Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tilting at Windmills: It's Not Just Me
I've written before 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 the same sentiment, but in a humourous fashion.
Yoplait is Getting Brazen
I'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.
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 certain movie that came out one decade and one week ago.
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 certain movie that came out one decade and one week ago.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Evening Classes
I'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.
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.
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.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thought We Were Having a Credit Crunch
Today 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.
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.
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.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Grounded
Today 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.
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.
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.
Monday, February 9, 2009
25 Random Things
I'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.
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.
1. I meditate twice a day, half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening.
2. I spent a year living in a small isolated town in the middle of the American southwest and really enjoyed it.
3. I hold a physics Ph.D. I was in Year 21 of continuous full time education by the time I finished.
4. I used to be a dual Australian and American citizen, as my Dad hails from the U.S.
5. I renounced my U.S. citizenship in April 2007, for a number of reasons:
a. I wanted to be sure for myself which country I would call home
b. It meant that I didn't have to keep filing US tax returns when I didn't even live there
c. It eliminated the temptation of joining the American military-industrial complex
6. 5.c was a distinct possibility for the intersection of 2. and 3.
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.
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."
9. Apparently I'm not irritated by Facebook fads.
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.
11. I once travelled from 1398m to 3287m and back again in one day, entirely under my own power (cycling and walking).
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.
13. I was a contributor to the second edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy.
14. My eyes are mostly blue, but each has a pale yellow ring on the inner edge of the iris.
15. I'm not into cars. The only one I've ever owned was a ten year old Honda Civic.
16. My colds almost always follow a set pattern: sore throat for 1-2 days, then blocked nose for 1-2 weeks.
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).
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.
19. In fact, my first word was "Dog", pronounced "Gog".
20. I sometimes hum the theme from "Skippy" while cooking kangaroo meat.
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.
22. I once helped to make a snow-alien, using pine cones for its oversized extraterrestrial eyes.
23. Other than sport, I rarely watch TV.
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.
25. Also, I didn't take a plane flight until I was 22.
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.
1. I meditate twice a day, half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening.
2. I spent a year living in a small isolated town in the middle of the American southwest and really enjoyed it.
3. I hold a physics Ph.D. I was in Year 21 of continuous full time education by the time I finished.
4. I used to be a dual Australian and American citizen, as my Dad hails from the U.S.
5. I renounced my U.S. citizenship in April 2007, for a number of reasons:
a. I wanted to be sure for myself which country I would call home
b. It meant that I didn't have to keep filing US tax returns when I didn't even live there
c. It eliminated the temptation of joining the American military-industrial complex
6. 5.c was a distinct possibility for the intersection of 2. and 3.
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.
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."
9. Apparently I'm not irritated by Facebook fads.
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.
11. I once travelled from 1398m to 3287m and back again in one day, entirely under my own power (cycling and walking).
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.
13. I was a contributor to the second edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy.
14. My eyes are mostly blue, but each has a pale yellow ring on the inner edge of the iris.
15. I'm not into cars. The only one I've ever owned was a ten year old Honda Civic.
16. My colds almost always follow a set pattern: sore throat for 1-2 days, then blocked nose for 1-2 weeks.
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).
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.
19. In fact, my first word was "Dog", pronounced "Gog".
20. I sometimes hum the theme from "Skippy" while cooking kangaroo meat.
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.
22. I once helped to make a snow-alien, using pine cones for its oversized extraterrestrial eyes.
23. Other than sport, I rarely watch TV.
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.
25. Also, I didn't take a plane flight until I was 22.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Just in Time
I 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.
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.
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.
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