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There's nothing worse than starting the day realising you've just fucked something up at work... Happy Friday y'all. The first video for this week's FRIV was sent to me by Wade who says of the video: "[my friend's] Brazilian sister in law swears that she got it from her cousin whose cat it was. In other words: urban legend!!" Whether it's true or not, it's certainly pretty amusing. The backstory has the owners of the cat wondering why their water bill had been so high for some time... The second offering is something a little more contemplative than usual. As I've mentioned previously, I loves me some good photography, and this stop-motion video is just beautiful (and can be enjoyed without the sound Helen ). And finally, a couple of external video links. This is a gold short film about Robin attempting to go on a date without Batman. And this is the trailer for the new Bond film . It look good. I excite. That is all. I shall now retu...

The charmingly named Sarah Smiles reports in today's Age that "the Prime Minister has dismissed parts of a US intelligence report that link the Iraq war with spreading global terrorism". I love this. Apparently John Howard knows better than 16 combined US intelligence agencies. The National Intelligence Estimate report is generated by the most highly organised, heavily funded intelligence community that has ever existed. But John Howard doesn't trust them. Why? "Intelligence agencies have different views at different times," he told ABC radio. "Some of the intelligence agencies that were involved in this assessment were telling us … that Iraq in 2003 had weapons of mass destruction." That's right, John Howard knows better than these intelligence agencies, because some of them provided the information that he chose to believe sufficiently to send our Defence Forces off to war in Iraq. So if these agencies provide you with information that w...

I mean seriously. The NRL has lost its championship trophy five days before the Grand Final. Apart from the fact that it's barely a game (or perhaps for that very reason), they could only manage an average crowd attendance of 17,336 this year (compared to the AFLs 32,250) and they can't even keep hold of the sport's major prize. I just... honestly. What do Northerners see in it? And bad luck Scotty West. It should have been you .

I don't want to be at work. Wah. Why is no one updating their blogs!? Don't they realise they have a duty to entertain me when I have nothing to do!?! WON'T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!! Oh Dawn, I know how you feel.

It's time for Friday's Random Interweb Video! Hooray!! But first... Separated at birth? Above is Beavis of Beavis and Butthead fame. Below is the Right Honourable Dr Brendan Nelson MP, Federal Defence Minister and Liberal Member for Bradfield as depicted in this morning's Age newspaper by Matt Golding. The truly frightening thing is that neither of them seems capable of moving their faces above the mouth... And on to today's videos. This kid is four years old. Dude. And if you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Borat before, or even if you have, here he is on Conan O'Brien. Hee hee. This just in courtesy of Virginia . OK, that was just getting annoying - I've taken the video off 'cos it keeps playing every time this blog gets loaded. If you want to get your kitten fix, go here .

After getting home from work yesterday evening, I turned on the telly for my usual bout of post-work laziness and encountered the tail end of the Steve Irwin memorial service at Australia Zoo. To be honest, after watching a parade of quintessentially "aussie" celebrities strut their stuff, I had to turn it off as our Great and Noble Leader took the microphone to wax lyrical about the Australian-ness of the Crocodile Hunter. It was tragic. Not because of the forced sentiment of the performers, but because it seemed to reinforce Irwin's cult of celebrity, and take from the family the intensely personal experience of the death of a loved one. Nowhere was this more evident than the speech of Bindi Irwin, Steve's eight year-old daughter. I speak from experience as someone who has been on the wrong end of a parent's death. Bindi's speech , while remarkable for it's apparent composure, was a performance for an international television audience. It was not t...

Who the fuck is Sam Brett and why must The Age expose us to her insufferable cliche-ridden tripe. Am I the only one with a burning desire to stab blunt knitting needles through her eyes? I mean seriously, " girls, hold on to your men " - FUCK OFF! For the economic geeks out there, or for those who just enjoy some serious graphical representation, have a look at this awesome graph of the US budget. Just amazing. Bookshelves made of random shapes that you can simply stick to your walls in any shape. I want them . [last two things via Boing Boing ] UPDATE: Oooh, ooh. How on earth did I not notice that CC has joined the world of the interwebbers ! Welcome.

Thailand unhappy Also is army it seems Bangkok coup d'etat or would you prefer Shinawatra bad Thais got all up in his grill Bye bye government

Some of you may have had the pleasure of encountering Miranda Airey-Branson before. She gained some notoriety in the blogging world during the infamous Pandagate saga (and if you are not familiar, I highly recommend the read) and shortly thereafter was exposed as one of the charming Young Liberals who were accused of posing " as 'bogus Green campaign workers' on election day to trick Green supporters into voting Liberal " in Port Melbourne during the last federal election. She is also noted for asking Andrew Bolt, during her time as Editor of Melbourne University's student newspaper Farrago , how it was that he managed to stay "attractive and conservative at the same time" and for having some interesting views on a whole range of things. Well, you'll be pleased to know that Ms Airey-Branson is back in the political thick of things as a candidate for Women's Officer in the Melbourne University Student Union elections. As such, she has a coup...

Hoorah! I'M ON YOUR COMPUTER or simply IOYC, one of the oddest and enchantingly worded bloggers on the interwebs has returned. I insist you go there immediately .

Waleed Aly writes a thoughtful piece in today's Age about the (over)reaction to Pope Benedict's comments on Islam . As the more extreme elements in the Muslim world go about demonstrating that they are not violent by reacting violently, Aly points out that Benedict's comments were delivered as part of an academic theological paper at a German University and that his quoting of the 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II has been taken almost entirely out of context. Regardless of whether or not you believe it was appropriate for a man of such religious prominence to be drawing attention to the (presumably now) irrelevant musings of a medieval christian leader, it is difficult to argue that the response has been warranted. As Aly points out more lucidly that I am able, Benedict used the quote almost as a footnote to elaborate his point that "missionary violence is contrary to rationality" and therefore could not have "come from God". Taken in conte...

First of all, I just thought I'd let you know that I've decided to go into the music business. Make your own here . Now for random interweb videos. I know many of you have seen this before, but I think it's worth re-airing. I love David Attenborough... And next, Japanese tree catching.

If you are easily enjealoused, look away now. On Sunday night Snooze and I headed down the south west coast to the lovely and exceptionally green Otways national park. We camped in a tent next to the car with lots of stuff. In the morning, it was pretty. Pete and the Redhead arrived with their Italian friend Federico. We put all the stuff in novelty oversize packs and started walking. And walking. And walking. It was nice. Then we had to cross a river. It was cold. Then we walked some more. Then we stopped and had dinner. And looked at the nice views. There were dead people. And koalas. Then we got up and walked some more. And walked. We saw some more koalas (18 to be exact). And walked. We gambolled on the beach. And walked. Then we got to the end and went here . And had a roast. It was delightful. Now we're back in Melbourne and I have to go back to work. Boo. The end. So that's where I've been so you can stop wringing your hands and crying "where oh where has Tom...

The Sydney Morning Herald is speculating on it's website that Peter Brock has been killed in a rallying accident in WA. The report is as yet unconfirmed, but if it's true, then that's another sad loss. UPDATE: It seems like the story's true . Well I guess that's three: Colin Thiele, Steve Irwin, Peter Brock now hopefully Fate will bugger off and leave us alone...

Friday. Woot! The first random interweb video for today comes from the labs of MIT . Very clever stuff. The second? Why talking dogs of course. I am going for a wander down the coast for the first half of next week so there may be a lapse in transmission...

You wouldn't know it living in Melbourne, but apparently Sydney copped an absolute pounding from the weather last night. Somewhat incronguously, The Age seems to have more up-to-date info than the Sydney Morning Herald . The SMH reports : "Storms dumped some of the heaviest rain on Sydney in months, with significant falls also in both the Illawarra and Hunter regions." While The Age managed to find this slightly more impressive statistic : "A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said today that Observatory Hill, near the CBD, since 9am (AEST) yesterday had recorded its greatest rainfall in any 24-hour period since 1883." Cool. Why can't WE have big-arse storm?

An astonishingly bile-ridden attack piece by John Birmingham in today's Australian savaging Germaine Greer for daring to suggest Steve Irwin was something other than a national hero. The reaction to Greer's article in Australia has been fascinating if for no other reason than it serves to highlight the state of hysterical partisan hackery that exists in the mainstream media. Published in The Guardian the day after Steve Irwin was killed by the now infamous stingray, Greer's piece (which can be read in full here ) is neither particularly controversial, nor noticeably 'left'. That those on the right have reacted the way they have is just extraordinary. Take this selection of quotes from Birmingham's rant: "...expat Germaine Greer pulled on her redundant fright mask and charged into print to bitchslap and rake at the dead father of two..." "For the childless former Celebrity Big Brother contestant..." "Less a harridan than a poorly ske...

Oh for fuck's sake. Look, I find it sad that Steve Irwin is dead, I've said so before, and he deserves all the respect due to anyone recently deceased. But television reporters suggesting that the response to his death can be likened to Princess Diana, John Lennon and JFK is just insane. By all means have a quiet thought about the guy and chat among your friends, but honestly...JFK?

Dear Dog, In recent times it appears you have taken it upon yourself to be guardian of all things in your general vicinity at all hours of the day and night, myself clearly included. For that service I would like to thank you but also raise the possibility that you are, in fact, a demented hound of Hades torn loose from your ties and forced through the earth's crust to find yourself cruelly imprisoned in our neighbours' yard. I mention this purely for the fact that were these neighbours still alive, I'm sure they would have taken steps to silence your astonishingly loud and inappropriately timed yapping. For many months I have battled a war of wills with your smaller, hoarser cousin across the laneway, the indefatigable bark of which has driven me as near distraction as I should ever like to get. Night after night for hours and hours without cease we have mentally and verbally jousted, with peace only achieved after a lengthy period of tooth gnashing and the inevitable n...

This is a very cool Jackson Pollock painting generator brought to my attention by the lovely Snooze. Funtown. Hint: try clicking your mouse.

I just read this on a blog and thought it was a joke. Steve "Crikey" Irwin has died after being stung by a stingray in Queensland. I always found him an annoying pillock, but that is just awful. At least he died "doing his thing" rather than being hit by a bus or something equally pedestrian (excuse the pun). If I had a filing system, I would file this under 'sad'.

I went to the football yesterday with Snooze and Virginia and Virginia's Dad. I haven't been to the football since about round 3 this year, mainly because I can't handle seeing my team get beaten. It hurts. We get beaten a lot. I had a feeling that things might go our way, but at the same time I was steeling myself for yet more pain. And so it was with glee that I watched as the Mightys flogged the hapless, disinterested Cats and farewelled a veteran of the team, John Barker. Forgive me for crowing, but the opportunity is so rare these days. Oh, did I mention my three companions are Geelong supporters? And in an attempt to salvage the friendship that I have just gone a significant way to shredding by my blatant bragging, congratulations to Sophie and Virginia on five years of Governmentally-unrecognised bliss. X.