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Musings on Life and Technology
After a multi year long break from dancing I’m happy to have found Melbourne Music Academy in Melbourne city. I discovered that they offer a fantastic range of classes, on a whim I went there the same day 3 weeks ago, and immediately bought a multi pass card. I’m aiming for two hip hop and one popping session per week – all coming under the street dance umbrella.
Perhaps ironically, at least from a certain point of view, the Star Wars theme song was playing as I entered the premises of Microsoft’s Heroes Happen 2008 event.
I wondered, had the empire turned into rebels (in their own view)? Who is the new empire to rebel against? Or were they just blissfully aware of this angle?
read moreWell, about 6 months ago we signed up both of our cars plus household wastage on http://www.carbonneutral.com.au/ . Electricity is already on green. Would like to plug their site as it’s a great initiative!
If we weren’t renting I’d love to get a solar panel set up. However I settled for getting the air leakage into the garage fixed up; the gaps around this sliding door were big enough to poke a finger through. Got a door specialist to do a perfect install of air blockers to prevent this huge energy loss so that we’re all ready for the winter. It’s pretty mind boggling how bad the house construction standards are here in Australia. 
Also, just noting that Rudd’s first action as incumbent Prime Minister was to sign Australia’s ratification of the Kyoto agreement. Well done.
read moreHere’s to hoping that Howard’s ejection might finally take Australia out of the ethical dark ages we have suffered for the past 10 years.
On Howard’s CV we have … Children overboard, The Tampa, Kyoto, Iraq, decimating the Aboriginal communities, lying about GST…
It’ll be an interesting time to see if Rudd will be able to be bring some of the compassion he is reported to have to his new role as prime minister.
Good luck!
read moreSo we got an introductory package from Origin Energy after signing up to a 12 month contract with Green energy. It contained several Compact fluorescent lamps, plus a water saving showerhead (which we already had). Now for the bulbs, I’d never thought about them before. But then decided, ok let’s see how they work. 10 minutes later the 6 included ones were gone… and off I was on the pushbike to get more. $70 later and I had stocked up about 14 more. Still 4 short. So another $20, and every single light bulb was gone.
Now, why would I go to this extreme? Well, they use 1/5th of the energy – 18w provides 90w of traditional output. 40 or 50w output uses half that. See the following article for more info – http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4922496.stm .
So it’ll hopefully offset some of that energy used by that big plasma….
read moreI went to the Melbourne Car Show 2007 today and got a few shots. Others have covered the details much better than I could, but I find the Type R Civic – which will arrive here in a few months – having an incredible appeal. Plus, it’s got to be one of the strongest 2.0 naturally aspirated engine ever built (for a hatch, that is – the S2000 clearly leaves it in the dust).
Just saw the film by Al Gore on the state of the environment. Woa – that was one very impressive presentation. It left me feeling angry at the constant cover up of big business and stupid politicans who constantly refuse to listen to what is going on.
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