Bluey the Mower was given a fine send-off today, as signs of a terminal affliction finally caused those working to cure him to give up hope of a recovery. The best Bluey could manage today was an asthmatic wheeze, and with nary a pulse in evidence, the decision was made to bring to an end any further life support efforts. As a 2 Stroke, 160cc Victa, little was asked of Bluey but to do his job, month in, month out, and he served well for 15 years, having come to his current role after being retrenched from his last for a younger model. For many years, though hot weekends and sodden ones both, Bluey strove to fulfill his purpose faithfully, although it sometimes took more than a curse or two before he got going. ...

There’s a song you probably have never heard by Basement Jaxx called Lights Go Down that just has to be heard with the world around you just so - possibly the most ideal would be at sunset, as I’ve experienced it a couple of times while walking home with the lights of the world dimming slowly. The song doesn’t spend long building - the complexity of the song is there from nigh on the first note, and it remains a beautifully complex song throughout. Were you to seperate out the components, I could easily imagine four, maybe five distinct tracks coming out in the simplest parts of the song, and it is without a doubt one of the finest demonstrations of stereo equipment. ...

Authors’ Guild claims copyright on a computer reading a book out loud through text-to-speech: “They don’t have the right to read a book out loud,” said Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild. “That’s an audio right, which is derivative under copyright law.” What the fug? I hope the cognitive dissonance in this guy’s head didn’t stop him from reading to his kids. If he has any.

Amazon releases the Kindle 2 - I have to say, this looks miles better than the previous model. Ars Technica & NY Times have more - now, when are they bringing this down under?

Octavia - a.k.a. Tavia, Tavvie, Tavs; she is 5'4", olive skinned, dark brunette mid-back-length hair with brown eyes. You wouldn’t call her a model or stand-out beauty, but she has a certain winning quality to her, and a smile that lights up her whole face. Generous and loyal to a fault, occasionally self-absorbed but always has an impeccable memory for friends & acquaintances and their situations. Talkative and decisive, quick to anger but also quick to forgive. Curious about the world, having travelled extensively with parents as a child. ...