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Lego Universe: First Images http://ff.im/6T5Pb [#]
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Archive for August, 2009
20
Aug
My Day for August 20th
20
Aug
*sigh*
There’s a feedburner button just over there in the sidebar. It shows the number of alleged subscriptions to my blog.
In the past few days I’ve posted more, both automatic ones and genuine hand-crafted ones, than I have in months. In the last few days alleged readership dropped by 4.
People subscribe more when I don’t post.
That’s kinda depressing…
19
Aug
My Day for August 19th
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Published *sigh*
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19
Aug
What I Learned Yesterday
I am training in Wing Chun Kung Fu, after a long and varied study of karate. Karate is very linear, straight in, straight out, and I suppose from the styles I learned, more focused on scoring a point than finishing a fight. Because of this, and because I’m not a small person, I tend to move in that straight line – muscle memory I guess. Karate is meant to be intimidating, you try to out-power your opponent, yelling all the while.
Wing Chun, however, is very much the opposite. It’s all about angles. It understands that stuff comes in straight, and specifically works to an outside or inside angle to defeat it. If something come in round, like a big haymaker, you “cut the arc” – ie get in and attack the shoulder or the arm before the full power is generated. You then strike back at the same instant as blocking, right down your own centreline, which ideally is now at an angle to the original attack. You use the attackers energy to get yourself out of the way and is position for the best hit.
Now, after that brief rundown, here’s what I learned.
1. Old habits die hard. I still go barreling in, especially if my opponent is 30kg lighter than me.
2. I really need to sidestep more.
3. An open-handed strike still hurts.
4. It’s hard to drink hot coffee while you still have a fat lip.
The last one I learned this morning, but I still count it in yesterdays lesson.
18
Aug
My Day for August 18th
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Published What I Learned Yesterday
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15
Aug
My Day for August 15th
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Shared Desktop August 2009
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13
Aug
Technology and Me
A post, I know. Calm down.
I’ve been thinking about technology and me, more or less because of a couple of stories in the news recently.
This one, Mobile phone addiction as hard to quit as cigarettes, from news.com.au, suggests that:
# Phone addicts anxious without mobiles
# Average 3-5 handsets, pay $140 a month
Now I don’t know that I’m anxious when I go out without my phone, but I do get a little concerned. This is not because I simply can’t like without my phone, but more that, when my Dad was sick, and still now that he passed away and my Mum is on her own, I feel I need to reachable at any time, just in case.
The second point, however, is accurate. I have had 8 handsets in about 14 years of having a mobile phone, and my phone bill is $140 per month, pretty much bang on.
I put that down to liking new technology, rather than needing a phone. My latest handset is an iPhone, on a $129 plan, plus insurance brings it up to almost $140 per month. But for that money I get all my calls and all my texts and 2Gb of data included. I don’t get any phone bill surprise when I slice open the envelope and all the other charges come slithering out.
Phone Bill Surprise
So I think I’m justified in saying, I’m not an addict, even though I fit the profile as defined by this researcher. And besides, the iPhone is more than just a phone. Being net-connected everywhere (almost) is a godsend, and I find that apps and web usage is very handy at times I never thought they would be. I’ve checked reviews on XBox games I consider hiring to see if the $5 is a waste of money, for example. Same for movies.
So for me it’s not so much that I’m on the phone or texting all the time, it’s the versatility of having the web, an ebook reader, phone, text, games, and more at my fingertips all the time.
But then there’s this from Lifehacker, Is the Web Crucial To Your Morning Routine?. I, like many of the commenters on Lifehacker, have to say yes.
I use my iPhone as an alarm (I just bought an alarm clock dock that plays a playlist to wake you up. I shall choose Eye Of The Tiger), and after the second alarm (that reads “No, seriously, get up.”), the next thing I do is check personal email, work email, twitter, google reader and then a bit of the news if I have a chance. This is before my feet even hit the floor.
I am able to do this because I have an iPhone – I wouldn’t bother if I had to go to my laptop to check all that stuff. Doing this, especially checking my work email, lets me get a feel for the type of day I’m about to have, without the pesky annoyance of being vertical. There is an article about doing precisely the opposite, but it just doesn’t work for me.
I need to be warned!
So, dear readers (yes, both of you), how do you start your day, and do you think you are addicted to your phone?
12
Aug
My Day for August 12th
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Published Technology and Me
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