http://www.radzster.net rants, raves and random thoughts Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:25:12 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Great article by Matthew Magain! Looks like I've managed all but number 2 (use green hosting) and half of number 7 (not sure I'm using energy-efficient power boards). For the full list of his top 10 tips on going for green tech, www.sitepoint.com/article/ten-tips-greener-web-designer If anyone has suggestions on a good green hosting provider ... http://www.radzster.net/10-tips-on-being-a-greener-web-designer/ The first "Plant a Tree Day" was organised back in 1996 and has grown to become one of Australia's biggest and most popular environment awareness campaigns. Join a tree planting group in your local area this Sunday, 27 July, and help plant more native trees in your beautiful country's "backyard". You can ... http://www.radzster.net/plant-a-tree-day/ Olive Riley passed away over the weekend. She was Australia's oldest blogger and an absolute treasure, always uplifting: never give up... and "smile, smile, smile". A fresh and chirpy sheila at the wise old age of 108... Safe travels Olive! I did a little post about "Elders" a while back which ... http://www.radzster.net/ode-to-olive/ As I am currently playing around with a few free CMS options for a personal project, one already seems to stick out because of it's sheer "awesomeness": SilverStripe (another reason to invade New Zealand!). So, I thought I'd just quickly share my enthusiasm for this "greater good" piece of kit. Having experienced ... http://www.radzster.net/silverstripe-open-source-free-cms/ A couple of weeks ago we visited Moreton Island, near Brisbane, just off the Queensland coast. During a guided tour of the island, we were told a few "yarns" about the island's history, including one about how this beautiful island was once an Australian whale hunting station. You might think this ... http://www.radzster.net/australias-whale-hunting-past/ I was recently asked why I "fail" to use meaningful/useful category labels on this blog. Well, because this is a personal blog with no commercial intent whatsoever, and I happen to have a broad spectrum of interests, so I would have to create dozens of categories, which would not only take ... http://www.radzster.net/why-no-meaningful-useful-category-labels/ I had an interesting wayfinding experience the other day. Using Nokia Maps on my "trusty" Nokia N95 GPS enabled smart phone, I tried to find my way to an important meeting somewhere in the Sydney harbour area. From my, "ground level" perspective, I seemed to count more piers along the way ... http://www.radzster.net/wayfinding-with-nokia-maps/ I couldn't resist... What was I thinking! Just checked out the line-up for Rock Werchter 2008, and it is possibly one of the best Summer festival line-ups ever! Herman, you did it again... Slight problem. I'm living in Australia, and no chance of just hopping on a plane to catch my Summer ... http://www.radzster.net/rock-werchter-2008/ Symbian must be one of the worst operating systems ever. The way the items and folders are grouped and labeled is beyond me. You have to drill down so many levels, it's ridiculous. I'm obviously a complete moron, because I can't find a quick way to set an alarm ... http://www.radzster.net/i-hate-my-nokia-n95/ Having a "Will Smith" moment: "I have GOT to get me one of these!" Ok, moodboards are not exactly as exciting as alien space craft, but hey... don't dis it till you've done it. It's mainly used as a design tool; to collect and arrange images, textures, colours... etc. to "visually kick-start the brain". But ... http://www.radzster.net/moodboards/ Who doesn't love to take in a beautiful sunset? This is a recent one - Moreton Island Just off the coast from Brisbane, Queensland - Australia You can just make out the silhouettes of the Glasshouse Mountains. Champagne and birthday wishes thrown in to memorize the event... Gorgious! http://www.radzster.net/sunset/ Lately I've been listening to the motion picture soundtrack from Tom Barman's "Any Way The Wind Blows" a lot. This has to be my absolute, favourite compilation / movie soundtrack! Just check out the track listing below... It reminds me of hot Summer days... in Antwerp. Ah,... good times. The days of the Pacific Club... Where everyone ... http://www.radzster.net/any-way-the-wind-blows/ I love birthdays. They're the perfect day to be totally selfish. Take the day off and indulge in what you love. Whether it's shopping, eating, sharing, daydreaming... or cleaning. It doesn't matter. It's YOUR DAY! Have your cake and eat it. http://www.radzster.net/birthdays/ Living on the other side of the world from my family and friends can be tough. And I have regularly felt very homesick these last months, missing those I left behind... But,... this month has something special in store. My little sis is hopping over for a working holiday down under, and I can't wait ... http://www.radzster.net/family/ "Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art" ~ Eleanor Roosevelt I used to "granny sit" while I was at school. This meant I had to keep an elderly lady company in the evenings, prep her dinner, help her get around her apartment and ... http://www.radzster.net/elders/ Another little trip. Another one to tick off my list: The Great Ocean Road (GOR) and the Twelve Apostles (or what's left of them), in Victoria, Australia. One of the most spectacular coastlines in the world. This is a picture my hubby took at the very touristy Twelve Apostles stop (think buss-loads). We were actually ... http://www.radzster.net/the-great-ocean-road/ Was able to "tick off" one of my many "Things to do before you... move on" list: whale watching! What an amazing experience! Right off the coast here in Sydney, the humpbacks make their annual journey between the warm waters south of Papua New Guinea and Antarctica. They are so inquisitive... ... http://www.radzster.net/whale-watching-off-sydney-heads/ I have never really posted much online... because I have a slight aversion to "putting myself out there". So, the only times I have had enough motivation to write, is when I got all fired up about something and just wanted to have a good rant... But hey, that's not particularly ... http://www.radzster.net/crowd-farming/ Remembering the good times with my little sis, enjoying the numerous music festival we are treated to in Belgium and the rest of Europe, does not exactly make me feel happy... Here I am on the other side of the world,... unable to "attend" this year... Feeling a bit gloomy. But hey! ... http://www.radzster.net/summer-music-festivals/ I have a little pocket sized version of this interior design book "Pure Style", by Jane Cumberbatch, and it is the only interior design book I decided to ship to the other side of the world, when we moved from Belgium to Australia... The style is so simple and inexpensive. Just ... http://www.radzster.net/sanctuary/ Ah... bushwalking. A good reminder of why we love living in this gorgeous country called Australia... We are never more than an hour's drive away from a decent speck of bush here. I'm always up for a healthy, brisk walk and a close encounter with nature... Waterfalls are a nice surprise. You ... http://www.radzster.net/bushwalking/ I have something with water... Not quite sure what, but the idea of living on a houseboat seems very appealing to me. Perhaps it's because it puts you closer to nature? I don't know. How about... the movement of the water, the small and neatly organised space, the sense that you are ... http://www.radzster.net/living-on-a-houseboat/ Yesterday there was quite a bit of polemics about the fact that the organisers of the Big Day Out (BDO) festivals had recently banned depictions of the Australian flag (not just flags, also bandana's etc.), because at the Sydney event last year a group of people had forced passers by ... http://www.radzster.net/australian-flag-banned/ One of my favourite little treats is a "broodje Camenbertje", or a Camenbert sandwich roll. Hmm... come to think of it, it's been quite a while since I've had one. Think I'll just pop out to the shops to get me some good quality French cheese, some delicious buns, "runny ... http://www.radzster.net/broodje-camenbertje/ My favourite day of the week... Why? Because of a little poem my grandfather once taught me: "Oh donderdag, oh donderdag, de schoonste dag der dagen... 's Morgens nog een halve week, en 's Avonds maar twee dagen..." Ehm,... my English translation can not possibly do it justice, but I'll have a go: "Oh Thursday, oh Thursday, most ... http://www.radzster.net/thursday/ This is one of my favourite websites. It's been developed for UPM, and is definitely worth the wait. Get yourself a cup of tea while it's downloading... put your speakers on... click your heals and experience a virtual wander through a luscious, green, peaceful Finland forest. Discover the wildlife, listen ... http://www.radzster.net/wander-through-a-scandinavian-forest-online/ Came across Steve Jobs's 2005 Stanford Commencement Address. He tells you 3 stories from his life... Very touching and inspirational. Definitely worth watching! {This article was moved here from another blog platform and has been “pre-dated” in WordPress to preserve chronology.} http://www.radzster.net/steve-jobs-stanford-commencement-address/