BONWAG

It seems one of the big trends of recent times on weblogs around the world is the ‘X Things’ phenomenon, where you’re asked to come up with a certain number of ideas around a theme. Some of the ones I’ve noticed – and will probably have a stab at when I get time – are 26 Things (a photo scavenger hunt), 100 Things, and the Friday Five.
I’ve always been intrigued by the notion of creativity in tight spaces – where the real talent shines brightest as the format is very tightly controlled. A great example is the highly restrictive three-frame cartoon format, which was mastered by the great Charles Schultz (Peanuts) and Eric Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes). There’s the 30 second TV and radio commercial. The 3 and a half minute pop song. Scrimshaw. The Ship-In-The-Bottle. The 32 by 32 pixel buddy icon format. The postage stamp. (and in some cases, valiant filmmakers struggle against the egregious limitations of the 180 minute long feature film – see the previous posts on a certain movie which may or may not contain traces of Ring.)
Throughout the web, there are some cramped goals being set for artistic expression – like 16color.com, which asks animators to fit their vision into a tiny window with 16 colors in their pallette, and people can try their hands at the 3 frame format over at stripcreator.com or the Red Meat Construction Set.
While some artists feel their visions cannot be fully realised until technology, or finances, or their public are up to a certain standard, there are some artists which just get on with it, with what they have available, and set the world on fire.
It only took 3 years for Jesus to change the world.

Yep, I think The Return Of The King is worth the 11 academy award nominations. Interesting to note that there were no acting awards in that 11. Smeagol/Gollum should have got a best supporting actor award – blast those tricksy hobbitses for rigging the voting.
It was our first look at those new ‘La Premiere’ seats at the cinemas. It’s exactly the same experience as walking into the Qantas Club and hopping onto the business class airline seats: a nice lounge with a few morsels to nibble, and then a personal escort to your double-sized seats up in the classy part of the establishment, while you look down your noses at the poor unfortunates forced to endure the ordinary seats below. I don’t know what the cost difference is, (we were treated by the social club at work) but it certainly makes for a new experience at the movies. And with a 3 and a half hour movie ahead of you, you probably need every bit of extra support you can get, just to get through.
It’s certainly an exhausting experience. It’s all done on a breathtaking scale, with a great many things being treated harshly by other things.
The best thing of all is that it’s a satisfying ending. The story stampedes along throughout the three movies, and finally, finally resolves itself with a thud at the end. All the loose threads tied together. Everyone getting what they deserve. And that’s the way Tolkien planned it – it’s a coherent story which covers three books, not a series of book which ‘expands the original vision’.
They don’t make them like that any more. Shame the Matrix couldn’t resolve itself as happily, by all accounts (I’ll have to wait for the DVD, now, it seems). And the only other big trilogy yet to be completed – the Star Wars Prequel – is probably going to be a bunch of battle scenes with a whole lot of obligatory loose ends being tied together in time for Episode 4 (still a year to go before it’s released? Sheesh). Luke has to be born, Obi Wan need to be disgraced, Anakin needs to buy a face mask and get a dose of athsma… you get the idea.

Gotta love the psychology behind this one – orkut.com is one of those new ‘social networking’ sites which promises to make it easy to make and keep friends – with one notable exception. Check it out – You don’t sign up… You’re invited. So you’re locked out unless you know someone important who’ll bring you in.
What a great marketing ploy. What better way to get people to start clamouring to get into your community than by quietly whispering ‘Beg Me’ ?

Couldn’t have had a more Australian Day this week – a very busy weekend which included a Rolf Harris open-air concert, the Australia Day Fireworks in Perth and a 5 hour round-trip through the South West.
After all that driving, I got to thinking that one of the defining qualities of Australia is distance. Moreso in the west than anywhere else, you’re able to find an open road and keep driving for hours at a stretch without changing borders, languages, counties, jurisdictions…. In some parts of the world, a 5 hour journey would require passports and border clearances, or at least, a couple of changes of local dialect. If there’s one thing that people get completely wrong about Australia, it’s the amount of time it takes to travel between significant locations.
There’s a lot of space here in Australia – which, in today’s geopolitical climate, is Not Such A Bad Thing.
Rolf put on a great show – originally scheduled for 2 hours, he performed for 3 and a half, with barely a dull moment. Probably most significantly, the concert was opened with a welcome by the traditional owners of the land on which the concert venue stood (Edith Cowan Uni in Joondalup). Although the content was confronting, (as one of the tribe elders related stories of her ancestors ill-fated encounters with white men) it’s the first time I’ve encountered such a co-ownership of an event by Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Australians. I think that’s down to Rolf’s wide, wide appeal. The last time I’d seen such co-ownership was in New Zealand, where the relationship between indigenous and ‘imported’ populations is far more inclusive. Still dysfunctional, but there is acknowledgement of Maori traditions throughout NZ culture. I’d like to see that happen in Australia, somehow. I think that concert was a good example – especially as a part of the Australia Day celebrations, typically an anniversary celebrating English settlement/invasion of this country.
I led a church service on Sunday in which I made the point that the original hope for Australia was that it become the Great South Land Of The Holy Spirit – not because of the natural beauty of the land – or its place in the world, but in the people God put here. Unlike a lot of other countries, no-one wanted to be here at the start of English settlement – it was a prison colony. But Australia is now undoubtedly the lucky country – it’s turned its founding fortunes around to become one of the most envied economies and societies in the world. Why would you live anywhere else?
And on the Fireworks, it sounds like there was a little unrest and unruly behaviour at the event this year. Made me feel glad that we’d gone to the office and had a sheet of glass between us and the hoi polloi. I wouldn’t say the event was the most interesting one I’d been to, but maybe I’d been spoiled. It is free, after all, so I can’t complain too loudly.
That would be downright un-Australian.

Regarding: You Can’t Trust Cats: It’s no coincidence that Darren over at LivingRoom has noted the same trend in his Blogathon.
Don’t be fooled by those humans who are complicit with this creeping evil (‘Cat Empire’ had a hit single recently. Coincidence? I think not – it’s part of the plan.)
Rise Up.
And I don’t mean in the cheesy Australian Idol-type way.

Cats will one day take over the world. They’re already keeping weblogs. And look at the LiveJournal users who are also into meowing.
You can’t trust them, I tell you. NoSireee.

When you’re helping international students (like Ainslie does), sometimes you get really cool presents. Like the one in this picture.
Mmmm. Chocolate. …or is it?
(By the way, this is the first photo from the new digital camera. Hold on to your hats!)

You know how you’re asked all those questions when checking in airport luggage about whether you’d packed them yourself and whether they’d been out of your sight? Turns out they’re getting the guts – and the technology to cut to the chase with the big one: “Do you plan to hijack this plane?”. About time, too.

Someone was asking me yesterday what’s so cool about ‘Bluetooth’ (I have an organiser with Bluetooth built in) – and I think I’ve found one of the coolest applications yet.
Bluetooth is a way for electronic devices to communicate over short distances via radio. It’s somewhere between Infrared and ‘Wireless’ for usefulness. (Where’s my Bluetooth TV remote control, America? Japan? Taiwan? Huh? Anyone?) You can get Bluetooth mobile phones and computer mouses, for example, and not have any wires connecting them to other things.
So some clever Danish folk are installing Bluetooth tracking devices for kids in the Aalborg Zoo. The kids wear a little transmitter and are sent on their way. When little Johnny goes near an exit, an alarm goes off. If mum and dad want to find him, they use their mobile phones. “Ja; Johnny is tormenting the penguins, no? More snaps, dear?”
Yes, there’s a problem with swapping devices with other kids or monkeys, but they’re working on that.
I’m impressed by the various applications this could be extended to, in shopping centers and sporting arenas, for example, for tracking lost littlies.
… and sunglasses. And car keys.

Whether you’re a frequent offender or an indignant innocent bystander, this list from the ‘Lake Superior State University Word Banishment selection committee’ is essential reading: the
Banished Words List for 2004 lists all the words which you’re entitled to slap people for using.