Cameron

When life gives you lemons, you get to drive an RS6 faster than a speeding bullet stuck in the back end of a bat outta hell! (Seriously sorry about your car though .. Glad everyone is OK.) Cameron.

I've actually heard the opposite about Six Flags .. sure their debt is massive, but with the bad economy people are more likely to visit their local parks rather than take long (expensive) vacations. If Six Flags play this smartly, they might actually do OK. I think the real issue is that no-one (certainly not any of us!) can reasonably predict what might happen. If you don't want your local park to close, then go there often and support it .. bring friends, and people who haven't visited before. Take advantage of the "bring a friend for [free/half price]" coupons, soda cans, and other promotions. Cameron.

The effect on the Kumba pic (that makes it look like a model) is called Tilt Shift, and you can do some really amazing things with it. It is totally the latest Fun Photo Fad - there's even an iPhone app! Check out this tilt-sifted video of the Hoover Dam: Cameron.

Friend of mine has a 08 331i coupe .. Really kickass car. Cameron.

I don't mind American Airlines, it's United I have sworn off forever. I think the real truth is that all the big US airlines are equally bad, it's just that people will hate whichever company wronged them first.. (In my case that is definitely United). Cameron.

Oh man .. fantastic pictures, and it looks like you guys were having an amazing time. I think I will be in line behind you to purchase that yacht with the heli-pad! Cameron. PS: Did anyone else get a little excited at the site of a giant barrel of Tequila??

Robb and Ryan, that was fantastic ... Thanks so much! Cameron. PS: Tyler, you are dead to me!

Fantastic, Colin! While I am en excellent sprinter, anything over 200 meters and I totally fall apart. I have a lot of respect for you for doing this - it's really a great achievement. Cameron.

I remember this "Big M" commercial from when I was a kid in Australia .. I was too young to get the implication, but I do remember we (all the kids) would act it out! .. Very disturbing in retrospect... ("Big M" is a brand of flavored milk - it's great!). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOHuyy-lubk Cameron.

A friend of mine sent me a link to this scan that he found on Flickr. The description states "This letter originally belonged to my grandmother. After she passed away we discovered it and were surprised at how well it was preserved for being nearly 70 years old." The image is kind of small, but the letter says.. The original scan (including a larger copy) can be found on Flickr, click "all sizes". Aside from the text, the letter-head (and footer) is pretty amazing. Cameron.

Very nice, Chuck .. made my mouth water (and I just got home from dinner after stuffing myself with Thai food! ). Cameron.

Wow .. how did you know that I was already planing to be in CA that weekend, on my way back to Australia?! Cameron.

I loved Karateka! I also played Ultima I, II, III and IV on an Apple //e with my brother. Other great games were Lode Runner and Taipan, the latter I would love to write for the iPhone - would probably only take a few days, if I had the time. Cameron.

^ First time I saw it was actually while home from school. I was genuinely sick though, and I'm no where near as cool as Ferris! Cameron.

Australia just doesn't have the population for mega-parks like the US and Europe. There's also the fact that topless bathing is quite normal in Australia - why would you even want to go to an amusement park?! Cameron.

^ I believe that the Big Dipper was removed after severe fire damage. The Scenic Railway is pretty great from a historic standpoint, and it is very, very scenic, but it's not thrilling at all (which is fine - I just wanted to make it clear). I took these when I was there in 2001, which was the last time I was there that they permitted on-ride photos. Oh, and St. Kilda isn't run down at all .. it's one of the coolest suburbs in the whole city! (Well it used to be, before all the white, yuippie drones started to move in - seeing piles of condos go up there actually makes me hurt ). Cameron.

Next week Colin, I will skip Sushi with my friends and send the money your way! You need a chart somewhere that you keep updating as you get closer to acquiring Norm. The Path To Norm might be a long and bumpy road, but you'll get there soon Cameron.

But see, there's no reason why a Mac e-mail virus couldn't work. I get plenty of emails a day with .exe files attached .. These viruses only spread because people are foolish enough to click on any attachment they see. I imagine the same would work on a Mac (unless all Mac users really are smarter ). For the record, I adore Apple products and have been using them since our family picked up an Apple //e when I was 9. I only mention this because my post (above) may have sounded anti-Apple (I was trying to sound neutral). I am currently lusting after the new MacBook Pro's, myself. Cameron.

The 80s weren't that different from current times: 1) Commercial music sucked. 2) The fashion was weird, but didn't seem so at the time. Of course much of that is trendy again (striped polo shirts with the collar up). I've had conversations like this before with many people, and we typically hit a brick wall when trying to decide which decades are "better". It's all so personal. I mean I was a kid in the 80s, so I have kid-memories of it; however I've been in my 30s for much of the 00s and have just loved those. As far as technology goes .. Computer hardware has changed very little since the early 80s. Manufacturing processes have improved so we can fit more electronics in a box, but the basic design, layout and components are surprisingly similar. Software has come a long way, though. Cameron.

^^ Macs can most definitely get viruses, it's just that no-one (currently) bothers to write any because the impact is so small. As for the actual question at hand .. First you need to figure out whether you need one PC or two, and only then can you decide whether or not you want a Mac or PC. Typically a Mac will be just a little more expensive than a PC with similar specs; however the Mac will likely be a better user experience (once you get used to the differences in OS), and you'll spend less time tinkering with it. If you're looking for a computer to use online for Internet access (web, e-mail, youtube, blogs, etc), word-processing (school assignments), and video crap, then the Mac will likely fill that need exceptionally well. If you're looking for something on which to play games, and specialized software/hardware, then the PC might be the way to go. When buying any computer (Mac or PC), spend more money to add RAM than you would to add hard-drive space. Low RAM just slows everything down (even more so than a faster processor). Cameron.

^^^ You will have a wonderful time, Ed. When and where will you be going? I'll be in Melbourne in late March for about 2 weeks. To prepare, be sure to read this wonderful article written by Douglas Adams. Very funny stuff.. Cameron.

Just for the record, Koalas are the nastiest bitches you could ever imagine. They may look cute and cuddly, but they'd no sooner claw your face off. No, the coolest Australian animal by far is the Kookaburra. Cameron.

Yes .. now I get to post pictures of Clock Spider!!! And a close-up! These are actually reasonably common in Australia, but relax they're totally harmless .. no venom at all. They are actually really cool, as they eat lots of really annoying bugs (including other poisonous spiders!). Once removed, it reveals a huntsman spider! A guy comes home and finds what looks like four g-i-a-n-t spider legs sticking out from behind his clock..

You forgot the best part, Wes .. He gets drunk on fruity Sorority Girl drinks! Matt gets my vote this week (again).. Cameron.

At least I have a phone! Cameron.