Archive for November, 2007

Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd will make a triumphant return to Canberra today to take the reins of power after the Labor Party’s landslide election victory.He will immediately set new homework for his MPs to inspect homeless shelters after their visits today to schools to count computers.I believe it’s very important for every member of the parliamentary party to remain completely engaged with their local communities,” he said.

Source: http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/

Well Rudd did promise not to rest on his laurels and the proof is more than obvious.

It’s very refreshing to see a PM in the last decade and a half, to make their ministers and their representatives accountable, and to get out into the community where they should be.

Full kudos for the win too. It was an absolute route and was exactly the proof Howard needed to show just how out-of-touch the Liberal’s had become.

As a small business, we at Big Rock Graphics were very concerned with the new IR laws. AWA’s were not much of a change from Individual Contracts, which we use here from time to time, the issue was the abolishment of unfair dismissal laws which protected not only employees but employers who utilised the three (3) warning system effectively and correctly.

The establishment of these draconian laws has meant some our competitors were able to mistreat employees and cut prices dramatically due to some very unsavoury business practices and the reintroduction of these laws will see us through due to our commitment to both clients and employees.

Well done Rudd. The ball’s in your court mate.

Recently we purchased a few copies of Battlefield 2142 for some interoffice after hours downtime. What we got was far from what we expected.

Of the copies we purchased one appeared to have some problems creating a new account. So thinking it was an issue with the game itself we emailed EA Tech Support in the hopes of obtaining a solution to the problem. After a few back-and-forth emails that led nowhere (EA kept insisting we already had an account) we decided to do a little digging ourselves. Not 20 minutes into searching Google we found the answer. You can only create one account per CD key for BF2142. Ah-ha! So we found an answer! The problem is now EA have gone quiet and will now not acknowledge emails knowing they have a pirate purposefully using the CD key illegally, the same CD key we just purchased legally.

So not only have EA, now not supplied customer support, they are now in fact supporting the pirates in their endeavours. Simply deleting the account attached to that CD key should be the end of it, you’d think, but not with EA clamming up. EULA’a aren’t supported by those expecting you and I to follow them it appears…

Stay tuned. We aren’t letting this one go and the incident will shortly be reported to Fair Trading, the ACCC and the BSA if the issue isn’t rectified in an expedient manner shortly. Expect fireworks.

Update: We have returned all copies of Battlefield 2142 for full refund. We have purchased Enemy Territory: Quake Wars instead and are enjoying it quite nicely.

Nice going EA…

One of our staff brought in this cookie cutter to see if our creative minds could decipher exactly what is was. We weren’t sure if it was Santa, an elf or the outline of a country, what country that was we had NO idea.

It wasn’t until we took these photo’s that we realised the most likely shape it’s attempting to represent is old Saint Nick himself, Santa Claus. But we’re still not 100% convinced…

Email, or comment, your own ideas to us as to what it is exactly.

Feel free to email us any other strange cookie cutters photo’s you may happen to have too, even if you know what they are already, and we may just send a batch of cookies to the best entry sent our way.

Yes, we also design graphics and piping templates for cookies too.

THE Right Brain vs Left Brain test … do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?

If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa.

Most of us would see the dancer turning anti-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it.

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses feeling
“big picture” oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can “get it” (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking

Source: http://www.news.com.au/

This is some great brain training too. Try to make the lady spin in the opposite direction. So far the majority of us here at Big Rock Graphics have been able to make her jitter or stutter in her movements but are getting closer.

Beware the headaches you may incur through this training. We accept no responsibility for your head exploding…