tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23233392359139017682024-02-20T02:02:29.841+11:00Edward Boyce's BlogDarlingEdwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-67008201781588325912011-03-20T17:40:00.005+11:002011-03-20T17:48:58.548+11:00Very Elizabeth BayI'm gradually exploring the trendy cafes around my new neighbourhood, Potts Point and Elizabeth Bay. This morning I bought a coffee from a place with a display of some intriguing reed and straw sculptures, along with a biography of the artist, Diablo Mode. I was amused by the following line: "In 2004, he was the only male in the first major overview of Basketry in Australia."Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-9945409454761312152011-01-03T19:50:00.002+11:002011-01-03T19:55:16.237+11:00Joining TwitterI've decided to continue this "2011 Lessons" theme, but on a Twitter account. If you're interested, <a href="http://twitter.com/lesson2011">here</a> it is.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-63561691109267931802011-01-02T18:54:00.001+11:002011-01-02T18:55:24.390+11:002011 Lessons #1Don't meditate right after listening to the Top 40.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-5404763076521010752010-08-22T11:37:00.004+10:002010-08-22T17:22:17.658+10:00Election ReflectionsI found two things fascinating last night - the speeches from the major party leaders, and the goals of the rural independents.<br /><br />Gillard started out by congratulating the independent and Green MPs who now hold the balance of power. She named all 5 of them individually and expressed a desire to work with them. Gillard had immediately shifted into negotiating mode, flattering the independents and seeming to relish the backroom dealing that lies ahead. <br /><br />By contrast, Abbott began by celebrating the swing to the Liberal Party and thanking the voters for their support. Only right at the end did he briefly mention the independent and Green members, and he didn't utter any of their names. Clearly Abbott wanted to keep campaigning as long as he could.<br /><br />All of the independent MPs were interviewed by phone,* with both Windsor and Oakeshott naming "stable government" as their top priority. The use of the exact same phrase indicated they had spoken and established a common goal, but at the time I couldn't work out what exactly they meant. This morning it hit me - the three rural independents (Windsor, Oakeshott & Katter) will negotiate for fixed parliamentary terms. They'll promise to support a minority government for the full 3 years, in return for the PM promising to call the next election in August 2013, along with a referendum on fixed terms. Windsor made exactly that deal in a similar situation, after the 1991 NSW state election, and he'll try to do it again. It will allow the independents to hold the balance of power for the maximum possible time, and either major party will take any chance to be in government rather than in opposition for the next three years.<br /><br />Getting ahead of myself here, but fixing the electoral cycle in its current state would make for an interesting dynamic. For this election the new House of Reps will take over in September / October and the new Senate will take over next July. A fixed term deal could set that arrangement in stone, meaning that every election would be followed by 9 months of a lame duck Senate.<br /><br />*Nobody sent a camera crew to film the new kingmakers! I didn't see a hung parliament coming; it's some comfort that the TV networks were equally blindsided.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-32953478639484855122010-07-25T21:22:00.005+10:002010-07-25T21:46:31.723+10:00Sexist Observation on the Election Debate ...... but relating to the listeners rather than the speakers.<br /><br />I tuned in to the Channel 9 footage of the debate, so I could watch the "worm." This is a line graph scrolling across the bottom of the screen, showing the real time responses of a studio audience, either favourable or unfavourable. A total gimmick, but so was everything Gillard and Abbott said.<br /><br />As an added wrinkle this year, there were separate worms for female and male opinions. The two genders mostly agreed, but the women reacted more quickly. In response to a popular or unpopular statement, the female line jumped up or down within seconds, while the male line trended in the same direction over half a minute.<br /><br />I'm not sure what that means. Are women more volatile and less reflective? Are men too lazy to press a button on an audience reaction meter?Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-86854194660737063352010-06-10T22:06:00.006+10:002010-07-25T21:48:01.496+10:00Football World Cup PredictionsI've got a feeling the African teams will do well, much like the Asian teams in Japan/Korea 2002. Also, I can't help thinking that Australia's team was at its best 4 years ago.<br /><br />So those predictions were pretty vague. Time for some detailed programmatic specificity, so that I can be proven wrong in a month's time.<br /><br />Champion: Argentina (they'll be too scared of their coach's reaction not to win)<br />Runner-up: Netherlands<br />Losing semi-finalists: Cameroon, England<br /><br />Group A qualifiers: Mexico, France<br />Group B qualifiers: Argentina, South Korea<br />Group C qualifiers: England, United States<br />Group D qualifiers: Germany, Ghana <br />Group E qualifiers: Netherlands, Cameroon<br />Group F qualifiers: Italy, Slovakia<br />Group G qualifiers: Brazil, Côte d'Ivoire<br />Group H qualifiers: Spain, ChileEdwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-70160538791631088962010-05-02T21:19:00.007+10:002010-05-02T22:20:35.407+10:00Unsafe as HousesI've been reading a bit about the Henry review of Australia's taxation system, and I'm disappointed that it didn't eliminate the tax break on investment property. That would have been a great way to let some air out of our housing bubble, which has been one of the few around the world not to burst. Prices haven't declined much lately and the <a href="http://www.economist.com/business-finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15911113">price to rent ratio</a> is 56% above its long-run average. It's like Australia got the one empty barrel in a game of Russian roulette, but our luck can't hold out forever.<br /><br />I know quite a few friends who borrowed to buy a second property, then rented it out to pay the mortgage. The tax incentive plays a big part in this - mortgage payments on investment properties are tax deductible. Most of their money is tied up in a leveraged, illiquid investment, with the potential to cause trouble in a severe recession. They could easily lose their tenant, see the property value decline below the mortgage value, and be stuck in a situation where they can't cover the repayments, or get out from under the mortgage by selling.<br /><br />I think people under 35 are particularly at risk here, because we were children or adolescents during Australia's last major recession in the early 1990s. We just haven't experienced widespread sackings and the chaos that follows. It's quite possible that Australia's boom will last another 5 or 10 years, but that's only going to make the bursting of the bubble more painful when it happens.<br /><br />While borrowing to buy your own house brings advantages besides just accumulating capital, borrowing to buy additional houses or flats is pure property speculation. It's a pity that our tax system will continue to encourage it.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-50583539494833210512010-04-26T18:04:00.006+10:002010-04-27T07:07:37.868+10:00One Last Day of SummerI managed to see a world championship sporting event today - for free and by accident! <br /><br />It started with a warm, sunny holiday Monday. This prompted me to cycle to Dee Why, although I cheated a bit by taking the Manly ferry and bypassing the steep hills of the lower north shore. The northern beaches aren't flat either, but riding from Manly to Dee Why was a pretty trip and a bit of an exploration. I had just enough energy for a brief swim - the water was surprisingly warm, and the waves were a good size. <br /><br />Then I was able to watch one of the contests on the women's world championship surfing tour, which was taking place a little further along the beach. It was particularly impressive to watch the athletes gliding and turning over the waves, after I'd just spent twenty minutes wimping out and diving under all of them. There was a crowd of a few thousand enjoying the surfing, as well as a food festival and a band.<br /><br />One other amusing part of the day is that I simultaneously have salty surf hair and squished helmet hair.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-46248899302380820172010-04-24T18:38:00.006+10:002010-04-25T17:08:01.903+10:00Worst Anti-Drug Ad EverI just heard a radio ad aiming to discourage cannabis use. It had a male voice talking about how he had been a good swimmer, but then threw it all away because of weed. It finished up with the line "If it wasn't for marijuana, I could have been, you know, famous or something."<br /><br />Now there might be good reasons to avoid marijuana, but saying it will ruin your swimming career is a pretty poor argument. Surely even the potheads remember Michael Phelps' 14 Olympic gold medals, and also his famous bong photos?Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-5281818328040571412010-03-20T13:00:00.005+11:002010-03-21T01:13:11.387+11:00Putney PuntingI've gone on a fair few cycling expeditions this summer, taking advantage of all my spare time. Maybe it was the perfect weather, or feeling a bit loopy after not sleeping well the previous night, but I decided to go on a last long ride before starting work on Monday. So I made a circuit that included the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putney_Punt">Putney Punt</a>.<br /><br />It's a real anachronism - a little cable ferry that carries up to 15 cars across the Parramatta River between Mortlake and Putney. It became totally redundant when the six-lane Gladesville Bridge opened in 1964, only a couple of kilometres downstream, but some sort of heritage order keeps the ferry running. It's even toll-free!<br /><br />I first cycled to the north side of the river by way of Drummoyne and the Gladesville Bridge, and then made my way across to the ferry's embarkation point. I forgot to bring any sort of map, and received rather vague directions when I asked in Putney, but was lucky enough to find the right headland on my first try. I even had a few minutes to wait for the ferry to leave, and watch a pelican circling overhead.<br /><br />There was another wildlife moment as I rode home along the shore of Exile Bay. I passed a cormorant swimming almost submerged, with only its head poking out of the water. Then a large fish, about the size of a big carp, leapt out of the water for a second or two. It was as if the birds and the fishes wanted to challenge my ideas about their natural elements!Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-22773691386500958702010-03-10T15:29:00.005+11:002010-03-10T16:07:46.771+11:00Bill Impresses Me All Over AgainI've been reading "The Merchant of Venice" this week, the first time I've read Shakespeare in a while. What really struck home was the way he scatters brilliant asides - clever lines that aren't strictly necessary, but give the audience something to consider in addition to the main plot and themes. <br /><br />Here are a few examples, just from the first half of one play:<br />"I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done, than be one of the twenty to follow mine own teaching." I, ii, 16-19<br />"I like not fair terms and a villain's mind." I, iii, 81<br />"... For lovers ever run before the clock." II, vi, 4<br />"All things that are, are with more spirit chased than enjoy'd." II, vi, 12-13<br />"... I fear you do speak upon the rack, Where men enforced do speak anything." III, ii, 32-33<br /><br />Other drama sometimes manages this trick, but often the words of wisdom are culturally specific (e.g. "... don't make fun of grad students, they just made a terrible life choice," from The Simpsons). Shakespeare's insights are much more universal.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-62820882243689699512010-01-30T22:06:00.006+11:002010-01-30T23:07:23.537+11:00Climate Change OptimismI just came across <a href="http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-vine/the-real-action-climate-policy-the-states">the most hopeful article</a> I've read on climate change for ages.<br /><br />The one paragraph summary is that there is already a limited cap and trade program involving ten states on the east coast of the U.S. Another seven states in the western U.S. are negotiating to set up their own separate cap and trade program by 2015 (along with four Canadian provinces). At that stage, American industry groups might start to lobby for uniform national regulations, rather than having to deal with a variety of carbon emissions regulations across the country. That has occurred in the past with other pollution measures.<br /><br />That suggests to me a plausible route to a global agreement on climate change:<br />1. The more environmentally conscious American states restrict emissions of greenhouse gases.<br />2. The U.S. congress imposes national regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, at the behest of industry lobby groups that want uniform environmental laws across the country.<br />3. The U.S. then insists that other countries control greenhouse gases, and threatens trade sanctions if they don't comply. Major greenhouse gas emitters bring in these controls, because they don't want to risk losing the American market.<br /><br />Why I could see this happening is that it doesn't rely on heroic, selfless gestures. Step 1 is already in progress, step 2 assumes an American government dominated by selfish lobbyists and step 3 assumes that the U.S. is a domineering superpower. Surely even the most jaded left-wing pessimist would concede those two points.<br /><br />Of course this process might lead to quite weak global regulations, that don't emerge until some time in the 2020s. Hopefully it will be enough to spur big improvements in renewable energy and efficiency that cut greenhouse gas emissions in time. It's a bit of a long shot, but I'm revising my outlook from "Climate change will almost certainly end our civilisation in the latter 21st century" to "Climate change will probably end our civilisation in the latter 21st century."Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-5221186875125178182009-09-26T14:40:00.035+10:002009-09-26T17:30:58.505+10:00Thoughts on the AFL Grand Final2:20<br />I've never liked Qantas's sentimental advertising, trying to claim expat Aussie nostalgia for one company. Translating "I Still Call Australia Home" into an Aboriginal language makes the airline's use of the song even more obnoxious.<br /><br />2:32<br />Just heard the national anthem, and couldn't help thinking that we've had a bit too much of that golden soil this week.<br /><br />2:44<br />The Saints are choking big time at the start.<br /><br />2:49<br />Riewoldt just managed the best non-mark I've ever seen.<br /><br />2:59<br />The game's turning around - Geelong are bending, will they break? St. Kilda really need to make this pressure pay off.<br /><br />3:21<br />St. Kilda are dominating, but that's about the fourth easy shot on goal they've missed.<br /><br />3:23<br />And now their margin is less than a goal.<br /><br />3:29<br />Ablett really is brilliant at everything - even milking the free kicks.<br /><br />3:32<br />Quality match considering how wet it is.<br /><br />3:34<br />Can you choke in front of your defensive goal? Because I think Zac Dawson just managed it.<br /><br />3:36<br />Dawson's no longer the goat after seeing the replay. The goal umpire performed much worse.<br /><br />3:41<br />Although Millburn's trying hard to be the goat by arguing that goal and giving away another.<br /><br />3:50<br />Good point from the commentators - Geelong are still playing a dry weather game with all the handballs. Wonder if they'll change tactics in the second half?<br /><br />3:59<br />Just saw an ad for the latest disaster movie. Really not looking forward to three years of hearing about the Mayan calendar's millennium bug.<br /><br />4:10<br />Great commentary on Goddard: "He's OK, if you can can a bloody nose OK. Maybe it's even broken. In football terms it's probably still OK."<br /><br />4:14<br />Amused by the fan who incorporated his white beard into the St. Kilda logo painted on his face.<br /><br />4:21<br />Geelong seem to be dropping off here.<br /><br />4:22<br />Great goal from Geelong. Shows how much I know.<br /><br />4:34<br />Could that be the matchwinning goal from Montagne? Just feels like St. Kilda taking the lead at the end of that scoreless passage could make the difference.<br /><br />4:44<br />Hope Geelong do pull this off. I like their open, active style of play, and if they only lose 2 out of 3 grand finals, nobody will try to play that way again.<br /><br />4:51<br />Ooh, sunshine to go with the rain.<br /><br />4:54<br />I don't know that Steve Johnson has managed anything productive this game.<br /><br />4:59<br />Next goal wins, I think.<br /><br />5:01<br />Great commentary in homage to Kipling: "Ablett kept his feet when all about him were losing theirs."<br /><br />5:04<br />Still haven't had that decisive goal.<br /><br />5:06<br />Now we have, and what a goal it was from Chapman. Can the Cats hang on?<br /><br />5:09<br />Well, Johnson did well to force the ball over the line there.<br /><br />5:12<br />Congrats, Geelong. That last goal was rubbing it in a bit, though.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-49714452729353239362009-08-08T22:54:00.004+10:002009-08-08T23:14:36.920+10:00Prius Ads: Why?<p>I've seen a few TV ads for the new Prius in the last week, which is a change. There wasn't much advertising for the earlier versions, and certainly no TV commercials. Toyota only made a few of those prior Priuses, and mostly relied on word of mouth to shift them. </p><p>Hopefully the move to TV ads show that the new hybrids have been manufactured in sufficient quantities to justify advertising. That would be an encouraging sign that the technology is going mainstream, and that we're well on the way to all-electric cars.</p><p>However the ads still seemed to be emphasising the novelty of the Prius, rather than promoting it as a great car to drive. This makes me worry that Toyota is still marketing to a very limited audience of geeky environmentalists (e.g. me), but now even this small market segment needs a big ad campaign.</p>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-35332208207245728942009-05-22T21:46:00.004+10:002009-05-22T22:15:31.913+10:00Pretty Steel Town by the BeachToday a group of us from work took a trip to the steel mill in Port Kembla, south of Sydney. It was fun getting out and seeing a plant, rather than just assembling and analysing information on them. The highlight was watching the steelmaking furnace being charged with molten iron and limestone, and then seeing the oxygen blow through it and drive the slag off the top. The rolling mill was also impressive: you could feel the heat radiating off the steel plate at a distance of 10 or 20 metres.<br /><br />As we were driving back, I was struck by how pleasant Wollongong is, given that it's built around Australia's largest steelworks. The stereotype of an industrial town is grim, dirty and unfashionable, but Wollongong has picturesque mountains and beautiful beaches, with enough of a sea breeze to disperse the smoke from the mills. There's something quite Australian about having a pretty steel town by the beach.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-40082493718698476562009-04-15T22:40:00.004+10:002009-04-15T22:55:43.128+10:00Tilting at Windmills: It's Not Just Me<a href="http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/%7Eeboyce/blog2006/november2006.html">I've written before</a> about how wind power is great, but that some of the opposition to it might stem from the threatening appearance of three-bladed windmills. Trust my favourite cartoonist to express <a href="http://xkcd.com/556/">the same sentiment</a>, but in a humourous fashion.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-26594418031263505532009-04-15T21:54:00.008+10:002009-04-15T22:28:49.259+10:00Yoplait is Getting BrazenI've just eaten some yogurt that had a very realistic lemon cheesecake flavour, including a biscuit crust, despite being very smooth and obviously lacking any crumbled biscuit pieces. A check of the ingredients list confirmed the absence of any actual pastry. Most fruit flavoured yogurts include a small amount of real strawberry or mango so you can pretend that the fruit is what you're tasting. However in this case it's blatantly obvious that the crust flavour is generated entirely by added chemicals.<br /><br />In a way, I'm quite impressed with the artistry of this concoction, and the food scientists' ability to dissociate flavour and texture so completely. We are getting closer to the world described in a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/">certain movie</a> that came out one decade and one week ago.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-37359335337217030432009-04-10T11:50:00.002+10:002009-04-10T12:02:55.694+10:00Evening ClassesI've had six weeks of lectures for my part-time commerce degree, and they're going well. I find the evening to be a good time for lectures, as I'm fairly alert at that time of day. I actually concentrate better during a 3 hour lecture beginning at 6pm than during a 1 hour lecture beginning at 2pm. Come to think of it, I'm being paid to deal with the mid-afternoon torpor, then getting to work on my own qualifications during a peak period.<br /><br />It probably helps that the subject material has been interesting. I'm particularly enjoying introductory microeconomics, which is a nice blend of cynicism and simple graphs.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-14878752636757985332009-03-20T20:59:00.006+11:002009-03-20T21:17:06.246+11:00Thought We Were Having a Credit CrunchToday I received an unsolicited offer to increase the limit on my credit card by 40%. I find this rather odd, because the current limit is quite high enough, and I've never used more than about a quarter of it.<br /><br />I'm not sure whether this makes me feel reassured or disconcerted about the Australian banking system. Is it good that Commonwealth Bank still have plenty of money to lend, or bad that they're trying to extend credit to someone who didn't even ask for it? I wish the clowns would direct their funds (raised with the help of taxpayer guarantees) towards the businesses that could use it more than me.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-29187894177488778452009-02-28T04:53:00.004+11:002009-02-28T05:05:33.552+11:00GroundedToday is the first anniversary of my return to Sydney after more than six years in the U.S. and then the U.K. It feels good to be settling down, especially in the place that feels like home.<br /><br />It's also good that I've avoided taking any flights in that time, after travelling a lot in the time I lived in England. While I enjoyed seeing so many European cities (particularly when work was paying!), I was rather sick of Manchester airport by the end of 2007. Today I celebrate a full year without jet lag, carbon footprint guilt, aviation security checks or economy class seating.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-49063663082402602132009-02-09T20:19:00.003+11:002009-03-20T20:57:46.776+11:0025 Random ThingsI'm putting this Facebook game on my regular blog, so it will end up in both places. And I won't tag anybody, in flagrant contradiction of the rules.<br /><br />Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.<br /><br />1. I meditate twice a day, half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening.<br /><br />2. I spent a year living in a small isolated town in the middle of the American southwest and really enjoyed it.<br /><br />3. I hold a physics Ph.D. I was in Year 21 of continuous full time education by the time I finished.<br /><br />4. I used to be a dual Australian and American citizen, as my Dad hails from the U.S.<br /><br />5. I renounced my U.S. citizenship in April 2007, for a number of reasons:<br />a. I wanted to be sure for myself which country I would call home<br />b. It meant that I didn't have to keep filing US tax returns when I didn't even live there<br />c. It eliminated the temptation of joining the American military-industrial complex<br /><br />6. 5.c was a distinct possibility for the intersection of 2. and 3.<br /><br />7. I'm irritated by imprecise or inaccurate statements. If I stumble over my words in conversation, it usually means that I'm proofreading a comment in my head.<br /><br />8. I'm irritated by buzzwords. For example, when writing about the current economy and commodity markets at work, I'm careful to avoid the word "unprecedented."<br /><br />9. Apparently I'm not irritated by Facebook fads.<br /><br />10. I've been to the tops of the highest mountains in each of England, Scotland and Wales. In only 1 of those 3 cases was I able to admire the view from the top.<br /><br />11. I once travelled from 1398m to 3287m and back again in one day, entirely under my own power (cycling and walking).<br /><br />12. I had a game published in the New South Wales Junior Chess magazine. I checkmated with a pawn following a sound double rook sacrifice.<br /><br />13. I was a contributor to the second edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy.<br /><br />14. My eyes are mostly blue, but each has a pale yellow ring on the inner edge of the iris.<br /><br />15. I'm not into cars. The only one I've ever owned was a ten year old Honda Civic.<br /><br />16. My colds almost always follow a set pattern: sore throat for 1-2 days, then blocked nose for 1-2 weeks.<br /><br />17. I try to find patterns or memorable digit strings in phone numbers. For example, my current phone number is 0450, then 449 (1 less than 450), then 137 (the fine structure constant). I had some input into my mobile phone number in the US, and managed to have it finish in 2718 (the exponential constant).<br /><br />18. I have an urge to pat the head or scratch the ears of every dog I see. It's a struggle not to do this to the drug-sniffing beagles at Sydney airport.<br /><br />19. In fact, my first word was "Dog", pronounced "Gog".<br /><br />20. I sometimes hum the theme from "Skippy" while cooking kangaroo meat.<br /><br />21. Living in the UK for a year and a half helped me to appreciate ales as opposed to lagers. Then I moved back to Australia and realised that I'd turned into a beer snob.<br /><br />22. I once helped to make a snow-alien, using pine cones for its oversized extraterrestrial eyes.<br /><br />23. Other than sport, I rarely watch TV.<br /><br />24. I don't mind train noise but do mind aircraft noise, even if the decibel level is the same. I must be some sort of noise pollution Luddite.<br /><br />25. Also, I didn't take a plane flight until I was 22.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-54193963215480147722009-01-06T20:39:00.002+11:002009-01-06T20:48:56.207+11:00Just in TimeI was lucky enough to get three weeks off from work, and I've been enjoying the break. I set myself one little project: making flyscreens for the windows in my flat, as there weren't any when I moved in.<br /><br />I finished the first one on Monday, so now I can leave my bedroom window partly open at night without worrying that insects will get in. This comes along just in time, as today was the hottest day of the summer so far, and I think I'll need some ventilation overnight.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-80375519794243368292008-12-30T09:27:00.003+11:002008-12-30T10:16:29.939+11:00The Ends of 2 Cricketing ErasShortly I'll switch on the TV to watch South Africa finish off Australia in the cricket. This will be Australia's first test series defeat at home since 1993, and South Africa have been pretty dominant so far. It's clear that Australia have lost their position as the top ranked team in test cricket, when you also consider their recent series loss in India.<br /><br />Looking at the bigger picture, this might be one of the last times that test (5 day) cricket attracts much attention. The shortened Twenty20 (T20) game is taking over cricket in terms of television coverage and advertising, reflecting the fact that most people would rather watch a game lasting 3 hours than one lasting 35 hours.* Now the best young players are following the money and <a href="http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/australia/content/story/382734.html">joining the lucrative Indian T20 league</a> before they even come close to playing in their national test teams.<br /><br />In the near future the best batsmen will concentrate on the quick, aggressive batting needed for T20 cricket, and neglect the patient, defensive batting that wins test matches. Meanwhile bowlers will focus on bowling accurately under the tight restrictions of one day games and won't work on the bouncers or wider deliveries that are permitted and necessary in five day games. Test cricket will soon be a secondary form of the game, populated by players who didn't succeed in the T20 leagues.<br /><br />The ugly Australian supporter in me is amused to see South Africa take over the top spot just as test cricket becomes irrelevant. However it is poignant to think that this might be the final time that such a handover even matters much. I'll have to head out to the Sydney Cricket Ground next week to see if Australia can avoid the whitewash. Anyone else interested in seeing one of the last great test series?<br /><br />*30 hours if you don't count the lunch and tea breaks.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-45395036843398554602008-12-13T20:56:00.006+11:002008-12-13T21:15:44.424+11:00Corporate WelfareI had an insight into why bankruptcy is so difficult in the US, sparked by my friend Vincent. He pointed out that a big sticking point was that the Republicans insisted the bailout strip away many of the benefits enjoyed by the GM and Chrysler workforce. The automakers' union wouldn't agree to all the concessions, and the Republican senators wouldn't vote for the bailout unless they did.<br /><br />Hostility to government means that big companies in the US take on responsibilities that fall on governments in other developed countries, particularly health care and pensions. Elsewhere these benefits aren't tied to the health of a particular corporation, so its failure is less devastating. The current workers have to find another job and might lose the pay for their last week or two of work, but they still have health care and their accrued retirement funds (the latter might be diminished by poor investment returns, but don't disappear along with one particular firm). Conversely, a bankruptcy in the US leads to workers losing benefits accrued over decades. This injustice creates a strong political constituency for propping up a dysfunctional company, even when society as a whole would be better off if it failed and made way for a superior competitor.<br /><br />It's an exquisite irony: the failure to put in place socialism for individuals leads to socialism for corporations.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323339235913901768.post-7573123439802116732008-12-13T20:29:00.002+11:002008-12-13T20:56:30.268+11:00OK, Bad CallLooks like I was wrong on the implications of the decision not to bail out the Detroit car manufacturers. The US market didn't fall much, even before the Bush administration said they might be able to redirect some of the previously allocated financial bailout funds. Apparently all the bad economic news has already been priced in. I've gone back to thinking that we'll see a drawn-out recession through all of 2009, but nothing worse than that.Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896570603911304719noreply@blogger.com0