Click on the image for a larger version
Above is a photograph of a hardcopy montage consisting of photos I have taken* between 1999 and 2007. The pictures are not necessarily my best or most spectacular. Instead, they are images that evoke certain memories, feelings or emotions in me.
The photos are from the following countries:
Australia: 1
Egypt: 1
Iran: 2
Italy: 1
Lebanon: 1
Malaysia: 1
Northern Cyprus: 1
Pakistan: 2
Poland: 1
Switzerland: 1
Syria: 1
Turkey: 5
United Kingdom: 1
Which photos are from which countries?
UPDATE: I have included the photo subjects, locations, dates and my reasons for choosing them in comments.
*Except for 2 shot by Karin (I included her versions because hers were taken with a digital camera whereas mine were film and less accessible)
When Mum was on the West Coast of South Australia she bought me a great Mambo yarn dye shirt for $5 (price reduced from $84.95 and then $42.50) from a shop’s clearance sale. What a bargain!
Pages 4 and 5 of the Adelaide Sunday Mail, 27 July 2008, consisted of a double-page spread on the QANTAS flight QF30 near-disaster. To recap: an exploding oxygen canister is thought to have caused a hole in the side of the Boeing 747-400 plane flying between Hong Kong and Melbourne, causing an emergency landing in Manila.
Q: What was the advert at the bottom of page 5 promoting?
A: Domestic airline tickets (“Jetstar’s Domestic Bliss Sale”), with a picture of a woman jumping in the air, excited about flying!
Thursday and Friday nights last week (24 and 25 July) I saw an excellent band I had not heard of previously: Melbourne-based Martin Martini And The Bone Palace Orchestra at the Wheatsheaf Hotel. The Adelaide gigs were the first 2 concerts of the Australian “We’re All Just Monkeys” album launch tour.
We’re All Just Monkeys is Martin Martin and the Bone Palace Orchestra’s second studio album after their 2006 release Dream until You Die. They a also released a live album Live at the Famous Rainbow Hotel.
Singer/keyboardist Martini Martini, with his enormous stage presence, was well backed by the Bone Palace Orchestra consisting of Sam Dunscombe (clarinet), James Macaulay (trombone), Jules Pascoe (bass), Natasha Rose (guitar) and Arron Light (drums). At various stages, Martini gave each of the band members a chance to shine with Dunscombe performing a huge solo at the Friday gig.
Satan’s Cheerleaders and the John Baker Trio were the support acts Thursday night with brillig acoustic and The Joans on Friday.
I recommend everybody see Martin Martini and The Bone Palace Orchestra live for great music, original and topical lyrics and a unique performance. Visit their MySpace page and see videos of them performing on YouTube for a small taste of what to expect.
Early this month I bought a new laptop from the Dell Australia Outlet – a Vostro 1510. The Vostro range is designed for small businesses, in contrast to the XPS, Inspiron and new Studio notebooks for personal users and the Latitude line targeted towards medium and large organisations.
Dell Outlet computers are new but have been ordered previously by another customer, returned for whatever reason and are sold at a discount to the standard made-to-order Dells. My Vostro 1510 cost AUD 1,314.50 and came with the following features:
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T8300
4GB ( 2 X 2048MB ) 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM
160GB SATA Hard Drive
Genuine Windows(R) XP Professional (English)
Slot load 8X max DVD + /-RW Drive with DVD + R double layer write capability
Integrated Fast Ethernet 10/100/1000
256MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) 8400M GS
Integrated Stereo Sound
Microsoft(R) Office 2007 Small Business OEM Version (English)
Intel(R) 4965AGN Wireless-N Mini-Card
15.4 ” Widescreen WXGA (1280×800) TFT Display
LCD Black Cover with Integrated 1.3 Mega Pixel Web Cam with Digital Microphone
System Hardware Warranty -1 Year Next Business Day (8×5) Onsite Response
My 15.4 inch Vostro 1510 and 12.1 inch Latitude D410 side by side
These specifications compare favourably with my old Latitude D410 (also a pre-configured Dell Outlet machine) I paid AUD 1,626.90 for in February 2006:
Latitude(TM) D410 Intel(R) Pentium(R) M Processor 740 (1.73GHz) 12.1″ XGA
1024MB (2 X 512MB) DDR2 SDRAM
40Gb Ultra Ata (5400Rpm) Hard Drive
Genuine Windows(R) XP Professional SP2 Edition (English)
8X DVD-ROM + 24X CD-RW Combo Drive (24X-24X-24X)
Integrated AC97 Audio
Integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet
TPM 1.1 (Trusted Platform Module) Security Solution Readiness
Integrated Intel 915GM Graphics Chipset With Up to 128MB Shared System Memory
Dell Wireless(TM) 1370 (802.11 b/g) MiniPCI Card
Integrated Modem Daughter Card (ANZ)
1 Year Next Business Day Parts + Onsite Labour (M-F, 9am – 5pm)
After owning the D410, the 1510 features I appreciate the most include the larger hard drive, faster processor, more RAM, built-in DVD burner, stand-alone video card, better speakers, greater wireless reception, web cam, bluetooth, built-in memory card reader, larger monitor and fingerprint scanner. Conversely, the Latitude D410 is lighter, smaller, better built, has a longer battery life and and a pointing stick.
Overall I am very happy with the Vostro 1510 although if I could improve it I would increase the hard drive capacity from 160GB to 250GB+ and the screen resolution from 1280×800 to either 1440×900 or 1920×1200.
I’m writing this Blogger blog post offline using my recently installed Windows Live Writer software. This is one of the very few Microsoft products to receive almost unanimously positive reviews based on what I have read on the web.
Besides Blogger, Live Writer also works with other blog clients including LiveJournal, Windows Live Spaces, Typepad and WordPress.
As well as the ability to write offline (very useful when travelling or in a house without wireless Internet), Live Writer also has WYSIWYG editing, image insertion, inline spell-checking and many other useful features.
A major highlight of Ronnie Taheny’s February 2008 Governor Hindmarsh concert was the world premiere of A Darcy Before I Die. Named after Pride and Prejudice character Fitzwilliam Darcy, the spoken-word poem is about a lifelong search for the perfect man. Ronnie’s performance that night had the audience in stitches and can now be seen by all on YouTube:
