I’m already here! Are you bloody stupid?

I was a very happy user of ClarisWorks, back in its 1.0 to 4.0 days. It was one of the finest pieces of software I’ve had the pleasure of using (another was GoLive Cyberstudio, before it was purchased and screwed up by Adobe). I still have ClarisWorks’s clumsy offspring, AppleWorks, on my hard drive, but it rarely gets used. So I read with great interest A Brief History of ClarisWorks by Bob Hearn, one of the original two developers. He talks about the trials and tribulations of writing and selling software, honestly recounts missteps and successes. And he reprints a letter they sent to Steve Jobs, then CEO of NeXT.

Gotta love the Swiss. In their stereotypically repressed and analytical way, they’ve figured out that the best way to not get hurt while being drunk is to be a professional drunk. So, now that they know that, expect the Swiss to become more like the Irish. This will be interesting to see. I think the first result will be the lack of interest in timekeeping devices. Who wants to be reminded of what time it is when you’re enjoying a lovely Weißbier with your new Irish friends?

Mica has had this washing machine, a Hoover Commodore (not unlike a Holden Commodore, really) for over 14 years now. Lately, we’ve noticed that it’s getting a bit senile: it’s walking around the laundry by itself and peeing all over the ground (we think it’s trying to get to the toilet). On top of that, it’s not exactly energy efficient, and it’s also very loud. Consensus is that it’s not got much life left in it and we should start looking for a new one before it becomes a real problem.

There is a dizzying array of brands and models to choose from. Yesterday, we drove to our local Myer Megamart (which is now inexplicably a Harvey Norman store) to check out the selection. Top loaders, front loaders, 5kg, 6.5kg, 7.5kg, fuzzy logic, non-fuzzy logic blah blah blah. Madness! The selection was dizzying. We took copious notes, concentrating on the Kiwi brand Fisher and Paykel (of DishDrawer fame) and German brand Bosch. We looked at some others, but weren’t happy with the build quality (LG) or the price (Miele).

We did decide on a front-loader though. They tend to be better for the environment, even though they do take longer to do their jobs. They also have the space-saving advantage of being stackable, which is handy in our smaller sized laundry. We also discovered some kind of new condenser dryer that doesn’t need to be vented! Very nifty, but also much more expensive. Neither of us had any clue that such beasts existed.

Back home, we consulted an excellent government resource about energy efficiency and a really crap non-governmental one about water efficiency. Now we’re really confused.

I found a washing machine guide on a place called Choice, which seems to be some kind of Australian consumer group. Problem is, they want money for the report, and I have no way of assessing the value of their opinions and testing methodologies. I usually look at a report on computers as a guideline, because I know a thing or two about them. If the computer report sucks, I’ll know to treat the washing machine report with a grain of salt. Sigh. I’ll spend the money for a three month all-you-can-eat subscription and look at some reports.

If you know anything about washing machines, gentle reader, now would be the time to say something.

There’s only a limited number of puns in the world, and I thought I’d heard them all. For some reason, this one escaped my attention until just now:

Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn’t much, but the reception was excellent.

Giggle.

“Your site, for example, has lots of fun stuff that I enjoy reading”—Georgi

I hope this post keeps up the fun and enjoyable vibe that I’ve been so keen on maintaining, gentle reader.

HIV’s a tricky little bugger. Its size can vary up to 3x, so it’s deceptively difficult to figure out what it looks like. Knowing what it looks like can be really useful, so we can hang its photo up in post offices and banks: WANTED posters and whatnot. So a bunch of scientists from the UK and Germany had a go at making a 3-D model of the thing.

Killer sushi. Looks like some kind of weird new fusion food sushi, perhaps a chunk of tandoori chicken in the middle, surrounded by an assortment of fish egg, and wrapped in blueberry-egg crêpe. No wonder it’s bad for you.

(Original article from the BBC).

There are certain telltale signs that your fame is waning, and you’re about to become Don Knotts. “Canadian Rocker” Bryan Adams has placed a big red X in two columns, according to this tell-all article in The Age.

Not only has he recorded his latest single with fellow nobody Pamela Anderson, he’s also really famous in India. (see also Big in Japan Tom Waits).

The Register goes absolutely nuts.

Take this article as an example: They summarise the speech made by Janez POTOČNIK, the EU’s Commissioner for Science and Research. It’s well worth the read for chuckle-indusing lines like:

We’ll get used to it though because it’s going to get so hot that the whole of Europe will be on one great siesta for three hours every afternoon. Our economies might collapse, but who gives a shit when the sun is shining?