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Web Log: random thoughts, links, and comments.
Tuesday, August 28, 2001
Here are two superb, but contrasting personal pages.
Friday, August 24, 2001
Stress, stress and illness, that about sums up the last two weeks. First my youngest son got the flu, and just two days later it hit me as well. It wiped us out for well over a week. On top of this other things started to fall apart including a relation being diagnosed with cancer. A week from hell, just to test me, I'm sure.
I can't wait for spring, fed up with these drab grey days. Give me a bright spring day, a skateboard, and a skate park..ahhhhhhhh.
Friday, August 10, 2001
I stumbled across this site designed by a cool firm located in Denmark. It is great fun, make sure you have the Flash plug-in and visit it now. Trust me it will put a smile on your face.
I picked up a real bargain this week in the form of Colin Mcrae Rally. It was going out cheap ($19.95), sure the graphics are a bit dated, but you can't fault the joy of sliding a rally car around a dirt track. The best driving game I have played for ages. My son Kyan (7 years old) even loves having a spin.
Stoked to be landing ollie airwalks off the funbox, and grinding the 50-50 this week.
Thursday, August 2, 2001
I treated myself to a movie last night and caught the Japanese animated feature Princess Mononoke. There are some good Japanese animated films, Ghost in the Shell, Akira and Ninja Scroll to name a few. Princess Mononoke is a great adventure story, granted it does get a little soppy in places, but it manages to take you on a great trip. I hope the art of animated films does not get lost with the domination of computer graphics. I have not seen Final Fantasy, but I am intrigued to see if it works.
I have been banned from the local library so I am resorting to re-reading some old favourites. At the moment it is Robert Silverberg's "Dying Inside".
I have been skateboarding every second day and starting to find some lines at the local park. 50-50 axle stalls are still alluding me.
I hope you all like the new design on the front end of the site.
Take Care.
Thursday, July 19, 2001
I just finished reading a book called ‘Trigger Happy’. It focuses on computer games, their charm, attraction, development and history.
A good read for gamers, but it disappointments in some respects because it barely touches on P.C gaming. The author believes that P.C gaming is heading towards extinction.
Sure the consoles are the most popular hardware, but P.C gaming has always been the innovator, and the only format to deliver true multiplaying and large online worlds. P.C games are always way ahead in graphics, AI, and have been responsible for the main genres and break throughs.
The history section is great, re-living those days as a kid when I sunk money into the classic arcade games, space invaders, spy hunter, pacman, defender etc. We used to think they were so cool.
Saturday, June 30, 2001
yahoooo, I'm happy. Australia thrashed New Zealand 6-1 in the World Cup Qualifiers, and I finally got the guts to drop-in at the skatepark, what a buzz. Looking forward to vegetating in front of the box tonight with a cool Japanese Samurai movie on SBS.
More later.
Take Care everybody.
Tuesday, June 12, 2001
uggh I can't sleep, stressing over financial troubles, but at least my health has improved over the last two weeks. I have been working hard and now have my back 100% fit. At least now I can get some release skating. Spent some time this afternoon perfecting railstands and a 180 fingerflip. When it's raining I usually muck around under the carport and practice the lost art of flatland freestyle. I'm not that good, but hell I don't give a shit I'm having so much fun.
Australia took a respectable third place at the Confederations Cup by beating Brazil 1-0. The team played really well, I'm feeling positive about our chances of making the World Cup after seeing Frank's team beat France, Mexico and Brazil. Australia's first real test comes up in two weeks against New Zealand. I'm nervous just thinking about it.
Friday, June 01, 2001
I returned from the physio this morning to learn the disc I slipped in my back two years ago is still causing trouble. I have exercises to run through to get that area of my back more flexible, but she believes it will be a problem that will reoccur. Great, just what I wanted to hear.
Our hosting partner recently followed the way of many dot.coms and was swallowed by another company, the transfer process between these hosting services has not been as smooth as I would like. One of our clients was without email for over a week as they upgraded the mail servers. It is such an uncertain environment; a stable, strong and consistent hosting partner is crucial to
our business.
Sorry no cool links today, searching for some inspiration right now. God knows I need it.
Wednesday, May 30, 2001
Time to remember Jeff Buckley passing away. I think it was around 4 years now since he took that fatal swim in the Mississippi. He was a true angel.
I have been trying to keep my sanity dealing with the petty demands of another fool in a suit. Besides that, as always I am considering changing the Flash design for jamiro.mtx.net and have found solace in drawing Milo Manara's wonderful Francesca. Also finished reading Frank Miller's Batman: the first year. Funny how you can find more artistic integrity in a comic book compared to some of the crap that gets hung in art galleries.
Tuesday, May 22, 2001
Shit, lower back pain has hit me again. I have decided to make some lifestyle changes to prevent this from happening again. There is nothing worse than a back injury; it makes you feel totally useless. Two years ago I slipped a disc in my back and was warned by the chiropractor to exercise more and take regular breaks from sitting at the computer. Since then I have improved on the exercise a little, but my office desk and chair break all the rules of good ergonomics and I still don’t take regular breaks. I am paying for that now.
Tuesday, May 08, 2001
Skating this morning and had heaps of fun, starting to find a rhythm.
Cool online comic here at bluetoaster, very cute.
Sunday, May 06, 2001
Passages from NoLogo
"Many brand-name multinationals are in the process of transcending the need to identify with their earthbound products. They dream instead about their brands' deep inner meanings-- the way they capture the spirit of individuality, athleticism, wilderness or community. In this context of strut over stuff, marketing departments charged with the managing of brand identities have begun to see their work as something that occurs not in conjunction with factory production but in direct competition with it. 'Products are made in the factory,' says Walter Landor, president of the Landor branding agency, 'but brands are made in the mind.' Peter Schweitzer, president of the advertising giant J. Walter Thompson, reiterates the same thought: 'The difference between products and brands is fundamental. A product is something that is made in a factory; a brand is something that is bought by a customer.' Savvy ad agencies all have moved away from the idea that they are flogging a product made by someone else, and have come to think of themselves instead as brand factories, hammering out what is of true value: the idea, the lifestyle, the attitude. Brand builders are the new primary producers in our so-called knowledge economy."
Walden Bello writes...
America Online's merger with Time, Viacom with CBS, Disney's purchase of ABC--all this and more were driven by the desire to enclose the consumer's waking life within the brand. With the brand moving from denoting a product to denoting lifestyle, the aim has become no less than to seduce the consumer into believing that "you can live your whole life inside it." Thus the fiercest fights are no longer between warring products but "between warring branded camps that are constantly redrawing the borders around their enclaves, pushing the boundaries to include more lifestyle packages...."
Saturday, May 05, 2001
I have started reading Naomi Klein's book No Logo. A great analysis on the cultural impact of corporate branding and how it is impeding on our public and cultural space. You must read this book, it is a real eye opener.
Monday, April 30, 2001
The State of Jamiro
Music
Gomez Liquid Skin
Rage Against the Machine Battle of Los Angeles
Gaming
Rainbow Six Rogue Spear
Grand Prix Legends
Reading
Jack Kornfield: The Eightfold Path for the Householder
Skating
Still trying to pop a clean ollie off the fun box and land those board slides consistently.
Work
Sweating over new designs and constantly struggling with the work from home situation.
Love Life
Jane, still madly in love with this girl after ten years. Peace.
Kids
Hang in there Kyan.
Beck…..well just keep being Beck.
Friday, April 20, 2001
Lately I have been going to the same places on the web, looking for inspiration at places like cwd, but not getting anything to keep the faith.
Working hard with lots of new web sites to build and enjoying the large amount of Cold Fusion development we are doing. Started reading Philip K. Dick's Collected stories Vol. 4 and willl be taking notes for the site. Also reading some Jack Kornfield to keep my state of mind aware.
Monday, March 26, 2001
I love Electric Sheep. One of the best sites I have come across yet. Great design, great stories,and cool art. Just check out Overheard @ Rave and The Guy I Almost Was.
Check Your Head is still one of my all time fav albums. Great mix, from jazz, funk, to hip hop. Only the B. Boys can pull that off.
Monday, March 19, 2001
Finally, the guide to volume three of Philip K. Dick's collected short stories has been uploaded. I am working my way through vol.four, there are so many great stories and ideas in this collection.
whew.
Saturday, March 10, 2001
Between the ages of 15 to 19 I was mad about skateboarding (read about the origins here), but I got into other things music, study, a wife, 2 kids and a small business. I’m getting out of shape sitting in front of this computer all day. I’m not a team sport kind of person and there is no fucking way I’m going to jog or go to the gym. So here I am I just bought a new deck and I am skating again. I don't want to bust my nuts trying to boardslide 20 stair handrails, I just want to get out there, learn to ollie again, get moving, and have fun and get this body in motion before it wastes away. The inspiration is out there.
Monday, February 12, 2001
The new Philip K. Dick site is up and running. Things are simple as far as graphics go, it should make my life easier when updating the site. I hope all the electric dickheads out there like the new look. I just finished "The Divine Invasion" so look for a review in the next week.
Take care.
Thursday, February 08, 2001
A hot night here again, two days in a row with temperatures around 39 and 40 degrees. I spent most of last night converting the Tibetan Book of the Dead section over to valid xhtml just for the fun of it. Beggining to doubt my own sanity.
Tuesday, January 30, 2001
Browsing the book shop yesterday I grabbed John Naughton’s “A Brief History of the Future: The Origins of the Internet”
Already I am half way through the book. It is a fascinating read; the pioneers like Vannevar Bush, Norbert Wiener, J Licklider and Paul Baran have an amazing story to tell. I like Naughton's approach; he is always looking at the wider picture, showing the cultural impact of the Net, as well as giving the technical details.
Monday, January 22, 2001
Summer is a bitch, trying to keep cool when here in Adelaide it is getting over 35 degrees regularly. With a crappy air cooler parked beside the computer I have managed to tweak the music loops found at the bottom of the menu bar. The loops are original recordings done right here with my trusty bass and the PC.
Reading PKD's "Divine Invasion", trying to listen to the "Tea Party" but it appears my CD-ROM can no longer play audio Cd's.
Yesterday we welcomed a new life into the world, good luck to Jo and Gab.
Friday, January 05, 2001
This thing has turned into an obsession over the last week. The front end is much improved now with smaller loading times and the ability to turn the music loop on or off. Time to get some fresh air.
Monday, January 01, 2001
Just a quick thought, well the new design is up. I tried to make it a little more personal, with more colour, and not so grungy. Inspiration comes from Japanese animation, but my drawing skills are less than impressive. A digital portrait.
It was fun getting my hands dirty in Flash. At the moment I have thrown it up in a less than perfect state, but during the week I will be tweaking and optimising and adding a few bits and pieces that managed to get lost along the way.
Some new Philip K. Dick novel reviews have also been added, the wonderful "Ubik" and the inspired "Confessions of a Crap Artist". Two very cool books.
Gotta Run.
Happy New Year
Wednesday, November 29, 2000
Long time no see. Keeping a log is harder than it seems. Despite a long absence I am back. Just added a review of Philip K. Dick’s “The Ganymede Takeover”, probably his worst book ever.
I would like to say a huge thanks to all the people who have been signing the guest book lately. Thanks for your kind comments and encouragement. I have to push myself sometimes to get things done on these pages. In between making web sites for other people, kids, and family it can get neglected. I always have to remind myself that it is personal sites like this one that got me so hooked on the web in the first place. When I first got connected in the early 1990’s the web was mainly made up of university’s and personal pages. How different it is now with all the dot coms the portals and other bullshit choking the web, trying to target their demographic and all that shit. Hell I have contributed to it as well, but I still think pages like this one are very important. I am not a company or organisation, just a person; I don’t want your money or your personal details. The more people out there on the web the better.
Keep tuned to the site, on the cards at the moment is a redesign of the front page, adding more colour so it is less drab and getting my face out there so you can see who I am. Also redesigning the History of the Net section and adding another section to cover the last decade from 1990 to 2000 on the web. Besides that look for more PKD book reviews.
Take care everyone.
Wednesday, September 20, 2000
The Sydney Olympics, we have a home advantage, a good time to make amends for the last World Cup qualifiers, and what does the Australian football team do...they lose all three matches. Raul Blanco has no idea, they looked so vulnerable at the back in every game, and the mistakes that cost them the games were so unprofessional. Frank Farina should have been in charge of this team from the beginning. The disappointment continues.
Wednesday, September 06, 2000
I have rediscovered Philip K. Dick again. In the last two weeks I have read two novels, the first was "Lies Inc." What a disappointment, I almost put it down, but stuck through to the end. In contrast I just finished the brilliant "We Can Build You". An amazing novel, the characters are so strong and clear and there are so many truths buried within the dialogue. Pris is unforgettable. It's scary when you read things in a book that ring so true that it jolts you. Reading the book has added to the strange week I have been having. What's made it even weirder is that something I read in my stars earlier this week has actually happened, true to the words exactly, scary really. All these things and more have made me stop and take a good look at myself.
Love hurts, seeya next time.
Tuesday, August 22, 2000
Stumbled across this fantastic resource transparencynow. It helps to stop and think about the media. Feeling saturated? This site has it all covered, print, television, new media, film and more.
Thursday, August 10, 2000
In a wierd head-space this week, I'm not sure where I am or what I think. Time feels like it is stuck on fast forward at the moment. Some days I just want to stop and jump on a plane to god knows where. The problem with our society is that despite the wealth, the high-tech gadgets, the security, it feels like your on a track and you can't get off. The clearer things get inside my head the muddier the world around me appears.
Wednesday, July 26, 2000
The Web is such a cool place. Check out Blogger and also Forwardslash. Two fantastic services, they are free, and not saturated with banner ads. These people are amazing. It was this kind of stuff that got me so hooked on the Web.
Tuesday, July 25, 2000
My last entry was on June 4; this blogging thing is not as easy as it sounds. As it turned out July has indeed been a very busy time. A few sites have been launched including Adelaide Hills Council and Murraylands Regional Development Board. Several other sites are on the boil, but all work and no play makes this jamiro a dull boy.
I just added a review of “The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch” to the PKD site; this novel still freaks me out after the third read. The last few chapters are very disorienting, and had me doubting my state of mind. I am always reading Phil. and will add reviews to the gaps in the site as I go.
Sunday, June 04, 2000
It is that time of year, colds, flu and bugs going around. I have been wiped out over the last week filled with mucus, snot, and other things...uuuuugh. As these things happen it's managed to hit everyone including Jane and the kids. Slowly and gradually we are lifting ourselves up, but it is hard to stay positive when people around us are also dealing with their personal situations. When the year 2000 started I felt it was going to be a positive year, but as it progresses it is turning sour for several people I know.
On a positive note business is booming and I have a very busy month ahead of me. I am only just managing to squeeze in other projects, which include laying down some new music (at the moment I am working on a cover of Hendrix's Little Miss Lover), the Part-E animation project, and of course jamiro.mtx.net. Life is a learning process, I'll grab what I have and try and run with it.
Friday, May 26, 2000
It's been a few weeks since I have thrown something down here. A few projects are up and running, working like mad on several new sites and also developing an extended Flash front end for jamiro.mtx.net. Also a small animation project has started up thanks to the efforts of Libor and the people involved in Part-E. Looking forward to dabbling in audio and animation for this one. I finished another PKD novel, "Vulcan's Hammer" so I will throw a review up for the PKD site in a few days.
Wednesday, May 17, 2000
After a long break I fired up the multitracker. I started by looping over a drum track we recorded years ago in the lounge room. It took a long time to get things hooked up, but I finally managed to lay down a basic bass track over the top of the drums. What a buzz, I can't believe it has been so long since I did this. Time to start layering some sounds again. With a decent MP3 compressor I might start throwing some loops and things up on the site.
Thursday, May 11, 2000
This article explains a lot about what the web has become in the past two years.
Monday, May 08, 2000
Time to vegetate in front of a video so I picked up Sixth Sense. I can't believe I didn't clue on to the ending, this one had me fooled. A five star movie. One of those films that sticks around in your head for a few days after viewing. I remember an interview with a director who (I'm paraphrasing here) said that movie's are the literature of our age. I have to agree, I don't think they have replaced books, nothing will, but they are a popular and powerful medium for storytelling.
Wednesday, May 03, 2000
I can't help but like this guy's home page.
After a three-week break I have been back to the meditation sessions at Buddha House. Trying to create some empty space in this head of my mind. Clear it out and let the thoughts come back in one at a time, as opposed to the flood and mix that usually tumbles around in this head. It is difficult to keep up the practice. I am always making excuses for myself not to sit down and reflect on the dharma and clear the head. Looking forward to attending a course on Buddhist philosophy next week.
BuddhaNet, a huge site that has been around for years. I love it, great design, and loads and loads of information and resources. It deserves a lot of praise.
Saturday, April 29, 2000
Currently spinning in the CD rack.
It has been a long time since a game has got me hooked, but Rainbow Six has me hook line and sinker. I like something with atmosphere; this game has loads of that and more. I find myself getting nervous before missions and tense before entering a room after picking the lock to a door. I have never read a Tom Clancy book, it is not the kind of thing I go for in a book, but as a gaming experience this is very cool.
Thursday, April 27, 2000
Over the last few days I have managed only a few hours sleep each night. I suffer from short periods of insomnia which last for a few days. This happens to me every few months or so, my productivity level decreases so the blog and the site have been neglected. It is strange and also frustrating being totally wiped out. I am relishing the thought of 8 hours deep sleep tonight.
Saturday, April 22, 2000
I took the kids to the movies today to see the Iron Giant. It was actually very good, my son Kyan was totally enthralled. I love animated movies, I don't know why animated feature films are almost soley limited to the realm of kids movies. The comic book industry is full of arty and adult material, why not transfer some of this into the movie market.
Monday, April 17, 2000
I just finished reading Philip K. Dick's "The Man Who Japed", an interesting twist on the kind of craziness that engulfed China during the cultural revolution. I need to fill some gaps in the Philip.K Dick site, my aim is to have the fiction and short story guide completed by the end of this year.
Saturday, April 15, 2000
I picked up the latest copy of internet.au magazine today. One of the first articles was about a new Australian site for women called thelounge. Of course it is all about “the market”, they dropped a few key words like “building a whole community for all women”, but you can see that it’s just bullshit, it’s basically the usual content you see in mainstream women’s magazines with e-commerce thrown in. Why throw words around like “community” we all know it’s about delivering an audience to the advertisers and raising as much private capital as they can. Get this quote from one of the founders “Men tend to hunt and gather on the Net, women, on the other hand, use the Internet not only for shopping, but for research and communication”. Fuck off, what a joke, "hunt and gather", get real, what a generalisation. If you are of the female gender and want to see an example of a real community with real people then check out Fem.mass.
Friday, April 14, 2000
I know next to nothing about this band and their music, but WOW check out their website. What a great look and feel, for more inspiration see Cool HomePages.
Thursday, April 13, 2000
I seem to be developing this growing resentment and dislike of Microsoft, hmmm I wonder why. In a perfect world standards will mean something.
Thursday, March 23, 2000
I have re-launched my homepage as jamiro.mtx.net. Over the last 12 months these pages have stagnated. I miss the bizarre emails from all over the world, which the site used to attract, and which always increased my faith in the value of being on-line. The site has a new look and hopefully a new pride. As well as adding new content I will also be going over the old stuff with corrections and improvements.