danichols

Cricket & Advertising don't mix (part II)

2012-01-29T14:06:00.000-08:00

Following on from an earlier post, it seems like curse of advertising on our cricketers continues. KFC have been advertising their new 'it might be chicken' quite prominently throughout the Test series, with advertisements featuring the likes of:

Mitchell Johnson (seems more occupied with showing off his underwear than with bowling well);
Steve Smith (see earlier reference);
Cameron White (recently dumped as T20 captain, though did score some handy club runs of late); and
David Hussey (who should be on alert for injuries, falling pianos etc).

This trend of advertisers going with useless, washed-up or injured cricketers is really starting to make me wonder, why would they pick these players? Is KFCs advertising budget as cheap as their "food"? Or are they a bit smarter than the rest of us & are really appealing to the common man with common men?

Thought of the Day: Cricket & Advertising don't mix (part I)

2012-01-11T01:38:00.001-08:00

Observe if you will the above packaging, witnessed last weekend at Coles, Northcote Plaza.

I was as surprised as you probably are, seeing that the worlds most identifiable brand is placing broken down or washed up cricketers on its product to help promote it. To elucidate:

Steve Smith (far left): Has proven that, as a cricketer, he makes a fine trainer;
Shane Watson: Brilliant cricketer when fit, which isn't now (or previously, or soon);
Brett Lee: 400 years old and very, very weird;
Doug Bollinger: Played some Test cricket until he couldn't be arsed and realised he made cash from being in ads pretending to still be a Test cricketer;
Nathan Hauritz: Could have been placed in the ad out of sympathy, similar to the reason he was picked to play for Australia last (not this) summer; and
Brad Haddin: Quite a good dropper of the ball, which is a unique skill for someone who still plays and practices the game.

So, is this another example of the curse of advertisers on cricketers, greater support of the theory that Cricket Australia doesn't know how to market itself, or perhaps a combination of the two?

Thought of the Day: Is it just me, or does David Hussey look like the 'Stick Cricket' guy?

2011-12-30T00:29:00.000-08:00

Stick Cricket Guy:

courtesy of stickcricket.com

David Hussey:

courtesy of heraldsun.com.au

Sign of the Times - App developers are ignoring the stay-at-home red neck market

2011-12-29T23:58:00.000-08:00

Sign of the Times - you cant get much clearer direction than this

2011-12-29T23:54:00.000-08:00

Thought of the Day: Cricket management (and marketing) is in the toilet (part I)

2011-12-29T23:47:00.001-08:00

While following day 3 of the Boxing Day test between India and Australia on my beloved Cricinfo (you may also love it, but she is truly mine), I happened to notice the advertisements in the bottom right of the screen - see example below.

While I completely understand that advertising money transfer services to the Indian-Australian cricket following public makes sense, given the number of Indians in Australia who send money home & the number of Indians that follow cricket (approximately all of them), Im really unsure why advertising a Christmas catalogue 2 days after Christmas is a good idea or why cricket followers would be interested in health insurance.

Surely just another example of cricket struggling to manage and market itself effectively?

Question of the day: What is Nathan Lyon so surprised about?

2011-12-07T03:36:00.000-08:00

Is it that David Warner was forced to stand in the back row, or that he doesn't have eyes?

Photo courtesy of Cricinfo / Getty Images

Sign of the Times - Ive been doing it long enough, about time I got my own department

2011-11-23T02:46:00.003-08:00

Sign of the Times - I prefer the Science Diet

2011-11-21T12:08:00.000-08:00

Overheard conversation of the day

2011-11-17T12:35:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of the train to Epping.

Student 1: Can you help me with my homework?
Student 2: OK
Student 1: Question one is; what is a sacrament? Question two is; Explain what a sacrament is?

Question of the day: Why would the Rebellion 'hate to lose' Solo?

2011-11-10T02:23:00.001-08:00

Stress makes people react in many different ways, some people turn to drink to deal with it, some seek out company for solace, while others take comfort in privacy.

At the start of Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back (or "Empire" to those of us who watch it as a comforting stress release), Han and Luke are wandering around on a freezing planet, looking for anything that may be a threat to them.

This in itself is a strange decision to take, I personally would have sent a droid out rather than sit around on a Ton-Ton in the freezing cold. If for no other reason than their smell, apparently they smell bad on the outside.

Also, Han and Luke are fairly senior members of the Rebellion at this point, so to send them into the cold on a planet that (apparently) suffers from a lot of meteors is hardly something to motivate junior members to succeed.

Regardless, Han heads back to the base and Luke goes to look at one of the aforementioned meteors before a Wampa knocks him out and eats his Ton-Ton.

Back at the base, Han tells his boss that he needs to leave because someone is trying to kill him for money. His boss tells Han that he "hates to lose him" but understands, which really should be a strange reaction to such a statement. I mean, do the Rebellion really expect to ever achieve anything if their management are all targets for assassination? Shouldn't they establish some employee assistance programme for dealing with death marks?

Regardless, after parting ways with his boss and picking a fight with his girlfriend, Han is about to leave when he finds out that Luke still hasnt come back. He then antagonises all of the other members of the Rebellion, even telling one that he'll "see you in hell!", before taking off to find Luke.

All of this paints the picture of a man that probably isnt management material, least of all someone to be in a position of responsibility, which leads to the question; Why does his boss hate to lose him? Is he just good in comparison with his peers, and if so, how bad could they possibly be?!

Thought of the Day: Think you life isnt going anywhere?

2011-11-10T02:19:00.000-08:00

Go and get some passport photos done. Seriously.

Sign of the Times - Townsville Police agree with Rodney King

2011-11-06T02:25:00.000-08:00

Sign of the Times - Best advertising placement ever

2011-10-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

Question of the day: is this a warning or advice?

2011-10-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

Question of the day: what the hell happened here?

2011-10-19T02:39:00.000-07:00

Question of the day: what needs to happen to justify this post-it?

2011-10-10T01:34:00.000-07:00

Sign of the Times - The Dees are having a really bad year

2011-10-09T23:30:00.000-07:00

Now we are getting beaten by female tennis players.

Sign of the Times - the VFL hasn't been kind to Fev

2011-10-09T23:28:00.000-07:00

Sign of the Times - perhaps your phone deal isn't real

2011-10-09T23:25:00.000-07:00

Thought of the day (Day 1)

2011-08-31T15:15:00.000-07:00

After Day 1 of the test between Australia and Sri Lankz in Galle, in which runs came at a premium as a reward to players willing to wait and grind them out, Australian journalists (and amateur bloggers) everywhere are celebrating the recent review of Cricket Australia.

Two of the biggest outcomes of said review was that selection and culture were missing, something many journalists and amateur observers had been noting and crying at CAs ivory tower for years. Indeed, for a country that takes sports administration hilariously seriously, CA had become not only the embarrassing relative who drops in at Christmas, but also the one that is tries to steal the kids presents (poorly). Even the English are better at administering cricket now, surely a fail in any ledger?

So while the unproven and inexperienced batsmen in the Australian squad failed to score more than 30 against ordinary spin on a tricky deck, not to mention some of the more experienced batsmen who are seemingly above reproach, Simon Katich sat at home planning a summer of domestic run scoring.

Yes, the same Simon Katich who has scored more runs, often in tricky conditions, than any other Australian over the last 3 years. Coincidentally, this is the same Simon Katich whose part-time leg spin has been mire than handy when utilized.

The expiry date for the current CA group is yet to be announced, but for some of us, it can't come soon enough.

Sign of the Times - Spelling unimportant in the recycling game

2011-08-28T14:47:00.001-07:00

Sign of the Times - Queen are big in Thornbury

2011-08-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

Top 5 - Observations from Adelaide

2011-08-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

I had to visit Adelaide this week for work, which meant that my productivity decreased, while the productivity and employment levels in South Australia both increased.

I had only ever been to Adelaide twice before this, once to play football in 1995 and another time in 2001 when my flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne had engine trouble which forced us to land in Adelaide for 8 hours, so my memories of the place weren't that sharp or favourable.

Incidentally, that 8 hour waiting period was pretty ordinary; we were'nt allowed to leave the airport (as it was an international flight) so they stuck all the passengers in this tiny waiting room - possibly in an attempt to get rid of numbers through Co2 poisoning.

Still, while there are some very nice old buildings around the place, here are my top 5 observations:

5. The Goatee is alive and well - it's like 1993 all over the place in Adelaide, the goatee is still an accepted expression through the medium of facial hair.

4. Queue's - South Australian's really do queue a lot, and very well. Particularly for Busses. It's cute.

3. Taxi's know where they are going - Really, its true. Unlike Melbourne where you can usually only ask a driver to take you to their house with any sense of confidence.

2. Bizarre Service Standards - I was recommended to visit a rather nice restaurant in the city, which was an apparent award winner of some sort. My first waiter asked if I wanted to know the specials, which he was glad I said 'no' to as he then admitted he had forgotten them. The second waiter insisted on speaking Italian in one of the most hilarious accents I'd come across. The third was a lovely and capable American girl, who intrigued me as I was unsure how she found herself in this company. The last was a brash young knock-a-about who loved to say things like "canna potta", rather than "panna cotta". Bizarre.

1. Soccer fields - I'm not sure what is going on in SA, but there seems to be a soccer field for every man, woman and child. Perhaps they are doing the ground work to really make their name as the darling of the Australian Premier League? Surely I will be the one blushing when that day arrives.

Sign of the Times - I'm not taking my cat or shotgun to the snow anymore

2011-08-08T05:12:00.000-07:00

Question of the day: why bother with the lock?

2011-07-21T04:51:00.000-07:00

Sign of the Times - "Secret" seems to have lost its meaning

2011-07-11T05:01:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of the GPS system in the Nissan Leaf

Thought of the Day: Trick to Masterchef? The Russian approach

2011-07-06T03:57:00.000-07:00

It seems everyone is bloody well watching Masterchef, so not wanting to miss out, I tuned in to watch part of an episode in which all the contestants were working in teams to beat each other.

The most ridiculous part of this contest was the incentive; you could win the competition and go for a free meal (as opposed to all the other free meals the contestants eat), or you could lose and have an "elimination cook-off" against your team-mates (and stay in the competition if you win).

image courtesy of withamymac.com

This seems obvious to me, all you have to do is absolutely ruin your teams chances so all you have to do is then beat the worst cook in your team - and you advance!

Quote of the Day

2011-06-30T01:59:00.001-07:00

"Yes, I overheard you talking to me"
- anon

Quote of the Day

2011-06-27T04:49:00.000-07:00

"My back's about as stable as the Egyptian government at the moment, it's time for me to part ways with cricket" - Brett Geeves, retiring cricketer

(Source: ABC Radio)

Thought of the Day: Luke is a hard, hard bastard

2011-06-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

In Star Wars Episode VI (or 6, for normal people), Luke Skywalker sends R2D2 and C3PO to Jabba's as gifts, to pre-empt his arrival and subsequent capture. Luke uses his opportunity at being captured to then free himself and his friends and get away safely (yay!).

The thing is, this entire escape effort is based on Jabba (and all his minions) standing on sailbarge's that explode once shot with a deck gun, which would kill them all and make a get away easier.

To do this, Luke needed to have C3PO ready on the sail-barge to shoot his light-saber at him, so that he could then start slicing people up, free his friends, kill all others and fly off to safety.

"Piece of piss"
(Photo courtesy of corruptcitizen.com)

To get his light saber to C3PO though, it meant getting C3PO installed as staff on Jabba's barge, which meant that he would somehow have to get the incumbent drink-serving droid fired (aka. disintegrated).

While I may have watched Episode V (or 5) more than twice, I don't remember the part in which Yoda teaches Luke to be a cunning and malicious bastard who makes plans that begin with innocent hard-working droids that serve drinks getting fired and tortured, before moving onto killing several flying ships worth of living beings.

Oh yeah, it also means that he intentionally gives his twin sister (who he did kiss) up to be Jabba's personal stripper too.

He is a hard, hard bastard.

Also, considering that Luke wanted to get captured the whole time, why did he try and shoot Jabba when they first meet? Did he also intend on falling into the pit, just so he could kill the Rancor?

If so, it means that Luke essentially went to Jabba's to kill not only Jabba, but all those close to him, including his pets.

Remind you of anyone?

Photo courtesy of adssuck.blogspot.com

Thought of the Day: People care who wins

2011-06-18T01:20:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Melbourne in the 1980's was a fairly bleak time to be a follower of the Melbourne Football Club and/or Cricket.

The Melbourne Football Club (Go Dees) spent the early part of the decade getting thrashed regularly and sacked their prodigal son, Ron Barassi, after he returned to the club and tried to coach them into something resembling athletes. Things got a bit better later in the decade, with the side managing to make it to the Grand Final in 1988, only to get beaten by the then-record margin (96 points).

Similarly, Cricket gave little in the way of enjoyment as the Australian team strove through its rebuilding period like a turtle walks through cement. Further, there was little to celebrate about the Victorian side, with our state-team regularly taking out the attendance award and doing little else.

Still, sports were (and are) a major part of the culture and you couldn't do much to avoid it, you simply learned who your teams were and you stuck with them.

Which brings us to today. Cricket Australia has recently announced a re-structure of the Twenty20 league, the Big Bash League (or BBL), with new teams to be established that aren't aligned with the State system.

This seems fundamentally flawed, even for Cricket Australia.

Firstly, the premier domestic league should serve to best support the national team, specifically the Test team. Establishing a series of franchises whose goal is to sell broadcasting seems to be directly opposed to this and will surely hurt Cricket in Australia in the long-term, much in the same way that dropping your best batsman will.

Secondly, the way the league has been established seems to be out of synch with the International Schedule. This means players won't be available for either national games (impacting those teams) or BBL games (impacting those teams).

Thirdly, the establishment of the BBL is reported to have come at the cost of investment in Cricket development. While it is all very well to have people tuning in to watch the BBL and KFC product-placement, there wont be much to watch if people stop playing the game well. Or at all.

Lastly, the Australian sports-market is vastly different to that of the front-runner of all Twenty20 leagues; the Indian Premier League (IPL). Local fans won't necessarily support the East Melbourne Hoodanini's just because the Victorian team doesn't exist. Australian's are incredibly parochial and traditional in this way.

C'arn the Mazda's!

If Cricket Australia was serious about revamping the Twenty20 league, while also developing the domestic league, investing in the sport at local levels and making a profit; it would surely make sense to use the resources they have that work, rather than re-invent the wheel?

The IPL may or may not be a corrupt league, but it seems to be working pretty well. Further, attendance at the existing Big Bash league games has been exceeding expectations, so there is plenty of support for the State-based teams that have been going around since the 19th century.

The obvious solution, for mine, would be to expand the IPL to make it the International Premier League and use the solid foundation that has been built for the benefit of all.

While I have no interest in the IPL or the BBL, I do like to know that the Victorian side I have supported through the grave times will continue on. After all, the only thing worse than having a poor team is not having a team at all.

Sign of the Times - Irony got lost on St George's road...

2011-06-14T04:23:00.000-07:00

Cricket Australia dumps Katich for phone salesman

2011-06-10T16:49:00.001-07:00

Moving ever-towards the requirements of a 21^st century sporting powerhouse, Cricket Australia (CA) dropped Simon Katich, its most successful batsman of the last three years.

While there is no obvious replacement for Katich, who famously redesigned his batting action to make him an indispensable accumulator of runs in a team full of flash and inconsistency, CA are excited with the prospect of having someone with genuine advertising appeal at the top of the order.

Not a mobile phone in sight

A spokesman from Spitball ltd, an international Cricket Marketing company, was quoted as being very excited about this announcement. “I’m very excited” he said.

“This is a great leap forward for Cricket Australia, they have taken the first step in moving away from pretending to be a sports administration body to a reactive group of part-timers who would sell their grandmothers to ensure the coffers of their organization are full”

"Cricket has been too slow to react to Marketing opportunities in the past, they keep clinging on to this sense of History that the game has. Who needs that? How can you sell roaming mobile charges? No, really, how?"

He was quick to add; “I’m only talking about the short term here, this income stream will totally dry up when the fans start turning off”.

Witnesses on the scene are still trying to explain how he spoke in Italics.

Sign of the Times - The re-hydration is market is getting desperate

2011-05-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

Sign of the Times - First "Africa" and now...toilets?

2011-05-24T02:35:00.000-07:00

Sign of the Times - Best advice from an airline, ever

2011-05-24T02:19:00.000-07:00

Thought of the Day: Honesty in Sports-people? Meh

2011-05-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

A consistent criticism of modern sports-people is that the media training that they receive has made them predictable and dull, witness how often you will hear "a good effort from the boys today", "we're taking it one game/week/minute/ at a time" and "always good to get a win / take the points".

While this makes a lot of sense in that most sports are rather binary in that their results can only be wins or losses, or in the case of cricket: ties and draws as well. This doesnt leave a lot of space for reflection or hypothesising on results and what could be done differently.

There are, however, games within games that do draw much commentary; perhaps often for the sake of it.

The recent 3 week suspension of Melbourne Football Club player, Jack Trengrove, for tackling an opposition player was one such 'game within a game' that drew considerable commentary from Trengroves team-mates on Twitter.

The majority of this commentary was hardly an insightful reflection on the state of the modern game & the inconsistencies of the bodies that govern it, James Frawleys comment about interchanging Football for Netball being a prime example, the commentary still raised the ire of the league for speaking out of line.

While the commentary was hardly controversial, I found it unusual that the league would act to censure the players for comments that condemned the players themselves more than image of the league.

Is this not setting a bad precedent? If players are restricted from developing the ability to develop coherent arguments or statements they could end up like Shane Warne, who referred to a century scored by one of his team-mates in a (losing) IPL game: "the best he has seen".

A dire future for sporting commentary, indeed.

image courtesy of news.com.au

Overheard conversation of the day

2011-05-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

Woman: "This area is really funky, look at how that guy over there is dressed"
Man: "He's homeless"
Woman: "Oh"

Question of the day: What seperates and expert from the rest?

2011-04-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

Sign of the Times - Price of time found (at Coles)

2011-04-17T15:30:00.001-07:00

Little wonder the Suns are struggling

2011-04-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

Recently seen on 'The Age' mobile publication:

Little wonder the Gold Coast Suns are struggling this year if one of their star recruits, Karmichael Hunt, is doubling up as Pakistan's Interior Minister.

Cricket Australia demonstrate they are in touch with Gen-Y & can’t manage a Cricket Association, appoint “Pup” Clarke as captain.

2011-04-04T02:14:00.000-07:00

Following on from a disastrous Ashes campaign and calamitous World Cup knock-out, the powers-that-be at Cricket Australia (CA) have gone into damage control and appointed Michael “Pup” Clarke as Captain.

Pup takes over the reigns of one of the most successful sports teams in recent history with no history of successful captaincy and poor recent form on the field, though does promise to bring a new breed of supporter to the game; the disinterested supporter.

“This is a brilliant move on behalf of CA” one prominent Marketer commented on the news, “They could have taken a brave step and brought in Simon Katich as a transitional captain, with Ponting and Hussey in support, and started developing new players – but all that would have done is keep the traditional fan base”

“By appointing Clarke, and not Clark, they have ensured that the team will be rudderless and hopeless for years to come. This is sure to drive away the traditional supporters of the game, who, frankly were getting a little tiresome, while attracting a new crowd more interested in what the Captain is tweeting or his hair product.”

“This is a chance for them to go really large on product placement and sponsorship” the marketer continued.

Representatives from the BCCI have failed to officially respond to this change of approach from CA, though it is rumoured that future IPL teams will have to contain Bollywood stars, not just be owned by them, and that any semblance of cricket may finally be removed.

Sign of the Times - Caltex really are cutting the advertising budget

2011-03-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

Following on from an earlier blog posting, it seems that advertisers are getting a whole lot more basic - or is it abstract? Either way, I don't really feel any more inclined to buy petrol. Or 'takeaway'.

Sign of the Times - Finally: a store for when you are, or aren't playing lawnbowls

2011-03-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

Sign of the Times - Learning has changed

2011-03-23T21:05:00.001-07:00

Quote of the Day

2011-03-23T20:53:00.001-07:00

This from Chris Isaak, last Saturday night during his show in Mornington:
"Call home and tell the babysitter you will be home late. Tell them that if the kids won't go to sleep, give them some gin. A little bit of gin is ok for kids. I'm no Doctor, but I do have sequins"

Thought of the Day: Stoners aren't very bright

2011-03-04T15:11:00.000-08:00

News from Bangladesh this morning that Bangladeshi cricket fans have reacted to their teams hammering courtesy of the West Indies by stoning the West Indies team bus.

While initial reactions were largely in the "well, its only three thousand poor losers" camp, these reactions quickly changed when the story clarified that the stoners had meant to target the Bangladeshi bus instead.

Now, while this is obviously a pretty stupid thing to do, it really doesn't make one look any better if you can't even pick the right target. I mean, the West Indian team was the one that DID play cricket - well.

You can almost imagine the stoners all lined up alongside the bus, stoning away with great ire, until one of them realises that they are stoning the wrong bus:
"Hang on chaps! It's the wrong bus! I said hang on - Ajmal, stop stoning! Right, that's it! No-one is to stone anyone until, and I want to make this clear, until I blow this whistle!"

Songs that sound similar 2

2011-02-26T19:00:00.001-08:00

Eric Clapton with 'Tears in Heaven' and 'Eternal Flame' by The Bangles.

Explain thyself, Eric!

Thought of the Day: The Empire's problem? Poor Prioritisation

2011-02-26T00:30:00.001-08:00

Photo courtesy of Wookipedia.

While re-visiting Star Wars Episode 3 the other day, the last one of the new ones that comes before the oldest one of the old ones, I noticed that the Empire had started work on the Death Star before the movie even finished.

The other thing I noticed was that everyone working on the starship that the Emporer and Vadar were hanging out on were already in uniform.

Now, given that the Empire had been in existence for about 10 minutes at that stage of the movie; where did they get all these uniforms from? Did they have tailors working undercover, sizing prospective employees up for an as-yet non-existent army?

And if so, why did they focus so much on uniforms, rather than the Death Star? Surely having the 'ultimate power in the galaxy' would be more important than looking nice, or am I missing the point?

Thinking about the films in order, I realised that the Death Star actually took another 20 years to become fully armed and operational from the time that the uniforms were used, while the second Death Star took about 5 years to build after the first was destroyed.

Again, by focussing on their attire, the Empire seems to have really shot themselves in the foot in regards to achieving their goals.

Sign of the Times - the evolution of landfill

2011-02-21T03:56:00.000-08:00

Quote of the Day

2011-02-11T15:39:00.000-08:00

From my football coach on what I should be looking to do on the field this season:

"You get out there, you get in their faces, you look at them and say; 'Your stuff? It's no good!'. Then, BAM! You come off again."

Looking forward to it.

Slummer of Cricket

2011-02-09T01:27:00.000-08:00

With James Anderson hoiking a ball into the Western Australian skies on Sunday, only to be caught by Brad Haddin limping across to silly mid-on from behind the stumps, another summer of international Cricket came to an end here in Australia.

This time of year usually means that I start going into a bit of a funk, as all there is to look forward to is (immediately) sunburn and (longer term) another season following the Melbourne Football Club.

Not so this year.

The performance of the Australian team this summer was pretty ordinary, pyjama stuff aside, and it looks like its possible that the Demons may not finish last this year. Looks like.

Aside from the appalling way in which the Cricket team performed and was administered, one of the worst things about the International season was the television coverage.

Firstly, why are the cricket commentators suddenly promoting other shows on Channel 9? I listen to some commentators because I respect their opinions about cricket, not because I think they have lovely speaking voices and my TV watching is heavily influenced by their opinions.

Actually, its quite the opposite, Tony Greig telling me that "2 and a half men" is "right here at the home of comedy" makes me think he has seen far too much sun and needs to be put out to pasture.

Secondly, why are we drowning in KFC and Vodafone advertising? Is there no-one else that wants to advertise when the cricket is on? The fact that Vodafone took a massive hit during the Ashes campaign did nothing to help Cricket Australia's reputation, while fried chicken really isn't the sort of thing one associates with sports.

In regards to the standard of commentary itself, it seems the modern commentator (read: Slater, Healy etc) really isn't so much interested in the game itself as yelling about it, or anything else going on in their lives; whether it be KFC or the home of comedy.

The list of complaints and questions goes on, but this must also be asked: James Brayshaw?
Why?!

And now its over to you Richie.
(photo courtesy of ecb.co.uk)

Sign of the Times - Real Estate is getting specific

2011-02-03T12:27:00.000-08:00

Don't dare and try put a coffee shop here.

Sign of the Times - the things people carry with them these days...

2011-01-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

Sign of the Times - you know you're in North Coburg when...

2011-01-20T13:51:00.000-08:00

You're driving behind an "L" plater that has a "Baby on Board" sticker.

While on the subject, why is it "an" L plater and not "a" L plater? Surely its "a" P plater?

Sign of the Times - Bunnings hates arithmetics

2011-01-19T14:34:00.000-08:00

Sign of the Times - I need to go on a diet

2011-01-19T13:44:00.000-08:00

Prime Ministers XI or an XI of Prime Ministers?

2011-01-10T13:10:00.000-08:00

Following on from yesterday's debacle against the England XI, I started thinking about the benefits of the Prime Minister's XI and whether we might be better off with an XI of Prime Ministers.

After not much consideration at all, here are my picks;

1. Edmund Barton, opens it all up;

2. Bob Hawke, rowdy singer of the team song & passionate opener (of beers);

3. Paul Keating, stylish first drop who naturally comes in after Hawke;

4. Robert Menzies, stoic at number 4 though causes confusion in the rooms by constantly playing songs by ‘Queen’;

5. Ben Chifley, good man in a crisis;

6. Gough Whitlam (c), some issues with selectors despite popularity with the people;

7. Julia Gillard (wk), always works hard behind the scenes/sticks;

8. John Howard, providing plenty of spin and ability to spend time at the crease;

9. John Curtin, good bowler at the death;

10. “Black” Bill McMahon, angry fast bowler;

11. Joseph Lyons, can bowl us through any depression;

Other considerations:

Harold Holt, didn’t make the list through a penchant to go missing in the field
Francis Forde & John McEwan, no longevity at the crease

Sign of the Times - VicRoads are trying to kill me

2011-01-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

Can you read the line on the bottom of the green (Car registration) sticker? Neither could I. Its telling me (as a driver) to "Stay Safe. Don't talk or text on your phone while driving". How about "Don't try and read this sticker while driving"?

Sign of the Times - work experience isnt always a good thing

2011-01-10T12:49:00.001-08:00

This is what's wrong with cricket

2010-12-22T01:44:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of Crinfo.com.

You're an international cricketer posing for a picture after a press conference. What to wear? Well, how about a baseball cap, tracksuit pants and thongs? And why not skip shaving too, just to complete the 'give a crap' look.

Question of the day:

2010-11-12T14:45:00.000-08:00

why is the berocca ad so cheerful? surely 97% of their customer base is people nursing hangovers who want anything but b-b-bounce?

Sign of the Times - web for chocco's?

2010-11-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

Sign of the Times - I'll have a large

2010-11-03T17:16:00.000-07:00

Sign of the times: best no junkmail sticker, ever

2010-07-13T01:38:00.001-07:00

Songs that sound similar

2010-07-05T01:33:00.000-07:00

There She Goes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X1YbJI_ah0&feature=related

Black Cab
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpgkG4TIyvE

Question of the Day: What is this advertising?

2010-07-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

They arent facing the game, they are facing different directions and are happy....what are they so excited about?

Jukebox pub crawl of Melbourne

2010-06-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

Choice is a helluva thing. It sets expectations and hope, gives one a feeling of control and that things may improve.

In this spirit of hope and good hope, the Sicilian, the Magpie, the Dwarf and the Rev started out on a cold winters afternoon in Melbourne for the Great Pub Jukebox Tour (GPJT). The idea was that the GPJT team would exercise their musical choice across Melbourne to determine which Jukebox was best.

The selection criteria was much debated and a constant shadow in the minds of the GPJT team in the weeks leading up to the day, though personal differences were put aside eventually for the good of the GPJT cause.

The first stop on the tour was The Greyhound in St Kilda, which is more widely known for its Drag shows of a saturday evening. Drag did seem to be appropriate, as the venue was closed and so no jukeboxing was to be had.

The next stop was the Prince of Wales on Fitzroy St, St Kilda, which was a vast improvement on the Greyhound in that it was open. It did get points off for not having a working jukebox, however gained a few nods of approval for the available song selection. Points were also stripped from "The Prince" for the steep price of a pot, as well as the number of Richmond fans present.

A short journey on the number 96 tram into the CBD brought the team to the Exford Hotel, widely renowned for being the hotel that many go to as its the only place serving at 4am. The Rev also recalled a story of involving the Exford in which one of its patrons had been lying, prone, on the stairs for some 8 hours before someone checked to see if he was alive. The Rev couldn't recall whether he was.

With these salubrious tales in mind, the GPJT team boarded the good ship Exford with heady anticipation and boy, was she sea-worthy!

The Exford scored maximum points for song selection, even snatching a bonus point for the video display to accompany the songs. Drink prices were also given the tick of approval, and the GPJT nearly had to be dragged off to the next venue.

There was some confusion with the next venue; a call to the Clyde hotel revealed that their jukebox was also out-of-order, and so the itinerary was quickly shuffled to make the East Brunswick club the next cab on the rank.

The team probably should have made at least one more call, as it turned out that the jukebox at the East Brunswick Club and the venue following, Hardimans in Kensington. The East Brunswick club also got points off for not having lights on in the womens bathrooms, though did recover a point for the installation of a portable heater under the pinball machines, keeping the spotty kids feet warm.

Hardimans was, and probably still is, absolute rubbish. The jukebox worked, though the staff wouldn't turn it on (not even for the GPJT team!) as they didn't like the sound. They obviously had inconsistent senses, as the smell of Hardimans was enough to drive the team off.

Last up was the old faithful, The Drunken Poet. Regarded by many as the best pub in Melbourne, "the Poet" loomed large like a beacon for the team, particularly after the trauma of Hardimans.

Unfortunately for the team, someone had decided to give a drunk a guitar and let him play to the crowd at the Poet. In fairness, he started well but his standards seemed to be inversely proportional to his sobriety (which was leaving on a jet plane).

Compiling the issue was the Dwarf's stomach, which took a turn for the worse after she made the amateur mistake of breathing in while at Hardimans, bringing a swift end to the night. Thankfully the stayers of the team, the Magpie and the Sicilian had the fortitude to stick out the deteriorating 'set' and managed to get a few plays of Whitesnake on the Poets jukebox.

While the day was an enjoyable one, the team was a little downhearted that the prospective choice had been stripped from them by publicans too lazy to get their jukeboxes fixed. Shame on you publicans, shame. To the good people at the Exford though, well done. Though maybe check that prone chap on the stairs.

Amen

The Prince

bar heater at the East Brunswick Hotel

Signs of the times: Advertisers are going back to basics

2010-06-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

Im not sure if these guys are just trying to create awareness or just imprint the word "COFFEE" in my head. I didn't buy one, but I'm sure thinking about that word.

Cycling in Melbourne: The poor cousin of transport

2010-05-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

Since returning back to Melbourne I have taken to commuting on my bike, an idea that I seem to share with a growing number of others. This may be a good news story or an advertisement for healthy living or environmental awareness, but its not. While the Victorian government has invested in bike paths (they even go to the lenghts of painting them green), the ability to ride safely in Melbourne has not been realised.

The number of people riding to work in Melbourne has increased exponentially over the last decade, with cyclists making up approximately 8% of peak hour traffic in the CBD. All this, coupled with the increase in the population which has also meant greater numbers of pedestrians and cars.

While I was quite fortunate in that I grew up riding my bike to and from school, or anyplace I wanted to visit before I had a car or could afford to use public transport regularly, most of these new cyclists don't have that experience - as most of the drivers don't have experience in sharing roads with them.

Further, there a number of the obviously 'new' cyclists whom I have observed who display incredibly aggressive behaviour while riding, and often shirk road laws as it suits them. This no doubt adds to the the number of accidents, as well as the bad feeling drivers have towards cyclists.

Some commentators suggest that cyclists should have to pay or be more heavily regulated to have access to roads, though this seems to go against the over-riding (pardon the pun) principles of encouraging healthy living and sustainable transport.

Adopting a different approach, the Metropolitan Police in London have addressed this behaviour by specifically targeting cyclists who break the law. This, to me, makes perfect sense.

Cycling should be encouraged for the reasons mentioned already, but only if its safe and promotes a better society. The aggressive cyclists who endanger themselves and others, while also creating badwill do nothing for a better society and thus need their bad behaviour modified as they display it.

Amen.

Thought of the Day: Surfers are great for the environment

2010-03-05T14:41:00.000-08:00

Taking in the waves off Phillip Island the other week, I couldnt help but notice that the majority of the surfers present were driving cars that were build before 1990, thereby ensuring the lifecycle of the car is extended to the very bitter end. Could this be the way to help reduce the demand for new cars - to increase surfing?

Lesson of the Day

2010-02-24T01:04:00.000-08:00

This from a keen contributer to my confusion:

"Throwing my pasta (with marinara sauce) all over myself and my white shirt is not the cure for the bad mood I woke up with today.

Strike that one off the list of possible cures."

Question of the Day: When did 'Miranda Kerr' become the synonym for 'Magazine Cover'?

2010-02-08T01:37:00.000-08:00

Walking down the street today, I noticed the Magazine covers in a newsagent window and was startled at the results.

Are editors everywhere just going Kerr-razy?

Introduction to the Australian work ethic

2010-02-04T01:18:00.001-08:00

In my day we called them bins

2010-02-04T01:03:00.001-08:00

Question of the Day: Is Simon Katich Frankenstein?

2010-01-04T23:04:00.000-08:00

He is a spare-parts player.
Does his masters bidding.
Loves choking people.

You decide.

St Ashley, who drove the Bono's from Ireland

2009-12-23T22:11:00.000-08:00

Lesson of the Day

2009-10-30T21:33:00.001-07:00

When making a cup of coffee at work in a cup usually used for ginger tea, make sure you wash the cup first.

Question of the Day

2009-10-05T03:51:00.001-07:00

Why does it take an animal to bring out a persons human side?

Top 5: Gifts from Mad Max 2 to World Cinema

2009-10-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

Taking a break from studying about environmental ruin, I thought I'd watch Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior for a little post-apocalyptic pick-me-up.

While watching, I couldn't help but notice all of the references the film had from earlier movies; particularly the Spaghetti Westerns. To begin with, Mad Max 2 has a good (Max), bad (hockey-masked dude), and ugly (the gyro-copter captain) characters. Give it a look and you'll see many more.

Incidentally, the hockey mask has certainly done wonders to assist audience goers identify bad guys.

Bad Guy

Back to Mad Max 2 though; I noted that the film came out in 1981, meaning that many of the characters and themes were also new for the time. And so in the spirit of promoting Australian film, here are my top 5 gifts that Mad Max 2 gave to cinema.

5. Fuel-tank car chase
Movies such as Breakdown, Licence to Kill and Fast and the Furious (at least one of them) have thrilled audiences with scenes of goodies driving away from baddies in a much bigger vehicle that could possibly explode. Awesome.

4. Cookie

OK, not really a gift to world cinema, but I struggled to come up with 5 for this list and you can't help but appreciate Sid Heylan (that loveable rogue!) in any guise.

3 - Masked leader with mysterious burns on the back of his head.

Back of head not shown. Certainly not on Karaoke night.

Nothing makes you wonder more about the chief bad guy than some mysterious burns, as can be witnessed by the drawing power of Darth Vadar. Audiences eventually found out that he got messed up by Obi Wan, but it wasn't until Ewan McGregor dumped Hayden Christiansen in some magma that we saw how. Even then most weren't convinced it wasn't due to Haydens acting.

2. Skinny, weird character who may be good.
A whole fleet of youngsters are currently growing up learning that Pirates are really bad, though not always, thanks to the likes of a possibly drunk Captain Sparrow and Miranda Kerrs boyfriend, who seems to come from the same acting school as ol' Hayden.

But where did this all start, well the crazy gyrocopter pilot mentioned earlier (Bruce Spence) has a more than striking resemblance to the skinny pirate from Pirates of the Thingimy.

1. Mad Mel
It started with him driving cars, then went to driving Danny Glover to retirement (despite being too old for this....). Hollywood producers must have seen something of Mels character in the film and thought; "there's a range of films we can base around this guy, and NOTHING WILL EVER GO WRONG".

Signs your paperboy is on 'roids

2009-09-08T02:39:00.000-07:00

Signs GM is getting out of control

2009-09-07T01:50:00.000-07:00

Frightening Welcome

2009-09-07T01:44:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure which part of this "welcome" is more scary - the featureless android at the front of the poster, or the blurred out mystery man in the background. Good to see Estate Agents haven't lost their famous sense of humour.

What is bigger than 'Biggest'?

2009-09-06T00:28:00.000-07:00

Melbournes tough sell of the day

2009-09-06T00:25:00.000-07:00

Money and my generation, not necessarily strangers

2009-09-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

I've always avoided thinking or talking too much about money, which seems a relatively common thing for most people living in Western Cultures. In a society in which people closely identify with sub-cultures and present themselves as such, posturising about cash is not something that I want be a part of or associated with. But is this to my detriment?

I work relatively long hours for an adequate return and have a nice little savings package, but not thinking more about financial goals because I don't want to be the guy at dinner parties talking about Mortgages or interest rates because its not cool does seem more than a little infantile.

After some tough negotiation, I was recently convinced to go and see a 'Financial Coach', and it really has turned my life around. As I was told, "every extra hour or day I spend at work because I can't be bothered or don't want to think about it is an extra hour or day less that a stranger who invests well spends at work, and why help them out?".

Coming into financial planning from scratch is pretty daunting too, and putting it into the 'too hard basket' would be an easy thing, but it doesn't have to be that way. Nor does it have to be something that takes over your life, Ive found that setting goals and building a structure to support it has given me greater clarity in life.

Sounding like someone who has just attended an inspirational seminar is probably a greater social faux pas than talking about mortgages in my book, but having got my accounts in order I do feel like new doors are opening up.

It doesn't have to be something that dominates your life, but giving it a little bit of attention sure doesn't hurt.

Quality - the cost of expansion

2009-09-02T03:33:00.000-07:00

Without wanting this to become a sports-dominated blog, here I go again.

The Australian Football League (AFL) is expanding its 16 team competition in 2011 to 17 teams, and then adding an 18th in 2012. This decision has not been met favourably in many places, and you really hope that the powers that be have invested in a quality crystal ball.

These new teams are going to have an obvious impact on the league, as well as sports in Australia in general. The introduction of the 17th team on the Gold Coast is a risky move, but as the popularity of the team in Brisbane has shown (membership of 26,000 and able to pull crowds of 40,000 - much better than most rugby league teams), the introduction of a team in Queensland may not be a lost cause.

The Gold Coast team have also brought in the left-field choice of Karmichael Hunt (who will be the first commentator to 'slip' on his name?), which is reminiscent of the early Sydney Swans stunts such as the Swanettes and Warwick Cappers' shorts.

The 18th team, to be based in Western Sydney and rumoured to be nicknamed 'The Scrubbers' are a more puzzling choice. The league informs us that this is one of the fastest growing areas in Australia and needs an AFL presence for the sport to survive and grow. Really?

Many AFL fans feel more than a little jaded by this, not least because the majority of teams grew organically from their suburbs, giving fans a sense of connection to the team and their community. The franchise system goes against this spirit and takes a chink out of the integrity of the competition.

Tasmania is crying out to have a team in the elite competition and has 40,000 fans ready to turn up at a game every other week. Further, brewers Castlemaine and Boags would have a bidding war to get their name on the jumpers, meaning that there would be people turning up to games and the club would have some cash coming in. Can the Scrubbers make this claim?

Another up-shot of this expansion is that the new teams will get every draft pick available for the next two years, reducing the number of young & quality players available. While this will mean that players that are currently in the 28-year-old bracket will stand a better chance of being picked up by another team, desperate for players of AFL standard, will it mean a better spectacle for fans? Probably not, which also works against the leagues plan to win over potential Scrubber supporters.

Thought of the Day: Solution to Australia's racist tag? Nannes the man

2009-08-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

Another update from www.danichols.com:

Moving back to Australia has been an interesting experience, not least for re-discovering my country and culture, as well as discovering the changes that have occurred. One of the greatest changes I noticed on my return to Melbourne was the increase in ethnic diversity, or more specifically, the rise in the number of Indians, Asians and Kiwis.

Not those Indians or Kiwis...

I’m not saying this is a bad thing at all. I love a curry, I love Chinese food and Kiwis make a darned good coffee. The last comment may sound degrading but its true, and besides; Starbucks seems to be the only place you can seem to buy coffee off someone who isnt a Kiwi, and lord knows any self-respecting Victorian would’t go to Starbucks.

Kiwi’s are also great for Australia, as they seem to hate the place and keep everyone on their toes. Theres nothing like a bit of criticism to help with self-evaluation, or so it would seem.

The recent attacks against Australia, and particularly Melbourne, have been pretty strong and hard for a lot of people to take. Surely we couldn’t be living in a racist city? Not Melbourne; The worlds most liveable city? One could easily dismiss the ‘chk chk boom’ girl‘ as a Sydney slapper who was off her head, after all, Sydney does not have the racial integration as much as Melbourne does. Witness the Cronulla riots, or even Alan Jones. Indeed, Sydney is more like London, with pockets of demographics, without any real mixing or learning.

Melbourne, on the other hand, prides itself on its long multicultural history and peaceful integration. Witness the Multicultural Museum, Lygon St, Chinatown, Russel St, Victoria St (Richmond) etc. While these are all strong ethnic communities, they are all well integrated and there is no hint of segregation.

Until now, perhaps. Sol Turjillo, the former head of Australias largest Telco, labelled Australia as ‘backward’ and ‘racist’ upon leaving the country and the company. Backwards I can understand, with many Australian industries still operating as if competition doesnt exist and the country yet to ditch production for R&D, despite the ridiculous operating costs compared with Asia and the high-quality education facilities available. Racist though? Well, if you call his representation in the press as a Mexican bandit as racist, then yes, I suppose it is. Action like that in America would be unimaginable, and as one American friend of mine said about the affair: “Australia needs a civil rights movement”.

Australias representation of Sol

Carrying on from the racist cries have been those of Indian students based in Melbourne who have been, or feel they are being targetted for assault. With the Victorian Police Commissioner confirming that assaults against Indian students are up over 30%, you would say you had a problem, but perhaps the problem is that assaults are up over 30% and nothing is being done. Indeed, trying to camoflage this as an ‘Indian’ issue seems to reduce the seriousness of it. After all, Indians are pretty loud anyway; no-one is going to be too surprised if they start burning effigies and throwing stones; or so seems the Australian response.

So apart from some actual Policing, what can be done to show the world that Australia (and more importantly, Victoria) is not a Racist haven and that we are all potential victims?

To me, the answer lies in a man with a very colourful wardrobe. Dirk Nannes not only sounds like an international man of action, he is one. Being a member of an already rare species (of left arm fast bowlers, and he sure is fast), Dirk is from Melbourne but plays for Victoria, Delhi and the Netherlands in cricket competition. Can you be a better representation of multicultural harmony, with a striking name?

And he even looks good in pink

Further, he studied the saxophone at University (and here I was tinkering with software!), has an awesome beard, speaks Japanese (as you do) and competes at skiing at an international level. Everyone loves a polymath; witness the Flashman, Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, MacGyver and Mechelle de Craenne, but most of those are dead or fictional. Or both. But not Dirk, no ma’am.

Dirk is, in fact, so alive and inspirational that he helped guide the Dutch cricket team to a win over England, the hated sporting opposition of Australia, India and New Zealand. In a sporting context, the Dutch beating England at cricket is a little like Australia defeating Brazil at Soccer, or Malaysia defeating the USA at Basketball.

So who better to lead us? If not out of common hatred for the people from the lower part of that Island with bad teeth, then out of sheer inspiration as a modern marvel. It’s time to step up, Dirk.

Thought of the Day: The price of success

2009-08-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

Another post from www.danichols.com:

The Victorian Bushrangers recently won the Sheffield Shield, the prize for the best state-based team in Australian cricket. The Sheffield Shield is one of the oldest sporting competitions in the world and something that I grew up following with more than a passing interest, giving it the same attention you do to your second-team in other sports.

Being Victorian, I was always going to have some interest in our colonies team, but I was further drawn to the team because they were (generally) so very, very bad.

A Sunday morning in summer could easily be spent in front of the TV, watching the Vics getting smashed by every other state (even Tasmania) in front of seven blokes and a dog at the ‘G. Our players seemed so mediocre that you really felt for them, and even harboured thoughts of taking their place.

Then tragedy struck, we won the Shield in 1991. It was incredible. Our starting XI of misfits and larrikans with questionable skill but great mo’s pulled togethor a brilliant season to bring the Shield ‘home’. And here (courtesy of someone else) they are:

The victorious Victorians circa 1991

This wasn’t to last, obviously. Our captain, Simon O’Donnel, was never sure if he wanted to be a borderline cricketer or footballer and became neither. Darren Lehmann went back to Adelaide. Damien Fleming and Paul Reiffel developed into proper bowlers and were whisked off to the National team. etc.

Still, they were our team, and knock-about blokes to boot.

Lately though, something changed. The Vics (I’m reticent to use the marketeers “Bushrangers”, as much as I like the name) have poached brilliantly from the other states (read: D Hussey, C Rogers, D Wright etc) and developed some good young state players of their own (read: C White, D Nannes etc). This has resulted in success in all three state-competitions, and winning the Sheffield Shield final.

Colour? What, What?!

But at what price? Barely a moustache to be seen and other those caps, tinted hair. Indeed, the best representatives of Victorians were no-where near the Junction oval for the final, the three best players (two of which are rangers and the other a pretty ordinary spinner) were off on national duty and we still won. Do I feel proud? Yes. Do I feel an affinity with the team? Probably no.

Thought of the Day: Singing at the soccer

2009-08-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

Heres an old post from www.danichols.com:

Melbourne Victory recently won the final of the Australian A-League in a fiery encounter with the Adelaide something-or-others, much to the delight of the Victory’s fans. This is all quite novel for me as the Victory and the A-League were started in the time that I was away from Australia, so to see ‘diehard’ fans spring-up in 6 years is quite baffling.

More baffling still is the penchant for Victory fans to sing during games, and more so, brag about their singing. The soccer-supporting nation I left was not one of chanting and witty puns, but one that watched the game and only became vocal when they thought an unjustice was done (which was often).

Ive spoken to some other Victory and soccer supporters here and their responses have been mixed. Some believe that singing is part of ‘football’, while others follow my line of thinking in that the fans seem to be emulating the culture of the English mob; which is a very odd group to take social etiquette queues from.

No mistake, the English Premier League have done wonderously well in exporting their game and developing allegiances from all over the world. I heard a while ago that after “hello” and “goodbye” that “david beckham” were the most understood English words in China. This is magnified when you consider that the level of competition within the EPl is so unequal, meaning your team isnt going to achieve much until a billionaire from overseas comes along.

So why adopt this way of life? What is the appeal? Melbourne fans may brag that they are the loudest and sing the most, but does that make them the biggest fans or the biggest wankers?

Sport in Australia is a very serious business. People are passionate about it, watch it, participate in it and talk about it. When they go to watch it, they care. As ‘laid-back’ as Australians are, they can sit through a 5-day Test match with concentration and comment on the over that changed a session that changed a test. In the words of a Melbourne band: “This Is Serious, Mum”.

There is a certain harbour city to the north of Melbourne, which shall remain nameless (hint: it has an opera house), that is associated with having fickle sporting fans and a populos more concerned with appearance than substance and where this sort of behaviour would seem more acceptable, but not Melbourne.

With the possibility of a new A-League team being launched in Melbourne that is also looking to differentiate itself from the Victory, I think that looking at Melbournes deep sporting history and creating something with substance would be a great start.

Amen.

Best of Blogs

2009-08-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

While I was blogging at danichols.com, it came to my attention that there was much angst in the media world, particularly around the integrity and accuracy of what was being published in the mainstream press - and how technology dependent we have all become for immediate information gratification.

This was particularly evident in the case of Michael Jacksons death, when Google almost crashed due to all the searches being carried out.

Another interesting recent case regarding quality of media and its dependence on technology was that of the rioting in Iran, which only became evident through Twitter.

I have always been a big advocate for Vursprung Durch Technik, but as with all things, greater choice does not necessarily mean greater quality. Indeed, it puts the responsibility back on the consumer to do more research and work harder for results.

This question of choice is one that seems to wrankle with my generation, who mostly seem overawed with being blessed with the ability to track their own journey. Chairman Mao would be furious.

Still, I have managed to come across a couple of great Blogs lately for very select news & stories. Firstly, there is Basketbawful, which is a hilarious chronicle of the bloggers experience sharing a dorm with a frightful member of the University Basketball team.

The other blog is New Zealand cricketer Iain O'Briens blog. While there are about a billion cricket books out there, it is interesting to actually read what is going on in the dressing room during a test and how cricketers feel about the international arena.

But there we have it, these blogs are really good for the moment and take more than a bit of insight to find.

Back from the cave

2009-08-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well, my attempt at moving this blog to www.danichols.com hasnt turned out too successfully, and so I come running back to dear old Blogspot.

It was a strange decision to start with; why did I decide to start paying for a service I normally get for free?

My lack of blogging hardly made this a good value-for-money decision either, and given that my host (Cove) was regularly unavailable, the whole idea seemed even more absurd.

The final straw was being hacked by some Islamic enthusiasts, who left a banner on the site decrying the west. Why these people are so directionally discriminatory, I will never know.

But now I'm back and ready to blog. I will try and move some of my favourate posts over, though it will mean they won't be chronologically correct. There hasn't been a lot of amazing insights (yes, I thought that would surprise you), but more observation of moving back to Australia from living overseas for years, some thoughts on cricket and random photos from the world I live in.

Thanks for taking me back.

I have moved

2009-02-01T00:53:00.001-08:00

Please check www.danichols.com for updates

Signs of Melbourne part III

2009-01-28T02:35:00.000-08:00

It's bloody hot.

Question of the Day: Whats the score?

2009-01-25T15:33:00.000-08:00

While walking through town with my fiancee the other day, we passed a pub which I popped into just to check the score of a cricket match. Why? I really wasn't that interested in the game, and knowing the score would in no-way influence anything I was doing; so why did I do it?

Is checking the score the male equivalent of window shopping? Or is it not really about checking the score, but actually watching perhaps 5 seconds of sport? Further still, perhaps it is used for some sub-conscious, competitive advantage where knowing the score perhaps makes one look better than others?

Then again, maybe I was just seeing how the game was progressing.

Times are tough in Melbourne (part 2)

2009-01-24T05:29:00.000-08:00

The councils can't even afford to make full-size benches.

Signs of Melbourne

2009-01-21T18:51:00.001-08:00

Another example of technology and nature working harmoniously here in the Garden State:

My Chinese Family

2009-01-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

Moving in with my in-laws has been something of an adjustment, not just in that my time spent in my underwear is now exclusive from time spent in the pubic eye, but also in that my diet is changing someone.

Take for example the bottle below:

This may seem a harmless drink, but on closer inspection...

...it is far more sinister.

And so the lessons continue; being polite is one thing. But sometimes being in a Chinese family means that you also have to drink something that looks like it may give you radioactive powers.

As a final note, I should note that I am a lot healthier since moving in. And better dressed.

Moving back to Melbourne v.0.2.10 - Hidden Treasure

2009-01-14T20:07:00.000-08:00

What a difference 37 degrees makes. Waking to find myself more melted than I was when I went to sleep, I decided to head to the beach with some friends; though not until it wasnt so hot that you could cook an egg in the shade (this ended up being 5pm).

We headed to Half Moon Bay near Sandringham on Melbournes South-East Coast, slightly famous for being the resting place of the HMVS Cerberus, which now makes for a brilliant break-water.

The bay itself is almost completely enclosed by sand-stone cliffs to the north and green hills to the south, giving a feeling of isolation - apart from the several thousand beach-goers that show up on 37 degree days.

There is also a Surf Life Saving Club on the southern end, which is (apparently) an awesome place for Fish and Chips. I was also told that its car-park is sometimes used for circle work by morons, at least one of whom has managed to get their car to join the Cerberus in the drink.

Still, the place does feel like a hidden beach and made for a great afternoon of standing in the wet stuff drinking the cold stuff.