Dull thoughts on a shiny, shiny world.
cactoblasta's Articles In Misc
February 13, 2007 by cactoblasta
Check this video out and tell me it isn't so: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6MJVzXbqRUBloody Rednecks. Top Gear is one of the best shows on TV; how dare they attack?
July 25, 2006 by cactoblasta
As a student at a mildly vaunted Australian university I am constantly told that I should spend more time researching. My lecturers generally making a point of crossing out every sweeping generalisation I make and, using that barely legible scrawl that passes for handwriting in academia, writing, "You can't say this in an academic essay!" next to it in red pen and then underlined, presumably for added effect. Personally I picture them shaking a fist at the paper as they do this, their pip...
February 27, 2006 by cactoblasta
There are many things that irk me about some greenies. Their rank personal hygiene, the tendency towards irrational and blind obedience to their ideology, their near-fatal lack of a sense of humour, their limited vision for the future. But perhaps the most vexing from my point of view is their near-unshakable belief that we should all 'get back to nature'. I understand of course that they wish to contribute in some way to this process - I feel there can be no other explanation for cult...
January 12, 2006 by cactoblasta
Abortion is murder. It's an interesting concept on an intellectual level, and a terrifying one when taken to its logical extreme. I'm going to assume everyone knows the basics of this faith-based perspective, so let's skip to a condescending example. There is a woman. Let's call her 'Jane'. She, being a woman, is capable of having children. Because she uses the pill, she has regular periods. Every time she does so, an egg fails to be fertilised and thus is expelled from her body (t...
June 20, 2005 by cactoblasta
To begin with this article needs a bit of an introduction. A few weeks back I watched 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' on DVD (it came with the infinitely better 'Pirates of the Caribbean' in a twin pack). I was surprised to realise that I had never heard of one of the characters, Dorian Gray (all the characters save the token American hero are from 19th century literature). So when I saw 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' at the bookshop I decided to buy it. I was surprised. Here ...
March 8, 2005 by cactoblasta
To whom it may concern I have no interest in your green cards. You spam me mercilessly with advertisements and emails declaring that I fulfil the requirements for your godforsaken treats, but I have no interest. Firstly, I am not in any way interested in moving to the US. I can't imagine how it could be any better than my homeland, and struggle to imagine how working there could be any more relaxed or satisfying than what I do at the moment. And yet still you write to me, pleading....
January 4, 2005 by cactoblasta
Recent newspaper stories have reported that the Australian government's aid assistance for the tsunami disaster will now sit at around AUS$1 billion dollars (US$700 million, roughly 340 million pounds). While I've been known to bitch and moan about stingy Howard, at least he's got his priorities right on this front. Nice work, little Johnny. Keep up the work of good and maybe I'll be more inclined to forgive your little... transgressions against liberty, egality and democracy.
January 3, 2005 by cactoblasta
Chances are few people agree with me, but I like the English language. I like the way it breaks its own rules with impunity. I like the way it rolls off the tongue without any unsightly throat-clearing or lisping. It could of course benefit from a few Swahili-like clicks, but then what language couldn't? I even like the way it's written. Of course there are various foreign locales who have no concept of spelling, and even spell such simple words as humour completely wrong, but this in ...
November 16, 2004 by cactoblasta
I'm sure we've all come across those confounding symbols of the modern workplace, those horrific sentences which turn the mind into cream cheese and stupefy everyone cursed with their presence. I speak, of course, of weasel words, the words of the modern bureaucracy and the marketplace. Consider this gem of marketing genius: But when you have a complex customer service challenge or marketing campaign that needs expertise from several areas of your company, a great team can step ...