Archive for January, 2007
I have decided that, just for the fun of it, I will have a weekly poll. I will start it on Sunday morning in the wee hours as I am generally up at that time to send movie trivia questions to John Kerr’s “Flicks and Things” sgement with Dale Sinden & Simon Foster, as a part of “The Questionable Trio”.
The weekly poll will run roughly from the beginning on Sunday to the end of Saturday, give or take a few minutes, and the latest poll will always be available on the main page’s sidebar under the Samuel’s Persiflage entry. I will also have a post each week detailing the results from the previous week’s poll, as well as revealing the new week’s poll.
Just as a teaser while I iron out a couple issues and get ready for the first week long poll, here is a sample poll to kick things off.
Should Pluto be reinstated as a planet?
Total Votes: 14
Started: January 19, 2007
For those of you who are wondering, the polls run on the Democracy plugin for WordPress, as it seems to be about the only poll system which doesn’t either mess up the formatting of the blog, or refuse to connect to the MySQL database when I want it to. I decided to use a polling system that I can host on this website rather than use an external system as it is nicer to have proper control over the polling system…and a WordPress plugin fits in with the blog perfectly (well not the other one I tried).
Samuel
January 19th, 2007 at 11:55pm
Good morning Stuart,
Just listening to the story about the construction forklift driver picking up the car after two days parked illegally and it then falling off and being declared a write-off. The question that springs to mind is "What's wrong with a tow truck?"
Admittedly it was blocking entry into the construction zone and the driver deserves what she got, but if the construction people had just asked the police to get it towed, they wouldn't now be likely to owe the insurance company hundreds of thousands of dollars.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald (see http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/smashing-car-indeed/2007/01/18/1169095908957.html ), the construction people have been moving cars with forklifts on that street for quite some time. They also name the driver as former Miss New Zealand Rachel Huljich.
Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra
January 19th, 2007 at 01:00am
It would appear that I have received an email about my recent post about a really bad blog design which seems to be all too common on so many blogs. As far as I can tell, the email might be from the person who runs the blog I used as an example, or from someone who knows the person who runs the example blog, or from a confused bystander.
Google Translator made the following semi-legible translation:
like devil six allowed to publish to you on your situated one of mine post. who has authorized to you? and please if you must answer he uses the Italian language https://samuelgordonstewart.com/2007/01/gah#commentform you see to remove those immediately post before that he denounces to you for benino and the next time you ask the permission or if you have something to ridire makes it on mine. what you believed that you did not discover it?
As far as I can tell, the person is upset that I took a screenshot of part of the blog in question and used it as an example of a common form of poor web design. This person obviously doesn’t understand the “fair use” concept of copyright legislation.
As for the rest of the email…well I might know what they are talking about, but the automated translator has made such a mess of it that I am not willing to run through the five or so possible question I think are being asked.
So, back to the title of this post, and does anybody speak Italian? If so, if you could be so kind as to help me with a proper translation of the email then I would be most grateful…if I then enter a dialogue with the emailer, I will more than likely be happy to pay for your translation services.
come diavolo ti sei permesso di pubblicare sul tuo sito dei miei post. chi
ti ha autorizzato? e per favore se devi rispondere usa la lingua italiana
Gah!
vedi togliere immediatamente quel post prima che ti denunci per benino
e la prossima volta chiedi il permesso o se hai qualcosa da ridire fallo sul
mio. che credevi che non lo scoprissi???
Update 12:58am: I sent the following reply…hopefully it clarifies things a little bit.
Hello,
I am sorry but I do not speak Italian, so I will send this email in both English, and a computer translated Italian version.
I used a screenshot of the blog in question as an example of a widespread trend in poor blog design. Under fair use provisions of copyright laws, portions of copyright material may be used for critcal analysis.
I am sorry if I upset you or anyone else, but I was merely pointing out an obvious deficiancy in the design of the blog. I have no comment on the content of the blog as I do not understand it.
Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Ciao,
Sono spiacente ma non parlo italiano, in modo da trasmetterò questo email in entrambi gli inglesi e un calcolatore ha tradotto la versione italiana.
Ho usato uno screenshot del blog in questione come esempio di una tendenza diffusa nel povero disegno del blog. Sotto le disposizioni giuste di uso delle leggi di copyright, le parti del materiale del copyright possono essere usate per analisi critcal.
Sono spiacente se rovesciassi voi o chiunque altrimenti, ma soltanto stavo precisando un deficiancy evidente nel disegno del blog. Non ho commento sul contenuto del blog poichè non lo capisco.
Riguardi,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
End Update
Update 2:17am 19 January 2006: Looks like that blog has either disappeared from the Internet, or has been restricted to authorised viewers only. I get the feeling that the person responsible for that blog is currently upset about the nasty people on the Internet, and probably at my lack of Spanish language skills. End Update
Samuel
January 18th, 2007 at 12:52am
I don’t claim to be an expert in website design, but I know horrible design (or lack thereof) when I see it. Usually it doesn’t bother me, but when it can pass for a weapon designed to make people go blind, it really does annoy me.
This site (http://imieipensieriinlinea.spaces.live.com/) fits the secret weapon category of design. (Follow the link at your own risk).
Here is an example of the design which, for some inexplicable reason, is all too common on many blogs.
Thankfully it doesn’t have quite the same nauseating effect in a small picture like that…much worse at full screen! Also the JPEG compression has eased the effect.
Now please excuse me while I see about getting my eyes replaced.
Samuel
January 15th, 2007 at 03:24pm
Welcome back John, it's good to have you back, I hope you had a good break and enjoyed your honeymoon.
While you were away I had a dream that you joined 3AW's AFL commentary team and sent your co-commentator into hysterics because you didn't seem to know what was going on, and instead chatted to Sue Dodd about fish. Rex Hunt then made sure that you went back to Sydney for your afternoon show. I can only hope that my dream doesn't even remotely resemble your holiday!
I'm looking forward to another great year of Afternoons with John Stanley, so welcome back and best of luck for 2007!
Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra
January 15th, 2007 at 07:00am
2UE’s voice of reason is returning today, and so is their reasonable timetable.
Midnight-5:30am: New Day Australia (with whoever happens to turn up)
5:30am-9am: Breakfast with Mike and Fitz
9am-Midday: Tim Webster (filling in for John Laws who will be back in a few weeks)
Midday-12:12pm: Midday News
12:12pm-3pm: Afternoons with John Stanley
3pm-6pm: Drive with Steve Price
6pm-8pm: Sports Today (seemingly random hosts)
8pm-Midnight: Nights with (Wheeler/Bocking/Someone else???)
I think I’ll send John Stanley an email about the dream I had where he was an AFL commentator.
It is also worth mentioning that 2CC’s breakfast host Mike Jeffreys will no longer have to tell us each day that he is there until 10am due to summer programming, and 2CC’s drive host Mike Welsh returns from holidays today (as long as he doesn’t feel like having a “2UE pointless change” moment).
Samuel
January 15th, 2007 at 06:55am
Good morning Mike,
Perhaps if Sheik Al Hilali stopped speaking, we wouldn't keep "misunderstanding" him. A permanent vow of silence on his behalf would probably do us all a lot of good.
Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
January 15th, 2007 at 06:30am
An interesting rumour just crossed my desk. Apparently Stuart Bocking will not be on tonight, and this has been planned for some time. John Kerr was asked to fill in but declined, so Clive Robertson will be on tonight.
How that rumour ties in with Glenn Wheeler saying that it is strange that he will be on Stan’s shift tomorrow night, considering the “2UE rumblings” I published about Stuart Bocking taking over Stan’s shift, is anyones guess.
2UE is a funny place at times…
Samuel
January 14th, 2007 at 10:58pm
I get the feeling that “HoinK” is still reading this, so I will briefly explain why I’m not interested (yes, this message is directed at HoinK). Basically, what you proposed is something I consider unethical, it would have been in response to something which was done to you which was also (and probably moreso) unethical, but by your own admission, what was done to you has been purged from the Internet.
Two wrongs don’t make a right, a saying which is not always accurate, but seems to be on this occasion. I appreciate the offer of employment that you sent my way, but I wouldn’t have been able to accept the offer, knowing what I would have had to do to actually get the job.
I’m sure you mean well HoinK, and I hope you get the issue sorted, but for my own reasons, I just can’t assist in what you had planned.
I would be happy to discuss this more in a day or two…I think we both need time to calm down and reflect after the discussion we had.
Samuel
January 14th, 2007 at 08:49pm
The iPhone started off as an exciting announcement by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, but has since turned into a rather large mess.
When Apple announced the iPhone, many people started to wonder what deals they had struck to use the “iPhone” name, and it soon became clear that Apple hadn’t finalised any agreements with Cisco over the use of the name, and Cisco were quick to sue them for trademark infringement.
Also part of Jobs’ announcement was that the iPhone runs Apple’s Mac OS X operating system, this led to a lot of speculation about whether or not third party applications would be allowed on the iPhone. Steve Jobs announced that third party applications would not be allowed on the iPhone, apparently for stability reasons, which seems just a tad odd for something running what appears to be a modified version of OS X.
Cisco then tried to clarify their lawsuit, apparently they wanted to have Cisco products and the iPhone interoperate, but just as they were making the clarification, their trademark started to look a bit shaky.
A few days later an investigation revealed that Cisco may have already lost the rights to the iPhone trademark due to not using it.
Things were starting to look up for Apple, until the processor used in the iPhone came to light…a Samsung ARM core processor. Mac OS X is based on an open source BSD UNIX variant named “Darwin”, but it only runs on Intel x86 and IBM PowerPC platforms, and if Apple were to write a version for Samsung ARM, they would have to release the source code, which they haven’t done, and according to a Cingular Mobile rep, they won’t be doing. So in essence, it’s not running Darwin, and therefore not running OS X. Apple can call it OS X, but it’s not even remotely related to the OS X you would find on a “normal” computer.
With all of the kerfuffle so far, is it any wonder that Apple didn’t make any other big announcements (Apple TV isn’t a particular big or expected announcement)…they would have been lost in the iPhone Jigsaw Puzzle.
Samuel
January 14th, 2007 at 05:59pm
In this dream I am walking around on a boat with a clipboard and a puzzle, near one of the windows at one end of the boat I saw someone sitting down, so I asked them for a letter and then told them where their chosen letter was in the puzzle.
The person then picked up a walkie-talkie style deivce which had what looked like a miniature satelite dish on one end, they pointed it at a boat about 50 metres away and told them how far away they were, and that they would soon be out of communication range. I then borrowed the walkie-talkie device and got a few letters from the people on the (not very) distant boat.
I then walked around the corner to my quarters and went to sleep as I was rather tired.
Samuel
January 14th, 2007 at 04:44am
One of my more credible sources has sent through a list of the changes they believe we will see overnight on 2UE shortly…I’m not convinced that it’s correct, but there are probably a couple correct details in there.
My source seems to think that Stuart Bocking will take over Stan Zemanek’s 8pm-midnight shift, and Rachel Friend (who co-hosted Stan’s shift with Stuart last night as they filled in for Glenn Wheeler) will get weekday New Day Australia. My source also thinks John Kerr will be relieved of all fill-in responsibilities, with Clive Robertson taking over as primary New Day fill-in.
Glenn Wheeler will remain as the fill-in for the 8pm-Midnight shift, but Clive Robertson will fill-in when Glenn can’t make it.
Clinton Maynard would be the secondary fill-in for New Day.
Samuel
January 13th, 2007 at 12:05pm
What a pleasant surprise it was to wake up at 7am and hear James Goodwin reading the news on 2CC…it’s a treat which is all too rare these days unfortunately. 2GB are lucky to have him as one of their federal political correspondents, he is very sorely missed from WIN News.
Samuel
January 13th, 2007 at 11:51am
2CA’s breakfast connumdrum has been solved, the show is once again going back to having only one host, namely Larry Appley. In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Larry was 2CA’s drive presenter. Welcome back Larry!
I’m still not quite sure what’s going on with the other shifts of the day, although I think it’s safe to say that ex-Breakfast Boy and current Program Director Leighton Archer will have a shift, I’m guessing drive, as I doubt Gerry Nyein, replacement for ex-morning/afternoon presenter Simon Pulis will be moved to drive.
I’ve got a recording of me telling a joke to Larry Appley and his sidekick of the time (can’t remember her name, and I think it was a fake name anyway) back in 2000, I’ll try and dig it up for Friday Funnies.
Update: 13 January 1:13pm: Just noticed that Hayden Miller (ex-3CS Colac) is also moving to 2CA…suddenly I get the feeling that 2CA are moving to weekday shifts of three hours each (9am-12pm, 12pm-3pm and 3pm-6pm). End Update
Samuel
January 12th, 2007 at 10:43pm
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