NYE2009 Menu

Finger Food:

• San choi bao (veg)
• Chicken drumlets in honey & soy
• Steamed dumplings (veg)
• Cha siu rolls
• Bok choy salad (veg)
• Assorted chips/snacks

Dessert

• Summer berry sorbet
• Fresh fruit

Who said...

"One ping only."


"It's spelled LUXURY YACHT but its pronounced Throat-Warbler Mangrove"


"That was irrational of you. Not to mention unsportsmanlike."


"In China, you'd be dead already."


"What did you do?"
"Knocked out two of his teeth."
"Would you like some champagne?"


"See, you are what you are in this world, that’s either one of two things: Either you're somebody ... or you’re nobody. I'll be right back."


"Tell me, is there any scientific or forensic insight likely to be gained by spying on this woman in the shower?"
"Shanti, we're trying to make sure the woman's clean."


"Good job."


"If they're big and you're little, then you're mobile and they're slow. You're hidden and they're exposed. You fight only the battles you know you can win."


"No, no, no, NO!! Dad! Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"
"Yeah, I am. You're not getting a Porsche!"


"Get some rest, Pam. You look tired."


"Excuse me, Jack, tell me one thing in life that is absolutely for certain."


"First I'm gonna use you as a human shield, then I'm gonna kill this guard over there, with the Patterson trocar on the table. Then I was thinking about breaking your neck."


"What should I tell your men when they realize you're gone?"
"I'll be back."


"My Pussy Wagon died on me."


"Janie, today I quit my job. And then I told my boss to go fVck himself, and then I blackmailed him for almost sixty thousand dollars. Pass the asparagus."


"No, I'm not talking about that. I beat the sh!t out of some kids today. But it was for a purpose. It made me feel good about myself. It was like I did something constructive with my life or something, I dunno, like I accomplished something."


"Sorry. I, uh … I ate a lot of sugar today."


"Tell me Miss Trench, do you play any other games?"


"'Fat' seems to be a word people most connected with him. 'Terribly rude' also rang a lot of bells."


"I think my mouth is too big."
"It’s just the right size... for me, that is."

An important piece

2nd Baby Arrived (father doing well)

AOpen MP45-BDR purchased through various suppliers and self-assembled to be used as the bedroom media centre.

• 165(W) x 50(H) x 165(D)mm
• T9600 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.80GHz CPU
• 4GB RAM
• 500GB/7200 HDD

Running Windows 7 (primarily for WAF)

Further Info:
Baby News
RKHTPC

An important transitional piece

Astonishing (see 5:00)

[Solved] Wi-Fi Extender

Some time ago I set up the laptop in the study, but wireless reception was intermittent and the signal strength was weak.
At first I looked at software issues - updating drivers helped get a more accurate bar read - but the problem was the signal strength.

Then I looked at technical solutions - new wireless routers, extra antennae, signal boosters.  I also looked at ethernet over powerline solutions.

Finally, after much exploration, I settled on a home-made solution: I cut an empty Pringles can in half and placed this around the router antenna.

Problem solved!

Further Info:
[Unsolved] Connect Mini HTPC to TV
http://www.usbwifi.orconhosting.net.nz/

Easter Egg Meme

Many years ago I placed this video inside a profitability reporting spreadsheet I set up. Whenever we made more than $100k in a day, this would pop up and play.

  

Only now, with the series of tubes, could I find it again, and also give due credit to the creators:

 

Flat Eric for President!

Let's Recap

Further Info:
http://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_benjamin_does_mathemagic.html

Who said...

"WORST ... RESCUE ... EVER!!!"

"So whether you agree with me or not, GET ME AUTHORIZED!"

"Pilot, identify yourself."
"It's me!"

"What's it thinking, Colonel?"
"It's afraid!"

"I was invincible in Chinatown!"

"I used to carry around those awful mace things. Now... I zap any bastard that screws with me. I tried it on my little dog. Poor thing limped for a week."

"I really will slug you so hard!"
"Oh it's the 'meek'! 'Blessed are the meek.' Oh that's nice, isn't it?"

"How was your lamb?"
"Skewered."

"Can we have it back?"

"Well, I have the only seat belt here. You know, safety first?"

"For if knowledge is power then a god ... AM ... I!
Was that over the top? I can never tell."

"1.21 GIGAWATTS?!!"

"I just got one question for you. How can you leave me in the middle of a gunfight... to get the car?"
"You have got to shut up and let him drive!"

"There's a difference between disliking him... and not caring when some dumb Irish flat foot drops him out a window."

"Yeah sure. He's probably blond with big dimples"
"How did you know that, sarge?"

"Hey, don't talk like that about pigs! They're usually much nicer than people."
...
"As a matter of fact, right now I have one in my kitchen that's very clean and smells very nice."
...
"Piggy? Piggy? Where are you? Ah! There you are!"

"You get the headaches? ... I get such bad headaches."

"Because of the tension."
"What tension?"

Hans Rosling shows the best stats you've ever seen

Further Info:
http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen.html

Good Memes Never Die (they just get more selected)

Further Info:
"Scientists discover immortal jellyfish" by Lech Mintowt-Czyz, Times Online, 27 January 2009
"Kazaa to return as subscription service" by Greg Sandoval, cnet news, 17 July 2009
"Ahoy! Pirate Party gets berth in European Parliament" by Mats lewan, cnet news, 8 June
2009

[UNSOLVED] Connect Mini HTPC to TV

Background
Display1: Wall-mounted Samsung LA32R71WDX (1080i via HDMI)
Display2: Panasonic PT-AX100 (720p via HDMI)
Source: Mini HTPC running XBMC on Ubuntu Jaunty (DVI)

Problem
In-wall cabling to Display1 = RF Coax WTF??

Solutions
RF Modulator

• A$40
• 576i
• Resolution sucks

Attach Mini HTPC onto back of TV

• $42+shipping
• 1080i
• Can’t use HTPC for Display2

Wireless AV Sender

• A$89+shipping
• 576i
• Can link other displays
• Resolution sucks

Get electrician to install HDMI cable

• A$59+labour
• 1080i
• Capital improvement

HDMI over Powerline (Acoustic Research HDP100)

• US$272+shipping
• 1080i
• Elegant but expensive
• Wrong voltage

Wireless Media Extender (Zyxel DMA100P)

• A$386+shipping
• 1080i Elegant (powerline)
• Proprietary interface (c.f. HTPC)
• Good but limited codec support

HDMI over IP (Just Add Power IP HDMI) +
Ethernet over Powerline (TP-Link TL-PA201)

• US$450+shipping
• A$166+shipping
• 1080i
• Not elegant, but provides wider options
• Wrong voltage
• Possibly won’t work
• Expensive
• Low WAF

Wireless HDMI Extender (Atlona AT-WHD200)

• US$600+shipping
• 1080i
• Elegant but expensive
• Wrong voltage

Wireless DLNA TV (Samsung LA32B650)

• A$1,494
• 1080p?
• Display1 can become Display3
• Fiddly, unproven with Ubuntu

Wireless HD TV (Sony KDL40EX1)

• A$4,295
• 1080p
• Very elegant and expensive
• Display1 can become Display3
• Matches the room (white)

int puppet(x);

Further Info
Angel 5x14
Lakers' Blog

No One Thinks Disco of You

That was then:



This is now:




(Disclaimer: Made by - and featuring - some good friends).

Baby News

AOpen DE945CD purchased 2nd hand on ebay to be used as the media centre in Lorne.

• 166(W) x 48(H) x 157(D)mm
• T5600 Intel Core 2 Duo 1.86GHz CPU
• 2GB RAM
• 120GB/5400 HDD

Running Ubuntu 9.04 and boxee.

Further Info:
RKHTPC

XBMC Skin Mock-Up: Pred

Credits:
XBMC
Desktop Mock-up (first try)
IMDb: Predator (1987)

New Math

Desktop Mock-up (first try)

• Taskbar and windows are transparent but not shiny (darker things use less power!) over a naturey background.
• Windows have the usual close, maximise and minimise buttons as well as "left half" and "right half" screens (i.e. to replicate Snap from Windows 7)
• We only use the desktop for some basic productivity functions, web surfing, listening to music and maybe watching some movies.

Credits:
http://www.ubuntu.com/
http://www.deshow.net/flowers/bamboo-pictures-454.html#pic
http://www.iconfinder.com/search/?q=iconset:futurosoft_icons
http://mostlysid.com/google-chrome-for-mac-is-now-available
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IEC5010_On_Off_Symbol.svg
http://www.aeonproject.com/
http://www.zim.ly/
http://www.iconspedia.com/icon/usb-drive-1572.html

Have you ever wondered...

I was thinking about an economics syllabus for "average" school students, because I've done ones for top students and for uni students several times.

I haven't worked out the answers but I was thinking of just asking the following questions:

1. Why is this year's TV bigger, better and cheaper than last year's?
2. Why is food cheaper in Asia?
3. Why is Bill Gates the world's richest man?
4. Who pays for pollution?
5. How much is information worth?

Further Info:
There's No Such Thing as a Free Market
Sad Guys on Trading Floors
"How Many Currencies?" by Paul Krugman, The New York Times, 23 Feb 2010
Balassa-Samuelson Effect
"Copyright laws threaten our online freedom" by Christian Engstrom, FT.Com, 7 July 2009

Who said...

"I think you've been down here too long."

"Why do you have to label people? I hate labels."

"Give me the whip!"
"Throw me the idol!"

"What do you mean, 'I'm funny'? ... You mean the way I talk?"

"I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me."

"What was the middle bit?"

"I didn't"
"No. No. You ate yours."

"'Deserve's' got nothing to do with it."

"Where you at, Desmondo?"

"I'll just walk around some more and see if I can get into a pick-up meeting."

"" (hint: Buffy)

"Get some rest, Pam. You look tired."

"Pop quiz, hotshots!"

"You never really know someone... until you fight them."

"And the eye-in-the-sky is watching us all."

"Blink and you're dead!"

"And for what? For a little bit of money."

"Do you think we need one more?... You think we need one more... All right. We'll get one more."

Popular Mechanics' 2008 Round-up

Excerpts from the "Top 10 Most Brilliant Gadgets of the Year" by Logan Ward and the Editors of Popular Mechanics, November 2008. Follow the links to see the videos:

1.

2.

6.