Half-decent voice + personal sob-story = ticket to Sydney.
Formula
28 08 2008Comments : No Comments »
Categories : music, tv
Martial arts
25 08 2008
I have a sneaking suspicion that my relative disinterest in the Olympic Judo and Tae Kwon Do bouts is directly proportional to the number of kung-fu movies I’ve seen.
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Categories : movie, sport
Wireless
22 08 2008
I would pay good money to remove all the cables from my life.
Technology change can’t come soon enough (that is, 5 or more years - being optomistic - ain’t soon enough).
Comments : 1 Comment »
Categories : science, tech, web
Knowledge
22 08 2008
“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
I want to know Jesus. Properly. Truly. I want to know the one who is in very nature God, and took on the form of a servant. I want to know the one who became man, was born in a scungy little rural town in the backwaters of Israel.
I want to know the one who lived life amongst his people, while they didn’t recognise who he was. I want to know the one who called sinners to himself. I want to know the one who taught the wisdom of God.
I want to know Jesus, who suffered terribly at the hands of men. I want to know the one who was arrested on dodgy charges, who was beaten up by thugs, who was condemned by a frenzied crowd and a cowardly man. I want to know my Lord, who did not retaliate, but took it all. I want to know the man who bore the sins of all of these people. I want to know Jesus, God himself, who bore my sins.
I want to know this divine man, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was strung up to die on a Roman cross. I want to know about his death, because his death was for me, and for you. I want to be his follower, being like him in his death, because in his death I am united to my Lord. I want to know this Jesus, because his death is freedom for me.
I want to know Jesus, to be united to him, to have fellowship in sharing in his sufferings, in suffering now for his name, so that I am part of his people. I don’t know why God chose me, to give me life, to set me aside for resurrection on the final day, but I want to know Jesus my Lord and share in his resurrection.
To live is Christ. To die is gain.
I don’t want to know the things I’ve done. They’re rubbish.
I want to know Christ.
I hope you do too.
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Categories : bible, christian, sermon
Fame
21 08 2008My vastly-qualified grandfather has just published a book he’s co-edited. He sent me a copy today. Surprisingly it’s something I’m keen to have a look through (normally, the nitrogen cycle in agriculture doesn’t really do much for me). I’ve started on an article about the Tibetan plateau, and how it effects the atmosphere and the monsoon cycles. Interesting stuff.
Given that the articles within all concern the monsoon system of East Asia, the picture on the back cover is of a crowded street in Varanasi, India.
Taken by my dad, of me, on a rickshaw.
Compare and contrast to the original.
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Categories : family, nerdy, photo, science, travel
INTJ
21 08 2008I haven’t done a Myers-Briggs-type test for a number of years, but I still know the box that I ‘fit in to’. Massively introverted (surprise!), but borderline on all the other categories (Sensing/iNtuition, Thinking/Feeling, Judging/Perception).
If I had to do something like that again, I’d simply show my new UNSW staff card. It sums up my attitude to life pretty well.
My official position is ‘Casual Academic’.
Spot on.
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Categories : nerdy
Prediction
19 08 2008
In exactly 4 years time, there will be a greater number of people than usual stumbling across the seedier underbelly of the web. Google searches will be partly to blame.
The reason?
Comments : 1 Comment »
Categories : sport, web
Lucas at it again
16 08 2008
I’ve been wondering what Clone Wars [*] was all about - remake, prequel/sequel/interlude, or what? Now it’s even more abundantly clear that I don’t need to see it.
[*] Warning - if you click on this link an obnoxious flash site will load, demanding your immediate attention. It’s probably not worth it. ↩
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Categories : movie, web
Spacetime fusion
16 08 2008
Futuristic-sounding name for some amazing technology. This kind of video enhancement boggles the mind, and suggests some creepy possibilities. Having moved way past the age of where a photo of something meant proof, seamless ‘photoshopping’ of moving video looks like it’s now readily achievable.
The linked video has a bunch of technical image-manipulation terms, but is still quite watchable.
And awesome.
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Categories : movie, photo, science, tech, web
False Dichotomies
15 08 2008
False dichotomies spotted over the last few weeks at bible college:
- Aussie Male vs. Muslim
- Evolution vs. Christianity
The first was a cheap stereotype in a sermon: one of two during the course of the talk. The other equated ‘having the characteristics of a female’ with ‘wearing lipstick and going to the toilet in pairs’. Both for a cheap laugh.
I was livid.
The second frustrated me no less. Philosophy class had us watching a video on so-called ‘Intelligent Design’, which purports to be science that simply acknowledges the possibility of a rational design behind natural phenomena.
Problem is, it’s pretty bad science. At least, what we saw in the video was. Biased claims to be ‘objective’ while evolutionists/naturalists are blinkered, ignorance or non-treatment of alternative theories, and sneaky shifts in language abounded.
One example was a quote that went something along the lines of “No naturalistic theory is able to explain information-rich systems [such as DNA, cell structures, complex organisms, etc.]“. Two things are worth mentioning in response. First, this is exactly what Natural Selection seeks to explain. Writing it off without reference is crazy. Second, a subtle shift occurred just moments before in the narrative, where a logical connection was forged wherein ‘information’ (i.e. phenomena that conform to a recognisable, external, pattern) necessarily implies intelligence. This is simply bogus. Plenty of information signals are recognisable patterns, but do not originate from any discernible intelligence. Some do, like radio signals. Other streams of information, such as a dog’s bark - a readily identifiable pattern - do not come from what we would term ‘intelligence’. To take that further, the sound of a river, or a rock falling - these are by no means indicators of intelligent beings producing such information. Yet they are patterns.
Why is any of this important?
It’s not about Jesus. This is a problem, as the end-point of intelligent design is Theism, an idea of God a long way from the God of the Bible, who is personally and intimately involved in the world through Jesus Christ. And it paints the Christian community (or at least a vocal sub-set) as idiots in the public eye, for reasons other than the gospel. I’m more than happy to be considered dumb for my belief in the resurrection of Jesus (cf. 1 Cor 1:18-2:5). But for the sake of pretty average science, based on a thoroughly divergent philosophy of science, mixed with (at least in the US) a good dose of politics - no thanks.
Evolution does not preclude Christian belief, despite what the intelligent design people say.
Comments : 1 Comment »
Categories : christian, nerdy, science, sermon, theology
Un-Australian
14 08 2008
Swimming has got to be one of the most boring sports ever. As Australians, we’ve picked a dud for our national treasure.
The Chinese have got something right though - Gymnastics rocks. When the Chinese men won the team event at the Olympics, the stadium was packed to the gills with fans cheering on their countrymen. The commentators likened it to the swimmers in Sydney, or to Cathy Freeman’s 400m. Watching the event, though, is far superior. You can see the thrills & spills, the effort on their faces - with swimming you get the reaction at the end as they see their time.
1500m is a long race to sit through with that as the end-point.
(A side note: with those sedition laws passed a while ago, does my patriotism now qualify me as a terrorist?)
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Categories : culture, sport
Hear Hear
10 08 2008
I’m getting more frustrated with Accordance by the day. Not with maps - with the core stuff.
Perhaps some competition will help things along.
Comments : 2 Comments »
Categories : apple, bible, blogs, christian, tech, web
Paparazzi
5 08 2008Google Maps Australia now has the nifty street-view function, which has ground-level photos of the area so you can scope out where you’re going, or check out your house, or whatever.
Late last year I saw the Google car taking pictures in my area when walking home; sure enough, I feature on the corner of Leamington Ave and Pine St, Newtown.
Comments : 3 Comments »
Categories : erko, photo, web
The mind boggles
5 08 2008The types of competitions people around the world come up is really quite extraordinary (cf. crazy Japanese game shows, as seen on Youtube).
The following picture comes from an amazing blog you should subscribe to: the Boston Globe’s Big Picture. It’s ‘news stories in photographs’, sourced from news feeds & agencies from all over the world. The pictures are staggeringly good: thought-provoking, heart-warming, shocking, fascinating.
This last set of photos was of surfing competitions from around the world. One example:
The caption on this photo?
“A boston terrier participates at the 3rd Annual Loews Coronado Bay Resort surf dog competition (the largest surfing competition for dogs) in Imperial Beach, south of San Diego, California, on June 28, 2008. (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)”
Note that? The largest surfing competition for dogs.
As in more than one.
Wow.
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Categories : blogs, photo, random, web
