Human Nature – Page 19

25 April 200925 April 2021

Anzac Day 2009: Sacrifice

Photograph of a sprig of rosemary, for remembrance

The cat vomited this morning. Again. Artemis has this habit of gorging her food and then, five minutes later, throwing up wherever she’s standing.

Today it was a projectile effort from the heights of the TV stand, a reddish-brown spatter right across the living room floor.

Remember that last time you threw up? How the acrid stomach acids burnt your throat and mouth? How it felt like it was surging up into the back of your nose? It’s just like that. Freshly warm and mixed with the reek of cheap fish.

You can’t help but get it on your hands as you wipe it up.

I’ll bet just the thought of that smell is causing tightness in your sinuses, clenching in your throat.

Wiping up cat vomit first thing in the morning is rather unpleasant, no?

If wiping up cat vomit is the worst you have to think about today, then you’re one of the luckiest bastards on this planet. It’s not a particularly demanding sacrifice to make in return for some furry companionship.

Today is, of course, Anzac Day, our national memorial for those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and that other country.

19 April 200919 April 2009

Never trust people who write in coloured ink

Photograph of notebook page reading: Stilgherrian will die by Pong 12.04.09

Not since Saturday Night at The Duke and Another brain in my notebook has a notebook page ended up on this website.

Nicola, your attempt to pass blame to ’Pong is completely transparent. We all know you wrote this. There are witnesses.

02 April 2009

Crikey Conversations episode 1 with Mark Pesce and me

The first episode of Crikey‘s new video series Crikey Conversations is now online, with me interviewing inventor and futurist Mark Pesce.

The series, sponsored by Microsoft, features various folks talking about the world of 2020 — which is only 11 years away. Gosh.

While some of Mark and my regular viewers and readers may well be sick of the material we discuss by now — hey, it’s what we do! — it’s aimed at a non-geek audience. So if you do pass it on to someone, I’d love some feedback.

As you can also see, Microsoft must’ve paid Crikey the extra fee for me to put pants on before the shoot.

I’m not sure whether there’s a credit in the video, but I’d personally like to thank Advanced BusinessLink (Australia) for the use of their boardroom and its spectacular view, and Adam Bateson for making the connection.

30 March 2009

Fisting wager paid

Mark Pesce has paid the $10 he owed me from his wager that I couldn’t get the word “fisting” to top Twitter’s trending topics. For those how subscribed to the “Pics or it didn’t happen” school of evidence-based life, here’s said photographic evidence courtesy of ’Pong.

01 March 200928 February 2021

Fisting Twitter and the birth of “trend fisting”

Oh dear. Where do I start? Last night, on a whim, I challenged the people who follow me on Twitter to make fisting a “trending topic”. It worked. It worked very, very well.

Start at the beginning, I guess.

23 February 200927 September 2009

Secret Men’s Business 4: Clarendon Hotel, Surry Hills

Photograph of the urinal in the Clarendon Hotel, Surry Hills, Sydney

It’s been too long since I’ve posted one of my urinal photos. Let’s fix that.

This image was taken last week at the Clarendon Hotel on Devonshire Street, Surry Hills in Sydney, after a particularly pleasant conversation with a couple of friends.