More Esperance Star Pictures
Posted by Ray @ 1:25 pmThe DVD containing the rest of the Esperance Star photos arrived. So here’s another gorgeous picture-laden post of underwater life!
Graced by the presence of a celebrity
Kenny from South Park decided to pay us a visit, and wish us luck for the coming dive. Shortly after this photograph a freak lightning bolt hit him, throwing him into the open sea, where he was devoured by sharks. Poor Kenny…
Let’s play spot-the-fish…
Can you see it? It’s a flounder, expertly camouflaged in the sand.
Why Comedy is Good
Posted by Ray @ 4:43 pmSee, there’s this guy called Jack Thompson, and he’s made me pretty mad.
The guy blames video games for inciting violent crimes. He calls Grand Theft Auto (GTA) a “cop-killing murder simulator” that “trains murderers”. He’s suing Electronic Arts, the publishers of The Sims 2, because he believes The Sims 2 is pornographic.
No, seriously - he says that when your Sims make out, naked, underneath that mosaic blur is an anatomically correct human being, with “full frontal nudity, including nipples, penises, labia and pubic hair”.
That’s an absolute lie; the Sims are like Ken- and Barbie-dolls underneath. Unfazed, our intrepid lawyer claims that you can download third-party mods to fix this obvious omission, and that Electronic Arts is… wait for it… conspiring with the porn industry to corrupt children’s minds.
Dude. For goodness’ sake, it’s the Sims.
Our dear Jack Thompson’s latest shenanigan is what he calls his “modest video game proposal“. I have linked the details of his “game proposal”, because it disgusts me, and I don’t want to write all the details down here.
The gist of it is, his main character goes on a killing spree in an environment loosely based on real life. (As an example, one of the victims of this spree is “Paula Eibel”, CEO of a company called “Take This”. The company that made Grand Theft Auto in the real world is called Take Two. Its CEO is Paul Eibeler.)
If anyone made his game, he, Jack Thompson, would donate US$ 10,000 to charity.
Of course, when somebody actually went and made it, the despicable bastard went back on his word. This crook dangled $10,000 in front of charity and withdrew it. What kind of sad, twisted individual goes back on his word on something like this?
Wanting a little cheering, I went over to Penny Arcade, and was not disappointed in the least. I had a real good laugh, feeling tons better over this whole issue. The chilling effect this hack is bound to have on the games industry is deeply disturbing, but for a brief moment there was genuine mirth in the situation.
And that, people, is why comedy is good.
- The guys at Penny Arcade decided they’d be men about things, and have donated $10,000 to the ESA foundation, an organisation that gives to various children’s foundations. Go visit Penny Arcade, give ‘em some traffic, buy some of their swag. At least click on an ad on their page, you can’t be that lazy, right?
- Jack Thompson has since wrote a letter demanding the arrest of Gabe and Tycho, the creators of Penny Arcade (scroll down for the link). Way to go, Jack.
Back once again
Posted by Zeng @ 12:52 am
Lady Musgrave Island
Posted by Ray @ 9:33 amSo I spent 5D/4N on the M.V. Esperance Star. We went out to Lady Musgrave Island, which is a National Park some 60 miles off the east coast of Australia.
Musgrave is one of the most gorgeous things I’ve ever seen; blue skies and ocean for 360 degrees all around you, some of the clearest waters you’ve ever been in (visibility was about 18metres), dolphins frolicking in the waters next to you as we chugged along from dive site to dive site… this is the life, people.
Couple the surroudings with good food, good company, excellent weather and lots and lots of diving, and you have the most well-spent AUS$550 ever.
But I digress. There are photos to show off!
Wishing you were here
Posted by Ray @ 5:27 pm(Long-ish post. To compensate for the gobs of text, there will be purty pictures.)
Spent the last 6D/5N on a trip to Hervey Bay and Fraser Island. I’ll skip the beautiful lookout from the Glasshouse Mountains, because pretty as they were, they’re nothing compared to…
Whale-watching
Every year, thousands of Southern Humpback whales migrate north from the cold waters of Antarctica to give birth to their young in warmer climates. They stay down there because of an abundance of their food supply, but they come up to give birth because their young have not had time to develop the thick layer of blubber necessary to survive the freezing waters near the south pole.
On their way back south, they often take a pit-stop at Platypus Bay, an area that’s protected by Fraser Island to the east, and the Australian mainland to the west and south. There, boat operators take people like me right up to these giant, acrobatic creatures as they frolick and play in the shallow, warm waters of the bay.
And oh, how they play!
An unfortunate naming
Posted by Ray @ 8:38 amA typhoon that just hit Taiwan is heading for China.
It’s named… wait for it… Longwang.
I can just see the headlines now: “Longwang Ravages Taiwan, Eyes China”.
I mean no disrespect to the 34 people killed in Taiwan, and my condolences go out to the family and friends of the loved ones so killed. I do, however, suggest they fire the guy who names the Typhoons.
Photos of … here..
Posted by Zeng @ 2:17 amWell Ray has been putting up many photos of his mm MUNDANE life over at downunder , I guess its my time to contribute to it hehe.
Ah lovely view outside from a taxi
Kids eye view…im so jealous.
Thats my feet, its big and Im wearing osiris shoes (Sk8ter!). Love the light.
r e t r o
Squarebrains’ New Girl
Posted by Zeng @ 1:51 am
Ray n I have decided to make a new permanent character for squarebrain. This is a preview of what may come.
More details of her profile will be up soon enough.