The Scene

So some of the 757ers might want to know about the scene here in Melbourne, with respect to the hacker world. I must say, I think its great. There is a great group of guys at both Ruxcon and 2600 who have some old school knowledge. Many props to Chris and his Ruxcon people for creating such a fantastic conference last week. Not to mention, the speaker talks were great. I can't even imagine the stress and planning that had to go on, but Chris led-it-up and did a killer job, not to mention he used to edit Phrack, and even do some run some stuff in the ANSI art days. It seems like such an event and the Ruxcon/2600 crews are keeping the knowledge base fresh and exciting. I cant even imagine what things were like in the mid-90s. The "cyber-punk" era. These guys are good.

-Matt

Wow Yau! A Lecture.

So I was about to go to the Juggling Meeting tonight, when I realized, it was kinda chilly and drizzly so I was like screw it, I'll go home. Well, I was going to short-cut through a University building when I found out there was a lecture on. Well it was on String-theory, right up my alley! So I decided to check it out, the title being "The Shape of Inner Space: String Theory and the Geometry of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions." The lecture was given by Shing-Tung Yao, who proved the Calabi Conjecture and ultimately helped to form the concept of Calabi-Yau manifolds (6-dimensional manifolds, wrap you mind around that)! Awesome lecturer, and he is a perfect example of what my definition of genius is, someone who can explain really complicated concepts to a layperson with ease.

Of Sheep and Orbits

Wow, so last week, I added another ring to the Matt-tree. Yeah, I got a bit older. But it seems that age is just a gross estimate of maturity, knowledge, and health. I feel that is a misnomer. Age is just the amount of times you have orbited the sun given you are based here on the Earth.

Also, Digital Forensics Magazine just published an article I wrote, "Of Sheep & Heap," in their most recent issue (Issue number 5). I must add, their acquisitions department was a blast to work with. Much props to Roy Isbell over there!

-Matt

Ruxcon 2010

Went to Ruxcon 2010 this past weekend. Tons of fun and great talks! Oddly enough, I ran into a dude who knows one of my buds back home, Sean. So that was pretty cool!

-Matt

Samhain or Beltaine, LUV, the Clause Invades, and Some Clothes Lines

Wow, so it's already November down here. I guess its the same up there :-) Spring is starting, though, down here. Anyways. So since the pagan calendar is based on a lunar cycle, and probably some what of a seasonal one as well (seasons and the lunar cycle do operate together), I suppose we just passed Beltaine. This typically would have been Samhain in the northern hemisphere. No matter what though, Los Dios de Los Meurtos also occurred. I always liked that concept of holiday. Celebrate the dead, so cool. When I die, celebrate my death. Throw a party, donate me to science, and then burn me to teeny tiny bits and stuff me into some unsuspecting persons Bar-b-cue. Or do what the vikings did, toss me on a boat and set it a blaze.

Went to World Vegan Day LAST Sunday, the 31st. Mega huge turn out at the way cool Abbortsford Convent. Had a blast! Dave and myself rocked it.

I gave a presentation for the Linux User's of Victoria (LUV) back last week on the 3rd of November, with the topic about basic kernel module development and debugging. I called it "Kernel Autopsy a Brief Evisceration Into GNU/Linux Kernel Module Creation and Debugging". The slides (and other useful stuff) can be found here. The date would have been on that previous Tuesday, but the Melbourne Cup was rocking then, a public holiday. I am against horse racing, to me it is totally unfair to the horses. Plus, it seems like a really bad excuse to dress up and blah blhlhlahlah. Give the horses some respect, they didn't choose to be ridden.

Went to a mate's house yesterday for a BBQ. Paul and his wife Liz made delicious vegan tart desert stuff and had plenty of veggies and all kinds of salads. Tons of fun! But before this, I went down into the CBD. Santa Clauses' Arrival!!!! Let the consumer whoreism begin! I can hear the ring-a-ding-ding of Consumer Clause "Buy buy buy!!! Your kids expect it, and you will be bad parents if you don't give in." I must now make mention to Rev. Billy from the Church of Stop Shopping hilarious! Oh yeah, even though it is during the summer, I'm pretty sure like many christmas cards and stuff have the "winter" snow-like decorations.

But prior to the Clause, I hung my clothes up on a clothes line to dry. Never have done that before! Awesome.... it really works! I didn't go downtown for the clause event, I happened to be on my into the city at the time.

Ok the colon speaks, and the toilet needs to be fed.

-Matt

Bats are Like Rats with Wings

Before I explain last night let me lead-up with the following. I've been kinda emo the past two days. Sure my research is making progress, but not as quickly as I had hoped. Anyways, last weekend I got an email about an opportunity to move out, but ultimately I realized I was trying to make friends by moving in with others. Probably not the best way to make friends. I didn't really know the others anyways. Now, I do have friends, but none that I ALWAYS pal-around with in person. Heck, I lived alone in the US for years so, I figure my share house room, is my mini apartment. I'm in such a awesome chill mood. Its 9:35, I'm sitting in the Carlton Gardens, and a possum was just mozing near the tree that this park bench is next too. I had a killer pasta/mushroom salad on Lygon street with some friends in the Juggling Club. Anyways, the Exhibition building looks beautiful. I wanna just run home to get my camera to take a shot of the nearly full moon + illuminated building + the swarm of bats chillin' in the air above it. Bats are like rats, with wings. Wow the sprinkler is getting close. Maybe ill go grab that camera.

[... I did get some pics. Want to spend more time choosing which to deep-six.]

Last night was nuts too (last Wednesday)! Kinda in a depressed mode, and I decided to take a walk around. Well, I ended up walking by the Brown Couch on Gertrude. Anyways, I saw a chick and dude, Joel, about to walk in, so I decided to ask "who was playin." Turns out it was a local band called The Watermelon Tree. They suggested I go catch 'em. Well I was like, sure. I chatted to the dude for a while, way cool. He even offered to pay the cover charge for me! I left, too stingy to dish out money, and was like WTF? Why did I just leave? I was talkin' to a way cool dude, who even offered to pay my way. Well, I turned around, and walked back in, paid the cover, and watched a show! Joel's wife even went up to sing, great voice. It gets cooler! After the show I was walkin' home and I start chattin' with some dude on the street, he mentioned he was on the way to the ER because his teeth hurt. anyways, we showed off our ninja to each other. Then I realized, when we parted, that others, I think, might have thought we both were trashed. I was sober and all. But my ninja skills
were in check. Then on the corner were two people with Kiss face paint on, a Peter Chris and Ace Frehley. I chatted with them for a brief amount of time, and then continued home. Moral of the story. Ninja moves rock.

Hangin' at the Mental Asylum

So last weekend I caught up with a mate, Lev, and his companion Erica. Very freakin' awesomeness people. They are so warming. They picked me up in their car and drove me outside of the inner part of the city and to their place not technically in the suburbs, but kinda between the suburbs and the hub-bub of the city. Lev is the president of the Linux Users of Victoria (LUV). So we geekeed-out some! He and Erica also gave me the grand tour. The Kew Asylum was an 1800s mental asylum now converted to town-homes and apartments... really, how awesome is that! Freakin' awesome! So beautiful, great distance/panoramic view of the city. Not to mention, bats in the trees, as he described, it looks like beer bottles hangin' from the limbs. He's totally right! Tons of bats chillin' upside-down. As we were strollin' around, a goose mystically appeared, and it was totally friendly. I pet it! I also ate peppercorns straight from a tree from the asylum grounds.

And now, Gordon Ramsey is on TV doin' some Kitchen Nightmares. It's awesome, the show is uncensored. So much vulgar language, its great!

Oh yeah, I was at work today. Washin' my hands. Yep, the water was rollin' around counter-clockwise. I still need to find a weak toilet, so I can test to make sure the toilets also have experience the anti-clockwise-ness of the Southern Hemisphere.

P.S. My last.fm account just tapped 10000.
-Matt