Laptop nuisances

Doesn't matter which laptop..and I use 3, all different brands...the wires are woeful. The wires for the electrical connections are this and coil and curl. This cannot be good. In a perfect world we'd all be on wi-fi and I cannot wait but until the wi-fi connections are rock solid, I shall be plugged in and these weak, curly wires are doing me in! Considering the laptops themselves are robust and well built...a bit of thought needs to go into the wiring. Light is not good if it is curling and electrical.

Winter blues

This post won't have a problem. The weather is cold and wet, swine flu has hit Adelaide and we all know someone with it and the rest of us are strained or sick. The absentee rate is high...maybe the Port Power- Crows match had something to do with the huge amount of absenteeism yesterday. Quite unusual. It would have made the Crows fans sing. Bad luck Port. The rest of us are struggling through these grey , wet days and theat sunshine on Saturday was so wonderful...so off we go into another cold day...not 2.5 though like last week...a luxurious 11C.

Ubuntu 9.04 - 3 hours later

Here I am online with Ubuntu 9.04. It takes no time to load. I have been getting fed up with my computers taking their time to get online. This NEC Versa laptop is still reacting to flash sites but I down loaded the new Flash for Ubuntu. Easy and it worked. it is just flash makes this processor run really hard for some reason. It is running on 512 mgs RAM  and doing very nicely. I have done a system test software which was loaded and that was reassuring. I like to do system tests. Getting Evolution Mail up and running took me 2 minutes and the thing I really, really like about Ubuntu is there is a shut down button top right of my screen...and my computer just shuts down when I ask it to! Now I can use this without XP onboard I feel like I can give it some proper consideration. So far I can do what I usually do, and why not?

PS Funny how the spelling got messed up on this post after I had checked and posted it. I have corrected it all again. Guess someone doesn't want to hear Ubuntu is good. Haven't had that spelling problem in ages. Good way to make someone look stupid, heh?

Expand and control your vocabulary

The free dictionary site online has a wealth of information on words. It has dictionaries is several languages, hang man game,vocabulary test and up to date information .There is an encyclopedia too...go there...it's a one stop word shop! It's modern, informative and easy to use.

Ubuntu 9.04

I did it! I wiped my hard drive on this old laptop and installed Ubuntu 9.04 from ISO disc I made last weekend from my PC User disc. It didn't work on the partition .It couldn't load the updates and I couldn't change the partitions. Haha! Doesn't matter. Now I have one totally Linux laptop to try. Problems? At the end the installation there was a black screen. Nothing else. I pressed enter. It went I/O error but I took the boot disc out and it rebooted. Some flaky graphics on boot up and there still are but it's better. I loaded Punaauia desk top picture from linternaute. com because it matches the lovely chocolate colour of Ubuntu. I went to get updates and it said they were installed!! Rubbish! So I pressed the check button and I got lots of updates and am looking forward to getting to know Ubuntu 9.04 better. It has such a clean and fuss free desktop. It is just nice.

Telstra

TELSTRA customers will soon be slugged $2.20 when they pay their bills by mail or over the counter.

Telstra was a company people could trust and they were loyal to it. It had a good name for fair deals and reliable service. Now people look out for how Telstra is creating some interesting financial  management which means users pay more. It no longer seems to be a company which actually offers safe telecommunications. Everyone is wary and everyone has a story. Big shame considering how good it was. On the other hand, people are picking up good deals on 3 and are more than happy to rave about it...and that is a good company...someone who offers good , relaible service at a good price. By contrast people using Telstra have a story to tell...like my friend who was double billed for opting for the online payment service. If you don't catch it , they don't act on it and then you have to be REALLY persistent to get it resolved. Not good enough.

Mad neighbours

Did you see me and my neighbour doing a little dance and jumping for joy? I so have to thank the neighbours from hell for teaching me what pure joy is. When I saw the lawns being mown and the for sale sign go up I couldn't believe my luck nor how relived and happy I was. Months and months of hell and trauma...now my neighbour and I can be happy and rest...I hope the new neighbours are normal!! One hell house can so disturb a neighbourhood.

Ubuntu 9.04

I have just loaded the new Ubuntu from the PC User mag disc this month. It looks a lot slicker but has that uncluttered feel. Ubuntu is just so light and breezy. I am trying the new one out on my old laptop as I have with 8.04. So far I have had no problems with either version. The problems I have come from using my old laptop which runs hot! It is a good way to get to know Ubuntu ,though, and once I have finished my investigations I shall probably be quite happy to let go of XP on this laptop and branch out further into Linux! I have run into trouble though with space...because the new install didn't remove 8.04 or go over the top of it. I cannot remove XP yet ...and that is another story...a nasty one. I need XP on that laptop for work for a while. Once I have done with that I think I'll just load 9.04 on the laptop full stop end of story. It is telling me to clean the files but I couldn't easily locate the programmes...because it is security conscious and not just anyone can go on your computer and use it. I like that about Linux. If you are an authorized user there is no problem whatsoever. I just need a bit of time to get my head around some of this. I like Ubuntu a lot because it is just so light. You don't feel like you are driving a big kenworth. You feel like you're in a zippy little roadster. Nothing like discovery learning. I have to get to the stage where I can run that old laptop just on one version of Linux...so I'll work on that. Once I have mastered it I shall feel confident dual booting form a newer laptop and it will be heaven...choices!!!

Go Poh!

"I am capable of winning this and I would love to win this," Goodwin said. "I've learnt a lot about myself and how I deal with pressure."

Yes, the 3 of them last night were worthy of the the name Master Chef. Poh has a lot of support...she's from Adelaide but any one of the last four would have been worthy winners. They have done the hard yards. The camps are divided now because it has been a long run and everyone has their favourite. The smear camapigns started a while back but it is silly. The last four were all very clever. Taking pot shots now is undermining a very positive and exciting show. It has snowballed and the enthusiasm for young and old is a rare thing. We all love it. We have all been drawn to it. It is creative, amazing , interesting. I sometimes wonder why Poh is called weird. She seems to be doing things which are very normal and familiar to us, so we are just not used to it. Maybe out pie floater would be just as weird in Malaysia. I am a bit concerned that what we see as exotic and different is just normal stuff from her background and at times it goes against her and at other times it goes in her favour. This seems to be rather unfair. I love them all really now. They all have something great to offer us...and we love out food. The best will not necessarily win...because they have been asked to do some tough stuff. Chris' mousse cake was just incredibly well made and looked so unusual. Goodwin is just very genuine and has valued the breaks she has got and Poh is very creative. Anyone of those two is deserving but so was anyone of the last four. They are all winners and Master Chef has been such a fantastic show.

Air Bed explosion

"The blast pushed his living-room wall into the building's stairwell and caused extensive damage to walls, windows and furniture."

Poor guy! He fixed his airbed with tyre repair solvent and then it ignited when he tried to inflate it. What a shock. The guy got burns on his arms but there is a little 3 year old girl with 1st degree burns. It is one of those unfortunate things where you think you are doing the right thing and it goes completely wrong. Do we know how to fix leaky air beds? Not everyone can go and get a new one. I hope they are both okay and that the neighbours will get quick help to repair the damage to their apartment building.

Adelaide Fit

If the gyms are anything to go by at 6am in the morning...Adelaide is pretty serious about keeping and staying fit. They are already busy and some gyms I drive past are just packed! I don't know how they do it. My big effort is getting up and having a cup of tea. Just being there at that time of the morning is my supreme gift to the world...but so many people are in there doing the hard yards and they must be keen! Doesn't matter if it's the big commercial gyms or the smaller ones...people are in there getting in shape. Later on, you see the walkers...so we are not defeated by  this cold, wet weather. We are cocooning ourselves or motivating ourselves or just shaping ourselves. Any way you look at it, Adelaide is very positive about the weather!

Spider Power

I have just read this at the bottom of an email and feel the need to share it with you!

If you think you are too small to make an impact - try getting into bed with a spider!

It's only money

There’s no stopping
The acceleration
Towards financial reform
We have the numbers right
If you stubbornly
Refuse to embrace it
We won’t give up the fight
People are wanting
More and more
They’re not willing to sacrifice
We cannot give
Them everything
They just have to pay the price
We have the trendiest policies
Our cart is all souped up
We have to conform to principle
We won the United Cup
We don’t want your recommendations
Your disapproval is out of line
You should see our perfect numbers
Our inspiration is divine
Yes, we know about the parents
That they’re concerned about their plight
All they need is a cup of tea
And they’ll be thinking she’ll be all right.

Just one more go!

OneMoreLevel.com has some good little games to amuse and divert. My current favourite is Bubble Shooter.

Markets

"Maybe it's the recession, maybe it's the price of the car park but all I know is it's the quietest period I've seen here since I opened five years ago," he said.

Maybe it's that people didn't know Central Market  was now open on a Wednesday! I didn't and I usually stay on top of things like that. Missed that information completely. I shouldn't like to think the markets in town feel unloved and unwanted.  I am also thinking that Sunday would be a day where peole have time to get into town and shop at the market. There are regional ones on a Sunday, I know, but quite a few people go to  town Sunday and not a lot is open...and that can put you off. It is a tricky thing to manage in Adelaide, opening hours. Like some supermarkets do a roaring trade at 6 am in the morning and others are just plain dead and could open later. We have also been vctims of extreme heat which made us not cope and now lots of wet. The weather has a lot to do with what people are doing and this last year has been odd weatherwise.

S'bloody wet!

"ADELAIDE'S reservoirs this month have received more than a quarter of the past year's total rainfall inflow as a result of heavy winter rain in the Mount Lofty Ranges."

It just keeps raining and we just keep putting on our coats and gloves and reaching for the brollies. We have had to remind ourselves of the dangers of excess rain because it has meant some close calls for hikers and people living in the hills. Everyone has forgotten that water runs downhill and a lot of water creates mud which slides downhill and even more water creates torrents which run downhill. The reservoir situation has improved considerably but I can imagine the hot dry conditions may have created some structural problems now it is so wet...raining , raining, always raining. It is just so nice to see Adelaide green again. We know about hot and crispy, brown ,bone dry...so  it's nice to see the greeness around us. Many of us like the semi rural feel of Adelaide. That is a big part of the attraction of living here. There is only so much concrete, brick and bitumen you can take and if you have a craving for the hard and inanimate...well, choose away...there are heaps of metropolises to pick from.

Bring on the risotto

Cold and wet. Wet and cold and one of the best meals to cook, which is nutritious and cheap ,is risotto! I cannot believe I took so long to eat a risotto , let alone cook one, but I am an addict now and just love my risotto. I wish I had known about them in the cash strapped days of a big mortgage with high interest. I tried my first one with some flat head at a local pub this year. Just brilliant. My sister then made me one. Delicious...so then I googled, as you do, and came up with what I thought was the best of all the risotto ideas. The one I make which is a big hit is chicken, bacon, mushroom and sundried tomato with a hint of mint...and onion and garlic! I have made it with my own vegetable stock and with shop bought chicken stock. Both a great. Big handful of parmesan in the last couple of minutes! These Italian mamas have it all sussed though. A risotto is the best meal I know of to get yourself out of chores. Can you answer the phone, I am stirring the risotto. Oh can you just get all the dirty washing in the wash...I can't leave the risotto. Oh sorry, can't help you, gotta stir the risotto! I love all the stirring. On a cold day it is homely and soothing. It smells delicious and it is substantial and nutritious. I stir mine in my big cast iron wok which is perfect for the job. I have no idea how I lived without them!

Old Cars

"It has been previously reported that SA has the oldest car fleet on mainland Australia, with the average age of cars at 11.1 years.

Dr Such said owners would be more willing to upgrade from older cars if there was a financial incentive."

Old cars are a hazard. They are unsafe and unreliable. We do need to find a way of ensuring people keep their cars in good condition. I'd like to see information about which cars have been involved in road deaths and then another list of which cars are involved in road accidents. I don't think it is the cars which are the problem...we have a lot of unnecessary road deaths...but you know, data gives insight into trends which can be helpful. The older cars here are generally well maintained because we have people who just love their cars. New cars can't be worked on so easily and it has taken away a satisfying pass time even though it has generally meant we have safer cars. You have to be at a certain financial level to be able to get a good car. If you are relying on garages to repair them, well it just isn't that personal these days. Most mechanics will get to know you if you become a regular and that is helpful when you have an older car, but a lot of places are production line and we are gearing up to that approach rather than a personal one. Having said all of that, I saw a brilliant Morris Minor on the roads yesterday. It appeared to be running beautifully and the paintwork was perfect...some people here just love their cars, so I believe we should work on that approach of encouraging those who just love cars to get good at what they do and then make sure people like me who rely on a mechanic learn to make good relationships with their service department! I can now change my car every 5 years and that is now the best option for me. I couldn't always afford that and learned to befriend one service department which served me really well because they knew me and my cars.

Positive about the economy

"We apparently feel more secure in our jobs, we expect house prices to rise and we are more confident in the economic outlook."

This is a good article. It  is well written and comes up with plenty to ponder. Inspite all indications to the contrary we are keeping a very positive frame of mind about he economic down turn. It seems baffling. Not really, moaning and being gloomy about it will not alter the facts. Being miserable about reality neither improves nor forces it to deteriorate. Being buoyant means we'll sustain some resilience to march hard through the tough stuff. Reinforcing our psychological stand point can only help us. If it gets tough we'll be ready. If we have girded our loins and strengthened our psyches we'll manage. Being pessimistic now will only debilitate and weaken us and then we'll be short on human resourcefulness when we need it. Finance and global markets are set up. They are strategies. They are conceived by humans...so it's a psychological game. You do your best thinking when you are feeling optimistic and strong.

Education is education

"Our educational system can guarantee that they are getting as good teaching in the capital area as in the northest [sic] part of Finland so we are not talking about bad or good schools," she said.
"We don't have any elite schools and school is free."

Finland certainly knows where it is at. No wonder they are doing so well educationally. Teaching everybody is a wonderful idea!!

Raining , raining...

"Rain will ease and clear to the east by late tomorrow but showers are still forecast for Sunday, before a low pressure system brings heavier rainfall on Monday and Tuesday."

We had had two lovely winter days. I even sat with friends in the garden! Unbelievable, then Friday it was cold, wet and wintery again. Yes, it's winter. Today is cold again and I can see the rain rolling in over the hills. It actually looks lovely. Yesterday started off cold and wet so we had the coats and brollies out for the trip to town...and gloves and scarves! In town , everyone was rugged up and really quite happy. There was a brilliant busker on an electronic organ who drew quite a crowd. Not surprisingly. He was so good and so different. We all loved him and it's good to see that in the Mall. Everyone had their coats, jackets, hats and scarves on. All cuddled up for winter...then around 2 the sun came out and we were too warm! Town had a great feel and the rain wasn't stopping anyone. We are in winter mode and quite enjoying it really. We know we need the rain. We still hate the cold, though. ... but he bargains warmed our spirits. Shopping in town was a real Aladdin's cave of excitement and treasures.

Dob in a hoon

"He said car enthusiasts would not be unfairly targeted for driving flashy vehicles. "Quite simply, if you drive your vehicle within the limits of the law, if you obey road rules, if you behave in a responsible manner, then you are not going to come to the notice of the police," he said."

Will we dob them in? Have we had enough? You hear them around here about 3 am. The revving and loud engines wake you up. That's new to me. So they are determined and have a need for speed and noise. Apparently, according to the article, they shut one road down, poured oil, had their fun and drew quite a crowd. This is a public road. If it is that popular let them have a section of somewhere out in woop woop but accessible from the city and let them go for it. If they kill themselves , well, better than killing others. I don't like that thought. They do not have reasonable boundaries and so we cannot offer a reasonable alternative. There must be some solution where they can engage in this daft behaviour, have their fun, make money from it and leave the rest of us alone. Maybe it's the bullying aspect of it which appeals...the lawbreaking, thumbing the nose at the community. Mayhem and a really good game of uproar...and proving we cannot deal with it. Testing the boundaries. It would have to be a community effort. By now, the community must be fed up being dictated to.

Internet fights insomnia

"This is a very interactive, tailored, personalised program," said study co-author Frances Thorndike of the University of Virginia Health System, who helped design the software, called Sleep Healthy Using the Internet, or SHUTi.

You often see people comment on Facebook that they are still awake. At least they can get a message out there and sometimes you see they have been helped. This article is about using the internet to help deal with insomnia. It is specifically designed software and it seems to be having good results. In many ways it appears to be based on the Nintendo DS approach to help collect information and then coach people. The Nintendo health things do that and I find it to be very helpful. You feel like you are achieving something and you feel like you are important. I believe technology will help us solve quite a few things if only we allow ourselves to develop the helpful software we need.

Bad thought, bad thought, bad thought...

"So, if they're saying 'I'm a lovable person,' they might be thinking, 'Well, I'm not always lovable' or 'I'm not lovable in this way,' and these contradictory thoughts may overwhelm the positive thoughts," she said.

Oh dear. No more positive thinking for me . No more positive affirmations. But, do you know, you can either sit in the black hole or you can struggle out of it...and that takes optimism and a positive attitude. So what shall we do now? Sit there and be undecided? And doesn't building up your self esteem take positive thinking. Maybe not. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't...how is prevarication going to further us?

Fraudulent Charities

"Police say the charities have collected more than $1 million over the past five years, with only a small amount actually going to charitable purposes."

Our worst nightmare. We hate it because we like to support charity. It is part of our culture. It is also part of our culture to be sceptical and so we expect charities to be accountable and generally look for that before we donate. We will still hand over money though if we think someone needs it more than us, so be taken for a ride will not sit well with us. We'll now be looking for guarantees. We'll be looking for star ratings and some sort of evidence our money is going where we think it is going.

Public Transport

"People want to use public transport and I know that some people have tried public transport and then they found it wasn't working for them because it wasn't frequent or good enough. Public transport needs to be more frequent and more reliable and more comfortable to ride in."

Exactly. Adelaide public transport has to serve the community. We want shops open at 6 we want them closed at 9. Our public transport does not cater to those starting at 5,6,7 or 8am. If they finish at 8 or 9 they might have to wait an hour in the dark to get home. At the weekend you wait and wait and it often stops early to your area. This is an easy city to get around on public transport but  the options just are not there. I can travel better and more easily in smaller places overseas than I can here...so we keep jumping in our cars and that is silly in this day and age.

Fat Busting

"THE low-fat food market actually may be a key driver of the obesity epidemic, says a University of South Australia academic."

This article states the obvious, but the obvious needs to be stated. People who want to watch their weight have to be vigilant and they need to take their food very seriously. No one and nothing is to be trusted because we live in an economy and we have manufacturers who care about profit not nutrition...so they will use whatever it takes to drive their sales. Profit , profit, profit. We need to get back to the real issue of feeding ourselves properly. It is scandalous that it the 21st century we cannot feed ourselves and our children. We have become very good at fat busting ,though, inspite of our increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Yoga and pilates are surging, jogging is still popular, people who have never been to gyms are there and at work, we use our building to increase our fitness. There is a group of us who realised we are blessed with a big building and lots of stairs, so we make an effort to get off our butts and do circuits as we make the necessary connections in the workplace to drive our jobs. It's easy. Just takes a bit of thought and an avoidance of email. Then we are good at encouraging each other with recipes and lovely home made lunches. Those people who can't think have picked up the regime pretty quickly and are happier because of it...so read the food labels, plan your day and look at how you can improve. It is possible.

Home Birth

"Doctors cannot always rescue mothers and babies from emergency situations when retrieval from home has cost valuable and potentially life-saving minutes."

We have more babies living because we do not give birth at home. It has cut the infant and maternal mortality rate. Hospitals are not the best place to give birth in my opinion. I certainly didn't find them conducive to a positive birth experience...but the bottom line is they have the facilities, they have the equipment and they are in control of procedures. My friend lost a grand child to home birth. The hospital intervention was too far away and too late. It wasn't that the couple hadn't properly prepared., they had...but things can and do go wrong. It was traumatic for all and the hospital was just plain wonderful under the circumstances. So kind and helpful. By the same token ,I was a home birth and it was thanks to a brilliant midwife I can blog to you all. She saved my life. It would be good to have a fresh look at giving birth to try and build in the best of both worlds.

Ravenous robbers

A CARLOAD of robbery suspects caught because they stopped for hamburgers have ended up getting a grilling from police.

There is a God! He must be laughing...and the police too. I love poetic justice...with a side of real justice! I am glad the victims were not hurt...but this is a cheering article with a good outcome!

Climbing Uluru

"Around a third of tourists who visit Uluru in Central Australia still climb the rock despite being encouraged by traditional owners not to do so."

Creating something out of nothing and aiming it at Peter Garrett is the usual daft we have come to expect. The traditional owners do not want to have people climbing Uluru. They will have their reasons and they should be respected. Aboriginal people know how this land works and we rarely listen to them. It is a place where people die trying to climb it and I know that doesn't necessarily put people off...but the traditional owners probably know more about our big rock than we do.

MillionHeir

My Nintendo DS is pretty useful. I like it! I still get eyebrows raised because people don't think I should have one. My point is that these sorts of gadgets ought to be for everyone and that everyone could benefit from having one. My Nintendo now has a handy little case which carries 6 "games". I found MillionHeir at the shops today. I traded my brain trainer because I didn't really like it ! This is the first time I have traded a game so it was a milestone for me. People assume a lot and they shouldn't. They also need to be far more flexible in their thinking when it comes to "games". The MillionHeir so far is great because it is like the games I have been doing on my computer...you find things and it is a bit of a mystery. The graphics are good and it is adult. I  like that. I also have the Health Coach which is very positive, my two cooking games which I wouldn't be without, my site training, which I find really good and then I have a little forest Sim type game which is light weight and diverting. I'd like  a PIM but I don' think they have one. I seem to recall seeing one but I guess most people wouldn't use their Nintendo as a PIM they'd use their phone. The health and fitness games are good. They are paced and practical. They work and they are helpful. I have the Big Brain Academy too. It's a bit kiddie but not that easy!! Does my brain good and is a more fun approach than the mind training one which I traded. I can only encourage Nintendo to bring more things out for all age groups and types. Facebook is living proof that you can get a variety of people interested in and committed to games...you have to pick the right ones!

Best Place to work in Australia

1	Google Australia Pty. Ltd                                  Great    Place
2	NetApp Australia Pty Ltd
3	Russell Investments
4	Diageo Australia Pty Ltd
5	Dynamic Property Services Pty Ltd
6	etm group of companies
7	BMD Group
8	MRWED Training and Development
9	RedBalloon
10	OBS

Auckland Teen tries to sell semi clad pics of Mum.

"Jennifer said she was "pretty annoyed'' by the first listing, calling her son a "cheeky little git'', but liked the second lot because they were "quite artistic''. "

Is it me or is it them? Mums just aren't what they used to be. Nor are their sons. This article is mind boggling.

Dangers of Social Networking

"He says the invisible nature of internet communication makes it very difficult for regulators, law enforcement and the Government to take action, and says that is why parents need to be more involved."

The dangers in social networking are no better or worse than real life. You get played for a sucker all the time these days. The trick, I guess , is to surround yourself by people whom you trust and who will look out for you. Social networking is no different. One of the real advantages is that you can build a mixed network of different ages and interests. You can do your best to make it authentic and yet still find out someone is in there under false pretences trying to take advantage. For anyone it is a simple matter of keeping sensible conversations going in real life, so articles like this one on the ABC site provide a good reason to be talking about such matters. You also find your network will look out for you, look after you and some people just can pick up someone suss really easily and let you know. They have a nose for it. So, with kids, they need to be in networks where they are surrounded by people they know and trust. It works well because the support is then there and the eyes and ears are open. It's the same in real life....people have to be there for each other.

Parents pushed to the limit

"It's more ranting and raving," she said. "It's more yelling . . . chronic bickering, put downs, irritability, not enjoying having the children around. Parents are chronically irritated."

If families are imploding, you don't need to think too hard to work out why. But we would be better served if we approached the situation logically and calmly and worked out the issues. Parents are pushed to the limit. From this area you cannot get to work by 5am or 8am if you want to  use public transport. Working hours are not 9-5. Working hours are odd and they change for a lot of people from one week to the next and then there is often little notice. Managing children within that is hard. Working conditions are hard for many. The long hours, the constant accountability and pressure, the dealing with cranky clients and unreasonable bosses who are obliged to instigate constant change for their CVs. Children have to be looked after. Some just leave it and don't put in the boundaries because they cannot be bothered...so then you have older children who are out of control, angry and they declare war on the parents. So the parents try and hide it or manage it or just resign themselves to it. A lot of homes are in crisis. Then there is the acquisitive society where the pressure is on to own and to have. To constantly upgrade, update and acquire. So no wonder parents are pushed to the limit. We do not have time, we do not have reasonable conditions and we do not have time to pace ourselves and think, so then you get self indulged, hostile children who want what they want when they want it and who are prepared to do harm to get their own way.

Save Aussie Bananas

We run on bananas. They are one of our most popular foods ...and our growers grow great bananas. Here is the petition if you wish to sign it.

SaveAussieBananas

Star Trek Movie

Can't say that I am a Trekkie or a fan of Star Trek but I have seen the varying series because others in my entourage have been committed to the series. I did see the last film with the original cast and it was a fond farewell...to that crew. This lot in the new film are dynamic, interesting and a fine crew! I really enjoyed every moment of the film because it was in the spirit of the series. It honoured the humour, the innovation and inspiration of the original Star Trek series. Each actor was well chosen, the special effects were good and it was living proof you can renovate something old and bring it into the 21st century if you care about authenticity and this is what I find Gen X are very good at. J.J. Abrams has mastered a remake of a well loved series but I think his capacity to be innovative and understand what it would take to bridge the series from one century to the next is where his talent lies. He cared about the spirit of Star Trek, but he also realised that space can be interesting, fun, emotional and sexy. The opening scene was extraordinary in the way he confronted the audience with a real life scenario of what space might mean and then the ultimate strength of a man juxtaposed to the ultimate strength of a woman. It was a really good film. Really good. So much of it was just natural. The official  site is very much this century too. Well worth a look.

Adelaide Pie Cart

"The institution, which started in the 1860s, was back outside the GPO in Franklin St."

No wonder Adelaide has been awry. We have been without our pie cart for 13 months while it has been refurbished, but it's back now and all is well with the pie cart and the pie floater. We might start to feel normal now!

Hoon Hoo-Ha

"Police say it is only a matter of time until more lives are lost and they are now being trained to spot hi-tech illegal modifications as hoons become more cunning."

We were talking about this last night because it is really warped thinking we are dealing with. It is lethal position bargaining. We were talking about how some young people's idea of fun is actually doing things which will kill themselves, kill others, make the police angry and alienate the community. So they want to run their own destructive rules and they are pushing it to the limit. It is a declaration of war and they have created an enemy.A good clinical psychologist and a good psychiatrist might shed light on the unbalanced thinking. They do it outside police stations, they put it up on the Net, so they really are waving a red rag and they really are attention seeking and they really do want to do harm. So managing this needs expert help because it is about killing people and making he police angry and about testing the boundaries. Being reasonable is not working but that is not a reason to be unreasonable because they are now drawing us into a lethal game. We have to stop the stuff going up on the Net. We have to stop the publicity because that is feeding this behaviour. the fame and glory to brag about. The car crushing is about their level of thinking. Taking their cars and licences will not stop them because, at this stage they are very destructive and very organised. I don't think car crushing has made much difference overseas. The cars should be stripped or swapped for low range vehicles and their cars should be sold interstate or overseas maybe...but they'll get another car. I wonder why they are so motivated and what is driving them, quite literally, to see fun in the  stuff they are doing and the people they are killing?What are their influences? They have to do community service. They have to be reined in but we need proper thinking about this or we are just going to have knee jerk reactions which will not solve anything. I just feel so sorry for the police and anyone who loses a family member this way. They are looking for extreme thrills so we need to create avenues for them to do that in a way which will support out society.

Da Vinci Game

Well, I finished my Unicorn Castle game and I can say that I really did enjoy it and I liked the puzzle bits in between. I downloaded and am now trying the Da Vinci game. I can't say it's much based in fact, but it is a nice, soothing game. I like doing the pictures and I have the tarot cards licked. This is a really big challenge for finding things. I actually have a friend playing this game and we talk about it quite a bit and what eh challenges are. We have decided that for a game of its genre , it's a pretty nice game to play. You can find it at My PlayCity.com. There is some nice art work in it but still not as good at the Spirit of Wandering. I realise it is important to me to have games which are artisitically well presented. I hate crass graphics.

Kathmandu Restaurant Hutt Street

The Kathmandu in Glenelg is well know and well patronised. The one in Hutt Street has taken over from an Indian restaurant. The owners have such a pride in their venue and their service is superb. You eat this wonderful food which you just want to keep eating. The flavours are just so delicious. The prices are very good, the food is superb, the atmosphere is great and it is accessible. I cannot recommend it enough. Dine in or take away. Beautifully relaxed eating.