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[personal profile] tcpip
Some 500,000 people protested against the IR legislation last week including an estimated 175,000 in Melbourne. John Howard shrugs it off; and he'll be able to as well, as long as the rally doesn't translate into a campaign of industrial action. That's the political reality of the situation. Governments can ignore protests of millions if they simply go back to work afterwards.

Last Tuesday played Ars Magica with [livejournal.com profile] caseopaya, Wilf and [livejournal.com profile] jimboboz as GM. for the first time having wanted to play for many, many years. Setting is wonderful, magic system is interesting, characterisation (mage, companions and grogs) is interesting, but character generation sucks time like a psychic vampire. I've had a rant on how much it sucks here.

Following evening sat three CCNA module tests with minimal study. My grades were 95.7% (TCP/IP Error Messages), 77.2% (Router Troubleshooting) and 98.0% (Intermediate TCP/IP). I think I know where my weak spots are! This week is the final lab test for semester two. I'll be spending the next couple of days with my nose buried in books, methinks.

Spent a couple of days testing bits and pieces of phpWebsite after [livejournal.com profile] caseopaya's work seem to think that it's about time they received some decent return on their IT budget (quelle surprise!). I'd probably prefer Zope/Plone, but as part of the standard set of CPanel add-ons phpWebsite is pretty damn good.

A fair chunk of Saturday was spent helping [livejournal.com profile] severina_242 and [livejournal.com profile] _zombiemonkey move into their new townhouse (white! glass bricks!). [livejournal.com profile] cvisors was there as well and much fun and unpacking was had along with beer and pizza.

Sunday had Jess Permezel from the Council of Single Mothers; I gave the service, citing a the distinction between family arrangements and caring parents from a UU sermon by a retired professor, the UUA's GA resolutions on the matter in the U.S. as the reading, and a choice quote from Dickens as the closing words. The government's "work to welfare" program is really going to harm these people and those associated with them. Afterwards had to sit through the frustration of a three hour committee meeting. Really not good enough.

Fortunately Michael Cole saved the day with an excellent Australian Noir game session. There are Deep Ones in Hastings, didn't you know? Well, I always suspected it was the case. We were also joined by [livejournal.com profile] antayla, whom [livejournal.com profile] caseopaya and I dined afterwards. Great night.

Currently working my way through Ian McDonald's "River of Gods" for [livejournal.com profile] valeskah1. It's Indian cyberpunk and written in that style (fast and dense); I'm enjoying it a great deal.

Date: 2005-11-20 07:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] severina-242.livejournal.com
white! glass bricks!

Miami Vice here we come!

Date: 2005-11-20 08:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com



I reckon you'd look dead sexy in a white suit with a knit-vest... zombiemonkey could probably do the blue suit in style as well.

Date: 2005-11-20 10:04 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] severina-242.livejournal.com
I wouldn't be caught dead in that..... but an 80's themed house warming might be appropriate.

Date: 2005-11-21 02:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com

Seventies-Eighties... Miami Vice, Hawaii Five-o and Cop Shop all rolled into one... You may want to get that Melbourne local bands CD "To Hal and Bacarach" (sp ?).

Date: 2005-11-21 01:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] severina-242.livejournal.com
Actually I think just a straight forward house warming is likely... oh well.

Date: 2005-12-06 05:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com

Would you believe that this comment just came through on my yahoo account? Weird huh?

Date: 2005-11-20 07:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nightcity.livejournal.com
Indian cyberpunk? Sounds like something I'm genetically obligated to check out- after Shockwave, of course, which will be checked out after exams. n_n

Date: 2005-11-20 08:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com

Yes, "genetically obligated" indeed! It's reading very well so far...

LOL!

Date: 2005-11-24 03:13 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Fascinating how no matter the country, so little is made of people raising their voices. Yet when something needs to be smoothed over, a big deal is made of how politicians are public servants.

Re: LOL!

Date: 2005-11-24 03:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com

People raising their voices only has an effect if further and practical action is taken. "The people" choose their rules once every x years. For the rest of that time, the rulers are lobbied by vested interests.

Re: LOL!

Date: 2005-11-25 02:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jimboboz.livejournal.com
I've often wondered if it might be better not to have general elections, but instead... just have a by-election for a particular House seat each fortnight... after three years, each of the 150 would have stood. Thus, constant, um, "feedback" to the government. Governments would change by the satisfying expedient of votes of no confidence...

It'd definitely increase the temptation for MPs to cross the floor on particular issues, and we'd avoid the common cycle of two stingy budgets followed by the pre-election spendthrift budget...

Well, it's just a thought:)

Re: LOL!

Date: 2005-11-25 03:01 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com

I suspect it would cost about twice as much and the administration would be hell.

It would certainly empower the transient population.

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