Voyager - Just Goes On

When Voyager was sent into space 35 years ago [ yes.....35 years ago] there was no Apple Mac, no PC, and the best computers were enormous house sized monsters.

Yet, Voyager has provided and still continues to provide a steady stream of data on the solar system.

It is now approaching the very edge of our solar system, beyond the planets into the heliosphere where the effects of the sun are minimal......amazing really.  I am no expert, but I continue to marvel at a fantastic and successful, even wildly successful beyond expectations, mission that has been the two Voyager, tiny satellites.

Read more here - it is a marvellous achievement - truly.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57556894-76/11-billion-miles-out-voyager-1-nears-interstellar-space/

Orchids in Flower Too

Not to be outdone by the local trees there are many vanda orchids in flower as well.

Their flowers are magnificent, and delicate as well in subtle shades and flower textures.  Not to mention large sizes.

These are just great!

 

Yellow Flowered Trees Anyone?

That time of year again when the local trees are flowering, before the wet season.

From recently, there have been rain trees.....with a massive flower fall as well, and some Tabueaia argenta on Trower Rd at Casuarina in golden yellow with no leaves obvious,  to the weeping rosewoods.

This rosewood is a few houses from our place........it is magnificent today. There are several others in our suburb, including one near the old Rite Price complex.......and most are now in full flower.

Fantastic!

A Rare Event

Seeing two or more running licence plate numbers is a reasonably rare event.

Even more so when the numbers are single digit licence plates.

Have a look at this.

Food Waste Levels Are Horrendous

Some recent data puts food waste in countries such as the US, Canada,  and Australia as around 40%.

Figures are being quoted for the US, but the survey from which they are using the statistics also included some other countries including Australia - it is not just the US.

This is an awful indictment on western society. Especially when the areas of waste are mostly in the home and the restaurant areas.  It is also a waste of an awful lot of the money we have spent on food.

It also  brings into question the use of "use by" and " best by" systems in relation to food that are now slavishly adhered too, rather than being used as a guide.  Is it fear of legal issues or just plain lack of common sense that is the issue?

There is a great article written on the subject and is worth reading and pondering on the  naivety of consumers over these issues.

The link is here: http://www.nrdc.org/food/wasted-food.asp

How many times have you eaten leftovers for lunch or as another quick meal a few evenings later, as well as drunk milk on a date past that on the bottle, or used other products near or past the use by date.  Sure, do not use anything that might be unusable - with a quick smell or appearance check a good guide - and better than a formal printed date.  Many charities use packaged foods that are past the "date" to provide excellent meals to the less well off.

Are we so stupid that we cannot be sensible enough to also be practical in using food, purchased with our money, sensibly.  Treat these dates as a guide - and remember, many supermarkets discount food items getting close to the "use by"date - so a bit of careful shopping can be $$ saving.

There are some ideas in the links shown, so  can you act somewhat wiser?

More details in the full article which also targets the supermarkets.

http://www.nrdc.org/food/files/wasted-food-IP.pdf

  

Picking up Chicks at Erldunda

Erldunda's main tourist attraction just got a whole lot smaller.

The emu pen is one of the first things you notice when you drive into the roadhouse about 220 kilometres south of Alice Springs.

 

 

While you may only see one or two emus wandering the fence line, it's now a flurry of activity, since eleven chicks hatched in the last few weeks.

 

 

Carer Jan Rolston says the males are proving to be particularly good parents to the chicks that are about 30 centimetres tall with black and white stripes.  "The males had been sitting on the eggs for several months, so it was certainly big news around the place when they all hatched.  "They're certainly very protective especially when the chicks arrive, it's difficult to get close.  "They'll fluff up their chest feathers and have a go at you if they get half a chance."

 

 

Ms Rolston says the father emu are protective with good reason.  "To be honest, there have been one or two that have disappeared and we presume that might have been hawks.  But we're feeling quite proud of ourselves that we've got them this far."

So where is Erlunda?

[ most of this was pinched off the NT Country Hour today......but aren't the emu chicks cute?]

The Olympics are Over.

It has been tough for the past two months with the Olympics rapidly following the Tour de France.

Any Aussie wanting to see these events live needed to stay up late at night, and for the Olympics sometimes get up early.

That has now finished and one can revert to a normal sleeping pattern.

There is to be a degree of soul searching over the performance of Australian competitors, as many believe we have not done well.  Lets just congratulate those who mad the standards to compete.  They are pretty tough anyway.

The sailing was terrific, and Australia has at last received some rewards in this area.  The women's match racing was excellent, with the final between Australia and Spain a bit of a gut wrenching event for Australia with the skipper being lost overboard..........you have to go back and get them!!!  So Australia won the silver medal.  But it was quite a good spectacle to watch.

If you have been watching late night European sport.......well..........yes, the Vuelta is coming soon.

Back to some late night TV soon.

It Can be Cold in the NT

It is cool......very cool........very, very cool even, with Darwin recording the lowest ever August temperature overnight of 13.1 C.  This is a great dry season!

Inland a little the temperatures were much lower, around 5C.  That is COLD by our standards.

Now, at around 1000hrs, while the temperature has risen to around 22C the apparent temperature which combines temperature and wind and RH is still around 15C.  And the office is distinctly cool, still. 

The dog is sitting in the sun, enjoying the warm sunshine, and this morning was very quick to find any small area of sunshine in the back yard on the S side of the house, where there is not a lot of sun until a month or so later in the year.

Even yesterday evening it was very cool early, around sunset.  We had a yiros and a drink on the cliff top at Nightcliff and most locals were complaining about how cool it was - and sitting in light jumpers.  We forgot ours and moved home to warm up, soon after eating and the sun had set.

Need to enjoy the cool weather while it is here - come November we will be complaining how hot it is even after the sunset!

Some Gold Medals Have Arrived

Australia has won some gold medals in the last few days, with possibly more to come.  It seems assured of a gold in one of the sailing classes, with maybe a second posible in another class.  That adds to the one in the Laser class won by Slingsby.

And both Sally Pearson [110m hurdles] and Anna Meares [ womens cycling sprint] have won gold medals over night.
There might be more medals to come.  But in mens pole vault.......not so sure as Steve Hooker is not at his best it seems.

But lets not forget that competition is VERY STRONG, with lots of countries now performing much better than a few years back.  Maybe what hurts most is that Australian coaches are plotting at the highest level for the opposition - yes, some of the best coaching talent is helping other countries'athletes to achieve at their best.  BUT.......wait......has not Australia used Chinese diving and gymnastic coaches, European rowing and cycling coaches - with the father of silver medallist Jessica Fox in kayaking from the UK.

It is a two way trade.

I think is that where it matters is that some of these coaches now operating overseas or coaching overseas athletes, at the highest levels and with outstanding success, were spurned by Australian authorities to coach Australians.

Media stories are likely to expand over coming days on this issue, methinks!

The Olympics - Are You Disappointed?

Some great events, some remarkable competitors both winners and just competitors, some crass behaviour often after events, and a few memorable moments.

For me, so far was the silver medal performance of Jessica Fox in the womens single kayak slalom event.  Saw the sem final, where she was ok, but definitely not seen as a medallist would, I think, have been my view. But there she was - a silver medallist. And relatively young for that sport at 18.  Showed a lot of poise and steel - and remember it is the mind that assumes much greater importance at that level.  Well done.

Some drama at the track cycling - with the Brit women's sprint team disqualified, then another DQ in the final, with Australia winning a bronze.  Bradley Wiggins was a deserved mens time trial winner over Tony Martin [ gold in Beijing], but remember Martin had a bad fall in the Tde F with a broken wrist, so that has been a big recovery for him.  Still more track cycling to come with the Meares v Pendelton sprint a big one to watch.

It seems as if the way the dice has fallen over a few things, has not been in Australia's favour, but that is sometimes how it goes.

Whie not yet over, the performance of Kim Crow in the womens single sculls so far has been amazinghas a fluid grace with the sculls  that seems to indicate absolute effortless performance.  I am sure it is not, but so far she has been outstanding in all races I have seen.

And swimming..........changing of the guard, too much on Magnussen and some say, some swimmers not adequately hungry to win.  And still Phelps goes on - 200IM win today.  While he may not have the in your face stand out talent seen a few years ago, he gets the job done, very well, so congratulations to him.

Still more to come.......   

Barking Owls Revisited

It is a quiet, cool, still and very dark "no moon", dry season evening.  Dinner is just underway.......then it begins.

The clear and distinct sound of a barking owl.  Yes, they have been around here quite regularly, for at least a year or more now.  BUT WAIT........there is not one but definitely two, and they are engaged in a steady, quite animated conversation.

Could it be we now have a breeding pair?

The conversation continues for some time.  A period of quiet.......and then a recommencement of the discussion.

It is now some 30 minutes later, and while now a little further away, there is still the distinct call of a barking owl.

There is a large African mahogany in the front yard, and I mean LARGE.  That is a favoured location it seems, and the area of this evening's discourse.

Usually when they are active and noisy, a short trip outside with a good high power led torch will quickly locate the bird or birds.  But tonight they were let be.........no need to interrupt any hi-jinks they may be up to in the tree.

More information on the barking owl is here - http://www.birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/barking-owl
as well as the previous post in 2010 -http://monsoon-frog.blogspot.com.au/2010/09/tree-climbing-dog.html









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Tour de France 2012

The Tour de France is nearly over for 2012.  As usual, there have been great races, dramas, a single suspicious drug issue, heroes, unsung heroes and trivia.

The Pyrenees have elicited a winner [ Wiggins], and a great climber who might have been a winner [Frome], found some wanting too [Cadel Evans] and another home country hero [Voeckler].

Not over yet, and I have no doubt there will be a very serious race for line honours in Paris.  Wiggins has to finish to claim the winner's yellow jersey, so he  must compete and finish.  Team Sky has clearly dominated the event, yet they may not be the winning team.  Some teams - Rabobank a good example - have been decimated, with only four of the nine team members making it to Paris, and there are only a few teams with all members finishing.

Dogs have starred again with a serious incident on last Friday with one of the riders involved almost trading blows with the dog's stupid owner [ saved by intervention of the team manager luckily].  Surely the dog lovers of Europe on the course can restrain their pooches during the race, or are they too stupid to do so?

The win by Cavendish on Friday as he rocketed out and accelerated at the sprint finish was amazingly fast.  Not to forget sprint wins by Griepel either.  Cancellara was a worthy yellow jersey holder in the first week, after a great prologue win.  Voekler won hearts as well as races with a typical gutsy win in the mountains, as well as being to secure the polka dot jersey.  We saw the emergence of some interesting younger riders - Chris Frome at Sky, Peter Sagan of Liquigas- Cannondale [ what an interesting display as he won his first stage during the first week followed by other stage wins in non sprint finishes] and who should win the green jersey prize, Van Garderen [ Team BMC] and a gutsy win by the experienced Valverde in a mountain stage too.  Not to mention the performance of Orica - Green Edge team, the first Australian team in the Tour de France - with some good performances by Matt Goss and crafty work by O'Grady and others.

Some Aussie cyclists also starrred for other teams - Richie Porte, Michael Rogers being notable ones. Remember - it is a team race; you must have a good team to perform well.

Team Sky performances, especially in the mountains are reminscent of US Postal in the Armstrong era - totally dominant.  BMC tried hard, and if Evans' effort in the mountains had paid off, well.........the result might be different.......but it did not.

One day to go, then a week of rest days [ evenings or nights???] before the Olympics.

There is though, nothing quite like the Tour de France, as a spectacle.   They are all superb athletes often riding close to the limit physically and mentally [ not to mention speed on the downhill descents] with the vision providing a spectacle of France.  That alone going to a world wide audience must do a lot for French travel desires.  The TV coverage is just great!

Vive le Tour pour 2013!!   

Old Bras

Well ladies, it is now official - bras have been in use for a long time.

Some recent archelogical work in Europe has uncovered a bra made in the 15th century - made of linen.

More details are here -http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/44689

There is no data on whether burning of bras was practised at this time , however.

Great New Buildings of Note - Gardens by the Bay - Singapore

http://www.news.com.au/travel/world/living-the-high-life-worlds-coolest-new-buildings/story-e6frfqai-1226422425029

One of these of considerable interest to those in Darwin might be the new Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.

These include the Supertrees along with two new fantastic conservatories with controlled climate conditions, which for hot and steamy Singapore means both dry and cooler conditions.

It opened at the end of June, and I have only seen the outside. Although there have been a few pictures around of the insides.

The conservatories are to the left of the photo, out of view.  The "Supertrees" do look better at night and are well lit up.  No doubt they will be even more intriguing once they are plant covered.

Indonesia - our Neighbour

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/indonesia-relations-in-a-mess/story-e6frg76f-1226417216721

This link is to an opinion piece in the national newspaper today.  It is a fairly salient examination of the current debacle that the current Australian government has made over relations with our neighbour.  Quite a few near term examples of which the cessation of live cattle trade is but one - although a very major one [What a stuff up by Australia].

Can they fix it up?  It might not matter, if they are not there after the next Australian election, as is widely tipped.  BUT.....the mess still will be.  And I would agree, it will take some fixing.

When you live in north Australia Indonesia is very near, and of much greater relevance.  Unfortunately the latte swilling set of the SE corner of Australia do not understand that.......at all.  Self centredness rules - speak English, beggar your neighbour, have no understanding of the rest of the world - sounds increasingly like the mid-west of the USA - pleasant, but disinterested in anything other than football.

We ignore Indonesia at Australia's peril - a rapidly growing middle class, vibrant manufacturing, excellent GDP growth, yet not without problems and very close by.

Does Australia Understand China ? Or Care?

Australia and China seem to be moving towards further intertwining.  Yet do we know China or its people or even more important its leaders or emerging leaders?

Recent announcements by government to promote Australian students studying at Asian institutions is a very important step forward.  Asians come here, and we should have some students study in Asia.  There are some first class universities across many disciplines, so it makes sense.

But a recent Lowy Institute paper also makes a more compelling case for some further interaction to deepen our understanding of Asia, and particularly China.  Language skills is one area where there are some real needs.  And today with the Indonesian President in Darwin is a timely teminder that Indonesian language skills are important to meet our next door neighbour on equal terms  too.  Indonesia seems to have fallen below the vision line.

Read the Lowy Institute article here:
http://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/australia-china-ties-search-political-trust

Interestingly in this article there are no formal high level links in relation to agriculture.  Curious, with all the media attention around Chinese land purchases and their interest in Australian agriculture.  Sydney Uni Agriculture Faculty is soon to establish formal relations in China; maybe more should start that process too.

TGIF

A big weekend coming up around Darwin with the V8 Supercars in town for the weekend, as a major event.  There will be lots of people going, but not me.

The dry season festivities are in full swing - Greek glenti last weekend, deck chair cinema is open and in action this weekend, several open gardens [ including a large orchid garden - mmmmm, might see that], outdoor performances by the Darwin Symphony Orchestra, a decent breeze - so sailing will be an option, but it might be a bit windy for fishing.

Thank God it's Friday!

Wine is the Next Big Knock Off by the Chinese

Yes, it is true.  The more reputable and mid to upmarket wine houses are preparing to combat "knock offs" by the Chinese.  And it applies to Australian wines as well, not just the exclusive French wine.

It is a bit of an organised racket, according to some recent articles.

See here - http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/business/a/-/world/13921375/fakes-hit-classic-wine-market/

So, if visiting China, or some other Asian countries, be careful you or the reseller are not being ripped off......big time.

I enjoy a drop of some of the better red wines, at least in Australia.  I wonder if this stuff is also coming to Australia.  Afterall, some fake designer handbags, electronics and other goods have done so.

You are warned!

What a Great Week - for The Weather

It has been a great week for the weather in Darwin and most of the Top End.

A burst of what has been ultra cool air and a strong SE wind has resulted in cool dry conditions all across the Top End, fantastic stuff!!

Darwin has had a few nights around 14C, with another 3-4 nights predicted around the 15 - 17 C range with days of 27-28C, basically through to early next week and over the coming long weekend.  But with the dry winds, the apparent temperature is much lower - around 12-13C at the low end and 24-25C at the max, with glorious warm and very balmy conditions.  Even pleasant enough for jeans and decent collared shirt, and there was no unpleasant sweat while walking around.  THAT is a change.

Have even had to resort to a light blanket on the bed.

Inland, the conditions are much cooler at night with actual minimum temperatures around 8-10C, and maxing out around 28C.

People have a spring in their step!  It is what makes Darwin, these conditions, and the awful hot humid steamy conditions of November are forgotten, at least with weather like this now.

Facebook - to be Strip Mined?

Australians are well aware of the strip mine.  We dig and send a lot of coal and iron ore from strip mines.

Some pundits are saying Facebook will be strip mined - to obtain value to justify the share prices,or they will fall.  They might anyway!

This link to a recent online article offers some thoughtful insight.

Definitely worth reading ,if you are one of the one in seven people that are users around the world.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4037870.html
 

Great Weather and Great Music Coming

The dry season has finally arrived.  Cool nights, no overhead fans, and then warm dry days.  Temperature range from 17-20 at night and then 28 - 30C in the day time, with plenty of sunshine.

There is so much activity on around the town, with several festivals this weekend, including the Mereepen Arts Festival at the Daly river and a performance in town by Harry Manx, a great guitar player and a devotee of the mohan veena.  What is that you say?

Plenty of information right here....... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohan_veena

But better still, relax and enjoy the sound.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GabJcL1VolQ&feature=relmfu

Space - Now Privatised!!

Who would have predicted that in roughly 50 years that us earthlings would move from the very first Sputnik satellite launched with enormous government resources and followed by even more success with government resources  to a moon landing would be able to get it so well organised that the private sector would be contracting to do it instead??


While it may not be imaginable in some of the world economies, the USA has done just that this week, with the first private sector launch of a commercial space vehicle.

Read more here - http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57438890-76/spacex-cargo-ship-takes-off-on-commercial-flight-to-station/?tag=nl.e703


And with more commercial flights for space tourism to come too.


In some areas the USA might still be the leading player.  Sometimes though you look at other parts of their economy and wonder.

Bike to Nowhere

While it is now wonderful weather for biking, that will eventually deteriorate to being a bit too hot, especially during the day, by November.

The solution - or at least part of the options - a bike to nowhere = wind trainer.

I have acquired a wind trainer from a colleague who worked with my wife, and who was leaving town.

Still to be set up, it should be a great asset for a late evening ride, or when wet.  It has a hydrogel roller so should be a good addition to allow some more extensive cycling.

And, it might be useful for some knee rehab for me as well as allowing my significant other to hit the bike too.

Life Moves On

Wow........nearly three months since a blogpost.

Floods have come and gone around N Australia and N NSW, summer is now autumn, in fact nearly winter, and at last the dry season has arrived in the north.

Still not really cool, although a few nights below 20C, which is the borderline below which you can turn off the overhead fan at night.  But it is noticeable - days arre drier and you do not lather in sweat if you are working.

I spent a day digging augur holes for soil sampling yesterdy and did not really raise a decent sweat.......a month ago you would be wringing wet after the first turn of the augur!

However, the hole digging had been post poned after I had a accident and hurt my knee while spraying last week.  Unable to walk for some days, had to use all the parts of the RICE procedures plus a doctor's visit and taking anti inflammatories, wear a compression sleeve etc.  Much improved, but not fixed totally yet.

It was a bit of an issue for someone who is not normally prone to either illness or accident.

A dry season to enjoy.........so far.

Floods in Australia

Rarely has it been that the words of the poem by Dorothea MacKellar could be so apt as now, with much of SE Australia flooded, following on from similar floods last year and coming after many years of drought. These are very serious floods....... and there is plenty of coverage on the media eg
www.abc.net.au

Spare a thought and a prayer for them. A long way from us, but we have had our share this wet season too.

My Country by Dorothea Mackellar

The love of field and coppice,
Of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens,
Is running in your veins.
Strong love of grey-blue distance,
Brown streams and soft, dim skies --
I know but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror --The wide brown land for me!

The stark white ring-barked forests,
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountain,
The hot gold hush of noon.
Green tangle of the brushes,
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree tops
And ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When sick at heart, around us,
We see the cattle die --
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady, soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the Rainbow Gold,
For flood and fire and famine,
She pays us back three-fold.
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze . . .

An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land --
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand --
Though earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.

Quadricopters Playing Music? - Well, YES!

Quadricopters or drones are a new device, straight out of the intelligence industry.......or they were.

NOW......they are playing music! The video originally from the University of Pennslyvania has gone viral. Hardly the stuff of military intelligence, but it surely illustrates the potential.

A potent reminder that remote devices really do have a future! Where do you imagine their future?

The Lorax by Dr Suess is Now a Movie.

http://myplasticfreelife.com/2012/02/lessons-from-the-lorax-why-nagging-doesnt-work/comment-page-1/#comment-39193

The link is to a blog written about the environmental lessons to be learned from the Dr Suess book The Lorax.

It is about to launch this week as a movie.

REREAD THE BOOK. As an adult, ponder about the message and what might be done, as the writer has done.

A bit provocative and definitely aiming to change YOUR perspective.

It is not the first environmental book, nor does it have the same lengthy text as did Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring", nor as old as "A Sandcastle Almanac" by Leopold - but the message is very clear.
An easily read environmental tale of loss. And.... worth conveying the message to the next generation.

Tattoo to Go?

Tattooes appear in many places on the body.

But have you thought what those locations ,might say about you, the tattooed one?

The comments might just be on the money!

Intellectual Property, Online Piracy and Intellectual Freedom

This article is reproduced from elsewhere, but is a reminder of the issues that are being discussed over access to information. Mull over it, think about it and ask do you want to go backwards or forwards?? Yes, there might be a need for a degree of intellectual property........but the USA has also hammered the Australian copyright system rather savagely in the terms of the US / Australia free trade deal...and Australia got screwed.


Blackout Wednesday: The Time Has Come By Jeffrey Tucker

The blackout is a choice, and a brilliant one, made by founder Jimmy Wales in consultation with the whole Wikipedia community. It is a protest, a statement, a symbolic warning to the world of what can happen if governments attack the free flow of information.

The online protest is directed, in particular, against two bills roiling around Congress right now, called SOPA in the House and PIPA in the Senate. Early versions have been tabled.

The Obama administration has said that it opposes the current versions, but the opposition was weak and suspiciously nuanced.

People who are digitally aware and politically savvy know that this is only round one. The attempt by governments to block information flows on the Web will continue in new and different bills and regulations. No new laws are even necessary; government possesses the power now to crush the information age on a bureaucratic whim.In fact, this goes on every day. That's because governments everywhere, in all times and places, want to control information and will use all their power to do it.

It is also because the legal framework that rules how information is produced and distributed is fundamentally corrupted by the fraudulent notion of "intellectual property," which, if consistently enforced, would put an end to the Internet as we know it...

Just this past week, a judge ruled that a 23-year-old British college student can be extradited to the US for a 10-year prison sentence, all for linking to other servers that illicitly host copyrighted content;

Late last year, US officials shut down 150 domains without hearings or trials on grounds that they were suspected of selling goods that violate trademark law. It was done on "Cyber Monday" for a reason: It was an announcement to the digital world that government is in charge;

In the spring of last year, the FBI arbitrarily shut down every online poker domain they could find and seized the bank accounts of some of the largest and smartest people who play online poker - and all of this happened before the recent announcement that online poker is being re-legalised;

Earlier in the year, the Department of Homeland Security seized 84,000 domains and put up an announcement that each was trafficking in child porn. Problem: It was all a mistake. Not one was actually guilty. To date, there has been no explanation of how this could have happened;

In 2010, the feds seized some 73,000 domains for the crime of linking to content that was said to be distributed illegally in violation of copyright. Already, the damage of this sort of thing is enormous.

Ten years ago, the Internet represented liberation, a new frontier of innovation, commerce, opinion sharing and spontaneous organising.

Today, more and more people are consumed by fear. Bloggers are unclear about what existing law does or does not allow. No one knows for sure how to define "fair use." The deepest pockets are winning case after case.

Faced with this uncertainty, many are choosing less over more content - which is exactly what the government and private monopolists want.

The Wikipedia protest is a way of saying: If this kind of thing continues and ends up institutionalised in new legislation, there will be no more Wikipedia, which is the No. 1 content-rich site on the Web and the main way people learn today (how far we've come from the debunking that was common only five years ago).

And this is just one example.

Individual blogs would only contain government-approved content. Search engines would only produce only government-approved sites. Digital entrepreneurship would be suffocated by fears of threats, confiscations and jails. It is hard to see how even Facebook and Twitter could survive.

It is just marvellous that Wikipedia has taken this bold direction, and it is only possible because of the unique nature of the media in question.

Many large businesses during the 1930s tried their best to protest New Deal price controls. But they could hardly shut down their giant stores. The revenue loss would have been devastating, and the victims would have been the employees. So in the end, the private sector was forced to submit to the controls. It was the same in the 1970s with wage and price controls. How could the merchants resist?

But digital enterprises are in a different position entirely. They can vanish with a few clicks, giving the world a conjectural look at what happens when the state attacks the lifeblood of innovation and progress. Small changes in the law can have a gigantic effect. Just as one click can shut down this site, one law can do the same.

It is not only Wikipedia. Others are doing the same.

WordPress, the open-source platform that powers nearly a quarter of new websites and has the most-popular content management system on the Web, has also stepped out in front with a call for action: "Normally, we stay away from... politics here at the official WordPress project...Today, I'm breaking our no-politics rule...How would you feel if the Web stopped being so free and independent? I'm concerned - freaked right the heck out about the bills that threaten to do this, and as a participant in one of the biggest changes in modern history, you should be, too."There are many such examples.

And even if successful, it is not enough.

With or without SOPA, digital freedom is under attack.

For example, ICANN, the gateway for all domain registration, is now requiring a verified official identity, supplied by government, for domain ownership. This change sets the stage for continuing shutdowns and strangulation.The struggle is intensifying, and the sides are very clear: It is the government and old-line media companies that depend on the state's laws versus everyone else.

Everyone else consists of the independently active, privately owned global society that lives and thrives in the digital age. The astonishing innovations of this age have taught an entire generation about the miraculous power of information generation and delivery, about the capabilities embedded in the spontaneous actions of individuals, about the capacity of people around the world to generate order and progress through cooperation and exchange.The notable thing is that the Web as we know it has been built by private hands working together, not by bureaucrats and politicians. This is the great lesson that our Jetsons world has taught us, and it points to a truth that all governments want to suppress: namely, that order is the daughter of liberty.

How dare the bureaucrats and politicians presume to be the lords of what they had nothing to do with creating! If government gets its way with this legislation and these overall trends, the costs will be immense and tragically unseen. Digital media and information freedom is directly and indirectly responsible for most of the economic growth we've experienced over the last 20 years. Without it, government controls, taxes, regulations and wars would have instituted a new dark age by now.

For government to attack Internet freedom today would be akin to burning the seventh-century manuscripts of St. Isidore of Seville, who produced, in the hardest times, the book that summarised all the knowledge of the ancient world (a Wikipedia of his time) and remains a primary source today.

It would be like murdering Venerable Bede in the eighth century, so that he could not have written his history of England that passed on knowledge and wisdom in the darkest of times.

It would be like smashing the 15th-century Gutenberg presses so that printing could have never gotten off the ground.

Historians constantly remind us that all great leaps in human history are inspired by the sharing and spreading of information. This is the precondition. When the first crusaders returned with new manuscripts from the ancient world, we began to see the first signs of the birth of modernity in the West.

When populations moved to cities where they could leave behind their isolation and collaborate with others, economic growth followed. And when the Internet blasted down the barriers around the world and allowed anyone to discover new ideas, we saw a new dawn of technology and efficiency.

Information is the most-valuable commodity, and one that so happens to be infinitely reproducible.

But today, governments have rallied around this notion of "intellectual property" and used it as an excuse to set up monopolies and censor ideas. We'll never be safe from this kind of legislation and arbitrary dictate until this fallacy is pulled up from its very roots and we are better able to distinguish between real and fake property rights.

The two dominant trends of our time are, on the one hand, the darkening of the physical world ruled by governments and, on the other hand, the re-enlightening of the world thanks to the spontaneous order of digital media controlled by everyone else.

Governments are seeking to drag it down and shut off the lights. The protests against these proposed controls constitute a mighty statement that we will not let the raiders, the barbarians, the vandals, have their way.

This article first appeared in The Daily Reckoning USA


Examine the Creative Commons concept.......a positive development, and quite useful. Plenty of information online if you want to know more.

McDonalds Ludmilla - Hamburger Joint Or Road and Car Wash?

What a stupid franchisee! What a bad example to the rest of the community! What a waste!

Very obviously the franchisee could not give a rat’s. Maybe the franchisor might though.

It is the wet season and two nights ago around 30 -50mm of rain fell in Darwin, enough for at least 5 or 6 days to keep the garden and lawns growing.

Not only that, but both November and December have been quite wet with plenty of regular rain. It is over two months since most people needed to use irrigation at home, except for maybe the odd pot plant.

Yes, good old McDonald’s on Bagot Road / Pfitzer Drive corner at Ludmilla where thousands of cars move past both day and night, is still watering the lawn. Not only that, they are watering every evening, and also watering most of the road on both Pfitzer Drive and some onto Bagot road. It is so bad on Pfitzer Drive that the road is showing signs of damage from the water. Your car is watered as you enter the carpark.

There is a simple switch –called a rain off switch, that holds the settings, but stop the irrigation system operating. This is a switch one uses to turn the system off......when it rains. Very easy, very simple. Should have been activated about two month’s ago.

I am sure they can afford the water bill, but why use it?

What a shame they are so silly that they cannot turn it off when it is not needed.

Changes for the New Year

Ah, New Year's Resolutions! Made to be broken or truly a chance to remake you.

Many do not survive the first month, some less than the first week.


7 Things That Will Make You Happy
The New Year's Resolution We Should Be Making
Never Too Late: 5 Bad Habits You Should Still Quit


The graphic shows some of the most common US 2012 resolutions. I would think Australia might be very similar.

One standout for about 16% of the Australian population [ a little less than the US figure] is to stop smoking. Sure, some smokers are happy to keep on killing themselves, but in Australia they are more than ever seen as pariahs, those who continue to smoke, and there are major efforts directed at anti smoking options.

What of the others? Sound familiar?




Source:LiveScience

You Know It Is Hot When.......

The monsoon has gone missing and the weather is hot.

New Year's Day, a slow start that developed into a house clean up, and related requirements, even cleaning the spa [ yikes it needed it......debris off the roof after that was cleaned], is now meandering into late afternoon.

But it has been stinking hot.......so hot that even the dog, who already had had a cooling clean with the hose and a wash decided that it ws so hot a move into the office and the air conditioning was a sensible option. First she moved to lying outside the office with the cool air trickling beneath the office doors, then as the door was opened.......in she went to lie on the cool tiled floor. Where she stayed, while cleaning the house continued.

Sensible dog!!