but to try and recreate it is impossible and futile. If it teaches us anything its this: enjoy the moment if you can, it you can't, do something different until you do."
"Sorry I missed that, what were you saying?" She said with eyelids half closed.
"Uh, just um...doesn't matter." He said softly.

Lotte Big Waffle - mmm

2005-01-30T13:20:00.000+11:00

I don't know why I went in, just curious I guess. I like to investigate. Maybe there's something I've never seen before. Especially when then there's stuff from other countries. Stuff you won't get in the everyday shops. Plus I like to keep up with what's out there in the confectionary game.

A lot of the time in Australia the new chocolate bars, biscuits and icecreams are what retailers call Extended Lines. E.g. Tim Tam biscuits; for decades there was one type, now there is Dark, Double Choc, Caramel, Tia Maria and others. Nothing new here. Just variations on a theme.

But I always hope. Maybe there'll be something new! So I went into the Korean/Japanese Convenience Store across from the Vic. Market in the city, not downtown, if you get my drift. I wasn't sure what I was looking for as I squeezed 'tween the aisles sniffing like a dog for something new...I grabbed a box of those Pucky sticks, they're like pretzels dipped in creamy icing, mmm. Seen 'em around, had 'em before.

But as I'm heading for the counter I notice the icecreams. For 9 months of the year I don't even look at icecream, the Iceman doesn't need cooling off...but it was a hot day, I'm in shorts and a look won't kill me, right?

Inside the freezer there's the usual suspects; Heaven, Drumstick, etc. but wait what's this? Some shiny brown block I haven't seen before. Big Waffle? huh? There's a picture of it on the wrapper, looks good. It's been bitten and you can see inside. There's a waffle that totally wraps a slab of chocolate ice cream that has a layer of chocolate stuff in the middle. I know what I have to do. I put the Puckys back and buy the Big Waffle. The guy at the counter says "You had one before?" "No, thought I try one, it looks good. They good?" The guy gives me a the look of someone who knows and says: "They're good".

I was hopeful of a top icecream experience before, but now I'm confident. I pop open the wrapper to take a look 'cause I've been burned before. You buy something with a cool picture and when you open it its tiny or has crap chocolate all over it... But it actually looks like the picture. So far so good. I take a small bite to check out the insides, mmm, again it checks out. But I can't risk a frozen treat so I rub it in its wrapper to try and melt it a bit. I realise the ingenious waffle is protecting the ice cream from melting and I decide to put in my pocket for awhile. When I resume its softened a bit and I go at it.

So what are they like? They're good.

Something Out Of Nothing

2005-01-30T12:16:00.000+11:00

Doing nothing can be fun. It gives your body time to catch up with your mind.

I've been doing nothing for 9 weeks straight and I'm loving it.

When you do nothing, little things stand out more than they probably would.

There once was a slogan for a chocolate bar called Aero:
"It's the bubbles of nothing that make it really something". It only came in 2 flavours for years; plain and mint and it was shaped in rounded sections that you could break off to reveal the bubbly insides. The mint one was light green inside. That was my favourite.

But then it changed. The shape became a sort of triangular log with thin chocolate coating over the bubbles. It sucked. But eventually sanity prevailed and Aero was reborn in it's original chunky self.

Now that's something.