Monday, 28 February 2005
Borat's Guide to the USA
Matt sent me this link for the Unofficial Borat Homepage. Borat, in case you're unaware, is a news correspondent from Kazakhstan who pulls no punches in his hardhitting interviews.
This clip of Borat's interview of a Republican Congressman James Broadwater is definitely worth watching.
You may have read about this report recently in American newspapers:
At the rodeo in Roanoke, Southwest Virginia, USA, Borat was given permission to sing the national anthem. He started well introducing himself and saying that he supported the war against terrorism. He then was reported as saying,
"I hope you kill every man, woman and child in Iraq, down to the lizards"
and then,
"May George W. Bush drink the blood of every man, woman and child in Iraq"
Borat then got the words of the national anthem wrong finishing with...
"your home in a grave".
The organisers of the event realised that the crowd were angry and they rushed him away fearing violence.
"Had we not gotten them out of there, there would have been a riot," rodeo producer Bobby Rowe told the Roanoke Times. "I told him you done the wrong thing at the wrong place!".
This is the kind of news we need in America. Give me BoratMedia, or give me death.
Posted by flow Frazao on February 28, 2005 at 09:54 PM in World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Saturday, 26 February 2005
Chasing Winnie
Sorry I haven't updated in a while. The internet connection here has been down and I've been busy with some other stuff. I was going to get down to business today and do some proper writing, but Fiona and I were out in Melbourne until 8 AM so I'm pretty shot.
As an apology I offer you a status update on Kevin, Paul and Winnie from the Wonder Years:
- Danica McKellar —nee Winnie Cooper—has her own web site. It's got a great feature where she answers your math questions. Seriously. She's got a degree in mathematics and co-authored a paper on "Percolation and Gibbs State Multiplicity for Ferromagnetic Ashkin-Teller Models in Two Dimensions". No, seriously.
- Fred Savage (aka Kevin Arnold) has been in quite a few crappy movies over the past few years. I can personally attest to this, having recently seen the mind-bogglingly craptacular "Welcome to Mooseport" with that guy from Everybody Loves Raymond. My fellow Nintendo Maniacs will most likely agree that nothing will ever top his work in 1989's The Wizard.
- As for Paul, well, at least he's working.
(via MetaFilter)
Posted by flow Frazao on February 26, 2005 at 04:57 AM in Weird Earls | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Thursday, 17 February 2005
I Waste Time So You Don't Have To
I present these links for your consideration:
- A high-quality trailer for the new Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie. Judging by the "Do Not Duplicate" sign at the top, I'd say it's not supposed to be consumed by the general public. But we're special so we get to watch it.
- I find this picture of Ronald McDonald (Ronaldette?) attractive. I'm not proud of it, but there you go.
- Tonya Harding looks beefy:
A substantially larger Tonya Harding is trying to be a professional boxer: "Tonya Harding has a migraine. She's been sick for months with bronchitis and the flu. Now she has to meet the press to promote her upcoming celebrity boxing match. Interview rules are set by the promoter and Harding's new manager, who is also her godmother. There are to be absolutely no questions about Nancy Kerrigan. A reporter from Philadelphia introduces himself, and his first question is about Kerrigan. "I'm going to stop you right there," says Harding. "That was 11 years ago."
- If you find yourself wondering if a 15-foot tsunami of molasses ever killed 21 people in Boston in 1919, then the answer is "Yes."
Posted by flow Frazao on February 17, 2005 at 05:41 PM in Weird Earls | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Social (In)Security Calculator
For those of you who are as confused as I am about Bush's Social Security Plan, here's a handy, easy-to-use online calculator provided for us by the good folks at the US Senate:
I'm not sure how they're calculating the numbers since Bush has yet to release ANY details about how he's going to cut the most popular social program in US history, but it's good fun nonetheless.
For more crazy wackiness, try this Google Maps query for "Miserable Failure in Washington DC".
Posted by flow Frazao on February 17, 2005 at 04:24 PM in Scary Bush | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Wednesday, 16 February 2005
Billet-doux
In light of my recent experience with my Father-in-Law's computer, I decided to send Apple a belated Valentine's day letter:
Then my brother bought a G4 desktop two years ago.
We were living together at the time, and I'd jealously watch him create incredible symphonies (he's a classically trained guitarist) on slick applications while I spent hours each week defragmenting, virus scanning, and spyware-zapping. Oh, and rebooting. LOTS of rebooting.
His computer, on the other hand, never seemed to crash. Even third party software apps were rock solid. When he told me that he hadn't restarted his computer in over a month I pretended not to believe him, but I walked away with my head spinning.
I was forced to consider that the Mac OS (he was running Jaguar at the time) was not only a "real" operating system, but a superior one.
The final straw was the first time I hooked up my digital camera to his computer. iPhoto popped up and there were my pictures. And that was it. I didn't have to install the drivers, restart windows, download the newest drivers and install them, restart windows again in "Safe Mode" and uninstall the old drivers, and then re-reinstall the newest drivers.
It just worked the way it was supposed to.
I was converted. I was working for clients at the time who were PC-based, so I couldn't throw my computer out the window, but I promised myself the next computer I bought would be a Mac.
Fast forward two years.
My wife and I have quit our jobs and have decided to travel around the world a few times. We have digital cameras, MP3 players/recorders, and digital video cameras to document everything. We use iMovie and iDVD to send production-quality movies to our friends and family back home. And we do it all on a tiny, 12-inch silver box called a PowerBook.
And it just works.
Thank you, Apple. And I'm sorry for all those times I said you suck.
Posted by flow Frazao on February 16, 2005 at 08:26 PM in Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
St. Kilda Festival
Along with hitting the Chinese New Year celebrations this past weekend, we also checked out the St. Kilda Festival in Melbourne. The self-proclaimed "largest free festival in the southern hemisphere" was a blast.
 click to enlarge |
 click to enlarge |
At one point, this girl jumped up on top of the speakers and the crowd went absolutely ballistic. After a while one of the djs went over and told her she should probably get down, and she was like "no worries". If she'd tried something like that at a show in DC she would've gotten an earful (at best) from a security guard. It was so cool to see so many people out having a good time at a huge party without the enormous police presence you'd expect to see in the States.
I also made my first attempt at breaking a Guinness World Record. Me, Fiona, and about 6000 other people got together and made out for 10 seconds straight in hopes of breaking the record for the Most Couples Kissing Simultaneously:
Oh well. It was still pretty hot to look around and see thousands of couples pressed together, even if we don't get a mention next to the world's heaviest twins on their motorcycles.
Posted by flow Frazao on February 16, 2005 at 08:21 AM in Australia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Tuesday, 15 February 2005
White House To American POWs: "Don't be so greedy."
What, you thought the Bush Administration couldn't get any more asinine?
The Bush administration is fighting the former prisoners of war in court, trying to prevent them from collecting nearly $1 billion from Iraq that a federal judge awarded them as compensation for their torture at the hands of Saddam Hussein's regime.
The rationale: Today's Iraqis are good guys, and they need the money.
Who will win in the battle of the US Government vs. American War Heroes? No one knows, but the "compassionate conservatives" in the Bush administration sure have an interesting angle:
Besides, what do they need money for? They'll have their private social security funds to keep them in the lap of luxury for the rest of their lives.
Won't they?
Posted by flow Frazao on February 15, 2005 at 08:09 PM in Iraq | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Is It Drafty In Here?
Or is it just me?
...
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, in an Op-Ed blaming "conspiracy mongers" for "attempting to scare and mislead young Americans," insisted that "the idea of reinstating the draft has never been debated, endorsed, discussed, theorized, pondered or even whispered by anyone in the Bush administration."
That assertion is demonstrably false. According to an internal Selective Service memo made public under the Freedom of Information Act, the agency's acting director met with two of Rumsfeld's undersecretaries in February 2003 precisely to debate, discuss and ponder a return to the draft. The memo duly notes the administration's aversion to a draft but adds, "Defense manpower officials concede there are critical shortages of military personnel with certain special skills, such as medical personnel, linguists, computer network engineers, etc." The potentially prohibitive cost of "attracting and retaining such personnel for military service," the memo adds, has led "some officials to conclude that, while a conventional draft may never be needed, a draft of men and women possessing these critical skills may be warranted in a future crisis." This new draft, it suggests, could be invoked to meet the needs of both the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security.
The memo then proposes, in detail, that the Selective Service be "re-engineered" to cover all Americans -- "men and (for the first time) women" -- ages eighteen to thirty-four. In addition to name, date of birth and Social Security number, young adults would have to provide the agency with details of their specialized skills on an ongoing basis until they passed out of draft jeopardy at age thirty-five. Testifying before Congress two weeks after the meeting, acting director of Selective Service Lewis Brodsky acknowledged that "consultations with senior Defense manpower officials" have spurred the agency to shift its preparations away from a full-scale, Vietnam-style draft of untrained men "to a draft of smaller numbers of critical-skills personnel."
Richard Flahavan, spokesman for Selective Service, tells Rolling Stone that preparing for a skills-based draft is "in fact what we have been doing." For starters, the agency has updated a plan to draft nurses and doctors. But that's not all. "Our thinking was that if we could run a health-care draft in the future," Flahavan says, "then with some very slight tinkering we could change that skill to plumbers or linguists or electrical engineers or whatever the military was short." In other words, if Uncle Sam decides he needs people with your skills, Selective Service has the means to draft you -- and quick.
There will never be another Vietnam-style draft. The Masters of War and much smarter this time around. Now, when the US Army needs troops Congress will pass a bill called The Anti-Draft Measure For Patriotic American Servicemen and Women and people will start getting letters requesting their presence for Non-mandatory Compulsory Physicals.
And why not? It worked with the Clear Skies Bill, the Healthy Forests Initiative and the Patriot Act.
Posted by flow Frazao on February 15, 2005 at 07:38 PM in Iraq | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Fuck DBJ.exe
I finally got Pete's computer working last night at around 11 PM. The problems were due to a vast consipiracy including, but not limited to:
- A conflict between a DLink wireless card and his ASUS motherboard,
- TCP/IP and Winsock corruption that was a result of installing/uninstalling the aforementioned wireless card 14 or 15 times in hopes of making it work.
- A worm called wuamgre.exe.
- Another worm called dbj.exe.
After I figured out the DLink conflict and the TCP/IP/Winsock issue, it took me a long time to figure out the other problems. I would be on the internet for a few minutes and then all of a sudden I'd get a "Page Cannot Be Displayed Error." I could still ping out to other websites, but I couldn't get IE or Firefox to work properly. Rebooting or logging out and logging back in would give me another four or five minutes, but that was it. Eventually I found wuamgre and dbj, but it took many many hours.
I suspect that I am one of the first people on Earth who has dealt with the dbj worm. A google search for "dbj.exe" turned up exactly two hits as of this morning at 9:06 AM. Searches for "dbj virus" and "dbj worm" had similar results.
For those who will come after me, I will post my HijackThis log and remedy after the break, but first I will preach:
It is absolutely imperative that you keep your system synchronized with the continuous barrage of Windows critical system updates. Pete's computer was brand spanking new out of the box, and as soon as he turned it on there were TWELVE critical updates that needed to be installed. I suspect the worms that crippled his computer snuck by in the short interval between when he first connected to the net and when I got home a week later and installed the updates.
If you should lapse on this, or get lazy, or decide that you're too cool for updates, you will be punished.
Now, for those poor saps infected with dbj, here's what I did to get rid of it:
If you don't already have it, you must first download a copy of HijackThis here.
Run HijackThis and check to see if there's are lines in there resembling these:
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ff] dbj.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [ff] dbj.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ff] dbj.exe
If so, you must reboot into Windows Safe Mode before attempting any fixes. To do this, restart your computer and hit F8 repeatedly while it reboots. Eventually you'll be confronted with a DOS dialog asking you which operating system to boot into. Choose "Windows Safe Mode".
Run HijackThis and check EVERY LINE with a reference to dbj.exe. When you're sure you've got them all, click "Fix Selected" and HijackThis should remove them from the list.
Next, go to Start->Search and search for files and folders named "dbj.exe". MAKE SURE you've got "search hidden files" checked under "Advanced Options" in the search dialog.
It should come up with a file named dbj.exe in C:\WINDOWS\system32\. Rename this file to "dbj.exeFUCKDBJ" (i.e. change the extension so that windows doesn't recognize the file as executable). Or, if you're feeling really saucy delete the file altogether (and remember to empty your recycle bin).
Now restart your computer, and that should do the trick.
For completeness' sake here is my HijackThis log:
Scan saved at 10:41:17 PM, on 15/02/2005
Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2180)
Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\Program Files\Ahead\InCD\InCDsrv.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccSetMgr.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\SNDSrvc.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\SPBBC\SPBBCSvc.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccEvtMgr.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VS7DEBUG\MDM.EXE
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL$MICROSOFTBCM\Binn\sqlservr.exe
C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\navapsvc.exe
C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\IWP\NPFMntor.exe
C:\Program Files\Analog Devices\SoundMAX\SMAgent.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\CCPD-LC\symlcsvc.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SOUNDMAN.EXE
C:\Program Files\CyberLink DVD Solution\PowerDVD\PDVDServ.exe
C:\Program Files\Ahead\InCD\InCD.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dbj.exe
C:\Program Files\Analog Devices\SoundMAX\SMax4PNP.exe
C:\Program Files\Analog Devices\SoundMAX\Smax4.exe
C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_01\bin\jusched.exe
C:\Program Files\Microsoft AntiSpyware\gcasServ.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccApp.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
C:\Program Files\CyberLink DVD Solution\Multimedia Launcher\PowerBar.exe
C:\Program Files\Belkin\Belkin 802.11g Wireless PCI Card Configuration Utility\utility.exe
C:\Program Files\Microsoft AntiSpyware\gcasDtServ.exe
C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\-\Desktop\HijackThis.exe
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHlprObj Class - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 5.0\Reader\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.ocx
O2 - BHO: NAV Helper - {BDF3E430-B101-42AD-A544-FADC6B084872} - C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\NavShExt.dll
O3 - Toolbar: Norton AntiVirus - {42CDD1BF-3FFB-4238-8AD1-7859DF00B1D6} - C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\NavShExt.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvMediaCenter] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\System32\NvMcTray.dll,NvTaskbarInit
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SoundMan] SOUNDMAN.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [RemoteControl] "C:\Program Files\CyberLink DVD Solution\PowerDVD\PDVDServ.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [InCD] C:\Program Files\Ahead\InCD\InCD.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NeroFilterCheck] C:\WINDOWS\system32\NeroCheck.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ff] dbj.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SoundMAXPnP] C:\Program Files\Analog Devices\SoundMAX\SMax4PNP.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SoundMAX] "C:\Program Files\Analog Devices\SoundMAX\Smax4.exe" /tray
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_01\bin\jusched.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [gcasServ] "C:\Program Files\Microsoft AntiSpyware\gcasServ.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ccApp] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccApp.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Symantec NetDriver Monitor] C:\PROGRA~1\SYMNET~1\SNDMon.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [ff] dbj.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [Microsoft Update] msconfg.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ctfmon.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Microsoft Update] msconfg.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [PowerBar] "C:\Program Files\CyberLink DVD Solution\Multimedia Launcher\PowerBar.exe" /AtBootTime
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ff] dbj.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Belkin 802.11g Wireless PCI Card Configuration Utility.lnk = C:\Program Files\Belkin\Belkin 802.11g Wireless PCI Card Configuration Utility\utility.exe
O8 - Extra context menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\EXCEL.EXE/3000
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_01\bin\npjpi150_01.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Sun Java Console - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_01\bin\npjpi150_01.dll
O9 - Extra button: Research - {92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263} - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\REFIEBAR.DLL
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O12 - Plugin for .spop: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Plugins\NPDocBox.dll
O23 - Service: Symantec Event Manager - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccEvtMgr.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Password Validation - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccPwdSvc.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Settings Manager - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccSetMgr.exe
O23 - Service: InCD Helper - Ahead Software AG - C:\Program Files\Ahead\InCD\InCDsrv.exe
O23 - Service: Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect Service - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\navapsvc.exe
O23 - Service: Norton AntiVirus Firewall Monitor Service - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\IWP\NPFMntor.exe
O23 - Service: SAVScan - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\SAVScan.exe
O23 - Service: ScriptBlocking Service - Symantec Corporation - C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\SYMANT~1\SCRIPT~1\SBServ.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Network Drivers Service - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\SNDSrvc.exe
O23 - Service: SoundMAX Agent Service - Analog Devices, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Analog Devices\SoundMAX\SMAgent.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec SPBBCSvc - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\SPBBC\SPBBCSvc.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Core LC - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\CCPD-LC\symlcsvc.exe
As always, I assume no responsibility for your computer. This worked for me, but if you try my fix and it screws up your computer then tough shit. Don't even think about suing me.
Of course, if it works then I will accept your undying gratitude, your money and possibly your firstborn.
Posted by flow Frazao on February 15, 2005 at 05:44 PM in Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Year of the Rooster Surprise
I was in Melbourne for the Chinese New Year celebrations. It was good fun - lots of explosions and dragons and meaty treats on sticks. If you've been to one of these things then I'm sure you know what I'm talkin about.
But after a while the sensory overload starts to wear you down, and the only remedy is beer. So Fiona, myself, and our buddy Andrew ducked into a pub to take advantage of the happy hour prices and the happy Chinese bartenders. I started telling Andrew about some people I knew from growing up in West Hartford. You know, the whole "I used to live downstairs from this family who moved to China and the two daughters wound up becoming big huge Chinese movie stars who drive around in bulletproof limos wearing diamond tiaras" kind of thing.
Knowing my propensity for being a bullshitter, he was like "yeah, OK buddy. whatever you say." But I was like "No, for real, maybe the limos aren't actually bulletproof, but this girl Charlotte is in the movies over there."
And then, as if by divine ordination, who should come on over the satellite TV but Char!!!
It was crazy! I mean, not only was I in AUSTRALIA, but I was just talking about her! It was so cool! I have no idea what she were saying but she looked great!! And now this guy will never doubt me again!! It was so awesome. I drank a lot of beers that day because it was just such a cool thing that I really had no choice.
Naturally I got so excited I almost fell off my stool, but before I toppled over I managed to snap a picture:
Look how professional she looks with her bidness suit and whatnot! I have no idea what she's selling but I definitely want to buy it.
Posted by flow Frazao on February 15, 2005 at 05:53 AM in Australia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Fuck Windows
For those of you who've been reading this site for a while, you know that about 6 months ago I jumped the fence from 10 years of Windows-based computing. In over 10 years of hardcore computing (yeah bitch I said hardcore, the best thing I've done so far is to buy a Mac.
My father-in-law just bought a brand new computer, and I've been working on it for the past 5 days. I have yet to be able to coax this piece of shit into maintaining an internet connection for more than ten minutes straight. First it wouldn't accept a wireless card (my mac was signed onto the wireless network without having to even touch it), then I discovered it was infected by the Rbot worm, and now the Winsock settings keep getting corrupted.
Keep in mind, I have a degree in Computer Science from prestigious Hofstra University. I'm no chump. When it comes to software, I'm Mr. Miyagi.
It's just a matter of time before people realize that Windows is an asslicking nippletwister of a sorry excuse for an operating system. Users have already started abandoning the Internet Explorer browser in droves and downloading Firefox for free. I predict a mass exodus from Windows will be next. One day soon people will realize there's absolutely no reason to spend 3 hours per week performing ridiculous maintenance jobs when they could be sitting back and actually enjoying the computing experience with a Mac.
Posted by flow Frazao on February 15, 2005 at 01:40 AM in Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Thursday, 10 February 2005
The Real Thing Indeed
Yesterday we went to dinner with at Adam's house. Adam is a friend of Harold and Angie's who we've hung out with a couple of times. He made a Thai curry that was delicious and we spent a few hours hanging out and talking with everybody.
There were about 10 people there altogether, and somehow we got around to talking about American TV. I mentioned that Australian television commercials are by far the cheesiest things ever committed to film in the history of the moving image. Seriously, it's even worse than the crap ads they show on the Spanish channel back in the States.
It is interesting to watch though. You can instantly tell when a foreign ad comes on because they're the ones that are slick and well produced. There are some ads that I even recognize from back home.
For example, you might know the Coke ad where this surfer guy is trying to open his bottle. He struggles with it for a few seconds and then some hot looking girl surfer comes up to him, grabs the bottle, and uses the kid's belt buckle to pop the top.
That commercial gets a lot of play here, but the interesting thing is that all the voices are dubbed over with an Australian accent! It's bizarre to watch - every time I see it I just have to laugh. Who knows, maybe Aussies only feel comfortable buying their sugared water from other Aussies.
I'm hoping they start implementing this on a broader scale. They could start with the news. Maybe they could overdub George Bush's voice with that overenthusiastic, idiotic Crocodile Hunter guy. At least then he'd be entertaining.
Posted by flow Frazao on February 10, 2005 at 08:49 PM in Australia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Back In Geelong
I've returned, and I'm feverishly working on a photo update. Hopefully within the next few days or so.
Sadly, the internet at Peter & Glenys' house is down, so I can't do much. I'm currently sitting in the library, but there's a one hour time limit which is no good at all for my leisurely pace.
Posted by flow Frazao on February 10, 2005 at 12:03 AM in Australia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Wednesday, 09 February 2005
Now THAT'S A Real Fan
What a psycho:
Geoff Huish, 26, was so convinced England would win Saturday's match he told fellow drinkers at a social club, "If Wales win I'll cut my balls off," the paper said.
Friends at the club in Caerphilly, south Wales, thought he was joking.
But after the game Huish went home, severed his testicles with a knife, and walked 200 yards back to the bar with the testicles to show the shocked drinkers what he had done.
Posted by flow Frazao on February 9, 2005 at 11:51 PM in World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Saturday, 05 February 2005
Flying Solo
Well, I made it to Perth. Sadly, Gigi, our 1983 Mitsubishi L300 van with the cracked head, did not.
It can only be by divine providence that we made it 2500 km across the Nullarbor desert only to break down in Esperance - the first "city" (pop. 13,000) we came to. Our intention was to wake up early on Saturday morning and drive 450 km to Albany, but when we checked the oil and water it was obvious that Gigi had finally shit the bed. I'll never forget the last time I saw the luminescent green liquid shooting out of her radiator - it was graceful, pathetic and heartwrenchingly final.
There was simply nothing to discuss. We all knew that repairing the crack in the head would have cost more than Michael and Laetitia had paid for the van in the first place. With heavy hearts we recruited the help of a friendly Australian and towed Gigi to a wrecker who forked over a measly $275 for our not-so-trusty steed. That night we drank more than a few drinks to her memory, and the next morning I caught a bus to Perth.
It's almost impossibly anti-climactic to cross a continent with two good friends only to arrive at our final destination alone. We sat three across the front seat all the way across the desert talking about how we were absolutely positive Gigi was going to make it. However, as George W. Bush has proven time and time again - it is possible to be both certain and wrong.
It's not the first time I've been alone in a city and most likely it won't be the last, but this time my sense of solitude is especially acute because of the long, hot road I've come by. I miss my desert posse, I miss my family, and I miss my wife, but I've come this far and I'll be damned if I'm going to miss Perth.
So I'm off. A full report is sure to follow.
Posted by flow Frazao on February 5, 2005 at 08:43 PM in Australia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Wednesday, 02 February 2005
Out of the Desert
We made it through the Nullarbor! I'm sitting in the library of Norseman, Western Australia (pop. 1200), and this is the first town we've seen with a population of over 47 in 4 days. It's been a long, hot drive, but we're getting closer and closer to Perth every day. It's not fast at 80 km/hr (48 mph), but it's progress.
Amazingly enough, we've had no major problems with the car. We drained the radiator and added some "Chem-I-Lube" on the advice of a guy we met in Streaky Bay, and ever since then it's been smooth sailing. We lose about a liter of oil a day, but that's about it.
The drive has been pretty spectacular. The cliffs along the southern edge of the Great Australian Bight are breathtaking, and they're right up alongside the road for about 300 km.
We've seen shitloads of kangaroos, but this morning we had an extra special treat. We stopped to get some fuel and as we pulled out of the station we ran over a big snake that was crossing the road. I'm not sure what kind of snake it was, but it was brownish and I'm assuming it was sinister and deadly. We pulled over to take pictures of it (as it was our first snake) and we filmed it getting run over by an enormous Road Train. Sick, I know, but it was pretty cool.
This afternoon we head to Esperance, and we hope to be in Perth on Friday. According to Lonely Planet, this next stretch of the trip will bring us through forests of the largest eucalyptus trees on earth.
Posted by flow Frazao on February 2, 2005 at 01:16 AM in Australia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Desperation
If you want to see the effect that Google's Gmail service has had on people around the world, check out the comments on this post. I'm going to be deleting them in a few days, but it's worth a look just to see how desperate people are for these addresses.
Notice the number of times I posted comments *myself* to the effect of "HEY - QUIT BUGGING ME". But it was like fighting a forest fire with a water pistol. These are obviously some very determined web-surfers.
Posted by flow Frazao on February 2, 2005 at 12:30 AM in TTSU Maintenance | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack