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Wassup?

Or perhaps more accurately, what's here? This is the page where I put all the stuff that didn't really fit into any of the other categories on my page. If any of these links are now dead, please email me and report them. Anyway, here's whats on offer.

• Health Survey
• Sports Sites
• Bushfires 2001
• PC Builders
• Digital Photgraphy
• Digicam Reviews
• Bored?
• Other stuff
• Netball Desktop Themes

Health Survey

How healthy do you think you are? Take an online health survey and see how you rate compared to the US average.

Sport sites

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a netball fan. So once again, here is the link to the official Netball Australia web site. So get on over there and check it out. On the other hand, if cricket is more your thing, how about Cricinfo?

Bushfires - Xmas 2001

On Xmas day 2001, some fo the worst bushfires of the last 30 years began in the areas surrounding Sydney. Despite not being anywhere near the fires themselves, I was able to capture the amazing spectacle of the huge smoke cloud from the fires on Xmas day, and the resulting haze and pollution which affected the city over the following week.

PC Builders

Looking to buy a new PC? Visit this page for a list of Australian computer stores with an online presence that let you build your dream system.

Digtal Photography

In June 2001 I purchased a digital camera. After months of research I settled on the Canon Powershot A-20. You can read about the camera on the official canon site, or better still, check out some of the digital photography sites below for reviews.

• A Digital Eye
• Digital Photography Review
• Digital Photgraphy Short Courses

Want to buy a digital camera? Dirtcheap Cameras has got to be one of the best places online to buy a digital camerea from, especially if you are in Australia.

One of the great things about taking digital photos is that there is no time spent scanning photos. Upload the images to the PC and you are ready to view and edit the images. Another great thing is that with the use of software like Paintshop Pro it's possible to touch up quite a lot of photos. Turn a bad photo into an acceptable photo. Turn an average photo into a masterpiece. Camera won't do all the fancy artistic effects of an SLR with a million filters - nevermind, add those effects to the digital image.

Digicam Reviews

Ok, more digital camera stuff. Looking to buy a digital camera. When I went to buy my A-20 there was a number of questions which I, as a digital camera newbie, wanted answers. In this A-20 guide I have written, I attempt to answer those questions. I have also written about my experieince with my second digicam, a Fuiji Fnepix 602Z.

Bored?

Bored? Of course you are. Then here is some fun things to do. Looking for a laugh, how about Dilbert? A laiugh at the expense of someone less... well.. less bright.. how about the Darwin Awards? A real assortment of stuff, check out Bored.Com where the idea is to cure you of that boredom.

Best of all, check out LemonadGame.com . This is a Java applet take on the classic 1980's BASIC program Lemonade Stall. It's surprisingly addictive.

Of course, you could always get over to Fun Escape, a site where you can play classic arcade games online.

If you are really bored of course you can try your hand at raising a virtual pet.

Other stuff

OK, eentually I'll have here a range of interesting articles and web sites. No particular theme, just a bunch of interesting or unusual articles. But for the moment, just a few odds and ends.

First off, here is the online versions of the Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Times. Small town newspapers on the Internet? The Internet really has reached everyone hasn't it.

Looking for p0rn? If you listen to the politicians they would have you believe the Internet is full of it. But just in case you can't find any, here is a link to two sites. Firstly ATK. Amateur (female) models aged 18-23 are their speciality. For the ladies, how about Playhunks.

If you are after something different, check out Bodyscapes.

A sample image from Bodyscapes

While we're just looking at pictures, do you like redheads? From celebrity redheads like Gillian Anderson and Alyson Hannigan, to regular (but still gorgeous) redheads who could be living next door - they are all here at the Redhead Gallery.

After something a bit more intellectual? No promises but here is the speech I gave at my University graduation in Spetember 1998.

Netball Desktop Themes.

I've recently had some requests for the Windows desktop themes I created in 2002.These were originally published on another site of mine which no longer seems to be available. I've therefore decided to make them available here (space permitting). Below is the original text I put up with the themes.

I have now finished both my Sydney Swifts desktop theme (v 1.0) and Melbounre Phoenix desktop theme (v1.0).

These desktop themes are designed for Windows users to completely make over their desktop into a theme for the favourite netball team.. well, at this stage Swifts or Phoenix fans. I have plans for a T-Birds version. I'm also going to do something for our Kiwi rivals .. either a CCC team like souther sting or a masybe even silver ferns theme.

To use these themes you need MS-Windows and a theme manager. many computers come with a theme manager called Plus!, though this may not always be installed by default. Check out your windows install disk to see if it has a copy of Plus! If it doesn't, go to the Tuwcows theme site and download Tucows Theme Manager. install this and you will have the ability to install and manage themes the same as Plus!

What You Get

• Netball themed icons for 'My Computer', 'Network Neighbourhood/My Network Places' and'Recycle Bin'.
• New cursors, including a spinning netball for a busy icon.
• New start-up/shutdown screens (swifts version only).
• A new background image.
• Swift/Phoenix-themed colours for Windows.
• Sporty sound files for Windows events.. cheers, shouts, whistles and bouncing ball.

Download & Install

• Swifts fans - download here.
• Phoenix fans - you want this one

Save to your hard disk and then double-click the file to run. I have assumed most people are using the default directory structure for themes (c:\Program Files\Plus!\Themes\) so this is where the theme files will extract to. This way the theme should appear in your theme manager with all your other themes. Oh, you may need WinZip to install this. If you don't have Winzip then download it here.

Problems

If you have problems with installing the theme, I recommend reading, "What you need to get started" and "Installing a Theme" courtesy of Tucows for information on installing and managing themes. Also, on Netball Australia's web forum, read through the old threads on desktop themes for further help.If there appears to be a problem with the .theme , then email me.

There is also some issues with incorrect colors displaying on some computers when the Phoenix theme is installed. No known fix at this stage :-(

Could Have been better?

Yes, i'd love to have included pictures of the players and official Swifts, NA and sponsor logo's, but after a previous run in with Netball Australia I'm hesitant to use anything other then original artwork and free sounds etc.

However if you have any other ideas for how this theme could have been made better, or would like to work on developing a theme for another team, email me. I can help point you in the direction of the best software and resources you'll need.

If anyone comes across more 'sporty' sounds for free on the web, let me know. Eventually I hope to sample my own sounds at a real netball match etc, but obviously not until next netball season 2002.

Anyway, thats all now folks.