DogfightAtBankstown

linkrolling

I've added a del.icio.us linkroll on the sidebar, under 'recent comments'.

This week's must read: The Currency Lad on Britain Mainstreams the Bioethics of Mengele.

star-trekking across the blogiverse

Always amuses me how people categorize me and my blog.  I have such a collection of boxes now, a clown in every one.

The latest from Ken Parish at Club Troppo:

Saint in a Straitjacket is a pugnacious blogger who writes from a right wing christian perspective

Translation:

Saint believes Gaia is not god and Al is not her prophet.  (Al is, however, looking a bit like a fat Buddha lately.)

(Image: TechLuver)

The force be with you Obey One Kenobi.

just reverting for a little while

To do some tweaking.

tweaking

So, instead of redesigning this blog from scratch, I just used a typepad template and tweaked it with some sloppy CSS. 

A few quick trials - a three column design looked too busy, but the two column version seems too wide.  And I am not sure if it is my eyes, my screen or just that this still doesn't look too readable.  Not that it should worry many as I think most of you read this blog through a feed reader.  And yeah yeah if the content stinks no-one will read it (but I am thankful for the few of you who do).

Anyway, leave me suggestions before I go ahead and clean up the CSS and tweak the last few bits that need tweaking.  Reduce the font size and make the line-spacing tighter? Lose the serif fonts?  Narrower post column? Put the links list - desparately needing an update -back on the left?

Whaddya reckon?

damn

I'm banned in China.

(via Pommygranate)

a short while ago

Popovich kindly gave me a Thinking Bloggers Award and said this was probably Australia's most underrated blog.

Thank you. I think that should have been world's most undeserving blog. 

Which is why I have also been a bit remiss in posting my five nominations - I didn't want to draw attention to my lack of varied or interesting or even thinking content (oh and because most blogs I would have picked have either already been nominated or are not publishing anymore.  You know who you are C.L.)

So here are my five. 

Faith and Theology - probably Australia's most popular theology blog without really being a blog. Mostly quotes and book reviews by Ben Meyers with regular guest posts (theses) by Kim Fabricus. Makes me think contemporary theologians can be challenging, fun, inspiring, pretentious, wanky or totally irrelevant. And when they get to composing odes to Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics, are seriously in need of a life.  Also makes me think of books I'd like to read. Or avoid.

Christendom - by Chris Tilling.  Anyone doing postgraduate research on Christology at Tübingen who tries to squeeze in a decent amount of inappropriate baloney on the way makes me think we have the makings of a fine future theologian.

Second Terrace - lots here...literature and arts, pop culture, religion, poetry, oh and the philosophy of cats. In a way I don't think. From (Carpatho-Russian?) Orthodox priest Fr. Jonathan Tobias.  Hmm that just made me think someone should also do a feature on clergy who blog.

Oz Conservative - Mark Richardson seems to have a thing about liberalism. I tend to dislike -isms and -ists.  But Mark puts more thought into his blog posts than I do. So he must be a thinking blogger.

Club Troppo - because Ken Parish is the only person in cyberspace who can make legal blogging understandable and interesting and who can display deep civility far more cutting than snark. That, and because even though Ken doesn't do the legal blogging so much these days, other Tropadilians make me think about stuff I don't want to think about. 

Like economics.

Rules:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,

3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote. (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).

2007

Photo:James Brickwood SMH

Happy Birthday coat hanger. 

We recommend vodka.

It goes with everything.  Even breakfast.

year end

Thank you to all who have dropped by, read and commented this year. Thanks too for the off blog conversations. 

And thank you to all the bloggers out there whose blogs continue to be a source of opinion, fun and entertainment. Too many to list and more than just those on my sidebar. 

Benvenuto di Giovanni
The Adoration of the Magi
c. 1470/1475 Source

Happy Christmas everyone.

The wonder of God with us, Christ in utter solidarity with us!

See you in the New Year.

camille wins!

In 2006, Baghdatis' girlfriend was more popular amongst the guys than the search for Lucas Neill's girlfriend amongst the girls.  And still miles ahead of Mohammed of the cartoons.

But the biggest hits for 2006 on this blog have been reserved for, and continue to be for the blues trilogy:

Blogging the blues
Google god and me
My quiet hour with Google god

And surprise surprise: Google Allah!

yes yes

It's the silly season so one eye on the cricket and the other on the upcoming holidays, and not much serious blogging in between. If you want to spice it up you can always gizoogle it.

house trained

This blog is now three.

huh?

TypePad downtime information. Due to the recent problems on TypePad you may have lost some data if you posted an entry between 12:30am and 10:30am PST on Wednesday. July12th.

OK, I don't think I did - so I just put up a new post and now something weird is going on. Have some comments just disappeared?

Down Skippy, get down.

Update: I think I've lost comments on the Meet the Press, Hillsong 2006 and Mumbai posts. I've reposted what I could recover under each of those posts.

Update 2: They're back <insert music from Twilight Zone here> so I'll delete my duplicate comments.

moderated rage

Yep another wave of trackback spam in last few days so all comments and trackbacks are on moderation for a little while.  Time to go out and  play.

on Australia Day 2006

A heretofore unknown 20 year old who was born in a tiny country and who was 250 to 1 to make the Aussie Open final, played, willed and enjoyed himself through an intriguing five set semifinal match against a seeded opponent in fine form to the raucous cheers of an Aussie crowd (to whom he also chatted as if he as out playing scratch at the local school courts).  Fireworks and flyovers in the middle and a rain delay at 15-15 in the final set with Baghdatis serving for the match.  And a shocking overrule on match point.

On Australia Day 2006, this blog's stats tripled thanks to, you guessed it: Baghdatis girlfriend.

Only one googler picked the winner.

This blog was a sure fire three time loser.

And the bandaids in the bathroom cabinet melted.

I should have put money on all of them.

I'll need quite a bit of it to either pay the electricity bill or move out of home.

anonymalia

Those of us who blog anonymously do so for some reason, usually to protect our families, friends, employers, employees, whatever. 

But there are some dangers and downsides to blogging anonymously too.  Your blog persona starts developing a character of its own. Or else others develop these (mis)conceptions about you based on the little that you do chose to write about yourself. 

So perhaps now is a good time to put on the public record - again - that this blog has nothing to do with Sydney, political parties, illicit sports, tampons, watches, canines or aberrant sexual practices.

And a message for those seeking something in the latter category: if I can track your IP or your site - and trust me, I sometimes can - I send it here.  And pray that the Force sits on you from a great height.

blogo economicus

My blog is worth $35,566.02.
How much is your blog worth?

Well compared to others mine may be cheap and nasty.

But hey, at least it's not worthless.

bummer

I know that none of you come by here for incisive commentary, sharp wit, or scintillating gossip. But this blog will be even duller for a few weeks.
Some seriously long hours and plane trips coming up: and unfortunately they're not long hours at a poolside bar in the Bahamas.

At least then I could post some pikkies.

dang it I'm two

Source

Of course DogfightAtBankstown has nothing to do with dogs or Sydney.

Eh. Thanks for reading anyway.

i need to tell you

That the bloggorhea is only temporary. I've discovered Quickpost.   I'll get over it soon.

spare me a syllable

My blog's readability scores:

Summary	Value
Total sentences	721
Total words	6,342
Average words per Sentence	8.80
Words with 1 Syllable	4,224
Words with 2 Syllables	1,246
Words with 3 Syllables	668
Words with 4 or more Syllables	204
Percentage of word with three or more syllables	13.75%
Average Syllables per Word	1.50
Gunning Fog Index	9.02
Flesch Reading Ease	70.70
Flesch-Kincaid Grade	5.58

From the Readability Test at Juicy Studio, where you can also find an interpretation. 

The Flesch-Kincaid Grade tells me you only need five or so years of schooling to find my stream of monosyllables readable. So I am not sure if I need to welcome all you pre-teens or tell myself to grow up.

Mind you, the Gunning Fog Index tells me I'm less readable than Mark Twain and the Bible.  That would be about right: I'm a literary, historical and theological dunce.

i scream

My Tuesday post on ice cream has disappeared as well.  Me thinks Typepad doesn't like future posts. 

OK I can take a hint.

regroup

From time to time every blogger asks themselves why they blog. I think I ask myself that every time I go online.  It started out as curiousity, became a bit of a hobby, but a hobby with no particular focus or goal and a hobby that is in need of revision given what else is on my plate right now, including an increasing need to pay some focussed attention to health matters.

I'm not sure if I should just relegate this to a weekend hobby or just give up together.

Blogging for me is hard work because I find it difficult to string a few coherent thoughts and words together in a form that vaguely resembles english, especially after a day at work.  But I have actually gained personally from the discipline even if I know that I rarely, if ever, have anything new or interesting to say. For example, I  procrastinate less over the stuff I have to write at work since I've started blogging, no matter how much I hate the subject matter.

The fact that even one of you drop by to read or comment is a source of amazement. Thank you for doing so, whatever your reasons.

And of course it is always fun to be challenged, moved, surprised, incensed, entertained, bored, stretched, floored, informed and delighted by other bloggers out there.  And who needs to preface anything you say with some apology for not being cool or hip when you can cyberhang with someone else who appreciates Neil Diamond's trademark shirts.

I will keep reading blogs - I think I'm addicted to a few of them (and I am nearly finished with that thing I promised you-know-who). Plus I  am curious to see how blogging develops now that it seems here to stay. But I have to bite the bullet. So I will be reducing my own blog output to two or three times a week max instead of almost daily for the foreseeable future and then drop out for a bit when I finally take that long overdue holiday. 

Wish I could attempt a corresponding increase in quality. Wish I could also work out why I feel obliged to tell you much less work out why the Currency Lad's feed never seems to work on Bloglines.

que?

Well of course you are going to find my blog by searching for "millionaire in european currency with email contacts 2005",

Because that is exactly what I am.

Not.

In any case I think it was a trawler that registered that hit on my site.

Is everyone else enjoying some interesting labelling in the blogosphere?

Me thinks there are lots and lots of busy little trawlers trollers at work today.

yeah yeah

You've come to the right place. 

I'm just clearing out some junk from my archives so I can redecorate for Christmas ( you wish!).  This set up is temporary - just for a couple of days or so.  It's the skin of another blog I keep, a skin which doesn't work well on this blog.

But hey, there's only so much a saint in a straitjacket can do at once. 

I already type with my nose.

self denial

It's Friday

Being an Aussie blogger, I'm supposed to post a photo of my cat.

But I don't have a photo of the cat.

Even if I did, I don't have a scanner or similar to upload photo of said cat.

Besides which the cat is dead.

Perhaps I am in denial:

The cat died years ago.

But her food bowl still sits on the verandah.

Looks like I'm in denial about this blog too:

You Are a Pundit Blogger!

Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read. Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few.

What kind of blogger are you?

I'm really not a pundit you know.  And this is a lousy blog.

It's just that, as Rowen points out, some people like to put you in a box.

The Completely Pointless Personality Quiz

Oops.

So to get the best of all worlds on this Friday night, I invite you  to classify this blog. And tell me: Who am I? Why am I here? Why is that person laughing at me?

Because,

I need an 'About Me' page.

Oh, and a picture of my dead cat.

more link loving

Say hello to The Swanker, who tells us how you know you love Sydney. I always know I am in Sydney when the plane lands and I look out the window and all the baggage handlers have shaved legs and fake sun tans.

Speaking of Sydney, the ever energetic Darp and friend have organised a Grogblogging event.

Bloggers, commenters and lurkers welcome. Send an RSVP if you are attending and keep an eye out as the numbers are getting big, and the venue may change. I'm going to gate crash if I happen to get a Sydney gig around that time as it will be the event of the coming out season: Darp and Tim Blair in the same room.

Plus somebody mentioned tequila.

Say hello too, to the duo at Watchdog of the Wankers. I think Ms Cynic has the same lecturers and existential angst that I did when I was at university.

I've never really stated my link policy because it's hapharzard and unfocussed like the rest of this blog.

I am not an aspirational blogger. I'm not really concerned about presenting any sort of image on this blog by the sorts of blogs I link to. I have no desire to be an opinion leader. I don't want to climb the ladder of opportunity to make it to some A-list in the blog niche market. I just write about what I see. Plus my day job pays me more than enough to live on thank you very much. And I get to travel and meet people.

A few of the blogs on my sidebar are regular reads but many of my regulars are actually not listed. The remainder are links to blogs that have linked to me. I actually make a point of reading those blogs as well as I end up discovering another set of blogs from people in different places, or different walks of life and with either similar or different viewpoints from my own. And some gems. So if you've linked to me and I haven't found you yet, let me know.

And no, I don't expect a reciprocal link if I link to you. Your blog is your blog. That's what makes it worth reading.

Some time in the future I will sort out the link list, maybe showcase some of those not on display, maybe even get some order in this house. But as real life trumps blogging, and the hapharzard nature of this blog reflects my real life, I wouldn't hold your breath.

But accept my thanks for the link loving. And thanks for reading.

Update: Not to be outdone, Anthony of the ever yummy Spiceblog is providing half-time entertainment at Perth's Blognite, tomorrow. If you're in town...

can i help you?

Ooo. Someone is trawling through all my posts as I write this. It's doesn't look like a spam bot.

I've been meaning to add a drop down menu of all my archives and a search facility for some time now....but in the meantime, was there something you wanted to know?

maybe it's the election

But there have been a few new visitors and links to my quiet little corner of cyberspace recently. Hi everyone - thanks for dropping by.

People who know me tell me I work better in front of an audience. But after looking at my stats, I think I now have stage fright.

i just realised

I turned one last Monday.

Or rather this blog turned one.

And I realised that I have never posted an about page.

Well I have told you a little bit about me and a little bit about this blog.

But I haven't told you anything about my name.

Actually it's quite a long story.
And a bit of a pointless one too.

So maybe another time.

what's in a name

Unlike my new place here, my old blog was picked up by Google some time back. It is still getting hits and the search terms by which people find it still amuse me. Nevertheless, the majority of hits come from simple searches which include the words 'dogfight' or 'straitjacket'.

This is not just because of the blog name or my own name, but because I also listed 'dogfight' and 'straitjacket' as keywords in various places. I got into blogging to get a feel for this web phenomenon and the technology that supports it. Part of that included looking at the use and impact of meta data.

Translation: How many weirdos are out there in cyberspace?

Answer: Too many

'Dogfight' is actually the most popular search term that lead people to my blog. Most popular by a mile. Some of these people are obviously dog owners who want information on how to stop dog fights. Others are looking for...er....something else.

Translation: What did you expect to find when you got here?

Answer: Sport. *grin*

So what's with the name? A couple of people have asked me by email.

I assure you that my blog name has a reason even if its name and content don't quite match some people's expectations. And I can assure you that neither the name nor the content of my blog is as interesting as Pharyngula.

ghostwriting

I should let you know.

I have a busy week this week. So some of the posts you're reading I wrote and posted before they appeared here - future posting seems to work without republishing. And I am just punctuating those with the odd live post.

So I guess this brings new meaning to ghostwriting.

so i've moved

And yes, surprise surprise this template looks like the one on Blogger, not the test design I had here before. But I don't have the time now to do what I want to do to get that one finished. And it seemed a bit too serious and intense for what I write here.

So I will just use this for a while until, well, whenever. But hey, at least I now have permalinks that really work.

about this blog

Photography Center of Athens

I am neither intelligent, witty nor profound. 
I said that when I started. 
I am neither a philosopher nor a pundit. 
I am just an ordinary Aussie.
This is just the way I see the world.
I'm just telling you what I see.

finding nemo

No I haven't seen the movie, and run out to buy a clownfish. Hec, I don't even live in Sydney, never have. But the thought of finding a particular clownfish in Sydney harbour strikes me as a rather difficult endeavour. A bit like finding this blogspot without a URL. I mean, I can't even find it - and I pride myself in being able to source just about anything I have ever wanted to find on the net. Even so, I was fairly committed to just leaving it as that : an unable-to-be-found-blogspot, my obscure little corner on cyberspace, my little sandpit on blogger's server (oops, maybe that should be big B, Mr. Blogger). I wasn't even intending to submit this site to any search engines or list it anywhere or advertise it amongst friends....but hey presto! I have already had a visitor. And one who left a kind note to boot!

I was going to write something else tonight, maybe still will, but I think I will first say thanks to you Robert, for dropping in and sitting on my visitor's deckchair. I will nickname you Nemo even though you found me, not me you, and I don't live in Sydney but maybe you do - your accent sounds Australian. Drop in again if you like. Sometimes it's nice, perhaps better, to sit and watch the world go by with a mate. Besides which, there's always plenty of beer in the fridge.

why blog?

No particular reason, except maybe to play around with style sheets and web pages until I get bored with it. I have no desire to be heard, no desire to save the world. In any case, I am neither smart, witty nor profound, so these idle thoughts cast out into cyberspace are unlikely to change your life or mine. And someone else has taken care of the saving the world bit. But if you like, pull up a deckchair, sit back, sling your leg over the arm, crack open a tinnie and watch the world go by with me. Maybe even tell me what you see.

why dogfight?

When I was younger and more foolish than I am now, I thought that I would like to dogfight at Bankstown.