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Another Dark Little Corner
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Started this before change to "New Blogger", as backup in case of trouble with digiphoto blog "In a Small Dark Room", or rants & links blog "Hello Cruel World" . Useful - at one stage Dark Room was there, but like the astrophysical Dark Matter, we could't see it ... better now, but kept Just In Case.
MY OTHER PLACES
Hello Cruel World (mirror) Chris' Memorial Site In a Small Dark Room 
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 Systema Naturae 2000 
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There is nothing. There is no God and no universe, there is only empty space, and in it a lost and homeless and wandering and companionless and indestructible Thought. And I am that thought. And God, and the Universe, and Time, and Life, and Death, and Joy and Sorrow and Pain only a grotesque and brutal dream, evolved from the frantic imagination of that same Thought. Mark Twain (letter to Joseph Twichell after his wife's death) [me, on a bad day] WRITER'S LINKS Absolute Write Paypal donation button: Absolute Write is one of the leading sites for information on writing and publishing, especially the scam versions thereof. It has a broad, deep online community with an enormous message base going back years. Now it needs help. See the details and discussion here Preditors and Editors Everything you wanted to know about literary agents On the getting of agents Writer Beware Miss Snark Writer's Net (and my Wish List) 
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2006-12-27
Rambles: Peace & Goodwill We had some of the nicest Christmas weather in Sydney for a long time. It started with some rain on the days before over a lot of places that have been in drought or bushfires. A few spots, like Mt Wellington above Hobart, and some parts of Victoria, even had snow. There was some hail around too, one storm damaging around Armidale. Here it started quite cool (17C/63F) & cloudy, but by lunch and during the afternoon it was pleasantly warm (24C/75F) with cool breezes, like spring rather than summer. My close family died & others are scattered, I'd thought to have a quiet little time on the day, with some earlier celebrations like official and personal times at work, or visiting a neighbour of my late partner, now also a widow. But a friend organised for me to go to the family group he is close to, which is a reasonably large 'do', but very friendly. After visiting his mother, now in a retirement home overlooking a bushy valley, for the morning, with a tasty -- but not overly-filling -- lunch of baked vegies, seasoned chicken & ham, with fruit salad for dessert, we headed from the north-east to the south-west, well out on the outskirts of Sydney. Only practicably accessible by car (20 minute drive to nearest train to Minto). They have a lovely large yard, and after their lunch (we just had a handful of nibblies and shared the green tea), singing and present-exchange it was host to a backyard "soccer" game... More ... 2006-12-20
Assembling Links to Carl Sagan Memorial blog-o-thon I'll be adding these over time
See December 10th for Carl Sagan Memorial blog-o-thon idea from Joel Schlosbberg Some Raw Material www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2006/05/12 More ... 2006-12-18
Return of the Light Northern Solstice approaches. We remember that somewhere, for someone, there is always hope that it can improve. And that it might be us who can help, somehow, with what we can. www.yarnharlot.ca/ blog/ archives/ 2006/ 12/ 15/ the_return_of_the_light.html Herer in the Great South Land, a long, hot, dry, flammable summer stretches ahead. We, too, need to help each other. More ... 2006-12-12
We're the Government, and we want to wish you Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year We're the Government, and we want to wish you Merry Christmas & A Happy New YearHad just spent nearly the last of my liquid funds — leaving just enough for the medical bills — to make my dead partner's place and my late parents' flat habitable. The plan is to use money from rent to save up & fix my own house, neglected for years during the medical crises, struggle with inherited debt, and caring for mother in her decline. Suddenly the State govt decided to ask for all the back taxes on my partner's estate — about twice my salary.First installment due today. More ... 2006-12-10
Carl Sagan memorial blog-a-thon December 20, 2006 will be the tenth anniversary of Carl Sagan's death. My earlier entries mentioning Carl Sagan Frail Granules All — 29th March, 2004: Horst Sommer on "Why Sagan, despite his failings, will always be the greatest of my heroes" Depressed & Fearful in Lent — 8th March, 2004: just a passing mention as one of my heroes Carl Sagan's 'In the Valley of the Shadow' — 9th June, 2003 Trawlings caught in the net — 3rd November, 2002 "What does the candle represent?" — 27th October, 2002 More ... 2006-12-09
Barefoot & pregnant - comment on ABC phone-in Friday 8th December, 2006 Barefoot & pregnant - comment on ABC phone-in Friday 8th December, 2006In your phone-in this morning I was disappointed that you did not correct the woman who attacked the earlier woman by claiming that the earlier caller had called her "barefoot and pregnant".I enjoy your program, even if I do find parts of it provoking. Just spent an hour on this I need to spend on important personal business, but the ABC is still our place to discuss important social issues. More ... 2006-11-26
Photo Template File Toast — Hope I can fix it I haven't done anything to it, but the template file on my photo blog, In a Small Dark Room, has been damaged (a chunk of the end is missing). Thus viewing it is pretty stuffed. The archives are not accessible either. This may have to do with the beta-Blogger shift going on, because it was originally set up in a sub-directory of the main blog. I have other urgent things to deal with, but will get to working on fixing this when I can. Sorry. UPDATE: Did a quick and dirty fix. I hope you can see what you need to now. Sigh. Probably had better things to do with a fine Sunday arvo. If you're desperate <ahem>, have a look at an 'emergency backup' photo blog, Darkroom, or my photos on the Flickr site. The first is a lot more recent, and doesn't have a lot of the useful (& important to me) earlier things; the second doesn't have most of what isn't mine, nor most of the added information or comments. More ... 2006-11-18
A Pleasant Place to Wander in A Pleasant Place to Wander in zefrank.com "This is my blog. Sometimes I don't write for a while, that usually means that I'm doing something else. I didn't forget about you though. I like you." I may adopt this as a reminder for this blog too. More ... 2006-11-09
Anniversary: an Earlier 9/11 — Broken Glass & Ashes Anniversary: The First 9/11 — Broken Glass & Ashes (In Australia 9/11 is November 9th). Remembering 'Kristallnacht' - 9/11/38An eyewitness account ( http://www.thelooniverse.com/books/kastner.html ). There you can see Erich Kästner's description of "Crystal Night, 1938", as well as his attendance at the 1933 burning of his, and 23 other authors' books. It was also mentioned in a post in February (more-dark-matters.blogspot.com/2006/02/erich-kastner-writer.html) Summary In 1938, incensed by hearing of his family in Germany being forced into "relocation camps" in the November snow under Nazi laws, an adolescent Jew in Paris shot and killed a German diplomat. Note the winding-tighter spiral of assassination, having been sparked by rage at the laws & treatment following the Reichstag fire, being used as pretext for Kristallnacht, which sparked the next round of ill-treatment & laws giving more power to The Party, und so weiter. That's why I detest the violent political language particularly around in recent right-wing US commentary, but not exclusive to them. Two sites of many others about it: www.remember.org/fact.fin.kristal.html and www.us-israel.org/jsource/Holocaust/kristallnacht.html I particularly like the knife-twist, so typical of current 'economic fundamentalists' of indemnifying the Jewish community to pay for the damages, for example by confiscating their insurance payouts. Relatives were also billed for execution expenses in Nazi Germany. It reminds me of recent British stories of released prisoners whose convictions were quashed being charged for their keep (from March 2007, the Bridgewater Three, Wrongly convicted men must pay 'lodgings' costs for prison, and Warren Blackwell), and of course our own Respected & Beloved Government's way of discouraging rejected refugees in a similar way. Can't promise I'll put the links to those stories, but they're there, in solid factual reports. Labels: anniversaries, history More ... 2006-11-06
Toasted Mastectomy They were right; it does get worse after the irradiation is finished (see photo below). This is actually good compared to the bad effects on their skin others can get, and so far it hasn't had the hideous internal effects that my radiotherapy for the last cancer did, though it is painful and uncomfortable and limiting. Latest photo (NOTE: Some photos were taken in a mirror, some direct. Maybe I should flip them so they all look the same way around.): [NOTE: My 'hide behind a cut'-technique isn't working, so I've tried to disguise the grusomeness by putting a kitty as the thumbnail that you click to go to the medical section.]  'Shininess is lots of moisturiser. Also have a water & glycol based semi-liquid wound dressing' and a large square hydrocolloid-type more solid one. I can smear the liquid one onto the solid one and apply it, or use the square hydrogel by itself. So far the best way to hold it all on has been knitted cotton tubing I wear like a boob tube top, with a soft pad under the edge over the sore bits. To keep it from rolling down, the nurse cut a slit in one side that I put my arm through, creating a sort of strap over that shoulder which also stops the top of the square dressing from flapping over, without having to tape it down. It took a while to work all this out, but now I can set myself up & get dressed, then lay down for a while & go to work pretty well. The fatigue isn't good, but. Have missed a bit of work. Those easy-make food packs I laid in before have been useful, not so much for the sort throat as just being able to heat'n'eat. The weather's been cold, so warm food is OK. Otherwise I might have even eaten some stuff cold, just 'cos keeping up the nutrition to help the body heal is an important aim. More ... 2006-11-04
Lovely News Joyous celebration is due to the fact that at long, long, last, a DVD of Oh! What a Lovely War, the 1969 Richard Attenborough/Len Deighton film of Charles Chilton's play is now available! At least in the UK and USA. Here's hoping someone will sell it in Oz too. NTBCW the soldier's memoir of WWII by the same name, which is also relevant to how 'ordinary soldiers' experience war. It would make an interesting companion. More ... 2006-11-02
Penzance-ultimate Went to last opera of the season last night - Pirates of Penzance. I'd forgotten, or hadn't realised before, how much of it was broad satire on operatic conventions. A good fun production, with Antony Warlow channelling Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow as the Pirate King, and the chorus of pirates/police having a fun time. I loved the pirate's costumes. Meanwhile, the orchestra is dressed in British redcoat 19th century uniform. Maestro Castles-Onion didn't come up on stage, but they all took bow in the pit. It was very tempting to take a photo or two. I contented myself with the final image we're left with, it relates back to the start (see below). Very appropriate for the last 2006 show. Start of play is the lights spelling out The Pirates of Penzance all out except for one flickering globe. Character comes on, fiddles with that, and all light up, then the flat with the lights goes up and the action starts.  More ... 2006-10-15
Some Online Document Tools Possibly useful online document tools. The best thing to do with all of them is to save often and keep a local copy. The technology systems and implementation are still roughish "Google's online word processor, docs.google.com [I think it was Writely before - MCP], lets you import documents and then save them in other formats, such as RTF, Word, OpenOffice, and PDF. This makes it easy to convert troublesome files even if you can't/won't install OpenOffice. Zoho Writer www.zohowriter.com/ login.sas ThinkFree www.thinkfree.com/ common/ main.tfo? AjxWrite www.ajax13.com/ en/ ajaxwrite Writeboard www.writeboard.com More ... 2006-10-03
Fame at Last! The Face of Sydney  Combining portraits of local residents and specialist techniques that turn Census data into visual images, The Face of Sydney consists of digitally layered composite images that represent the collective face of the city. More than 1,400 Sydney residents had their portraits taken in photo shoots in locations spanning the city’s villages. During Art & About, these faces will be projected on a massive scale onto the wall of the AMP Building at Circular Quay, More ... 2006-09-30
Twisted A poem ... ... Conscience More ... 2006-09-27
A Darker, Smaller, World God damn. "Fair? You're in the wrong universe for fair." John M. Ford, 1957-2006Mike Ford: Occasional Works (Pt. One) Mike Ford: Occasional Works (Pt. Two) Mike Ford: Occasional Works (Pt. Three) Mike Ford: Occasional Works (Pt. Four) Mike Ford: Occasional Works (Pt. Five) Mike Ford: Occasional Works (Pt. Six) Mike Ford: Occasional Works (Pt. Seven) Mike Ford: Occasional Works (Pt. Eight) And Sign your organ donor card (or non-USA equivalent). See also the entry for September 11th, below. UPDATE: Against Entropy (The Society for the Preservation of Mike) — the John M. Ford Book Endowment fund; and Websnark's appreciation Labels: mourning More ... 2006-09-17
Next Hurdle: Radiotherapy Having 'stayed the course' (well, six courses) of chemotherapy with highly poisonous cytotoxic chemicals, I now start five weeks of radiotherapy with doses of X-rays planned to wipe out any blossoming remnant cancer cells which survived. Went in to 'planning appointment' to set up series and determine where & what will be zapped. The previous lot of radiotherapy in 2002 only needed three pinpoint tattoos, I suppose because they were just aiming to triangulate onto the tumour itself. To mark out the field this time, they've put on five — making a total of eight tattoos! (Is this still cool? Or are they pretty passe now?) Photo shows the text markings from the preliminary set-up. (Earlier post-op photo at April 27 - Anatomical Pathology)  This therapy wil involve irradiating my left chest from just above the base of my throat down to below where my breast used to be, and around under my left arm. It usually causes a effect rather like sunburn, and fairly severe fatigue. Depending on how my oesophagus &/or trachea get hit by it, I may also get a very sore throat. Stocked up on some canned soup, congee, and other food & meals that don't need much preparation and won't hurt the throat. I also found a cheap hand-mixer that will help make puree of vegetables & so forth. Today I used it to make a cinnamon tea-cake in my new proper sized cake-tin (um, if you can call a soft silicon mould that) and it worked out really well. My friend & I ate half of it this morning. <burp>, but made healthier sandwiches for lunch, as well as going for a nice long walk. Have to strengthen the body to get ready for the new assault. More ... 2006-09-11
Five Years On 110 Stories by John M. Ford This is not real. We've seen it all before.Five Years On; Remembering: a news flash during the late-night Channel 9 slot of West Wing. Changing channels through many hours that followed, watching CNN, BBC, whatever feeds were available. A quick call to friend A, who now had a TV, as the news about Washington was confusedly coming through: "This looks serious." The black blossom of smokey dust that burst out as the first tower collapsed, with me caught, frozen in horror, holding to the kitchen door jamb as I'd gone to get a hot drink when the chill, deeper than the simple temperature of a spring night, crept over my nightdressed body. My mind bouncing between sheer pity & terror, speculating the purpose & proponents, worrying what use was going to be made of this, what this distraction would be used to shield. So very sad, now, that so many of my worries and speculations have come to pass. So fearful that more will. You live, is how you learn that you can cope. I'm not altogether sure this living counts as coping. It comes and goes. Five years. So much has happened — deaths & illnesses & moving house — in my life, but it all seems not so long ago. The years spin so quickly past, even as some long nights & days stretch out almost beyond bearing. More ... 2006-09-10
Truth & Consequences: I Remember Townsend ... Truth & Consequences"If you're going to tell a story about something true, then make damn sure you get it right." LiveJournal: Scribblings by Lizbeth (liz_marcs):I Remember Townsend ... liz-marcs.livejournal.com/206303.html More ... 2006-08-30
Out of the Closet December 27, 2005 The Secret Histories of Dresses, pt. 1 http://www.dressaday.com/2005/12/secret-histories-of-dresses-pt-1.html January 21, 2006 Secret Lives of Dresses, No. 2 http://www.dressaday.com/2006/01/secret-lives-of-dresses-no-2.html February 23, 2006 The Secret Lives of Dresses, Vol. 3 http://www.dressaday.com/2006/02/secret-lives-of-dresses-vol-3.html April 16, 2006 The Secret Lives of Dresses, Vol. 4 http://www.dressaday.com/2006/04/secret-lives-of-dresses-vol-4.html July 16, 2006 The Secret Lives of Dresses, Vol. 5 http://www.dressaday.com/2006/07/secret-lives-of-dresses-vol-5.html August 8, 2006 The Secret Lives of Dresses, Vol. 6 http://www.dressaday.com/2006/08/secret-lives-of-dresses-vol-6.html August 30, 2006 Secret Lives of Dresses Vol. 7 http://www.dressaday.com/2006/08/secret-lives-of-dresses-vol-7.html September 13, 2006 Secret Lives of Dresses Vol. 8 http://www.dressaday.com/2006/09/secret-lives-of-dresses-vol-8.html More ... 2006-08-17
A Test for the Speed of Your Connexion A Test for the Speed of Your Connexion A wonderful resource with, among useful things, many images just beautiful to look at, the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Project Blog. It includes some digitized images from a 1910 printing of the first comprehensive book on design, Owen Jones' "The Grammar of Ornament", originally published in 1856. Also images from a rare 1923 edition of Grimm's Fairy Tales illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren. They're also running a drawing course. More ... 2006-08-16
Spring hailstorm in Sydney There was a hailstorm in Sydney this afternoon Other Peoples' Pix Sydney white-out snaps - News - smh.com.au www.smh.com.au/ ftimages/ 2006/08/15/ 1155407800541.htm My picture — looking out my little window on the world  More ... 2006-08-07
Burial Burial It would be a good place to stay for a long time, to watch the leaves curl and uncurl each year, watch the branches thicken and lichen invade fresh territory. I lay beneath a clump of mistletoe today and the breeze kissed me. Gray bark plates and cynipid wasp galls, swelling: I would like to be planted beneath one of these one day, to have this flesh turn to a pulse of deepening green in spring leaves, to have ground squirrels burrow in the softer ground that I become, their hearts beating between my ribs.faultline.org/index.php/site/comments/mold Thoughts like mine about being buried at Towrang. From Chris Clarke's blog 'Creek Running North', always recommended. More ... 2006-08-04
Other Germanic news, but sadder Sadder Germanic News Someone who isn't Dan Brown demonstrates the most common use of 'Renowned' at the start of a sentence (and, indeed, a paragraph, or even a whole story). news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5243582.stm Renowned German soprano Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf has died at her home in Austria at the age of 90. BBC Video Obituary (approx 1 minute) Video Obituary (??) I hope this means we get a few good full-length arias played over the next few days/weeks, but I suspect there'll just be snippets. She was very a good singer. Digital Domesday From parchment to pixels as book hits web news.bbc.co.uk/ nolavconsole/ ifs_news/ hi/ newsid_5240000/ newsid_5244300/ nb_wm_5244332.stm More ... Going Fourth Going Fourth Trying to live as normally as possible. Not getting much blogging done, though. But I spotted these bands in my nails, showing the effect of the last three chemotherapy doses.  More ... Doctor Who Review: short but effective Doctor Who Review: short but effective (from www.neilgaiman.com ) Good Fiction [Friday, July 28, 2006 - 8:47 AM www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2006/07/good-fiction.html ] ... I watched the final part of this season's Dr Who last night with Mike and Maddy* (and our friend Sarah). Maddy watched the end of it with her head on my chest, and it was only after it was over that I discovered that my tee shirt was soaked with her tears.[* one of his daughters — other is called Holly. Does the Oz tendency to -ie/-ey nicknames stem from British ancestry?] More ... The Shipwreck News The Shipwreck News: Graf Zepplin news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5223514.stm [small map; clear if less detailed; gives overall location] www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-2287104,00.html [small map, good detail] news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060728/ap_on_re_eu/poland_nazi_shipwreck_1 [US version] On 12 July 2006 a ship belonging to the Polish oil company Petrobaltic found a 265 m long wreck close to the port of Łeba (BBC report says 55 km north of Władysławowo) which they thought was most likely Graf Zeppelin. On 26 July 2006 the crew of the Polish Navy's survey ship ORP Arctowski commenced penetration of the wreckage to confirm its identity, and the following day the Polish Navy confirmed that the wreckage was indeed that of Graf Zeppelin. She rests at more than 264 feet (80 metres) below the surface. www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/germany/pages/aircraft_carriers/graf_zeppelin.htm has photos of her launching. [Do you know this site? The Maritime Quest home page describes it as: "A quest for the photographic history of the worlds ships. A quest to bring to the forefront little known tales of the sea. A quest to uncover the history behind the worlds greatest ships."] More ... 2006-07-25
Cuckoo Wasp This sounds pretty deadly. And it looks pretty. Deadly!  But I'm mainly testing a direct URL picture link. More ... 2006-07-15
End of the Third Age Yay! Got through the Third Cycle without emergencies. By the end people were remarking that I looked better than I had for a while, and I certainly felt pretty good. Still working on transferring archives at another place, so any longer entry here is hanging fire, but I've rambled into a text file, all or part of which may get uploaded here if I don't think it's too boring. Labels: medical More ... 2006-06-28
Tap into an ongoing discussion here A discussion related in some ways to thoughts about humanity I've discussed with close friends. So the internet becomes our living rooms ... scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/06/start_a_new_life_in_the_offwor.php More ... 2006-06-26
Third Time Lucky? Third Time Lucky? Well, Friday was the third dose of Adjuvant FEC chemotherapy. The dose has been slightly changed because of the problems the first two times (see previous entries). This time they did have problems with my blood vessels. I'd been worried that might happen because of the amount of punishment they're taking with the treatment for the immune suppression, and only being able to use the one arm because of the damage from the original operation on the other arm. It took six goes to get a cannula in, but not too much bruising thank goodness. It was one of the worst parts of the previous chemotherapy. Am trying to work on the mental part there, with assorted things to promote calm, lack of stress, lower pain & distress, &c, &c. But if all goes well, with taking extra care and the changed dosage, I won't need to be put on drips of antibiotics and fluids to help me through an episode of febrile neutropenia, and that will give my body time to heal up. After the first episode, they were able to prescribe me Granulocyte Stimulating injections — subcutaneous, so no vein problens — which is supposed to help my bone marrow to start producing white blood cells. It didn't seem to go that well, because I had a second lot of infection, fever & low white count, but maybe this one will 'take' better. Perhaps a little more exercise to help the blood flow too? And keeping up the healthy diet, plenty of fluids, &c. In the afternoon I had an appointment for a fitting to get a prosthesis, which I brought home with a new special pocketed brassiere, kind of exciting. Will have to get used to wearing them both. I felt strong enough the next day to go over and get some of my other prostheses, which were running low, from my previous place of habitation. Found several changes around the place, including one flat being sold, but don't know the circumstances fully. Also ordered furniture from a local second-hand place, but arrangements for delivery are still to be done. That will give me some places to put clothes and other things, and also get a few other things, like my stereo, off the floor. Still don't have a hanging-up wardrobe-type thing arranged, though. Also used the available energy & momentum to do a bit of cleaning around the flat, and hang up sheer curtains over the bay window, to give me a better feeling of privacy in my main room. Works OK in daylight. Still a bit uncertain about night-time. Because I didn't want to drill holes, I'm experimenting with adhesive velcro-like stuff, designed to hang pictures on a wall. Will see how it lasts. More ... 2006-06-20
Febrile Neutropenia (2) June 2006 Febrile Neutropenia (2) June 2006 Second cycle of chemotherapy, second multi-day stay in hospital. Dammit.
 The Augmentin Duo Forte is slightly alarming, but not outrageously large. There is a strict thing about taking it with a bite of food or between bites. This has to be co-ordinated with the restrictions on the other antibiotic.There are three bright fluoro warnings on the Ciprofloxacin box: one common one about drowsiness & driving or operating machinery; one about photo-sensitivity (i.e. avoiding exposure to sun & using sunblock — lucky it's midwinter); and one alarming one about avoiding a bunch of types of food within two hours (that's 4 hrs each dose, twice a day), and the Augmentin has to be taken with food.
More ... 2006-05-31
Febrile Neutropenia (What is that tune?) Febrile Neutropenia (1) May 2006Well, I have had an exciting hands-on experiential guide to just why the different chemotherapy guides & advisory leaflets have BIG BOLD BLACK WARNINGS about coming in to the hospital if I run a temperature:Febrile Neutropenia After coming down with a standard change-of-season cold from running around moving house, furnishing flat, etc, I tried to take care of it in the usual way, but more carefully than usual, with rest, warmth, fluids, garlic, vitamins, etc. Didn't work, temperature ended up between 39.2C and 39.8C — well over the 38C where I head for the hospital — and being taken into the Emergency Department after midnight Wednesday (Thursday, ~1am), I thought I would only be there for 24 hours to bring down & stabilize my temperature. Well, I now know they need you to be between about 36.5C and 37C (afebrile) for 24 hours, so that was already a poor hope, but after about 18 hours in ED (aka A & E, for Accident & Emergency; luckily not very close to Bringing in the Dead, which I'd only seen recently), they could only really get stuck into treatment once I was in my little isolation box, back up again on the 8th floor. In fact, there was not much treatment available because it's a virus infection and, from the cultures (throat swab, urine & blood samples), hadn't any bacterial superinfections. That is one main thing they're worried about because of the supressed immune system; once you get something that brings you down a bit, it's very easy for whatever opportunistic bacteria are around to leap on board and start making gravy. So they kept me on a drip, pumped full of a variety of antibiotics to stop anything getting ideas above its station, but also, warm, well fed, with a constant drip-fed supply of fluid, glucose & electrolytes, which was pretty much all they could do to support me through the viral cycle, and that took about 3/4 days. Bit of a shock to everyone, scotching various plans. It was also a shock to me to hear that I'd actually passed out for a minute or so in the waiting room; not fainted, which I remember doing in hospital after a previous operation — like grey flowers blooming across my field of vision, then darkening — but going stiff instead of limp. I have a complete blank there, just remember feeling sick & giddy & one small "blurt" of vomit, which according to witnesses happened just after the seizure. Probably fairly important in getting a quick admission, but not something I'd like to try again. Meanwhile, one courageous friend had gone into the flat with bags, tongs & a facemask to deal with the perishables. Having moved in on Saturday night and started feeling the cold coming on Monday evening, shopping for a bar-fridge, tho of highest priority, was not completed. I'd been getting little cartons of milk, to be used over a couple of days (it is chilling down to winter), small quantities of fruit & vegetables, smallgoods, etc. It was very comforting to not have to face the lettuce & spring onions trying to break out of the cupboard, or the remains of the milk & sliced ham waging biological warfare. Alas, the other soup vegies & smoked hock, ready for the second saucepan of soup also departed along with the remains of the cheese & the utterly untouched formerly-fresh loaf of bread, now a fungus jungle. Knowing this, I was strong enough to pick up milk & bread on the way back from hospital, but didn't have enough funds (took minimum to hospital) to add more. At least I had the tinned baked bean supply & usable margarine. Am seeing if I can make an edible pumpkin soup with onions, dried mixed herbs & barley, but no meat, greens or other aromatic vegetables. More ... 2006-05-19
Rant Repeated Budget: Future Fund ignores real future planningMy main argument with the discussion I've heard so far is the almost total concentration on the aspects of tax rates & welfare — the stuff the politicians want you to concentrate on, and NOT on what is the most basic & of long-term importance. It raises the whole question "What is government for?" Luckily there are wed & exhausted populace, fearful of losing the pittance they work so hard for, because they know there's no support for their real policies. Why, for instance, is the only hard work that counts the work that gets you to a high-paying job? Many people work just as hard without that. Back to the 1850s, not the 1950s (including attitudes to women as well as workers). I really have to struggle NOT to hate those people, but simply despise all their works. FORUM COMMENTS What do you think of the 2005 Federal Budget? www.smh.com.au/yoursay/2005/05/11/index.html (& previous pages) Good to see those billions are not being wasted on developing sustainable industries, fixing the water crisis or addressing global warming. It's reassuring to know that the country's being run by intelligent, innovative, forward-looking people!!! Andrew Martin _________________________________ A "Reward greed, punish need" budget. Most of us don't need a tax cut. What we do need is better infrastructure. Keep the money and spend it on health, education and public transport. bb _________________________________ So much for great economic managers. The government has acknowledged the massive skills shortage, but instead of investing in TAFE and universities, they are giving the money over to private enterprises to line their pockets. Australia has the education infrastructure just sitting there waiting for more students, but they don't have the funds to teach them. All because the Federal Govt resents State control of education. How pathetic! andrew _________________________________ As a low income earner let me put it to you this way. It's all carrot and stick. The wealthy need to be rewarded with more money to work more. There's the carrot. The poor (and those on welfare) need to be punished in order to incentivise them to work more. There's the stick. Any questions? tssk _________________________________ Seems that most comments here are `what do I get?` This government has taxed us all to buggery, boasted that they haven't spent it and then give it back in tax cuts to make themselves look great. How about they spend the money today so we don't have to borrow it tomorrow. Federal infrastructure projects or federal funding of state projects on such things as rail, water, telecommunications are paramount. Additionally, proper funding of tertiary education must be restored (somewhere between 60 to 90 percent), tiered by year so that those who succeed to second, third and fourth years are given discounts, so they are encouraged to continue without paying for their degrees forever. Unfortunately, this government and all their budgets are what most of the mug punters are after: a few bucks today and who gives a stuff about tomorrow. I can't say the ALP would do better, just that we must demand better. Bazza Jones _________________________________ This budget lacks an incredible amount of foresight. Australia is in desperate need of major infrastructure projects and health care reforms and what do we get, irrelevant tax reforms. dgoods _________________________________ Short sighted and greedy. Like any other I will take a tax cut with both hands. We will pay for it in the future though as our University and health systems cave in. As our Universities decay, Australia's research capacity will decline, in turn relegating us to an intellectual and economic backwater. A budget our children will curse us for. J Dalton _________________________________ Tax cuts are a waste of Government spending. Honestly, the extra $6 a week I'll get means nothing to me, but when you think of the pool of "surplus" money from which these tax cuts will be pulled - and the impact that this money could have when spent on essential services like health and education.... Why is the Government focussing on short-term rewards instead of the long-term care and support of its people? Why are we so gleeful about having a few extra dollars in our pocket? Are we all so short-sighted and blinkered by greed? Ally B _________________________________ Has this country gone mad we have health system in need of desperate funds. We have a road system collapsing and our country is dying from soil erosion. Fix these problems first before giving money away to the rich. The budget sucks Greg Anderson _________________________________ I'm in line for very large tax cuts. However, if we are planning for the long term of this nation less tax cuts and greater spending on infrastructure, education and direct job creation would be of greater benefit. Without this the only jobs that will be created will be unskilled with low rates of pay. If you want to get people off benefits you actually need to give them meaningful and rewarding things to do that give them the financial ability to improve their situation. Just cutting their pension is at best pathetic and displays the government hasn't got a solution. If you want single mums to go to work legislate to make work place provided childcare compulsory. They legislated for the GST so why can't they do this? This does not cause a burden for the public purse and our companies are enjoying very large growth and profit so they can probably afford it. That would be an incentive. Furthermore, any tax cut I'm about to be given will be swallowed in interest rates rises in the next few years. What extra money isn't taken by interest rate rises will be spent on imported consumer durables (as we now import all of these) thereby making our current account deficit worse than it is (can it possibly get worse!!). This budget simply offers short term band aid solutions. J Zycki _________________________________ I'd rather the Govt put more into infrastructure development than give a measly $6 a week tax cut, at least more would benefit and it wouldn't get eaten up by higher prices and fuel costs. Matthew Gregory _________________________________ This is fantastic, I get an extra $40 per week so I can make payments on my freshly minted, imported plasma screen television. It's too bad about the crumbling education system and the shocking wait times for basic healthcare. None of that matters as long as I can watch Big Brother in high definition. James _________________________________ Any tax cut will be swallowed up (and then some) by petrol price rises... Not a single mention of energy or environment issues in this budget. Peak Oil is coming _________________________________ It is appalling to realise how little care the Howard-Costello government extends towards those in our community who can least afford it, while they glibly make the rich get richer. The rich will barely even notice another hundred dollars in their pockets, whereas the poor will be hurting in ways that Howard and Costello could never imagine. The taxation measures outlined in the May budget mean that many lower income families will struggle to feed their children or keep a roof over their heads. How will the Coalition meet the bill for the devastation of our society that this policy will cause? How will they pay for the upsurge of mental illness and crime that WILL increase as a result of this policy? Stealing from the poor to feed the rich is short-sighted in the extreme. K Powderly _________________________________ A total wasted opportunity this government has no vision for the future. Nothing for roads, health, education or the environment. a pathetic budget ricardo _________________________________ Bugger the tax cuts, fix the health and education systems. Centralise some portions of the systems if necessary. Alan Smithee Tax Cuts - Squandering our Future [2004]Australia is living off two great sources of capital laid down earlier, but we are not renewing or building them up - a bad sign for the future. The bulk of any 'surplus' should be re-invested in these, to help tide us over future difficulties. One is our natural resources: fertile topsoil, clean fresh water, fisheries & so forth. Only recently I think there was an estimate of $10 Billion to restore them to function on a long-term, sustainable basis after the damage done over a couple of centuries. The other is the massive public (& private) investment in our infrastructure: water & sewerage systems, transport (not just roads) for goods & people, energy generation & distribution, as well as health systems, education & other vital parts of our society's structure. Many were developed from mid-to-late Victorian times into the first half of the 20th Century, & have barely been maintained since. Now we have a chance to repair & *improve* these, learning from earlier mistakes. This is what will give a good foundation for our descendants to improve their lives, instead of scraping by, regretting lost opportunity. Like the mutual building sculpture above Martin Place showing how a man can't break the bundle of sticks bound together, though each could be broken with ease one-by-one, the point of government is to bundle together our money and effort to do the things that singly are very difficult (how many of us can buy or build a new train or hospital?). And private companies are run for profit, not to provide a service. For instance, a well-built sustainable water collection, distribution & purification system will take some maintenance over time, but will last without huge extra investment. The same for improving energy or transport systems (eg fixing/rebuilding bridges or taking freight off roads, which reduces road damage bills). A big push into reforming (in the genuine use of the word) agricultural practices & land-use, or ways of building cities can lay a good foundation for centuries of advance instead of continuing decline. An educated person might be lost to their particular profession, but it's not likely they'll lose all their skills, they may return to it, otherwise they'll probably go to a different, but still skilled & worthwhile job. I've lost my skills as a biologist & medical researcher over the last 20 years, but work in a useful skilled job in a different field (though I'd prefer to feel I was contributing more to society &/or the world). If 12% of Australians are in the current top tax bracket, 88% are lower. The majority of us know that if we strike trouble - like my recent medical & family crises - we will need social support. Not just trustworthy & affordable health care, but someone to help the aged mother I care for, meals on wheels, community nurses who aided my convalescence, etc. Even if you have help from family or friends, that other support stops the total ruination that you too often see in both the third world & the US when a crisis hits someone. That's why there's community support for spending on services - even if people doubt that spending will go towards what they most value. There could be a lot more said on this, which I won't go into. EXCEPT to refute those who say: "You'll spend it all and we won't have anything left when there isn't any surplus." Note that I wrote about putting the investment into things, both physical & social that will stay. AND: for the furphy about "Oh, these are State, not Federal issues". Just where do the States get the majority of their funding? Most of the money is collected by States and by the Commonwealth, put into the "kitty", then split up & distributed, some via State, some via Federal, trickling down to Local government. Remember that fuss last year about NSW's share being cut? There are also several bodies which co-ordinate Commonwealth & States to look after particular issues either nationwide or like the Murray-Darling system or Great Barrier Reef. More ... 2006-05-10
Health Hiatus Major medical personal upheavals still going on. Might be able to fill in when I have the time & energy. Chemotherapy starts on Friday, 12th May, 2006 and will continue for quite a few months, followed by radiotherapy and hormone treatment too. Fun, fun, fun... Until I'm able to put up information here, search for "Adjuvant FEC" or "fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide" to find out details. Though drugs are more intense than last time, and more side-effects, OTOH the dose regimen is shorter, one day rather than a whole week. I'm considering finding a small flat to operate from for the next few months, it could help me organise cleaning out Mother's and be safer than staying at Pyrmont while I'm sick. Finances might be able to take it, especially if I can manage to stay on working. In short: Chemotherapy - Adjuvant FEC
One dripfeed every three weeks, for six cycles. Picked Friday so can recover over weekend. This, if we've calculated right, would end on August 25th. Many people are able to keep working part-time. Hair will go; drugs to help with nausea & diarrhoea, other side-effects possible but rarer - can mean a pause while you recover. Radiotherapy Would start at end of chemotherapy - not sure if after 3-week gap. Daily (weekdays) a 20-minute dose for five weeks. This would take to mid-October or early November, depending on gap, also any pauses. Not sure how practical working would be through this. Apart from how serious any effect of the therapy would be, trying to fit in the travel to the hospital & time of the treatment as well as work & commuting to it seems very awkward. Doing all that while not feeling too good might work against healing well too. Hormone therapy Foggier on this - happens after chemotherapy, but not sure if it overlaps with radiotherapy. Tablets, don't know more details. Labels: cancer, medical, medicine, treatment More ... 2006-05-02
A host of eggcorns, malapropisms, et al Making Light: Dreadful phrases: "Renee ::: May 01, 2006, 05:01 PM:During my university years, one prof specifically advised against trusting spellcheckers--he'd found a study where one group of students was given a page of text with twenty spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes and told to correct it, while another group was given the same page and allowed to use spellcheck to correct it. More ... 2006-05-01
Hullabaloo - Digby's Blog Hullabaloo: Uptight, Crazy and Reactionary: "However, I might also suggest that the fact that we are all in our mid forties to early 60's means we are taking care of both the elderly (who are living to amazing old age) and the young (who stay young a lot longer than they used to) while looking at a scary old age that some factions of the government are actively trying to fuck with, and who may very well succeed. " More ... 2006-04-27
Pathology (Warning: Skip pic if you're sensitive) Anatomical Pathology — Surgical Pathology Report(Warning: Skip pic if you're sensitive) Collected April 2006, 12:27Clinical Data More ... 2006-04-26
Museum of Pathology Museum of Pathology: SCIRRHOUS CARCINOMA OF THE BREAST Clinical History A 48 year old woman presented with a painless lump in the breast. Radical mastectomy was performed. Pathology (image) Slice through a female breast showing a large, rounded, poorly demarcated yellowish lesion of approximately 5 x 7 cm. More ... 2006-04-24
Beauty and Sadness in Memory Ryuto-e ( ceremony of floating lit paper lanterns ). Every year, at the night of August 6, people float lit paper lanterns on the Motoyasu River flowing beside the "Atomic Dome." This is one of the ceremonies to mourn for the souls of the atomic victims. More ... 2006-04-22
The Infertile Soul The Infertile Soul: "The honest, ugly truth about infertility. I know what its like to find out others feel the same things I do. To know you are not alone with something - especially something negative like feeling sad when you hear of a friends baby news, or feeling angry that everyone else is pregnant, or mad at people for being fertile... That for me was really exciting. It was a huge relief to find I was not alone in feeling such ugly, totally not politically correct type feelings.I feel someone, somewhere along the way, needs to be honest about the ugliness of infertility. That it can produce feelings that are unfair, that are offensive, that make us feel guilty and bad. But they exist, and they are real ... More ... Separated by a common language The date April 20th, 4/20 in US style dating, has a special meaning in the USA, and certain sub-cultures (see Wikipedia entry). Another odd thing I've learned thru' Making Light. The first thing it means to me is the birthdate of Adolf Hitler (1889), which I've always remembered as the first of a strange trilogy - not quite consecutive. QEII (aka Betty Windsor) is getting all the publicity this year for her 80th. William Shakespeare being the (attributed) third, on 23/4/1564 (UK dating). I think that birthday was mentioned as a reason for the date of the Columbine school shooting - an event that rather spoiled the memory of several nice things of that name, as well as tainting the date further. More ... 2006-04-21
One Memory Triggers Another from Alma Alexander's (nom de plume) blog on her website (www.almahromic.com) Alma A. Hromic: Monday, February 27 2006 - Octavia Butler: memory www.almahromic.com/ 2006/02/ 27_octavia_butler_memory.phpThere's another piece I like about the seven sins and seven virtues as applied to writers — April 9 2006 - Write about it all (www.almahromic.com/ 2006/04/ 09_write_about_it_all.php) More ... 2006-04-16
Hmmm Lunar Embassy: THE WORLDS FIRST EXTRATERRESTRIAL INTERNET (secure.registrysystems.net/lunar) The Galactic Government and ICANN Accredited Registrar and Registry Operator Aim High!, Inc. have started to issue domain names in the extraterrestrial internet, to form the worlds first off-Earth name space. More ... Naming Rights — or Wrongs Photos: Worst tech of 2006 (so far): Worst name for a product that's supposed to go in your living room: Biohazard Media Center Xpress This rack-style Biohazard multimedia PC will look great next to your LeadPaint-brand A/V receiver, Asbestos-brand speakers, and Steaming Pile of Human Waste-brand HDTV! Hazmat suit sold separately." More ... How to be creative, by Hugh Macleod How to be creative, by Hugh Macleod gapingvoid: how to be creative (long version) www.gapingvoid.com/ Moveable_Type/ archives/ 000932.html "So you want to be more creative, in art, in business, whatever. Here are some tips that have worked for me over the years:" ... — Hugh Macleod (a Global MicroBrand) More ... 2006-04-01
Cyclone Safety Gear? Is this what was needed in major-league bulk supply in the banana plantations before Cyclone Larry hit? From http://www.bananabunker.com  I am making no other comment at all. Whatsoever. Not even about the date. More ... 2006-03-29
*Dancin'* — looks like I'll live a little longer yet <relief> *Dancin'* — looks like I'll live a little longer yet <relief>The incidence of breast cancer has gone up about a percentage point every year since 1940.'Good' News? Going Amazonian, but: From all the tests they've done so far, it *looks* like there are no other signs of the cancer spreading beyond its main body and the nearest axillary lymph node. Greatly relieving to my most fearful worries. The surgeon wants to operate on me next week. Because the bodily damage is less than my previous operation I may only have to stay in hospital for a week. He says that most people can return to work between 4 and 6 weeks after that, and they would usually let me recover for some while more before starting further treatment. After the operation, when they've had a chance to look inside, and can study what they take out closely to see just what it is, we'll be discussing the best alternative for further treatment. It all depends on which type or combination of the many treatments available seems to be best, given all the information we'll have by then. General Information from www.abc.com.au/ health/ library/ breastcancer_ff.htm From www.fenceliners.com.au/news.htm The Radical Mastectomy The Sentinel Node Biopsy by Paul Crea FRCS FRACS. General Surgery, Surgical Oncology and Breast Surgery. See also www.breasthealth.com.au/index.html (tho' it's freezing up the browser at the moment). Why I'm lucky - one reason I'd hesitate if time travel became practicable. Thank goodness for anaesthetics (& of course antisepsis). A small memorial to Fanny Burney's September 30th, 1811 mastectomy: with only "one wine cordial" for her anaesthesia, she endured "the most torturing pain. I felt the knife rackling against the breast bone -- scraping it! cutting against the grain, attom after attom" until "the air rushed into those delicate parts, and felt like a mass of minute but sharp & forked poniards." www.abc.net.au/ rn/ talks/ firstper/ stories/ s1308221.htm (Thursday 21/04/2005 at 10.45am, as part of Life Matters, in Real Media Format) www.abc.net.au/ rn/ talks/ firstper/ audio/ firstper_21042005.ram Read by Kate Roberts Also at www.wesclark.com/ jw/ mastectomy.html - the full letter www.asylumeclectica.com/ morbid/ archives/ morb0801.htm — a brief excerpt given at the entry for August 7, 2001 Welcome to Tit-Bits, a website for women with breast cancer www.titbits.ca (this site requires the latest flash drivers) Here you can: : : Share your thoughts and feelings about breast cancer with other women; : : Post art work, poetry, and other ramblings about living with breast cancer; : : Exchange practical titbits for surviving breast cancer; : :Download cool creative projects to help with the healing process; Get Tit-Bits - hip, hand-knitted breasts - [shop, not patterns] www.titbits.ca/v1/tb_shop.html Knitting Patterns www.straw.com/cpy/ patterns/ cot_chenille_boob.html www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall05/ PATTbits.html PDF of knitting pattern knittwotogether.typepad.com/ TitBitPattern.pdf A sort-of-related clothing company www.toughtitties.com www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=Going%20Amazonian www.flickr.com/ photos/ spike55151/ 50874304 www.flickr.com/ photos/ 18575352@N00/ 90232901 An alternative to the knitted version www.sff.net/ people/ lucy-snyder/ brain/ 2006/02/ tit-bits.html Comments, discussion, etc. www.everything2.org/index.pl?node_id=1779808&lastnode_id=169667 Ah, chemo; Yes, chemo: Can't live with it; Can't live without it. www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=chemotherapy This links to a bunch of personal stories, comments and definitions {If my courage fails, this might be an alternative to the usual injections: www.everything2.com/ index.pl?node_id=1323675 } Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero Enjoy today, trust little to tomorrow. From Horace's Ode I. xi. 8. You can translate it literally as pluck the day. Not to be confused with carpe deum which means "God is a fish" [See also www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=583853 ] Ah, but I am torn in warring pieces. Hope/relief war with fear, frustration, anger at myself for what I haven't got done in the interval since my last illness; grief wells up with reminders of my mother's and my partner's deaths (anniversary) and flows together with grief for my body - to be mutilated again - for my strength, and growing hope I had of getting clear of shadows of despair, for the world and our society that seems to be heading in a disturbing direction instead of the great possibilities that could be opening up. More ... Four Years Gone I remember days I spent with friends since dead, words and gestures no one knows but me, stories of which I am the sole custodian. They fill my heart sometimes ‘til I can think of little else. I remember days with friends who live still, the trivial stuff a sane man would have long forgotten [from Chris Clarke] Just this stuff, y'know Who Cares What You Think? http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/feature/2004/03/19/bush_encounter/index.html http://home.conceptsfa.nl/~pmaas/rea/dodobird.htm http://www.threefeatherspewter.com/ More ... 2006-03-26
ThinkGeek :: PC HabiCase ThinkGeek :: PC HabiCase www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/habicase.shtml "Now your small rodent(s) can always be by your side when using the computer! The PC HabiCase allows your gerbil, hamster or mouse to live INSIDE your computer. Ample room is provided for climbing, or your pet can hang out in one of the two 'play pods' located at the front and top of the case. Heat from your CPU ensures your rodent will be warm and comfortable in a climate controlled environment. The PC HabiCase features anodized aluminum construction with a side window port to more easily monitor your pet. The quiet low-speed 120mm fan allows your rodent to live comfortably without fear of hearing damage." More ... 2006-03-24
Testing times Big day yesterday. The night before I went to stay at some friends', who live only a 20 or 30-minute walk from the hospital, instead of an or or so by a couple of buses from where I'm staying now. So we talked & so forth in the evening to keep me from worrying too much, made sure I had a good dinner, then didn't eat after when I had to start my fast, and they made sure I woke up in time. The first appointment was for 8:30 in the morning, with the last to start about 2:00 in the afternoon, and a series between back and forth in the medical centre for pathology and X-rays and nuclear scans, blah, blah, blah. As usual my veins were unco-operative and tricky to work with, so my hands and arms ended up patched all over with cotton wool and tape or bandaids. That's one of the most offputting and difficult things, just relaxing and holding still while someone is probing around inside you with a needle trying to thread it into a vessel, or even find one. But they weren't too bad at it, even around the site of the biopsy (he took four cores, I think) isn't much bruised. The scans and X-rays are easier, and can be almost relaxing (except for mammograms, which are awkward and uncomfortable, but bearable). You are often laid down, they give you supports if you need to be on your side, and the machines move over you, or move the table you're on into or through the detectors. For some reason, the light levels are often fairly low too. It might be more difficult if you are feeling sick or in pain, but I'm not feeling too bad at the moment. I've been practicing some kinds of simple meditation and/or visualization for these situations. And I was better prepared for some of the possible effects of the chemicals, which caused a disaster on my way home a couple of years back from the last CT scan. Might write a bit more about things later, but I'm still feeling a touch poorly. Will not know much more until after the next consultation with the surgeon next week. Something to chew on: The Median Isn't the Message, by Stephen Jay Gould www.cancerguide.org/median_not_msg.html More ... 2006-03-22
portable brain augmentation device Sprint PPC 6700: A Super Model www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/articles/ppc6700.mspx he most stunning hardware feature of the PPC 6700 is the slick, slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard slides to the side, which leaves the device feeling more balanced than a device with a keyboard that slides out the bottom. Another feature I liked: When you slide out the keyboard, the screen automatically displays in landscape mode. The keyboard is big enough for even the large thumbed among us. It's the first device to offer the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system. This has the following cool features:
Charts in Mobile Excel Pictures with your contacts Customized ringtones for contacts Persistent storage (no lost data) Bluetooth Wi-fi MiniSD card storage 1.3 megapixel camera Can be used as a modem Pocket MSN EVDO The Sprint PPC 6700 comes loaded with Pocket MSN, which you can use to access your Hotmail, as well as maps, weather, news, and other MSN content services on any Windows Mobile powered device. This device uses mini SD storage cards. I slip the mini SD card into an adapter and have never had a problem moving my music library between different devices. I change devices frequently, so being able to use the same storage card is a plus for me. Another stellar feature is persistent storage. This means that your personal data and the third-party software you install are stored in non-volatile flash ROM memory. The big advantage is that you don't lose your data if your battery runs out of power. Recommended in Unmistakable Marks: In Which the Future Surreptitiously Arrives They were too slow, too clunky, too limited, too stylus-oriented, and just generally not quite all there. But the PPC-6700 suddenly and amazingly nails it. It’s not any one thing about the device that makes it into magic future-tech instead of just a nice try, it’s the confluence of several things. First, Windows Mobile 5, which is the first version of Windows Mobile (nee PocketPC nee Windows CE) that’s actually designed to work well as a phone. Then there’s the side-sliding keyboard, which is an absolutely brilliant (and obvious in retrospect) design that makes the keyboard big enough to be usable while simultaneous making the screen more useful for computing purposes (Windows Mobile is smart enough to automatically re-orient the screen when you slide out the keyboard; it’s slick). Then there’s the connectivity: EV-DO, which is broadband-ish speed over the air (for only $15 a month extra, unlimited, with Sprint); WiFi, if you happen to be in a WiFi-able place; and Bluetooth, if you want to hook up a headset or whatever. More ... 2006-03-18
Jon Carroll 14th March, 2006 I do understand that this is not a funny story. I certainly oppose public drunkenness, and I oppose irresponsible physicians, and a drunken doctor is no laughing matter. A drunken surgeon is even less of a laughing matter. Therefore, it must be true that I was not laughing when I read the tale of Dr. Federico Castro-Moure being hauled out of the operating room for allegedly being drunk and belligerent. Further, the event happened at Highland Hospital, which is about seven blocks from where I live and thus will be the place they take me when I fall down on the street. Not that I plan to fall down on the street, but really — who does? And yet, when I thought about it, this is what happened: www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/03/14/DDGU9GJ95T1.DTL More ... 2006-03-17
Jumping into Life Up! - Jumping into Life kat.uprush.org/2006/03/i-would-not-call-myself-hedonist.html ... As we are preparing dinner last night, she asks, if you had to give up one sense, which would it be? Doctor UpdateI had thought that yesterday would be a whole series of tests, but all they wanted was a set of (quite uncomfortable) X-rays. From that they could tell that the tumour was quite substantial, and that the nearest lymph node had started to get involved. So they'll definitely have to slice out quite a sizable lump. Now, though, they want a set of other tests — CT scan, radioactive bone scan, biopsy & blood tests — to see if it's spread out to anywhere else, and also to get some cells to see how advanced it is, how malignant. So that will be next week, and the results will go to the surgeon/oncologists. and I have another appointment the week after to hear what they've found, and their ideas for further treatment.So things are still rather up in the air. Probably operation will come first, then some kind of therapy/ies. According to the surgeon, the recovery from this surgery is usually quicker than the really serious assault on my body that the last operation was. He does say that the recurrence within 5 years is less of a worry than if it were the same type of cancer returning. And it looks like this is from a separate source — though I suppose the biopsy might throw some light on that. Well, we shall see. More ... 2006-03-15
Bugger BuggerReally shit bad news from the Doctor. Either the old menace has cropped up, or a new one arrived. Have to get tests done and consult with surgeon/specialist on Thursday to get a better idea of just how bad, and how much of me they're going to carve off this time — hoping that they think it's worthwhile to do it, and aren't just going for "making me comfortable". Visions of Monty Python's Black Knight, having more & more bits lopped off.I've told a couple of the people quietly at work. Ones I've known for a longer time, and who've been through my troubles, and the illnesses and deaths of other workmates. Some of them have had their own troubles too. It's bloody scary. If the news is really seriously bad, I may sell up a bunch of the stuff I got dumped onto me when my partner & family died off. It's been taking up an awful lot of my worry, time & energy since, but I was planning on using it to get me through my old age once settled & organised. If there won't be an old age, and without children or close relatives to inherit, except for the bits I want to leave to some charities & fund my bequeathed artistic heritage, I may as well use a chunk to get my surrounds into good shape so I can expire relatively comfortably instead of making my existence even harder as I slide downhill. Maybe take a couple of trips to nice places, that I haven't been able to get back to since everything fell apart, like the hill between Marulan & Goulburn, or the spot on the ridge in the Blue Mountains, or the Penrith Regional Gallery. Even back to the parts of Europe Chris & I visited. Or New York to see the Cloisters and the Flatiron Building, where I've never been yet. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy: www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/sections.jsp Morbid small-hours thinking. I'd best to bed & sleep. Keep strong and healthy; rest, eat well, step by step, one day at a time. Wait to hear what more informed opinon is once they get a good look. Some quite true remarks here: It's Not Gonna Be OK, by Mark Allen (2003) www.markallencam.com/itsnotgonnabeok.html
What need is there to weep over parts of life? Tota flebilis vita est. The whole of it calls for tears. Non quid sed quemadmodum feras interest. Not what you endure, but how you endure, is important. [Quite a few good & thoughtful things at bornthoughtdied.blogspot.com/2005/10/moral-essays-of-seneca.html ] www.stoics.com/seneca_essays_book_2.html More ... 2006-03-14
An Online Conversation An Online ConversationFL: The script for this [US] administration is written by a team including Franz Kafka, Karel Capek, Groucho Marx, and William McGonnagal. That's the only sane explanation of which I can think.One of my lasting memories from the Sydney Olympics was looking across the floor at the Greco-Roman Wrestling finals (historical, and a great spectacle in itself, which became a 'must-see' for me decades ago after watching the wrestling scene in Topkapi) to see Henry Kissinger and Juan Antonio Samaranch sitting cosily together ready to hand out the medals. Others managed to hook up with eligible Danish princes ... mutter, mutter, grumble More ... |
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