It's not often that I am proud of my country. The governments views on technology and related new media and then the legislation that either must be put in place for the protection of users or in other situations where The legalization is either put or kept in place for reasons or almost reasons unknown *cough* r18 *cough*.
Many of the progressive movements and think tanks about technology occur away from Australia and concern mostly Europe's and America's Internet space, but because so many servers are hosted in Europe and America, so many superpower online companies and organizations call it home. Although this is both understandable and discussions about the big ICT issues will be more effective than talks here, but Australia really should step up more often and discuss the issues and how they effect us as a nation, but it seems as if the reverse is happening, okay, that maybe an exaggeration, but certainly in high school education ICT is being neglected, I can only speak of my state, but I bet that the others are not much better.
The Internet is like a new world, with its own rules and language, every person in Australia will have some form of contact with it and yet its presumes that young people because they have grown up with it, will instantly understand the ins and outs, because they understand OMG, FML and LOL. That they are safe from online attack, or that this online attack is not as dangerous as being attacked in the offline world. Or the reverse, that young people should not be allowed online because no matter how much they are educated the Internet is still not safe for them. Young people are not being educated of the risks in practical ways.
I digress, today I am proud.
The five major ISPs have teamed up to trial a system to help stamp out Internet piracy without infringing on our rights like protect IP does. This is an amazing step. It does have a really long way to go before we see the impacts of this or even if it will be effective at all. There is no promise that this will even leave the trial stages, but its like the ISPs have seemingly taken many of the counter comments used regarding sopa and protect ip and built a model based on that and I am amazed. This is world changing stuff, more than the carbon tax or anything the Australian government has legislated in recent years, hopefully this will show the middle ground where the user gets a voice and the massive copyright holders don’t own the Internet.
Showing posts with label Message. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Message. Show all posts
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Skyrim
Okay, everyone who knows me knows that I have been a TES fan girl since Oblivion, this was also about the time I really started getting into gaming. Obviously this dates me (as not gaming for very long at all) but nonetheless I have been actively waiting for Skyrim since its working name was released in 2008.
I think shall start with an anecdote or three, I pretty much told my mother that when TES:V was released (2010 was the scheduled release) that I would not be attending school that day; attend school, I did not. I bought about $50-$60aud of chips, confectionery, (glo juice obviously) and energy drink, dashed into my game retailer and twitched nervously as I waited for my copy, that due to what is becoming a common occurrence in australia, the game was put on sale a day early. I was freaking out frantically texting and calling my boyfriend while trying to post updates to twitter and facebook. I put in the disc, while rambling incoherently on the phone, steam popped up, I typed in the serial... BOOM cannot install game has not been released, so I went a bit nutty.
I spent the next several hours reading the strategy guide and pacing. Midnight came along, so I set-up my install and gazed and my screen, watching Harry Partridge‘s Skyrim video. I was ready to play after a 20min wait and then... updates and patches, AN HOUR OF THEM.
By the time that was all done, I was a little bit annoyed, It was 0130 and I just wanted to play the fragging game. I found out later that this was even worse for my cousins in in our wild west, Perth who are 3hrs behind us, the game releases at midnight Australian eastern time though.
Okay, so here is the actual review, I just wanted to give that to show the excitement and irritation I entered the game with.
So I open the game, and started construction my character, that’s when alarm bells started ringing. It was hard to move the little sliders to alter my appearance and I wasn't really sure what menu contained what particular aspect of appearance. I just had to kind of go with it and hope everything worked out. Eventually I discovered that it was easier to use the keyboard for the creation process. I have to admit that I was slightly awed by the opening, but nowhere near as much as with oblivion, I have watched that cutscence at least a couple of dozen times and it still gives me shivers. Skyrim didn’t have that epic RPG vastness shown in its opening, no big shots of the evil that awaits or the world that we will spend hours grinding through, great for realism but RPGs suit having a little bit of a teaser, a little bit of prophesy.
I got through the creation and intro, still a little bit confused but generally okay. I meandered through the introduction, bla bla execution, bla bla dragons. I just wanted to get into some real gameplay!
so I got out into the real world an took a look around, my first though was how ugly it is, not in a poorly designed way, but in a snow, rocks, dirt, and cloud way. I pretty much accepted though that I wasn’t going to aesthetically like skyrim that much, as I was never a big fan of northern Cyrodiil (Cyrodiil is the country that oblivion was set in, the northern border shares the southern border of skyrim, it shares much of skyrim’s climate) so I opened my menu and looked for the map, easy to find with the 4 point compass style menu. I look at it, and was like “what?!” I was utterly confused, was it tilted, where were the edges of the map, what was going on here! I did notice a marked village though so I sauntered off in that direction. Also in regard to the map in a later quest; I don’t particularly have a knack with mountains, especially in games, but my job was to climb one, so I walked around part of it, and I could not find an way up. So I passed out on the lounge room floor with the strategy guide and a blankey (about 6am) and woke up at about midday. Eventually after looking in the strategy guide some more, I found that the path was on the other side of a mountain near a village, perhaps the dude who told me to climb the mountain said that, but I didn’t hear, or was too thick to understand, so now I had to work out a way to get there. I looked at my map, all I could see was cloud, and the hint of a river. I looked up the village on my strategy guide map, I squinted my eyes and managed to see a river and a road that seemed far far away, I looked at the “ye old” preorder map (it looks more like the oblivion map), and I had no idea where I was. so I gave up on that and I wandered down the river and eventually got to my destination. I understand the map now mostly. I realised though that map problem was a more obvious feature of what I now realise was me having no idea how the menu system worked, It felt like an arrogant, “if you don’t get this you suck” or a “this is our game, you should just work it out cause we don't have time to make a tutorial”
Okay, fine, I’m stupid, I get that but that’s no excuse for not having some form of tutorial when you make a menu system that is not like most other menus (I did read the booklet, that didn’t help me much) It made the first few, already sleep deprived hours of gameplay difficult and the world felt nowhere near as open as oblivion did (I was only confident in changing quests about 6hrs in)
and the booklet doesn't count, I read the booklet and it does not replace a proper tutorial.
It felt like a new game in a long series that had menus that were always structured in that way, and that I should go back and play them or do some more research about the past games. It felt as if you had to be one of “them” to understand it. Okay, I am a bit slow, I can let it slide but this really took away from how I expected the first few hours to pan out. I planned to play non stop for at least 24hrs,
I do have some massive praise for the game as well.The dungeons, I hated oblivion dungeons, they felt claustrophobic and I always got lost, walking around in circles, skyrim dungeons are more straight forward and vast and it makes it easier to focus on your objectives and combat, but they are also not so simple that its impossible to get lost, I have to check the map every now and then, but its not a constant concern.
Also the combat is awesome, oblivion really messed up the leveled combat, you could predict the leveling up of enemies and the game was either too easy or too hard. The advances in skyrim are perfect, I’m almost level 10 after about 12 hrs of gameplay, and I have encountered 3 or 4 frost trolls, every time I have either died or run away, I’m just no match, maybe as I build my perks (think borderlands, and if you don't know what I mean, and don't mind me rambling on, chk this) and skills I will be able to beat it, but I cant just level up and beat him on raw power as a level 10 and I doubt as even a level 20 or 30.
Also the magic is amazing, I was always put off from being a battlemage because casting was slow, drained lots of magika and was weak, and looked terrible. The lower level magic that I’m using is pretty weak but its fast, pretty and satisfying. It hold the promise of leveling up to become something awesome, and when it is a bit of a fail you can always equip a one handed weapon to supplement it.
The menu system when you do finally work out how the frag it works, is pretty good, I love how the little meaningless quests are filed into there own out of the way category, although I must say whoever picked the font, you couldn’t have picked something less related if you tried, you could at least weathered it a bit. It’s one of the cleanest sans serif fonts I have seen. nice to read but so strange in a “ye old” style game. also the disappearance of the character preview. sure I can exit the menu, toggle to third person and look at myself. But in oblivion I could drop things and kick them around to see the details. and yet you (and I'm happy you did) implement a better way at of looking at items.
It seems that fashion has been abandoned, if anyone in the production spent 10 minutes on the tesnexus (one of the largest mod bases for oblivion and morrowind) one would observe that some of the most downloaded and famous mods improve magic, midas magic; combat, deadly reflex; overall character presentation, beautiful people. and those were all accounted for in skyrim, but not the NUMEROUS better armour mods, everything from the original, albeit revealing, hentai magic collection, to all the modifications of the current armour to make it look better. Some of the most requested items on skyrim forums were cloaks and better looking clothing/armour, and the same is the case with weapons. It seems, both from observing npcs, and shops, that the clothing is uglier than ever. War is no excuse for this, people always want the prettiest and most powerful items, no matter the cost. I hope there is going to be a dlc improving this, the shivering isle expansion for oblivion has some of the best clothing and weapons. I bet many people haven't been vocal about this yet, because clothing is one of the things that you worry about once you have finished the game and settled down, you something you then take pleasure from. It takes away from the role playing for some character types, if the prettiest thing you can wear is your underwear.
Also some of the little things that have been added to evoke a sense of reality, such as being able to cut wood. Seemed a little hurried and as if they were added last minute, They seem to lack purpose.
There are some things I liked about oblivion better. In oblivion you can jump off just about everything, sure you would die, but it gave you the freedom to do as you pleased. Also I miss not carrying items to perform alchemy. Alchemy was one of my core skills in oblivion, I mastered it on more than one occasion (gained the maximum skill) and it is nowhere near as accessible as it was and that is a bit sad.
Overall: this is without a doubt the best elder scrolls game I have played, It lives up to the hype and it was worth ever cent and compared to the gameplay hours I expect to gain, it did not cost many cents. I think I will echo what other reviews are saying and go with 9-9.5 out of 10.
I think shall start with an anecdote or three, I pretty much told my mother that when TES:V was released (2010 was the scheduled release) that I would not be attending school that day; attend school, I did not. I bought about $50-$60aud of chips, confectionery, (glo juice obviously) and energy drink, dashed into my game retailer and twitched nervously as I waited for my copy, that due to what is becoming a common occurrence in australia, the game was put on sale a day early. I was freaking out frantically texting and calling my boyfriend while trying to post updates to twitter and facebook. I put in the disc, while rambling incoherently on the phone, steam popped up, I typed in the serial... BOOM cannot install game has not been released, so I went a bit nutty.
I spent the next several hours reading the strategy guide and pacing. Midnight came along, so I set-up my install and gazed and my screen, watching Harry Partridge‘s Skyrim video. I was ready to play after a 20min wait and then... updates and patches, AN HOUR OF THEM.
By the time that was all done, I was a little bit annoyed, It was 0130 and I just wanted to play the fragging game. I found out later that this was even worse for my cousins in in our wild west, Perth who are 3hrs behind us, the game releases at midnight Australian eastern time though.
Okay, so here is the actual review, I just wanted to give that to show the excitement and irritation I entered the game with.
So I open the game, and started construction my character, that’s when alarm bells started ringing. It was hard to move the little sliders to alter my appearance and I wasn't really sure what menu contained what particular aspect of appearance. I just had to kind of go with it and hope everything worked out. Eventually I discovered that it was easier to use the keyboard for the creation process. I have to admit that I was slightly awed by the opening, but nowhere near as much as with oblivion, I have watched that cutscence at least a couple of dozen times and it still gives me shivers. Skyrim didn’t have that epic RPG vastness shown in its opening, no big shots of the evil that awaits or the world that we will spend hours grinding through, great for realism but RPGs suit having a little bit of a teaser, a little bit of prophesy.
I got through the creation and intro, still a little bit confused but generally okay. I meandered through the introduction, bla bla execution, bla bla dragons. I just wanted to get into some real gameplay!
so I got out into the real world an took a look around, my first though was how ugly it is, not in a poorly designed way, but in a snow, rocks, dirt, and cloud way. I pretty much accepted though that I wasn’t going to aesthetically like skyrim that much, as I was never a big fan of northern Cyrodiil (Cyrodiil is the country that oblivion was set in, the northern border shares the southern border of skyrim, it shares much of skyrim’s climate) so I opened my menu and looked for the map, easy to find with the 4 point compass style menu. I look at it, and was like “what?!” I was utterly confused, was it tilted, where were the edges of the map, what was going on here! I did notice a marked village though so I sauntered off in that direction. Also in regard to the map in a later quest; I don’t particularly have a knack with mountains, especially in games, but my job was to climb one, so I walked around part of it, and I could not find an way up. So I passed out on the lounge room floor with the strategy guide and a blankey (about 6am) and woke up at about midday. Eventually after looking in the strategy guide some more, I found that the path was on the other side of a mountain near a village, perhaps the dude who told me to climb the mountain said that, but I didn’t hear, or was too thick to understand, so now I had to work out a way to get there. I looked at my map, all I could see was cloud, and the hint of a river. I looked up the village on my strategy guide map, I squinted my eyes and managed to see a river and a road that seemed far far away, I looked at the “ye old” preorder map (it looks more like the oblivion map), and I had no idea where I was. so I gave up on that and I wandered down the river and eventually got to my destination. I understand the map now mostly. I realised though that map problem was a more obvious feature of what I now realise was me having no idea how the menu system worked, It felt like an arrogant, “if you don’t get this you suck” or a “this is our game, you should just work it out cause we don't have time to make a tutorial”
Okay, fine, I’m stupid, I get that but that’s no excuse for not having some form of tutorial when you make a menu system that is not like most other menus (I did read the booklet, that didn’t help me much) It made the first few, already sleep deprived hours of gameplay difficult and the world felt nowhere near as open as oblivion did (I was only confident in changing quests about 6hrs in)
and the booklet doesn't count, I read the booklet and it does not replace a proper tutorial.
It felt like a new game in a long series that had menus that were always structured in that way, and that I should go back and play them or do some more research about the past games. It felt as if you had to be one of “them” to understand it. Okay, I am a bit slow, I can let it slide but this really took away from how I expected the first few hours to pan out. I planned to play non stop for at least 24hrs,
I do have some massive praise for the game as well.The dungeons, I hated oblivion dungeons, they felt claustrophobic and I always got lost, walking around in circles, skyrim dungeons are more straight forward and vast and it makes it easier to focus on your objectives and combat, but they are also not so simple that its impossible to get lost, I have to check the map every now and then, but its not a constant concern.
Also the combat is awesome, oblivion really messed up the leveled combat, you could predict the leveling up of enemies and the game was either too easy or too hard. The advances in skyrim are perfect, I’m almost level 10 after about 12 hrs of gameplay, and I have encountered 3 or 4 frost trolls, every time I have either died or run away, I’m just no match, maybe as I build my perks (think borderlands, and if you don't know what I mean, and don't mind me rambling on, chk this) and skills I will be able to beat it, but I cant just level up and beat him on raw power as a level 10 and I doubt as even a level 20 or 30.
Also the magic is amazing, I was always put off from being a battlemage because casting was slow, drained lots of magika and was weak, and looked terrible. The lower level magic that I’m using is pretty weak but its fast, pretty and satisfying. It hold the promise of leveling up to become something awesome, and when it is a bit of a fail you can always equip a one handed weapon to supplement it.
The menu system when you do finally work out how the frag it works, is pretty good, I love how the little meaningless quests are filed into there own out of the way category, although I must say whoever picked the font, you couldn’t have picked something less related if you tried, you could at least weathered it a bit. It’s one of the cleanest sans serif fonts I have seen. nice to read but so strange in a “ye old” style game. also the disappearance of the character preview. sure I can exit the menu, toggle to third person and look at myself. But in oblivion I could drop things and kick them around to see the details. and yet you (and I'm happy you did) implement a better way at of looking at items.
It seems that fashion has been abandoned, if anyone in the production spent 10 minutes on the tesnexus (one of the largest mod bases for oblivion and morrowind) one would observe that some of the most downloaded and famous mods improve magic, midas magic; combat, deadly reflex; overall character presentation, beautiful people. and those were all accounted for in skyrim, but not the NUMEROUS better armour mods, everything from the original, albeit revealing, hentai magic collection, to all the modifications of the current armour to make it look better. Some of the most requested items on skyrim forums were cloaks and better looking clothing/armour, and the same is the case with weapons. It seems, both from observing npcs, and shops, that the clothing is uglier than ever. War is no excuse for this, people always want the prettiest and most powerful items, no matter the cost. I hope there is going to be a dlc improving this, the shivering isle expansion for oblivion has some of the best clothing and weapons. I bet many people haven't been vocal about this yet, because clothing is one of the things that you worry about once you have finished the game and settled down, you something you then take pleasure from. It takes away from the role playing for some character types, if the prettiest thing you can wear is your underwear.
Also some of the little things that have been added to evoke a sense of reality, such as being able to cut wood. Seemed a little hurried and as if they were added last minute, They seem to lack purpose.
There are some things I liked about oblivion better. In oblivion you can jump off just about everything, sure you would die, but it gave you the freedom to do as you pleased. Also I miss not carrying items to perform alchemy. Alchemy was one of my core skills in oblivion, I mastered it on more than one occasion (gained the maximum skill) and it is nowhere near as accessible as it was and that is a bit sad.
Overall: this is without a doubt the best elder scrolls game I have played, It lives up to the hype and it was worth ever cent and compared to the gameplay hours I expect to gain, it did not cost many cents. I think I will echo what other reviews are saying and go with 9-9.5 out of 10.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Occupy Melbourne
I am sick of the Occupy Melbourne exaggerations of police brutality and and needless measures, in the most part regarding the destruction of property and the removal of protesters, anyone who did not expect the protesters to be removed by force after the comments (ie eviction notice) of the Melbourne city council, are naive to say the least. Those who resist, who are surprised that police are dragging them away, and defending themselves from resisting protesters are also a tad slow. I am not against socialist ideals, nor protesting, but this just seems to be the whining of upper middle class Australians, if you want to help the impoverished, got spend the time you have been protesting helping at a homeless shelter or donating money. Not feigning and whinging about inequality, actions may speak louder than words, but it seems that your actions are nothing more than shouting your words. All this is seeming to achieve is back patting among supporters of your cause and alienation against those who do no believe or do not agree with your childish antics.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
socially making the most of the internet
Im not sure what to name this post, but what it is about is socially making the most of the internet, so I guess I will call it that.
One of my brothers was surprised to say the least that considering I have spent less than 6 months really actively on the internet and social media, so I thought I would write about what one should do to make connections with like minded individuals and geniuses on the internet.
The first thing I can think of is to pick a social internet circle and stick with it, I include YouTube in the definition of social internet, as it is most definitely a way to interact socially with others if you so decide. And in ways I exclude the vanilla usage of facebook, as you can use facebook to interact with new people but it is really for reinforcing relationships. Hence I use the term Social Internet rather than Social Network.
Charlie McDonnell is a prime example of how he made YouTube work for him, Although a self admitting nerd and once a shy quiet lad, he is now a musical a YouTube sensation. Who can say the line that many people wish they could, that being "my job is YouTube" Charlie has explained his rise to fame and his thoughts on fame most aptly in this video
and the idea of doing what you do, for you; I think is completely true. I'll be lucky if three people read this, I don't do much on-line to get the attention of others I do it for me.
I use twitter, because writing is my medium of choice although it does not have the same viral nature as YouTube, as tweets are not really passed on outside of twitter and even if they are the don't really go viral, unless its a drunk/high celeb. But through twitter I have a small yet solid base of friends and followers from all over the world. something that is scary.
I did this through constantly being active and joining in conversations with others, an essential trait in the offline social world not surprisingly is essential in the online world too
(sorry that this post is a bit messy)
One of my brothers was surprised to say the least that considering I have spent less than 6 months really actively on the internet and social media, so I thought I would write about what one should do to make connections with like minded individuals and geniuses on the internet.
The first thing I can think of is to pick a social internet circle and stick with it, I include YouTube in the definition of social internet, as it is most definitely a way to interact socially with others if you so decide. And in ways I exclude the vanilla usage of facebook, as you can use facebook to interact with new people but it is really for reinforcing relationships. Hence I use the term Social Internet rather than Social Network.
Charlie McDonnell is a prime example of how he made YouTube work for him, Although a self admitting nerd and once a shy quiet lad, he is now a musical a YouTube sensation. Who can say the line that many people wish they could, that being "my job is YouTube" Charlie has explained his rise to fame and his thoughts on fame most aptly in this video
and the idea of doing what you do, for you; I think is completely true. I'll be lucky if three people read this, I don't do much on-line to get the attention of others I do it for me.
I use twitter, because writing is my medium of choice although it does not have the same viral nature as YouTube, as tweets are not really passed on outside of twitter and even if they are the don't really go viral, unless its a drunk/high celeb. But through twitter I have a small yet solid base of friends and followers from all over the world. something that is scary.
I did this through constantly being active and joining in conversations with others, an essential trait in the offline social world not surprisingly is essential in the online world too
(sorry that this post is a bit messy)
Friday, July 22, 2011
Peace at last, video games in the same league as other media
At this point in my life I have only two changes in Australian legislation that I want made. One of these changes has now been made and its impact is soon to be felt, although small all over the Australian community. This is in relation to a R18+, an adults only per say rating for videos games. This R18+ rating has already existed for many years in Film and Television and has its equivalents in literature and music. This means that a genre of entertainment that was originally seen as only for children and teenagers and hence could only be rated as such. The highest rating previously being MA15+. As soon as one turns 15, they could then play every video game available on the Australian market.
Currently Australia has the largest amount of games that are discriminately refused classification the only countries that have higher numbers of RCed video games are those who have not allowed any violence to be shown in games whatsoever.
Also a massive misnomer is that these games R18+ games were banned in Australia, refused classification in Australia mealy means that the games cannot be legally sold or promoted in Australia there is only one recorded case of a game being banned to the extent that it was an illegal to own although all RCed games are classified as "objectionable material" and can be seized at the border and the owner to be stung with a $110 000 fine. This one game was Mortal Combat and this was March 2011 and applied mostly to imports of the game.
But importing a game is not the only way to obtain it.
Internet piracy is a threat to the music and film industries and a massive threat to the games industry. Anyone with a bit of know how and an internet connection can download almost any game for free and with games sales being the an approximate 80-90% of sales regarding the industry, this is a threat to its survival. Luckily many gaming fans understand this and purchase the games to support the production of the game and future titles. Although when it is impossible to purchase the game here and difficult to purchase it overseas with the risk of a $110 000 fine hanging over your head. Piracy an already illegal act that is hard to stamp out (the three industries are trying very hard to do so each in different ways)seems to be the only resort for the die hard fan who really wants to play the new RCed game.
So I applaud the members of the Australian people who have supported this change and the members of the government who have listened, although this means that not every game will gain classification this is ground breaking legislation that will help every one from the industry to the gamer.
Now all I have to do is wait for my 18th birthday.
Currently Australia has the largest amount of games that are discriminately refused classification the only countries that have higher numbers of RCed video games are those who have not allowed any violence to be shown in games whatsoever.
Also a massive misnomer is that these games R18+ games were banned in Australia, refused classification in Australia mealy means that the games cannot be legally sold or promoted in Australia there is only one recorded case of a game being banned to the extent that it was an illegal to own although all RCed games are classified as "objectionable material" and can be seized at the border and the owner to be stung with a $110 000 fine. This one game was Mortal Combat and this was March 2011 and applied mostly to imports of the game.
But importing a game is not the only way to obtain it.
Internet piracy is a threat to the music and film industries and a massive threat to the games industry. Anyone with a bit of know how and an internet connection can download almost any game for free and with games sales being the an approximate 80-90% of sales regarding the industry, this is a threat to its survival. Luckily many gaming fans understand this and purchase the games to support the production of the game and future titles. Although when it is impossible to purchase the game here and difficult to purchase it overseas with the risk of a $110 000 fine hanging over your head. Piracy an already illegal act that is hard to stamp out (the three industries are trying very hard to do so each in different ways)seems to be the only resort for the die hard fan who really wants to play the new RCed game.
So I applaud the members of the Australian people who have supported this change and the members of the government who have listened, although this means that not every game will gain classification this is ground breaking legislation that will help every one from the industry to the gamer.
Now all I have to do is wait for my 18th birthday.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
My attempt to write about my new school
I have been finding it quite hard to write about my new school, because, I just feel so at home here. there are some cons like any school, but even those seem to be pros in a way. There is a very high standard set by many of the teachers, and the majority of work that is set you must complete, and this is enforced not by nagging but by the simple premise of, if you don't do the work, you fail a work requirement, that means that you fail the subject. luckly its not, if you dont do the work on time then you will fail, cause if that happened I think 40% of the students would fail. I don't think it deserves the bad rep that it gets from some of the other schools, from what I was hearing before I came here was that you could do whatever, and I thought that applied to everything from drugs to class participation. This is not the case. Swinburne has a very solid identy as a school, it knows how it wants to work and educate and it doesnt care what anybody else thinks.
I am now sure that a major change that needs to happen in mainstream public education, is that the senior school is treated differently than the middle and junior years of schooling.
When a student is in primary school and early high school. like it or not in most cases school is not a choice for them, and in ways one does not tend to doubt that. They might spend more time in year nine out of class wagging rather than in class studying. But in the end they have no choice legally, you must attend school (or at least pretend to do so). Once you get to year ten this startds to change, you have a choice ultimately if you are to continue with a high school education, most students in my experiance use this a a practice year, or don't even really accept that they can leave school.
The begining of VCE is when decitions about where your going to take your education are formed. by midyear it becomes really apparent that there has been a big change. From this point one usually gets spares (classes in your 9 to 3 timetable where you have no classes and as such free to do anything you want), and even if you don't you can ussaly leave the school grounds when you don't have classes (ie. lunch). A small but high impact freedom. The whole process of assesment changes, with the state having as much control as the school, if not more.
I shall refer to my old school here, the teachers begin using asking if low achiving students "should be there" either at that school or at school in general. uniform starts getting more relaxed but attendance polices start to get harsher, and the indivudial is punished if there subject or career choice does not match with the majority. With classes not offered due to a lack of trained staff or not enough numbers to fill classes.
The system of rigid "Do as I say not as do" double standards continue from the middle school, with the expectaion of teachers to be called Miss or Sir when they do not show as similar courocy to the student. Teachers are allowed to bring in tea, coffee or other beverages and drink them in front of the class while teaching, but students are forbidden from doing the same. Uniforms that are poor quality and/or expensive are (though in the case of my old school this was relaxed slightly) worn by the students in the name of "solidarity" but teachers do not wear a uniform, either the same as the students or (as in the past) the same as each other.
If you pull out a old Enid Blyton book or watch a movie about older english education, you will see that these old fashoned policies have roots from that time, but these behaviours or similar ones were also expected from teachers. the teachers wear uniform, I have bever spotted one drink a beverage while teaching, and they refer to the students (as long as they are not misbehaving) as Mr or Miss.
I want this system brought back as much as I want to be caned for answering a maths question incorrectly. What should happen though, as students grow older and it is their choice to be in school, they should be treated with the same respect as teachers. And this is being done, at senior schools, those that are designed to teach year 11 and 12 students exclusively.
Such as the school I currently attend, I wear no uniform, refer to my teachers by first name and now and again bring tea, coffee or miso into class, unless I have been politely asked by a teacher not to (such as in the case of my media teacher who asked us to abtstain from bringing drinks into class, but as she her self may on occasion bring in a cup of tea, she did not see it fair to forbid it) but no teacher has outright forbidden me from doing such a thing.
If a teacher is violent towards a student, then they are punished. As is the reverse.
If a teacher doesnt turn up to class then they have to make up time because they don't get paid, If a student does not attend then they have to make up the time or they risk failing because they don't know the course material.
So far as I see, this system can be abused, and is not right for younger students, who might not have the judgement. For senior students, if they abuse it, it is at there own detriment. not getting the ATAR score or prerequistes they need for further education or entering the workforce.
Although it seems like I went off on a bit of a tangent, what I have explained is the main difference between most schools, both public and private. Also the thing I enjoy and respect most about swinburne senior. That and the common room. :D
I am now sure that a major change that needs to happen in mainstream public education, is that the senior school is treated differently than the middle and junior years of schooling.
When a student is in primary school and early high school. like it or not in most cases school is not a choice for them, and in ways one does not tend to doubt that. They might spend more time in year nine out of class wagging rather than in class studying. But in the end they have no choice legally, you must attend school (or at least pretend to do so). Once you get to year ten this startds to change, you have a choice ultimately if you are to continue with a high school education, most students in my experiance use this a a practice year, or don't even really accept that they can leave school.
The begining of VCE is when decitions about where your going to take your education are formed. by midyear it becomes really apparent that there has been a big change. From this point one usually gets spares (classes in your 9 to 3 timetable where you have no classes and as such free to do anything you want), and even if you don't you can ussaly leave the school grounds when you don't have classes (ie. lunch). A small but high impact freedom. The whole process of assesment changes, with the state having as much control as the school, if not more.
I shall refer to my old school here, the teachers begin using asking if low achiving students "should be there" either at that school or at school in general. uniform starts getting more relaxed but attendance polices start to get harsher, and the indivudial is punished if there subject or career choice does not match with the majority. With classes not offered due to a lack of trained staff or not enough numbers to fill classes.
The system of rigid "Do as I say not as do" double standards continue from the middle school, with the expectaion of teachers to be called Miss or Sir when they do not show as similar courocy to the student. Teachers are allowed to bring in tea, coffee or other beverages and drink them in front of the class while teaching, but students are forbidden from doing the same. Uniforms that are poor quality and/or expensive are (though in the case of my old school this was relaxed slightly) worn by the students in the name of "solidarity" but teachers do not wear a uniform, either the same as the students or (as in the past) the same as each other.
If you pull out a old Enid Blyton book or watch a movie about older english education, you will see that these old fashoned policies have roots from that time, but these behaviours or similar ones were also expected from teachers. the teachers wear uniform, I have bever spotted one drink a beverage while teaching, and they refer to the students (as long as they are not misbehaving) as Mr or Miss.
I want this system brought back as much as I want to be caned for answering a maths question incorrectly. What should happen though, as students grow older and it is their choice to be in school, they should be treated with the same respect as teachers. And this is being done, at senior schools, those that are designed to teach year 11 and 12 students exclusively.
Such as the school I currently attend, I wear no uniform, refer to my teachers by first name and now and again bring tea, coffee or miso into class, unless I have been politely asked by a teacher not to (such as in the case of my media teacher who asked us to abtstain from bringing drinks into class, but as she her self may on occasion bring in a cup of tea, she did not see it fair to forbid it) but no teacher has outright forbidden me from doing such a thing.
If a teacher is violent towards a student, then they are punished. As is the reverse.
If a teacher doesnt turn up to class then they have to make up time because they don't get paid, If a student does not attend then they have to make up the time or they risk failing because they don't know the course material.
So far as I see, this system can be abused, and is not right for younger students, who might not have the judgement. For senior students, if they abuse it, it is at there own detriment. not getting the ATAR score or prerequistes they need for further education or entering the workforce.
Although it seems like I went off on a bit of a tangent, what I have explained is the main difference between most schools, both public and private. Also the thing I enjoy and respect most about swinburne senior. That and the common room. :D
Sunday, July 10, 2011
My Dream Cafe
My dream café, @tropicalfoxtrot and I were discussing, although playfully about opening out own café as we are both coffee addicts. And this got be thingking again about what for me would constute the ideal café. So if anyone out there who loves we is planning to open a café and loves me, then here is a quick guide on how to impress me.
Cheap: yeah, I want there to be the cheapest of the cheap options. I’m not saying I wouldn’t buy anything more expensive, but if you offer a cheap driplator coffee for like a dollar a cup. I will proberply frequent your shop everyday. Snaacks and meals that are closer to what you would hake at home, cheese and vegemite on wholemeal does not cost $5 and I will not pay $5 for it.
Wifi: internet access is one of my necessaries, being able to sit and type away online or peruse the finest drivel the internet has to offer sums up a good experience. Make it cheap or for example free, but only if you buy 5 cups of coffee
Get to know me: I announce my thoughts to the world both online and off, im sure we will be the best of friends. Learn my name and learn my intrests, my visits are more likely to be longer and I’ll buy more. But also (unless your full to bursting) let me hang around either alone or with my friends without pressuring me to buy. (though if you have really cheap coffee then I will most likely be constantly buying :D)
Keep it cool: make yopur décor sturdy and stylish. Don’t just go for a simple tables and chairs set-up. Try big communal tables and private booths too, make youre cafe a social hub. Be open long hours, preferably 24/7 and make the atomoshere at all hour, safe and inviting. I have to request a tech/steam punk orantaed design, with keyboards on the walls and maybe the odd typewriter in the center of a table
Make it individual: and support my individuality, give me a discount on my coffee if I bring my own mug, give your different types of coffee cool names, this one place I passed named each style of coffee ranging from decaf (still asleep) to strong hard blend (start my heart) I think a lot of people would try even the worst coffee if it has a cute and catchy name, make it feel like a secret society.
Reward me: if I frequent your establishment everyday for hours at a time and buy a few litres of coffee and a dozen sandwiches. Reward me, more coffee is one way. But be creative, you could get t-shirts made or badges that announce my loyalty, they also advertise your café so you win too. Put specials on sites such as foursquare, like the mayor gets free coffee, aqgain, its more advertising and it starts up a competition between friends over who can visit and purchase stuff the most often.
Support your customers endevors: have a notice board and space for your customers to exibit art, it will liven the place up and encourage your cutomers to tell people to visit your esablisment to check out there art. A notice board will show customers that you care for them by giving a place to place there ads. They might stick around a bit longer and buy a sandwich to say thank you for helping them find a new roomie.
Location: now this request is purely selfish and just for me, but it does have some benefits to you. First up, please make your store in melbopurne, this is where I live and plan to live for the next half decade, if you do make your café in Melbourne please make it in Hawthorne around Swinburne uni or the CBD along Swanston or Elizabeth street. If you mangage to do this you will get a fair bit of traffic from students from nearby unis. I’d just look for the closest sudent accommodation and build near that, if your open 24/7 and make a decent hangover cure (although I don’t drink) all the better for your wallet.
So I think that just about sums my wants in a café, if you have any more suggestions please post in the comments section below.
Cheap: yeah, I want there to be the cheapest of the cheap options. I’m not saying I wouldn’t buy anything more expensive, but if you offer a cheap driplator coffee for like a dollar a cup. I will proberply frequent your shop everyday. Snaacks and meals that are closer to what you would hake at home, cheese and vegemite on wholemeal does not cost $5 and I will not pay $5 for it.
Wifi: internet access is one of my necessaries, being able to sit and type away online or peruse the finest drivel the internet has to offer sums up a good experience. Make it cheap or for example free, but only if you buy 5 cups of coffee
Get to know me: I announce my thoughts to the world both online and off, im sure we will be the best of friends. Learn my name and learn my intrests, my visits are more likely to be longer and I’ll buy more. But also (unless your full to bursting) let me hang around either alone or with my friends without pressuring me to buy. (though if you have really cheap coffee then I will most likely be constantly buying :D)
Keep it cool: make yopur décor sturdy and stylish. Don’t just go for a simple tables and chairs set-up. Try big communal tables and private booths too, make youre cafe a social hub. Be open long hours, preferably 24/7 and make the atomoshere at all hour, safe and inviting. I have to request a tech/steam punk orantaed design, with keyboards on the walls and maybe the odd typewriter in the center of a table
Make it individual: and support my individuality, give me a discount on my coffee if I bring my own mug, give your different types of coffee cool names, this one place I passed named each style of coffee ranging from decaf (still asleep) to strong hard blend (start my heart) I think a lot of people would try even the worst coffee if it has a cute and catchy name, make it feel like a secret society.
Reward me: if I frequent your establishment everyday for hours at a time and buy a few litres of coffee and a dozen sandwiches. Reward me, more coffee is one way. But be creative, you could get t-shirts made or badges that announce my loyalty, they also advertise your café so you win too. Put specials on sites such as foursquare, like the mayor gets free coffee, aqgain, its more advertising and it starts up a competition between friends over who can visit and purchase stuff the most often.
Support your customers endevors: have a notice board and space for your customers to exibit art, it will liven the place up and encourage your cutomers to tell people to visit your esablisment to check out there art. A notice board will show customers that you care for them by giving a place to place there ads. They might stick around a bit longer and buy a sandwich to say thank you for helping them find a new roomie.
Location: now this request is purely selfish and just for me, but it does have some benefits to you. First up, please make your store in melbopurne, this is where I live and plan to live for the next half decade, if you do make your café in Melbourne please make it in Hawthorne around Swinburne uni or the CBD along Swanston or Elizabeth street. If you mangage to do this you will get a fair bit of traffic from students from nearby unis. I’d just look for the closest sudent accommodation and build near that, if your open 24/7 and make a decent hangover cure (although I don’t drink) all the better for your wallet.
So I think that just about sums my wants in a café, if you have any more suggestions please post in the comments section below.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Standing up Straight
I was on the train when something that occationally bothers me popped into my head. Many years ago a girl in my form group asked, in quite a snide way "why do you stand up straight, is it cause you think your better than us?" to which I replied something generic, proberbly "no, der". As time progressed, This moment has kept coming back to me and causes me to ponder, why did I then, stand up straight? What would I say to her now?
I have a few reasons that imdiately pop into my head, first of all was pride, not in a stuck up way though, in an honest innocent way. I was proud of being a high school student and a independent, confidant girl on the verge of becoming a young woman. I moved from a primary school that was opprestive to anyone different, and compared to many of the people there I could have been an alien.
Not to abuse the many brilliant students who went there and still do and the amazing teachers who changed my life and truely educated me, but many of the students came from low education "wild" backrounds and were not givien in my opinion, the discipline that they were begging for. I was shunned. For my own protection I had to try my best to cut a domineering brave figure for those who though I was weak and easy pray. And standing up tall is a sign of refunsifng to be oppressed. I trained martial arts for 4 years, and we were taught quite firmly that good posture is the basis of respect and good teqnuique, this is where I think most of my desire to stand up straight came from.
but the sad thing, is that, I don't sit or stand tall any more unless I feel threatened or asked to. because even though I can justify it and i belive strongly in each of those points. when I stand up tall or sit up tall, I feel stuck up and that I stick out. I don't train martial arts anymore so it is no longer such an expectation. In fact I think my posture is worse than many of my peers. I slouch and cross my legs most of the time. Maybe when I am out of school I will try a bit more actively to shed this comment. It really is proof that a little comment you make can effect someone for years if not their whole lives.
I have a few reasons that imdiately pop into my head, first of all was pride, not in a stuck up way though, in an honest innocent way. I was proud of being a high school student and a independent, confidant girl on the verge of becoming a young woman. I moved from a primary school that was opprestive to anyone different, and compared to many of the people there I could have been an alien.
Not to abuse the many brilliant students who went there and still do and the amazing teachers who changed my life and truely educated me, but many of the students came from low education "wild" backrounds and were not givien in my opinion, the discipline that they were begging for. I was shunned. For my own protection I had to try my best to cut a domineering brave figure for those who though I was weak and easy pray. And standing up tall is a sign of refunsifng to be oppressed. I trained martial arts for 4 years, and we were taught quite firmly that good posture is the basis of respect and good teqnuique, this is where I think most of my desire to stand up straight came from.
but the sad thing, is that, I don't sit or stand tall any more unless I feel threatened or asked to. because even though I can justify it and i belive strongly in each of those points. when I stand up tall or sit up tall, I feel stuck up and that I stick out. I don't train martial arts anymore so it is no longer such an expectation. In fact I think my posture is worse than many of my peers. I slouch and cross my legs most of the time. Maybe when I am out of school I will try a bit more actively to shed this comment. It really is proof that a little comment you make can effect someone for years if not their whole lives.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Noodle Kingdom
I'm sitting right now at the most eye catching and popular eating spots in Preston although one, I admit, I do not frequent enough. and that would be Noodle Kingdom in Preston after a long afternoon of sitting in the library and trying to write (and I admit failing dismally and resorting to reading a 2 year old, torn copy of girlfriend magazine that was mildly entertain with side servings of offensive) as the library shut I realised that I should probably eat something, as I was really really hungry. So Noodle Kingdom popped into my head, and now greatufully into my belly.
Noodle kingdom, as the title suggests is an Asian restaurant specialising in noodles and dumplings. That has become popular for just that. and a few other things, the reason why it seemed most attractive to me and my rumbling belly was the meal size, for 8.50 I got a massive bowl of pork dumplings, noodles and chinse broccoli in a delicious broth. Om nom nom, that is great for my tummy, tastebuds and wallet. For students out there who can only afford to eat every couple of days but eating migorang instant noodles are starting to adversely affect your health, the I would highly recommend it.
The drinks are not bad either, but they seem to be on the more expensive side and they don’t offer coconut juice. I thought that was a bit odd.
But this place is not just for the desperately hungry who are desperately poor. Noodle Kingdom has gotten some really good write ups from some harsh critics, although I do not remember any names as this place opened a fair while ago now, and was reviewed a while back too. So, if you love your noodles... and especially dumplings or know someone who does, I would highly recommend noodle kingdom.
I must say, as many others have said before me, the customer service is a bit of a mess. They seat you as fast as possible, take your order as fast as possible and ignore you as much as possible. They do all of the things that i was taught not to do when I was a waitress. But they haven’t tried to shoo me out as of yet, and they seem quite laid back, Although this is mid-afternoon on a Saturday and during peak times such as Friday night they have a queue that goes out onto high street, noticeably so.
Overall
Food: 5 stars, the food can't get much better!
Value: 5 stars, So much food... for so little money!
Service: 2 stars, don't even bother asking what they recommend, just pick something before they lose interest.
Presentation
Menu, disorganized and poor English translations, 3 stars
Restaurant, over the top, trying for sophisticated, nothing special, 3 stars
Food, nice and simple plating, tried and tested, 4 stars
FINAL SCORE: 4 stars, lost one star for service and average presentation.
Insider tips:
Don’t be shy, stare down the wait staff, shout out for help. Or you might not even get served
When it is busy, it is busy. Try going there on more offpeak times. (ie. not Friday nights)
On your first few visits, minimum, go with a friend and share one dish, this is honestly how big the servings are.
After a few visits you might find that special dish that you can eat all by yourself, as with many foods, some can be too rich or spicy for your tastes. To use this over use cliché, think of all the starving children, don’t waste food or money by ordering what you can’t eat.
I haven’t seen a single person eat with a fork, I don't even know if they have any,
¬
Noodle kingdom, as the title suggests is an Asian restaurant specialising in noodles and dumplings. That has become popular for just that. and a few other things, the reason why it seemed most attractive to me and my rumbling belly was the meal size, for 8.50 I got a massive bowl of pork dumplings, noodles and chinse broccoli in a delicious broth. Om nom nom, that is great for my tummy, tastebuds and wallet. For students out there who can only afford to eat every couple of days but eating migorang instant noodles are starting to adversely affect your health, the I would highly recommend it.
The drinks are not bad either, but they seem to be on the more expensive side and they don’t offer coconut juice. I thought that was a bit odd.
But this place is not just for the desperately hungry who are desperately poor. Noodle Kingdom has gotten some really good write ups from some harsh critics, although I do not remember any names as this place opened a fair while ago now, and was reviewed a while back too. So, if you love your noodles... and especially dumplings or know someone who does, I would highly recommend noodle kingdom.
I must say, as many others have said before me, the customer service is a bit of a mess. They seat you as fast as possible, take your order as fast as possible and ignore you as much as possible. They do all of the things that i was taught not to do when I was a waitress. But they haven’t tried to shoo me out as of yet, and they seem quite laid back, Although this is mid-afternoon on a Saturday and during peak times such as Friday night they have a queue that goes out onto high street, noticeably so.
Overall
Food: 5 stars, the food can't get much better!
Value: 5 stars, So much food... for so little money!
Service: 2 stars, don't even bother asking what they recommend, just pick something before they lose interest.
Presentation
Menu, disorganized and poor English translations, 3 stars
Restaurant, over the top, trying for sophisticated, nothing special, 3 stars
Food, nice and simple plating, tried and tested, 4 stars
FINAL SCORE: 4 stars, lost one star for service and average presentation.
Insider tips:
Don’t be shy, stare down the wait staff, shout out for help. Or you might not even get served
When it is busy, it is busy. Try going there on more offpeak times. (ie. not Friday nights)
On your first few visits, minimum, go with a friend and share one dish, this is honestly how big the servings are.
After a few visits you might find that special dish that you can eat all by yourself, as with many foods, some can be too rich or spicy for your tastes. To use this over use cliché, think of all the starving children, don’t waste food or money by ordering what you can’t eat.
I haven’t seen a single person eat with a fork, I don't even know if they have any,
¬
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
How I write
So, I have started whiting again, and I am very happy that I am doing so. I said to @londonjustin that I would try his method of planning, what compares planning a novel to the process of producing a computer program. L So I try his method, to be fair I was trying to write a plan as quickly as possible (or maybe that is the true test) so I started planning. One of the things I realised latter is that his plan from what sticks in my memory, Maybe Justin would disagree, but it can be summed up to me as, write the ending and or purpose for your novel, (to inform, tell a particular story, push a moral)to explain the characters, then to form a plot with a focus on the later stages of re-writing and editing.
My normal method of planning is slightly different (though I have only planned one fictional piece) and this plan consists of allowing the thought, it might be a character or a theme to bounce around my head for a day or so. and then to open up my laptop and write 3 pages, a figure though in my last plan turned out to equate to a figure closer to 100 000 words (although I still have not finished the first draft) when I was aiming for something closer 50k (before editing, expanding of detail etc.) But a true plan for me, I can only imagine being 3 pages, typed or handwritten, I do prefer typing thou. Once I have allowed the main ideas to bounce around in my head and I have a plan written out I then start to write. As I made my NaNoWriMo attempt last year I started to discover tactics to write efficiently, the most important being:
Setting goals/word counts: When I am using my preferred (non-write-or-die) program, Q10 (a free download) I set a daily goal (1667 words minimum for Nano) a mini-goal usually something that would result in a self-indulgence, such as a break, chocolate, coffee, tea, lollies, a new lip balm. Pretty much everything I bought for myself last November would be a prize for reaching a certain word count. This towards the beginning of Nano was 500 words, and this tends to be my usual goal (though in retrospect I would have made the goal closer to 1000 for the first week of Nano) this then dropped to 250 as the month wore on, eventually wearing down to 100 words as I tired, became sick and so on, as many Nano writers will ditto. These goals, even when not rewarded reminded me of how much I had done, and served as markers that I had written a decent amount. As someone who gains great pleasure in watching numbers increase this was a very effective technique, also having a word count for how much I had written that day, that session and overall that month. Especially how Q10 translates your overall goal into a percentage is very comforting, did you know that 500words is 1% of 50K! Tiny as it sounds, especially earlier in the month (and I would probably write more now in a Nano like situation) I would write 3000 words, 6% of my Nano goal. And to me this very much felt like an accomplishment!
Prizes: I mentioned prizes before, and incentives for writing can be very effective, prizes don't necessarily have to be especially bought, though that can help. a visit to the supermarket with the aim of buying excessive amounts of confectionary (something I believe you can claim on tax if you are a published writer who gains a profit from writing!) just for you can be an inspiring exercise, that also can help control your sugar intake and make it seem precious rather than a given. But also crude things such as "I won’t have a shower this morning if I don’t write 2000 words" or "I won’t have necessities break until I write another 500 words" just little things like that can keep me writing.
Environment: Environment is very important to my writing; I can’t have anyone I know around me. Even if they are in another room i find it hard to settle down with the sounds of movement, or TV in another room. So getting up early and staying up late was a necessity for a lot of my writing. Also going to the library or a cafe when no one I knew was there was an important factor; also I had to have dedicated writing spaces to get a lot of work done. When I went I go to the library to write I have a process. There are 2 libraries that I frequent, at one I can easily crash in a bean bag and write, at the other I sit at a desk in a certain spot, because at the library where I avoid the bean bag, I have gone there many times with friends and chatted and mucked around, some of the time sharing a bean bag, So i find that memory a distraction. I also managed to clear enough space for a card table at the bungalow at the back of my house, and there is a powerpoint there too so I could sit for hours singing angst punk rock songs and eating chocolate as I wrote without fear of being embarrassingly interrupted, and the humidicots, and other sciency equipment there from when My dad did orchid flasks is a really cool place to write... although slightly terrifying! I know that if I went there with a friend and just sat around, that it would be harder to work there.
Word wars: Many lunch times I sat with one of My Nano buddies and we wrote for about 45min of our lunch break, sitting side by side and peeking at the other's word count. Also we battled it out once via txt message one evening. Now with my recent purchase of "write or die" and the wonderful writers I have met though twitter. Word wars seem to be even more accessible and as I get more into writing again, most likely a very helpful community of peers to bounce Ideas off.
Word processor: I wrote the beginning of my Nano using word, big mistake, the red and green squiggly lines (I know they can be turned off) slowed down my writing immensely. Also the desire to format, I would recommend notepad, q10, write or die, anything that *does not* have spell check or formatting options. Editing I have found should be put as far away from writing as possible.
Make sure you have meds: If you suffer a chronic condition, stress gives you headaches, makes you more prone to get sick, have allergies make sure you have plenty of your drugs of choice. Aspirin is a necessity in my writing kit as I suffer from migraines especially when I’m stressed or tired. And I keep lemsip close for another signs on illness. I try my best to identify when I am feeling crook, so I can take necessary action, a break, sleep if I have the time, or meds. A migraine can knock me out for a day if am not careful but awareness plus knowledge of things I can do to help, kept me writing with minimal disruption from my body.
So those are a few of my writing tactics, overall, and I think this next thing applies to everyone, I think the most important tactic is Identifying your own personal strengths and weaknesses and using them to formulate tactics to help you write is a must, plan, even if you disregard it, the worst that could happen is you lose a few hours of your life, and back to Justin’s planning method, I think its great overall, and I am definitely going to use it for my essay planning. For fiction though, I don't think its right for me. I highly recommend you try it though, especially if you are a writer who also has knowledge of programing, as many I know surprisingly do!
My normal method of planning is slightly different (though I have only planned one fictional piece) and this plan consists of allowing the thought, it might be a character or a theme to bounce around my head for a day or so. and then to open up my laptop and write 3 pages, a figure though in my last plan turned out to equate to a figure closer to 100 000 words (although I still have not finished the first draft) when I was aiming for something closer 50k (before editing, expanding of detail etc.) But a true plan for me, I can only imagine being 3 pages, typed or handwritten, I do prefer typing thou. Once I have allowed the main ideas to bounce around in my head and I have a plan written out I then start to write. As I made my NaNoWriMo attempt last year I started to discover tactics to write efficiently, the most important being:
Setting goals/word counts: When I am using my preferred (non-write-or-die) program, Q10 (a free download) I set a daily goal (1667 words minimum for Nano) a mini-goal usually something that would result in a self-indulgence, such as a break, chocolate, coffee, tea, lollies, a new lip balm. Pretty much everything I bought for myself last November would be a prize for reaching a certain word count. This towards the beginning of Nano was 500 words, and this tends to be my usual goal (though in retrospect I would have made the goal closer to 1000 for the first week of Nano) this then dropped to 250 as the month wore on, eventually wearing down to 100 words as I tired, became sick and so on, as many Nano writers will ditto. These goals, even when not rewarded reminded me of how much I had done, and served as markers that I had written a decent amount. As someone who gains great pleasure in watching numbers increase this was a very effective technique, also having a word count for how much I had written that day, that session and overall that month. Especially how Q10 translates your overall goal into a percentage is very comforting, did you know that 500words is 1% of 50K! Tiny as it sounds, especially earlier in the month (and I would probably write more now in a Nano like situation) I would write 3000 words, 6% of my Nano goal. And to me this very much felt like an accomplishment!
Prizes: I mentioned prizes before, and incentives for writing can be very effective, prizes don't necessarily have to be especially bought, though that can help. a visit to the supermarket with the aim of buying excessive amounts of confectionary (something I believe you can claim on tax if you are a published writer who gains a profit from writing!) just for you can be an inspiring exercise, that also can help control your sugar intake and make it seem precious rather than a given. But also crude things such as "I won’t have a shower this morning if I don’t write 2000 words" or "I won’t have necessities break until I write another 500 words" just little things like that can keep me writing.
Environment: Environment is very important to my writing; I can’t have anyone I know around me. Even if they are in another room i find it hard to settle down with the sounds of movement, or TV in another room. So getting up early and staying up late was a necessity for a lot of my writing. Also going to the library or a cafe when no one I knew was there was an important factor; also I had to have dedicated writing spaces to get a lot of work done. When I went I go to the library to write I have a process. There are 2 libraries that I frequent, at one I can easily crash in a bean bag and write, at the other I sit at a desk in a certain spot, because at the library where I avoid the bean bag, I have gone there many times with friends and chatted and mucked around, some of the time sharing a bean bag, So i find that memory a distraction. I also managed to clear enough space for a card table at the bungalow at the back of my house, and there is a powerpoint there too so I could sit for hours singing angst punk rock songs and eating chocolate as I wrote without fear of being embarrassingly interrupted, and the humidicots, and other sciency equipment there from when My dad did orchid flasks is a really cool place to write... although slightly terrifying! I know that if I went there with a friend and just sat around, that it would be harder to work there.
Word wars: Many lunch times I sat with one of My Nano buddies and we wrote for about 45min of our lunch break, sitting side by side and peeking at the other's word count. Also we battled it out once via txt message one evening. Now with my recent purchase of "write or die" and the wonderful writers I have met though twitter. Word wars seem to be even more accessible and as I get more into writing again, most likely a very helpful community of peers to bounce Ideas off.
Word processor: I wrote the beginning of my Nano using word, big mistake, the red and green squiggly lines (I know they can be turned off) slowed down my writing immensely. Also the desire to format, I would recommend notepad, q10, write or die, anything that *does not* have spell check or formatting options. Editing I have found should be put as far away from writing as possible.
Make sure you have meds: If you suffer a chronic condition, stress gives you headaches, makes you more prone to get sick, have allergies make sure you have plenty of your drugs of choice. Aspirin is a necessity in my writing kit as I suffer from migraines especially when I’m stressed or tired. And I keep lemsip close for another signs on illness. I try my best to identify when I am feeling crook, so I can take necessary action, a break, sleep if I have the time, or meds. A migraine can knock me out for a day if am not careful but awareness plus knowledge of things I can do to help, kept me writing with minimal disruption from my body.
So those are a few of my writing tactics, overall, and I think this next thing applies to everyone, I think the most important tactic is Identifying your own personal strengths and weaknesses and using them to formulate tactics to help you write is a must, plan, even if you disregard it, the worst that could happen is you lose a few hours of your life, and back to Justin’s planning method, I think its great overall, and I am definitely going to use it for my essay planning. For fiction though, I don't think its right for me. I highly recommend you try it though, especially if you are a writer who also has knowledge of programing, as many I know surprisingly do!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Moving schools
As people who frequent my blog know, I don't like my school, it is inflexible, backward and unsupportive of individuals, who have individual needs for their individual plans after they leave school.
The schools hardware although now upto date due to a number of grants from the government, are so slow, mostly because of the immense amount of restrictions and internet filtering, making the machines harder to use than my four year old laptop.
Though the one perk is that when I am supporting my peers and teachers in navigating the vast world of ict, it makes things simple "how do I zip a file?" You can't "how do I view the size of this file?" You can't "how can I hack the system" soo many ways my friends.
Though even in all my anger I, have only used common sense and work arounds. Limited as they may be, to attempt to get some work done.
I am also stuck for 3 periods a week with a bunch of dudes. Who, to overly simplify, would rather be on a construction site than sit and do nothing (vet, tafe courses as a part of vce, I do creative industries cert. II.) Yet on Wednesday my classes go til 5pm and I'm lucky to eat as I spend my lunch hour getting to my course. I get no spare study periods.
Also I have to sit for 25 minutes most Tuesdays and try to fill out a booklet about how I should study/feel about my existence or listen to a co-ord tell me that using highlighters is not a study technique (as moat visual learners will concur... WRONG) and spending my time napping through classes that I really don't want to take; my school doesnt offer the ones that I do want to take.
So after cracking it last friday, after getting 3 migraines in 2 weeks. I am now moving schools, as Twitter knows.
I was accepted into swinburne senior secondary. I have my timetable and next year I will take software development and possibly cert. II in infotech. Wednesday has no timetabled classes except for vet that I do closer to home and I get spares, I don't know where there ict is at and I do have to commute for 3 hours a day, leave my friends behind and they're are no promises that it will be brilliant. It has to be better than where I'm at now.
20th of june, will start a new chapter.
The schools hardware although now upto date due to a number of grants from the government, are so slow, mostly because of the immense amount of restrictions and internet filtering, making the machines harder to use than my four year old laptop.
Though the one perk is that when I am supporting my peers and teachers in navigating the vast world of ict, it makes things simple "how do I zip a file?" You can't "how do I view the size of this file?" You can't "how can I hack the system" soo many ways my friends.
Though even in all my anger I, have only used common sense and work arounds. Limited as they may be, to attempt to get some work done.
I am also stuck for 3 periods a week with a bunch of dudes. Who, to overly simplify, would rather be on a construction site than sit and do nothing (vet, tafe courses as a part of vce, I do creative industries cert. II.) Yet on Wednesday my classes go til 5pm and I'm lucky to eat as I spend my lunch hour getting to my course. I get no spare study periods.
Also I have to sit for 25 minutes most Tuesdays and try to fill out a booklet about how I should study/feel about my existence or listen to a co-ord tell me that using highlighters is not a study technique (as moat visual learners will concur... WRONG) and spending my time napping through classes that I really don't want to take; my school doesnt offer the ones that I do want to take.
So after cracking it last friday, after getting 3 migraines in 2 weeks. I am now moving schools, as Twitter knows.
I was accepted into swinburne senior secondary. I have my timetable and next year I will take software development and possibly cert. II in infotech. Wednesday has no timetabled classes except for vet that I do closer to home and I get spares, I don't know where there ict is at and I do have to commute for 3 hours a day, leave my friends behind and they're are no promises that it will be brilliant. It has to be better than where I'm at now.
20th of june, will start a new chapter.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
ICT in schools [Part 2] aka. why I hate my school
Just spent another 20 minutes learning about how my school wants me to learn. So I was sitting there putting my time to an actual practical use, instead of sitting and filling in a paper timetable that I would most likely never look at again. I decided to organise my timetable that is on my HTC android, the teacher walked past and saw me twiddling on my phone. To which he commented and I quote "organising your time is more important than texting" as he indicated at the timetable in front of me. To which I replied that I was not texting and in fact I was reorganizing the calendar on my smartphone... he let me do my thing. But I must comment that for a school that prides itself on using and teaching technology it seems to do very little of either.
This is most defiantly not the first time that a teacher has told me off for using productive and helpful technology in class. Another example is in my English class we were told to get out our planners, so hence I pulled out my old phone, a blackberry. And started typing in her instruction, my English teacher harshly told me off. I explained that this was my PDA and I was doing what she asked, she exclaimed that I could have asked/told her that I used a PDA over a planner. I had done that with all of my teachers, including her at the start of the year. What I failed to mention to all of them was how much of a fool I felt as I did so, its hard doing something different than everyone else at my school, especially in regards to technology. There is only one teacher who is qualified in I.T. and there are few who even understand the basic "have you tried turning it on and off again" and the "is it plugged in" rules. The teacher who was/is the I.T. manager of the school (according to a reliable source) actually caused the school server crash (not intranet or internet) and it took the I.T. dept. A week to fix whatever they did.
Maybe the school should focus on keeping their teachers upto date with technology before they start making exaggerated claims about their "wonderful techsavvey" school.
This is most defiantly not the first time that a teacher has told me off for using productive and helpful technology in class. Another example is in my English class we were told to get out our planners, so hence I pulled out my old phone, a blackberry. And started typing in her instruction, my English teacher harshly told me off. I explained that this was my PDA and I was doing what she asked, she exclaimed that I could have asked/told her that I used a PDA over a planner. I had done that with all of my teachers, including her at the start of the year. What I failed to mention to all of them was how much of a fool I felt as I did so, its hard doing something different than everyone else at my school, especially in regards to technology. There is only one teacher who is qualified in I.T. and there are few who even understand the basic "have you tried turning it on and off again" and the "is it plugged in" rules. The teacher who was/is the I.T. manager of the school (according to a reliable source) actually caused the school server crash (not intranet or internet) and it took the I.T. dept. A week to fix whatever they did.
Maybe the school should focus on keeping their teachers upto date with technology before they start making exaggerated claims about their "wonderful techsavvey" school.
Friday, May 27, 2011
This is not a blog post
today has been a long day
and I don't really want to write at all, I would rather goto bed and have a play fruit ninja or finish the book I am reading so I can lend it to @jokermanMK or tweet about losing the sensation in my feet or txt a friend or liking random things on getglue or lying peacefully in the dark listening to music or painting my nails or perhaps even catching up on my maths work or re-arranging my binder or tiding up my art folio or downloading more apps for my android phone or downloading a new firmware update (Running isn't working too well for me right now)or eating boiled lollies or mint slice or timtams or dark timtams or dark mint timtams or learning c# or changing my twitter profile picture or hugging someone or getting a cup of tea or making a video or making a game based video or resting my eyes or reading a manga or hugging a rock or working on the my ordy videos (sorry) or playing with my towel or praying or casting magic or drinking glo or studying for my exams or watching doctor who or watching youtube or catching up on the news or checking the weather or answering questions on GameFAQS or whirlpool or reading on autechheads or working out why my fan is over there or cleaning my room or reading lockergnome.com or... okay you get the point... I don't want to blog nor am I going to today
and I don't really want to write at all, I would rather goto bed and have a play fruit ninja or finish the book I am reading so I can lend it to @jokermanMK or tweet about losing the sensation in my feet or txt a friend or liking random things on getglue or lying peacefully in the dark listening to music or painting my nails or perhaps even catching up on my maths work or re-arranging my binder or tiding up my art folio or downloading more apps for my android phone or downloading a new firmware update (Running isn't working too well for me right now)or eating boiled lollies or mint slice or timtams or dark timtams or dark mint timtams or learning c# or changing my twitter profile picture or hugging someone or getting a cup of tea or making a video or making a game based video or resting my eyes or reading a manga or hugging a rock or working on the my ordy videos (sorry) or playing with my towel or praying or casting magic or drinking glo or studying for my exams or watching doctor who or watching youtube or catching up on the news or checking the weather or answering questions on GameFAQS or whirlpool or reading on autechheads or working out why my fan is over there or cleaning my room or reading lockergnome.com or... okay you get the point... I don't want to blog nor am I going to today
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Faith
So recently @londonjustin wrote a blog post about faith from a view point that I shall crudely surmise as Agnostic and his friend @the_helen replied from a Christian viewpoint.
So I though considering my deep diving into the bible via the bible project (that's having a little nap at the moment and moving to tumblr in the next few weeks). I though I should put my own views and experiences in to this discussion.
I was Anti-Christian, I thought all Christians and Churches were deeply flawed, worshipping an evil god on the wrong terms. I have found peace in my own faith (witchcraft, neo-paganism)and through my faith learnt a valuable lesson. That people are people, and institutions are institutions. As Helen brought up some Christian groups have done amazing work that has helped many many people without discrimination based on their faiths, nationalities, races, or Identity.
There have also been things done in the name of the Christian god that are so horrible and twisted and the though of them, though many are long past; were what haunted me in the times when I was strongly Anti-Christian.
But you can't judge all video games because one is mental and nor can you judge all churches or Christian sects just because one particular one is filled with nutters. Each person is an individual and each person follows the word of God/Goddess/Neither/Other differently. As Helen wrote "Someone’s faith is a part of them the same as their character is-I’m sure you wouldn’t shun someone because they are extremely extrovert." and I guess that is true, but in my case further than that... would you shun somebody because of what you thought they believed. Would you presume that my belief in my Lady and the fact I wear a Pentical means that I am a Satanist or an Evil Witch, or a little from column a and a little from column b?
I judged Christians and Christian Organizations based on that mindset for a time.
My most important point must be though, through my faith I learnt to love. To respect and love everyone, and I don't think anyone can deny that whatever causes you to respect and love is not a bad thing.
(Sorry if this doesn't make much sense its past 1am and I really need to catch some Zs)
So I though considering my deep diving into the bible via the bible project (that's having a little nap at the moment and moving to tumblr in the next few weeks). I though I should put my own views and experiences in to this discussion.
I was Anti-Christian, I thought all Christians and Churches were deeply flawed, worshipping an evil god on the wrong terms. I have found peace in my own faith (witchcraft, neo-paganism)and through my faith learnt a valuable lesson. That people are people, and institutions are institutions. As Helen brought up some Christian groups have done amazing work that has helped many many people without discrimination based on their faiths, nationalities, races, or Identity.
There have also been things done in the name of the Christian god that are so horrible and twisted and the though of them, though many are long past; were what haunted me in the times when I was strongly Anti-Christian.
But you can't judge all video games because one is mental and nor can you judge all churches or Christian sects just because one particular one is filled with nutters. Each person is an individual and each person follows the word of God/Goddess/Neither/Other differently. As Helen wrote "Someone’s faith is a part of them the same as their character is-I’m sure you wouldn’t shun someone because they are extremely extrovert." and I guess that is true, but in my case further than that... would you shun somebody because of what you thought they believed. Would you presume that my belief in my Lady and the fact I wear a Pentical means that I am a Satanist or an Evil Witch, or a little from column a and a little from column b?
I judged Christians and Christian Organizations based on that mindset for a time.
My most important point must be though, through my faith I learnt to love. To respect and love everyone, and I don't think anyone can deny that whatever causes you to respect and love is not a bad thing.
(Sorry if this doesn't make much sense its past 1am and I really need to catch some Zs)
Monday, May 23, 2011
Life sux
Okay, I know this
You can stop posting it on fb
You can stop being irritated when I do my whole obviously insane thing
This is me, I do crazy stuff and I'm sick of people being surprised
If you don't like it
Unfriend me
Unfollow me
Unlike me
I refuse to let all the bad stuff that happens to me make me impossibly depressed
Because yeah, my life could be suxxors
I could be suicidal and depressed and refuse to let anyone talk to me
and yell at all the people who act all messed up
I could be "Normal" "Typical"
My goodbyes could take 5 minutes
I could do everything you say
I could cry myself to sleep
I could sleep normal hours
And eat regular meals at regular times
I could wear dresses and poke fun at geeks
I could pay attention to things I don't care about
I could pretend I don't want to see you
That I don't care about you
I could goto parties
I could stop drawing
I could wear makeup like you wear makeup
I could quit caring about issues
I could stop talking
I could stop smiling
I could stop making content because noone really gives a toss
I could smoke until I bleed
I could drink until I'm rushed to E.D.
I could be drugged so much that I can't think
If I have to be like that to be loved
I don't want love
If I have to be like that to be accepted
I don't want to be accepted
My life is my own and if I annoy you just by being me
I don't care how much you life sux
or how many exams you have today
you can go away
because my life already could be suxxors
I could complain
and moan about how stressed I am
But I refuse to do so publicly and constantly
or in a serious way
I don't care what you think of me
I will still respect you
even if you unfollow, unfriend or unlike me
You can stop posting it on fb
You can stop being irritated when I do my whole obviously insane thing
This is me, I do crazy stuff and I'm sick of people being surprised
If you don't like it
Unfriend me
Unfollow me
Unlike me
I refuse to let all the bad stuff that happens to me make me impossibly depressed
Because yeah, my life could be suxxors
I could be suicidal and depressed and refuse to let anyone talk to me
and yell at all the people who act all messed up
I could be "Normal" "Typical"
My goodbyes could take 5 minutes
I could do everything you say
I could cry myself to sleep
I could sleep normal hours
And eat regular meals at regular times
I could wear dresses and poke fun at geeks
I could pay attention to things I don't care about
I could pretend I don't want to see you
That I don't care about you
I could goto parties
I could stop drawing
I could wear makeup like you wear makeup
I could quit caring about issues
I could stop talking
I could stop smiling
I could stop making content because noone really gives a toss
I could smoke until I bleed
I could drink until I'm rushed to E.D.
I could be drugged so much that I can't think
If I have to be like that to be loved
I don't want love
If I have to be like that to be accepted
I don't want to be accepted
My life is my own and if I annoy you just by being me
I don't care how much you life sux
or how many exams you have today
you can go away
because my life already could be suxxors
I could complain
and moan about how stressed I am
But I refuse to do so publicly and constantly
or in a serious way
I don't care what you think of me
I will still respect you
even if you unfollow, unfriend or unlike me
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
ICT in schools (Part One)
ICT is the abbreviation for Information Communication Technology, a complex way of saying IT. I am a wannabe techie and a gamer so obviously, technology and how I learn it in school is important to me. If someone asked my how ICT is in my school, I would have to say excessively poor, and particularly annoying. So I am going to try and Summarize it.
I must start on a topic that I have particularly experienced and still irks me today, multimedia. Multimedia at our school was at the uppermost level software as of 2000, with the installation of Photoshop 6 on the school’s server; the first version of Photoshop to have the now famous (possibly infamous) Liquefy tool. As of 2010 the school made the profound leap to Photoshop 11, also known as Photoshop CS4. But few teachers understood the implications and advancements of this software with over 50 major updates occurring between Photoshop 6 and the release of Photoshop CS4. This is a major culture shift, 6 months after the shift; I personally had the blessing of a teacher attempt to teach me and around 25 others, Photoshop CS4, using the methods of Photoshop 6. I must admit through the tasks that he gave us, I did learn some skills that were invaluable in my overall photo manipulation skills. But there were so many aspects of Photoshop that this teacher was ignorant of, He was teaching a class with the majority of students most profound digital art being produced with MS paint (kind of like comparing walking to driving a Lamborghini) Students were being taught difficult and outdated methods of doing simple things, due to the fact that this teacher did not know the simpler methods. He was and as far as I know still it trapped in the groove that was carved by being trapped in the old technology, and the school overall did not care enough to make sure that this teacher had the necessary training to teach students, I as a student who had little experience with Illustrator I also had the blessing of being taught Illustrator by him, It was a scary experience that almost drove me off using illustrator forever. This year luckily I have a better teacher and constant and current users of illustrator, such as True Nuff’s “Threeboy” encouraging me to expand my skills in Illustrator and I have to give thanks to them. I must admit that I still think the pen tool is going to be the death of me.
I must start on a topic that I have particularly experienced and still irks me today, multimedia. Multimedia at our school was at the uppermost level software as of 2000, with the installation of Photoshop 6 on the school’s server; the first version of Photoshop to have the now famous (possibly infamous) Liquefy tool. As of 2010 the school made the profound leap to Photoshop 11, also known as Photoshop CS4. But few teachers understood the implications and advancements of this software with over 50 major updates occurring between Photoshop 6 and the release of Photoshop CS4. This is a major culture shift, 6 months after the shift; I personally had the blessing of a teacher attempt to teach me and around 25 others, Photoshop CS4, using the methods of Photoshop 6. I must admit through the tasks that he gave us, I did learn some skills that were invaluable in my overall photo manipulation skills. But there were so many aspects of Photoshop that this teacher was ignorant of, He was teaching a class with the majority of students most profound digital art being produced with MS paint (kind of like comparing walking to driving a Lamborghini) Students were being taught difficult and outdated methods of doing simple things, due to the fact that this teacher did not know the simpler methods. He was and as far as I know still it trapped in the groove that was carved by being trapped in the old technology, and the school overall did not care enough to make sure that this teacher had the necessary training to teach students, I as a student who had little experience with Illustrator I also had the blessing of being taught Illustrator by him, It was a scary experience that almost drove me off using illustrator forever. This year luckily I have a better teacher and constant and current users of illustrator, such as True Nuff’s “Threeboy” encouraging me to expand my skills in Illustrator and I have to give thanks to them. I must admit that I still think the pen tool is going to be the death of me.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
What I wrote to a friend Re: You are a "Stupid Windows User"
The reason I use PC, Is because I want an OS that will run everything without the problems that Linux brings, but I don't want to spend and excessive amount on a computer that has little flexibility, Mac is progressing as an OS It is becoming more flexible and the amount of programs that you can run is increasing. And the day that the first MacOS gaming machine will be epic. I choose PC after assessing the other OSes based on the opinions of others and calling me a stupid Windows User is disrespectful and unkind. And I do not appreciate it, Your opinions are your own and I respect you enough not to call You an OS Whore. I like the simplicity that one OS brings, and for me that cant b a mac and I cant be bothered with a Linux Machine
Friday, April 15, 2011
Ah, again just an update
New header, From a graveyard in Strahan, Tasmania.
Blog Post planned about how much I love my towel
and another about my new keyboard (maybe)
New videos one this morning, hopefully one tonight and 2 more planned over the nest week, so plenty to keep you occupied. Not much else to say.
Blog Post planned about how much I love my towel
and another about my new keyboard (maybe)
New videos one this morning, hopefully one tonight and 2 more planned over the nest week, so plenty to keep you occupied. Not much else to say.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
So how was your day?
I have a deal with my dad, if I clean my room and do a few other chores then he will give my my dream keyboard, The Razer Lycosa. Mirror version! and a 16gb microSD card. Today I was sick though so I didn't do much of my room (if you were watching my twitter you would know it was a migraine) but tomorrow and maybe Thursday that will be the main thing I will be doing, I will try to keep tweeting, but if the Interweb is distracting me too much then I will stop. So if I just drop out then don't worry!
Vodafone is going to be the death of me
having a mobile phone is an important part of life for most people, especially for people who are active on the net. I was lucky to, in January this year, inherit a blackberry storm. quite a nice phone considering that the model is over 10 years old. It was previously in the possession of a Vodafone customer. I changed the phone over to TPG after some hassle, Unfortunately TPG does not support blackberry data (internet) so I began looking at changing my carrier again, after spending many hours on the phone with Optus trying to work out exactly why plan I would have to be on to receive blackberry data I was about to tie the knot. A my dad suggested that I go back to Vodafone because one of the main friends who I message is with Vodafone and it would save both of us credit. After some thought I agreed, going out and buying a Red Sim and went through the process of activating it spending half an hour on the phone, I thought I had at least gotten the sim activated, but no. I spent an hour and half an hour on the phone the following morning passing the phone on to my Dad when I had to leave for school. Eventually it was found out that my sim (my new Red Sim) had expired. My dad went to the Vodafone store and bought a new sim, the store told him it had been activated and the number was going to be ported over, in the next 24 to 48 hours 4 day later me and my Dad returned to the Vodafone Store and spent half an hour there where the Staff member spent 80% on the time on the phone with Vodafone. Eventually we were told the sim would be resolved in the the next 30 minutes to 3 hours. I tried it in my phone and it was active, but the number hadn't been ported over. so we called Vodafone, Causing me to be late to a movie with a friend... AND I HATE BEING LATE. Still not resolved, I am still upset and annoyed and I want this fixed. The worst thing is that it seems Optus is the same, no-one else knows what any one else is saying. It's a service that is hard to boycott and impossible to find a carrier that actually offers a good deal and customer service that doesn't cause you to rip out your own hair. Pass this on if you want better mobile service in Australia or anywhere else in the World!
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