To all my UK friends living in Australia

You got out just in time.

.......a TRUE (internet) STORY!!!

A senior couple we know went to breakfast at a
restaurant where the 'seniors' special' was two eggs, bacon, hash
browns and toast for $1.99.

'Sounds good,' the wife said. 'But I don't want the eggs.'

'Then, I'll have to charge you two dollars and
forty-nine cents because you're ordering a la carte,' the
waitress warned her.

'You mean I'd have to pay for not taking the eggs?' the
wife asked incredulously.

'YES!!' stated the waitress.

'I'll take the special then,' the wife said.

'How do you want your eggs?' the waitress asked.

'Raw and in the shell,' the wife replied.

She took the two eggs home.

DON'T
MESS AROUND WITH SENIORS!!!

They’ve
been around the block more than once!

Cottesloe Beach

Sunset at Cottesloe (photo taken by mobile phone).
Yes, I do realise that much better photos can be taken using a mobile phone, and yes
I do also know that it is time I updated my phone.

Man looking at lake

Having a close look. He did not notice me taking a photo with my Motorola A1000 phone.

It has been a strange week

Even with the best facilities in the country, we can't seem to get an election.

Curtain and Blind Cord Alert

Background

On 5 April 2004 a product safety order came into effect in Western Australia specifying safety standards for “Curtain and Blind Cords” and affects installations after this date.

The order covers all window treatments that have looped bead chains, looped cords or any other type of flexible looped device.

These looped cords must be designed so that the lowest point remains at all times more than 1600mm above the lowest point that the base of the covering can reach when it is in its fully lowered position.

If the looped cord does extend lower than the required 1600mm it must be installed with a safety device, warning tags and labels.

Safety devices include:

• Tension devices;
• Cleats or hooks that can secure loose cords; or
• Break away plugs.

The product safety order requires that any tension device installed with the blind must be mounted in a manner that makes the tension device fixed and immobile. A simple pamphlet on how blinds should have been installed is on the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection (DOCEP) website at:

http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/productsafety/docs/curtains.pdf

What we want you do to

Please check all of your curtain and blinds that were installed after 5 April 2004 and ensure that they have been installed correctly. Please respond to this message by accessing the voting buttons supplied as soon as possible. A member of the Product Safety Unit will then contact you to arrange a time for your blinds to be inspected.

We also want you to tell your family and friends about the issue and if they have a similar problem please also refer that matter to DOCEP at the Product Safety Unit on 08-6364 3208.

Making your existing blinds safe

If you have blinds or curtains installed prior to 5 April 2004, for the safety of your family, you should still make every effort to secure or remove all looped cords. You can do this by:

• affixing the blind cords with appropriate tension devices;
• cutting the looped cord and add a tassel or knob to the end of the cords. Make sure that you establish that the blind will still function correctly if you take this action;
• replace cords with wands; or
• shorten the cords so they end at least 1600mm above the ground.

Still Catching Up

This is one of the older family photos in my collection. No, I did not take this photo.

Christmas 2007

From Christmas 2007

Click on photo to see the full web album.

Chaser Offends Dead People

New political party aims for child disability recognition

New political party aims for child disability recognition - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

See the Carers Alliance web pages here.

The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs: IBM to announce $1 billion commitment to Facebook

The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs: IBM to announce $1 billion commitment to Facebook
I have noticed that there are a lot of IBM staff using Facebook.

Free e-mail service that bridges the gap between mobiles and computers - Times Online

Free e-mail service that bridges the gap between mobiles and computers - Times Online

Last time I looked, I have at least four personal email accounts (iiNet, GMAIL Hotmail, Three.com) PLUS this Blog, SMS text messages, phone, mobile phone, voicemails, Google Groups email, Flickr messaging, Webshots comments, Picasa comments, postal mail, Windows Messenger, SKYPE and did I forget Snail Mail, well I never use it anyway.

So I started searching for old friends on Facebook. This is not just another search engine! It is another email! A fairly limited email (within Facebook) but an email that involves the same process of checking the Inbox and other compulsive activities that are needed to keep organised. And my level of privacy on the Internet is approaching zero as my GMAIL mailbox is filled with notifications about stuff going on in Facebook. Emails about email. Enough.

Now "they" want us try Yahoo Mail (see article above) so we can send free emails to SMS mobile phones. I can already receive emails and SMS etc on my phone, why do I need this? It is, or will be, free but there is always a cost in loss of privacy and the loss of time to do other, non-virtual things... real stuff such as talking.

I really miss Telegrams at Weddings.

Cleone completes Half Marathon

Perth's City to Surf 2007 included a Half Marathon and Cleone was a competitor and a brilliant finisher with a *net time of 1:51:31 .

Apart from the 21.1 km distance, obstacles included the crowd of 29,738 participants in the City to Surf competitions this year. Almost 1000 people attempted the longer Half Marathon.

(* net - measured via individual transponder, as distinct from "gun time" where I believe a gun is pointed at you to make you run faster).

Chaser's WAR on Everything - ABC Calendar

• DVD case and sleeve
• Shop docket with every purchase
• Bullet points about the Bonus Extras
• 350 minutes of unseen material*

* Assuming you've never seen the show.

You didn't just join some web site you don't remember joining

The Spam Diaries: You didn't just join some web site you don't remember joining
Follow this link if you have recently received email about Net-Jokes (or similar). I received one today. Never download anything via this type of spam because you will install a Storm Worm virus on your PC.

Albert Ellis

Good Point!

Final Harry Potter Book Blasted For Containing Spoilers

NEW YORK—Harry Potter fans throughout the world were shocked, disappointed, and outraged to learn last week that J.K. Rowling's 750-page...

Tech Tips of the day

• From an ABC radio program, advice about a free program that will help recover deleted files. Go to http://www.recuva.com/
• My current favorite on the How To channel is "Lab With Leo". Leo's website is at http://www.labwithleo.com/
• Within this website you find free files at http://www.labwithleo.com/freefiles
• Scroll down to episode #12 and you will find a great browser add-on called the McAfee SiteAdvisor. This can be found directly at http://www.siteadvisor.com/ . The free download is a great way to check out the safety of websites listed by Google, Yahoo, etc.
• Finally, http://www.lexblog.com/, not to be confused with my LesBlogG. Lexblog is a site dedicated to Building Blogs for Lawyers. Why? Because "They (blogs) are more tasteful and less expensive than other lawyer advertising." The author of this site was interviewed on Leo's show #12. He suggested everyone including plumbers should have blog sites to promote their expertise. (My expertise, if you follow this blog, amounts to cutting and pasting).
  

Clee runs the Perth Marathon in 3 hours 55 minutes

Clee Marathon (click on photo to see whole album)

Testing - Panasonic DMC-FX30 Camera