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May 17 Notice: My Blog Has Moved!Hi there - if you are reading this then you might not have noticed that my blog has moved to: http://www.philiprichardson.org/blog.
May 08 Notice: Blog MoveI'm still getting some RSS hits on the old site (the site you are currently reading).
All new content is now up on my new blog: http://www.philiprichardson.org/blog.
Please update your RSS readers to point at: http://www.philiprichardson.org/blog/rss.
April 30 Weekend UpdateSo I completed my thinkweek paper thing (well it's not a 'whole' paper just 8 pages to 'drop into' my bosses one) - which should be interesting considering they are only supposed to be 10-12 pages :). To be honest I wasn't as productive as I could have been: thanks to Elder Scrolls IV.
Last night Ellie and I went to Coho for dinner. It was good - probably one of the better meals I've had there. Spotted Jason Hunt at the table next to me of Invoke Systems fame and our friends Shelly & Chris were also a few tables away. I avoided contact - since I was in one of those 'don't talk to people outside the relationship moods'.
Just made a nice margarita (Sauza Hornitos, Grand-M and Lemon Juice). My appreciation for tequila is developing and I think I can actually 'taste the difference' in quality. Tonight the BBQ season begins and the trusty Australian BBQ (shipped all the way from Sydney) has been cleaned up from its winter hibernation. We also have the Ivanhoe Shiraz from the Hunter Valley (I'll report on it's condition tomorrow).
New blog site will go live soon - still ironing out some environmental bugs. April 27 Goodbye Weekend - Hello ThinkweekI just got tapped to help my boss out with a thinkweek paper. Originally I was going to write my own - but I decided to defer until December (as my radical idea needed a little more germination). My bosses paper is cool though and it's about something I'm pretty passionate about. April 22 Geo Cache?I have a suspicion that there is a geocache next to my house ... at least a dozen times I've seen people with hand held GPS devices on weekends comb the empty paddock behind the house. Their intense demeanour and their little gadgets remind of a bad star trek episode where they go back in time. April 15 Easter?I was asked yesterday (Friday 14th) by another Australian (at the pub) if it felt strange working on Good Friday (as it is a public holiday in Australia). My response was: "Oh... it's Good Friday today?". It's hard to decide what is more pathetic: the concern over the loss of a public holday (the other Australian does work for the Australian Government - so his concern is understandable) or my lack of religious/cultural awareness. April 12 Two Small ThingsAmerica has many things wrong with it (all countries have many things wrong with them). There two small things which could revolutionise life in America:
If you are caught doing both simulataneously you should be placed in the March 16 Texas and the Office VirusEllie is in San Antonio for three days on biz and I am @ home dog sitting and trying to recover from the office virus (half my team is sick already).
Mark B planted a seed in my brain a few weeks back: start blogging on philiprichardson.org. To accomplish this I either have to buy some blog software (so mundane) or build a custom blog. There are a couple of technologies I want to come up to speed on: XAML and ASP.NET 2.0. March 01 SabreI fenced Sabre last night for the first time in 13 years. I never really cared for it before but last night it definitely gave me a good buzz. I was considering switching to Epee (I like the 'no right of way' and it's brutal tactics) but now I'm not so sure. February 10 Of Dogs and MenThere are few readers of the blog who live in the same townhome community - so this is article is for a niche audience. I'm also hoping my syndication issue is fixed so this doesn't end up on Microsoft.com!
I've edited out the names to cover my arse (this is America an people do love to litigate). If we get an juicy replies I'll post them here.
If you also live in [Edited] I urge you to get involved and help out the responsible pet owners (or at least try and negotiate for a reward if you dob in your neighbours!).
From: Philip Richardson Sent: Fri 2/10/2006 6:18 PM To: [Edited] Subject: RE: [Edited] Pet Policy [Edited],
I'm very disappointed in the anonymous informer approach which you intend to take with your new policy. This approach reflects very badly on yourself and the entire [Edited] team. I trust that before you fine someone you have something more solid than the verbal evidence of the neighbour gossips.
I do agree that people not cleaning up after their pets is a problem and I would prefer that you focus on the 'not cleaning up part' rather than creating an inconvience for the responsible pet owners. A few signs to remind people to clean up is far more preferable that employing your part time secret police.
Once again I think your approach needs some refinement (the BBQ issue is another excellent example). I look forward to a responsible revision of the policy outlined below.
Philip Richardson From: [Edited] [mailto:[Edited].com] Sent: Fri 2/10/2006 12:25 PM Subject: [Edited] Pet Policy URGENT MEMO
Dear Valued [Edited] Residents,
At [Edited] Townhomes, we strive to provide a comfortable living environment for all residents to enjoy so that they will value the experience of living in an [Edited]Community. For us to be able to provide that experience, we ask all residents to observe and abide by standards which enable everyone to live comfortably within the community.
At this time, we’d like to bring to your attention that we have observed an increase in pet owners allowing their dogs to relieve themselves on the pavement and in the common areas without picking up after them. This is not only a serious lease violation but a violation of King County ordinance and requires immediate action.
Please refrain from allowing your pet(s) to defecate or urinate anywhere on the property. The designated area for your pet is outside the perimeter of the community, which includes the trail. For your convenience, doggie bags have been provided at each entrance of the trail. In the unfortunate situation your pet can not reach these areas, we kindly ask that you promptly remove the waste and dispose of it properly.
In an effort to relieve the current situation, we have decided to impose fines for violations of our pet policy. The first report of violation will result in a $25.00 fine, the second a $50.00 fine and the third a $100.00 fine. If you witness a violation of our pet policy any information you can provide our management team is necessary and important. Please be confident that your identity will remain anonymous. These fines may feel extreme, but should help achieve our goal to keep [Edited] a clean and beautiful place for everyone to live.
We hope you will understand that these rules have been made for the protection, pleasure, and convenience of others, in order that this property may maintain a reputation for refined and happy living.
Thank you for your cooperation and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
The Management Team of [Edited] Townhomes [Edited] Realty Services
[Edited] Community Manager "WE PROMISE TO LISTEN, ACT AND DELIVER EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE SO OUR RESIDENTS WILL VALUE THE EXPERIENCE OF LIVING IN AN [EDITED] COMMUNITY." December 03 Home AloneEllie is in Sydney for a week and I am also on vacation (taking care of our dog). Let me know if anyone wants to do anything..... November 17 Oh dear...This speaks for itself: http://www.wankerscorner.com/ (Extremely Safe For Work). September 26 Bizarre MomentI stepped out of my hotel in Sydney's centre to look for a quick snack. Not an unsual act while on a business trip. As I stepped out onto George street I experienced a strange emotional sensation. I was immediately transformed from 'traveller' to 'resident'. It was as if I had stepped through a portal into a different reality. A reality which I had perceived to be out of reach. September 21 Lunch with Mark, Splatt, The Shark and Frank!I caught up with Mark for lunch and had a interesting chat about future web trends. Stay tuned to his blog and to Alex's for good web trend following. I also dropped by Frank's office to say hi and met Mick Stanic who was there for a meeting. I ran into the Mick again in the PTY (that's Microsoft speak for the Australian subsidiary) carpark after lunch with Mark. I'm excited about his content customisation ideas and I think they would suit my timeshifted media consumption habits. Mick: I'm sorry about this - but don't fear I'm still a TPN listener (but I still think there may have been shark jumping for the network - at least in it's current form). September 20 FireI saw fire today. Not the phantom wisps of red which infrequently manifest in our kitchens. Not the domesticated flames of our bar-b-ques. I saw fire. Real fire. It made me realise, strangely, that I had not actually seen real fire in a long time.
House, car, office, plane, restaurant, hotel. House, car, office, plane, restaurant, hotel. House, car, office, plane, restaurant, hotel.
When was the last time you saw fire?
Fuck - I sound like Taglinger!
Disclaimer: I did see fire out of the window of the Narita Express. I'm leaving Tokyo bound for Sydney on the second leg of a business trip. I'm writing this on my laptop in the business class lounge at Narita airport. So I now that I realised I am a wanker - did I change? August 28 Alex is more than a little happyThe English cricket team finally getting their act together is having a profound impact on Alex. He's coming to dinner next Saturday - that could be a frightening event :).
But let's put things in perspective. According to Encarta - Australia has a population of 20,090,437 and the United Kingdom has 60,441,457. So you have a country which INVENTED cricket with THREE TIMES the population and for 113 years maintained dominion over the other. The way I see it - we are being crushed by a superior opponet. The big brother beating up on it's far younger sibling.
Oh well. If we loose the cricket we can always fall back on rugby league, rugby union, swimming, tennis. August 08 Torpedo Launchers?MSNBC on Paul Allen's superyacht:
Octopus also features an underwater viewing salon — with a glass bottom and stadium-strength lighting — to allow passengers to gaze for hours at sea varmints. (The engineer also suggested adding torpedo launchers, for added security, but Allen considered that excessive.)
August 01 Back to the BlogI thought it was about time to relaunch my online journal. In the last couple of years I have experimented with a few different mediums - from home built blogging applications to some of the commercial offerings. My intention with this blog is to be a personal medium. The audience is people who already know me. Those readers who have not met me (ie. internet stalkers) should consider themselves sick freaks. I would still appreciate your readership as I constantly crave attention and gratification.
Unlike previous blogs this one will not focus on technology. I am considering re-starting my msdn.com blog and focusing it on Microsoft CRM 3.0. I'm the process of reaching out to internal stakeholders to discuss this.
Stay tuned - more updates to follow. |
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