On the Move

This Blog has moved to my personal website. Blogger's been good but I feel like it should be on my site, not floating around somewhere else.

Over time I'll move the content over to the new site but for a while there will be posts in both places.

Sarah

Stop Press

I've just added a post to my new blog which is great for blogger users

Essential change to Blogger Templates

I've just found a site with stacks of Computer News. It's not a znet or anything like that but considered comment on a range of issues which interest me. I don't have time to go chewing through a stack of news feeds but I think James' efforts will be interesting to follow.

That said, we kiwis are abit off the whole Massachusetts thing right now after the murder of Courtney Sau but I guess girls fight over their boyfriends all over the world. You just think they'd stop before the knives get pulled. I'd love to see the guy in question, he must be one hell of a guy to drive the girls to that!

Amazon and Property Investment Books

Amazon is reselling my husband's first book for a massive US$70. Kinda crazy when it's about US$20 new from his site.

The Complete Guide to Residential Property Investment in New Zealand is a book for landlords with practical information for getting it right. It's follow up is Planning for Property Success in NZ and focusses on the strategic elements of investment rather than the day to day stuff.

Sledging

Sledging is a "sport" involving small plastic sledges and plummeting down rivers. Great fun! I went with my niece and brother in law through a crowd called raftabout. Alot of the trip was taken up with safety and training but once this takes off properly (in New Zealand) and some "advanced" trips are sorted out it'll be alot of fun. Very fast, physical and you're right there in the rapids. Cool.

Picasa

Just got the promo email announcing the upgrade to Picasa so thought I'd take a look and see what is new. The layout has changed but the main thing I can see is that it has this cool collage thing. I'm not actually sure it has any real use but it's a great gimmick. These shots are from a story the kids created over their Christmas/ Summer holidays. Poor Barbie, at the end they married her off.

Sideswipe

Sideswipe is a column in our national paper for those funny little things that happen. Right now we have a christian church led by the worst type of evangelical, money grabbing, slick haired creep called Destiny Church and it's associated political party who aspire to be running the country by 2015. Yeah right!

Well, we've just passed a law allowing Civil Unions, a watered down version of gay marriage. Shame we didn't have the guts to just allow the full thing but there you go.

Destiny meanwhile see Civil Unions being the end of any honest marriage and are campaigning heavily. Most people, however, couldn't give a damn.

So then this happens...

Not neighbourly #1. Kate Simpson writes: "I live in Mt Albert with my partner, very happily. I am a lesbian and have so far not suffered any grief from other people, until now. I woke up this morning to find a huge sign plastered in the neighbours' kitchen, aimed directly at us (see photo above). I thought these people, our neighbours, were nice people. We are always friendly to them ... However, they obviously see us as 'sinners' and they wanted to make that known. I do not display my affection to my partner in public, nor in my home where anyone can see. We are quiet and friendly people. What gives these people the right to do this? Every morning now when we wake up or sit in our lounge to watch TV, we have to look at that sign ... I won't let this get to us, but I thought it important to let others be aware of the depth of brainwashing that is out there from this Destiny cult. Perhaps I should buy a huge rainbow flag?"

Apart from the fact that her dimwitted neighbours can't even spell the name of the Church they are blindly following they are allowing it to sway their opinion of real people they actually know. I can understand (while not endorsing) blind fear of something unknown, but this isn't. These are real people that they know. Everytime they go into their own kitchen their own bigotry is reinforced.

So, spleen vented, I hope these neighbours are duly shamed by their exposure. And I hope Kate Simpson is reassured that her neighbours are in an absolute minority.

Hidden Meat

A Hidden Meat example - a few years ago I read a brilliant article about site design which coined the phrase hidden meat. A search on Google shows the phrase is popular among:

• Vegans and vegetarians trying to stay pure (just don't eat at my Mum's place, I had a classic incident of pulling out chicken gristle from a soup she'd made herself "so she knew it was ok", zero respect for the lifestyles of others)
  
• Gays, no brainer that one
  
• Seinfeld fans for "a meat hidden in the sofa then eaten by dogs" episode
  

But the meaning I'm after is the one to do with web design and I can no longer find that site. Take a look at the site for bottled water. Where is the menu? Nowhere! until you put your mouse over the bubbles in the water and they magically appear. I wonder how many people they lose because they have no alternate menu in the footer.

One site I know where it does work is for the Weber Bros Circus with a slow loading but great fun site. The difference being that a circus is about fun, and noise and while I found the site a bit naff my children (the target market) thought it was great.

ICC expresses condolences to disaster-hit region - yeah right!

The hypocrites have given the Sri Lankans 5 days off! Don't worry that nature has ripped the country to pieces, don't worry that most will be personally affected, they can have 5 days to get over it. That's plenty. This isn't an individual suffering a loss where the team mates can help them focus and recover. A significant portion of their country has been devastated. Friends and family in other countries, but in the region will have been affected also, but hey, 5 days will do it.

So, any cricket fans who read this, tell the ICC to let the Sri Lankans go home from New Zealand AND keep their money. We don't want to be part of any multi-million dollar fine for breaking a contract. What contract was ever written with tsunamis in mind?! Even civil war can't do this much, this quickly.

Money has no copyright protection!

It just has a zillion acts of parliament instead.

I found this cartoon while looking for something totally unrelated and thought it was funny.

Western Springs Speedway

Speedway went ahead last night and it was a "roaring" success! We will have to wait until Tuesday to get the sound control results though.

A woman called Annie Thode who lives down the other end of Pt Chevalier displayed her lack of judgement in the national papers on yesterday by complaining that when she bought her house she didn't think that Speedway would have any effect. Depending on how long ago she bought this house of hers would have cost her over $250,000 yet she didn't take time to talk to the locals about what it's like to live in the area. Surely they mentioned Pasifika where for 2 days you can't even leave the suburb because of the foot and vehicle traffic - not to mention the bands playing and trying to out do each other well into the night.

There's a similar issue where people have bought houses on land that used to be market gardens and are now complaining because the councils are obliged to mark their lim reports with the fact they may be contaminated by weed sprays etc. Do you homework before buying into an area and you'll know it's history and if there is a mention of "market gardens" then understand the implications before committing yourself to such a major purchase.