I'm off!

I’ve been blogging for a little over a year now. I’ve had some great discussions and have made many online friends here at Blognow and would like to thank “Whitepage” for introducing me to the world of blogging, which in turn has introduced me to all you wonderful people. We’ve established a fantastic online community here, which I’m a bit loath to say “goodbye” to. But, like Snowy and some others, I’ve finally had enough. I’ve been putting off moving though, simply because I’ve felt like I’m at home and among friends here.

It’s a sad fact however, that Blognow has become a tad unreliable. Sad, but true. At times it’s rather slow, so slow in fact that I’ve been doing most of my commenting on blogs that use other providers. At other times, usually about ten minutes after I post, Blognow disappears for a day or so. Now that my friends, is seriously annoying, especially if someone’s asked you for your particular slant on a subject and you’ve just posted it and let them know, only to discover that it’s become invisible. I’ve also been fielding emails lately, from people I haven’t spoken to before, asking me if it’s just them or can nobody access it, so sorry Blognow, I do I.T. support for a living, I don’t really want to do it when I get home anymore.

So, you can all find my new blog at:

http://plonkasblog.blogspot.com/

I’ll leave my little Blognow tutorial up at:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~tfforsyth/

Anyone that wants to persevere with Blognow will find a couple of tid-bits there that may help with the template.

So au revoir my friends! Feel free to come comment and hassle at my new blog. I’ll leave this here, just as it is for a while and I’ll also link to it from my new one, which still needs work BTW…

See ya,

Ted.

9:32 AM - 25/4/2007 - comments {4} - post comment

The Thinking Blogger Award

The Thinking Blogger Award

Well, I’ve been tagged by Beep!Beep! It’s Me again. This time however, I have every reason to be quite chuffed. This one’s “The Thinking Blogger Award” and it goes to those blogs that really make you think about stuff. Now coming from Beep, who’s blog I read every day and where I have some of the most fantastic discussions and arguments, means that this one really means something to me (I’m such a nerd, I know). It’s got a snazzy little piccie to go with it and everything…:)

Anyway, here’s the rules:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with 5 blogs that make you think

2. Link to this post so that people can find the exact origin of the meme.

3. Optional: Proudly display the “Thinking Blogger Award” with a link to the post that you wrote (there is a silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).

4. Your chosen blogs cannot have been previously awarded.

A committee is a  cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured then quietly strangled. - Sir Barnett Cocks.

I’ve had my share of committees, I hate them and I know exactly how he feels. That said however, I’ve seen ideas get strangled in many other places besides, one or two right here.

Now this is all very well and good, but the rules make it awkward. If you really want to see most of the blogs I’d have nominated, go to Beep’s and read her award. The only one in hers that I don’t regularly lurk at is Steve G.

The only other ones are group type blogs that don’t tend to participate in meme’s, like GIFs, The 2% Company & The Bronze Dog. There is one however, run by an individual, that I regularly read that deals with a wide variety of subject matter and always has food for thought, or if you’re like me and understand very little about the finer points of finance, you’ll definitely learn something new. So my one and only tag at this stage (I really need to think some more about this) is:

Dikkii’s Diatribe - (This page is an outlet for my own hate-filled vitriol and spiteful opinions. Uneducated as I am in the ways of the world, it's still necessary to vent my spleen at the media, the music industry, the AFL and anyone else who could have offended my sensibilities. I plan for this to be updated occasionally, depending on my state of mind. So you can either look forward to, or avoid my one-sided, uninformed and dangerously unbalanced opinions on the state of the world and everyone in it.)

12:04 PM - 7/4/2007 - comments {6} - post comment

Time to play tiggy

Well, Beep!Beep! It’s Me has tagged me again. I must admit, I do enjoy these. The meme is “Five songs to be played at my funeral”

I found this one tricky and had to think about it for a bit, but I think I’ve managed to come up with something. I’ll try and find links where I can…

1. Wish YOU were here – Pink Floyd
2. Come up and see me (Make me smile)  – Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
3. The Pretender – Jackson Browne
4. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding – Elton John
5. Eagle Rock – Daddy Cool (Crank it up!!!)

Now to tag some more unsuspecting souls…;)

Petermcc, Deena, Gryphonn, CatDog.

1:36 PM - 4/2/2007 - comments {14} - post comment

Cop That!

1:49 PM - 25/1/2007 - comments {15} - post comment

Tagged

I got tagged again…:) Dikkii’s real blog is over at Blogger (his Whitepage jobbie’s just a pointer) and I can only suggest that you get amongst it. Informative and entertaining is what it is, so it’s all good…:) Anyway, it was he who was interested in what I’m reading, so here we go.

The rules:

1. Find the nearest book.
2. Name the book and the author.
3. Turn to page 123.
4. Go to the fifth sentence on the page.
5. Copy out the next three sentences and post to your blog.
6. Tag three more folks.

Well as you know, I like a bit of history, especially where stories are concerned. The book I had at hand this morning is called “Great Short Stories Of The World”, put together by Barrett H. Clark and Maxim Lieber and published by Spring Books in 1964. It cost someone 25p at some stage, it’s still written in grey lead inside the front cover, but I got it from the op-shop for $2. What interested me about it is that the stories are from all countries and all periods. It begins with a story from 1400bc and ends in 1947 and provides a fantastic insight into the writing styles of various periods. I’m only as far as 1870 and Dickens at the moment. Anyway, I digress…

Page 123 places us with Geoffrey of Monmouth (1100?-1154?). The tale is Esyllt and Sabrina from the Chronicle of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Geoff likes a long sentence, with barely one full stop per paragraph, so please bear with me. Maybe he’s just being frugal. The fifth sentence is almost at the bottom of the page and the next is overleaf and the next three are a  bit of a read. Oh well here we go…

Little love was there between Locrinus and his new queen, as you may well guess; for the daughter of Corineus was not one to win love; but the more she saw that the heart of her husband was turned away from her, the more did she exult in the submission that her father had forced upon him, and triumph in the power that her high place gave her.

            Esyllt, meanwhile, tarried sadly in the shepherd’s cottage, wearying from the coming of her lord; the daily pain of his absence left her little thought for her changed fortunes, or for the lost throne; if she could only see him she thought she could be content to die, and day by day she sat upon the lonely shore looking out on the immeasurable waters, by sea or land; and when she cam back weary and faint to the cottage, she could find little comfort in the talk of the shepherd and his wife who told such tales of the wrath and of the strength of the great Prince Corineus, that the poor lady trembled to think of her dear lord, and lay awake half the night weeping and praying to the gods to protect him.

            At length, however, King Locrinus, on pretense of huntnting, contrived to steal away from Gruendolen, and to visit the lonely Esyllt, and the hearts of both were refreshed, and the spark of life which was dying out in Esyllt’s bosom shot up again into a bright flame, like a waning lamp newly fed with oil; and the dared even to think of a time when their troubles might be at an end, and the gods, to whom all things are possible, might give them back something of their old happiness.

Hates a full stop, but loves a comma and a semi colon. I take back what I said about being frugal...

A standard story but an interesting author from an even more interesting time. For instance, Geoffrey was the bishop of St. Asaph during a very religious time. The Medieval Inquisition had its beginnings in about 1184, yet he references the “gods” quite regularly. Only 30 years after his estimated time of death, people are dying just for thinking things like that, yet here’s a bishop writing stories about it. Fascinating stuff…

I’m going to leave the tag open. Anyone who wants to can have a go….

5:57 PM - 22/12/2006 - comments {7} - post comment

Anyone for lunch?

Well, it’s that time of year again. Time to start buying supplies and preparing for the festivities. You’ll need all sorts of stuff too, especially if the big day’s at your place this year. You’ll have to make finger food, main courses and deserts for a start. If you do the full traditional thing, you’ll probably have the full baked dinner, turkey, a good, well aged smoked ham, baked oranges, tomatoes, potatoes, parsnip and pumpkin, then there’s your non-baked vegies, the peas, beans, carrots, maybe some corn on the cob and sundry other bits and pieces.

If you’re looking squarely down the barrel of a 35 degree Christmas day though, as we often do here in Aus, you may want to go down the cold selection path. In that case, there’s probably lobster, beef and lamb for meat but don’t forget the ham, we need to keep some vestige of the past. Then you’ll need to decide on the salads. Do you go for something unusual, or just stick to the normal stuff? I mean the Waldorf went down well with Aunt Agatha last year, but Aunty Cheryl thought it was a bit over the top. But hey, that’s Christmas.

Then there’s the pud to consider. Pudding comes in two varieties here in Oz. There’s your traditional boiled fruit dark pudding, with brandy butter, whipped cream and/or custard but last year, my sister made a spankin’ ice cream pudding. Devine is what that was. But if you’re doing the traditional jobbie, make sure you make extra brandy butter. It’s magic on toast for breaky on boxing day.

I’m getting carried away with the food here I know, but we mustn’t forget the drink. Food is good, but it only goes so far. You’ll need soft drink for the kiddies of course, and lots of it. You’ll also need booze for your more mature reveller, and probably lots of that too. Uncle Plonka for instance, will probably quaff copious quantities of the red stuff, he usually does and if you run out he’ll only send you up the shop for more so make sure there’s plenty.

Once you’ve got all that sorted out and have collected all the ingredients together in one place, it will need to be lovingly prepared; a good pudding can take a couple of weeks to mature properly after all. Then, on the day, it will need to be cooked to absolute perfection. That may take a while though, starting bright and early so everything can be properly dealt with and if your’s is a large family, there’ll be quite a bit to deal with.

On the day, as an outside observer, the kitchen throughout the morning appears to be complete bedlam. Chaos reigns supreme and should you, as a mere observer, happen to get in the way, you may find yourself in some rather serious trouble. But from the noise and chaos of the kitchen, aromas rise that soon have your mouth watering and stomach rumbling. Then, it’s your jot to set the table and place things just so. Everything’s ready and waiting now. There’s an air of anticipation and expectation among the family as the wine and conversation flows. Then, all at once, that most wondrous of moments arrives and the magic words are finally spoken. “Lunch is ready!”

It’s an amazing fact of human existence I think, that no matter the festival, nationality or size of the family that’s having lunch, there’s only one person that has the skill, dexterity and sheer willpower to be able to keep control, pull it all together and make it taste better than any dinner you ever had, even last years. Who is this person? Well, it’s mum of course. It wouldn’t matter if you managed to get the very best chefs in the world assembled to cook your chrissy dinner, mum’s would still be better. You could try and tell her that afterward too, but you’d probably still get a thick ear for being an ingrate and going somewhere else for chrissy dinner. Gawd bless her…:-)

So here’s to all the mum’s out there who somehow seem to just know how to make the magic happen…

2:42 AM - 20/12/2006 - comments {5} - post comment

Slack!

Seasons greetings to you and yours. Make sure it’s a safe one, please!

Now, just a quick note to say that I know I’ve been slack where my blog is concerned. Yes, I’m feeling guilty about it (obviously) but moves have been afoot (mum had to be moved to yet another hospital) and the season for extreme silliness is upon us once again. There’s an entry concerning the latter in winds though. I’ll see if I can get something done this evening, time permitting. There is cricket to be watched after all. How good’s that Monty eh?

10:04 AM - 17/12/2006 - comments {3} - post comment

Blog Tag!

Blog Tag, you’re it!

I was over at Beep! Beep! It's Me! again and she’s given me something else to think about via The Atheist Jew. If anyone wants to be tagged, feel free to answer the questions and pass it on.

1-Do you like the look and the contents of your blog?

I think it’s pretty good. I use a 1440 x 900 resolution but I’ve tried to make it all work proper and look right at 1024 x 768. The font became really glary when I got my new monitor (got me a flat wide-screen…:)) so I darkened it a bit. I was worried it might be to dark, but no-one’s complained so I’ll leave it as it is until someone does.

2-Does your family know about your blog?

Yes. That doesn’t mean they all read it though. My oldest sibling does and being the youngest as I am, I’ll admit that that does mean something to me.

3-Can you tell your friends about your blog?

Yep. Similar to above though. Some look at it regularly, some only when I attack something they want to see attacked, others wonder why I bother.

4-Do you just read the blogs of those who comment on your blog?

I like the whole blog concept so no. I do a lot of looking around but I try and make a point of reading everyone’s blog that comments on mine, if they provide a link. Sometimes it helps you understand where people are coming from if you’re having a discussion about something. Of course, their blog will generally lead me to other blogs and so it goes…..

5-Did your blog positively affect your mind? Give an example.

I know I’m not the best writer, but I like doing it anyway. I also think that keeping the mind active is a very positive thing. It’s never to early to develop a positive habit, so I’ve also encouraged my kids to create their own blogs and write about whatever interests them. They do… Sometimes… It’s also a good tool if there’s no homework, which there seems to be less and less of these days…

6-What does the number of visitors to your blog mean? Do you use a traffic counter?

I must confess that I’m probably addicted to comments. Yes, I use a traffic counter that also provides some interesting stats. It’s not so much the number as where they come from that I like though.

7-Did you imagine what other bloggers look like?

Not really. People tend to look like people in my experience…

8-Do you think blogging has any real benefit?

Yes indeed! Our media ownership rules are about to be changed here in Aus and I really don’t think it bodes well. Murdoch left the country because he couldn’t own more than his fair share and I’m one of those that were glad he did. I worry that he’ll want to come back now. I don’t think it will be to long before the “blogsphere” will be the only place to find a differing opinion. Paranoid? Maybe…..

9-Do you think that the blogsphere is a stand alone community separated from the real world?

Not at all. Go to Google and search on “blogger influence” (without the quotes) and you’ll see what I mean.

10-Do some political blogs scare you?

Some worry me but it’s hard to be scared in my comfy office chair (it’s also “hard to sing the blues in an air conditioned room” haha…). I also like to wonder how some draw the conclusions they do or why they hold a certain opinion. It’s amazing how we can be so different yet so similar.

11-Do you think that criticizing your blog is useful?

Depends what you mean by criticising my blog. I don’t think anyone needs to stoop to insults as I’ve seen some do, but a good discussion or argument can be a lot of fun I think.

12-Have you ever thought about what happen to your blog in case you died?

Not really. I imagine my wife would keep hold of it, including all the comments.

13-Which blogger had the greatest impression on you?

Well now, here’s a doozy. I like Beep’s blog obviously, even if I do have trouble getting her page to load sometimes…:-) She makes me think and more often than not she gets excellent comments and has brilliant arguments. GIFS  is pretty damn good too but when it comes to the “greatest impression”, it’s rather difficult to say. There are so many excellent blogs out there, and so many subjects.

14-Which blogger you think is the most similar to you?

That’s gotta be a loaded question don’t it? The fact that we blog probably means we’re all a little extroverted, so there’s a similarity we all share.

15-Name a song you want to listen to?

Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (Words: Martin Janus, 1661. Music Johann Schop, 1590 – 1664). Only kidding….:-)

Like I said, if you want to have a poke at this meme, feel free. If you do though, could you let me know? Ta...:)

10:35 AM - 20/10/2006 - comments {2} - post comment

My Favourite Things...

“O frabjous day!”… I’ve been tagged! Beep! Beep! It’s Me has a wonderful blog that’s well worth the read, but I think I shoulda kept my mouth shut and my fingers still…:-)

So for what it’s worth, here goes…

Things I’d like to do before I die.

1. See my kids grow up and move on.
2. Spend some time in Prague.
3. Have dinner at The Fat Duck.

Things I cannot do.

1. Draw.
2. Get the amount of pasta or rice right (there’s never enough…)
3. Find what I’m looking for.

Things I can do.

1. Sing and play guitar.
2. Make computers work.
3. Ride my bike.

Things that attract me to my significant other.

1. Intelligence.
2. Kindness.
3. Beauty.

Things I like to say.

1. “Well that takes the biscuit.”
2. “To no avail.”
3. “Who asked you anyway?” (I have a 15 yr old son…)

Books I like best.

1. Time Enough For Love by Robert Heinlein.
2. Oath of Fealty by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.
3. The Commonwealth Saga by Peter F. Hamilton. (two books there, sorry…)

Movies I like to see.

1. The Scarlet Pimpernel (Jane Seymour…sigh...)
2. High Anxiety.
3. Silent Running.

Now it’s my turn to tag some unsuspecting bloggers…:)

Crazy World.

Chicken Scratchings.

Mana Mana - When you get back online…:(

9:09 PM - 22/9/2006 - comments {5} - post comment

Ho Hum...

Well, here I am at work trying to find something to do. I really shouldn't have this problem. I work at a certain pay TV company (no, not the one that does phones) so you'd probably think I should be able to find something to watch on the tele, especially considering I've got about 80 channels to choose from. Alas...

It's always the way though isn't it? It seems it's never convenient to watch that show or doco you really wanted to see because they put it on when you're seriously busy, but when you've got nothing to do and are looking for something, they always seem to manage to make sure you stay good and bored...

9:14 AM - 21/4/2006 - comments {10} - post comment