Taxi! Or why Brisbane Is Still A Laughing Stock

It's been a while, but as usual, something happened last night to make me want to write.

Now, first things first, I fully accept that should I have opted to do so, there would have been plenty of public transport to service my exit from Suncorp Stadium and Caxton Street on Saturday night. But obviously I chose not to. And one would think that in this day and age, alternative arrangements should be fairly easy to come by...

But no.

So about midnight we decide to leave Hotel LA, which is on the corner of Caxton Street and Petrie Terrace. For those of you who have NO idea about Brisbane, that's on a fairly main road. There's also a taxi rank there, which was solid and not moving. Closest alternative is in the CBD so we start walking.

An hour later, we're at the Casino and waiting in the taxi rank there. Thirty minutes after that, we're in a cab to the Valley. So 90 minutes of fucking about to move from one area to another. And my legs hurt.

Then 3am rolls round and I can't drink anymore so I have to go. Join another cab queue in the Valley that's one whole block long and wait almost 2 hours. Home at 5am.

So where does the problem lie?

Taxi drivers don't want to pick-up these fares? Probably not. The chances are that at 3am in a taxi you'll get a vomiter, a runner or an arsehole in your cab. It's probably just not worth it.

Lack of taxis? Without a doubt. Other than the ones that don't want the fairs, there's a general lack of cabs on the road anyway. And at the busy times, the capacity is over-stretched beyond belief.

And so, what is the solution?

Temporary taxi licenses for private drivers - limited to short 8 hour periods. If you try and throw more cabs in total, then during the slow times, the guys lose money. If you deregulate, then it's madness. But if people can drive part-time in their own cars, with specific insurance and a specific license.

Boring, eh? The break between blogs has softened my brain. Haha. I'll think up something better to rant about next time.

Beer vs. Petrol

I can buy a schooner of the same local beer at two different pubs, one down the road from each other. Whilst different in design, layout and food offering, both pubs are pretty much the same and the identical beer is poured into an identical glass and served at the same temperature at both venues. Each venue charges a different price for the beer and during the week, the price fluctuates depending on the day, and even depending on the time of day.

That’s beer. The same thing happens to a lettuce, a loaf of bread, a magazine, a can of fizzy drink, a cinema ticket and so on.

So why all the fuss with petrol?

Why do we as consumers, who consistently fail to put ourselves in a competitive position by buying bigger cars with bigger engines, ignoring public transport or even just using our own two feet, then complain when the petrol companies take advantage of our own stupidity?

Petrol is a commodity. If you want to pay less for it, use less of it.

I must have upset someone....

Saturday 16th Feb, 10.39pm...MD Webhosting has crashed again. My email and sites are down and the whole MD site has gone...cannot even connect to their front page.

Something must be up with my karma...I spent the afternoon trying to install WoW only for it to keep failing on the 4th CD. So everything I had to install up to the 4th before I'd find out it wasn't working...can you imagine how frustrating that is?

But serious MDWebhosting...I might even start a Facebook group for these guys...

Peru Riot Police go Robocop

These new uniforms by Peru’s anti riot police are truly awesome - they were seen parading yesterday for the first time and have been described as Judge Dread meets Batman.

read more | digg story

The webhosting dramas continue...

So very briefly the service resumed yesterday afternoon for a couple of hours, and then fell over again early last night about 8pm and hasn't been seen since. The phone line is permanently engaged and emails to the centre get a standard response. Even when you try to go into live chat you get this:

There are currently 15 chat request(s) before you in chat queue.
Please wait, an operator will be with you shortly.

Total and absolute shambles. NEVER EVER host with MD.

MD Webhosting: Failed AGAIN

And to make matters worse this time, the failure is obviously SO catastrophic, they've removed the 'help & support' and 'server status' pages are being hit with so much traffic, that they're failing too...

Anyway, here's the message from them:

Australian Servers: Current Downtime and Restoration of Client accounts
Posted By: Mark Galea On: 09 Feb 2008 10:31 AM

Details: Due to a hardware failure, multiple Australian servers are inactive currently. Client sites will be restoring to normal over the next 72 hours.
If you have any further queries or if there are any issues with you site restore please contact us support@mdwebhosting.com.au

Thank you for your patience and understanding with this matter.

What I like is the deliberate ambiguity. Servers are just 'inactive'. You'll get your site back in 72 hours. I mean, it's a farce isn't it? In a service-related business like this, how do companies survive? I'm thinking of starting some sort of MD Webhosting feedback site.

Anyway, it's now 8.14am - almost 48 hours since Mark Galea posted his note...I presume I still have 24 hours to wait...

100,000 views at last...

100,000 views at last...
Originally uploaded by Carbon Images

Well, it took a while, but the account is really starting to build some momentum...and I hit 100,000 at 8.56am this morning...

Now onwards to a million!!

Five! is the magic number

Five! is the magic number
Originally uploaded by Carbon Images

Uploaded 27th Jan 2008

I was thinking of trying to pass this off as five Australian quintuplets (?) posing together in a model shoot, but the futility of that is obvious when I'm posting other pictures of Tiffany in the same set. Haha.

So how did this photo come about? Well...it just seemed a good idea at the time. We took a couple of goes at it and then compiled the picture using the background from the pose on the far right (that's our right, not hers). The other four shots were cut and pasted onto the original.

At first I tried to cut and paste as close to Tiffany as I could, but I found that didn't work and made it look very fake. So I took a rough edge around her with a bit of the background and overlaid it, and then spent some time blending the backgrounds with the original. That worked much better.

The hard parts were making sure the feet of 3 and 4 overlapped properly and didn't look false, that the shadows under the bench all merged in with each other (the sun was changing quite drastically as we moved through the shots) and that the shadows of the girl came into the picture looking natural.

All-in-all it seemed to work out quite well, and I'm pretty proud of it. I've looked through it in detail and I can't see any obvious seems, but if anyone spots on please let me know.

Art vs Graffiti?

Terry Sweetman is, to put it the most mild way possible, 'old school'. In his 40 years as a journalist, lately writing for the Courier Mail, he frequently espouses about subjects such as US and Australian politics, transport, sex offenders and other high profile subjects which tend to polarise opinion throughout Australia. Without a shadow of a doubt, the man is educated, skilled in his profession and strong in his convictions.

Which is why watching him try to dissect the problem of graffiti was like trying to watch a baby whose just learnt to sit up, work out the TV remote control.

Graffiti is an emotive subject. Since the times when the Greeks were using it to advertising prostitution services or when the Romans were carving love poems onto walls through to Banksy's take on modern day life in Britain, the owner of the canvas has always been at odds with the artist. Some people, like Mr. Sweetman, consider it the ugliest of all vandalism. Some people call it a cry for help. Some people call it art. Either way, everybody has a very clear opinion about it.

But there is an awkward contradiction about graffiti. It's hard to isolate graffiti writers as criminals in a city that allows other nominated 'artists' to deface our telephone junction boxes. Mr. Sweetman writes:

"I reserve the right to choose when I am to be visually confronted..."

Unfortunately, in this day and age, he doesn't have that right. I may find certain graffiti aesthetically pleasing, but I might not like the council-approved art daubed throughout other sections of our community. What if I find the statue of Wally Lewis at Suncorp gaudy and pointless? Just because everyone else might love it and find it inspirational, should we have it removed if some people don't want to be visually confronted by it?

One of Mr. Sweetman's colleagues, Paul Syvret wrote an enlightened piece a few weeks back about the freedom of the internet, and how the government's attempts to install filters on Australian-based ISPs was doomed to fail. Both are comments on free speech. Mr. Syvret believed that restricting access to the internet was tantamount to censorship. Irrespective of what you wanted to see on the net, you had a right to do that - and if that bordered on the illegal, then the police had a right to track you down, arrest and charge you.

Graffiti is the same. You have the right to write what you like, when you like and where you like in the name of free expression. If what you do is illegal, then society has the right to lock you up for it.

But the real question here, is 'is it art?'

Back to Mr. Sweetman's problem with being visually confronted with something he doesn't consider art. Lets look at this example:

I live in a house with a view of the mountain. One day my neighbours on the other side of the road, choose to build a new house - one designed and conceived by a modern architect. The house is usual and in my opinion, non-traditional and not in keeping with the rest of the houses in the neighbourhood. But the architect is world famous and with this house, wins lots of awards. I now have to look at my view of the mountain every morning with this ghastly new house in the middle of the scenic panorama.

One morning, four weeks after the house was completed, a graffiti artist comes along and writes his tag on the white wall out the front of the house. The owners are incensed.

Does anyone else see the irony here? One man's art is another man's vandalism. Not all architecture is good. Not all graffiti is good. Mr. Sweetman has managed to defeat his own argument. He may not want to be visually confronted by graffiti on the wall of a building. But many people might not want to be visually confronted by the building itself.

Clearly, Mr.Sweetman only wants to be visually confronted by things he likes, or with his comment about Banksy's work where he states 'their social and political significance sometimes eludes me', he only wants to see things he understands. I'm sure we'd all like that, but unfortunately that's not how the world works. We have to watch the bad news on TV to appreciate the good news. We witness dear family members die, whilst celebrating the birth of new relations. To really appreciate good art, we have to witness the bad.

And Mr. Sweetman finally poses this question for us:

How can anyone presume the right to alter...somebody else's creation in the name of art?

Given Mr. Sweetman's age, I would imagine he grew up as a fan of a band like the Rolling Stones, whose first five singles in the UK charts, were actually cover versions of other people's songs. They'd altered someone else's creation in the name of art. And how about Andy Warhol? We're witnessing his work right now - his very being is based on altering someone's creation in the name of art.

Salvador Dali once wrote: "Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad."

Graffiti is art. You might not like it. It might be good or bad. It might be on a canvas in a gallery, or on the wall of the local street. But it is still art.

Sweeny Todd film review

Sweeny Todd is a musical. I know that may seem an obvious statement to make given the years it has been on Broadway (and my school theatre when I was 13) but I think some people in the audience hadn't quite realised that. It reminded me of the time I went to see the South Park film a group of kids kept tutting all the way through when the songs started. Singing a story is a bit too high-brow for some people.

Another obvious statement to make is that this is a Tim Burton film. So naturally it has to have Johnny Depp in it, which is fortuitous as he makes the perfect Sweeny Todd - anger, despair, hatred with a very small slice of humour on the side of the glass. And it also has to have Helena Bonham Carter too, and again, she's perfectly cast as the loopy, rampently amorous Mrs. Lovett.

Other fantastic performances grace the film. The excellent Sasha Baron Cohen plays 'Signor Adolfo Pirelli', a rival to Sweeny Todd. His performance is flawless and his foreign accent so much more convincing than 'Talladaga Nights'. One of my favourite actors, Alan Rickman alongside Timothy Spall, who must be best buddies by now from Harry Potter, cast a perfect target as the menacing and corrupt duo who destroyed Sweeny Todd's former life.

And then back to Burton. Sure, it's a Burton film and by now, we should all know what to expect. He doesn't let you down. The scenes are sinister and dark, the sets are brutal and unforgiving and the images of London and its surroundings are relentlessly depressing. Even when Sweeny whips out his blade and carves his victims across the neck, Burton makes sure we bare the brunt of the shock with oodles of oozing blood. The Mrs. Lovett dream sequence about marrying Sweeny is just classic Burton in every aspect.

The only things that let this film down is the score, and the singing. Yes, Sondheim's music is renown, but the film lacks the punch of one or two blockbusting and memorable songs - something that could bring a climax or two to a scene, and really illustrate the emotion in the characters. And unlike a musical like Moulin Rouge, Depp, Carter, Spall, Rickman and even COhen, are not the strongest of singers by any means necessary - a fact that really stands out when child actor Ed Saunders, playing Toby, opens his gob and starts a duet with Carter, blowing her off set.

But you can get over this because the film is so visually stunning, and to be honest, you'd rather have Depp in this role with a so-so singing voice than seeing someone else who can sing cock the whole character up.

2010 is the estimated release date for one of Burton's next projects - Alice in Wonderland. Hopefully, it'll be as warped and disturbing as Sweeny Todd's world. Although, obviously with less blood...

Big Day Out, Gold Coast 2008

Okay I'll full admit I was biased about this before I went, but unfortunately my limited expectations were not surpassed. Some people have pointed out I'm 'getting too old' for these festivals and I'm not target market, but if anything has been proved in the past few weeks its that Generation Y have no idea what they're doing and jump from fad to fad with little or no regard for value, so it's up to us to tell them what and why they should be doing...

First of all the festival itself...arrive at 1pm...finally get a drink at 2.15pm. There has to be a better way than this to get booze at a festival...but that's another post for another day I think. Other than that, it's BDO again. Same tents, same areas, same features. Sure they're restricted a bit by the shape and size of the venue but maybe one day we'll see something different. I'm pretty sure there were more stalls there this year but really who goes to BDO to go shopping?


Next the bands. Michael made the following valid points on the journey back: Rage Against The Machine are like watching Manchester United. They're one of the world's best. Their brand of music is exciting and invigorating. Morello's riffs are dirty and nasty, de la Roche's lyrics are confrontational and insightful and the rhythm section has more drive than a 4x4.

But the rest of the line-up is nowhere near their standard.

You can't fault Bjork for her ability and talent, and visually the show was spectacular, but I just don't think anyone in the entire audience 'got' her. The music wasn't exactly something the sweaty masses could jump up and down to. Everyone had turned up to watch a Premiership match, and found themselves entertained by the Harlem Globetrotters.

And then there's Silverchair. These are the fundamental problems I have with Silverchair. Firstly, they've been flogged to death over the past six months. Not only has any fan with a passing interest already caught them playing a massive tour with Powderfinger, all you can find in the music press is Silverchair comment and coverage. But secondly, and more importantly (and this is comment from Australian friends who have followed the entire Daniel Johns career), is that they're not very good.

Musically, it's hard to criticise them, but nothing they really do sets the world alight. And lyrically, whilst many people would suggest John's lyrics are 'insightful' and 'inspired' when you take a long hard look at them, they are actually complete gibberish.

Racing through the void in my head
To find traces of a good luck academy

Something I will never forget
I felt desperate
And stuck to the marrow
Invisible to everyone else
I'm a sex change
And a damsel with no heroine

It's not like it's hard to find hidden meaning - it's impossible. If Rage were Manchester United, then Silverchair are the Brisbane Strikers. And this is the third headline band for the biggest festival in Australia.

Other highlights I stumbled across included Dizee Rascal, south London ragga/hip-hop artist whose show reminded me of watching the Streets a few years back on the same stage.

And Billy Bragg. God bless Billy Bragg. Workers unite. Fight the power. Socialist Worker. And so on. Talented musician, yes. Inspired lyricist, yes. Witty and insightful, yes. But sometimes a bit one dimensional? Sadly, yes.

So I didn't get round to that much at BDO - 5 bands is hardly compulsive festival attendance, but then I do like to make the point of listening to a set from start to finish, instead of walking off half-way through. Either way, unless there's another corking headliner for next year that's worth my $130, I'll be staying at home....

So....WTF are you?

So....WTF are you?
Originally uploaded by eric.genn

Scientists successfully cross a llama with a slug and get this....crikey!

Summerfieldayze Let-Down

Spent yesterday travelling down to Summerfieldayze with a friend Michael, who was nice enough to drive us down there and back. It was my first time at the event and to be honest, I wasn't impressed at all. The problems I have are this:

1) The venue is a total bitch to get to and from. I mean, really awkward and miles from anywhere. Can't park near it, have to wait for buses to ship you to somewhere near where you parked your car. Or you walk for twenty minutes. Just what you need at the start of the day in midday sunshine in the middle of summer. Genius.

2) Food is crap. I mean really crap. I paid $8.00 for some chicken and chips...all cold. I'd pay $10.00 if someone guaranteed me the food was at least hot. Or I could sit down and eat the thing. And it's the same food at every gig. I mean, German sausage? Who cares?

3) The mud. Sure, you can't do much about it when it's been raining for 10 days straight...but you can find enough matting to cover four stages...how about a bit more to at least make some paths about the place?

4) The line-up. Okay so I'm not down with all the dance music these days but lets look at the big names: David Guetto, Benny Benassi, De La Soul, New Young Pony Club - the event turns over nearly $2.5million in ticket sales (not including the Vodafone sponsorship) and that's the best they could do?

5) $9 for a Smirnoff Black? PLEASE. Wholesale price of a carton of Black is about $60. which says $6.5 profit per can. Sure they have to pay people to serve the stuff, but that's just madness.

6) De La Soul were good...but as a stage act? It could have been anyone up there. No show, no nothing. And a 70 minute set? Of which 10 minutes was intro...and another 10 was Joel TUrner.

It's the same with Big Day Out - there's 50,000 people going just to see Rage Against The Machine - and without them on the line-up the list looks pretty ordinary. Silverchair? They've just played the hell out of Australia three months ago so who cares?

Vanilla Ice: Live at BBQ Breaks, Brisbane, New Years Day 2008

Vanilla Ice: Live at BBQ Breaks, Brisbane, New Years Day 2008
Originally uploaded by Carbon Images

You can say what you want, or joke all you like, but does this man know how to put on a show or what? I took LOTS of photos of Mr. Ice doing his set, which of course included all the classics and a much harder version of 'Ice Ice Baby' (release it dude!) and this is just the first of them. With any luck he'll like them so much I'll get to be his official tour photographer next time he's in Australia.

Anyway, a great set and hats off to the man for being who he is, and doing what he does, and not really giving a toss what anyone else thinks about him.

A Prediction for 2008

"According to holiday numbers released by Neilsen Soundscan, physical album sales were down 21.4 percent from last year. The drop is the latest indication of the spectacular decline of the music industry’s ability to move albums.

Many in the industry will shake angry fists of blame at Online piracy, but, as Ars points out, the fact that Josh Groban’s “Noel” was the highest selling album of the year speaks volumes. In summary: the music industry needs to focus more on making better music and work on becoming more progressive so that it can better fulfill consumers’ tastes."

This appeared in a newsletter I subscribe to today and leads the way to one of my predictions for 2008 - less shit music.

It can't be long before the nails start getting hammered into the album format. A number of bands - Ash for one - have stopped releasing albums, and moved to a progressive single-by-single pattern for releasing their music. This does what the public have been screaming out for decades - it removes the necessity to pay for what is essentially 'filler'.

There are very few albums that you can genuinely say have a full line-up of top quality tracks - 'Nevermind' might be one you point to. BUt there have been far too many that have had the higher numbers on the track listing stuffed with mediocre rubbish in order to fill-up a CD.

Now its time for the consumer to fight/bite back....and hopefully this sort of movement will take with it the dire rubbish that is churned out by the Pop Idol franchises of this world...