Farewell, BlogSpot

Insofar as I actually have a blog, I’ve decided to move it to WordPress and point my domain to it.

No disrespect to BlogSpot. Disrespect to Google Hosting Services - who don't seem to get this domain-pointing thing - but none to BlogSpot itself.

encore

Reminded of this.

DialoguePane.js: a modal dialogue box for a web page

I was looking around on the web for a simple way of displaying a modal dialogue box over a web page. There are lots of options, but none of them seemed to work the way I wanted, so I wrote my own.

Click here to download a demo of DialoguePane.js as a ZIP file. API documentation is included.

Uncooking cooked electronic gadgets using cooking

Wheat bags are useful things. They're a natural, drug-free way to soothe headaches and other throbbing pains, and they double as a dry alternative to a hot water bottle. They're also very easy to make.

As if that weren't enough, it turns out that you can use them to fix electronics as well.

Adelaide Greenies Calendar has a new web site

About two years ago, as many people who know me are no doubt aware, I started an on-line calendar to collate the green-minded events that are happening in the greater Adelaide metropolitan area.

Well, the Adelaide Greenies Calendar has a new web site, with a new address:

adelaidegreeniescalendar.info

It's carefully disguised as a site not thrown together on BlogSpot, but it does the trick. I've also set up pages on Facebook and Twitter, and you'll find links to those at the bottom of the front page. You can still subscribe to the calendar itself in your planner application of choice, be it Apple iCal, Mozilla Sunbird, or Microsoft Outlook, as well as on your smart phone.

It's been a long time coming, but I'm pretty happy with how this turned out, considering that almost the entire site is assembled from completely free, off-the-shelf parts. I didn't really have the inclination to set up my own free-standing site, and I'm impressed by what can be achieved with little to no start-up costs.

That said, I have to give a vote of thanks to Scott Rossiter, who did a great job designing a logo for me. We've never met; I met one of his cousins at a permablitz and later at a movie night, and after a few emails, we had a concept not dissimilar to what you see today.

Ten years later

Those who perished ten years ago remain America's greatest loss, and those who gave themselves to save them its greatest heroes; but the terror conducted in their names must be its greatest shame.

It is easy to forget that for the ruling classes to legitimise a war against another people, they must first wage war against their own, to the extent that no dishonesty or contempt lies beyond the depths to which they would stoop to rob ordinary people of their will.

Just as Americans do not deserve so harsh a symbol, the world deserves better than that symbol's legacy.

HSA delay - Volume Thirteen: the grudge

On 14 June 2011, I resigned from the ABSA Board, which I believe is still unable to fulfil its duties under either the ABSA Constitution or the Corporations Act. A week later, ABSA Chairman Michael Plunkett decided to send me an email, asking me to participate in an investigation against a trusted colleague who also doesn't work there any more. Here's my reply.

HSA delay - Volume Twelve: Sugar for Polonius

Dear ABSA member,

Even if you haven't been paying attention to ABSA's antics over the past year and a half - and documenting it along the way as I have - it's hard not to see their most recent episodes as anything more than theatre.

Much of what members have heard over the past few months is predicated upon one specific, pervasive, fundamental lie. Let me dispel it right now: the ABSA Board does not run ABSA.

In truth, the ABSA Board means nothing to the industry at large, nothing to the organisation, and nothing to you. Looking through the past years' Board minutes, I can state categorically that not only does the Board not govern the organisation now but that it has neglected to do so for as long as anyone has been supposed to be paying attention.

HSA delay - Volume Eleven: your turn

Dear ABSA member,

Clearly, ABSA is an organisation in search of a scapegoat. It's doing its best to pretend that it's not, but this is surely not the way you would act if there weren't blame to be cast for something going wrong.

HSA delay - Volume Ten: the end is nigh for uncontracted assessors

[On the morning of 23 April 2011, I sent the following email to all of the uncontracted Green Loans assessors I know, and a few other interested parties.]

Hi everyone,

I write to you today with heavy heart. I fear that the fight is over, not with a bang but with a whimper.

I write to advise you to take DCCEE up on its Financial Assistance Scheme.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving this advice because I believe that what DCCEE is offering is fair. I don't believe it at all, and yet, I intend to take the advice myself. I'm saying this because we have run out of other options.

Green Loans presentation to Mayo Greens - 10 November 2010

On Wednesday last week, I gave a presentation to the Mayo Greens in the Adelaide Hills about the Green Loans Program.

A few people have asked for me to make the Powerpoint slides public, so here they are.

MEDIA RELEASE: Senate report into Green Loans “worst of both worlds”

The Senate's report into the Green Loans Program has offered weak recommendations that will disappoint virtually everyone working in the Program, according to an assessor spokesperson.

Why I have nominated for the ABSA Board

With the ABSA 2010 Annual General Meeting less than a month away, members will shortly be receiving information about who has been nominated to run for the all-new Board of Directors.

There has been some speculation that I would be among the candidates. I am hereby announcing that this is indeed the case.

If you've been reading my blog - which has been dominated for nearly a year by the (ahem) less successful facets of the Home Sustainability Assessment Scheme (HSAS) - or, as it is still (inaccurately) called, the Green Loans Program - you might be wondering what on Earth has possessed me to go through with this.

"An Urban Orchard" film trailer

Friends of the Earth Adelaide have just published a trailer on YouTube for their short film, An Urban Orchard. It looks at the "growing" culture (if you'll excuse the pun) of producing and sharing food locally, and it was produced right here in South Australia. Although I wasn't involved in the production of the film, I am producing the DVD for it.

Feel free to get in touch if you'd like to organise a screening of the film, and I'll pass your request on to FOE.

HSA delay - Volume Nine: Work, Choices

I want to write this time about the Department of Climate Change and about ABSA. This was originally going to be two letters, and then two articles, with many of the key details duplicated. Bear with it being one long article now; it's been a long time since I've written publicly about what's happening, so there's a lot to cover.

The Great Debate: No Choice is the New Choice

(This article was republished in On Line Opinion on Wednesday, 28 July 2010. Thanks to Susan Prior for her consideration.)

If you smear peanut butter on the roof of its mouth, a chimpanzee will rhythmically smack its lips together trying to get it off. It's apparently how they make those ads you see on TV with the talking monkeys.

It seems that Sunday night's Great Debate 2010 was made the same way - although it was slightly more difficult to take seriously.

HSA delay - Volume Eight: from the Senate Inquiry

I was in Sydney on Tuesday, 29 June 2010, to give evidence to the ongoing Senate Inquiry into the Green Loans Program. It was an interesting day, certainly, but it was exactly as much fun as it sounds.

A proof transcript is available online here.

Media releases from yesterday's Green Loans rallies

What follows after the jump is a speech that I wrote for yesterday's United Programs of Australia rally in Adelaide. I didn't actually make the speech on the day: it would be an understatement to say that we didn't get the turnout in Adelaide that we hoped for. However, I did get ten minutes on ABC Radio in Canberra, and I got most of my points across in that. I understand that they found me via Senator Simon Birmingham's office, but in any case, I'm thankful for it.

Senator Birmingham also released a statement in support of our efforts, to go along with an official media release from Green Loans Assessors Action Group (one of the groups uniting for these rallies).

BREAKING NEWS: Abbott eyes off Gillard's "precious gift"

Ms Gillard says that Australia's first female Prime Minister is a "precious gift" that the country "should not give away lightly".

United Programs of Australia - Adelaide protest rally on Wednesday, 23 June

Green Loans Assessors Action Group is proud to announce the United Programs of Australia protest rally, taking place simultaneously around the country on Wednesday, 23 June.

The Adelaide rally will be held in Victoria Square from 8am to 9am.

Printable flier here. More details after the jump.