If you are suffering from a quickened pulse and hot flushes, two Kiwis will alleviate the worst Australian soccer withdrawal symptoms.
A plea for an end to this vile injustice
On Saturday night, 24 minutes into the World Cup match against Ghana, Australia’s soccer public was sent into a spiral of confusion, anger, doubt and foul language, with the sending off of marquee player Harry Kewell. Continue reading A plea for an end to this vile injustice
First Anniversary!
One year ago today, the blog published its first real post: https://thomasthethinkengine.wordpress.com/2009/06/11/a-new-kind-of-humility/
Want to make a fortune? Go back to 1869 and start a scientific journal
Call it Nature…
Allow me to enlighten you. This is how Nature and most other academic journals work:
Researchers pay to have their work published in the journal.
The journal asks other eminent academics in the relevant field to review the paper for free.
Universities and other institutions pay for subscriptions to the journal.
THIS IS A HUGE RORT!!
I swear, these guys must have baby seal fur-lined swivel chairs, Porsche cars for each day of the week and probably a money pool in their London N1 office. Otherwise, I don’t know how they would pass the time. What do they do!?!
Continue reading Want to make a fortune? Go back to 1869 and start a scientific journal
The end of the age of media*
I’m going to tell a story in three phases. The phases compress and distort history in order to illuminate vital elements. In that way the story is like a cut-away model, sacrificing wholeness for insight…
Media and communication are in flux. People are worried. The long journey of human communication – like the travels of a cruise ship – might not culminate in a fearsome drop into nothingness. Instead it may be more like a circumnavigation, where the waters we are entering are not as unfamiliar as they have seemed. Continue reading The end of the age of media*
An article exhorting the demise of the travel agency
I had the misfortune to be in one of these earlier today:
Continue reading An article exhorting the demise of the travel agency
How should we rank universities?
I live down the road from the University of California (UC) Berkeley campus. UC Berkeley is quite well-known and has a good reputation, including being rated the best public university in the USA. Their website also lists the national ranking of all their ‘graduate’ (PhD) programs (including lots of firsts, seconds and thirds).
But what do these rankings reflect?
Continue reading How should we rank universities?
Apologies to the “we’re cyclists, the rules shouldn’t apply to us” crowd
No, I don’t mean that at all really. It is about bloody time you are forced to take responsibility for your actions.
Continue reading Apologies to the “we’re cyclists, the rules shouldn’t apply to us” crowd
National Broadband needlessness.
I’ve already unleashed a lot of emotive language on the National Broadband Network. Here’s why: Continue reading National Broadband needlessness.
Baking the dough of debt into the bread of financial crisis.
Debt seems to be a necessary trigger condition for global economic disasters.
Doesn’t matter if its private (subprime mortgages) or Government (Greek debt).
But Japan shows debt is not a sufficient condition for a meltdown. (Government debt = nearly 200 percent of GDP)
So what is the extra ingredient that turns the dough of debt into the crusty baguette of financial crisis? Continue reading Baking the dough of debt into the bread of financial crisis.
Cycling, not so dopey?
Ivan Basso won Sunday’s Giro d’Italia stage which finished with a climb up the hugely steep Monte Zoncolan.
Basso’s time for the 10.1 kilometer climb was 1 minute and 45 seconds slower than the previous occasion it was climbed in the Giro. The winner of that stage (in 2007) was Gilberto Simoni from Saunier Duval, a team with a history of doping its riders up to the eyeballs.
Sounds like an improvement to me.
The hardest thing you can do on a bike
Shàngshān róngyì xiàshān nán.
This is a Chinese proverb that means “going uphill is easy, going downhill is hard”. To all the cyclists out there that like to coast the downhills, this will probably come as a surprise. Racing flat-out down a technical descent is the hardest thing you can do on a bike.
Continue reading The hardest thing you can do on a bike
America + Football = Progress?
I’ve just found out about this: American Footy Star! It’s a genuine talent search wrapped up in a shiny reality TV show, and I love it. Putting NBA basketballers in the AFL was once purely hypothetical but now may be a reality.
It will increase the chance of recruiting dextrous, strong, tall ball players who can’t quite make the NFL / NBA. It will also take another tiny step to building a global appreciation for AFL. Continue reading America + Football = Progress?
Car Future Part V – Share the road, share the load
Thanks for reading Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV of this series exploring the future of personal transport. This is the concluding part.
I love a logical argument, and I have a feeling this series is leading us towards a big conclusion: The future, it’s already here.
The recipe for the future will have the same ingredients, but the ratios will be changed. Continue reading Car Future Part V – Share the road, share the load
Cadel Winner! And Salute Style Update
TTTE EXCLUSIVE: Cadel Evans wins filthy stage seven of the Giro and improves salute!
He is still persevering with the pointing, but at least both hands are in the air at the same time!
From the Astro-something Department
Jupiter has re-appeared from behind the sun, where it’s been hiding since late last year…
Crikey! One of the bands has disappeared! This can only mean one thing… Continue reading From the Astro-something Department
My Foolproof Diet Trick – WWBD?
As you may be aware, my fellow locomotive engineer has recently admitted to driving the morning express to Fattytown.
Since excessive weight gain is not conducive to the raison d’etre of this blog, which of course is to get girls, I feel compelled to lend a hand by offering my foolproof (or fool-something) diet trick.
WWBD?
This is Bjarne Riis. He won Le Tour in 1996. As you can see by the photo, he was seriously skinny in those days. If you ride 50,000km each year, you can eat whatever you please.
He was also seriously full of red blood cells.
Can you spell E-R-Y-T-H-R-O-P-O-I-E-T-I-N?
Post retirement from professional racing, Bjarne started managing a cycling team. He spent most days hanging around with people who eat a lot.
“Bjarne, would you like another pastry?” 
“Don’t mind if I do!”
Bjarne stacked on a few kilograms.
In the photo on the right, a concerned Frank Schleck looks on as Bjarne behaves like a jolly fat man. Continue reading My Foolproof Diet Trick – WWBD?
National Broadband Nuff-Nuffs
Now, I flipping LOVE the internet, so don’t get me wrong. But $43 billion for a national broadband network works out at $2000 for every Australian.
Please sir, can I have some more?
Tell me what you think about what I ate this week. I aspire to perfect nutritional harmony, 3 serves of fruit and 5 of vegetables, raw food and ethical choices. As you’ll see I have an aspiration-consumption dichotomy (ACD).
But I swear it’s not a standard week. I boozed more than normal, and the impetus for starting to record everything was eating so much on Monday night that I felt ill. On the other hand there’s some evidence the process might have kept snacking in check…
Continue reading Please sir, can I have some more?
Captain Frugal Versus Laundry… Fight!
In the basement of Casa de TTE, there are four washing machines.
Over the weekend, one of the washing machines went on the blink. Then on Monday, the company that owns the machines replaced the broken one. But there’s a catch. The new machine costs $0.25 cents more per load!
I can tell you I have no intention of paying $1.50 for a load of washing. But what about my cohabitants?
Thomas the Think Engine 