Invasion Day, Linux Conf, Social Life

[tcpip]

Like Melbourne's most well-known anarchist, Dr. Joe Toscano, I cringe in anger and shame at the "celebrations" of Australia Day. Like Toscano, I believe it would be far more sensible and sensitive to have a national holiday on "Mabo Day" as a good symbolic step towards reconciliation. Nevertheless, the day was spent in the fine company of Chris Samuel who become an Australian citizen (now he can get back into the country). At the ceremony itself Tony Smith (Liberal, Casey) provided one of the biggest loads of empty-headed jingoistic nonsense I have had the displeasure to listen to.

Linux Conference Australia is being held in Melbourne this year and like a damn fool I've volunteered to help out with registrations every morning before work this week, along with caseopaya. Nevertheless it's a extremely impressive programme and I hope to see at least some of it whilst helping out. On a related topic, Shahrokh Montazavi , Microsoft’s main HPC Developer Architect, recently gave a talk at VPAC on Pure Mpi.NET developer tools they've recently released. They're pretty good, but stuck within the Microsoft operating system, which probably means the ideas will have to be picked up by the open source community which has several operating systems which are actually suitable for High Performance Computing.

First week of social life post-forty (thank you all for the kind comments, btw) included dinner with severina_242, _zombiemonkey, imajica_lj and caseopaya followed by a accidental involvenment in a trivia night at the Drunk Poet (or something) where we did fairly well. Later in the week dined with ser_pounce (his 24th, the young 'un) and hathhalla and went to see Sweeny Todd at the deco (or more precisely, apparently, "jazz moderne" and "streamlined moderne") Rivoli cinema. Director Tim Burton's influence is everwhere as gothic, bloody and whimsically semi-operatic. Producer and script-writer John Logan certainly deserves kudos as well. Excellent performances are given by the morose Johnny Depp as Sweeny Todd, Alan Rickman as the manipulative Judge Turpin, Helena Carter as a lovesick Ms. Lovett, and Timothy Spall as the violent Beadle. Also I am sure Jamie Campbell (Anthony Hope) is going to become a heart-throb for numerous aging homosexuals. Anyway, a highly recommended film and one I suspect will be good on multiple viewings as well.

Comments

[the-shadow298.livejournal.com]

my friend Antti was at the Linux Conference.
To make the circle tighter, he is friends with Liz & Mikey -whom you know.

Meant to be off to see Sweeny tonight.
Have an American friend who has been raving about it for months and she says its good -even when compared to the original book and the first musical movie version.

And happy b'day for the other day too.
Tried to leave a comment but had issues with LJ.

[ser-pounce.livejournal.com]

Actually, I'm 28 :) Wish I was 24!

[zhenzhi.livejournal.com]

we do not celebrate australia day in my family either. it's too sad to.... just not right for us.

[forwrathandruin.livejournal.com]

I seem to have missed, somewhere along the line, the announcement of your birthday.

I bid you a belated Happy Birthday and as many more as you want.

[telarus.livejournal.com]

My girl and I just watched Sweeny Todd a few days ago, and I was very impressed.

[laura-seabrook.livejournal.com]

MABO Day sounds good to me. Kevin here suggested Eureka Day as a replacement for Australia Day.

Sweeney Todd  was quite enjoyable! I should be seeing it for a second time with Kelli next Tuesday.

[greylock.livejournal.com]

Mabo Day is a bad idea.

It lacks any of the benefits of Waitangi Day, because it's the courts imposing their view on the majority of Australians, rather than a treaty. And, frankly, Mabo (and Wik) have effectively become institutional racketeering in many (remote) areas.

I favour a new national holiday in the second half of the year. But I also favour the Queen's Birthday being celebrated on the same day in each state and territory.

script-writer John Logan certainly deserves kudos as well.
Yet he gave us Star Trek: Nemesis.

[recumbenteer.livejournal.com]

Call me a saddo, but when I saw linux conf, my thought was "configuration", not "conference"

[mia76.livejournal.com]

i'm assuming that's an implied recommendation to see the movie?

can't wait till it's my turn to see it.

[lucazzo.livejournal.com]

This is a comment completely out of the blue, but necessary.

I wanted to congratulate you and thank you for keeping the Socialists board running efficiently and within the proper bounds of internet respect. As you may know I'm not the most popular guy there, but there has been a great deal of civility and proper debate (aside from an anonymous IM, but that's outside of the board), which is more than I could have hoped for.

Anyhow, sorry to intrude on your personal journal, and keep up the good work. Also, good luck with your doctorate. More people who are willing to make history by knowing history are needed.

[rogue-scholar.livejournal.com]

These things go down as you'd expect; last year, my mum's naturalisation (is that what they call it? en-citizenship) was graced with Petro Georgio's learned presence, and he gave the sort of considered, thoughtful speech you'd expect from the man who really shouldn't be in the Liberal party of today. Really down-to-earth but insightful commentary on the benefits, responsibilities and broadening of experience that come with multicultural integration. All 100% at odds with Howard Government policy.