Thomas Williams.blog

Heath's Cold Sores, and TJ Can Read Minds...

2009-11-24T13:09:00.002+11:00

We had a good ole'-fashioned home weekend this weekend because we thought Heath had school sores (highly infectious), but it turned out he had cold sores (yeeech...apparently his immune system will build up):

Of course after a weekend in, the house looked like a bomb had hit it. TJ demonstrated previously-unknown mind reading powers* late Sunday when I asked him to clean up the lounge room where the kids had been stacking cushions and jumping on them.

I was about to give him specific instructions regarding the better cushions which should be returned to the family room:

Me: TJ, can you pack up the lounge and take those two yellow cush...

TJ (quickly): Yes.

Me (slightly annoyed, ready to remind him not to interrupt my monologue, and about to chide him that he couldn't possibly know what he was saying "Yes" to): Yes what?

TJ (without skipping a beat): Yes, I will take the yellow cushions and those other cushions to the family room.

Me (defeated): That's what I was about to say. Right then.

* I think TJ got lucky with his guess. He thinks he read my mind :-)

Tags: family, sick, funny

Can Video Games Be Taken Seriously?

2009-11-23T14:12:00.003+11:00

I enjoy playing video games. They're not for everyone (I'm in a minority among friends even of my own age) but I see them as part of a diet of valid entertainment along with TV, movies, books, board games and the occasional YouTube video.

I've heard a whole range of different opinions on video games - from "that's kid's stuff" to being overly violent, bad, addictive, boring, too complicated or just fake.

Maybe one day video games can be taken "seriously" as a medium - the story, cinematics and emotions that a game creates can be analysed like films are today, with less of the the current (often petty-sounding) headlines concerning faster graphics cards, Playstation vs XBox, or out-of-proportion heroines...who cares about that stuff?

I read a couple of great articles today (thanks to Simon Parkin at Chewing Pixels) which ask if video games can really be taken seriously, far more eloquently than I can:

Steve Gaynor at Fullbright compares video games to a "middle child" and believes that because video games require interactivity there's an entry barrier that TV and movies don't have:

"The most popular entertainment is the work that requires the least foreknowledge, the shortest attention span, that supplies the most instant gratification...Video games are the only popular entertainment that you can actually fail at."

Matthew at Magic Wasteland talks about the maturity of video games as a medium, in summary comparing video games to an adolescent:

"So before we can confidently come forth with our own particular offerings towards the sum of human cultural output, the light of civilization, it seems we must continue to gyrate through this adolescent process of self-discovery, as awkward and humiliating as it can be."

There's a reason video games are not movies, but still, I look forward to a future of watching David and Margaret discuss the quirkiness of Braid or perhaps just being able to talk to normal people about the baddest video game bad guy or a cult classic game or the latest game episode of Fable 2...

Tags: games, personal, media

Unexplained Neck Soreness Considered Painful

2009-11-02T13:33:00.003+11:00

My neck was feeling a little painful over the weekend, and I couldn't work out why. Stress at work? Too much time playing the addictive Civilization Revolution with Wifey on the XBox? Maybe a bad night's bad sleep?

I figured out my unexplained neck soreness today. It was headbanging to Muse's Knights of Cydonia on Friday night...hey, I was dancing around with the kids, who thought the headbanging was hilarious.

I'm certainly not the young, grungey Gen X-er I once was.

See also: eHow's guide to how to headbang (along with accompanying warnings)

Tags: personal, music, health

Earthquake!

2009-10-01T12:46:00.002+10:00

Last Tuesday we were eating dinner when we experienced a small earthquake.

It happened very quickly. We heard a loud noise and felt a shudder - like something big had hit the back of our house - then a rumbling sound. The whole experience took 2-3 seconds.

We stopped eating and looked at each other, wondering if there was more to come, if it was worse elsewhere, and who else had felt the earth move. TJ and Maya wanted to know all about earthquakes, which lead to an interesting discussion about tectonics, disasters, and emergency plans.

Luckily there was a way to find out more at the Geoscience Australia site. Here's the details of the quake (it turned out to be two quakes, close together, that had originated near us in Pearcedale):

Tags: earthquake, victoria, science, family

Facebook Friend Lists and Privacy

2009-09-14T19:54:00.000+10:00

Like many people worldwide, I use Facebook.

Facebook has got to a stage for me where my "friends" list is different than my actual real-life friends. I'm a generous person and prefer to "friend" people on Facebook who are even casual acquaintances...plus, I'm too lazy to "unfriend" anyone.

A helpful tool for the separation of online only vs. real life vs. people I hardly know (or whatever) friends is "friend lists". I've made up a couple of "friend lists" and using the tips at "10 Solid Tips to Safeguard Your Facebook Privacy" on MakeUseOf, I can better define privacy options.

Check out the tips at MakeUseOf, and may your Facebooking be happy and safe!

Tags: social, friends, facebook

Grandad

2009-09-05T21:29:00.001+10:00

My Grandad, William Thomas Goodley ("Bill"), 23/Feb/1925 - 5/Sep/2009. I miss you already Grandad.

Video Chat

2009-08-09T09:59:00.001+10:00

An old pic - here's me (top left), Mum and Dad (top right), brother Simon and his son Sam (bottom left), and my brother Nate (bottom right) enjoying a video chat from Perth to Newcastle to Melbourne.

We're using a free web-based service from TokBox which worked quite well.

Tags: video chat, picture, family

You Know What I Hate?

2009-07-28T18:02:00.001+10:00

I saw a funny movie a while back where the main character would encounter situations he didn't like, and would then react entirely without inhibition. He ran a lane-drifting driver off the road; he spanked a woman who spanked her children; he chopped off a man's ponytail, explaining that it "doesn't make you look hip, cool or young".

Even in my wildest dreams I wouldn't consider doing any of these things...however...you know what I hate?

Reality TV. All reality TV shows need to be cancelled, and the "stars" made to do community service as penance.

Noisy people in cinemas annoy me. Similarly, people who bring 7-year-olds to M-rated films and then are noisy trying to shoosh the kids. They need to all be shoved in to the one screening - a whole babble of noisy shooshers.

People who finish other's sentences need to go without talking for a day.

And I absolutely hate the letters to the editor section in newspapers. I'd open a newsagent where those pages were ripped from every paper.

Ah, that feels better. Back to normal programming now :-)

Tags: life, personal, funny

BioShock Essay at Critical Distance

2009-07-14T13:54:00.001+10:00

Recently I bought the game BioShock and although I'm only 10 or so hours into it, I have to say it's one of the best video games I've ever played. The 50's-era environment is wonderfully portrayed using sight and sound, and the underwater city of Rapture is at once both scary and intriguing. From a geek perspective, the graphics are great and the gameplay flows without being too hard for a casual gamer like myself.

But the key to BioShock - what sets it apart - is the great story.

All this to say that Michael Clarkson over at Critical Distance has written an excellent compilation of thoughts on BioShock's story and morality, which is well worth the read if you've ever played (or are interested in playing) the game.

Tags: games, xbox, story, bioshock

My Office, June 2009

2009-07-05T20:19:00.001+10:00

I may have mentioned my office before with it's great views and location close to a beach. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here it is (taken with my phone):

Tags: office, beach

I Have James Bond's Phone From "Casino Royale"

2009-06-20T17:39:00.001+10:00

Yep, you see it on screen for about 4 seconds, and I have the same model. It goes with my Aston Martin :-)

Tags: film, phone, James Bond

Shoelaces?

2009-06-15T15:05:00.000+10:00

Shoelaces!?!@?!

I can buy a fingerprint detector for my computer, but I've still got to fasten my foot covering with rope.

And even though I've learnt a possibly useful skill - tying a knot - there's no application for my hard-won talent in normal day-to-day life.

Knot tying is not cool. The only knot I know, the one I use to tie my foot rigging, is called a "granny knot". Not cool. If you can count to two, you can also tie a "double knot". Also not cool.

I say: Shoelaces are crap. Banish shoelaces and analog clocks, and make kids the world over happier.

Tags: life, funny

The Life and Times of Two-Year-Old Heath

2009-06-08T13:12:00.001+10:00

Heath is actually close to 3, but anyway, here it is: Play, eat, hyper, sleep :-)

Tags: family

Our XBox 360 Has Its Own Blog

2009-05-17T21:56:00.002+10:00

We (the whole family) have an XBox 360, which is cool; and even cooler is that our XBox has its own blog at 360 Voice.

Here's a couple of excerpts from typical entries ("thomaswilliams4" is me):

thomaswilliams4 was a no show... but you can't game every day. I actually enjoyed the rest... although I am ready for more. Bring it please.
thomaswilliams4 must have heard my calling... I was practically startled when his greasy finger pounded my power button. I mean come on... be a little gentle... I am fragile.
I told thomaswilliams4 'Don't make me hurt you!' and the threat worked because he decided to show up yesterday.
thomaswilliams4 must have a life, because he didn't game yesterday...

360 Voice pulls information from the XBox gamertag public profiles for a schwack-load of users, and also tracks a whole lot of statistics and provides forums for help with games.

Most of all the blog makes me laugh, in its own sarcastic way.

Tags: gaming, xbox, blog, funny

The Perfect Home Office

2009-05-12T21:15:00.003+10:00

Huge monitor, laser printer, guard cat/proof-reader: the perfect home office.

Tags: fun, home, office

Movie Review: Wolverine

2009-05-04T19:48:00.002+10:00

No spoilers: I'm not going to give anything away plot-wise in this post...but you may not like what you read if you haven't seen the movie. Your call.

If, like me, you've been expectantly waiting to be blown away by the blockbuster movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine (here's the very snick-snicky movie site, and the IMDB link), I can report: the movie will blow you away.

Wolverine is a movie with big action sequences and is ultimately enjoyable to watch, but it has a number of problems. Foremost, I found the plot convoluted; the movie contains too many "strike a pose" moments (thanks Garry for putting words to that condition!); and some of the actors are unconvincing.

It has it's good points: Liev Schreiber is a great Sabretooth, and Danny Huston is a menacing Colonel Stryker. Some of the key moments in Wolverine's story, like his long life, the Weapon X facility and losing his memory, are done well.

But - aside from the plot - there's too many pointless cameos and the special effects at times look cheap. Both Hugh Jackman's love interest Kayla and fellow mutant Gambit are flat. The final confrontation was confusing. Hugh Jackman is good, but the disconnect for me is that it's almost like Wolverine is the mature, team-player Wolverine from after X-Men 3, rather than the rougher, more dangerous version from 10-15 years before (when this movie is set).

Like all Hollywood adaptations, there has to be compromises. I'm not a comic fan so I can't say how the Hollywood adaptation of Wolverine differs from the original story, but even for me some things just felt wrong. Dark Knight, Iron Man, Watchmen and the original X-Men 1 & 2 all rate far above this one for me.

My final score: 6 out of 12.

Links: Rotten Tomatoes review and low score, Roger Ebert's tongue-in-cheek review, Geek Theo Moore hits the nail on the head with his review on the acting, the Huffington Post discusses themes and lack of

Tags: movie, review, wolverine

I Have a Little Wind

2009-04-27T12:38:00.002+10:00

...but not that sort, honestly.

Under my desk at work, there's a little wind that blows. Not that sort! I can't figure out where the little wind comes from, but it's making my legs cold.

Speaking of wind, yesterday (April 26th) had a little wind too (data from the Bureau of Meteorology):

That's the highest 3:00PM wind for the month, and the lowest 3:00PM temperature for the month.

Perhaps that sort of little wind would help to keep me warm?

Tags: weather, wind, Frankston

One Movie Each

2009-04-14T13:40:00.002+10:00

There's five people in our family, which means we can borrow one movie each from the local video shop (who conveniently have a deal for five weekly movies for $7.95). I took the kids yesterday to choose, while Olivia read a book at home.

The kids made their choices, and I grabbed a movie for myself, but I was stuck finding one for Olivia. What had she seen? What chick flicks do we already own? What would she want to see? Decisions, decisions.

I ended up getting...well, here's how the conversation went after I returned home:

Me: I got the movies.
Olivia: Yeah, I noticed you didn't get anything for me.
Me: I didn't know what you wanted! But I thought you'd like to watch "Rambo" with me.
Olivia: I think I'll go to bed early.

I'm still no wiser for my next trip to the video shop to get one movie each. Maybe Olivia would like Rocky?

Tags: marriage, funny, movie

I'm A Guitar Hero

2009-04-03T19:42:00.001+11:00

I've been playing Guitar Hero: World Tour (Metacritic review (85), Wikipedia link) since Wifey gave it to me for Christmas. It's a fun rhythm-based family game for our new XBox 360, with no shooting or killing, and it's pretty easy to learn whether or not you know how to play guitar. Here's me, rockin' the Williams live concert arena:

GH:WT has beautiful graphics - the music is synchronised with the character animations, making it look like the singer is singing the lyrics, the guitarist is playing the exact guitar part, and so on - and a well-made wireless controller that's basically guitar size. A drum kit and microphone can also be purchased for the complete band experience. My advice is to wait for specials on the game though; at $160 plus (Australian) for just the guitar and game, it's not particularly cheap.

The real strength of the game is the great line-up of songs. Suprisingly, the songs I enjoy playing are "pop" from bands I'd mostly never heard of: for example, Tokio Hotel's Monsoon, 311's Beautiful Disaster, and Lazy Eye by Silver Sun Pickup (which sounds a lot like an old Breeders tune). There are over 80 songs in the game (here's the full track list at Fake Plastic Rock) including some Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, REM, and even Michael Jackson, so everyone's musical taste should be catered for.

Guitar Hero: World Tour is a must-have game if you've got an XBox 360 and like music. And an added bonus is hearing the kids say, after a hard song, "Dad, you rock!"

Links: Offical site, Fake Plastic Rock blog

Tags: music, game, xbox, guitar hero

Watchmen Movie Review

2009-03-24T21:09:00.002+11:00

I mentioned a week or so ago that I'd seen Watchmen. Now that I've gone and seen it a second time with Wifey, I can properly review the film (warning: spoiler alert).

First off, I won't bother comparing the film to the graphic novel as almost no-one I know has read the graphic novel, except to say that if you haven't read it, a few of the minor plot threads will probably only become apparent on a second viewing of the film. If you have read the graphic novel, there's a few surprise references to bits that didn't make it into the film. I've read the graphic novel and wasn't disappointed, and if you go to see Watchmen expecting to see a good movie you won't be disappointed either.

The movie looks great, almost in a work-of-art way, but occasionally scenes appear a little too computer-generated. The opening sequence - a montage explaining a lot of the back story - is fantastic. It really sets the scene for the characters and the tone of the film, plus it's set to one of the better songs in a collection of pretty good music featured in the soundtrack.

In terms of characters, Rorschach is brilliantly depicted, The Comedian comes a close second, and the other main characters from Nite Owl to Ozymandias are good (but not great). No actor is totally out of place, but none have the charisma of Christian Bale or Clive Owen, either.

Most of the movie is set in an alternative 1985, which is made very clear from Rorschach's journal voiceovers, music and other clues, but for Aussie filmgoers there's a lot of US-centric stuff in there which might be a little hard to follow (Woodward and Bernstein, Lee Iacocca, President Nixon, to name a few). More of a heads-up really, this didn't ruin the film for me at all.

I'll re-state what I've already mentioned: the movie is an adult movie. It's violent, like The Dark Knight or The Matrix. There is some gore on-screen, but not as much as, say, Kill Bill. It has three sex scenes, one which is probably unnecessary explicit (and long), while the others are not explicit at all. There's a few seconds of full frontal, computer-generated male, too, which has attracted a lot of attention in the press but I personally didn't find offensive.

Watchmen is not a typical Hollywood superhero flick - the timing and mood match the graphic novel, there's a lot of dialogue, and the movie is nearly 3 hours long. About half the running time revolves around the "mask killer" detective story, another third is flash-backs, and the rest is the obligatory action sequences.

The final score: 11 out of 12. I'm not going to recommend Mum and Dad to see this (as I did with The Dark Knight). It's still a fantastic movie (Rotten Tomatoes gave it 64% in comparison) and I'll definitely be adding it to my DVD collection.

Links: 'Watchmen': Epic film...or epic fail? (a good collection of reviews at LA Times), official movie site, IMDB link, Rotten Tomatoes review, Box office: $55 million opening weekend in the US, $140 million in two weeks worldwide, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, at a cost of somewhere in the vicinity of $150-$200 million to make

Tags: watchmen, movie, review

Blogging The 2009 Australian International Airshow

2009-03-19T10:20:00.002+11:00

This year I was lucky enough to work at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon, Victoria as a volunteer. I spent 4 great days in the Aircrew Reception area, delivering water to the display crews, handing out lunches to volunteers and display crews, meeting arriving planes and doing other various "hosting"-like duties (and had a ball).

Apparently the number of aircraft at the Airshow was down from the 2007 show, which meant my favourite fighter jet, the F-15 "Eagle", didn't have a flying display, but despite that and the rain the show was still very busy for all of the days I was there.

There were a couple of highlights: seeing a B-1B "Lancer" bomber both on the ground and in the air, getting to go inside the enormous C-5 "Galaxy" cargo plane, talking to local pilots who'd flown in and hearing about their machines, and of course talking with the other volunteers. Just like in 2007, the F/A-18F "Super Hornet" flying display by Boeing Chief Test Pilot Ricardo Traven was amazing to watch.

My favourite display this year was the simulated ground attack featuring a couple of small "Squirrel" helicopters followed by 3 Blackhawks that deposited ground troops, followed by a bomb run by two RAAF F/A-18 Hornets. Explosions and jets - very exciting!

On Friday Olivia and TJ came down for the night show, along with my mate Brad and TJ's friend Raymond. We all enjoyed the show immensely; TJ wrote a full page about the Airshow in his diary at school, and Raymond was overheard to say "This is the best day of my life!"

Above is a collage of my Airshow pictures on Flickr (part of the Avalon Airshow Flickr group). Other people are blogging about their experiences and from most accounts the Airshow was a success.

Once again, I really enjoyed my time as a volunteer, and am already looking forward to 2011!

airshow, avalon, australian international airshow, volunteer

No Review, But I Watched The Watchmen

2009-03-07T12:02:00.001+11:00

Wow. Saw Watchmen (movie site, IMDB link) last night with Garry. Amazing film. Stays true enough to the source, and makes for a beautiful, bleak vision of an alternate mid-80's where the world is on the brink of nuclear war, with all of its heroes, except one, seemingly unable to stop it.

Not a typical recent "superhero" film by a long shot (definitely not one for the kids). Good adult, complex, layered film.

I haven't got any pics from the movie, but Watchmen Lego by "~Rorschach-Law" is strangely appropriate (and made me laugh).

Tags: movie, watchmen, review

Camping on the Frankston Foreshore...

2009-03-03T19:38:00.001+11:00

I snapped this photo a couple of weeks ago of a tent on the Frankston foreshore boardwalk. Great spot for camping; definitely not legal.

Tags: Frankston, funny, camping

Heath Graduates to Swimming By Himself

2009-03-02T12:57:00.001+11:00

Heath's been "swimming" since June 4th 2007, but always with Olivia or I holding him.

Two weeks ago he reached a new milestone: Heath was in a swimming class without his parents. Oh, we were nearby, watching as he attempted things by himself - gaining confidence every minute, it seemed - and holding our breath in case he couldn't quite cope. I think I was even ready to dive in to the water and pull him out if needed :-)

Of course Heath did very well (and my heroics were saved for another day). I'm looking forward to seeing Heath's skill levels and self-assurance in the water improve (and I have no hesitation in recommending Kings Langwarrin for swimming lessons too).

Tags: swimming, family, sport, firsts

I Consider Myself...

2009-02-27T20:44:00.001+11:00

Here's a list of some of the things I consider myself:

a man
a husband
an Australian
a Christian
a nerd

a Victorian
a games player
a white collar worker
a Collingwood supporter

There's probably a lot more - this is just what came to mind on a Friday afternoon. Now, the real question is, if I had to put them in order, what order would they be in? And what does this say about me right now?

Being a Christian is a big part of my identity. So is being an Australian - I can identify with other Aussies. I'm a dad and a husband, which affects what my priorities are and who I hang around with the most. And I’m a man, so I’m not sensitive and can only do one thing at a time (and nothing when the TV’s on)...something you should know if you’re talking to me :-)

Here's the order that I came up with today: an Australian first, a Christian next, a man, a Dad, a husband, followed by all the rest at equal 6th (next week the order might be different, though).

What about you? What do you consider yourself first?

Tags: personal, personality