Archive for March, 2007

Node to Node

Published by Si at 30 March, 2007 in Net. 2 Comments

I recently churned my ADSL from G-Node to Internode. I had been with G-Node for a bit over 6 months, and had never been happy with their service. With seemingly perpetual routing/speed issues and expensive plans it was time for a change.

Internode, however, simply rock. A mature ISP that seems to actually care about its customers. I could list all the great things about Internode but instead I thought I’d post a quick comparison between the two ISPs I did mostly out of curiosity. Before and after the churn, I pinged and tracerouted several hosts I use frequently, recording the results. All this was done from my laptop over a local wireless LAN between 8 and 10 pm. I also tried to reduce link utilization to a minimum. ADSL is the same speed (1500/256 kbps). It’s probably not a statistically significant study, but as a snapshot it illustrates quite well what I had to put up with on G-Node.

(Had to stick results in a separate page since Wordpress doesn’t handle tables in posts too well.)

An Endangered Species

Published by Si at 17 March, 2007 in Food. 2 Comments

Ruffles

Last week, in what has been described as an evolutionary impossibility, a rare species of potato chip was spotted at a local supermarket. Previously believed by scientists to have been extinct since the mid 1990s, the Ruffles species seems to have mysteriously reappeared without explanation.

We can only surmise that the species has been lying dormant in hibernation for over a decade. So far, only the pure breed has been sighted, with none of the known mutations yet to reappear. The precise reason for this latest resurgence is still unclear, and many scientists fear the worst if nothing is done to encourage the Ruffles to thrive in their natural environment.

Continue reading ‘An Endangered Species’

Memories & Dust

Published by Si at 13 March, 2007 in Music. 0 Comments

Josh Pyke - Memories & Dust

It’s finally arrived! Yesterday I received my *signed copy* of Josh Pyke’s debut album Memories & Dust (pictured). The songs are awesome and overall the album is much more happier sounding than his EP, Feeding the Wolves. My favourite tracks so far are Forever Song and Mannequins, and I find they’re stuck in my head all day and that’s only after a couple of listens. His classic Middle Of the Hill is the only track from the EP to make it to the album, which is how it should be since you don’t buy an album expecting only 5 new songs. And it fits in with the other tracks seamlessly.

I really have to hand it to Josh for just being so damn bloody talented. When I first heard him on Triple J (almost a year ago now) I remembered he clearly stood out amongst some of the crap they play (come on, some of it is truly awful but no ads, so hey…) Initially I was hesitant to jump straight into the deep end with his music, as some of the lyrics seemed a bit too literal, but when I heard the EP I saw the light and was totally hooked. Goldmines blew me away with its catchy acoustic riffs, and overt environmentalism. I’m still not exactly sure what it’s about but it’s trying to make a point, without being preachy or obnoxious which I truly admire. Usually when I’m not sure about an artist or show I’ll give them more airplay until I decide either way. Fortunately, Josh’s music grows on me the more I listen to it then I end up really loving it. The same thing happened with The Presets and Pendulum.

If you’re a fan and don’t have this album yet click over to JB and if you’re quick you might get one of the signed copies while they still have some. I’ve examined the signature in detail and it’s definitely authentic (not printed). I wonder how many he signed, the poor guy!

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Published by Si at 12 March, 2007 in Games and Screen. 2 Comments

For several weeks this February, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Avatar: The Last Airbender, an animated series that screened for a while on ABC. Amongst the regular inhabitants of the world in which the series is set, live benders, people with the ability to manipulate their native element, depending on which of the four nations they’re from (water, earth, fire or air). The series follows Aang, a 12-year old airbender and the Avatar, the spirit of the planet born into human form. After being frozen in the polar ice for 100 years, Aang and his flying bison are discovered by Katara, a 14-year old waterbender and her brother Sokka. To his horror, Aang learns that after his dissapearance just over a century ago, the Fire Nation began to wage war on the other three nations. Their first act was to wipe out all airbenders, leaving Aang as the last and only airbender. It’s now Aang’s destiny as the Avatar to master all four elements and restore peace between the four nations.

A pretty strong premise for a series, really. It’s timeslotted ZBC as a kids show and I’m sure it appeals to kids, but the writing is pretty mature, striking a great balance between serious mature themes and good old silliness. The brother and sister leads, Katara and Sokka, reminded me immediately of the leads from Skyland and Last Exile. The teen siblings dynamic makes for a funny and entertaining story that’s thoroughly enjoyable to watch. Visually, the animation is top-notch, and appears highly influenced by anime (it’s animated in South Korea). In fact, when I first saw Avatar, I thought it was an english dub of an anime. But upon close inspection of the lip sync, I realised it couldn’t be. The Nickelodeon logo in the credits kind of gave it away too ^_^ Hat tip: Nickelodeon for producing such a great series.

What I love most about Avatar, apart from the great characters, is the bending! I’m starting to realise I’ve got a bit of a thing for superpowers. I mean, they’re just so damn cool! Now, to sound like a total 10-year old, I have to admit that if I had a bending ability, I would want air bending. Water’s not always available. Fire’s too destructive and evil, and Earth is just well, kinda boring.

As ABC have stopped airing the show, I’ll probably buy the DVDs when they’re released in region 4 (or sooner if I decide I can’t wait that long). Anyway, it’s just an awesome show; I looked forward to it every afternoon it was on, and just had to blog it ^_^