THIS IS WHY Flickr ROCKS

This is why Flickr rocks. I'm always encouraging people to open a Flickr account for their pics and then to go exploring the site for all it has to offer. This is when you'll dicover awesome stuff like this. (Stuff like this is why I turn the TV off and go websploring)

Tired Hands has taken some old family (I think) photos and then revisited the places they were originally shot (often now abandoned homes) and then....well you can work it out yourself. I'll post one set here and then click here and start moving through them yourself using the thumbnails right side of page, don't forget to click the original link at the bottom of each pic. It gives a real sense of things lost, a past that's gone forever.

Oh and go sign up to Flickr....ok?!

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LA MIA CASA E LA TUA CASA

An interview with Richard Mosse over at bldgblog, about his new work, photographs of Saddam Hussein's palaces. Some very cool shots.

These extraordinary images—published here for the first time—show the imperial palaces of Saddam Hussein converted into temporary housing for the U.S military. Vast, self-indulgent halls of columned marble and extravagant chandeliers, surrounded by pools, walls, moats, and, beyond that, empty desert, suddenly look more like college dormitories. Weight sets, flags, partition walls, sofas, basketball hoops, and even posters of bikini'd women have been imported to fill Saddam's spatial residuum. The effect is oddly decorative, as if someone has simply moved in for a long weekend, unpacking an assortment of mundane possessions. The effect is like an ironic form of camouflage, making the perilously foreign seem all the more familiar and habitable—a kind of military twist on postmodern interior design

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YOUR LIFE

Click through the rest, 20 in total. They're pretty cool

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SILVERSUN PICKUPS

Definately my next CD purchase, Silversun Pickups - Swoon

This is a song from it called Panic Switch
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THAT'S A WEDDING CAR # 2

I live near a church, so most weekends I'm lucky enough to see some great and some not so great wedding cars. Sometimes they're classy, other times they're just well, judge for yourself....

The Stretch Hummer

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GUEST CAT BLOGGER - BERNARD

It was the FA cup final last night and another human joined those who feed me. Here is a picture of me watching him, watching me, watching him. Humans can be creepy at times.

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NICK CAVES RED RIGHT HAND SHOW

Slipped into the Nick Cave Exhibition at the Perth Museum today. I was a tad underwhelmed. I'm not sure what I was really expecting...don't get me wrong there were some really interesting bits, like when you leave and the TV sets with static interspersed with clips of Nick performing in various bands of his past.

But

I'm not sure if it was that there were too many people in there for me to concentrate on any one thing or if I just am not that interested in framed typed lyric lists and photos I've seen so many times already. I get what they are trying to do but for me it just didn't gel. Still it was free and interesting so who am I to complain.

I had to laugh at this though....

See it? Yep, maybe it was meant to be ironic.

This fake stained glass window outside the exhibition was pretty cool, I think the lioness likes it, well she wouldn't stop staring at it. I would have taken more photos but a large sign saying no photography greets you as you enter :sad face:
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HOMETIME

A fast and furious 2 and a half days of jetting around the country and interviewing potential employees has finally come to an end. As tiring as it was I did enjoy it and we had some good results so it was worth it.

Managed a much better seat for the 5 hour haul from Brisbane to Perth which was great. I usually refrain from eating airline food but 5 hours was just too long a space of time so I indulged...

Yeah that reads good (above) but the reality was far from that (below)

- this bits for Tiff -

Adam is suitably unimpressed with his food as well



Spectacular views of the South Oz coastline and some intense cloud cover

Finally approaching Perth, to be greeted by half empty dams....

....and fires in the hills, although I'm thinking CALM burn offs.

Destination - that flat strip top middle of pic

The hills as we come into land

Good to be home. The Nick Cave exhibition awaits woohoo
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DEATH BY CHILLI

A huge day today. Swung out of Adelaide this morning and touched down in Sydney for another job applicant interview. As Adam has a Platinum QANTAS frequent flyer card and I only have a lowly gold one he was kind enough to guest me into the Platinum club.

A definite cut above the usual QANTAS club lounge. We were hideously under dressed in jeans, runners and T's and the youngest in the room by about 15 years but meh, sucks to be them. Got the interview out of the way and then spent the next few hours waiting for our flight to Brisbane by spotting B and C grade celebrities in the lounge. There was that hairdresser to the stars dude and the dude who collapses in Sydney parks with "stuff"in his pockets oh and Neil Perry (he's a chef ya know).

After that it was onto Brisbane for the serious interviewing stage and now I'm pretty shattered and in need of sleep. No bath in this room so no luxury tonight. Sampled some local Asian food a bit ago, lil Singapore, where the service was beyond atrocious but the food was great. Although considering how hungry we were I think anything would have tasted good tonight. Perth tomorrow, oh and please pray that I don't get sandwiched next to an obese ass wipe on this flight like I did this afternoon. man there are simply some people in this world who should be removed from society. What a jerk, but that's another story

How deadly does that dipping sauce look? Pure pureed chilli with a dash of soy....oh the pain.

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ADELAIDE TOWN

Arrived in Adelaide today as part of my 3 state, 3 city whirlwind tour of Australia in under 50 hours. I like to set myself challenges from time to time. Well it's work related actually and I am trying to get it all done as quick as possible, should be interesting and hopefully fun. Pretty good so far.

Hotel is great, Majestic Roof Garden Hotel, right in the heart of the city and really nice rooms, I even have a bath which is a rare treat for me and I'll be diving in shortly. I wonder if there's bubble bath. Just noticed this place on their web site, Majestic Minima Hotel, looks great, very compact and a great price*. Maybe next time.

Walked out of the hotel this afternoon to this statement, missed it by 3 weeks I guess....

Managed to fit in the Adelaide Museum this afternoon, in particular the Indigenous Cultures Exhibition. Some great stuff in this collection and some....um....interesting stuff.

I for one do not see the comfort in using one of these, give me a pillow any day.

I shudder when I see stuff like this, thankfully we've moved on from "encouraging" reenactments like this

I had to laugh at this description of Beatrice Blackwood, "A naturally Strong Constitution" is this 19th century speak for for tomboy/lesbian? Or did we just not believe woman could act independently and endure hardship? Again thankfully we've moved on from this kind of bollocks.

These were the coolest of everything, spears with points made from Obsidian. So cool.

Tomorrow I'm on my way to Sydney where I will be interviewing potential employees in the QANTAS club lounge before jumping on another flight to Brisbane. Good times. Who am I kidding, I'm gonna be fairly knackered by the end of tomorrow :sigh:

*no I do not get a commission for recommending this, ha, I just think it's pretty cool and I like to share.

THE ART OF SEDUCTION

There is so much awesomeness in this clip I just don't know where to begin. There's a little something in here for all of us I think. I am so moving to Detroit haha.

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OLD PERTH # 5

When I was a kid, one of the highlights of a trip along the Kwinana freeway at night was seeing the ships made of lights on the old Swan Brewery. There were two, in the set the Endeavour and a cruise ship - QEII?? - not sure. We used to count the seconds between the change of patterns, no idea what that total was now though.

In the late 80's, whilst we held the Americas cup, they added Australia II to the set

All gone now, I doubt the people living in the apartments they've built there would approve of a few hundred light bulbs flashing in front of their windows all night.
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IT'S JACKSONS TIME

Dinner at Jackson's Restaurant again this weekend, Maccas belated birthday celebration. I truly love this restaurant and have only ever felt slightly let down twice after eating there and both times I've felt let down were times when I didn't have the Dego menu. The first time this happened was my first ever visit to Jacksons and the second was last night.

Don't get me wrong, it was still a notch above most other restaurants in Perth but it just didn't quite do it for me this time. Little things like the overpowering sorbet between starters and mains, more like a dessert than a palate cleanser and the Partridge I had for main course was just lacking a little something....flavour. It def needed some more.

But a great night, good company, good wines, good service and for the most part good food. Can't wait for the next visit. I'm off to Balthazars on Tuesday night. Two of Perth's best in a week, what a week.

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THE DEVIL PLUS ONE

6666

A momentous occasion occurred last night, my odometer clicked over to 6666. Yep incredible I know. You're stunned aren't you. Fortunately for you I had a phone cam on hand to take a pic of the event as it unfolded.

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BOGGED REDUX

Cheers to Reb for sending this my way. It's almost as if this song was written for me. I think we may have bogged a few more trucks than mentioned in this song but it's close enough.

Click here for the reason why

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Oh and an update on that bog, we got it out the next morning but not before we bogged 1 more vehicle in the attempt. We finally winched it out using one of the emergency rescue trucks....good times

Matty recovering the bits from the bog

EUROVISION 2009

Bit late in posting this but meh. I watched the Eurovision contest whilst I was up north last week and chatted throughout with some friends down in Perth....

Me: why does the Swedish woman look so terrified?

Armenia on stage

Adz: I was gonna say the Greek entry was the best so far but this one...

M: Vampires?? Unsure lol

Russia comes on

M: OMFG is this a communist rally to the collective propaganda song or what the fu...

M: Putin will have her shot

M: The two lesbians last year were much better lol

A: Man, you have to come over next year, Monica is making up the lyrics for each song

M: Hahaha I'm there

A: Damn it!! I traded Azerbaijan with Justin and they show up with this...she has a metal leg FFS!!

M: Oh no look fucking emos

A: Haha...he's far too "into" that guitar.

Moldova comes out dressed in peasant style national costume

M: A young peasant girl from Moldova....

A: Hehe one girls journey from Moldova to Minsk...how was that skirt?!!

A: Consensus here is this ones from Disney...

M: Hahaha

A: But I traded Justin Azerbaijan for this dross, no fireworks, no mid song costume change; Justin wins again :(

M: I fucken love Danish cowboys...

A: Hehe Jacqui asked me why I was stupid enough to buy so many guitars that need plugging in; why didn't I get ones like these guys instead?

M: Haha so true, whoa hang on there's ya fireworks.

Germany's turn

A: !

M: Imagine if we'd lost the war, how would we work in those pants

A: Hahaha

A: I'm up for it....Justin claimed to not know who Dita Von Tease is (his missus is here) Jacqui said "you prob know her as www.celeb...." hahaha cold medicine agrees with my girl

Turkey is on

M: Ahhh Shakira time...

Albania comes out with two short clowns in black, a blue masked man and a 17 year old girl, a very random affair.

A: Midgets!!

M: Winnah!!

Norway the eventual winner appears

M: Ahh great a friggen art student

A: I swear they lobotomise the hosts

Ukraine appears with 3 muscley back up dancers in silver Spartan warrior uniforms

A: Best back up dancers ever!!

M: Yeah but she's 297 short of a winnable force

Romania bursts onto the stage

M" In Romania boob jobs are free

A: God the Brits are boring

M: and we wonder why they came last in 2008

M: This is what happens when you win the war..

A: I mean in this you are ALLOWED to have fireworks, metal pants and gay centurions and this is the best they could do...

M: Hahaha but it is British old boy

Finland comes out with a mix of Vanilla Ice, flames and spandex

M: Yo sup? Flame on biyatches

A: Take that Eminem

Final act...Spain

M: That's a man baby

A: ahahaha

They then cross live to the international space station...wtf?

M: Oh so that's why we have a trillion dollar tube in space and here's me thinking it was for science

A: Half way through that message he should have turned to the window and shouted "WTF was that. Did you see THAT?"

M: Ahahhahaa oh that would have been insanely awesome

A: And your choice sir? I'm thinking Ukraine deserves it for the Spartans

M: Haha sure but methinks maybe France

A: Ahhh and now the yearly exploration of European politics...the voting

A: How is Borat not hosting?

M: Ha he'll be looking for some "sexy time" with a Euro groupie later

M: Russia is screwed, they've invaded way too many former colonies in the past year

M: Screw this the hobbit art student from Norway has it in the bag, I gotta get some sleep, till next year Eurovison

A: Adios Amigo

RANDOM IMAGES # 25

I don't have any words for this picture, I seriously don't. I'll let you work it out*



*Let me in on it when you do
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STUFF I'M DIGGIN # 1

Some cool interactive street art from Berlin.

Jan Vormann once again indulged his passion for Plastic! This time, in Berlin, he "dispatched" mostly holes that remained from the World War II.

It kind of has a child helping his dad build a house feel to it don't you think? I wonder what would happen if I did this here in Perth, ha, I'd just get arrested by the fun nazis and charged with making too much fun.

More pics here and the link above ^
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GI JOE IT AINT

When I was a kidlet the dolls were different. I had a kind of GI Joe action man doll and I'm pretty sure my sister had a few imitation Barbies. Childlike curiosity naturally led to the disrobing of said dolls to investigate the shape of their genitalia. We were always met with a mound. Yes a mound, it appears that dolls back then were sans genitalia. And somehow in retrospect we were glad of it.

Well not so much these days. I was over at a buddys' house a few weeks back for an evening of beer, Thai food and English/Scottish Premier league football. Naturally after a few ales it was time to head to the bathroom where I was met with this....

Sober this would have required a double take, slightly impaired it was well, just freaky. Even the outy belly button (I think Barbie had a belly button but GI Joe just had a shrapnel wound) is on display. Well his kids are if anything way better informed on human anatomy that I ever was at that age.

NATURE ROCKS

I saw some pretty cool stuff today. 20 Caterpillars linked head to bum to form a chain about a metre and a bit long. At first glance I thought it was a thin snake but then I realised it was actually way cooler. Yes snakes are cool.

Next up we found two piles of white river pebbles under a tree. In between them was a pile of sticks. It's a Bower bird nest, the male Bower bird collects pretty things and lays them in front of his nests to attract lady Bower birds, then when she is suitably impressed by his pretty things she enters his bed of sticks and they get their groove on. Awesome.

The nest above has collapsed so here's a pic of an intact one

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SAVE A DAYLIGHT A DAY

I'm watching the daylight referendum results over at the ABC and it's looking like a defeat for the Yes vote. I voted Yes so I'm a tad disappointed, but I'm not really perplexed either way. I think I voted this way just so I wouldn't be associated with some of the insane arguments against it.

I've been trawling the comments section over at Perth Now and they are hilarious, but not just the No sayers, some of the Yes sayers have no idea as well. Here's a selection of the best and I know it's heavily weighted to No comments but they are the greater in number and the funnier....

(Spelling and grammar errors not mine)

The beauty of Western Australia is , that we are different. An elite race ( of all races) unique to this corner of the planet. People come here for a slow down of their lives......and when they have enough , they leave. ...some of you have overstayed your welcome.......LEAVE.
Posted by: Evilbunny of Mandurah (country)

Oh thank you Evilbunny, I now know where I can get one of those "Fuck off we're full stickers" it's Mandurah.

who on earth wants to get up an hour earlier just to go to work!!
Posted by: im not getting up an hour earlier to go to work!!

Um, you really haven't grasped this issue all that well have you, pretty sure that if you get up at say 7am for work without DLS then you'll also get up at 7am with DLS. But hey you're boss will be impressed if you keep rockin in early I'm sure.

well if the No vote gets over the line I recon the stupid politician to who brings on the notion of another referrendum pays for it out of his own god danm pocket what an absolute waste of time and my god damn taxes!!! what a bunch of morons we have running this state!!!

Posted by: NIcky

Yeah I hear ya NIcky with a capital I, it is expensive, but to be fair the morons running this state didnt organise this one, it was the previous government who I'm assuming you voted for. So steady there, best to know who is spending your "goddamn" taxes...I recon

vote No or your off peak power rate (which is about 1/4 of peak) would be at 10pm. $$$$ better in my pocket

Posted by: BB of Perth

erm howdy BB, good point, money is better in your own pocket but alas I have to flop you into the "I don't really understand this issue" basket. You see 9pm will still be 9pm and the off peak time will still be 9pm because believe it or not the electricity companies have to move their clocks too....I know!! freaky huh?

Just mark a big cross for a NO when you vote like i did enough said!

Posted by: Mark of bunbury

Hi Mark, you're one of my favs, mostly because you're encouraging all the No voters to cast an invalid vote. So thanks for not actually writing NO and putting the invalid X. PS are you a pirate? Cos I believe most pirates sign their names with an X, if you are you're pretty cool in my book.

I hope all the people who vote NO today will spend an hour with their children before they go to work each day. We love spending time doing things with the children at night-time and sadly they will have an hour less quality family time if the No voters get their way.
Posted by: sphynx

Awww spynx, I had such high hopes for you. But you're going into that basket as well. I'm sad that you'll be losing an hour a night with your kids.....um hang on, is the day 23 hours long without DLS or is it 23 hours long without it? Damn I'm confused.

I can only tune chicks when the sun goes down, it must be some phsycological thing so I will be voting no. I hate having to wait that extra hour.

Posted by: Tuner Boy of North Perth

Tuner boy you are my hero ahahahahahaha

Having the sun up an extra hour is not going to help the global warming issue we have. Antartica is already melting at an alarming rate, the extra hour of sunlight is going to cause huge problems for Antartica.

Posted by: Lisa of Balga

I think Lisa of Balga is taking the piss, god help us all if she isn't. She is isn't she? Isn't she....?

i voted NO, 3 referendums everyone said no, and we get enough sun as it is the sun sets over the coast not the mountains, and the ballot paper is unfair anyway, to hot, to sunny, i heard one lady say that she cant go out at night, if you want to go out at nightthere is street lights and night time isnt until the sun goes down anyway, qld dont have it and they manage fine:) the sun goes to bed like 8pm in summer anyway without daylight savings, we do more buisness with ASIA and since when does over east change there clocks for us? no mountains means more sun anyway,

Posted by: Reece of Perth

Oh dear, oh dear Reece. What are these magical mystical mountains that are big enough to block out the curvature of the planet that you speak of? Although your idea of making the eastern states change their clocks to suit us is interesting. So they'd need to put their clocks back 2 hours, I'm sure they'll love it being pitch black at 8am not to mention daylight at 10pm, sheesh I should move there.

I voted YES - to get rid of the great Australian icon - the noisy - squawking crows at 4am in the summer months!! For god sake, you must be mad if you like them outside your window. After living here for 15 years i now know why Aussie woman speak with such a high pitch squeal - its listening to the crows, blackbirds, ravens, whatever they are called from the moment they are born!! Go on, listen to the crows and compare them to the Aussie women, bizarre, they are identical!
Posted by: Jay

A very wise move not posting your suburb there Jay, geez I hope you didn't move here to marry an Aussie girl ;)

Can I save up all my extra hours and take a few days off at the end of Daylight Saving? Hahah
Posted by: Dacky of Country

Yes Dacky YOU can hahaha

Typical City Slickers. VOTE NO for your future's sake. How about these MORONIC cityslickers that know very little or nothing about the country consider this. Where does all your food come from? Exactly. The country. So vote no in order to keep alive (the farmers shouldn't supply these idiots who ruin their livelihoods with food that'll teach them.)
Posted by: daylight saving rott in hell

Yeah they should just ruin their livelihoods by cutting out their biggest market. brillaint tactics, a career in the defence forces awaits YOU!

Perth people are stupid.............................
Posted by: the rest of Australia is laughing at ya

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POOPER JUICE

My sleepy half closed eyes read this as "pooper juice" at breakfast yesterday. Ha!


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DROP BY FOR AN UPDATE

You may have missed a few things over at YeLPanorama or not. Only you really truly know.

THE BREAKUP POST

Life deals you cards, some you play others you flip. Some you wish you had never played, others you wish you hadn't tossed, I mean what if.......huh, what if?

So I've ended IT and IT had so much potential.

Why end it?

It's complicated.

Short answer - It just wasn't going to work, we weren't going to work. At least not the way we/she/I wanted it to work and not all of it caused by us, other things/stuff played into this.

Long answer - you don't get it, I don't want to share it.

This girl....ahhh this girl, you should meet her - you should know her. I have, I do and so I win.

And sadly this is the only time she will be on here on this speaker box on this fucking appendage of me. I know I said you wouldn't be on here but I feel the need tonight. I know you wont mind, not now, not after everything

Now at the risk of sounding anymore fucking emo than I am right now I will end this self indulgent dribble, my apologies, I rarely do this but this time....

WHAT A DAY

I'm pretty exhausted and finally clean. An hour ago I was covered in mud, now only the floor of my room is (must sweep that up...meh tomorrow).

It all started well enough, a survey down by the Fortescue Marsh and a great BBQ lunch in a creek bed.

After that it was all downhill. I made the brilliantly awesome decision to show my new assistant Kate the water in the Fortescue Marsh. It doesn't fill up all that often so it's a rare sight. Hey we were only 500m or so from it so why not huh? So off we cruise when all of a sudden I notice the track getting soft and slippery and then bam, I'm stuck in the mud.

I call up the other vehicle to come and pull my sorry arse out of this mess, they arrive and back in slowly trying not to get stuck but to no avail as they too soon become stuck in this hellish stuff. A phone call to head office enlists the help of 4 other vehicles who should make it before the sun goes down in an hour. 30 minutes later they arrive. The first car for a reason known only to the driver decides to reverse in as well butturns around on the soft part of the track and well yes you saw this coming didn't you. Stuck hard in the mud.

If you look closely at this pic you can see all 3 of the bogged cars

So this is just friggen awesome stuff, I wondered if it was at all possible to get all 6 cars stuck in this crap. Well we came close as two of the vehicles pulling ours out managed to get bogged as well and had to be rescued.

And just in time, as the sun was well and truly on its' way down. Oh and just to make it an awesomely awesome day the car in front of me gets a flat tyre. Always great fun changing tyres in the dark.

I am so looking forward to climbing into my bed in a few minutes time.

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