Really want to go to this Zoo...

The Werribee Open Range Zoo in Melbourne has a new exhibit which allows visitors to get incredibly close to the lions.

The back part of the vehicle, up to where the windscreen should be, is actually on the outside of the reinforced glass cage. The bonnet is on the inside, and covered with meat to entice the big cats closer.

Read the Daily Mail article here.

Brazil to become worlds 6th biggest economy

For many years Brazil was regarded (along with all the other Southern American Countries) a bit of a joke and an economic basket case.  Not any longer...
Full article here:

Space Exploration

A graphic of all space exploration by Humans.  Kinda humbling really...

Gravity

The age old question: if you dropped a lead weight and a feather, what would hit the ground first?  The question was definitively answered by the Apollo Moon Missions.

60,000 illegal immigrants but outrage is reserved for refugees

It's conservatively estimated that there's 60,000 illegal immigrants in Australia which dwarfs the miniscule number of Refugees which arrived last year (4700).  So were is the outrage?  Where's the call to keep out these free loaders and criminals? Oh, that's right, they didn't arrive on a boat...

The cost of the, so called, "Pacific Solution" was in excess of 1 Billion dollars.  Why was this money wasted on imprisoning refugees, when (for example) terrorist cell leader Abdul Benbrika lived illegally for years after arriving on a visitor's visa in 1989?

It's time to stop the waste of imprisoning genuine refugees and concentrate on preventing illegal immigration.

Bubblewrap

From the annals of the impossible (or at least the extremely unlikely): In 1957 Bubblewrap was invented when two guys were attempting to create a plastic wallpaper. Although the idea was a failure, it was found that it did make for great packing material.  You couldn't make this stuff up...

More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_wrap

Clarion CZ209A Radio/CD/MP3 Manual

This post has a very limited and specific audience but those that need it will (I'm sure) be eternally grateful:


Clarion CZ209A Radio/CD/MP3 Manual

More here.

Iggy Pop I'm Bored Live On Countdown

Believe it or not, but Iggy Pop performed "I'm Bored" Live On the ABC's (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) nationwide pop show Countdown.  During his anarchic performance of I'm Bored, Pop made no attempt to conceal the fact that he was lip-synching, and he even tried to grab the teenage girls in the audience.  He was also interviewed by host Ian "Molly" Meldrum, an exchange which was frequently punctuated by the singer jumping up and down on his chair and making loud exclamations of "G'day mate" in a mock Australian accent.

His Countdown appearance is generally considered one of the highlights of the show's history and it cemented his popularity with Australian punk fans; since then he has often toured there.  While visiting New Zealand, Iggy Pop recorded a music video for I'm Bored, and at a record company function where he appeared to slap a woman and throw wine over a photographer.  While in Australia, Iggy Pop was also the guest on a live late-night commercial TV interview show on the Ten Network.  It is not known whether a recording of this interview exists, but the famous Countdown appearance has often been re-screened in Australia.

Andrew McGahan Interview

The rather wonderful Andrew McGahan has a new book out The Coming of the Whirlpool: Ship Kings 1, the first in a four-book franchise featuring the seafaring exploits of Dow Amber, a woodcutter's son who is destined to become the greatest mariner of his time.  Read the Sydney Morning Herald  interview here.

Classic quote: ''I don't know the sea, I've probably been on a ferry to Tasmania once and I remember a trip to the Barrier Reef with friends".

How to Store Cables?

Here's a handy way to recycle and store cables to prevent them from getting tangled.

What's Wrong With the US Economy

With the rise of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement it's worth looking at what has caused America's growing income disparity.  Jeffrey Sachs’ new book, “The Price of Civilization” examines the current economic crisis, tracing its roots not to the housing or financial bubbles of the ’00s, but to a shift in Washington toward smaller government that began in the early ’80s and has yet to be reversed.

Read Salon.com's interview with Jeffrey Sachs here.
 

The Great Moon Hoax Debunked

For some time now the loonies have been attempting to push the line that the whole Moon landing was a hoax.  It seems to ludicrous to even contemplate but just in case you find yourself badgered by someone pushing this "theory" just point them at this handy comic.

Unanswered Questions in Iranian Assassination Plot

Even the senior law enforcement official involved in the investigation admitted to journalists that the alleged plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US did not fit with what was known about the methods and practices of the supposed perpetrators, the Quds force of the Revolutionary Guards. But $100,000 was clearly transferred by someone as a downpayment on the assassination. Washington is taking the case seriously enough to make unprecedented allegations against Tehran and threaten further isolation.  If you ask me it stinks of a Israeli false flag operation.  You can read the Guardian article here.

Super Antics

Brouse

Sophia Brouse is a cool new singer/songwriter from Melbourne and her first single "Streamers" is an ethereal Powerpop gem.

Check it out at her web site:
http://www.brous.com.au/brous.html

How to Travel Faster Than the Speed of Light

Are you sitting comfortably?  Prepare to have your mind blown: The recent news of neutrinos moving faster than light might have got everyone thinking about warp drive and all that, but really there is no need to imagine something that can move faster than 300,000 kilometres a second. Indeed, the whole idea is illogical.  You could cross the universe in a matter of hours without ever 'breaking light speed' - it is not the speed limit that it seems to be.

Read the full article here.

How Goldman Sachs Helped Greece Cover Up it's True Dept

More bad news from the Euro front I'm afraid: Goldman Sachs helped the Greek government to mask the true extent of its deficit with the help of a derivatives deal that legally circumvented EU deficit rules. At some point the so-called cross currency swaps will mature, and swell the country's already bloated deficit.

Giant Kraken Lair Discovered

Paleontologist Mark McMenamin has announced that giant ichthyosaurs were preyed on by even larger kraken (essentially a giant octopus) which are about the size of your average bus.  Even stranger is what McMenamin believes the kraken did with their preys leftover bones.

Thorium is THE Nuclear Fuel - Accept No Substitutes

As this outstanding article from The Telegraph explains, Thorium is THE nuclear fuel for the future.  It's cheap (there's lots of it and it's easily accessible), clean (has a very short half life) and safe (Thorium reactors can't melt down).  Oh, and did I mention that it can actually burn Plutonium as part of the reaction process...?  What are we waiting for?

Flying Radio Control Shark

The Flying Radio Control Shark certainly looks the goods in this video and you can also get a Flying Clownfish. What more could you ask for?

Old Leather Book Laptop Case

How good is this Old Leather Book Laptop Case?

Largest star ever discovered, compared to our Sun

Stop Web Sites From Resizing Firefox Windows

This has been driving me mad for years. Turns out there's a really simple solution:

1. Mac users: Click Firefox > Preferences, Linux users: Edit > Preferences > . Windows users: Tools > Options
2. Go to the Content Tab
3. To the right of "Enable Javascript," hit "Advanced..."
4. Uncheck "Move or resize existing windows"
5. You might as well unselect "Disable or replace context menus" while you're at it.
   

Awesome Wine Fridge/Cellar

40 Noises That Built Pop

The Word Magazine has an extensive online article about what it believes were the 40 Noises That Built Pop. Obviously not everyone will agree with their picks but certainly worth a read.

How To Enable NTFS On The Mac

Someone in your family or a good friend has just brought a brand new shiny Mac and has attempted to hook up their USB hard drive full of multi-media goodness when ... *BA DA*!!! The drive doesn't show up and you get a frantic phone call. Whatcha gonna do?

Point them at Macfuse and (hopefully) the problem should just disappear.

EDIT: You'll also have to install NTFS-3G for Mac OS X

The Second Great Contraction

This article from Aljazeera is scary, scary stuff. In one of the best reasoned economic statements I've ever read in ages the author argues that we are not in fact in a recession but in a depression (or a Great Contraction). The misdiagnosis may cause more problems than it solves...

The Guy On The CoverOf "Abbey Road"

MTV News Explains the Internet in 1995

MTV's "Cyber Journalists" (fer chisakes!) get down and dirty with the Internet back in 1995. Hilarity ensues.

$25 PC Anyone?

A UK based organisation called Raspberry is looking to market a $25 PC (complete with USB port and Ethernet). The PC is in Alpha at the moment but is expected to launch soon.

Another proud cross post from Da Lone Groovers Linux Blog

This Is Why I'm Broke

Want a Water Jet Pack ($130,000.00)? How 'bout a hand crafted mahogany iPhone case (a bargan at $59.95)? Perhaps a Transparent Pool Table ($46,000.00)? If you answered "YES!!!" to any of these questions perhaps you should just skip this post all together....

Alternatively, if you've got heaps of money or simply WANT to be broke check out: This Is Why I'm Broke.

Hugh Grant and the Phone Hacking Scandal

Hugh Grant recorded a conversation between himself and a "journalist" who revealed details of phone hacking by the media. Details of the exchange were then revealed by Hugh in the New Statesman. The "journalist" in question, a certain Hugh McMullen, was a features editor at the now defunct News of the World and amazingly debated the issue with Hugh Grant on the BBC.

I love the bit where Hugh says: "...you should try real journalism, you're not an idiot Paul, you could probably do it" (it's right at the end of the clip).

The nice people over at at The Daily Show mention Hugh's heroics as well.

Parking fail

Parenthood

Are You Raising a Douchebag?
Your indulgent parenting is spawning a generation of entitled hipster brats

John le Carré's - “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Director Tomas Alfredson (who directed Swedish vampire flick Let The Right One In) is bringing John le Carré's “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” to the silver screen. The movie is anchored by Gary Oldman and also stars: Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, John Hurt, Ciarán Hinds and even Benedict Cumberbatch (the new BBC Sherlock Holmes).

The movie opens in the UK on September 16th and in the U.S. on November 18th. It is also expected to debut at the Venice Film Festival. Certainly appears to be something to look out for.

Open Source Games

I was going to put this on the Linux Blog but these open source games are available for multiple OS's (even Android!). I was pretty happy to see ports of Duke Nukem 3D and Red Alert available. Ah, memories...

Tintin Movie Books

I've actually got both of these movies on DVD but would love to get hold of these books.

Art Candy

Jessie is a very talented Web based children's artist who is the partner of a good mate of mine (hi Jules). Check out her Facebook page. She's local to the region so please support her.

Tintin Fonts

File under: completely useless trivia. Tintin fonts (as used in the Tintin books). That is all.

Fun Facts About Farts

What Does One Trillion Dollars (US) Look Like?

Starting with a US$100 bill and working up to one trillion dollars this fun graphic will astound and amuse you.

Calvin and Hobbs All Grown up

All Linux Posts Moved to New Blog

I've moved all of the Linux posts to a new blog called (drum roll please...): Da Lone Groovers Linux Blog. Yeah, see, originality certainly isn't my strong suite.

The Internet Hole

Interactive Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band Cover

Discover the stories behind some of the people on Peter Blake's iconic album cover with this interactive Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band website. More info on this iconic cover here.

Best Eva Wallpaperz!!!

Get them all here.

10 Years of The Beatles