great dominions, they just want you to leave

I’ve always found it interesting that the United States plays baseball and gridiron whereas most of the rest of the world plays cricket and soccer. I had assumed (typical anti-Americanism, tut tut) that this was a reflection of some sort…

there’s no exit in any direction

A simplistic but amusing take on science vs faith.

And WWGWBD? (via BoingBoing).

(reminds me of this t-shirt too).

but the film is a saddening bore/for she’s lived it ten times or more

This feature on Rotten Tomatoes brings to mind a pet hate of mine. As they explain on the site,

we have combed through eight decades of Oscar winners to determine which Academy Award-winning film truly stands above the

…

gotta get up near the teacher if you can if you wanna learn anything

This person is a representative of an Australian university:

If you don’t get your grammar quite right but if you know your subject and if you can solve a problem in IT or if you can provide a profit and

…

spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, baked beans, spam, spam, spam and spam

As a result of the infinite joys of spam, the comment system is unfortunately going to require a name and email address – which will naturally not be used for anything other than comment moderation, published, disclosed to any third…

i’ll know my song well before i start singin’: music and personality

I’ve always wondered in a chicken-and-egg kind of way about whether we seek out music which reflects our mood and personality, or whether the music we listen to actually dictates our mood and personality to some degree.

In that context,…

the highway is for gamblers, better use your sense

For the first time in a loooong long time the betting markets put Labor as favourites to win the next election.

You may be familiar with the idea that betting markets are the best predictor of election…

but oh mama, ain’t you gonna miss your best friend now?

Our illustrious leader, other political figures, and the media (and some outlets in particular) are all fond of referring to the vast importance of the Australia-US alliance.

The ANZUS treaty is the formal military alliance which…

they got Charles Darwin trapped out there on Highway Five

This comic says something pretty succinctly that I have been thinking a lot lately. It’s by the excellent American cartoonist Ted Rall, who is simultaneously black, bitter, perceptive and extremely funny (warning: and at times, rather left-wing, although…

you have not been paying attention

Tuesday, 9 March 2004, Alexander Downer:

CATHERINE MCGRATH: ... You’d be very keen to see George W. Bush back wouldn’t you?

ALEXANDER DOWNER: Look, in the end this isn’t a matter for Australia. We don’t have a vote

…

Come in, my little ones. I’ve got no option but to sell you all for scientific experiments.

Not sure if this is the greatest use of our scientific prowess at a time when hordes of neo-luddites are attacking science as though it were a hollow, not-to-be-trusted cult for atheists and communists. A couple who have…

pixies to play adelaide (at last, perhaps)

In addition to the Pixies playing the loathsome V Festival, they have since announced they are also playing in Tasmania and Western Australia.

Now a somewhat (ahem) reliable source tells me they are likely to play at Memorial Drive in…

poll update: labor still a long way ahead

The first AC Nielson poll since Rudd became opposition leader confirms the trend from other recent polls.  Rudd’s personal popularity is very high, and the ALP is polling well as a whole.

Graphs and analysis on Oz Politics…

Gore to run in 2008?

Gore famously lost out in 2000 on the “who would you rather have a beer with?” test (although frankly a beer with Bush sounds pretty unbearable). In 2008 it is a distinct possibility that the average American will reconsider whether they want someone from the local pub in charge of their very large and powerful country, and whether they wouldn’t perhaps have a slightly nerdy but extremely competent technocrat at the helm. It’s even possible that some moderate voters will see a vote for Gore as a kind of apology after what can generously be described as a disastrous two terms under Bush following his narrow win.

freedom just around the corner for you

There is an interesting post on Samizdata (a UK blog best described as libertarian or individualist in philosophy) about the complicity of Western companies such as Google in the crimes of totalitarian regimes, and particularly China :

…one

…