Steve Irwin Crodocile Hunter Dies

Steve Irwin, the very popular Australian 'crocodile hunter' has died. It is thought that a Stingray barb penetrated his chest while he was filming underwater in Queensland. Known for his eccentric antics rather than just a straight delivery, Steve will no doubt be fondly remembered by millions of people, as someone who had a real passion for what he did.
He definitely was a unique, incredible human being.

Happy Birthday Dear Shawn...

Shawn Hogan, owner of digitalpoint.com is 31, and asked for people reading his blog to submit pictures of themselves with a sign or something that said "Happy Birthday Shawn".
here is my entry, but don' t worry dear readers, bulbboy is not a coke fiend. In fact quite the opposite; my doctor put me on a drug for six weeks, to see if it would help me with his diagnosis of fibromyalgia. it didn't help at all, and is now out of my system. unfortunately coming off it seems to have upset my sleep pattern again. oh well.

the substance on the mirror is actually 100% sodium chloride, salt. =P

Pluto declassified?

pluto is no longer a planet! how can this be?
2,5oo scientists met in prague and decided the fate of the furthest most member of our solar system. this planetary relegation is due, apparently, to the fact that pluto does not dominate it's orbit. instead it follows an eliptical trajectory that crosses the orbit of neptune. from this day on, in scientific circles at least, it will be referred to as a "dwarf planet". textbooks all across the globe will have to be changed to read "8 major planetary bodies".

is this any way to treat a planet that has been known since 1930. is it april 1st? all my life there have been 9 planets in our system. now the powers that be, want to change this, is nothing sacred? what will be next?

so what if asteroids bigger than pluto have been found?
maybe it's just nostalgia but in my book, once a planet, always a planet! on my continue to imagine light bouncing back off 9 planets.

Jason Kottke at kottke.org ran a mnemonic competition for the nine planets.
The entry that won the competition is:

My! Very educated morons just screwed up numerous planetariums.

my thoughts exactly. what about you?

The Godfather

My Godfather died just over a week ago. It was unexpected. He was in hospital for 2 weeks having all sorts of tests, and biopsies. Jaundice had turned his skin yellow, and his muscles were wasting away. He was a big man, not as big as Marlon Brando, but powerful. It was shocking to see someone I know go downhill so fast. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer on the Friday, and he died two days later, early on Sunday morning.

He was known as 'Dickie' and is survived by his wife, five children and five grandchildren.

All my family are originally from the Isle of Barra, so the funeral was held up there after a funeral service was held in Paisley for those that couldn't make it to the Western Isles of Scotland.

The crossing from Oban to Barra on the Calmac ferry took 5 hours, and there was a short service in the church as soon as we landed in Castlebay. The church is at the top of the Pier Rd so the hearse did not have far to travel.

I last saw him on Thursday 27th July, and one week later he was buried in Eoligarry graveyard, near the remains of a medieval church. The single track road around Barra had a procession of over 60 cars to the cemetery. It's strange to think of him as gone, and never to see him again, but he was a good man and will be fondly remembered by all.

I have sixteen first cousins, two brothers and a sister, and all but one of us, could make it up to Barra. The last time I remember so many family together was in 1984 at my grandparents 50th Golden wedding anniversary, a huge party held at Dickie's house in Paisley.

Iain Mackinnon
27.11.1939-30.07.2006
Rest in peace.