I'm watching the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy with my boys. I really love the Babel Fish. I then thought about the book I just finished and I'm sure that Michael Crichton must be a Douglas Adams fan!

The Babel Fish is small, yellow and leech-like, and probably the oddest thing in the Universe. It feeds on brainwave energy not from its carrier, but from those around it. It absorbs all unconscious mental frequencies from this brainwave energy to nourish itself with. It then excretes into the mind of its carrier a telepathic matrix formed by combining the conscious thought frequencies with nerve signals picked up from the speech centres of the brain which has supplied them. The practical upshot of all this is that if you stick a Babel fish in your ear you can instantly understand anything said to you in any form of language. The speech patterns you actually hear decode the brainwave matrix which has been fed into your mind by your Babel fish.

The Babel fish, by effectively removing all barriers to communication between different races and cultures, has caused more and bloodier wars than anything else in the history of creation.

4:09:21 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family • Random • TV

I took my big boys - Antony and Billy - shopping today. A few more DVDs added to the collection.

Now, to introduce them to the joys of  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on DVD.

[listening to: Come On Eileen - Save Ferris ]
3:18:27 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family

Yesterday we went to a Christmas Concert at Emma Arrigo's school. It was a tremendous production.  Emma was a camel.

Following the show, presentations were made. Emma got an award. An award in Kindergarden! Amazing. The award was a book with a certificate recognizing her achievement.

Well Done Emma

[listening to: Orange Crush - REM ]
3:11:07 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family

Krispy Kreme is turning on the Hot Light in Liverpool!  They are opening the second factory store in Australia at sunrise on Tuesday, 2nd December, at the Liverpool Megacenta, 2-20 Orange Grove Road (Cumberland Highway), Liverpool NSW.

Come and join in the store opening celebrations and be one of the first in line to receive a limited edition Liverpool Opening T-shirt. The opening day celebrations will include an appearance from the Western Sydney Razorbacks and their cheerleaders and performances by local community groups.

When the store open in Penrith, we embarked on a 60KM round trip to buy 2 dozen delights. I'm sure we will repeat the journey to Liverpool.

[listening to: Hernando's Hideaway - Billy May ]
10:55:55 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random

Interesting post, considering my recent chat with the metagroup analysts.

Several print magazines (ComputingWorld and PC Pro) recently said that .NET and Web Services are being pushed aside in Microsofts mass drive for Longhorn. They warn potential users of .NET to hold back and wait for the dust to settle before committing..[more]

[listening to: Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - 80 Drums Around the World ]
11:08:05 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization

I've been reading Timeline by Michael Crichton.  It's a fantastic read.

The teaser goes like this:

In an Arizona desert a man wanders in a daze, speaking words that make no sense. Within twenty-four hours he is dead, his body swiftly cremated by his only known associates. Halfway around the world archaeologists make a shocking discovery at a medieval site. Suddenly they are swept off to the headquarters of a secretive multinational corporation that has developed an astounding technology. Now this group is about to get a chance not to study the past but to enter it. And with history opened to the present, the dead awakened to the living, these men and women will soon find themselves fighting for their very survival--six hundred years ago. . .

THE movie opens February 2004 in Australia. The official site has some good info. The trailer looks pretty good too. I can't wait for the movie.

[listening to: You're Not the Boss of Me Now - They Might Be Giants ]
11:01:53 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests • Random

Cam posts some info that I sent him.

I forgot one important one -- Empower.

Microsoft Empower Program The Empower program is designed to assist ISVs, over a 12-month period, in developing a commercially-viable software product based on Microsoft technologies. It is intended to assist ISVs to become Microsoft Certified Partners.

Did you know that we have 140 companies signed up on Empower already

[listening to: What's New Pussycat? - Tom Jones ]
10:36:06 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization • My Profession

Wow - look what appeared in my INBOX today!  -- UK LOTTO

Should I Apply???

[listening to: Nu Flow - Big Brovaz ]
1:15:44 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random

"Six Feet" Star Delivers! (E! Online). E! Online - Six Feet Under star Rachel Griffiths was on cloud nine after giving birth this weekend. [Yahoo! News - Most Viewed]

Congratulations to Rachel and Andrew!! Welcome to parenthood!

And Hello Baby Banjo

[listening to: Special Ones - george ]
11:33:37 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family • My Friends

Hey Jim from OZBizWeb & Shopsafe - check out this article:

Making Your App Spider Friendly. In this article we will cover using HTTPHandlers to intercept a request and change a directory path to query string parameters. Then we'll create a spider friendly link page so indexes can spider dynamically generated content pages. [ASP.NET Daily Articles]

[listening to: Chiquitita - ABBA ]
11:12:28 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Profession

"BlogPulse mines for bursty phrases and person names instead of for the most popular ones. The most popular phrases and names change very slowly over time. The burstiest phrases and names are those whose frequency of occurrence has increased significantly over the past two weeks, often dramatically."

COOL!

[listening to: Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes ]
10:38:52 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests • Random

Irked by the difficulty and expense of replacing the dead batteries in their iPod, two filmmakers have embarked on an 'antiadvertising' Net campaign. [more]

[listening to: Julia - Chocolate Genius ]
10:29:04 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests

I turned the TV on this morning and saw a segment on the "Today Show".  They ran a segment originally produced by CBS about the Star Wars Kid:

A kid alone with a video camera waving a golfball retriever, like a Jedi warrior. A private moment of clumsy 10th grade innocence until four classmates put the tape on the Internet.

Today, as CBS News Correspondent Bob McNamara reports, this 15-year-old small town Canadian is known to tens of millions planet-wide as the "Star Wars Kid."  [more]

[listening to: (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley ]
10:17:46 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family • My Friends • My Hobbies • My Interests • My Organization • My Profession • Random • TV

I've been going through my inbox and I have noticed that there isn't as much noise as normal.

I was wondering why - and then it dawned on me -- Thanksgiving

We need some dancing turkeys to celebrate!

[listening to: Holiday - Madonna ]
10:05:22 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization • Random

Sify.com: "the .NET Evangelist."

I worked for Sanjay back in 1994 & 1995 during the heady pre-dotcom, interactive tv days. He was a great boss and a good friend to me. After all these years, he is still a very approachable dude who returns my emails.

[listening to: What Kind of Fool Am I? - Anthony Newley ]
9:53:20 PM    comment []  trackback []     • My Friends • My Organization

Australia's richest man Kerry Packer has won the latest legal stoush with rival media mogul Kerry Stokes over television's night of nights, the Logies. more

What a surprise.

[listening to: Without Me - eminem ]
9:38:35 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • TV

I'm delighted to read that Cam Reilly liked my session at the partner conference!

Thx mate. I hope you are inspired and can spread the word that Microsoft really wants to help make ISVs be successful.

[listening to: New Technology - Waikiki ]
8:53:30 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Friends • My Organization

I've been dealing with a incident that has happened to my family this week. It relates to a serious problem that is rife within our schools - bullying.

My son Antony has Asperger's Syndrome. As a result, he is a constant target for the bullys at his school. The scenario is always the same - these boys taunt him to the point that he cracks and retaliates. The retaliation is always exaggerated, which causes the overall situation to escalate and the outcome is pretty predicatable - parents are called, boys are chastised, teachers shrug their sholders , principals turn a blind eye and the bullys live to taunt another day. Not good.

This week it got ugly. I am not able to go into details, as I suspect there may be legal implications - but bottom line the bullys continue to get away with their behaviour and their victims continue to suffer. And the school pretends as if it isn't happening. And to top it all off, the parents of the bullys are blissfully ignorant of the fact that their little precious are actually ugly bullys.  This is the real shame of it all.

Maybe websites like these can help:

• Bullying, No Way!
• anti-bullying
• Bully Busters
• Dealing with Bullying
• Addressing Bullying Behaviour
• Beyond Bullying
• Bully Sandpit

But what I see in these websites is that this is a REAL Problem. It's been around for a long time and there doesnt seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel.

I would much prefer writing stuff like this that's my boy!, than speaking out about bullys, but it's gotta stop.

[listening to: rave goodbye - Paul Mac ]
8:42:05 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family

The final leg of my journey - I'm heading down to Melbourne to catch up with my team and spread some more love.

The journey didn't start so well -- we sat on the runway at Coolangatta airport for over 30 minutes, as the Qantas staff frantically searched for a passenger that had not boarded. They did a head count, went through all the luggage and then finally realized that their list was wrong! There was no missing passenger! So we finally left, late.

Time now to catch up on email

[listening to: Albuquerque - Weird Al Yankovic ]
8:21:49 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization

The last day of the partner conference has come & gone.

It was a busy for me - this time I was working on one of the exhibition booths, as well as my regular 'swanning' around. I got to chat with another bunch of partners, such as managed business outcomes, expert is, ozbizweb, excom & oxon data systems. I spoke to many, many more people, but I didnt grab their cards and cant remember them at the moment..

I also had a series of "chats" with some journos - James Pearce from ZDNET and Fleur Doidge from CRN. I also had a session with 2 great guys from Meta Group. Each of these chats were fun and I'm sure I said stuff I shouldnt - oh well c'est la vie.

The evening then wrapped up with the Gala Dinner, which included a number of partner awards. Two ISVs did really well - Brookstone, won 2 awards and Wireless IP won 3. Good to see these guys doing well!

Then we danced. The band was The Gotham City Horns. And they played their standard repertoire  You can hear some of their music on their download page. The lead singer thought he was Ricky Martin!

After the dancing and the singing and the awards, the party moved to the bar. A late night was had by all

[listening to: I Will Survive - Gotham City Horns ]
8:15:40 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization

Australia is killing its koalas, scientists warn government (AFP). AFP - Australia is killing off its koalas at the rate of 20,000 a year through land-clearing, more than 400 scientists warned in an appeal to its political leaders. [Yahoo! News - Reader Ratings]

That is a lot of Koalas

[listening to: Polka Power! - Weird Al Yankovic ]
8:21:29 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random

Back after a busy day at the Microsoft Australia & New Zealand Partner Conference.

My job was to 'swan around' and talk to the partners and sponsors in the exhibition area. Yes, I can do that!

I spoke to lots of people from companies, such as computercorp, eword development, informex, ems, ipex, competesolutions, thinprint, infotronics, open systems technology, pay global, dexterra, wirelessip, avanade, data3, volante systems and Magic Macros - and these are just the guys who I grab business cards from.

A funny story -- I met a guy who had saved an SMS that I had sent him over 12 months ago. He was saving it for the day he would meet me, just to show me that he had received the message. My wife tells me that this is weird. I think it's kinda sweet. I wonder how many other people have saved an SMS that I have sent them. I've got other stories, but now's not the time.

I then presented a session (PRTCM02) on the Microsoft ISV partner program. It appeared to be well attended and I got a bunch of challenging questions from the floor. I think I managed to duck them all :)

Prior to dinner, we hosted the ISVs who are attending the conference to a pre dinner (obviously) cocktail party. we even had a 4 string quartet! As one of the folks at the event said, it was quite appropriate for the evangelist to be having an event at the chapel!

We finished the night with dinner and a terrific comedy set by Vince Sorrenti.

Vince is a very funny guy with a slick routine.

I'm not going to post a transcript, as I'm sure that will contravene heaps of copyright laws!  but take me word for it - he was funny.

[listening to: Mambo Italiano - Rosemary Clooney ]
1:35:25 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization

The Xbox Celebrity PlayOff event at Westfield Miranda, Sydney on Thursday November 27th 2003

The spectacular Xbox Experience has been touring Westfield centres in QLD &  VIC and is kicking off the NSW leg of the tour at Westfield Miranda this week. Get down to Westfield and kick back playing one of the hot new games like Project Gotham Racing 2, Amped 2 and Top Spin; try out your karaoke style on the new Xbox Music Mixer; show the rest of the world that Aussies do still have that winning edge on Xbox Live; or play against celebrities at the launch event on Thursday November 27th from 5.00pm – 6.30pm.   MTV will be there all day filming the action for various MTV shows.

The hi-tech set up is an Australian first, featuring Xbox consoles and chill-out areas, Xbox challenges, playoffs, giveaways, prizes, and a state of the art Dynascan 360° screen.   The Dynascan is the only one in the country and is a massive 15ft high circular TV.

If you can’t make it to Miranda for the launch event you can still catch the tour at other Sydney locations on the dates below.  Feel free to bring your family or friends – great opportunity for them to see Xbox Live in action!

NSW

Miranda Parramatta Burwood Chatswood Eastgardens

Mon 24 Nov - Sat 6 Dec Tue 9 Dec - Tue 23 Dec Sat 27 Dec - Sat 3 Jan Tue 6 Jan - Sat 17 Jan Tue 20 Jan - 31 Jan

[listening to: Love My Way - The Psychedelic Furs ]
12:34:59 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests

Too Funny - I read this on the weekend

A Silicon Valley computer programmer has been arrested for threatening to torture and kill employees of the company he blames for bombarding his computer with web advertisements promising to enlarge his penis.

[listening to: I Will Talk and Hollywood Will Listen - Robbie Williams ]
9:12:17 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random

Got back from the opening event of the Microsoft Australia & New Zealand Partner Conference.

The location of the event was a secret

Since we are on the Gold Coast, we went to one of the famous theme parks - Warner Brothers Movie World!

And, guess what - it rained & rained & rained & rained & rained! Guess we should check the weather next time.

Despite that, it was a good night. I got to catch up with some old friends, and met some new ones. I even to got to ride the SCOOBY-DOO SPOOKY COASTER.

The next 2 days should be fun!

[listening to: Scooby Doo, Where Are You! - Third Eye Blind ]
12:55:56 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization

Here's a recent photo of Emma. Isn't she gorgeous!

She's quite the little lady - she is in kindergarden at PLC, and we know that she came second in the recent swimming carnival - have a read of Emma comes second! for more info and photos.  Emma loves going to school. Apparently she is running a business with all her friends - they trade gumnuts for the special power that they make from the riverbed at the school. Commerce starts early when you go to PLC!   ROTFL

Emma like's barbie, disney princesses, music, movies, and playing minesweeper flags with her dad.

[listening to: Strawberry Kisses - Nicki Webster ]
12:08:30 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family

A recent photo of my wild boy Bricey.

He turns 4 on January 20, 2004. Yes he was a millenium baby. I call him my own y2k bug.  The kids call him the tornado - because he whirls in, makes a mess and then disappears just as quickly.

He loves Batman, Bob the Builder, trucks and cones. He really likes cones

[listening to: Wiggly Safari - The Wiggles ]
11:45:06 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family

I'm on the Gold Coast, attending the Australia & New Zealand Partner Conference.

I'm quite proud of the fact I caught the train in Brisbane to get to the event, here at Royal Pines,

Departure Times		Arrival Times	Total Travel Time	Fare Information (Click for Details)	Trip Information (Click for Details)	Trip Name
Central (Platform1) at 11:56am		Nerang (Station) at 1:03pm	1 hr 07 min			UG24

I can't remember the last time I caught a train!

[listening to: Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds - The Black Crowes ]
5:56:27 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random

ALL of the PDC sessions are on line for public viewing.   Very Cool

[listening to: (They Long to Be) Close to You - Carpenters ]
7:35:12 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization • My Profession

Enter the Mobile Web Services Developer Contest
Microsoft and Vodafone are seeking innovative developer applications that showcase the use of mobile Web services and span across PCs and mobile devices. Top prizes include a $5,000 award and round trip travel to the Microsoft Mobile Developer Conference in Spring 2004. The finalists will also have their applications featured in several Vodafone and Microsoft industry events, and as an added incentive Vodafone may deploy the winning applications into their markets. Registration is limited to the first 250 eligible entries received. If you've got what it takes, register for the Mobile Web Services Developer Contest now!

[listening to: Murder on the Dancefloor - Sophie Ellis-Bextor ]
9:43:38 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests • My Organization

Took all four kids (Antony,Billy,Emma,Brice) to a sneak preview of Elf this morning. It's a cute movie, with some pretty funny moments.

The reviews are ok:

• Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
• Guardian/Observer
• James Berardinelli's ReelViews
• Rotten Tomatoes - Reviews from the Nation's Top Critics

[listening to: Winter Wonderland - Peggy Lee ]
12:34:39 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family • My Interests

Hey this is cool

I've also got it here as a standalone page.

Pretty cool don't you think ?

The magic was achived with the use of the following tools

windows media blogging plugin (download from here)

getsong macro by Brandon Fuller

I tried to get this working months ago, but I didnt understand Radio that well.

I have even created a page that shows what the current song I'm listening to, even if I havent posted an entry!

[listening to: Tribute - Tenacious D ]
12:44:26 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests

"England have beaten Australia 20-17 in a thrilling Rugby World Cup final before a capacity crowd at Sydney's Telstra Stadium tonight" [more]

[listening to: Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes ]
10:59:27 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family • Random

England wins in last minute of extra time. Final Scores -- England 20 to Australia 17

[listening to: We Are The Champions - Queen ]
10:27:20 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family • Random

Billy had his school concert on Friday.

He plays the trumpet in the concert band.

The band play 4 pieces.

Bill was a star!

Photo gallery of the night online now

[listening to: I Want It All - Queen ]
10:20:13 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family

Testing some of the macros described here

my test page is here

[listening to: Allison - Elvis Costello ]
9:56:18 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests

I'm testing a macro to add category links to each post - read about it here

[listening to: Right Here, Right Now - Fat Boy Slim ]
9:53:05 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests • Random

The rugby world cup final is on, so it's time to find some AFL news. Oh, it was draft day today....

"St Kilda got its number one wish when it was able to draft Raphael Clarke â013 the younger brother of emerging Saints star Xavier â013 with the No.8 selection at the 2003 National AFL Draft."

[listening to: Eat It - Weird Al Yankovic ]
8:46:50 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Hobbies

One of my team members sent me a link to this site the other day.

It's called 419 Eater and it's about one man's attempt to stop the spammers.

it's pretty funny

[listening to: Ita - Cold Chisel ]
6:11:15 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random

This is a really sad situation.

From 11th in 1998, Australia has fallen to 19th in the 2002 Index which was released by the ITU..

The only upside is that New Zealand fell further, which dropped nine places, from 12th in 1998 to 21st in 2002.

Australia -- what are you doing?

[listening to: Diamond Dogs - Beck ]
7:54:41 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random

Promotion code:
NETCX2003

Sign up to join the .NET Connected Logo program by December 31, 2003 and receive a complimentary .NET Connected Logo test

This is really really cool. There are over 40 Australian companies that have already gotten their logo - here is the listing of .net connected logo partners.

[listening to: Swinging on a Star - Bing Crosby ]
10:27:25 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization • My Profession • Net Connected

Busy week ahead for me. I'm heading up to Brisbane to speak at the Citect User Conference on Monday and then I travel south to the Gold Coast, for Microsoft's Australia & New Zealand Partner Conference

"Mark your diaries: 24-26 November, 2003. Bringing together the best of Microsoft Australia Fusion - and Microsoft Business Solutions Partner Connect, this exciting event offers a unique opportunity to learn, network and maximise your company's potential! Joined by over 650 business leaders, marketing executives, sales professionals and solution architects from around Australia, you will have the valuable opportunity to extend your company's market and customer reach, drive profitable revenue growth, and, with Microsoft-powered business agility, turn today's accelerating pace of change into a competitive advantage."

If you are heading up, looking forward to seeing you there!

[listening to: Little Sister - Elvis Presley ]
10:18:51 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization

From the "here we go again" department:

CNET News.com
Microsoft re-explains .Net strategy
By David Becker

Yes, Virginia, there is a Microsoft .Net. The software giant's elusive strategy--a hot topic a few years ago but overshadowed by other Microsoft efforts lately--was declared alive and well during a panel at the Comdex trade show. While .Net was initially understood as a strategy for delivering software functionality as a Web-based service, it actually represents several major changes in direction for Microsoft, said John Montgomery, a group product manager for the software giant. 

[listening to: Barbarella - Ferrante & Teicher ]
9:16:56 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization

I really like the word spy.

Today's word is a beauty

warm-chair attrition

(warm-chair uh.TRISH.un) n. The loss of workplace productivity due to employees who dislike their jobs and are just waiting for the right time to quit and move on to something better.

[listening to: That's Amore - Dean Martin ]
8:54:44 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization • Random

finally!

The marketplace for legal online music services is about to get more crowded with tech behemoth Microsoft Corp entering the fray. [smh]

the big question is, will it be global so that us aussies can participate too?

[listening to: One Family - Phil Collins ]
11:20:35 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests • My Organization

And the winner is - you guessed it, the polls predicted it - Guy Sebastian. The quietly spoken, Malaysian-born church singer from Adelaide, whose afro hairstyle has become almost a trademark, has beaten Shannon Noll, the clean-cut farmer from Condobolin in western NSW.

Sebastian was named the first Australian Idol tonight in front of a live audience of 2000 within the Opera House, at least 3000 more on the forecourt, and up to 4 million television viewers across Australia!.....

Another thing I'm glad to see the end of -- Australian Idol, Goodbye!

[listening to: Too Shy - Kajagoogoo ]
10:25:17 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random • TV

This is sad - "The Fat" was one of the better shows on the telly.

My fear is that Channel 7 tries to clone "The Fat" and creates "The Chat Room" all over again.

[listening to: Add It Up - Violent Femmes ]
10:02:10 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests • Random • TV

Australia staged a brilliant comeback win to beat India by 37 runs in the tri-series cricket final tonight and send 100,000 Indian fans into despair. [SMH]

[listening to: Come On Aussie Come On - Mojo Singers ]
9:23:46 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests

Antony updating DVD Collection

This inspired me to write a story  - List of DVDs Owned

[listening to: Brick - Ben Folds Five ]
8:51:15 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family • My Interests

----- Original Message -----

From: "MMWSMS Management" <mgmt@makemoneywithsms.com>

To: Frank Arrigo

Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2003 6:00 AM

Subject: Happy Birthday from MMWSMS

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++ Happy Birthday From Make Money With SMS ++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hi Frank.

Just a short note to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy
birthday.

40 is a great age! Don't let anyone tell you differently :-)


Did you know?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You were born on a Monday


Who shares your birthday?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.infoplease.com/cgi-bin/birthday?month=Nov&day=18
http://www.born-today.com/Today/11-18.htm
http://www.famousbirthdays.com/Nov.html#18


This day in history
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.infoplease.com/cgi-bin/dayinhistory?month=Nov&day=18
http://www.dailyalmanacs.com/almanac2/november/1118.html
http://www.historychannel.com/cgi-bin/today_relocate.cgi?month=11&day=18
http://encarta.msn.com/features/onThisDay.asp?inputDate=11/18/1963


What happened in 1963
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.infoplease.com/year/1963.html


On this day - Movie & TV News
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://us.imdb.com/OnThisDay?day=18&month=November


I hope you enjoyed these birthday wishes.


Warmest regards,

Mark Read
Make Money With SMS Management Team
http://www.makemoneywithsms.com

-------------------------------------------
This email was sent to Member 9702
-------------------------------------------

DOB: Monday, 18 November, 1963

[listening to: Hot hot hot - Bambaloo ]
6:56:07 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random

The birthday wishes keep on turning up in my inbox:

Dear Frank It's your birthday and the team at wishlist.com.au would like to wish you all the best for the coming year. Happy Birthday!

[listening to: Music - Madonna ]
6:52:47 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random

It's my birthday today. I turn 40.

My first birthday email

----- Original Message -----

From: "ClubNova" <nova969fm@listenerclub.com>

To: "Frank Arrigo"

Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2003 12:00 AM

Subject: Hap hap happy Birthday!

Hap Hap Happy Birthday, Frank!

You thought you could keep it quiet, didn't you!!  We hope you have a really nice day....and thanks for listening!

[listening to: ABBA - Thank You For The Music ]
12:30:07 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family • Random

Comdex time already!

It's seems to have come from nowhere.

BillG has had his keynote already. The transcript is posted and a webcast is online! It's all about The Era of Seamless Computing.

Time to check out the virtual pressroom and even read the critical reviews. And this is cool - Google News on Comdex 2003.

[listening to: New Sensation - INXS ]
10:13:32 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization

I've been pokling around the SSW site and found all the rules.

Management
1. Rules to Successful Projects * Popular *
2. Rules to Managing Software Consultants
3. Rules to Better Teams

Code & Application Design
4. Rules to Better Code
5. Rules to Better Access Databases
6. Rules to Better SQL Server Databases
7. SQL Server Design Standards
8. Rules to Better .NET Projects
9. The Best Third Party Tools

User Interface
10. Rules to Better Websites
11. Rules to Better Interfaces

Naming Conventions
12. SQL Server Object Naming Conventions
13. SQL Server Index Naming Conventions
14. SQL Server Relationship Naming Conventions
15. SQL Server Stored Procedure Naming Conventions
16. .NET Object Naming Conventions
17. Stored Procedure Formatting Standards

Communication
18. Rules to Better Email * Popular *
19. Rules to Better Instant Messenger

Marketing
20. Rules to Better Google Rankings * Popular *
21. Rules to Better Outbound Calls
22. Rules to Better Inbound Calls
23. Rules to Better Marketing
24. Rules to Better Branding

Networking
25. Rules to Better Windows 2003
26. Rules to Better ISA Server

Where are the other rules - like Rules to Better Marriage, Rules to Using Water Wisely, or Rules for Better Eating

Good one Adam!

[listening to: Voodoo Dreams/Voodoo - Les Baxter ]
12:22:31 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Friends • Random

I received the latest newsletter for SSW which open with the following intro :

The Cutting Edge
I believe that you should design a web site to look good for IE5.5 and above. I am not saying totally forget about Netscape but dont spend much time or money on it. The reason is that only 3-4% of users surf the web with Netscape. The problem stems from the limitations of different web browsers. The big Netscape and Internet Explorer debate still continues but the reality is that Netscape just cannot provide many of the features that Internet Explorer can. More

This got me thinking about the whole browser war. To be honest, I think it's time to move on -- it's not just about the browsers. This debate is raging at the moment on a number of sites.

[listening to: Hound Dog - Elvis Presley ]
12:00:18 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Friends • My Profession

Big Event on Sunday. Santa came to our local shopping village.

The kids were so excited.

So were their parents!

Lots of photos were taken!

Gosh, Christmas is almost here - 38 days until Christmas Eve!

[listening to: Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town/White Christmas - Jimmy McGriff ]
10:52:36 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family

I'm happy to go on record and say that I am NOT a fan of rugby. This whole Rugby World Cup event has been pretty painful. The good news is that it is almost over. Thank goodness!

Oh, and apparently the Wallabies have beaten the All-Blacks - 22 to 10.

I just cant wait for this to be over and we can get right into the upcoming cricket season!

[listening to: Asereje - Sunshine Full Vocal Spanglish - Las Ketchup ]
10:34:06 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random

Yesterday we set upon the mission on Helping Tyson get to #1.  

Well today there was movement as our man Tyson jumped ahead of the porn site and is sitting at #6 on google.

I do believe our cunning plan is working!

[listening to: Love Island - Fatboy Slim ]
11:20:46 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Friends • Random

Reuters - Microsoft Corp.'s MSN Internet division posted its first-ever quarterly operating profit of $58 million since it was launched eight years ago, the world's largest software maker said in a regulatory filing on Thursday. The results show that four of Microsoft seven business divisions are generating an operating profit, which excludes taxes and investment charges. The other three divisions: Business Solutions, cell phone and device software business, and home and entertainment, are still posting operating losses, according to data from the latest quarter ended Sept. 30.

[listening to: Things - Robbie Williams ]
10:56:11 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization

There is a cool site that lets you design yourself in lego.

I've come up with 2 versions of me. Both have some common elements - coffee, gadget, long hair, glasses, geek trousers.

Which one is a better fit?

[listening to: I Love Rocky Road - Weird Al Yankovic ]
10:29:58 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random

Emma had her swimming carnival at school today.

She was in 2 events - the 15m freestyle kick board and the 15m backstroke kickboard.

She came 2nd!

She is the first of my children to ever place in a swimming race --- what a champ.

I have a slide show available, and will post the videos soon.

[listening to: We Are The Champions - Queen ]
9:56:58 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family

I did a bit of xmas shopping for my team and bought them all something I'm sure they will love.

I particularily like the description:

Don't be a scrooge, get into the spirit of things this Christmas with this great desk sized Christmas tree!
On a sturdy rubber base this USB powered Christmas tree will flash through a rainbow of colours(6 of them) and encourage festive spirits all day long.

It will make a great Christmas gift or decoration, get yours today!

I got mine from a local online store, but a google search shows lots of places selling these.

[listening to: Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer Mambo - Billy May ]
8:52:46 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random

Seize the growing opportunities for your smart client software applications now by registering to attend the Microsoft Smart Client Seminar for ISVs near you. This unique developer event will provide you with the in-depth knowledge and training you need to start building smart client applications on Microsoft technologies.

Smart client applications present unprecedented opportunities for ISVs. By 2005 as much as 60% of all new .NET applications are expected to be designed with smart client deployment in mind. (Source: "The Return of Client/Server - or, at least, Rich Clients," Gartner)

The Microsoft Smart Client Seminar for ISVs, designed by Microsoft technologists and delivered by industry-leading trainers, will help you to seize these opportunities by providing you with technical sessions, demos, and hands-on labs.

This unique 3 day training event is being held in Melbourne on 9-11 December 03 and in Sydney on 3-5th December 03. For other states, additional sessions will be held in early 2004. No existing knowledge of Microsoft smart client technologies is required to participate, but familiarity with the Microsoft .NET platform and XML Web services will be beneficial.

Seating is limited, so register today

[listening to: Doctor Worm - They Might Be Giants ]
11:24:21 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization • My Profession

Paris Hilton Seeks to Halt Sex Video (AP). AP - Paris Hilton is steaming mad over a steamy sex video that may soon go public, her spokeswoman said. [Yahoo! News - Most Viewed]

This story is really funny. And thanks to google - even you can find some screen-caps!

[listening to: Don't Call Me Baby - Madison Avenue ]
9:28:26 PM    comment []  trackback []     • Random

I keep getting asked by people to provide people with the Visual Studio .NET Professional 60-Day Trial Edition .

Today I was asked by 3 different people. 3 people who should know better!

From now on - I'm going to answer with a page slap!

[listening to: Tenterfield Soldier - Peter Allen ]
8:38:10 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization • My Profession

I was chatting with Tyson Dowd yesterday and he tells me that his ranking on google is rising!

He is just behind a porn site, some commercial sites, a country singer and of course that boxer dude.

So, as a service to my buddy to help him achieve his goal of #1 rank on google - I bring you:

[listening to: who let the dogs out - The Baha Men ]
12:38:43 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Friends • Random

New to .NET? Get started with free online training & labs
Microsoft's new .NET Developer Jump Start sessions teach selected core skills for .NET Web and Windows application development, using online seminars and hands-on labs to help you practice.

[listening to: Good Old Days - Weird Al Yankovic ]
10:30:17 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization

He's now added to my blogroll. Cameron always has something interesting to say.

I can still remember the time he told me he wanted to get his head cryogenically frozen so that he could live forever. That's before he had kids!

[listening to: Beyond The Sea - Robbie Williams ]
9:39:08 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Friends

 Too Funny.

You too can add to the message on the local church sign.

Thx to Jim for the original link, who also scored a mention on the Human Aggregator's site

[listening to: Wild Boys - Duran Duran ]
5:17:39 PM    comment []  trackback []     • My Interests • Random

Another PXT - this time of Rita's daughter Louisa eating an ice-cream.

She is so cute!!

[listening to: Man of Constant Sorrow - Dan Tyminski ]
2:31:07 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family

My XDA doesnt support MMS, so i had to download the photo from a vodafone site

Here's a happy family lunch time shot

[listening to: Your Zowie Face - Nelson Riddle ]
11:15:47 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family

Finally worked out the way Radio handles shortcuts - check this out: Antony, Billy,Emma,Brice

Frank use your next time!!!

[listening to: Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley ]
9:33:56 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family • My Interests

ok, following this post, i shld have a song title and artist listed

[listening to: You Spin Me 'Round (Like a Record) - Dead or Alive ]
6:19:46 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests

Ok, I'm back with this music thing. I'm trying this tool again

[listening to: title of the song - Weird Al Yankovic ]
5:08:25 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests

Jack Harvey, John Culvenor, Warren Payne, Steve Cowley, Michael Lawrance, David Stuart, and Robyn Williams of Australia won the 2003 IGNOBLE prize for PHYSICS, for their irresistible report "An Analysis of the Forces Required to Drag Sheep over Various Surfaces."

[PUBLISHED IN: Applied Ergonomics, vol. 33, no. 6, November 2002, pp. 523-31. A copy can be downloaded from http://www.culvenor.com/

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!

4:31:12 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random

10:10:13 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests

I went to see the final part of the trilogy last night with my two big boys - Antony & Billy.

I think that the folks from Slate gets it pretty right

Everything which has
a beginning has an end,
sadly, thankfully.

10:01:53 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family • My Interests

CNET Reports that Google is testing software that lets people navigate the Web without opening up an Internet browser, placing itself in a field that Microsoft has designs on--desktop search.

get it here!

4:30:35 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests • My Profession

3:23:18 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization

this funny bit of flash is doing the rounds

3:19:07 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random

Hey - this is pretty cool! I've installed the tool and it has created a photo gallery for me,

COOL! Thanks David Davies -- you rock!

I've added a link to the gallery on my navigation bar. Now time to republish all the pages to include the new link

11:09:22 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Interests

Having fun with a bunch of tools to work with photos. in particular the "myPictures" tool and the assetmanager tool

and which photo do I use to test this - well me of course!

10:42:13 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Family • My Interests

9:37:01 PM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • My Organization

We were doing some house cleaning on the weekend - mainly throwing out stuff we hadnt unpacked from our last 3 moves.

One thing we found was a Square 1 Puzzle. It's a variation on Rubik's Cube, but with a twist. The Square 1 is essentially two layers ("top layer" and "bottom layer") of small (60° or 30°) pieces separated by a middle layer of 2 large pieces. Allowable 'moves' on the puzzle are rotation of the top/bottom layer and flipping the middle layer, which switches some pieces between the top and bottom layers.

My boys wanted me to solve it - and to tell the truth i couldn't remember how to --- but thank's to Google, i found a solution.

Woohoo!! My boys still think i rock!!!

10:59:20 AM    comment []  trackback []  G!   • Random