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Thinify!

Robbie Shepherd — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 09:30:02 +0000

So recently I was in need of a tool that could:

store my js and css scripts in a central location, sorted by project
allow me to order the files in the same way they'd appear in my html
compress groups of files into one, to reduce the numter of https requests made to the server

And thus, Thinify! was born. Please try it out, and let me know if you have any feature requests or feedback.

Get your Ipad on!

Robbie Shepherd — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:47:31 +0000

Got one of the first iPads in Australia. Personally can't see what the fuss is!

DIY Twin Reflex Camera Kit

Robbie Shepherd — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 05:21:44 +0000

This looks like fun. I don't read Thai or Japanese, but this looks like a little plastic model kit you can assemble yourself to make a twin-reflex camera.

Death Metal Rooster

Robbie Shepherd — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 02:27:37 +0000

The Dirty Three Appreciation Post

Robbie Shepherd — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 23:15:39 +0000

It's been many years since I'd first seen The Dirty Three, and I'd almost forgotten just how incredibly awesome they really are. The video below serves as a timely reminder. King of Goth Nick Cave tinkles the ivories.

Epson are a bunch of douchebags

Robbie Shepherd — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:38:29 +0000

So today I lashed out on a fancy new all-in-one multifunction printer/scanner/copier. I settled on the Epson TX700W wireless version, for AUD275.00. I made sure it said on the box that it was compatible with Macintosh OS X. Cool.

Set up was a breeze. Hooked it up to the router, threw in the cartidges, and was printing in minutes. Then why are Epson a bunch of douchebags, I hear you ask? Try doing a scan from you Mac on it, and you'll run into the worst set of instructions you ever encountered.

Every time I tried to start a scan from photoshop, or open Epson's Scan app, I got the ubiquitous "Epson Scan could not start", and the app crashes. I downloaded a bunch of different drivers, no dice. Re-installed everything, still no love.

Turns out and note - this isn't in ANY of the documentation or help files (on or off-line), that you need to go into your /Applications/Utilities folder and look for an app called "Epson Scan Settings", that bizarrely enough isn't installed in the /Applications/Epson folder with all the other dependencies. Running this still results in the "Epson Scan could not be started", but the scan settings app itself will still start.

I then chose the "network" radio button, clicked 'add', and had to enter the IP address of the printer manually, as searching didn't find it. In my case it was 10.1.1.4. Once this was done, I could scan till the cows came home.

My beef is that this obscure setup procedure wasn't mentioned in the documentation or help anywhere, and I wasted several hours of my time scouring the web till I found a reference to it. Good work Epson...douchebags.

And so that was Christmas

Robbie Shepherd — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 06:22:00 +0000

And what a Christmas it was. Of course being MyTW's first Nöel, she was as excited as a three-year old and looking forward to receiving lots of gifts. After I explained that it was about giving and not receiving (after first explaining not only why we celebrate Christmas but also who Jesus was) she got into the spirit.

Being her first Christmas meant that we were able to come up with all sorts of *cough* traditions that she didn't know about and had to go along with. Such as the *cough* traditional "draw the names out of a hat to see who would play Santa on Christmas morning", not knowing that every piece of paper in the hat had her name on it.

Of course we also told her that she actually had to dress up for the part, which lead to much hilarity while she shouted out "Melly Kissmut!" over and over in her lovable Thai accent. With baby on the way she wasn't able to partake in the also-traditional all-day "get as drunk as you can" ceremony, but I think the relo's took care of that for her.

In all it was a pretty low-key affair and a relaxing break from the computer. We're well-rested and ready for what is sure to be a huge year for us.

Happy new year everyone! (Click pics below for more xmas photos)

Happy Anniversary!

Robbie Shepherd — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 21:58:00 +0000

As the title suggests, this weekend saw the first anniversary of my marriage to the blushing bride. We actually celebrated the anniversary on the 30th of November, but for all intents and purposes, the 11th/12th were the big days.

It's been a hell of a {mostly good} year, with me repatriating to oz, MYTW relocating here, getting settled and finding new friends, and of course now a baby on the way. I've got enough freelance worked booked in to see me busy through till April next year, so 2007 is shaping up to be an even bigger one. Who knows, I may even be able to afford one of these lovely new Aston Martin DB9's that I got to sit in at a promotional event a few weeks back.

SHOW ME THE MO-NEY

Robbie Shepherd — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 22:08:00 +0000

Come on folks, today is your last chance to sponsor my ridiculous 'tache. It would seem that opinions are divided over whether I suit the mo' or not - on the one hand it scares young children and on the other it infuriates and enrages old ladies. Still, it's for a good cause, and if I've raised a few sheckels for charity while looking like a goose (something I normally do for free) then it's been worthwhile.

So far I've raised a paltry $65 (gracious thanks to those who have sponsored me already - Dad, Bruce, Steve, Kirk, Emma, and Marianne) but I know my loyal friends and readers can't be that stingy. So dig deep, people - the prostate gland of someone you know and love could be jeopardized by not sponsoring that tax-deductible $5.

UPDATE: Thanks to Dave and Andrew who came through with the goods to get me over the $100 mark. Big ups!

Hello World

Robbie Shepherd — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 06:30:00 +0000

World, meet TBA. TBA, World. All looking good so far. Cute little nose courtesy of Mum, big fat belly, courtesy of...me I guess.

Not much else happened On the Ground this week. Oh yeah, there was this one incident. We had free tickets to the zoo yesterday. Beautiful weather out, too many whining 4 year-olds hopped up on red cordial and chocolate bars, but hey, the day was free.

We stopped to have a look at the cute little otters in their enclosure. You're at eye level with the water line in their tank, from behind glass so you get a good view of everything. Suddenly a wild(?) duck from a neighbouring pond flies in.

Within seconds there was feathers and tears everywhere, as all the littlies who were a minute ago cooing and ah-ing over the cute little otters had to watch as said creatures ripped the ducks head off and gnawed on its body. A truly Attenboroughsian moment. Gold.

Yarrgh, 'tis no man...

Robbie Shepherd — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 23:11:00 +0000

'Tis a remorseless eating machine!" So said Captain McAlister, proprietor of the Frying Dutchman when Homer Simpson ate an entire restaurants' food during an all-you-can-eat buffet. If you wonder where I've been and why I haven't updated this blog, it's because I spend every spare minute of my day running to the shops for 2-minute noodles or to chinatown for som tum bpoo.

While we've been very fortunate that MyTW has not so far succumbed to the dreaded morning sickness, she has pretty much eaten me out of house and home - somehow without managing to put any actual weight on at all. Me? I'm still carrying about 6kgs that refuses to shift itself despite eating nothing but rice and vegetables...it just ain't fair I tells ya. Maybe it's me that's pregnant and not her.

THE BIG ONE

Robbie Shepherd — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 08:12:00 +0000

There's no other way to say this, so I'll come right out and say it. YMOTG and MYTW are expecting a BABY! I'm too giddy with excitement to talk too much at the moment, and I've been busy chatting to my old mate Michael Jackson on how to be a good parent.

I've been told by MYTW that she has invoked an age-old Thai 'secret-womens-business' ritual to transfer the morning sickness from her to me. She is adamant that it works, and that I should tell her the moment it starts working. I'm out for a celebratory pint or seven this evening, so it may well end up coming true if I feel nauseous and green tomorrow morning.

Too bad I don't live in Northampton - they have some even stranger ideas about family planning it would seem.

Artist's Impression of the baby-to-be

...more news at 11

This week in Guns and Ammo

Robbie Shepherd — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 00:27:00 +0000

Regular reader* Andrew writes...

"Hey Robbie - what does the missus think of the recent developments in Thailand?"

Well Andrew, like most folks I think the recent bloodless coup was neither a surprise nor unwanted. In my opinion it was a long time coming, and good riddance to old "Sponge-Bob Square head" Thaksin (or "ai na ree uhm!" as the Thai's call him).

The most interesting thing about the whole coup that MYTW had to say was this - "It's not a coup, it is a revolution". You see, now that she's almost complete her Level 4 ESOL english class, she feels qualified to correct the media and tell me how to speak my own language. Great.

Upon hearing her walking around and speaking of revolution, I promptly threw a beret on her head, a camouflage-coloured bikini over her tiny frame, strapped several AK47's on her back, took some photos and sent them into Gun Chicks Magazine. (Warning - link not safe for work - or your eyes in general)

So there you have it, Andrew. Thai politics in a nutshell. I think there was something in this post for all of us.

*I should rephrase that - I have no knowledge whatsoever of Andrew's bowel movements.

Honey, break out...

Robbie Shepherd — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 12:16:00 +0000

...my emergency pants! Saturday night was a special treat for us. By treat I mean dinner at Lucio's fine dining Italian restaurant in Paddington (click for full menu). We started with an aperitif of warmed vanilla and carrot potage, and in no time at all the entrée arrived - just as well as we were starving.

I went with the fresh ravioli stuffed with ricotta and herbs accompanied with blood orange butter. The pasta was like none I'd ever eaten, melting unobtrusively in my mouth leaving only the tasty treats inside to be savoured. MYTW had the soft-shelled baby mud crabs with citrus salad, chili and basil oil.

Looking around, the walls of the restaurant are festooned with artworks both famous and obscure. I almost choked however when looking up to my left, right above us was an original Tim Storrier called Point to Point, my favourite Australian work of art. Imagine dining right beside an original painting (worth 120k+ if memory serves me correctly) that is one of your all-time favourites. The painting really comes alive when viewed in person - absolutely stunning.

But so of course was MYTW, and before long my gaze was returned to both her and the main course. I had the slow-cooked beef cheeks with baked celeriac, horseradish and herbs. MYTW had the grilled pork fillet with lentils, silver beet and grilled pears. If I was a judge on Iron Chef, I would have said the beef was a touch on the salty side, but it was still delicious and oh-so-tender.

Did I mention the wine? We shared an $80 bottle of 2003 Morellino di Scansano Val Delle Vigne Riserva - "to die for" as the trendy folk are wont to say.

But dessert was where the dining experience really came into its own. We decided on the tasting plate for two. And oh..my..god was it good. In no particular order, we sampled:

Chestnut cake with sour cherries and olive oil ice-cream (suprisingly creamy and sweet)
Triple chocolate and mocha tart (unbelievably rich) with liquorice sauce and almond biscuit
Quince and lemon cake with strawberry sorbet
Baked figs with crispy waffle

Topped with a coffee and some sweet orange biscotti, we rolled out of the restaurant and into a waiting taxi. And the best part about the whole evening? We DIDN'T EVEN BLOODY EVEN PAY! Take that Fatty!

All Apologies

Robbie Shepherd — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 10:52:00 +0000

As my old mate Kurt said, all apologies for being absent so long. No, I haven't been away for that emergency penile reduction surgery MYTW has been nagging me for, nor have I been off saving endangered Tarsiers from being exploited and used to make the tongues of the latest Nike runners or helping the honest, hard-working, indigenous peoples of...wherever.

In short, I've been comfortable. So comfortable I've bugger all to write about. Even now I sit here post-beefgasm (that exquisite sensation felt after ingesting 400+ grams of marinated char-grilled scotch fillet), quaffing a glass of Mr Riggs Shiraz and tapping away at the keyboard over my ever-growing paunch.

Am I becoming middle-class and mediocre? I don't care. Perhaps that's the sign of a true bourgeois pig. Either way, let me tell you my dear readers, I am happy. Happy like I haven't been since as an 11-year-old I learned how not to smash my tockley against the gears of my Malvern Star 3-speed.

You know the one, the bike with the useless gear stick that protruded from the top cross-bar and threatened to scalp your scrotum every time you jammed on the brakes. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought my parents didn't actually want me to have children when they bought me that bike. What the fuck were they thinking! And they wouldn't let me have a bmx because they thought those were dangerous!

But I digress. Everything is good on the ground, and I promise to post more regularly for you loyal fans. All three of you. And so now from one comfortable thirty-something freak to another, I'll leave you with a classic interview with none other than Hunter S Thompson. May he Rest In Single Malt.

Robbie and the Chocolate Factory

Robbie Shepherd — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 03:46:00 +0000

Saturday saw us break in our groovy new apartment (apparently built in a renovate chocolate factory) in Stanmore with an afternoon bbq {see also: previous entry}. Twenty or so friends and colleagues stopped by for some wickedly tasty authentic thai food (no you can't have the recipe!), a stack of booze, and plenty of good tunes.

The weather was perfect with nary a cloud to be seen in the sky as we watched the sun go down from the rooftop balcony. Everyone behaved themselves, including the host, and we kicked the last folks out about 10pm.

YMOTG really needs to buy some sunnies. And a wig.

Ray and The Fluffa munging out on some Thai nosh

View from the roof

A bridge too far

Obligatory arty shot

Ruby Jacobs, Party Princess

Thanks to all who came along, and especially to those who brought housewarming gifts - much appreciated! Happy snaps kindly provided by resident photographer Sophie

A Special Moment

Robbie Shepherd — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 23:21:00 +0000

There comes a time in every mans life when he knows he's arrived - when he's finally grown up. No, I'm not talking about getting your first car, or the first time you get laid. I'm talking of course, of that special moment in your life when you own your first barbecue.

See, most guys get their first car at 18, and lose their virginity around the same age, plus or minus five years, depending on whether you grow up in Redfern, Ipswich, Footscray etc, or on an Amish Retreat. Now most of us blokes in our thirties with the benefit of a bit of hindsight know that at 18 years of age you're still a wet-behind-the-ears grommet having bugger-all experience with the big issues in life. You're not really a man yet.

Sure, you can drink, vote, and screw but it's not until you own a barbecue that you become a real man. Some even say that the feeling of unconditional love, peace, and joy a fella gets when holding his new-born child for the first time is dwarfed only by that magic moment when he first stands over a new barbie with a beer in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other, ready to turn half a cow into char-grilled rubber.

Burning Rump, earlier today.

So on Sunday afternoon, after a harrowing weekend involving moving house up four flights of stairs into a new apartment block, Dad and I put together my first barbecue. It was a beautiful moment, shared between father and son. The sun went down as fast as the beer in my hand and I flame-grilled some steaks for the boys (chops for the girls) with a feeling of real contentment that I'd rarely felt before.

Kids? Who needs them when you have a barbecue.

Spare me my life!

Robbie Shepherd — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 23:05:00 +0000

MyTW started back at school yesterday after a month-long break. I can only hope she doesn't have the same teacher as the one that wrote the "let's do Aerobics and Engrish lesson" japanese TV show below:

Let's go Dutch! Take anything you want! Is the taxi on its way?

The Chip Fairy

Robbie Shepherd — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 03:17:00 +0000

Last night my friends C, L (names changed to protect the inebriated etc) and I went along to the Metro Theatre to see Scottish noise merchants Mogwai perform live.

Before heading into the theatre the lads decided to grab some KFC (eatin's cheatin', boys!) while I sat patiently avoiding the temptation to pig out with them, but after five minutes of waiting I was visited by the Chip Fairy.

The Chip Fairy was a homely young lass who'd ordered a little too much food and asked if I wanted her chips. Well how could I say no? I started hoeing into the large box of fries, all the while thinking what a wonderful stroke of fortune to be given free chips! "I shall never forget you, Chip Fairy!" I called out to her as she left the store.

But then it struck me! "Wait a minute..." I thought to myself. What if she's a chip spiker! Maybe the Colonel's secret herbs and spices are masking some rohypnol that she'd cunningly sprinkled into my chips. In a panic I threw away the box and held my breath, awaiting for any tell-tale signs that my fries had been spiked.

Blurry vision - check.
Slurred speech - check.
Dry mouth - check.

"Oh shit, I've been spiked!" I thought as I waited for the inevitable paralysis and/or seizures to begin. "Calm down, Robbie" I said, "this isn't the first time you've had unknown quantities of strange chemicals in your system, you can make it". But of course there was no Fantasy in the fries or Ketamine in the KFC. I was simply "greening out" from the cigarettes and tequila I'd imbibed earlier.

Anyway we got to the gig, found a good spot to view the band, and proceeded to have our brains smashed against a wall of sound for 90 minutes. This is what it sounded like.

Holy Fuck. Sublime. Lucky I wasn't on drugs. o_O

The Naked Eyebrow Chef

Robbie Shepherd — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 10:12:00 +0000

This weeks red-hot (literally) cooking tip - always, ALWAYS stop to look and read your ingredients before putting them in a sizzling frying pan. On the weekend I was enjoying some tequila shots during the evenings' epicurean efforts and getting rather carried away with it all, savouring the smells from the kitchen and the company of my lovely assistant.

While chatting away I reached out to the side to grab the olive oil and with a flourish poured a good couple of tablespoons into the pan. Before you could say "fuck me I've got no eyebrows!" there was a two-feet high wall of flames and a distinct odour of burnt hair and alcohol in the air.

I'd inadvertantly grabbed the wrong bottle and poured a healthy splash of tequila into the pan instead of the olive oil, and as we all know alcohol and heat don't mix. Right colour liquid, similar-enough looking labels, decidedly WRONG result...

"One of these things is not like the other"