It seems I only update this blog when I change how I host it. I have now moved it to GitHub pages and CloudFlare. I now say “goodbye” to Webfaction who have served me well for many years. ...

I have finally taken the source code to this blog and stuck it up on GitHub. It doesn’t have much in the way of documentation yet, but feel free to poke around and see how I’ve implemented this blog. I’m more than happy to hear any feedback. In the coming months I plan to add more documentation, tests and to make it more resusable. So don’t wait any longer, go and check out the source!...

After a few months of running the new site I thought it’s time to get posting again. To start with I thought I’d explain what thinking went into deciding to rebuild it. Origins I started blogging back in July 2004. Originally I was using Google’s Blogger which worked well enough for a time. It was quick to setup and use. Eventually I decided it would be better to have my blog running under my own domain. So in August 2006 I moved it onto a self hosted install of Drupal. Despite taking a small step backwards in terms of design I now owned my content and could do anything I wanted with my blog. So after 6 years why the big change? ...

This is the first post using my new custom built blogging engine, and the first post I’ve made in over three years! Stay tuned for more updates and details on the new system and what changes to expect for the blog.

So the other day I ran out of Telfast (a particular type of antihistamine drug) and so I went to the chemist to get some more. Upon finding the box I immediately realised that it was noticeably larger than my previous one. I was surprised that a company would decide to increase the size of a their packaging without increasing the size or quantity of the product it contains. I suspect this change is to do with some brand repositioning within it’s owning company, Sanofi-Aventis, or maybe a change in where it’s packaged....

So while I was carrying out my daily dump-the-junk-mail routine I considered for the umpteenth time buying a ‘No Junk Mail’ sticker for the mailbox. Then I wondered: what would happen if ‘No Junk Mail’ stickers were delivered with the junk mail? What would happen if they were mailed out en masse to every home in Sydney? It struck me that such a stunt could be very disruptive. Assuming a majority of people apply the sticker, it could drive the companies that are responsible for distributing the material out of business. It would mean more teenagers hunting employment at the local department store. And they wouldn’t be able to employ them due to the drop in income from a smaller distribution of their catalogs. The upside to this is that families would be less inclined to buy things that don’t actually need, but all this would probably result in an increase in prices as retailers try and make ends meet. The only real winner in the end would probably be the environment. ...

Ever noticed how the white road markings are really slippery when wet? I remember discovering how slippery they can get when riding my bike to school in the wet. I would always ride along the bike track that had a single white line running down the centre of it. One day, as I was ascending the one significant hill on the trip to school, my tyres touch the line as I applied power to the wheels through the peddles. I soon found I was struggling to stay on as I contended with the sudden loss of friction, which was quite a surprise. I don’t ride my bike much nowadays, but I still experience the slipperiness as I take off from the traffic lights in my car and feel the wheels start spinning as they try to accelerate over the wet line. The irony of all this is that zebra crossings are painted out of the same stuff. The same slippery-when-wet concoction that my bike tyres slip on and my car wheels spin on also makes it hard for pedestrians with certain types of shoes (like uggboots) to stay upright on. So much for being the safe place to cross the road.

It’s week 22 of 2008 and I’m well into my reading challenge. So far I am on track to hit 48 having completed 20 books so far. Finally, as promised a number of weeks ago, here is the list so far… ...

Just thought I’d put out a gratuitous plug for TechWorld - a website we’ve just pushed live at work. For those who don’t know I work for IDG Communications (think PC World or ComputerWorld - tech media) and I’ve been working on this site for a little while now so I’m very happy to have it going live. Included on the site is a blog that I contribute to. That is where I plan on geeking out on things that are Tech and Programming related, so if you’re interested in that sort of thing check it out.