Thursday, June 30, 2005
Reimagining Star Wars
This is kind of nifty. It's someone basically reinterpreting Star Wars IV in the light of the prequels. Some interesting stuff falls out. Have a read.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Some basic economics
You hear the cry from across Australia any time the government offers any sort of tax cut: "It's just a tax cut for the rich!", and this is accepted as fact. But what does that really mean? - The following explanation may help, but if you want to find out who originally wrote it, I wish you luck.
Suppose that every night, 10 men go out for dinner at a restaurant. The bill for all 10 comes to $100. They decided to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes, and it went like this:
* The first four men (the poorest) paid nothing.
* The fifth paid $1.
* The sixth $3.
* The seventh $7.
* The eighth $12.
* The ninth $18.
* The tenth man (the richest) paid $59.
All 10 were quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner said: "Since you are all such good customers, I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20." So now dinner for the 10 only cost $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. The first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free. But how should the other six, the paying customers, divvy up the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his "fair share"?
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth and sixth men would each end up being paid to eat. The restaurateur suggested reducing each man's bill based on the amount they paid, thus:
* The fifth man paid nothing (like the first four) instead of $1 (100%saving).
* The sixth paid $2 instead of $3 (33% saving).
* The seventh paid $5 instead of $7 (28% saving).
* The eighth paid $9 instead of $12 (25% saving).
* The ninth paid $14 instead of $18 (22% saving).
* The tenth paid $49 instead of $59 (16% saving).
Each of the six was better off, and the first four continued to eat for free, as now did the fifth - but outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man "but he got $10!"
"That's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!
"That's true!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!" The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner. The nine sat down and ate without him, but when they came to pay the bill, they discovered that they didn't have enough money between all of them to cover even half of it!
That, boys and girls, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up at the table anymore.
After all, there are lots of good restaurants in Monaco and the Caribbean.
Suppose that every night, 10 men go out for dinner at a restaurant. The bill for all 10 comes to $100. They decided to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes, and it went like this:
* The first four men (the poorest) paid nothing.
* The fifth paid $1.
* The sixth $3.
* The seventh $7.
* The eighth $12.
* The ninth $18.
* The tenth man (the richest) paid $59.
All 10 were quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner said: "Since you are all such good customers, I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20." So now dinner for the 10 only cost $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. The first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free. But how should the other six, the paying customers, divvy up the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his "fair share"?
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth and sixth men would each end up being paid to eat. The restaurateur suggested reducing each man's bill based on the amount they paid, thus:
* The fifth man paid nothing (like the first four) instead of $1 (100%saving).
* The sixth paid $2 instead of $3 (33% saving).
* The seventh paid $5 instead of $7 (28% saving).
* The eighth paid $9 instead of $12 (25% saving).
* The ninth paid $14 instead of $18 (22% saving).
* The tenth paid $49 instead of $59 (16% saving).
Each of the six was better off, and the first four continued to eat for free, as now did the fifth - but outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man "but he got $10!"
"That's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!
"That's true!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!" The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner. The nine sat down and ate without him, but when they came to pay the bill, they discovered that they didn't have enough money between all of them to cover even half of it!
That, boys and girls, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up at the table anymore.
After all, there are lots of good restaurants in Monaco and the Caribbean.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Self-destruction is go
Watch this video (you may need to view it in IE) to witness yet another step in the greatest public self-implosion since Michael Jackson.
[Listening to: Sleater-Kinney - Call the Doctor - Taste Test (2:57)]
Friday, June 24, 2005
New record
Longest time spent today talking to one client - 49 minutes 23 seconds.
Thank goodness they can't see you roll your eyes.
Thank goodness they can't see you roll your eyes.
[Listening to: A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step - Blue (4:12)]
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Perhaps we aren't the worst Warhammer players in the world!
Check this out. I think this even rivals "I go ask the first Tilean I see..."
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Shut the f@ck up you wowsers
Most likely the worst show on television right now is bullshit Big Brother on 10. It's puerile, infantile and downright bloody stupid. The people on it highlight the lowest common denominator in our society today - white trash and bogans who think the likes of Paris Hilton are role-models to aspire to. What else do you expect from people who want to be famous just for being famous.
In response to this crass crap, there now another group attempting to hog the limelight. Most prominent amongst them are the wowsers and prudes most typically found in parliament who are now decrying the offensiveness of the show. Now call me cynical, but isn't this the type of typical moral crusader stunt one would pull in order the gain column inches in the national papers. Couldn't these well-paid pollies find better uses for their times than worrying about a dying fad thrashing about in its death throes on the Simpsons Station? They may be so ensconced in their ivory towers that they may not be aware of this marvellous invention that's been added to televisions in recent years called an on/off switch. If you don't like the show you can simply do what I do - turn the bloody thing off.
Then again morons who get upset at shows like this and want to protect us for our own good probably can't grasp the simple solution that exists here. What else did they expect to see when they tune into a show labeled Big Brother Uncut - gardening tips?
In response to this crass crap, there now another group attempting to hog the limelight. Most prominent amongst them are the wowsers and prudes most typically found in parliament who are now decrying the offensiveness of the show. Now call me cynical, but isn't this the type of typical moral crusader stunt one would pull in order the gain column inches in the national papers. Couldn't these well-paid pollies find better uses for their times than worrying about a dying fad thrashing about in its death throes on the Simpsons Station? They may be so ensconced in their ivory towers that they may not be aware of this marvellous invention that's been added to televisions in recent years called an on/off switch. If you don't like the show you can simply do what I do - turn the bloody thing off.
Then again morons who get upset at shows like this and want to protect us for our own good probably can't grasp the simple solution that exists here. What else did they expect to see when they tune into a show labeled Big Brother Uncut - gardening tips?
[Listening to: Nine Inch Nails - Still - The Fragile (5:12)]
Cold War Relic Decommissioned
Russia Scraps Nuclear Missile Trains
One of the most terrifying weapons of the Cold War is no more. On Wednesday, the Russian Federation scrapped the last of its 36 BZHRK nuclear trains.
While the official reason given for scrapping the system was "the expiration of the guaranteed life cycle," the BZHRK system's capabilities exceeded the newer Topol and Bulava missile systems.
The system thoroughly unnerved the Pentagon because it was impossible to distinguish the BZHRKs from the thousands of regular freight trains traversing the Soviet Union.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Just when I thought I was out...
...I throw myself back in.
According to the paperwork I've just gotten, QUT has offered me a mid-semester place studying Law. There goes what spare time I thought I had.
According to the paperwork I've just gotten, QUT has offered me a mid-semester place studying Law. There goes what spare time I thought I had.
[Listening to: Servant, The - The Servant - Beautiful Thing (3:59)]
Formula Dumb
Below is a photo of the entire competing field at the US Grand Prix.
More Here: Schuey wins six-car fiasco
Due to Michelin not being able to guarantee that their tyres will hold up 7 teams (14 of the 20 cars) withdrew from the race.
The teams tried to negotiate a chicane being installed on the track for this year so that the tyres would hold up...the race chief (quite rightly) stated:
It is NOT the problem of the race officials that Michelin screwed up. Why should the Bridgestone teams (Ferrari, Jordan, Minardi) give their consent to allow this chicane to be installed? (Though, two of them did; Jordan, Minardi). It is not their fault that Michelin tyres couldn't keep the pace.
The bottom line is: Tyre choice is very important in any form of motor racing, you choose the wrong tyre for the wrong job and you loose to someone who made the right choice. 14 Teams chose Michelin as a supplier. Michelin screwed up. While this is not the fault of the teams, the three Bridgestone based teams should not have to suffer. Michelin would be lucky to have any F1 clients after the current season is over, and I wouldn't be supprised if some of the more prominent teams switched to Bridgestone within a few races.
Michelin have issued an apology. What they should do is issue a refund to all of the fans that were robbed of seeing a race. Some fans came up from Central and South America to watch a race. What they got was a circus and they deserve to have all of their costs refunded.
More Here: Schuey wins six-car fiasco
Due to Michelin not being able to guarantee that their tyres will hold up 7 teams (14 of the 20 cars) withdrew from the race.
The teams tried to negotiate a chicane being installed on the track for this year so that the tyres would hold up...the race chief (quite rightly) stated:
FIA Formula One race director Charlie Whiting had made the governing body's position clear earlier in the day with a letter to Michelin executives.
"As explained in our earlier letter, your teams have the choice of running more slowly in turn 12/13, running a tyre not used in qualifying (which would attract a penalty) or repeatedly changing a tyre (subject to valid safety reasons)," he said.
"It is for them to decide. We have nothing to add."
It is NOT the problem of the race officials that Michelin screwed up. Why should the Bridgestone teams (Ferrari, Jordan, Minardi) give their consent to allow this chicane to be installed? (Though, two of them did; Jordan, Minardi). It is not their fault that Michelin tyres couldn't keep the pace.
The bottom line is: Tyre choice is very important in any form of motor racing, you choose the wrong tyre for the wrong job and you loose to someone who made the right choice. 14 Teams chose Michelin as a supplier. Michelin screwed up. While this is not the fault of the teams, the three Bridgestone based teams should not have to suffer. Michelin would be lucky to have any F1 clients after the current season is over, and I wouldn't be supprised if some of the more prominent teams switched to Bridgestone within a few races.
Michelin have issued an apology. What they should do is issue a refund to all of the fans that were robbed of seeing a race. Some fans came up from Central and South America to watch a race. What they got was a circus and they deserve to have all of their costs refunded.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Another promising poster
A shame it's now being directed by this guy.
[Listening to: The Offspring - Smash - Gotta Get Away (3:52)]
Don't feed the cats
You could call it sound advice.
[Listening to: Powderfinger - Double Allergic - Give (2:24)]
Civilization IV Q&A
Civilization IV Q&A - Post-E3 Questions - Civilization IV Previews for PC at GameSpot.
My favourite quote
My favourite quote
"I seem to remember Soren Johnson (the lead designer) saying that the "official" fan suggestion document for Civ III was over 200,000 words, or roughly one-third the size of the Bible, so I guess you can imagine how many suggestions we had for Civ IV."
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
This is cool and nuts
PixelMoon
Have a look around. You will see, among onther things:
- A Tibute to 2001: A Space Odyssey
- the remains of a Borg Cube
- an ATST
- Like Skywalkers' Tatooine home
- some huge mech-like thing
- A Vodafone outlet
- Bender from Futurama
- a Star Trek Original Series landing party
and a crap load more....nuts, just plain nuts.
Have a look around. You will see, among onther things:
- A Tibute to 2001: A Space Odyssey
- the remains of a Borg Cube
- an ATST
- Like Skywalkers' Tatooine home
- some huge mech-like thing
- A Vodafone outlet
- Bender from Futurama
- a Star Trek Original Series landing party
and a crap load more....nuts, just plain nuts.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Saturday, June 11, 2005
A new shirt for Nick
Or for all those who can't get over the fact that you can't bottle lightning twice (or did I just mangle that saying?).
[Listening to: Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf - God Is In The Radio (6:04)]
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Bad Photoshop?
A followup to this post.
Still, he looks better than this fool.
[Listening to: Ben Folds - Songs For Silverman - Prison Food (4:13)]
This Rocks: Scorched 3D
One of my favourite DOS games, Scorched Earth, has been reborn in 3D.
www.scorched3d.co.uk
www.scorched3d.co.uk
·
Scorched 3D is a game based loosely (or actually quite heavily now) on the classic DOS game Scorched Earth "The Mother Of All Games". Scorched 3D adds amongst other new features a 3D island environment and LAN and internet play. Scorched 3D is totally free and is available for both Microsoft Windows and Unix (Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, Solaris etc.) operating systems.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Colour
Is anyone else concerned that in your standard packet of Anticol, the colour of each individual lozenge can vary from green to yellow? Seems strange for an item made with identical ingredients on a production line.
Scary Shit: It appears that not much has changed in the Motherland
Activist forces the release of long hidden documents on radiation accidentFull Article Here
A Russian human rights activist has scored a major victory by securing legal access documents detailing a three week long cancer provoking radiation leak at the Russia’s largest atomic research center at Dimitrovgrad—an event that Moscow and the institute have held close to thier chests for eight years.
...
According to Piskunov, NIIAR’s information policy practice is to“not to say anything about radioactive discharges in order to avoid panic.”
But in fact, it is precisely the lack of information about situations at nuclear plants that causes the panic. A case in point is the February panic surrounding a leaking cooling pipe at the Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant that triggered an emergency shutdown of the effected reactor. For 24 hours, rumours circulated that a radioactive leak had occurred and panic spread among southern regions in Russia. Official comment on the state of the plant emerged a full day following.
During the NIIAR radiation release in 1997, which continued for 23 days, NIIAR officially claimed that “iodine concentrations in the air above the institute’s territory, Dimitrovgrad, and the nearby settlements is significantly lower than the allowable limits.”
The local department of the Citizens’ Defense and Emergency Situation ministry received the following information from NIIAR: “On July 28-29, the values of releases of rare gases do not exceed the allowed limits, the values of the daily releases of iodine-131 are 60-70 milliCuries.”
But, as Mikhail Piskunov points out, 60 to 70 milliCuries per day dramatically exceeds the norms for NIIAR of iodine releases, which are usually 3.3 milliCurie daily.
According to independent calculations made by Piskunov, on July 31st 1997, 64 milliCuries of iodine-131 were discharged into the air, exceeding the daily norm by more than 30 times.
...
Sunday, June 05, 2005
The Quatermass-Files?
The Stolen X-Files Mytharc - an interesting arguement. Quatermass has always been considered one of the classicis of sci-fi, so it wouldn't be all that suprising if some of this was true.
4 8 15 16 23 42
4 8 15 16 23 42 - LOST NUMBERS REFERENCE GUIDE - these are all numbers that seem to be important somehow to the ongoing mystery of Lost. So naturally some nutter(s) have gone through the entire series that's been broadcast so far and noted seemingly every occurance of the numbers.
Ah - the internet - the greatest collection of useless information ever.
Ah - the internet - the greatest collection of useless information ever.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Missing
OKay - three days into the job and so far it seems to require lots of use of a computer. While the firewall sucks majorly, I've found that the thing I'm missing the most in navigating around the intranet site is the forward and back buttons on a mouse. I didn't realise just how much I used them at home.
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