in gravyland

Burning of the Clocks

The pre-Christmas season was just lovely. We went in the Burning of the Clocks parade! This event marked the winter solistice. The music, fire and fireworks down on the beach at the end were most moving. Same Sky do loads of great community art events around here. The original compositions play on their website. Check out the soundtrack from the 2006 finale. It builds and builds. Many a fine musician calls Brighton home.

More photos here.

This all has a lot to do with why we are feeling so pagan and connected to the seasons, the elements, our European roots and Gaia herself while living here.

Spring solstice this week! My how time flies.

Gra & Puddy Tat with the grand folly of the royal pav in the background.

Powerful T-shirts from One Heart Home

Truth
Seek it, Speak it, Live it

Power to the Peaceful

Freedom through Peace

I’m fond of a good political T-shirt. I like to wear a message or two. It feels *hopeful* to walk around with a slogan on.

One Heart Home have a range of T-shirts these slogans (above) and more. I was given a “Power to the Peaceful” shirt for Christmas and I love it.

Go on, order one online…

Lib’s new blog

My partner Libby has just started a blog, called learning. Congrats Lib, welcome to the world of blogs.

Her first post is a press release she’s just issued. The press release covers some local activism we were just involved in with some success. There was a proposal to open a child care centre here in Fremantle in a really, really bad location.

The City of Fremantle Council said “No” this week to a proposal for a major child care centre that would have set a dangerous benchmark for children’s health.

Despite political pressure to approve the 86-place centre, Fremantle’s largest, the Council stood its ground and made a decision that reflected commonsense and caution.

“In the absence of controls to stop this kind of thing happening, it was a frustrating and risky process. But in the end, good reason, good ethics and good planning prevailed,” said quality child care campaigner and local mother Ms Libby Davy. “Now we have to ensure this result carries over into safe, healthy child care for all children,” she said.

I’m really glad council made the right decision here. We certainly need more child care in Fremantle, but not at the expense of children’s health.

Commonly Confused Words Test

I just went and did the Commonly Confused Words Test like Robert did.

I scored a very strange 26% Beginner, 93% Intermediate, 87% Advanced, and 66% Expert!

26% Beginner? What? I went and looked at the answer key and I’m sure I got them all right. Something not working there. The test is good fun. Not sure about the answers though.

Cane Toad Superhighway

Witness Colin Barnett the cane toad hopping down the canal and multiplying. Inspired stuff and hilarious.

And I just have to add in a link to a really beautiful ad that the greens put in last Saturday’s West. There’s a scan of it up at Kick and Scream.

Crazy Colin’s Water Giveaway!

Finally, somebody has explained what this Colin Barnett canal thing is all about :-)

Crazy Colin’s Water Giveaway!

via Robert

Margaret River Online News launched

Margaret River now has a full online news service [http://news.mronline.com.au] which includes local news, community and club news, opinion columns, movie timetables and all sort of things. This is a first for a WA town I think.

› Continue reading

Delicious Monster

Here’s an inspiring story in Wired news about a small company called Delicious Monster that uses a Seattle coffee shop for their offices.

But read on beyond that bit and hear their vision for their Delicious Library software. Today, Delicious Library is software to help you catalog your library of books, DVDs, whatver, and manages borrowing for you. But beyond this, they see your personal library as something you’d share with a community of like minded people. And then with some location awareness, you’ll be able to find out if your neighbour has a copy of that book you are looking for, and maybe borrow it from them. I like it, especially for bring social software to bear on a local issue.

Blog shy (two week short form blog entry)

Golly, another 2 week gap between entries. It intrigues me why I get stuck sometimes and blog entries don’t come easily.

So, here’s two weeks worth of blogs in one:

New Years happened. Doesn’t that seem like a century ago. A big party, lot of fun, people, lots of talking. From a week or two weeks later it seemed a bit empty somehow. Perhaps I was looking for something a bit more soulful, a bit more of a ritual. I’m glad to be in the new year. 2004 sucked a lot in many ways.

I had a great time down south after new years, catching up with good friends and having a holiday for a couple of days. Everybody was in a holiday mood.

Look, every time I go fishing I catch absolutely nothing. This has been going on for a while. What god have I offended? Or is it really true, as Kimmy claims, that I don’t really want to catch a fish anyway?

Bill Gates said silly things, calling us free culture creative commons folk communists. Now we are creative commies. Thanks for the meme, Bill. I’ve got a T-shirt on order.

I’ve got lots of new innovation going on in my work life. A couple of interesting new highly secret projects that might be really big one day :-) haha. We’ll see.

Apple are beating up on mac websites that publish rumours of upcoming products. The EFF jumps in to help the websites. Silly Apple.

Then Apple releases new products at Macworld. Gizmodo shows off a couple of cool fake Apple ads that are funny. Despite Apple’s litigious behaviour which deep in my creative commie heart I should punish them for, I immediately order an iPod shuffle.

New Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy radio series!

Chris Tann (thanks Chris!) alerted me that the BBC has just started playing a new series of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy radio plays.

They are currently playing on BBC Radio 4, and are also available online where you can listen to crisp high-quality episodes. However, the current episode is only available for a week, then it disappears.

Get your ears over to the BBC Hitchhiker’s site to listen and for more info.

Have a deLuxe Spring

My multi-talented and amazing partner Libby is guest DJ at Luxe Bar this Wednesday night.

Here’s what she says about the gig:

Come and celebrate the spring vibe…

I’m going to be a DJ for goodness sake, at the luscious Luxe bar, 446 Beaufort Street, Mount Lawley this Wednesday [29th Sept] (tomorrow eve) at 8pm.

Here’s a taste of some of the loving, grooving tunefuls and daggy hits that will be played for your wiggling pleasure.

Unashamedly fun and eclectic…

Crazy Penis
Michael Franti & Spearhead
The Cat Empire
Queen
Blur
Rolling Stones
Missy Elliott
Adam Ant
Basement Jaxx
Abba
ZZ Top
Faithless
Deeelite
Kruder & Dorfneister
Adbulah Ibrahim
Jimmy Little
Sweet Honey On The Rock
Iggy Pop
Velvet Underground
Edwin Collins
Backyard Dog
Grace Jones
KC & Sunshine
Salt n Peppa
OutKast
Tone Loc
The Strokes
Air
Bea Bea Primrose
Bjork
The Soggy Bottom Boys
The Police
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
The Strokes

Special prizes for:

the best air guitar or lip-synching/hairbrush wielding rendition of your favourite song

Plus a chance to (re)learn how to wiggle with a hula hoop to one of the classic hula hooping songs of this century (alright alright alright alright)

Yes it’s a mid-week thing and very late notice but really, don’t we always need more music and fun in our lives? Especially the parental units out there. Go on… Call up a dancing buddy and get on up - or just meet Gra and I (and maybe even Miss Bea) and a few others for a cocktail (or milkeshake in her case). Lifts home available for some of the Southern folk at various points during the evening.

Requests in advance welcome, or bring it along on CD or vinyl

With love and wiggles

Libby

So come along!!!! Hope to see you there.

Opera Revue, Friday 15th October

Our cool friends at Daisy Productions present…
 
The Opera Revue 

Peter Knapp (Bass baritone/ Presenter)
Sarah Sweeting (Mezzo soprano),
Tomasso Pollio (piano) and special guest
Penny Shaw (soprano).
 
“An evening of sheer delight!” The Evening Standard, London
 
Peter Knapp, opera singer, director and raconteur, invites you into his wonderful world of opera. Laugh at how it really is: the divas, the dramas and the unforeseen disasters. Listen to the loveliest singing as he joins with Prima Donna and pianist to bring you a sumptuous selection of operatic tunes. Look out as Carmen herself mingles amongst you and you find yourself being trained to join in an operatic chorus!
 
Peter Knapp trained in Italy and has sung all over the world. He bases the Revue on his many hilarious operatic experiences and in fact the idea for such a show first came to him whilst swinging from a chandelier as Don Giovanni.
 
“Peter Knapp is not only a fabulous singer, he is also a very funny man.” The Times, London
 
Dress Circle Bar, His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth
 
Friday 15th October, 7.30pm
 
Tickets $30 from BOCS ticketing 9484 1133

Change This

Change This [www.changethis.com] say they are on an important mission to change minds.

They present an ever expanding set of beautiful and convincing manifestos from diverse people about things the need to be changed in the world presented as beautiful PDF presentations.

Download a manifesto and enjoy. Or propose one of your own.

Transit of Venus 2004 - live webcast

The CSIRO is providing a Transit of Venus 2004 - live webcast which is starting about 1pm Perth time today 8th June.

Dunc Nuggets

Duncan Margetts, who I work with at Clipsal Integrated Systems, has just started a new blog called Dunc Nuggets.

Go Duncan!

Neat Wireless Backpack Repeater

See this neat wireless backpack repeater. Just amazing what people are doing with the Linksys WRT54G plus custom kernel.

(As seen on slashdot)

Condoleezza Rice Pudding with Berries of Mass Destruction

This is great:

The Amateur Gourmet: Is My Blog Burning?: Condoleezza Rice Pudding with Berries of Mass Destruction

(Thanks BoingBoing)

The Tongue Twister Database

Fabulous list of tongue twisters:

The Tongue Twister Database

New electronic weekly: New Matilda

Yesterday there was an announcement in the crikey.com.au daily email about a new electronic political weekly called New Matilda.

See the annoucement below, and please register for more information at: www.newmatilda.com.au

I really like the sound of what they stand for:

What we propose

A national, independent electronic political weekly newsletter that will
• Break news that is relevant to a more modern and generous spirited Australia.
• Professionally analyse events and issues. There is so much information, ‘but what does it mean’?
• Innovate policy. We will maintain a steady course on the big policy issues. For example, we will aim to develop a health policy for Australia. We will do this through public discussion in the newsletter.
• Create a constituency of change by nurturing the confidence and convictions of disaffected people, and re-engaging the discouraged,
Why we propose this newsletter

Existing media is predictable and tightly controlled. ‘Spin’ is corrupting public debate. Parochialism and fear are promoted. There is little policy innovation.

There is anger in the community over the leaching away of honesty, decency and ‘loss of soul’. That anger must be tempered with hope and channelled into action.

Electronic technology offers new opportunities. With internet, the centres of power are now less stable.

Our editorial position

Pluralist, liberal and relevant to a modern and more humane Australia.

Public life must be based on enduring values – truth and openness, respect for all, justice, fairness and human flourishing. We will not be value neutral.

Community and personal relationships and social cohesion are critical for a well functioning society.

Prosperity must have a social and moral purpose.

Australians have the right to fully participate in their institutions, eg political parties, business.

The excluded and disadvantaged will have a special place in our activities. Equal opportunity must be linked to personal responsibility.

Our international standing and pursuit of justice and peace depend not just on economic and military strength, but on the values we hold and project.

The response to terrorism must be based on international cooperation, intelligence and security, but also on the factors that provide a breeding ground for terrorism – injustice and poverty.

Who is the newsletter directed to?

People from all parties who feel disenfranchised by existing institutions, political parties and processes. Many are reluctant and disillusioned ALP voters. Others are moderate Liberal voters seeking a more caring response on such issues as reconciliation and refugees. Others again vote Green, Democrat or Independent.

We seek to draw together people with similar values. We will provide an inter-generational forum for new people with new ideas. Many are tired of the sermonising of the Left and the Right.

How we are proceeding

We have established a private company. The board is Hilary McPhee, Bill Gurry, Michael Henry, Rod Cameron, Susie Carleton, Lisa Bowman and John Menadue (Chair). The board has endorsed the business plan.

Supporters include John Button, Elizabeth Evatt, Lowitja O’Donoghue, John Clarke, Morry Schwartz, Robert Manne, Peter Redlich, Ian Macphee, Evan Thornley, Rebecca Huntley, Hugh Mackay, Michael Kelly, Peter Tyson, Graham Freudenberg, Julian Burnside, Stephen Duckett, Julianne Schultz, Eva Cox and Duncan Turpie.

We will shortly be appointing an editor, assistant editor (policy development) and business manager. A number of contributing editors will be appointed.

We will shortly issue an invitation to subscribe/donate. The estimated operating cost in the first full year is $380,000. We will initially raise $250,000 in shares and donations. We have pledges to date of over $220,000.

Our subscription target at the end of the second year, is 7,500 @ $50 per annum ($375,000). We will be seeking bulk subscriptions from government agencies, unions, corporations and professional firms. We plan to launch in July/August 2004.

www.newmatilda.com.au has been set up to register initial interest. We aim to have 2,500 on the register before launch. Will you help by registering your name. Could you also copy this email to interested friends.

Contact

New Matilda Pty Ltd, PO box 1025, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010

Donations: New Matilda Pty Ltd, Acct No.10152919, Commonwealth Bank, BSB 062258.

John.menadue [at] newmatilda.com.au

John Menadue

Chair 19 May 2004

Solve the cube

I never completely solved a Rubik’s cube. I got it to a point, thought with a characteristic smugness “I can do this” and then wandered off to do something else.

But look at this: JP Brown’s Serious LEGO CubeSolver. A beautiful piece of LEGO Mindstorm building plus some software that can solve the cube. Pop in the cube (after some necessary lubrication to make it turn easily) and off it goes.

(thanks Joi)