The collected works of ScottyB

The name for Microsoft’s new touch screen development. It could be a coffee table, a register, a catalogue, an interactive television, a military planner.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen technology that has really excited me, but I can stress the level of anticipation I had after watching this flick and reading the Popular Mechanics article.

The product behind the Milan project is called the Microsoft Surface, and the company’s unofficial Surface showman is Jeff Gattis.

…

Gattis took out a digital camera and placed it on the Surface. Instantly, digital pictures spilled out onto the tabletop. As Gattis touched and dragged each picture, it followed his fingers around the screen. Using two fingers, he pulled the corners of a photo and stretched it to a new size. Then, Gattis put a cellphone on the surface and dragged several photos to it — just like that, the pictures uploaded to the phone. It was like a magic trick. He was dragging and dropping virtual content to physical objects. I’m not often surprised by new technology, but I can honestly say I’d never seen anything like it.

Simply amazing.

I wonder who is sitting behind the scenes, imagining this stuff up. Where do ideas like this come from? Who figures out these fantastic ways of sharing data, synchronising information?

I really look forward to the day, 10-20 years hence when computers have evolved beyond the ‘box and screen’ setup we are presented with today.

Exciting times…

Link: Youtube - Microsoft Surface (Promotion)
Link: Popular Mechanics Article and Video Demonstration - Microsoft Surface

A beautiful Sunday, not a cloud in the sky. Crisp air and a warmth that belied the fact we are almost in Winter.

This was the Sunday past. Kate was in desperate need of more photos for her Uni assignment - and being the absolutely amazing boyfriend that I obviously am, I obliged to accompany her to Glenrock Lagoon again as her guide and chief photograph dude.

We arrived much earlier than our last afternoon visit, meaning we could explore much further and deeper into the forest. And wow - I’ve walked it before, but I forgot how truly amazing and dense the forest is down there.

Beginning along the pathway, we encountered a bunch of these little (or rather big) guys menacing our walk. The Bull Ant out and about on its evening food scavenge hunt.

And plenty of native flowers still blooming despite the proximity to Winter!

We made another quick visit to the falls…

And the view from the top of the falls to the walking track on the other side of the gully.

As you progress deeper, it feels immediately what I imagine the middle of a rainforest to be like. Dense forest at all sides and very little light seeping through the trees.

Hundreds of stairs take you down the side of the mountain…

Magnificent trees shoot up from the undergrowth and pierce the forest canopy.

Occasionally you encounter a tiny break in the canopy and the light falls to the ground - and the undergrowth goes wild. Ferns, vines and moss - bright, vivid greens as far as the eye can see.

Typically, the time just flew by. It was quickly getting dark, so once again, we had to abandon our trip into the deep. But we will return.

More stairs on the way out…

We decided to head out to Mereweather Beach for an ice cream and a walk (and more photos) before the Sunset.

As it was, we only just made it in time for the last light of the evening. And it was sooooo cold!

Footsteps..

My girl, looking mighty pleased with a fantastic day. And the last hint of light.

Living 20 minutes from was is literally thick rainforest - and 25 minutes from beautiful beaches.

I love Newcastle.

Well, its finally here. The TV was picked up today at lunch time.

40″ V SERIES KDL40V2000 HD BRAVIA LCD TV.. and wow.. this is how movies were meant to be watched!

Spent the afternoon moving all the DVD’s in there, the PS2 and the DVD player - and wiring everything up. Need some more speaker cable because the stuff I have wasn’t long enough to follow the walls and shelves to hide the speakers away (the front left and front right have to be moved outward and upward yet), so will have to pop out and get some tomorrow in my lunch break, but other than that, its pretty much set up!

Off to watch Sin City..

As far as tracks for the Formula One championship go, I would have to say, with little personal debate, that Spa Francorchamps and of course, Circuit de Monaco are among my absolute favourites.

When the F1 circus rolls into Monaco for the GP, anyone who follows the sport understands the importance of the event and the potential for a problematic, topsy-turvy race. Celebrities from far and wide come to watch the show. The rich appear in their million dollar supercars and hypercars. The opulence of personal watercraft and yaughts moor in the harbour. Its the one event of the F1 season that you look forward to, not just because of the potential for an amazing race, but also because of the incredible pre-GP build-up.

The new Friday Practice sessions with the extended format and no engine penalty make for exciting timing and viewing on the day. I’ve since been downloading the Friday Practices, simply because they are almost like mini-races in the way that they are run.

Alonso (and McLaren) looked the man (and team) to beat on Friday.

Saturday Practice (Session 3), with the added effect of rain this weekend, meant there was some fantastic shots to be had.

This time, it was Adrian Sutil in the Spyker, who amazingly set the fastest time in the final practice session.

Qualifying brought about some surprises, particularly the Kovalainen/Coulthard incident, which saw DC (some say unfairly) penalised for the final Qualifying session - and severely hindering his race start Sunday. It was Kimi Raikkonen, clipping the wall, rendering his suspension broken and forcing him to understeer and ‘park’ the car in Rascasse that would cause much drama in the second qualifying session. He wouldn’t bank a time and would be forced to start in 15th.

Fernando Alonso would again lead the pack with a stunning 1:15.726 lap to lock in the pole position. Marking McLaren’s (and Fernando’s) first pole position of the season. He also clocked the fastest time of the Qualifying session in Q2 with a 1:15.431.

Thanks to Kate’s input too, my Wildcard guess for the M2 F1 guessing game was solidified as Felipe Massa. And wouldn’t you know it. Massa came in 3rd - my first correct Wildcard of the season.

Awesome.

An all McLaren front row. And rain is forecast for tonight’s race, meaning only one thing - unpredictability.

Bring it on.

Not in the literal sense. I’m referring to the feeling of falling off ladders, or down stairs, or tripping etc.. right as you are about to drift off to sleep!

According to Mayo Clinic, apparently almost 70 percent of people experience this phenomenon, or have experienced it at some point just after drifting off to sleep.

This muscle twitch is known as a hypnagogic myoclonic twitch or “Hypnic jerk”.

“Most experts agree that this is a natural part of the sleeping process, much like slower breathing and a reduced heartbeat. The occurance is well known and has been well documented. However, experts are still not completely sure why the body does this.

The general consensus among researchers is that, as your muscles begin to slack and go into a restful state just as you are falling asleep; your brain senses these relaxation signals and misinterprets them, thinking you are falling down. The brain then sends signals to the muscles in your arms and legs in an attempt to jerk you back upright. This misinterpretation that takes place in your brain may also be responsible for the “falling” dreams that accompany the falling sensation. These “dreams” are not really normal dreams, as they are not produced from R.E.M sleep, but rather more like a daydream or hallucination in response to the body’s sensations.”

Last night while I was lying on the bed watching The Prestige, I found myself nodding off. I was picturing working on the new room. I was up on the ladder, the long sheet of board for the top shelf in my hands, suspended above my head. I was carefully balanced on the ladder when suddenly, taking the next step up, I realised there wasn’t in fact a step there. And I was jerked violently out of my sleep.

Kate, who was at the time next to me, found this incredibly funny.

I did not see into this humour, but was quite amused when she fell off the bed laughing.

Strange sensation

Links: That Strange Falling Sensation

On Saturday, I completed the shelving unit in the new room and with the help of my Father, painted the complete unit!

Once the paint dries, ready for moving in.

I went out and priced up a new TV today - and ended up getting an extremely good deal on a 40″ Sony Bravia LCD… awesome television. The picture quality looks sensational. Put a deposit down today and will probably pick it up tomorrow! Eeeeeee, so excited!!

Just have to get a sound system now. Seeing as I’ll eventually be tying the whole unit in with a new computer, I’ve decided on sticking with Logitech - and the latest Z-5500 (505w RMS) has both the provision for computer connections as well as DVD/TV. Still searching around for a stockist and prices though..

Nothing more to report for the time being - updates tomorrow though for sure!

Links: The Other Room - Phase 1
Links: The Other Room - Phase 2

Chuck.

I have no idea who Chuck is, or how Jessica Alba acting sexy with a melted ice cream has anything to do with the film, but its bound to do well isn’t it?

It is pretty rare these days that a film slips past my radar - but I’ve not heard a word about Good Luck Chuck (2007) - at least until this evening. It would seem that the posters (the other two shown below) have created all kinds of a stir.

Apparently, these three posters are morally repugnant. Okay, so they may insinuate something just a little bit phallic, a little bit rude maybe - but geez - surely that’s a product of the corrupt mind viewing it? (and yes, for the record, I am including myself in the afore mentioned ‘corruption’ :P)… I don’t know, just seems a little crazy, people getting worked up about some posters for a movie most people probably haven’t even heard of. Cast your mind back to the posters of Hostel II that were deemed too ‘graphic’ for publication - and then the ‘Captivity’ posters, picturing Elisha Cuthbert pressed against glass (presumably) under dirt.. banned too. And I’m still not sure why.

Where does it end really…?

…

Tonight I scored myself a new office chair to go in the new room. It’s Burgundy (cue the Anchorman jokes) and goes quite well with the lounge and the second ottoman.

Box opened…

And after some masterful and magical construction, comparable to something from David Copperfield’s stage shows, the chair was completed. No more than 5 minutes from unpacking to being able to sit down. No screwdriver required - just an (included) Allen key and 6 screws. No swearing or cursing. Just a simple clip and turn job.

Fantastic.

Zodiac (2007)

Went and saw this last night.

“A serial killer in the San Francisco Bay Area taunts police with his letters and cryptic messages. We follow the investigators and reporters in this lightly fictionalized account of the true 1970’s case as they search for the murderer, becoming obsessed with the case. Based on Robert Graysmith’s book, the movie’s focus is the lives and careers of the detectives and newspaper people.”

Most of us know at least a little background on the 1969- Zodiac killings and those that know it well, are aware that the case still remains officially unsolved, so you really go into this film expecting an open ending. From the outset, I knew this wasn’t going to be a bloodbath followed by the good-guy taking victory type flick.

At 158 min this isn’t one I’d recommend beginning to view at ~9:15 on a work night. I however, didn’t realise the films running time and ended up quite tired by the conclusion.

That said, it wasn’t a boring film - far from it - just a long one.

The actors are great, Gyllenhaal is his usual quirky, brilliant self and Downey Jr. is fantastic - both as comic relief and as the ‘off the rails’ persona. There are plenty of supporting roles and familiar faces to complete the line-up.

It is a dark and gloomy look into the world of a detective and the interpretations of evidence.

One I look forward to watching earlier in the evening on DVD

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?

Why is it that no matter what colour bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

Why ask why?

I’ve found myself asking myself (that was very Austin Powers wasn’t it) why quite a lot lately. Why has my car insurance gone up when, this year, I’ve now earned and hold a full, lifetime no-claims bonus? Why does a new printer cost $49 when the replacement ink cartridges cost $65? Why can’t I buy a plain and simple Nokia mobile phone with bluetooth without having to get tied into a 24 month plan I don’t need? Why is the great Australian dream of owning your own home getting so much more difficult to achieve?

There are more whys - but at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I really can’t list them all. Somewhere along the way the World lost the plot a little I think. And since then we’ve been forever trying to catch up.

‘Officially’ today is Kate and I’s six months anniversary!

Back in November we got together again after her stay overseas and have been going strong ever since.

Someone to share sunsets with, someone to hold hands with, someone to go to the cinema with, someone to take a walk with, someone to snuggle up to on the cold nights with, someone to love.

Happy 6 months, Katie x

Almost anyone who has spent any time playing the RTS genre on PC will know about Starcraft. Still touted, 10 years on, as probably the greatest game of its class. It spawned countless ‘clones’ and paved the way for games of its type. It is still played - some might say religiously - by people all over the World and undoubtedly its probably also the most balanced of the RTS games - proven statistically.

Blizzard’s space-based RTS was a success of the highest magnitude. They went on to revolutionise the MMORPG with World of Warcraft too - it could be said that everything Blizzard touches turns to gold. And when you look at the revenue generated by WoW, its probably not far from the truth.

I used to play Starcraft - not professionally - or religiously - but I respected it as a very fun game to play at LAN days and when staying over at mates’ houses. It’s single-player campaign was awesome and the multiplayer capacity was even better. It was one of those games you could play for hours without realising it.

Somewhere along the line, I stopped. Moved onto the next thing I guess. Which at the time was probably Blizzard’s medieval RPG, Diablo II. Or maybe it was something else entirely, I can’t even remember now, it really was many years ago.

In fact, it wasn’t until last night that the Starcraft title had again graced the unusual highways of my mind.

Blizzard have announced a sequel to the original.

I generally don’t get excited about games anymore. Don’t have as much time as I used to and I certainly don’t have the dedication to ‘get good’ like I used to.. so I’ll play, I’ll suck and generally uninstall. Its only the racing games, which I can still enjoy and be good at that seem to stick around - and its easy to have a quick 5-lap race to quell the gamers need left inside me.

But somehow, the announcement of Starcraft II did something to me. I felt this little pang of excitement inside. I remember it too - it was a familiar feeling, even though I’d not experienced it for probably more than 7 years. It was the feeling of waiting in line to pick up a copy of the new game you’d pre-ordered 12 months ago, or that buzz you received when you got it home, unwrapped the clear packing and watched the artwork of install screens.

The story of Starcraft always captivated me as a kid - it was one of those stories that you could imagine on the big screen and in books and becoming the next fan-followed cult. So if the sequel manages to be any match for its predecessor, the gaming community is in for a big thing.

If there’s anything that can pull the old gamer out of me, Starcraft II would have to be it.

Source: Starcraft2.com

As some of you will know, Obsession was off to the doctor’s office today for her check-up (primarily a pink slip - which ironically, isn’t pink anymore). I couldn’t organise a lift to or from work, so it was up to Klosters BMW to provide me with a suitable means of transport after drop-off and for pick-up.

This was accomplished with a BMW 120d.

Immediately, some of you will be saying ‘Diesel?! Pah!’. While others may be going ‘Oooohh, I say!’ and taking another sip of your tea. There are probably other responses, but due to sheer tiredness and what could easily be an endless myriad of options, I won’t go into other possibilities.

Rob led me outside to give me the once over on ‘operation’ of the 1-series diesel.

There is no ‘key’ per se for the 120d. Just a little plastic fob with the usual lock/unlock/boot controls on it. It’s basically a fancy rectangle of plastic. Insert it into the dash however and suddenly this feels like a much more special piece of plastic. The lights on the dash flare up, the radio starts. Press the brake pedal slightly, tap the ‘Engine Start/Stop’ button above the fob slot, and the engine booms into life.

Very ‘jet fighter pilot’.

Its a gutsy little engine especially down low (as expected of a diesel) and mighty quick off the line. Great for getting away at roundabouts and fast-moving intersections. 330Nm of torque - and it feels like it too. It really is a great town car and I can see the merits as a daily commuter with a good fuel consumption too.

On the topic of roundabouts though, I have to admit to it feeling very go-kart like. It was incredibly poised, balanced and flat through the corners; quite an impressive level of feedback from what is essentially a spacious four-door mini-MPV.

I’m not completely convinced on the styling however. It’s a pretty car, sure, but not a beautiful car.

But then the post-Bangle-era BMW’s are always going to raise that debate. And beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

It still managed to raise a smile when I got out - and at the end of the day - that’s really all I’m looking for at this stage of life!

…

The new new MINI.

When I went to pick up Obsession this afternoon, prior to taking her home, I was thrown the keys to a brand new ‘Mellow Yellow’, Black roofed, R56 Cooper S.

Immediately the colour stirred something deep down inside. The yellow.. the black.. decidedly… ‘bee’. Bumble Bee. Hmmmm.. Bumble Hill. One of the greatest hills known to MINI-owners. The hill that will go town in time as the hill. And this time around, they’ve really got the yellow right. It’s a deep, high contrast yellow that looks quite sensational - and definitely turns a few heads where it goes.

Like the 120d, the new MINI has the ‘fob in the slot, push the engine start’ setup, so I was experienced in its operation by now - but it didn’t nullify the coolness at all. Its very special.

The interior is somehow even wackier that the previous generation. Its gone from retro to downright futuristic. I’d seen pictures of the car and the new details before, particularly the interior and quite liked it, but the full effect of the changes really can only be realised when sitting inside the car. The attention to detail is great and the position of everything is refined and neat. Some have said its too cluttered, but I think its in the MINI spirit, they’ve kept the soul alive.

Out driving and immediately the extra power down-low is noticeable. It has more get-up-and-go than its Supercharged cousin, but that Turbocharged sprinter glory comes at the cost of that fantastic supercharger whine. A minor detail sure - and probably a mere change for the added benefit you receive - but I would certainly miss that noise.

All over, the car feels great. Its still tight, balanced and the build quality feels the same. Its still a solid little go-kart with a huge heart. Its still a MINI.

I didn’t have the chance to really give it a squirt and the performance through the corners can’t really be compared to my daily driver, as the conventional tyres and front strut brace give it a very different feel to a stock car anyway, so although the R56 I drove today felt a little softer than my car, its probably marginal taking into account the afore mentioned factors.

My only annoyances were; firstly, the foot rest beside the clutch pedal. It seems to high and too close to the clutch pedal in the R56. More like a fourth pedal than a foot rest. I managed to plug the ‘rest a few times while changing gears. I’m sure you’d get used to the positioning though - and even by the end of the drive I had adjusted. And secondly, the speedo now being in the centre of the dash (where the tacho used to be). I found myself looking down (initially for the revs and then for the speed) quite often. Again though, one of those things you’d adjust to - and pretty quickly I imagine.

Other than that, I really can’t fault it - its a great car. I love the MINI.

They faced a big task when they set out to redesign the new face of the new MINI. And I think they have succeeded exceptionally.

The work on the other room continued today. Those of you making regular visits to my blog will remember Phase 1, which was - simply - the installation of a lounge.

Yesterday I got off my butt and purchased a new corner desk, a TV stand and a pair of ottomans to go with the lounge. All from Fantastic Furniture. And all for a steal - at $228 for the lot. The new room was off to a good (and very reasonably priced) start!

In the evening I assembled the desk and TV stand (the latter with a bit of Katie’s help) and got the ottomans into position.

Don’t take too much notice of the pillows, I’ll be sourcing some coloured ones to suit the ottomans.

This morning I disassembled the old shelving unit and the uprights holding the top shelves up so I could fit the 2200 wide TV stand into the floor of the old wardrobe.

Realising that the upright had more holes in it than swiss cheese - and generally just looked pretty shabby, I went off to source some better timber.

Sitting down at lunchtime, I got the desk into position and set it up with some models and dioramas from my room. Already its starting to look less cluttered in there!

Eventually, the 17″ Benq LCD monitor and the server will sit at that desk so I can put another gaming/cruncher rig in the bedroom. That way the server can run 24/7 in there without disturbing me in the bedroom. Gotta run some network cable through the wall next weekend so it can all be hooked up.

I was lucky to find some spare (and virtually brand new) timber laying around at one of my parents’ friends place, so I snapped up whatever I could use and brought it home.

Deciding it was going to be aesthetically better to drop the depth of the upright back to compliment the DVD shelving, I resigned myself to the underhouse with the powertools to strip/cut, saw and plane the new jigsaw puzzle that would eventually be the shelving unit. Thanks to my Dad for lending a hand at the tricky stuff!

About half-three and a trip to Mac’s hardware for some shelving tacks and the first DVD shelves were set.

Because I have a ridiculously large DVD collection, those shelves aren’t going to be enough, so the main shelf above is being divided into two length ways and the right-hand side will act as a second set of shelves. That’s a pretty bad description, hope it makes sense - but it will become a reality when I have time next weekend.

Looking good…

Links: The Other Room - Phase 1

Kate and I made the trip out to Glenrock Lagoon in the afternoon.

It is a massive journey, across mountains, over rivers wide, through great plains and past vast plateaus. We would see sunrises and sunsets, the World changing before us. And it would move along without us too. Times would change while we made the massive pilgrimage to the green land. Okay, so this is a slight exaggeration. We arrived in twenty-odd minutes.

Just how I remember it basically. It has been a while since I’ve taken a trip out there for a walk - and last time getting lost - but I was glad to see that the forest remained largely unchanged and untouched. We didn’t have much time before the Sun went down to explore, so I took us along the Flaggy Creek walk and out past the falls.

The journey begins at the carpark and the huge suspended walkway that takes you curling into the thick forest…

Big red gums and luscious greens lining the pathways.

The Sun making an appearance through the trees. Already it was starting to get cold. We couldn’t spend too much time walking towards the beach as once that Sun disappears behind the hills, there’s very little light to see you back to the carpark. The forest is incredibly dark by about 5pm now and I definitely didn’t want to leave it that late to make a move.

We reached Flaggy Creek in good time. There was a lot of rain on Friday, so luckily we got to see a good flow through the falls. The first stop at the little catchment saw plenty of water running quickly down the rock steps. Loads of bright green moss on the rocks too.

The falls, a decent amount of water running through them, were our next stop. I’ve seen them running heavier than they were on Saturday, but after much more rain. We only had a days rain to fuel the falls this time around.

The pre-falls too, before you reach the main falls were running strong.

And I convinced Kate to confront her fear of heights and sit on the edge for our next photos. After much screaming and plenty of disagreement, she finally took up a spot on the edge while I walked as far as I could to the cliff and snapped some more shots with the falls in the foreground.

After that, we made a quick walk back to the car and took a drive into town to see the sun set at Nobby’s Lighthouse.

All in all, a fantastic day.

Saturday, before Glenrock Lagoon, I managed to get some photos of the elusive - and usually camera unfriendly - Simba.

Simba the Abyssinian is much more at home prowling around the garden and I think these photos are a much better compliment to his personality.

I was early to Kate’s place and while I waited, I was surprised by Simba who jumped out of the bushes, who did a good job of almost making me soil my pants. After being informed that Kate was a good while away, I put the camera sitting in the car to some use and got the little tiger-cat to pose for a few.

Followed him around the yard - and surprisingly, he was quite clingy! Every time I squat down to get some close-ups or different angles, he ran over and started rubbing up against me or expecting fussings! I also learned that unlike dogs, you can’t ask a cat to ‘Sit!’. Well at least not this cat

… *Wink* …

Waiting for everyone to come home too…

And the last couple from the driveway!

Kate arrived home and it was off to Glenrock Lagoon…

Internet connection speed to be more precise.

I often wonder what it must be like for these people with access to ADSL2+, sitting there in Sydney with a big smile on their face as their file downloads in a matter of seconds.

I am currently uploading some updates to the company website. Via FTP. At a blistering 22kb/s. Only 17 minutes to go. This is the work connection. Not terrible - 1.5mbps down and 256k up. Not brilliant to some of you posting from the UK.. or the US. But pretty good by Australian standards.

The situation at home however, is even worse. A 512/128 ADSL connection awaits me there and while it is completely unlimited and un-throttled regardless of how much I download, it is simply too slow for modern download (and upload) requirements.

On Saturday I began downloading a pack of photos from the 2007 F1 Bahrain GP. It finished in the wee hours of Sunday morning. On Tuesday I begun downloading a video of the race. It finished this morning.

And my uploading situation is even worse. 12-13kb/s up - if I’m lucky.

ADSL2+ isn’t available in my area. There are no plans to bring it to my area at the moment either, so the immediate future looks bleak. My only option is to upgrade to a 8000/384~ base ADSL plan - with a ‘theoretical’ 8mbps top speed and ‘circa’ 384k upload.

I just love how its all ‘well you might get that.. but you might not.. in fact, it may be no better than what you have now’. You can just imagine them selling cars the same way can’t you?

‘Well it may get you home, but we can’t guarantee it. It might be faster and more reliable than your current car, but it could be slower and less reliable too. Theoretically its a good car, but we can’t warrant that. We’ll charge you more for it, but really it might not make a difference and you could be better off sticking with what you’ve got at least for another couple years. Sign on the dotted line here. Thank you’.

Sometimes I wonder if Australia will ever catch up to other Countries’ infrastructure. If I have to read another thread about someone in America downloading their file at 868kb/s and having the next Joe come along and tell him that’s slow, his is downloading at 1,322kb/s.. I think I’ll scream. Or move.

I love the World of technology and telecommunications. Its always so full of surprises!

Last night we went and saw The Number 23, Jim Carrey’s latest flick.

I had read a bit of background on this film before seeing it, including mixed reviews at the usual review sites, but I have to say - as usual - the majority of the reviews were wrong.

This has to be one of the most underrated films of all time.

While many have commented that the Drama/Mystery/Thriller genres aren’t Carrey’s playground, after seeing 23 I’d have to completely disagree. He slipped into the role of Walter Sparrow perfectly. He is so versatile you’d hardly be able to connect him with the funny man of Ace Ventura or Mask.

Its a dark film, but the sequences in between are done with such style and flair, it almost feels ‘comic book’ in its presentation sometimes, like a take from Sin City - particularly when Suicide Blonde and Fabrizia are on the scene.

The dialogue is smooth, the acting is slick. The sets are fantastically stylish. And right there is where I move on to the most incredible bit of the film. The references to the number 23.

Everything I saw referenced back to 23.

The numberplate on his car, 906 8HT (9+6+0+8), the number of Walter Sparrow’s footlocker; 87305 (8+7+3+0+5), standing on the street between numbers 11 and 12. The address of the bookstore (599), the number across from Suicide Blondes apartment (959), Walter’s room at the asylum (318 or 31-8), the PO Box that they mail the boxes to (977).

You become almost as obsessed with finding the number everywhere as Carrey does. Even after leaving the cinema I was finding 23 everywhere. $22.99 on a price tag out front of Woolworths, the clock in the car read 12:23. The volume in the car set to 23.

It is an awesome subconscious element of the film that makes this one just a little more special.

Some great quotes written into this film also.

“It’s so absurd, even the colour of his tie betrays him.”

“There’s no such thing as destiny. There are only different choices. Some choices are easy, some aren’t. Those are the really important ones, the ones that define us as people.”

It’s not often we see films like this any more and that really is quite a shame.

I want to give it a 9 out of 10, but somehow 6 (2 x 3) seems to suit it better.

Change is a good thing.

I’ve never questioned change, though I have to admit sometimes to not embracing it immediately. Change can be a great many things. Some of which we do without noticing, some require more effort to change, while others, the changes that are made for us are the least favourable and often the most despised and feared.

Much of my life is made up of a bunch of meaningless, but welcome changes.

Its the little things we change on a daily basis. In fact, this entire entry was spawned when I found myself changing my computer wallpaper again. Something I do very regularly. Sometimes on a week-to-week basis. Sometimes even more often.

I change signatures I use on forums, avatars, favourite quotes, colour options, layout settings. Its not that I’m never happy with my decisions, far from it - rather I prefer that fresh feeling you get when you change something small. Like it has a bearing on your life because it refreshes the daily monotonies of life. Maybe its because I have numerous interests and hobbies. One morning I feel in the Comic Book mood. So I change accordingly. Other mornings, I hop in the MINI and am suddenly keen for a good drive. So my computer wallpaper changes accordingly. I may see a gorgeous exotic supercar drive by. Cue another change. Something I read might spark my interest in the World. A photo on National Geographic. My mood defines my change.

Others require more effort. Changing my job for instance. I know I can’t be here forever. I can’t stay in a small company with nowhere to move in an industry that looks for people with the ‘team player’ status attached to their resume. I’m too loyal to the company that gave me my first big break. In a way, rightly so. But I can’t stay in the same position on the same wage and watch idly by as the dream of owning a home gets harder and harder to realise. But I can’t make the move into the unknown just yet. And I don’t know why.

Its a tough cycle.

I don’t know what’s going on here today, but the office is being swarmed by tiny black bugs.

I think they are gnats, but my degree in Entomology was downloaded from the Internet, (along with the Degree of Rocket Science, Neurosurgery and Quantum Mechanics) so I can’t be completely sure that they are indeed, gnats.

Whatever the subclass these little heathens belong to is irrelevant anyway; All that matters in this blog entry is their bearing on my life and the utter dismay they are causing me. Interrupting my ability to work in a closed, secure environment without being disturbed.

Every minute or so, one of these little blighters flies around my desk, hovers in front of the screen or attempts to land in my eye. So I madly swipe at the air in front of me in a vain attempt to get another 30 seconds of peace before the next intrusion.

I imagine to the casual onlooker, I would look like a crazy person swatting the non-existent rays that are trying to read his mind. I can just see me, two years from now, running down the street in my underwear, cursing the Government for its gnat conspiracies. Perhaps they were sent here to spy on me. Maybe they are not gnats at all. Maybe they are ingenious pieces of microscopic insect look-alike technology; armed with spy cameras and tiny sound recorders, monitoring my every move. Informing Big Brother (the Government, not the garbage reality TV show) of my whereabouts and researching my plans for World Domination and the global eradication of Asparagus.

Or perhaps they are just gnats. Looking for a warm, damp place to set up camp. Give birth to a few million babies.

They need to be informed that my eyes are not such a place. Nor is the desk, or my sandwich for that matter.

I love a foggy morning. A real foggy morning is a rare occurrence here, so the odd occasions you wake up to a thick, heavy blanket of fog, its an event that you just can’t let pass. You have to admire it, even if only for a minute, tell someone how cool it looks, take a picture to remind you.

The last time I can remember a morning as foggy as this morning, was back in 2004. Not long after I’d picked up the MINI in fact, so I was taking photos of the car in front of everything back then. Any ol’ excuse to snap another happy-shot of the MINI. That morning however, was special.

The car looked like it was sitting on the edge of the Earth. A void of white cloud enveloping it, cloaking it. Lake Macquarie had disappeared that morning, engulfed in a wash of heavy fog you could almost feel weighing down on you. Visibility wasn’t more than about ten metres and from where I had parked, it felt like I was enclosed in a solitary white room with no doors. No sounds to speak of. Just the white and the silence.

I imagine a claustrophobic wouldn’t enjoy fog. It is close and it can be intense. I think that’s what I love about it.

When I woke up today, I noticed the filtered light working its way through the glass bricks of the bathroom. The unmistakable soft white of a foggy morning. Immediately, before even looking outside, I knew to grab my camera.

While it was almost 8am and the Sun had begun to lift the giant cloud that had sunk over the City, its effect was still incredible. We are pretty high up and still here the fog was dense, filtering the Sunlight like a curtain had been draped across the sky.

Our new backyard friend, Cocky the Cockatoo, was out and about as usual waiting for his morning feed, seemingly not bothered by the lack of visibility which usually has other birds hiding away.

I left for work a little earlier than usual this morning. I knew for the fog to be as thick as it was here, it would be like a bath of milk down by the Lake.

While it was not as impressive as it was back in 2004, it had still managed to hide the entire Lake from view.

Just the shoreline visible from the usual boat ramp photo spot. Usually a gorgeous sight, a panoramic 270° view of the Lake and the hills in the background all the way out to Mt. Sugarloaf was replaced with an alabaster glow.

For once, the car was clean when I wanted to take spur-of-the-moment photos.

Foggy mornings are the best.

I only wish I had more time (or had woken up earlier) to get out and about and shoot them.