Jorge Cham, author of www.phdcomics.com is coming to Central Queensland University to give his talk! I don't know how this miraculous event has come about, but I think it may well be the greatest thing CQU has ever done for its students :D
He's talking on 10th February, and I think anyone connected with the University could probably reasonably come. No harm in registering, at http://learning.cqu.edu.au/showcase2006/register.htm
Go go go!
Edit: Nooo..!
"The ‘Surprise Mystery Guest’ is:
Professor Richard Johnstone
Foundation Executive Director of the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
Please Note: The presentation by Jorge Cham has been cancelled."
Wednesday, 7 December 2005
Saturday, 3 December 2005
Nick in Vienna 3
I'm writing this from the British Airways lounge in London. Russel got me in. It's a nice place to spend a few hours waiting for our flight to Singapore.
All in all in Vienna, I got to see two palaces, a Mozart & Strauss concert (at one of the palaces), the Spanish Riding School, the Art Historical Museum, 4 spectacular churches, the catacombs under Stephansplatz, the river Danube, the Vienna International City, and the christmas markets.
There's just too much to do justice here; suffice to say that some highlights were:
Listening to a busker playing violin inside a huge vaulted stone chamber in the palace. The strains from that one violin filled and reverberated through the room and spilled out into the night.
Wandering through the Christmas Markets of Rathausplatz at night, with snow gently drifting down and the frosted clock-tower presiding over the park. It was damn cold, but it felt fantistically christmasy.
Browsing the Kunsthistorichesmuseum (Art Historical Museum; they apparently don't believe in spaces in German) collection of paintings, particularly their special collection of Goya. The Greek and Roman Antiquities were also fascinating.
Exploring the catacombs beneath St. Stephans and Stephansplazt. Here were the sarcophagi of bishops and dukes in ornately carved chambers, and the mass graves of victims of the Black Death in crudely hewn pits. There was one room where the bones of old bodies had been moved from their burial place and meticulously stacked by prisoners, floor to ceiling, like bricks. There were quite literally walls of bone packed solidly together, with the odd skull peering out from between ribs and thighs.
Some general observations:
People just love dogs in Vienna. There are fenced parks throughout the city where your dog can run around unleashed. Dogs are allowed to travel on the underground train system (they even have to pay a child's fare!). They sell dog food in pharmacies. Upscale shops and cafes feel the need to put explicit "no dogs" signs on their doors; one can only infer that dogs are welcome in other shops.
People are very friendly and helpful, and it was generally easy to get around speaking only English, even when no-one else did. And usually, in tricky situations, there would be some helpful person who would step in and translate. When we were standing helplessly around a ticket machine for the Underground, an old lady came up to us and tried to help. She couldn't, really, but she tried very hard.
People are very beautiful in Austria. Of course, it's hard to say given all the layers of clothing people wear, but it was very rare to see anyone who looked overweight, even rugged up against the chill.
The Underground train network was exceedingly easy to use, once we bought a week-long ticket each. We could get anywhere in the city easily and quickly.
People seem to be quite relaxed about toilets. In one case, the male and female toilets in the underground were connected by an open room in which some women were sitting around having a coffee and a smoke, out of the cold. While I admire such openness, I really don't understand why anyone would want coffee and a smoke in between two toilets :
Smoking is still very common in Vienna, and accepted in most places. There are areas reserved for non-smokers, rather than the other way around. It didn't bother me too much though.
There's this drink and tradition in one, called "punsch". The drink is a mixture of red wine, spices, and spirits, warmed and drunk from mugs like coffee. In all the malls there are punsch stands, usually with a covered area in front of them and bar-style tables. People congregate around here in the chill of night, drinking and socialising. I tried some. I think it must be an acquired taste.
Time for me to board my flight to Singapore. I wish I could have stayed in Vienna longer, but nevertheless I'm glad to be heading home. I'm looking forward to just sleeping for a day.
All in all in Vienna, I got to see two palaces, a Mozart & Strauss concert (at one of the palaces), the Spanish Riding School, the Art Historical Museum, 4 spectacular churches, the catacombs under Stephansplatz, the river Danube, the Vienna International City, and the christmas markets.
There's just too much to do justice here; suffice to say that some highlights were:
Listening to a busker playing violin inside a huge vaulted stone chamber in the palace. The strains from that one violin filled and reverberated through the room and spilled out into the night.
Wandering through the Christmas Markets of Rathausplatz at night, with snow gently drifting down and the frosted clock-tower presiding over the park. It was damn cold, but it felt fantistically christmasy.
Browsing the Kunsthistorichesmuseum (Art Historical Museum; they apparently don't believe in spaces in German) collection of paintings, particularly their special collection of Goya. The Greek and Roman Antiquities were also fascinating.
Exploring the catacombs beneath St. Stephans and Stephansplazt. Here were the sarcophagi of bishops and dukes in ornately carved chambers, and the mass graves of victims of the Black Death in crudely hewn pits. There was one room where the bones of old bodies had been moved from their burial place and meticulously stacked by prisoners, floor to ceiling, like bricks. There were quite literally walls of bone packed solidly together, with the odd skull peering out from between ribs and thighs.
Some general observations:
People just love dogs in Vienna. There are fenced parks throughout the city where your dog can run around unleashed. Dogs are allowed to travel on the underground train system (they even have to pay a child's fare!). They sell dog food in pharmacies. Upscale shops and cafes feel the need to put explicit "no dogs" signs on their doors; one can only infer that dogs are welcome in other shops.
People are very friendly and helpful, and it was generally easy to get around speaking only English, even when no-one else did. And usually, in tricky situations, there would be some helpful person who would step in and translate. When we were standing helplessly around a ticket machine for the Underground, an old lady came up to us and tried to help. She couldn't, really, but she tried very hard.
People are very beautiful in Austria. Of course, it's hard to say given all the layers of clothing people wear, but it was very rare to see anyone who looked overweight, even rugged up against the chill.
The Underground train network was exceedingly easy to use, once we bought a week-long ticket each. We could get anywhere in the city easily and quickly.
People seem to be quite relaxed about toilets. In one case, the male and female toilets in the underground were connected by an open room in which some women were sitting around having a coffee and a smoke, out of the cold. While I admire such openness, I really don't understand why anyone would want coffee and a smoke in between two toilets :
Smoking is still very common in Vienna, and accepted in most places. There are areas reserved for non-smokers, rather than the other way around. It didn't bother me too much though.
There's this drink and tradition in one, called "punsch". The drink is a mixture of red wine, spices, and spirits, warmed and drunk from mugs like coffee. In all the malls there are punsch stands, usually with a covered area in front of them and bar-style tables. People congregate around here in the chill of night, drinking and socialising. I tried some. I think it must be an acquired taste.
Time for me to board my flight to Singapore. I wish I could have stayed in Vienna longer, but nevertheless I'm glad to be heading home. I'm looking forward to just sleeping for a day.
Thursday, 1 December 2005
Nick in Vienna 2
The conference is over, it's about 11pm, and I'm exhausted. Admittedly, that's as much from sightseeing today as conferring yesterday and Monday, but the point stands: I'm blogging instead of sleeping.
On the first afternoon that I was here, before my luggage arrived, I went out with Russel and his friend Rahul to find a palace. At first this sounded like an extraordinary proposition, and in the end we didn't find the palace, but that was only because we walked off in exactly the wrong direction. In actuality, what's almost as extraordinary as taking a stroll to see a palace is the fact that we didn't see a palace. You can hardly throw a stone in Vienna without hitting either a palace or a cathedral or other monument of some appropriate magnificence.
Nevertheless, we didn't find our palace, but we did happen upon Mariahilferstraße (check my German skills!), one of the main shopping districts. I took the opportunity to buy a good warm jacket. Actually, what I'd really like is one of those long slim black wool overcoats since I reckon they look incredibly stylin', but I can't justify the cost :( (As it is, I'm making do without gloves or hat, since I wouldn't use either in Rockhampton. I should have just bought some the first day though, my hands and ears have never been so cold!)
On Sunday, I visited a couple of markets (the stalls all blended into a homogenous blur after a little while) at which I discovered the joy of warm roast chestnuts huddled under the dubious shelter of a stall with snow falling all around. This was the first time I'd been in falling snow, and I wandered around in delighted fascination.
The architecture of Vienna is amazing. Around every corner is a building more breath-taking than the last. Shops compete with one another for grandeur, but pale in comparison to the spectacular public works of ages gone by. The view of the gothic steeples of a church soaring over a park's snow-dusted treetops is like something out of a fairytale.
Ruhul, Xin, and I found the palace we'd looked for the previous day. The Schöenbrunn Palace was (most recently) the summer home of Emperor Franz Joseph, who died there in 1916. Since then it's become a heritage building and is open to the public. We explored the palace itself, which housed the furniture and items used by the imperial family, and the grounds around it. I've decided I want a palace, myself.
For the next couple of days, with one exception, I was flat out attending, facilitating, and presenting at the conference. With all due respect to the amount of work put in by everone, the conference was a bit of a mess. I spent most of Monday sorting out computer problems in between making sure rooms were opened and closed (and locked). Tuesday was blessedly smoother, but I had my presentation to worry about that day.
The exception was Tuesday night, the night of the conference dinner. I had requested funding to go to the conference dinner (€45, $70AUD, yikes : ), expecting not to enjoy it that much but knowing I should make the effort to make contacts and be a good researcher. I was expecting something similar to every other conference dinner I'd been to: big banquet hall, round tables with crisp white tablecloths, polished silverware, and sparkling glass. You know how it is. An evening of dull speeches and polite conversation.
When at first we pulled up in front of a massive sandstone building, I was impressed if still resigned. When we filed into a small door in the side of the building, up a winding flight of stairs, and into a low, cramped, tavern, I was surprised and disappointed. The food was help-yourself country style fare. The tavern benches were awkwardly cramped. I paid how much for this? But my initial misgivings were misplaced. This small tavern with no windows, a low arched ceiling and walls made from rough stone blocks blackened with age hosted the absolute best "formal" dinner I've ever been to.
I think the unlimited bar tab helped :D There was singing, and a fellow playing an accordian all night, and dancing from waltz to tango to greek and cossack line dancing, toasts in a dozen different languages. It was noisy, raucous, and great fun. An older bloke from Australia and I taught an impromptu choir "Waltzing Matilda" and performed for the guests of honour. Other delegates from other countries sang their own songs. I became an honourary Iranian for the purposes of singing... er, I can't quite remember what I was singing. But it was good.
I should stop writing now to make sure I can pay for the internet cost with the change I have left. I need to get some more money tomorrow morning...
Best regards,
Nick.
On the first afternoon that I was here, before my luggage arrived, I went out with Russel and his friend Rahul to find a palace. At first this sounded like an extraordinary proposition, and in the end we didn't find the palace, but that was only because we walked off in exactly the wrong direction. In actuality, what's almost as extraordinary as taking a stroll to see a palace is the fact that we didn't see a palace. You can hardly throw a stone in Vienna without hitting either a palace or a cathedral or other monument of some appropriate magnificence.
Nevertheless, we didn't find our palace, but we did happen upon Mariahilferstraße (check my German skills!), one of the main shopping districts. I took the opportunity to buy a good warm jacket. Actually, what I'd really like is one of those long slim black wool overcoats since I reckon they look incredibly stylin', but I can't justify the cost :( (As it is, I'm making do without gloves or hat, since I wouldn't use either in Rockhampton. I should have just bought some the first day though, my hands and ears have never been so cold!)
On Sunday, I visited a couple of markets (the stalls all blended into a homogenous blur after a little while) at which I discovered the joy of warm roast chestnuts huddled under the dubious shelter of a stall with snow falling all around. This was the first time I'd been in falling snow, and I wandered around in delighted fascination.
The architecture of Vienna is amazing. Around every corner is a building more breath-taking than the last. Shops compete with one another for grandeur, but pale in comparison to the spectacular public works of ages gone by. The view of the gothic steeples of a church soaring over a park's snow-dusted treetops is like something out of a fairytale.
Ruhul, Xin, and I found the palace we'd looked for the previous day. The Schöenbrunn Palace was (most recently) the summer home of Emperor Franz Joseph, who died there in 1916. Since then it's become a heritage building and is open to the public. We explored the palace itself, which housed the furniture and items used by the imperial family, and the grounds around it. I've decided I want a palace, myself.
For the next couple of days, with one exception, I was flat out attending, facilitating, and presenting at the conference. With all due respect to the amount of work put in by everone, the conference was a bit of a mess. I spent most of Monday sorting out computer problems in between making sure rooms were opened and closed (and locked). Tuesday was blessedly smoother, but I had my presentation to worry about that day.
The exception was Tuesday night, the night of the conference dinner. I had requested funding to go to the conference dinner (€45, $70AUD, yikes : ), expecting not to enjoy it that much but knowing I should make the effort to make contacts and be a good researcher. I was expecting something similar to every other conference dinner I'd been to: big banquet hall, round tables with crisp white tablecloths, polished silverware, and sparkling glass. You know how it is. An evening of dull speeches and polite conversation.
When at first we pulled up in front of a massive sandstone building, I was impressed if still resigned. When we filed into a small door in the side of the building, up a winding flight of stairs, and into a low, cramped, tavern, I was surprised and disappointed. The food was help-yourself country style fare. The tavern benches were awkwardly cramped. I paid how much for this? But my initial misgivings were misplaced. This small tavern with no windows, a low arched ceiling and walls made from rough stone blocks blackened with age hosted the absolute best "formal" dinner I've ever been to.
I think the unlimited bar tab helped :D There was singing, and a fellow playing an accordian all night, and dancing from waltz to tango to greek and cossack line dancing, toasts in a dozen different languages. It was noisy, raucous, and great fun. An older bloke from Australia and I taught an impromptu choir "Waltzing Matilda" and performed for the guests of honour. Other delegates from other countries sang their own songs. I became an honourary Iranian for the purposes of singing... er, I can't quite remember what I was singing. But it was good.
I should stop writing now to make sure I can pay for the internet cost with the change I have left. I need to get some more money tomorrow morning...
Best regards,
Nick.
Tuesday, 29 November 2005
Nick in Vienna 1
I'm in Vienna!
I'm writing this from an internet cafe down a few streets from the hotel, because internet access is disappointing. Posts will be sporadic at best. There's no free internet access in the hotel, there's no ethernet at all, but there's dialup if you feel like having your room charge bankrupt you, and there's wireless access in the lobby if you have a wireless laptop and a credit card to pay.
Anyway, I'm sitting here in an internet cafe, fighting the European keyboard. I'm all for rich European cultural diversity, but damn they have a lot of weird characters, and old familiars are shunted off to odd places. The @ symbol is a subscript of Q, and I had to ask the guy at the desk how to press it. It took some embarrassing amount of conversation in broken English to explain that all I wanted to do was press the darn key :D
Let me go back to the beginning.
Sarah saw me off at the airport Friday morning, and my check in and flight to Brisbane was pleasantly uneventful. I was even able to check my suitcase all the way to Vienna from Rockhampton. Just goes to show that if it seems to good to be true, it probably is. I dressed in comfort for the flight - tshirt and shorts.
And surprisingly, the entire journey was quite comfortable. Fortune favoured a couple of acts of simple generosity. On the Brisbane-Singapore flight, I offered to change my aisle seat for a middle seat a few rows back so that a mother and daughter could sit together. Shortly into the flight, the two irratable old women next to me demanded better seats from the stewardess, which they got after enough insistent pressing. That left four seats between me and the nice New Guinean lady to the other side of me. Score one! Next, on the British Airways flight from Singapore to London, I pulled the same stunt, allowing a young star-cross'd couple to sit together. The stewardess took a liking to me for the rest of the trip, and I stepped off the plane in London with a free bottle of wine :D
But that was where my good luck began to run out. First of all, I hadn't counted on having to step out of airconditioning until I had my baggage back, so it was a small shock to have to step out into the literally freezing air over the tarmac in London, and it was with slowly rising dread that I watched the baggage carousel in Vienna slow and grind to a halt without my suitcase appearing. I got my baggage several hours later, that evening, after I had braved -2 winds first in shorts and tshirt (pick the tourist...) and later in borrowed trackpants and pullover.
And so it was that I arrived, slightly cold and slightly tired, but otherwise well in Vienna. I shall continue the tale later, for Xin is waiting for me to finish so we can have dinner.
Hope all is well in Rockhampton!
Nick.
I'm writing this from an internet cafe down a few streets from the hotel, because internet access is disappointing. Posts will be sporadic at best. There's no free internet access in the hotel, there's no ethernet at all, but there's dialup if you feel like having your room charge bankrupt you, and there's wireless access in the lobby if you have a wireless laptop and a credit card to pay.
Anyway, I'm sitting here in an internet cafe, fighting the European keyboard. I'm all for rich European cultural diversity, but damn they have a lot of weird characters, and old familiars are shunted off to odd places. The @ symbol is a subscript of Q, and I had to ask the guy at the desk how to press it. It took some embarrassing amount of conversation in broken English to explain that all I wanted to do was press the darn key :D
Let me go back to the beginning.
Sarah saw me off at the airport Friday morning, and my check in and flight to Brisbane was pleasantly uneventful. I was even able to check my suitcase all the way to Vienna from Rockhampton. Just goes to show that if it seems to good to be true, it probably is. I dressed in comfort for the flight - tshirt and shorts.
And surprisingly, the entire journey was quite comfortable. Fortune favoured a couple of acts of simple generosity. On the Brisbane-Singapore flight, I offered to change my aisle seat for a middle seat a few rows back so that a mother and daughter could sit together. Shortly into the flight, the two irratable old women next to me demanded better seats from the stewardess, which they got after enough insistent pressing. That left four seats between me and the nice New Guinean lady to the other side of me. Score one! Next, on the British Airways flight from Singapore to London, I pulled the same stunt, allowing a young star-cross'd couple to sit together. The stewardess took a liking to me for the rest of the trip, and I stepped off the plane in London with a free bottle of wine :D
But that was where my good luck began to run out. First of all, I hadn't counted on having to step out of airconditioning until I had my baggage back, so it was a small shock to have to step out into the literally freezing air over the tarmac in London, and it was with slowly rising dread that I watched the baggage carousel in Vienna slow and grind to a halt without my suitcase appearing. I got my baggage several hours later, that evening, after I had braved -2 winds first in shorts and tshirt (pick the tourist...) and later in borrowed trackpants and pullover.
And so it was that I arrived, slightly cold and slightly tired, but otherwise well in Vienna. I shall continue the tale later, for Xin is waiting for me to finish so we can have dinner.
Hope all is well in Rockhampton!
Nick.
Wednesday, 23 November 2005
Go Noob
Melanie and I tried playing Go again on Monday night. It's fun learning a new game - especially since both of us are noobs. It's fun trying to guess what might work and what won't.
Sure, there are lots of Go resources on the web, and one day I'll probably read them, but for now I think it's more satisfying trying to discover ideas on my own. Last game we only just began to come up with some ways of thinking about Go.
Melanie is good at multitasking. For example, picking moves that furthered multiple aims at once - killing two birds with one stone. She would place a stone that would both strengthen a structure under threat and block my expansion. She was also good at abandoning her structures when appropriate and moving her efforts elsewhere, whereas I would stubbornly pursue one objective at a time.
Melanie often surprised me by reacting agressively to threats to her stones, when I had just assumed that she would react defensively (which is what I would have done). Rather than strengthening one of her structures, she would leave it endangered and threaten my stones instead, forcing me to respond to her counter attack. Of course, what she was doing was just as certain to save her structure as trying to escape, because if I continued to pursue her structure, she would simply capture the very stones I was using to capture hers!
For myself, I realised that often you don't need to complete a structure for it to be useful. All you need is the capability to complete it regardless of what your opponent does. You gain some moves by not having to explicitly fill in the empty spaces. The caveat is that your opponent has a way of forcing you to make those moves at a time of her choosing, which she can then plan.
In the end, we discovered some "invincible structures" that can never be captured. These are single structures that enclose two or more empty spaces. The empty spaces provide liberties that can never be taken away from the invincible structure, ensuring its survival even in the face of complete encirclement. The smallest invincible structures we found were two 11-stone structures (and multiple isomorphs of those two).
It's fun being a noob. I think we forget that too often :)
Sure, there are lots of Go resources on the web, and one day I'll probably read them, but for now I think it's more satisfying trying to discover ideas on my own. Last game we only just began to come up with some ways of thinking about Go.
Melanie is good at multitasking. For example, picking moves that furthered multiple aims at once - killing two birds with one stone. She would place a stone that would both strengthen a structure under threat and block my expansion. She was also good at abandoning her structures when appropriate and moving her efforts elsewhere, whereas I would stubbornly pursue one objective at a time.
Melanie often surprised me by reacting agressively to threats to her stones, when I had just assumed that she would react defensively (which is what I would have done). Rather than strengthening one of her structures, she would leave it endangered and threaten my stones instead, forcing me to respond to her counter attack. Of course, what she was doing was just as certain to save her structure as trying to escape, because if I continued to pursue her structure, she would simply capture the very stones I was using to capture hers!
For myself, I realised that often you don't need to complete a structure for it to be useful. All you need is the capability to complete it regardless of what your opponent does. You gain some moves by not having to explicitly fill in the empty spaces. The caveat is that your opponent has a way of forcing you to make those moves at a time of her choosing, which she can then plan.
In the end, we discovered some "invincible structures" that can never be captured. These are single structures that enclose two or more empty spaces. The empty spaces provide liberties that can never be taken away from the invincible structure, ensuring its survival even in the face of complete encirclement. The smallest invincible structures we found were two 11-stone structures (and multiple isomorphs of those two).
It's fun being a noob. I think we forget that too often :)
Wednesday, 16 November 2005
Movies and Music
I've been making a point of watching some movies lately. Still not many, but more than usual for me :)
I picked out Dear Frankie because it sounded quaint, and Young Adam because it starred Ewan McGregor. Coincidentally both movies were set around Glasgow, and both movies also starred Emily Mortimer, an actress I hadn't heard of before but who I thought was captivatingly good. I really liked both movies.
I finally saw War of the Worlds with Sarah. For a big-budget Hollywood movie it showed remarkable restraint from heroics (except for the grenade scene, but even that was good) and I thought it was very well done. I hated the sickeningly sentimental reappearance of the presumed-dead son, Robbie, at the very end, but I just pretend that scene didn't happen :D
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a brilliant movie. I love it. I think Jim Carrey does great dramatic work, like this and The Majestic. But ESotSM, in particular, was excellent - great idea, great storytelling, great acting, and great music. As an aside, the main character, Joel, actually reminded me a lot of Damien.
Also loved Secretary. It's such an incongruously charming love story amongst the BDSM trappings. On the strength of the final song, Chariots Rising by Lizzie West, I've ordered the soundtrack. Apparently it's no longer actively released, and only a few copies are available second-hand from Amazon or eBay. There's nothing at all in Australia... but I found a record company specialising in rare imports and second-hand music, based in Sydney. They're bringing it in for me, from somewhere.
I'm a sucker for this sort of thing. I hate the idea that any music (well, any music that I like) could be lost, forgotten in someone's attic or broken and irrepairable. There's so much good stuff out there, I wish I could keep it safely archived for all eternity.
Gave in and bought House of Flying Daggers for the same reason :p
I picked out Dear Frankie because it sounded quaint, and Young Adam because it starred Ewan McGregor. Coincidentally both movies were set around Glasgow, and both movies also starred Emily Mortimer, an actress I hadn't heard of before but who I thought was captivatingly good. I really liked both movies.
I finally saw War of the Worlds with Sarah. For a big-budget Hollywood movie it showed remarkable restraint from heroics (except for the grenade scene, but even that was good) and I thought it was very well done. I hated the sickeningly sentimental reappearance of the presumed-dead son, Robbie, at the very end, but I just pretend that scene didn't happen :D
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a brilliant movie. I love it. I think Jim Carrey does great dramatic work, like this and The Majestic. But ESotSM, in particular, was excellent - great idea, great storytelling, great acting, and great music. As an aside, the main character, Joel, actually reminded me a lot of Damien.
Also loved Secretary. It's such an incongruously charming love story amongst the BDSM trappings. On the strength of the final song, Chariots Rising by Lizzie West, I've ordered the soundtrack. Apparently it's no longer actively released, and only a few copies are available second-hand from Amazon or eBay. There's nothing at all in Australia... but I found a record company specialising in rare imports and second-hand music, based in Sydney. They're bringing it in for me, from somewhere.
I'm a sucker for this sort of thing. I hate the idea that any music (well, any music that I like) could be lost, forgotten in someone's attic or broken and irrepairable. There's so much good stuff out there, I wish I could keep it safely archived for all eternity.
Gave in and bought House of Flying Daggers for the same reason :p
Going to Vienna
My paper for Vienna was accepted, I made the suggested revisions (well, most of them), and sorted out travel arrangements. That's the boring stuff. I'm far more excited to be going to a foreign, non-English-speaking country! I leave on the 25th... it's only a week and a bit away!
The only other country I've ever been to is New Zealand, which doesn't really count as an exotic culture. I'm very much looking forward to exploring this old European city, complete with palace! Amazingly, I get almost an entire weekend to myself before the conference starts. People keep saying it's a shame I can't stay longer (hmm... maybe they're just happy to see me go :p ) but seriously I'm not complaining. I get more time than I expected!
The only thing that concerns me a tinsy bit is my lack of winter clothing, but since I'm staying at the same hotel as the conference I'm not terribly worried. I just need enough warm clothing for my forays out into the city!
2006 is Mozart Year, his 250th anniversary, but it seems the city is getting into it early. Our first conference venue was abandoned because they double booked us with nightly Mozart concerts. Or perhaps he simply never goes out of style in Vienna. I also believe that there are performances every night at the opera house. It seems certain that there will be no lack of cultural events and attractions!
This should also be a great opportunity to pick up some christmas presents...
The only other country I've ever been to is New Zealand, which doesn't really count as an exotic culture. I'm very much looking forward to exploring this old European city, complete with palace! Amazingly, I get almost an entire weekend to myself before the conference starts. People keep saying it's a shame I can't stay longer (hmm... maybe they're just happy to see me go :p ) but seriously I'm not complaining. I get more time than I expected!
The only thing that concerns me a tinsy bit is my lack of winter clothing, but since I'm staying at the same hotel as the conference I'm not terribly worried. I just need enough warm clothing for my forays out into the city!
2006 is Mozart Year, his 250th anniversary, but it seems the city is getting into it early. Our first conference venue was abandoned because they double booked us with nightly Mozart concerts. Or perhaps he simply never goes out of style in Vienna. I also believe that there are performances every night at the opera house. It seems certain that there will be no lack of cultural events and attractions!
This should also be a great opportunity to pick up some christmas presents...
Wednesday, 28 September 2005
The Month in Review
Stuff that's happened:
Saw The Acrobatic Troupe of Imperial China in Bundaberg. Awesome performance; I love marvelling at the phycical feats humans can do.
An old friend from Sydney, Morgan, came through Rockhampton to round off his backpacking odyssey up and down the coast of Queensland. Did fun stuff together - climbed the rocky headlands around Roslyn Bay; paddled surf-skis at the causeway lake; and Morgan taught me how to juggle (sort of - still working on it)!
Went to Thomas's wedding. Got lost trying to find the chapel at Ridges Resort, which was rather embarrassing. We arrived just in time to wish the couple well as they left. The reception afterwards was good :)
Made Thomas a ball-and-chain for when he got back from his Honeymoon.
Arranged to go to Vienna for a conference at the end of November. Still working to get the paper done.
Sarah and I had our birthdays, but I haven't been able to put the effort into celebrating that I would have liked to. I wish you could schedule birthdays for times when you can appreciate them! Received some good loot, though :D
Michelle sent me up a couple of CDs to listen to, one of which is Amici Forever - Defined. I really love it. It's a group of five classically trained singers performing pop-influenced opera. I highly recommend checking out the samples if your curiosity is at all piqued!
Took Sarah to see the opera Carmen at the theatre last night. It wasn't quite what I expected; it was sung in English and the presentation was humble (though I should have expected that from a travelling show). Nevertheless, the performance itself was thoroughly enjoyable and made a great night out!
Saw The Acrobatic Troupe of Imperial China in Bundaberg. Awesome performance; I love marvelling at the phycical feats humans can do.
An old friend from Sydney, Morgan, came through Rockhampton to round off his backpacking odyssey up and down the coast of Queensland. Did fun stuff together - climbed the rocky headlands around Roslyn Bay; paddled surf-skis at the causeway lake; and Morgan taught me how to juggle (sort of - still working on it)!
Went to Thomas's wedding. Got lost trying to find the chapel at Ridges Resort, which was rather embarrassing. We arrived just in time to wish the couple well as they left. The reception afterwards was good :)
Made Thomas a ball-and-chain for when he got back from his Honeymoon.
Arranged to go to Vienna for a conference at the end of November. Still working to get the paper done.
Sarah and I had our birthdays, but I haven't been able to put the effort into celebrating that I would have liked to. I wish you could schedule birthdays for times when you can appreciate them! Received some good loot, though :D
Michelle sent me up a couple of CDs to listen to, one of which is Amici Forever - Defined. I really love it. It's a group of five classically trained singers performing pop-influenced opera. I highly recommend checking out the samples if your curiosity is at all piqued!
Took Sarah to see the opera Carmen at the theatre last night. It wasn't quite what I expected; it was sung in English and the presentation was humble (though I should have expected that from a travelling show). Nevertheless, the performance itself was thoroughly enjoyable and made a great night out!
Monday, 22 August 2005
Wala
As a surprise, I took mum (and Carey and Michelle) to see Wala, a traditional African dance and music group. Their performance was great fun. It was a mix of music - mostly percussion - singing, and dance. The whole performance was unflaggingly energetic and the artists' stamina was amazing. And they were obviously having a great time performing, themselves.
The coolest instrument was the aslato, or kashakas. Each aslato is a pair of wooden balls connected by a short string, which are filled with something (grain?) that rattles when shaken. So they make a rasping noise when shaken and a clacking noise when the balls collide. The guy who played them - one pair in each hand! - spun them around his hands and fingers in intricate patterns that you'd miss if you blinked for an instant, all the while singing and dancing. Very cool stuff.
If you're rich and idle, they run a workshop-resort in Ghana where you live in the group's community and learn drumming and dancing and stuff. It'd be fun to be able to go to something like that!
The coolest instrument was the aslato, or kashakas. Each aslato is a pair of wooden balls connected by a short string, which are filled with something (grain?) that rattles when shaken. So they make a rasping noise when shaken and a clacking noise when the balls collide. The guy who played them - one pair in each hand! - spun them around his hands and fingers in intricate patterns that you'd miss if you blinked for an instant, all the while singing and dancing. Very cool stuff.
If you're rich and idle, they run a workshop-resort in Ghana where you live in the group's community and learn drumming and dancing and stuff. It'd be fun to be able to go to something like that!
Thursday, 11 August 2005
Nick's Public Interface, a Service to the Community
A couple of weeks back there was a new face at Kendo. I introduced myself, and he asked "Oh, are you Brett's mate?" Afterwards, I enquired how he knew that. It turns out, by coincidence, that he was searching for "kendo" and "Rockhampton" in google, came up with my blog, saw that I played Selbunster on World of Warcraft, thought "hmm... that's familiar", and asked his friend Trevor where he knew the name from. The guy was Tony, aka Dhaosneth, a friend of Trevor who's a friend of Brett. So I thought it was pretty cool that someone had come to Kendo through my blog, and we happened to know each other online!
Now just today I've had an anonymous comment left on my blog, on a post I made earlier this year about sunglasses, saying that they'd been searching for Zenith sunglasses and came across my post, and wanted to know where one can buy Zenith sunglasses.
Now the curious thing is, I can't find my blog on google if I try to (yes, I give it a try now and then; I'm vain remember? :p ), and here are two people recently who have come across it by accident.
So, to the person who left a comment, my answer is: I can't find info online either, but they're a popular brand (in Australia), and you should be able to find them in any sunglasses store such as Bright Eyes.
And... can you tell me what search terms you used to find my blog so I can as well? :D :p
Now just today I've had an anonymous comment left on my blog, on a post I made earlier this year about sunglasses, saying that they'd been searching for Zenith sunglasses and came across my post, and wanted to know where one can buy Zenith sunglasses.
Now the curious thing is, I can't find my blog on google if I try to (yes, I give it a try now and then; I'm vain remember? :p ), and here are two people recently who have come across it by accident.
So, to the person who left a comment, my answer is: I can't find info online either, but they're a popular brand (in Australia), and you should be able to find them in any sunglasses store such as Bright Eyes.
And... can you tell me what search terms you used to find my blog so I can as well? :D :p
Monday, 8 August 2005
Nick is... vain? :p
From Melanie's blog:
Google "[your name] is", with quotes. Share the results!
Oooh Nick is coming to town!
Nick is one in a million!
Nick is knowledgeable and conversant.
Nick is not One Of Us. Nick is one of the Good Aliens from that planet where everybody has style and grace.
Nick is God! Nick is God!
Nick is disgusted by the moral decay that he witnesses.
Nick is a fearless and independent voice.
Nick is always calm, cool, and collected.
Nick is the greatest person I have ever met.
and finally
Nick is really stupid.
Nick is arrogant as well.
:p
Google "[your name]
Oooh Nick is coming to town!
Nick is one in a million!
Nick is knowledgeable and conversant.
Nick is not One Of Us. Nick is one of the Good Aliens from that planet where everybody has style and grace.
Nick is God! Nick is God!
Nick is disgusted by the moral decay that he witnesses.
Nick is a fearless and independent voice.
Nick is always calm, cool, and collected.
Nick is the greatest person I have ever met.
and finally
Nick is really stupid.
Nick is arrogant as well.
:p
Sunday, 7 August 2005
Soccer Referee Nick
I just refereed at the Central Queensland Junior Robotics Competition. Was lots of fun. I got to referee about 4 games I think, including the second last match. Jason naturally took the grand final for himself :p He does a great job though!
I tried to follow the advice of being as much a commentator as a referee, and I think it's a good idea. People are much less likely to take issue with your decisions if you explain why you're making them as you go. And they'll learn more from their mistakes.
It was a bit chaotic at times with half the teams arriving late (blown bus tyre on the way from Mackay), but once things got underway it was very exciting. I wish they did this when I was in high school!
The only sad point in the entire day was that Sarah, Official Guardian of the Yowies, didn't get to keep the yowies after the competition. :'(
I tried to follow the advice of being as much a commentator as a referee, and I think it's a good idea. People are much less likely to take issue with your decisions if you explain why you're making them as you go. And they'll learn more from their mistakes.
It was a bit chaotic at times with half the teams arriving late (blown bus tyre on the way from Mackay), but once things got underway it was very exciting. I wish they did this when I was in high school!
The only sad point in the entire day was that Sarah, Official Guardian of the Yowies, didn't get to keep the yowies after the competition. :'(
Friday, 5 August 2005
Savings
I'm trying to figure out why Westpac's "Max-i Direct personal" savings account is so good. Not that I'm complaining, I just don't understand. Essentially it's a holding place for my money that attracts a high interest rate and has no fees, and the only way to interact with it is to move money to or from it using online banking. That's only a small hassle though; there's no penalty for moving money back and forth as many times as you like.
The thing is, the interest rate is really high! I can't figure out why you'd put your money anywhere else, even a long-term deposit account. Some figures: The interest rate was recently 5.5%, it's just gone down to 5.25%, but it has a guaranteed lower limit of 5.0%
Compare that to the cash management account, which tops out at 4.8% for amounts over $500,000, or term-deposit accounts, which only approach that figure for amounts over $10,000 invested for 2 years!
Interest rates are similar elsewhere, for example ANZ and Commonwealth.
I just can't figure out why even at the same bank you would use anything else, and I can't find anything like this at other banks :S
Disclaimer: No, I am not employed by Westpac :p
The thing is, the interest rate is really high! I can't figure out why you'd put your money anywhere else, even a long-term deposit account. Some figures: The interest rate was recently 5.5%, it's just gone down to 5.25%, but it has a guaranteed lower limit of 5.0%
Compare that to the cash management account, which tops out at 4.8% for amounts over $500,000, or term-deposit accounts, which only approach that figure for amounts over $10,000 invested for 2 years!
Interest rates are similar elsewhere, for example ANZ and Commonwealth.
I just can't figure out why even at the same bank you would use anything else, and I can't find anything like this at other banks :S
Disclaimer: No, I am not employed by Westpac :p
Thursday, 28 July 2005
Nick's Double Coconut Lamingtons!
Ok, so I didn't innovate all that much, but I'm proud of using coconut cream in the icing to make them double-coconut (and lactose-free) lamingtons! (and I wanted to name it after myself :p)
I made this batch for Tanya, but let Sarah go down in history as the first person ever to try Nick's Double Coconut Lamingtons!
I reckon they turned out pretty darn delicious for a first effort :D
So, without further ado:
Sponge Cake
Lamington Icing
Lamingtons!
I made this batch for Tanya, but let Sarah go down in history as the first person ever to try Nick's Double Coconut Lamingtons!
I reckon they turned out pretty darn delicious for a first effort :D
So, without further ado:
Nick’s Gluten- and Lactose-free Double Coconut Lamingtons
Sponge Cake
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 1 cup cornflour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp custard powder
- Preheat oven to 180C.
- Split the egg whites and yolks. Beat whites until stiff, then add yolks and beat until thick and creamy.
- Beat in the caster sugar gradually.
- Sift the cornflour, baking powder, and custard powder three times, then sift into the egg mixture. Fold through without delay but gently.
- Spread the mixture into a baking tin. Pick the tin up and drop it back onto the bench from about 10-20cm a couple of times to get large air bubbles out.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes (until a knife comes out clean).
- Stand for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
- Refrigerate overnight before slicing into lamingtons.
Lamington Icing
- 1/3 cup cocoa
- 4 cups icing sugar (be careful, icing mix has wheat in it)
- 1 tbsp butter (or margarine for non-dairy)
- 2/3 cup coconut cream
- 2+ cups desiccated coconut
- Mix cocoa and icing sugar.
- Melt butter in the coconut cream in a pan.
- Stir in the cocoa and icing sugar over a low heat.
Lamingtons!
- Cut off the crusts to the sponge cake and cut it into squares.
- Set out the icing in one bowl, the coconut in another (wide) bowl, and a tray with baking paper to set the lamingtons on. Using two forks, dip a sponge square first in the chocolate icing and turn it to coat it evenly. Then quickly put it into the coconut and turn it over. Finally set it onto the baking paper.
- When all are done, refrigerate in an airtight container to set the chocolate icing.
Wednesday, 15 June 2005
PhD Comics
As a finally-starting-my-thesis present, Melanie bought me the first two volumes of Piled Higher and Deeper! Not only that, but they're both signed by the author, Jorge Cham. The way Melanie explains it, she had to send a U.S. cheque by mail (you know, paper and envelopes and stuff) to pay for it anyway, so she included a letter asking if Jorge could sign the copies as well. I even got an original drawing of my hero, Mike Slackenerny :D
In an ironic yet probably-not-unexpected twist, I am of course reading my finally-starting-my-thesis present instead of, you know, actually finally starting my thesis :p
It's very scary how dead on these comics are :|
In an ironic yet probably-not-unexpected twist, I am of course reading my finally-starting-my-thesis present instead of, you know, actually finally starting my thesis :p
It's very scary how dead on these comics are :|
Sunday, 12 June 2005
Selbunster's Last Days
It's done, I've cancelled my World of Warcraft account. Things aren't so drastic though; it'll stay open for as long as Sarah wants to pay the subscription to play.
I saw this on the account management page:
Why did I first think of psychological counselling rather than technical support? :p
I saw this on the account management page:
You can use this link to terminate your subscription online. Before you do so, we would love to hear from you by telephone. There are many steps that our representatives can take to address any problems you may be experiencing. Please call us at 1-800-59-BLIZZARD.
Why did I first think of psychological counselling rather than technical support? :p
Tuesday, 17 May 2005
Coconut Rice
Just in case anyone wants to make this easy rice variation themselves (Y)
a = 1x cups basmati rice
b = 1x cups coconut milk or cream
c = 0.5x cups water
d = 1x teaspoons salt
e = 1x tablespoons sugar
where x ~= 0.33 (recurring) per person.
If you want fluffy rice, rinse a a couple of times in water to wash away the rice flour.
You can vary the amount of b for a richer or more subtle taste. It doesn't matter whether you use of milk or cream: they're both just coconut + water, and cream just has more coconut than water in it. Just make sure to satisfy the constraint b + c = 1.5x cups of liquid.
Algorithm:
Add a + b + c + d + e to a saucepan and mix.
Bring to boil on high heat, stirring occasionally. Immediately cover and reduce to a gentle simmer.
Leave on low heat for 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove from heat entirely. Leave covered for 15 minutes to sit.
This algorithm returns delicious cocount rice!
a = 1x cups basmati rice
b = 1x cups coconut milk or cream
c = 0.5x cups water
d = 1x teaspoons salt
e = 1x tablespoons sugar
where x ~= 0.33 (recurring) per person.
If you want fluffy rice, rinse a a couple of times in water to wash away the rice flour.
You can vary the amount of b for a richer or more subtle taste. It doesn't matter whether you use of milk or cream: they're both just coconut + water, and cream just has more coconut than water in it. Just make sure to satisfy the constraint b + c = 1.5x cups of liquid.
Algorithm:
Add a + b + c + d + e to a saucepan and mix.
Bring to boil on high heat, stirring occasionally. Immediately cover and reduce to a gentle simmer.
Leave on low heat for 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove from heat entirely. Leave covered for 15 minutes to sit.
This algorithm returns delicious cocount rice!
Monday, 9 May 2005
Raid on Mt Jim Crow
We successfully raided Mt Jim Crow on the weekend with no wipes - actually without any deaths at all, though there were some close calls.
The raid was partitioned into to roughly three parties - Tanya and her friend Erin forging ahead along the main path; Nick and Sarah scouting alternate routes; and Brett and Melanie considerately escorting Carey, who was undoubtedly the one holding them up :p
Sarah insisted on proving that humans descended from apes by monkeying around in a tree on the side of a sheer drop. It would have been quite impressive, too, were it not for the it-just-had-to-happen moment:
"Sarah, come down now, you've succeeded in making me nervous," I called up to her in the upper branches of the tree.
"Nick, I've been climing trees all my life," she replied in exasperation, "And I've never fallen out!"
And of course, at that moment she reached out for a slender branch that sheared away from the trunk, and Sarah lurched forward, wrapping her arms around the trunk to save herself from plummeting straight down. She took a scrape along her upper arm, but besides her pride thankfully sustained no further injuries :p
And then of course we must also thank Tanya and Erin who between them, on the descent down the slippery slope, did an outstanding job of identifying the tricky sections :p
Ah, whoever thought nearly falling down a mountain could be so much fun :D
The raid was partitioned into to roughly three parties - Tanya and her friend Erin forging ahead along the main path; Nick and Sarah scouting alternate routes; and Brett and Melanie considerately escorting Carey, who was undoubtedly the one holding them up :p
Sarah insisted on proving that humans descended from apes by monkeying around in a tree on the side of a sheer drop. It would have been quite impressive, too, were it not for the it-just-had-to-happen moment:
"Sarah, come down now, you've succeeded in making me nervous," I called up to her in the upper branches of the tree.
"Nick, I've been climing trees all my life," she replied in exasperation, "And I've never fallen out!"
And of course, at that moment she reached out for a slender branch that sheared away from the trunk, and Sarah lurched forward, wrapping her arms around the trunk to save herself from plummeting straight down. She took a scrape along her upper arm, but besides her pride thankfully sustained no further injuries :p
And then of course we must also thank Tanya and Erin who between them, on the descent down the slippery slope, did an outstanding job of identifying the tricky sections :p
Ah, whoever thought nearly falling down a mountain could be so much fun :D
Friday, 6 May 2005
Circus Oz
Wednesday night, Circus Oz came to town for one night only, and Tanya and I went to see it. Circus Oz (a quick web search tells me) has been around since 1977. It's a world-class, human-only stage performance similar to Cirque du Soleil - but a bit rougher, more down to earth, and funnier.
For their performance here in Rockhampton they used the Pilbeam Theatre, and I was impressed by how well they set up such a dynamic array of acts on such a small stage. I thought for sure there would be times when someone would accidentally tumble off the front of the stage, but no-one ever did :)
Speaking of which, only one acrobat made one misstep through all the performances, and even crashing down from missing a trapeze was covered so smoothly that I was left wondering if it was intentional - the act was certainly all the more amusing for it.
I'm amazed by what humans are capable of doing with their bodies. Over the course of the two hour performance, the different acts awed, inspired, and (sometimes sickly) fascinated. I would so much love to have some of the gear that they play with - especially the cylindrical frame in which a person stands spread-eagled, Da Vinci posed, and rolls effortlessly around the stage. That looks like so much fun :D
It was so much fun, I wish I had of learned of Circus Oz coming to town earlier and had time to invite anyone who wanted to come, but I only found out about it the day before. (The Pilbeam Theatre's online ticketing system works really well, by the by - we got great tickets the night before the performance! :) )
For their performance here in Rockhampton they used the Pilbeam Theatre, and I was impressed by how well they set up such a dynamic array of acts on such a small stage. I thought for sure there would be times when someone would accidentally tumble off the front of the stage, but no-one ever did :)
Speaking of which, only one acrobat made one misstep through all the performances, and even crashing down from missing a trapeze was covered so smoothly that I was left wondering if it was intentional - the act was certainly all the more amusing for it.
I'm amazed by what humans are capable of doing with their bodies. Over the course of the two hour performance, the different acts awed, inspired, and (sometimes sickly) fascinated. I would so much love to have some of the gear that they play with - especially the cylindrical frame in which a person stands spread-eagled, Da Vinci posed, and rolls effortlessly around the stage. That looks like so much fun :D
It was so much fun, I wish I had of learned of Circus Oz coming to town earlier and had time to invite anyone who wanted to come, but I only found out about it the day before. (The Pilbeam Theatre's online ticketing system works really well, by the by - we got great tickets the night before the performance! :) )
Wednesday, 27 April 2005
Logic Puzzle
Here's a puzzle that Zbigniew Michalewicz gave at the Complex Systems 2004 conference in Cairns, though I don't know where he got it from. It was phrased with a lot of redundant information; here's the essential, stripped down version. I think it's quite clever and has an elegant solution (even though I didn't solve it myself :p )
You and a number of other people are seated facing each other in a circle in a plain room, with no prior knowledge of what is about to happen. One person, the host, enters the room, blindfolds everyone seated in the circle, paints a dot of some colour on everyone's forehead, and then removes the blindfolds.
Looking around, you see that multiple colours have been used and that some people, seemingly spaced at random, share the same colour dot as one another.
The host tells you three things:
"You may not communicate in any way the colour of a person's dot."
"I will ring this bell at regular intervals; when I ring the bell, stand up and leave if you know the colour of your dot."
"At some point, you will know the colour of your dot."
The question is, how can you know what colour dot you have?
Hints (in order of revelation - highlight text to read)
You and a number of other people are seated facing each other in a circle in a plain room, with no prior knowledge of what is about to happen. One person, the host, enters the room, blindfolds everyone seated in the circle, paints a dot of some colour on everyone's forehead, and then removes the blindfolds.
Looking around, you see that multiple colours have been used and that some people, seemingly spaced at random, share the same colour dot as one another.
The host tells you three things:
"You may not communicate in any way the colour of a person's dot."
"I will ring this bell at regular intervals; when I ring the bell, stand up and leave if you know the colour of your dot."
"At some point, you will know the colour of your dot."
The question is, how can you know what colour dot you have?
Hints (in order of revelation - highlight text to read)
- It is crucial that everyone knows that the problem is solvable.
- There are an infinite number of colours (but assume for the sake of the problem that you can still tell when two people have the same colour :) ).
- Can you know what colour you have if you are the only person with that colour?
- Goto 1.
Wednesday, 20 April 2005
Useless doctor quota
Brett has had some troubles with doctors. I recently had my useless doctor quota filled at a bulk billing medical centre, too.
I wanted to check on what I had previously thought were two calluses on my foot, but that I had come to suspect may be warts. The doctor, a young timid indian woman, was useless beyond confirming that they were plantar warts.
I asked her what she recommended I do; she said that most people would ask to have them surgically removed; I said I didn't care what most people asked for, I wanted to know what a qualified (I use that term lightly) doctor recommended I should do. I said they weren't causing me any discomfit; she said I could leave it be if I wanted. I said I was concerned about spreading them, given that I do kendo; she said she didn't think that was a problem. I said I'd read that they were contagious and as such there was a small chance of spreading them. She didn't answer my question and instead agreed that normal warts were contagious, when obviously I don't care about normal warts, just plantar warts.
I stopped in exasperation, and flat out asked her "what do you think I should do?". Her answer, which was no answer at all, was that I could do what I liked and if I chose to have them removed I had to make an appointment.
Gah, utterly useless, I still don't know what to do. Ordinarily I'm a very easy going person and don't fault someone for being timid at all. But I think that a doctor cannot afford to be that indecisive. It's one thing to not know the answer; that's perfectly fine, admit it and go find out the answer. It's another thing entirely to try to avoid giving one.
I wanted to check on what I had previously thought were two calluses on my foot, but that I had come to suspect may be warts. The doctor, a young timid indian woman, was useless beyond confirming that they were plantar warts.
I asked her what she recommended I do; she said that most people would ask to have them surgically removed; I said I didn't care what most people asked for, I wanted to know what a qualified (I use that term lightly) doctor recommended I should do. I said they weren't causing me any discomfit; she said I could leave it be if I wanted. I said I was concerned about spreading them, given that I do kendo; she said she didn't think that was a problem. I said I'd read that they were contagious and as such there was a small chance of spreading them. She didn't answer my question and instead agreed that normal warts were contagious, when obviously I don't care about normal warts, just plantar warts.
I stopped in exasperation, and flat out asked her "what do you think I should do?". Her answer, which was no answer at all, was that I could do what I liked and if I chose to have them removed I had to make an appointment.
Gah, utterly useless, I still don't know what to do. Ordinarily I'm a very easy going person and don't fault someone for being timid at all. But I think that a doctor cannot afford to be that indecisive. It's one thing to not know the answer; that's perfectly fine, admit it and go find out the answer. It's another thing entirely to try to avoid giving one.
Monday, 18 April 2005
What I Learnt Today
Actually, some cool things I learnt from the first issue of New Scientist that I received the other day:
Thanks for the subscription mum!
- Don't use any security measure you can't place on the ground and walk away from.
- I want a brass water bottle if I go travelling to exotic countries.
- Robotic exoskeletons are cool.
Thanks for the subscription mum!
Friday, 15 April 2005
My latest paper
Here's the latest paper I've written, co-authored with Carey!
It's even about MMORPGs in some way (that I don't understand :p ). Check out the links at the very top to write your own.
It's even about MMORPGs in some way (that I don't understand :p ). Check out the links at the very top to write your own.
Tuesday, 22 February 2005
Blogging under duress
I'm being forced to make this blog entry against my will. Melanie insists that it's time for another entry.
I've been educated in CSI whilst a guest at Brett & Melanie's place. I like the original show best, with the Gil Grissom and Greg Sanders characters. I just saw the first episode of the CSI: New York. I didn't think so highly of it. I was more interested in the secondary storyline, which doesn't say much for the show.
I've also been watching episodes of Numb3rs as well, which is an interesting twist on the crime investigation genre - all the cases are solved using mathematics! It's a bit corny sometimes, but good watching nonetheless :)
Melanie has just walked past and patted me on the head, so I consider my blogging obligations fulfilled now :p
I've been educated in CSI whilst a guest at Brett & Melanie's place. I like the original show best, with the Gil Grissom and Greg Sanders characters. I just saw the first episode of the CSI: New York. I didn't think so highly of it. I was more interested in the secondary storyline, which doesn't say much for the show.
I've also been watching episodes of Numb3rs as well, which is an interesting twist on the crime investigation genre - all the cases are solved using mathematics! It's a bit corny sometimes, but good watching nonetheless :)
Melanie has just walked past and patted me on the head, so I consider my blogging obligations fulfilled now :p
Tuesday, 18 January 2005
Sunglasses
I finally bought some new sunglasses to replace the ones I lost in Harvey Norman. I learnt the difference between cheap sunglasses and OMG expensive sunglasses, too - admittedly from a biased saleswoman, but I found it interesting nonetheless.
The cheapest lenses you can get are acrylic. They have the worst optics, and if they're polarised the film will sometimes just be on the inside of the lens. Although it may not be apparent from trying them for a few seconds, you can get a good idea of the distortion by holding them up facing you and looking at your reflected face. Move them around and see how the face distorts as it moves across the lens.
I looked up lens types on the web... it seems that acrylic lenses are discounted in all comparisons. Comparisons appear to be between polycarbonate, CR-39, and glass lenses only. In order of price:
Polycarbonate lenses are a big step up from acrylic. They claim to be "distortion free", but there must be some room for improvement to justify the more expensive lenses. Polycarbonate lenses have the advantage that they are the lightest and most resistant to shattering. However, they are the most prone to scratching, and have worse optics than CR-39 or glass.
CR-39 lenses are right in the middle. Optics are better than polycarbonate but worse than glass. They're heavier and more likely to shatter than polycarbonate, but lighter and more resistant to shattering than glass.
And finally, glass lenses are the most optically correct, the heaviest, the most likely to shatter, and the most resistant to scratching. It's also the most expensive :|
The glasses that I lost were polycarbonate Zenith sunglasses. The ones I bought look almost the same - they're polarised CR-39 Zenith. An excellent replacement!
The cheapest lenses you can get are acrylic. They have the worst optics, and if they're polarised the film will sometimes just be on the inside of the lens. Although it may not be apparent from trying them for a few seconds, you can get a good idea of the distortion by holding them up facing you and looking at your reflected face. Move them around and see how the face distorts as it moves across the lens.
I looked up lens types on the web... it seems that acrylic lenses are discounted in all comparisons. Comparisons appear to be between polycarbonate, CR-39, and glass lenses only. In order of price:
Polycarbonate lenses are a big step up from acrylic. They claim to be "distortion free", but there must be some room for improvement to justify the more expensive lenses. Polycarbonate lenses have the advantage that they are the lightest and most resistant to shattering. However, they are the most prone to scratching, and have worse optics than CR-39 or glass.
CR-39 lenses are right in the middle. Optics are better than polycarbonate but worse than glass. They're heavier and more likely to shatter than polycarbonate, but lighter and more resistant to shattering than glass.
And finally, glass lenses are the most optically correct, the heaviest, the most likely to shatter, and the most resistant to scratching. It's also the most expensive :|
The glasses that I lost were polycarbonate Zenith sunglasses. The ones I bought look almost the same - they're polarised CR-39 Zenith. An excellent replacement!
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