• Trillian has released beta version 3.1. Yay for cross-client IM.

• Space Quest 0: Replicated. How it’s taken me this long to find this gem I have no idea.

  If, like me, you’re a nerd gamer from waaaay back, this is gold. Pure gold. Using the original AGI engine, this is a fan-built prequel to the series. It’s got a very well-built storyline and the graphics are exactly like the original in all their 16 colour glory. Without giving too much of the story away, theythis game explains where the salesmen army of SQ1 came from. You even get to go back to Monolith Burgers.
  

• TPG’s 1.5 MB Unlimited ADSL plan. 1.5MB - $50/month shaped to 64k after 15gig. Joy.

• Halo 2 Limited Edition. Thankyou Daniel!!!
  

I would like to take a moment to recognise Flight Lieutenant Paul Pardoel.

AN Australian airman has become the nation’s first military casualty in Iraq, killed while serving with Britain’s Royal Air Force.

Flight Lieutenant Paul Pardoel, a 35-year-old father of three from Melbourne, died when a British C-130 Hercules transport plane crashed or was shot down north of Baghdad overnight (AEDT), killing 10 troops, an Australian Defence Department spokesperson said.

Flt Lt Pardoel leaves behind a wife and three kids, who’s photos we are already seeing plastered all over the papers and TV. He was working for the RAF, as he held dual Australian-UK citizenship.

While nothing can lessen the grief for his family, they should know that he died for a reason. That he should die during the elections should highlight the importance of the cause. Kids, your father did not die for oil or Halliburton profits. He died trying to make sure these elections could happen, so that the Iraqi people could be free. Something like this.

If I see one anti-war protestor, commentator or journalist try and use Flt Lt Pardoel’s death as emotional leverage for their ’cause’ there will be hell to pay. To exasperate this family’s grief by lessening the value of his sacrifice for cheap politics would be unforgivable.

(Note: This, obviously, doesn’t include Pardoel’s family. They can grieve anyway they want, and I’ll be equally angered by any supporters of the war who criticize Margaret Pardoel for her statements.)

26 today! Got a BBQ! Yay!

Merry Christmas to all, God’s blessings on you and your families.

Glenn

If you’re in Sydney & have a spare AU$50, I highly reccomend going for a spin on the Oz Jet Boat. Absolutely amazing. Goes all around the harbour at around 80kph and every few minutes he chucks the boat into a 270^° spin.

But if you get to choose a spot on the boat, I suggest getting in the second row on the far right. You seem to get less spray on that side & the person in front shields you a lot. Of course if you want the spray, then the front row is the go. The turns are amazing, and sometimes the boat dips so low it seems that the water’s going to start pouring in. Then there’s the nose-dive when you jump the wake of one of the ferrys and the water just sprays over the whole boat.

No matter what, you’re going to get wet. Allow me to demonstrate:

Before Jetboat

After Jetboat

Top, if not cheap, fun!

• Campaign Monitor - The right way to design a web application. Completely free trial for as long as you like. Only limited to sending 5 emails at a time. Well designed and comprehensive reporting too. This is the way web services should be written.
• Harry Fuecks has some suggestions on blog comment spam. Personally I favour just shooting developers who write this sort of code.
• Linux Forums. Great place for poor developers like me who have to double as a sysdamin. Plenty of Syndication Feeds broken down into categories too.
• Britney Spears & Paris Hilton top most-searched-for-person list. In other news, studies have found that the Pope is Catholic!
• The SMH reports that parents can influence whether their kids start drinking too early too much. Parents imposing their fascist, narrow-minded views on their children? There aught to be a law against it!
• The Doggies’ Whitten Oval is still going to be redeveloped with assistance from the Federal Government, despite fact-free scaremongering from Labor’s Nicola Roxon.

That’ll do for today. Going on the Harbour Jet Boat this afternoon to kick off the work Christmas party.