Tuesday 22nd April, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I got a MacBook Pro Friday last week through work, and I must say, I’m sold on Mac OS X 10 being better than Windows in areas. Watch this space cos in 2 weeks I’ll give my overall impressions on the MacBook Pro when I’ve sufficiently used it enough to be classed as ‘used to it’.
I’ve got Windows XP installed using Boot Camp as well, so it’s not like I’m missing out on Windows 
Saturday 12th April, 2008 at 1:21 am
Yesterday, whilst searching for domains that I wanted to buy for a new project of mine (more details on that in the post below), I had a thought to see if I could buy ‘benthomson.com‘. Turns out it’s already bought, by another Ben Thomson. I had to go see what this alternative Ben Thomson was all about.
Apparently my alter-ego is a somewhat famous tuba player over in Britain, although it seems he is trialling for the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. He appears to also be 21 years of age, although, this could be wrong as I didn’t see any indication of when the page was updated. He also has a boofy haircut, much like how my hair used to be when I was in high school, although now my haircut is still just weird. He also wears glasses, which I used to wear (I don’t anymore since my eyes corrected themselves… well… sort of).
There’s just one thing wrong with this Ben Thomson: He designed his site using Microsoft Office Live.
Incidentally, Mr. Alter Thomson, if you wish to contact me, I would love to help a ‘brother-by-name’ out with going in the right direction, website wise.
Anyways, I’ll throw it out there to everyone else… what do your alter-egos get up to?
Tuesday 8th April, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I’m all for a good protest. Nothing beats the feeling of just exorcising all the demons and letting loose at a bigger (or sometimes smaller) entity and letting them know just how insignificant they are in the eyes of the mob. But I have to disagree with all these pro-Tibet protests on the eve of the
Olympics.
Let me clarify my position before you pro-Tibet people throw me on a stake and purge me in the fire. From the limited knowledge I have of China’s treatment of Tibet, they deserve all the scorn they get, but this is the Olympics. Every 4 years, numerous countries and nations gather across the world, put aside their petty differences, and in a very rare display of unity in these times, participate for the better part of a week in a grand sporting event. This is the very fundamentals, and by damn the nearest we’ll ever get, to some sort of world peace. And yet, just because the host country is doing a deplorable act to another country doesn’t mean you should ruin the Olympics for the other countries, some of whom have stated their disappointment at China’s treatment of Tibet, but choose to celebrate the Olympic spirit.
The Olympic torch, widely regarded as the spirit of the Olympics, has been put out on more than one occasion by protesters who, ironically, want peace in Tibet. So, for peace to happen in Tibet, these clowns are willing to stamp out the symbol of what I believe is the greatest example of peace in the world. I think these clowns should be arrested and jailed for treason, because by definition, putting out the flame constitutes you turning your back on peace with many of the countries around the world.
I know some of my words are strong, but I do feel very strongly about this sort of thing. I’m not even that big a fan of the Olympic Games but I do believe the symbolism behind it to be of high moral value.
If you guys want something to protest against, go and help Anonymous take on that Church.
Saturday 28th July, 2007 at 12:51 am
It usually hits you with little warning, little provocation and little effort. The realisation that you are a nerd. Here are 10 tell-tale signs that you are starting to become a nerd:
- Your girlfriend/boyfriend made you choose between her/him and the computer… and the computer won.
- You don’t call it pornography… you call it ‘pr0n’.
- When you start your car in the morning, you wait for 3 beeps and someone to yell ‘Go!’
- You quote Wikipedia in your English essays.
- You can only talk to the opposite sex on MSN Messenger, and fumble for words when meeting up IRL.
- Speaking of IRL, you actually say ‘IRL’ as opposed to ‘in real life’.
- You create a list of 10 tell-tale signs that you are becoming a nerd (knowing full well you must be a nerd to know of the tell-tale signs)
- Your idol is someone along the lines of John Carmack or Jimmy Wales. (Notice how I qouted Wikipedia… fark I’m such a nerd :P)
- Your best joke is: “There’s 10 types of people in the world. Those who know binary… and those that don’t.”
- You feel at home at Harvey Norman Electrical and Computer stores.
Image: A spoon-bending, 1337-5P34K-ing image of the Matrix
Tuesday 8th May, 2007 at 9:51 am
Haven’t updated this blog in a while because I haven’t had a lot to say. Well… that’s still the case, but I need to update this anyway. TAFE is shitting me at the moment, I can’t find even the slightest amount of effort to do any of the work, and we only have a couple of weeks left. I should soldier on because it’s the last bit of learning I will have to do for a long time, but it’s just so hard
Watched all the available episodes of Heroes last week. I can’t say I was particularly drawn into the show when I saw the first episode all those months back on TV, but after watching it again with a more open mind, it has now become one of my favourite TV shows. I love how well written each episode is, and enjoyed each episode, causing me to not be able to wake up in the mornings because I wanted to watch ‘just one more episode’ the previous night. If you don’t watch or like the show, I urge you to look at it with an open mind, and you’ll enjoy every minute of it.
My other “favourite” show however, 24, has seemed to take a nose-dive into the “predictable plotlines and annoying characters” territory. The current series started off absolutely excellent, one of the best introduction to a series ever, and then by about episode 6 or 7, the excitement and clever story just withered away. I am almost convinced not to watch any more series after this, as I feel they have killed the series, I mean… how many bad days can one man have? I’m pretty sure I knew how this day would end by around episode 13, it’s that predictable.
Well there, I’ve updated it. See you all in 3 months. 
Tuesday 6th March, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Gotta love 40-degree-plus temperatures. Went down to the beach yesterday arvo, will probably go down again this afternoon. Drove down and my car nearly overheated while trying to get down there. Speaking of my car, it’s giving me teh shits as of late. The right-side speaker has popped so whenever there is a hint of bass, it starts crackling. Which is REALLY good news when you play a lot of Pendulum or Nine Inch Nails on your radio :(. One of the wheels on the right also has a stuffed brake pad so that squeeks for a little while before the car warms. AND a lot of smoke is billowing out of the exhaust when I start the car, which says that the oil rings are going out.
All in all, around about $3000+ worth of repairs to do. That’s twice the amount I paid for the bloody thing. Lesson here kids is: Don’t buy a bloody car.
Right, now to something a bit more light-hearted, for the 3 or so people who actually view my blog, here’s a preview of the new Gamestah site:
Image removed, it’s too old
If you see the current site, you should see that the new site is much of an improvement. If you want to leave any comments about it, feel free, although I will probably be told off for this because its meant to be secret. 
Friday 9th February, 2007 at 10:23 am
Fark, I’ll be glad for this week to end.
TAFE started on Monday, doing Diploma in Website Design this time, and it’s giving me the wake-up call of my life. The whole set-up is around trying to get you used to a real web design studio. The room is seperated into cubicles (1 group sits in one area), we have our own meeting area, with flashy new ’smartboard’ which shows the computer screen of the computer near by and acts like a whiteboard, hell we even have our own voicemail and phone, and can make unlimited STD calls (cue mischievous music). The hours are 8:30 - 5, Monday through to Wednesday. The weird thing is… I actually feel the incentive to do the work this semester. That would be a first.
And what a great week to be flattened by work… the week I proposed to stop drinking anything that contains caffeine. I quit on Monday night, and all throughout the week I’ve had this groggy feeling in the head, which worsens to a full blown migraine at times. I didn’t think I was THAT caffeine-dependent, but there’s the proof. The family is suprised as well, they have about 5 bottles of Coke and Pepsi Max in the fridge not getting touched. I guess it’s all for the better, I’ll slug it out and eventually get over it. It’s just…. orange juice doesn’t have the same zing as Coke.
I started going back to the gym too, but have lost nearly all the muscle I gained six months ago. So it’s back to building it again.
… it’s the start of a new me it seems.