I'm not sure why anchors represent tattoos and piercing's, it's not like angry sailors own that domain. If anything, it should be something representing a hipster, like a fixed-gear bike.
Wednesday, 8 January 2014
Sign of the Times: Random Icons are Back!
Spotted recently on the Red Cross on-line booking page:
I'm not sure why anchors represent tattoos and piercing's, it's not like angry sailors own that domain. If anything, it should be something representing a hipster, like a fixed-gear bike.
I'm not sure why anchors represent tattoos and piercing's, it's not like angry sailors own that domain. If anything, it should be something representing a hipster, like a fixed-gear bike.
Monday, 30 December 2013
Top 5: Reasons Nathan Lyon could Captain Australia
This may be a little premature, but after witnessing Nathan Lyon score some handy runs at number 11 before going to take 5 wickets in yesterdays Boxing Day Test, it came to me that of all the younger members of the Australian squad; he is probably best placed to take up the Captaincy.
This may seem a little controversial given that he has recently been dropped & is also an off-spinner (seemingly something that keeps the Captaincy at bay), but there are (at least) 5 good reasons why Lyon should be considered, being:
5. He has 100 test wickets & is only 26 years old
With no offence to the man, it's hard to believe that someone that looks like Lyon is only 26 years old. Growing up in Young (NSW) must be very hard on a man.
That being said, he has already played nearly 30 tests in 2 years and could easily play for another 10 if he keeps improving.
Extrapolate those numbers out and Lyon could play another 150 Tests and take another 500 Wickets. This may be a stretch, but it Cricket is a game of numbers and even if these are at one end of the curve, they hint at a strong future.
4. He has been dropped (and more)
As mentioned already, Lyon has already been dropped in his career and he hails from Young. He is obviously a man with the character (if not hairline) to overcome adversity.
Further to this, Lyon famously made his way into the Test team by rising from the ACT Comets to cutting the grass at the Adelaide oval, to the South Australian T20 team, to Australia A, to the national team. This is a man who hasn't had the benefits of academies and beep-tests, but someone who has worked hard to get where they are - and the Australian public love a fighter.
3. He's from Canberra
While Lyon is from Young, he got his first start at higher cricket playing for the Comets in the ACT, so is already familiar with the territory of the second-highest office in the land, meaning that the highest office shouldn't be a stretch at all.
2. He has the song
"Under the Southern Cross" is the song that the Australian Cricket Team sings after it wins a game, with the leader or "holder" of the song being a highly-prized office within the team. Justin Langer (scorer of nearly 8,000 test runs) has been quoted as saying that the moment he was given the song by Ricky Ponting as one of the most important of his career.
Other holders of the song include Michael Hussey, Ian Healy and Rodney Marsh - all unquestionable leaders of the team.
The "holder" of the song obviously isn't given to just anyone, its given to a leader within the team who the other players rally around and the current holder is Lyon.
1. The Advanced Hair Rule
One of the least mentioned components of Lyons status is that of his diminishing hairline. Well, perhaps not the least mentioned.
Similar to the position as holder of the song, cricket has a proud tradition of prominent players being hirsutely-challenged, including no-less than Michael Vaughan, Shane Warne and Greg Matthews, while other players (who may or may not be named Ricky Ponting) were also rumoured to be thinning. Maybe.
Lyon could easily tick this box in no-time too, perhaps enabling him to gain the "yeah yeah" catch phrase earlier in his career than anyone previously.
His future seemingly has limitless possibilities.
This may seem a little controversial given that he has recently been dropped & is also an off-spinner (seemingly something that keeps the Captaincy at bay), but there are (at least) 5 good reasons why Lyon should be considered, being:
5. He has 100 test wickets & is only 26 years old
With no offence to the man, it's hard to believe that someone that looks like Lyon is only 26 years old. Growing up in Young (NSW) must be very hard on a man.
 |
| Very, very hard. (photo courtesy of celebrityhairstylez.com) |
That being said, he has already played nearly 30 tests in 2 years and could easily play for another 10 if he keeps improving.
Extrapolate those numbers out and Lyon could play another 150 Tests and take another 500 Wickets. This may be a stretch, but it Cricket is a game of numbers and even if these are at one end of the curve, they hint at a strong future.
4. He has been dropped (and more)
As mentioned already, Lyon has already been dropped in his career and he hails from Young. He is obviously a man with the character (if not hairline) to overcome adversity.
Further to this, Lyon famously made his way into the Test team by rising from the ACT Comets to cutting the grass at the Adelaide oval, to the South Australian T20 team, to Australia A, to the national team. This is a man who hasn't had the benefits of academies and beep-tests, but someone who has worked hard to get where they are - and the Australian public love a fighter.
3. He's from Canberra
While Lyon is from Young, he got his first start at higher cricket playing for the Comets in the ACT, so is already familiar with the territory of the second-highest office in the land, meaning that the highest office shouldn't be a stretch at all.
2. He has the song
"Under the Southern Cross" is the song that the Australian Cricket Team sings after it wins a game, with the leader or "holder" of the song being a highly-prized office within the team. Justin Langer (scorer of nearly 8,000 test runs) has been quoted as saying that the moment he was given the song by Ricky Ponting as one of the most important of his career.
 |
| 250 runs at the Boxing Day Test? Fine. Singing a song? AWESOME! (photo courtesy of diminishinglucy.com) |
Other holders of the song include Michael Hussey, Ian Healy and Rodney Marsh - all unquestionable leaders of the team.
The "holder" of the song obviously isn't given to just anyone, its given to a leader within the team who the other players rally around and the current holder is Lyon.
1. The Advanced Hair Rule
One of the least mentioned components of Lyons status is that of his diminishing hairline. Well, perhaps not the least mentioned.
Similar to the position as holder of the song, cricket has a proud tradition of prominent players being hirsutely-challenged, including no-less than Michael Vaughan, Shane Warne and Greg Matthews, while other players (who may or may not be named Ricky Ponting) were also rumoured to be thinning. Maybe.
 |
| I Googled "Advanced Hair" and this image came up. #justsayin |
His future seemingly has limitless possibilities.
Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Monday, 9 December 2013
Top 5: Reasons England could still win
With the completion of the Second Test in Adelaide in a little over 4 days, Australia seem to hold the upper-hand in the current Ashes contest, which is quite the contrast of the recent series in England.
While some pundits are now predicting Australia to win 5-0, there are a number of reasons that they shouldn't be getting ahead of themselves just yet, including:
5. Tim Bresnan
The Big Yorkshireman has been injured for the last 2 tests, meaning England has had to rely on fill-ins like Monty Panesar and Chris Tremlett to support front-line bowlers Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann.
While Swann and Anderson have struggled in the Australian conditions, the former unable to get much bounce or control and the latter being unable to generate pace or swing, Bresnan has consistently played well against Australia - regardless of the venue.
Bresnan will bring an extra quick bowling option that England have missed, which will help manage the workloads of Broad and Anderson, as well as provide some batting in the tail (which they have sorely missed).
4. The Bubble may have burst
It is no secret that the English team have been living in something of a bubble in which they are protected from the general public & criticism. Another bonus of this bubble is that it is very well catered for (which the publication of the dietary requirements of the team proved, to much mirth) and pissing on the pitch at The Oval (without recrimination).
Having suddenly been beaten comprehensively over 2 Tests, there is a lot less air keeping the bubble afloat & the players have come back down to earth. They know that they need to keep winning to keep their salad rolls coming & stop Joe Public from heckling them, so their resolve must surely be hardened.
The Australian team came under heavy criticism after it beat India in an ugly contest, with some pundits even calling for the Captain to be sacked. It was a pivotal moment for the team & a reality check they sorely needed.
No more cheap wickets or stupid shots should be seen from now on. This is, after all, a team that has held the Ashes for 7 years.
3. Mitchell Johnson
Like almost everyone else in Australia not named Mitchell Johnson, I had some serious doubts about this bloke going into the series, but he has taken 17 wickets at 12. Unless he has an appalling test in Perth, he should be a shoe-in for the rest of the series & prevent Mitchell Starc from playing anything but cards for a while.
That being said, there is absolutely no guarantee that he will continue to dominate in the way that he has & a non-firing Johnson will put extra pressure on the other bowlers in the same way Tremlett & Panesar have for England.
2. The Australian Batsmen
While the Australian bowlers have been doing well, the same can't really be said for the Batsmen.
None of Steve Smith, Chris Rogers, George Bailey or (particularly) Shane Watson have dominated or even looked comfortable.
Bailey played a one-day innings in Adelaide on a flat pitch, which he should be able to do, but otherwise scored 34 in two innings in Brisbane while others filled their boots with runs.
After forcing me to eat some piping-hot humble pie, Smith has gone back to looking quite unsure at what a "cricket" may be.
Rogers is 35 years old and seems to be good for about 40 runs per innings, which is nice (and about 10 runs more than Ed Cowan), but hardly of a Justin Langer / Matthew Hayden standard. Lucky for him, no-one is knocking on the door.
The much criticised Watson saved his spot in the team by hitting an impressive 180 in the last Test in England, but hasn't done much with the bat since. He is obviously a good cricketer, particularly as a bowler (has taken 1 wicket for 6 runs off 17 overs in this series), which brings us back to the old problem about what to do with him. The answer may be to drop him down the order for Smith & bring in someone who can score runs at an average of greater than 19.
1. Class
As mentioned earlier, the England team has held The Ashes for 7 years, are almost unbeatable at home and have won tough series overseas. Their team has a good balance of proven batsmen and bowlers, and have been playing and winning together for a long time.
Put simply, a side containing Alastair Cook, Anderson, Matt Prior, Broad, Kevin Bloody Pietersen, Ian Bell and Swann are just too good to be written off
While some pundits are now predicting Australia to win 5-0, there are a number of reasons that they shouldn't be getting ahead of themselves just yet, including:
5. Tim Bresnan
The Big Yorkshireman has been injured for the last 2 tests, meaning England has had to rely on fill-ins like Monty Panesar and Chris Tremlett to support front-line bowlers Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann.
 |
| He fields like he strikes terror into Australian Batsmen. Photo courtesy of guardian.co.uk |
While Swann and Anderson have struggled in the Australian conditions, the former unable to get much bounce or control and the latter being unable to generate pace or swing, Bresnan has consistently played well against Australia - regardless of the venue.
Bresnan will bring an extra quick bowling option that England have missed, which will help manage the workloads of Broad and Anderson, as well as provide some batting in the tail (which they have sorely missed).
4. The Bubble may have burst
It is no secret that the English team have been living in something of a bubble in which they are protected from the general public & criticism. Another bonus of this bubble is that it is very well catered for (which the publication of the dietary requirements of the team proved, to much mirth) and pissing on the pitch at The Oval (without recrimination).
Having suddenly been beaten comprehensively over 2 Tests, there is a lot less air keeping the bubble afloat & the players have come back down to earth. They know that they need to keep winning to keep their salad rolls coming & stop Joe Public from heckling them, so their resolve must surely be hardened.
 |
| England, seen here looking tougher |
The Australian team came under heavy criticism after it beat India in an ugly contest, with some pundits even calling for the Captain to be sacked. It was a pivotal moment for the team & a reality check they sorely needed.
No more cheap wickets or stupid shots should be seen from now on. This is, after all, a team that has held the Ashes for 7 years.
3. Mitchell Johnson
Like almost everyone else in Australia not named Mitchell Johnson, I had some serious doubts about this bloke going into the series, but he has taken 17 wickets at 12. Unless he has an appalling test in Perth, he should be a shoe-in for the rest of the series & prevent Mitchell Starc from playing anything but cards for a while.
That being said, there is absolutely no guarantee that he will continue to dominate in the way that he has & a non-firing Johnson will put extra pressure on the other bowlers in the same way Tremlett & Panesar have for England.
2. The Australian Batsmen
While the Australian bowlers have been doing well, the same can't really be said for the Batsmen.
None of Steve Smith, Chris Rogers, George Bailey or (particularly) Shane Watson have dominated or even looked comfortable.
Bailey played a one-day innings in Adelaide on a flat pitch, which he should be able to do, but otherwise scored 34 in two innings in Brisbane while others filled their boots with runs.
After forcing me to eat some piping-hot humble pie, Smith has gone back to looking quite unsure at what a "cricket" may be.
 |
| At last! I can use this photo again! |
The much criticised Watson saved his spot in the team by hitting an impressive 180 in the last Test in England, but hasn't done much with the bat since. He is obviously a good cricketer, particularly as a bowler (has taken 1 wicket for 6 runs off 17 overs in this series), which brings us back to the old problem about what to do with him. The answer may be to drop him down the order for Smith & bring in someone who can score runs at an average of greater than 19.
1. Class
As mentioned earlier, the England team has held The Ashes for 7 years, are almost unbeatable at home and have won tough series overseas. Their team has a good balance of proven batsmen and bowlers, and have been playing and winning together for a long time.
Put simply, a side containing Alastair Cook, Anderson, Matt Prior, Broad, Kevin Bloody Pietersen, Ian Bell and Swann are just too good to be written off
Thursday, 14 November 2013
Thought of the Day: Choking in Western Sydney about to increase
The recent appointment of ex-Test cricketer Simon Katich as a mentor for AFL team Greater Western Sydney has raised eyebrows, not least because it is a cross-code appointment.
While GWS does have some history in this field, signing Israel Folau for about 5 minutes as a player before he went back to playing Rugby, these appointments don't always end well (re: Supercoach Ric Charlesworth at Fremantle).
There is no doubt that Katich is a determined competitor who has been able to play at the pinnacle of his chosen sport, but his history of man-management (particularly of younger team mates) must be causing some concern?
Or perhaps he is just taking leadership advice that was developed a long, long time ago....
While GWS does have some history in this field, signing Israel Folau for about 5 minutes as a player before he went back to playing Rugby, these appointments don't always end well (re: Supercoach Ric Charlesworth at Fremantle).
There is no doubt that Katich is a determined competitor who has been able to play at the pinnacle of his chosen sport, but his history of man-management (particularly of younger team mates) must be causing some concern?
Or perhaps he is just taking leadership advice that was developed a long, long time ago....
 |
| "I find your lack of faith in the team song disturbing" |
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Top 5: Reaons the creators of Wolfenstein 3D were strange
As a statistics-obsessed teenager from the Australian middle class masses of the 1990s, I spent a considerable amount of time in front of screens. Some of this was watching State-based One Day cricket, some of it was spent watching NBA basketball, but a lot of it was spent playing PC-based computer games & then compiling numbers on my results afterwards.
It may sound a little sad, but it was better than listening to Snow.
Some of my preferred early games were flight simulators, which was actually quite sad, as I (generally) was only allowed to 'play' for 1 hour per day & the majority of this hour was spent checking altitude.
All this changed when I discovered Wolfenstein 3D, one of the first, first-person shooter games that I came across and one that would change my world.
For those who never moved past flight simulators, Wolfenstein 3D is a game in which your character is imprisoned by the Nazis in World War 2, but manages to overpower his guard & take his gun. You then run around the prison (a castle), killing lots of Nazis and making your way to freedom.
It was great. It made me feel more like this:
Recently, I discovered that there was a Wolfenstein 3D application that I could download on my phone and I revisited the distraction of my youth with glee. What I found, though, was that there were some quirks in the game that I hadn't really thought of before, being:
5. The healing power of chicken and dog food
During the game, your character can (and almost certainly will) get shot by the Nazi soldiers / guards, as well as bitten by their dogs. This causes your character to lose health points (you start with 100% health, because that's how all prisoners are OK!) which can lead to your character dying once 0 health points are reached.
To ensure you can keep going through the game, plates of roast chicken and dog food are left lying around the prison, which your character can eat to replenish their health points.
Now, I've never been shot (except through the heart when I gave love a bad name) and I really do love a bit of roast chicken, but I very much doubt that it carries healing power to overcome bullet wounds. And while I've never really been into dog food in any measurable way, I also doubt that its any substitute for a kevlar vest.
4. The German approach to chicken and weaponry
While on the chicken theme, it is worth noting that the aforementioned miracle-healing chicken are literally strewn throughout the castle. They must have had some crazy rotary service going overtime just to ensure that (seemingly) every room had that lovely smell of roast chicken and rosemary.
Similar to the approach to presenting roast chickens seems to be the approach to weaponry and ammunition. Various weapons and spare 'clips' of ammo are placed all over the castle, and not in hard to reach spots, they are often in the middle of the floor; right next to the chickens.
Did none of these guards think to stock up on ammo, or at least clean up a bit?
The option of a delicious and readily available Holy Grail being readily available brings me to my next point...
3. The emphasis of discipline in the Nazi party
As your character moves through the castle / prison, you come across a large number of Nazis who are standing around, seemingly to shoot at escaping prisoners and take care of other standing around duties. The latter being almost entirely what these guys do until you are right up in their face.
That's right, these prison guards don't run to the next room where they can hear unexplainable gun fire, they just stand around next to their plates of chicken and clips of spare ammo.
Even when you enter the room, they run in your characters general direction (often in a 'strafe' pattern, making them harder to shoot & showing they aren't just vegetarian loafs who refuse to clean up), occasionally stopping to shoot at you.
These soldiers are so disciplined, they never go for extra ammo or run for a chicken when you shoot back at them.
2. The Nazi approach to strong and weak soldiers
The castle is 'guarded' by several different types of soldiers, or more accurately, has several different types of soldiers standing around in it.
The main difference of these soldiers are their uniforms (brown vs blue vs 'special character' uniform), their weapons (hand guns vs machine guns) and their response to bullets being shot into them (die quickly vs die not-so quickly).
Now, I'm no expert on standing around in castles, or how it should be best done, but I would hazhard a guess that your soldiers that are more susceptible to death from being shot should be better armed, while those who seem to be as bothered by being shot as they do about magical roast chickens probably only need handguns (or maybe just knives and forks - they could also help with the chickens).
1. That idle hands brought down the Nazis
World War 2 is one of the most documented War in history, with hundreds of books and films on the conflict, including specific battles, published. The most commonly accepted reason given for the downfall of the Nazis was their incursion into Russia & inability to be stretched across great distances and fronts.
The creators of Wolfenstein 3D seemingly would have you think otherwise.
After all, who would house only 1 prisoner in an entire castle that is full of ammunition, healing chickens, spare arms, and disinterested and slovenly guards? A country at war that has too much time on its hands, that's who.
It may sound a little sad, but it was better than listening to Snow.
Some of my preferred early games were flight simulators, which was actually quite sad, as I (generally) was only allowed to 'play' for 1 hour per day & the majority of this hour was spent checking altitude.
All this changed when I discovered Wolfenstein 3D, one of the first, first-person shooter games that I came across and one that would change my world.
 |
| A one-handed life in a 2-dimensional world. What's not to love? |
It was great. It made me feel more like this:
Recently, I discovered that there was a Wolfenstein 3D application that I could download on my phone and I revisited the distraction of my youth with glee. What I found, though, was that there were some quirks in the game that I hadn't really thought of before, being:
5. The healing power of chicken and dog food
During the game, your character can (and almost certainly will) get shot by the Nazi soldiers / guards, as well as bitten by their dogs. This causes your character to lose health points (you start with 100% health, because that's how all prisoners are OK!) which can lead to your character dying once 0 health points are reached.
To ensure you can keep going through the game, plates of roast chicken and dog food are left lying around the prison, which your character can eat to replenish their health points.
Now, I've never been shot (except through the heart when I gave love a bad name) and I really do love a bit of roast chicken, but I very much doubt that it carries healing power to overcome bullet wounds. And while I've never really been into dog food in any measurable way, I also doubt that its any substitute for a kevlar vest.
 |
| Above, the Nazi equivalent of morphine. May explain the result of the war. |
While on the chicken theme, it is worth noting that the aforementioned miracle-healing chicken are literally strewn throughout the castle. They must have had some crazy rotary service going overtime just to ensure that (seemingly) every room had that lovely smell of roast chicken and rosemary.
Similar to the approach to presenting roast chickens seems to be the approach to weaponry and ammunition. Various weapons and spare 'clips' of ammo are placed all over the castle, and not in hard to reach spots, they are often in the middle of the floor; right next to the chickens.
Did none of these guards think to stock up on ammo, or at least clean up a bit?
The option of a delicious and readily available Holy Grail being readily available brings me to my next point...
3. The emphasis of discipline in the Nazi party
As your character moves through the castle / prison, you come across a large number of Nazis who are standing around, seemingly to shoot at escaping prisoners and take care of other standing around duties. The latter being almost entirely what these guys do until you are right up in their face.
That's right, these prison guards don't run to the next room where they can hear unexplainable gun fire, they just stand around next to their plates of chicken and clips of spare ammo.
 |
| I also love how surprised they look when you start shooting at them. |
These soldiers are so disciplined, they never go for extra ammo or run for a chicken when you shoot back at them.
2. The Nazi approach to strong and weak soldiers
The castle is 'guarded' by several different types of soldiers, or more accurately, has several different types of soldiers standing around in it.
The main difference of these soldiers are their uniforms (brown vs blue vs 'special character' uniform), their weapons (hand guns vs machine guns) and their response to bullets being shot into them (die quickly vs die not-so quickly).
Now, I'm no expert on standing around in castles, or how it should be best done, but I would hazhard a guess that your soldiers that are more susceptible to death from being shot should be better armed, while those who seem to be as bothered by being shot as they do about magical roast chickens probably only need handguns (or maybe just knives and forks - they could also help with the chickens).
1. That idle hands brought down the Nazis
World War 2 is one of the most documented War in history, with hundreds of books and films on the conflict, including specific battles, published. The most commonly accepted reason given for the downfall of the Nazis was their incursion into Russia & inability to be stretched across great distances and fronts.
 |
| Seen here, a Nazi killin' mofo |
After all, who would house only 1 prisoner in an entire castle that is full of ammunition, healing chickens, spare arms, and disinterested and slovenly guards? A country at war that has too much time on its hands, that's who.
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Thought of the Day: Response to the Australian A Team
Cricket Australia today released the team to represent Australia 'A' in the tour game against England ahead of this Summers Ashes. That team is:
- Klinger
- S Marsh
- Doolan
- Khawaja
- Ferguson
- Maxwell (VC)
- Paine
- Henriques (C)
- Copeland
- Cutting
- Holland
- Not sure who S Marsh has photos of, but Ed Cowan better start raiding his Tumblr account.
- Similarly, Nic Maddinson deserves a spot opening against quality opposition if he is to be a future opener (whereas S Marsh WAS an opener)
- Cam White, despite being player of the Ryobi Cup & selectors saying One Day form counts for something, seemingly needs to hit Bradman-level runs & possibly start bowling again. That being said, Ferguson and Doolan are a bit younger than The Bear.
- Matt Wade would be filthy, not only is he further down the 'keeping order (or is Paine an 'A' specialist?) but they have picked a spinner he can read (ie. not Lyon or Ahmed, who must want to change states now)
- Cutting and Copeland must be gutted knowing that they are behind the front line fast bowlers, the cover for those bowlers, and the covers cover in the selectors minds.
- Glenn Maxwell as VC - look for him to open & bowl half the overs...& possibly keep - before leaving after the 20th over
- There is clearly an opportunity to bat at 6 for Australia, with George Bailey being the pick from the current tour of India and seemingly everyone in the 'A' squad a chance. The player selected would certainly be spending as much time watching the ball out of the bowlers hand as they would over their shoulder, they only need look at the treatment of Luke Faulkener as an example of the selectors faith.
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