Wednesday, 12 August 2009
Saturday, 25 April 2009
Mobile Phone Companies are Shit
I'd like everyone to know that at this point in time he has no mobile phone. This is because he was too slow to transfer the number. I'll let you know when I have a new phone, apparently Virgin think I'm dodgy and need me to fax all sorts of jizzjazz to get the new account. Clearly I can't do that today, so it'll have to wait til Monday. Because the service person I spoke to this afternoon only works weekends, she won't get around to it until next Friday. So I'll be phoneless for some time.
Surprisingly, or not, this level of customer service is actually better than what I am used to at 3 mobile. So I guess the lesson to be learned is that mobile phone companies are on the same level as overweight personal trainers. My experience thus far is not particularly nice for someone who has spent the last ten years or so learning how to control his anger and not explode at the drop of a hat.
Surprisingly, or not, this level of customer service is actually better than what I am used to at 3 mobile. So I guess the lesson to be learned is that mobile phone companies are on the same level as overweight personal trainers. My experience thus far is not particularly nice for someone who has spent the last ten years or so learning how to control his anger and not explode at the drop of a hat.
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
Improper use of Chinese characters
I haven't been addding a great deal of orginal material here lately, but I have found a few things that I like, including this blog which is a real guide to the China craze that's sweeping the Western world.
Monday, 6 April 2009
Consumerism and toasters
Sunday, 29 March 2009
Earth Hour
When we first moved in together, my partner and I decided to make an effort at saving power and water. Admittedly this was driven by economic interests as much as environmental concern. All incandescent light bulbs were changed to energy saving bulbs and a bucket was placed in the shower. When the water from the bucket wasn't being used to flush the toilet, it was used for watering the small number of pot plants dotted about our little garden.
When our first housemate moved out, another couple, who we had known previously, moved into the front room. We got our first shock when we woke up one morning to find that some of the houselights had been left blazing all night. We put this down to them coming from a one bedroom flat and not having to worry about lights in other rooms. But it soon became apparent that electricity was simply not a concern at all. Whenever they leave the house, the bedside lamp and sometimes the television remains on. The male of the couple will often have every light in the house on when he is at home alone, rather than turning lights on and off as he needs them.
They also do not recycle. Considering that most Australian households have been recycling for at least fifteen years, we found their lack of knowledge quite astounding. After an intial aversion, thinking it an invasion of privacy, we took to going through the rubbish bin and sorting out the recyclable items. They had been living with us for about two moths when I bought a worm farm. Needless to say, this resulted in more bin diving as my partner and I searched not only for bottles, cans, and paper, but also for food scraps that should have gone in with the other compostables.
Six months after they moved in, we installed a water-saving showerhead. This was met with a cavalcade of complaints about the showerhead being "needlely" and no concern was shown for the amount of water that could be saved over the course of a lengthy shower.
Last night Earth Hour happened at 8:30. What was the result of Earth Hour? Did anyone learn anything? No. Earth Hour can only be of any use with the support of a continued education campaign. People like my housemates are so unaware of environmental issues in general that one grand gesture and one that, depending on where you were last night, you may not have even particpated in, cannot change people's perspectives on environmental issues in one fell swoop. In order for real impact to be made on people's resource consuming habits education and leadership needs to be shown by administration. Water tanks must be installed on large buildings, particularly those paid for by the public purse; sewerage needs to be recycled to a drinkable level; and power needs to be generated in a renewable fashion. Only by taking these measures and combining it with a sustained education campaign can we make water and power conservation a central and meaningful issue for people who would other wise take no notice of it. Morevover, these changes need to be supported by a sustained education campaign that constantly reminds us of the problems that await us if we do not change the worst of our habits.
This cannot be done with a single hour of minimal power use. Earth Hour is a grand gesture, but ultimately, it means nothing.
When our first housemate moved out, another couple, who we had known previously, moved into the front room. We got our first shock when we woke up one morning to find that some of the houselights had been left blazing all night. We put this down to them coming from a one bedroom flat and not having to worry about lights in other rooms. But it soon became apparent that electricity was simply not a concern at all. Whenever they leave the house, the bedside lamp and sometimes the television remains on. The male of the couple will often have every light in the house on when he is at home alone, rather than turning lights on and off as he needs them.
They also do not recycle. Considering that most Australian households have been recycling for at least fifteen years, we found their lack of knowledge quite astounding. After an intial aversion, thinking it an invasion of privacy, we took to going through the rubbish bin and sorting out the recyclable items. They had been living with us for about two moths when I bought a worm farm. Needless to say, this resulted in more bin diving as my partner and I searched not only for bottles, cans, and paper, but also for food scraps that should have gone in with the other compostables.
Six months after they moved in, we installed a water-saving showerhead. This was met with a cavalcade of complaints about the showerhead being "needlely" and no concern was shown for the amount of water that could be saved over the course of a lengthy shower.
Last night Earth Hour happened at 8:30. What was the result of Earth Hour? Did anyone learn anything? No. Earth Hour can only be of any use with the support of a continued education campaign. People like my housemates are so unaware of environmental issues in general that one grand gesture and one that, depending on where you were last night, you may not have even particpated in, cannot change people's perspectives on environmental issues in one fell swoop. In order for real impact to be made on people's resource consuming habits education and leadership needs to be shown by administration. Water tanks must be installed on large buildings, particularly those paid for by the public purse; sewerage needs to be recycled to a drinkable level; and power needs to be generated in a renewable fashion. Only by taking these measures and combining it with a sustained education campaign can we make water and power conservation a central and meaningful issue for people who would other wise take no notice of it. Morevover, these changes need to be supported by a sustained education campaign that constantly reminds us of the problems that await us if we do not change the worst of our habits.
This cannot be done with a single hour of minimal power use. Earth Hour is a grand gesture, but ultimately, it means nothing.
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
CPRS Australia
The above video explains why we as Australians need to place pressure on our federal government to take more stringent action on climate change. Join a grassroots activist group e.g. YCAN write to your local member or parliament whether state or federal and get your voice heard!
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