That sounds so F***ing tacky huh!  Godspeed!  So hideously American ... but whatever, we do hope that those guys up there in Discovery make it back down here safe and sound.

As it turns out there is actually an Aussie on board, Andy Thomas - so let's doubly hope that everything goes well ...

It's pretty exciting and totally amazing that we can safely send people outside of Earth's atmosphere and return them safely, and of course we can do it!  Unfortunately with all the risks involved in space exploration there are going to be cock-ups.

It's interesting to think, that as explorers of the earth, we thought nothing of sending people on dangerous sea voyages, or perilous desert adventures all those years ago.  That was just all part of being explorers, however when we send people into "outer-space" we somehow expect it to be as safe as taking the number 8 Toorak tram.

I don't know why we have these expectations!  I think the Astronauts that make their way into space fully understand the risks, and in the name of science, and for that most wonderful and rare of opportunities they are willing to take them.

It's hard for families to accept this, and that I can totally appreciate, but let's remember these people are taking things to the limits, and from time to time things are going to go wrong.  No excuses for the government agencies who fail to take adequate precautions, let them pay compensation, but let us all remember that part of being an explorer, a true explorer in the tradition of Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo, or closer to Australia, Burke & Wills or Captain James Cook - it's a rough and bumpy ride, sometimes it works out, other times it doesn't.  Either way you've made a great contribution to the world - thanks for it!

Picture Credit: The International Space Station fades into the black background of space as this picture is taken from the departing Discovery.  Reuters

Dave Sluggo Richardson - recently given the once over on the wonderful ABC TV program Media Watch - Wanker of the Week! (should be Millennium, but it didn't start with "W").  Before I get going, you should really take a look at Sluggo's handiwork! 

I should be clear; it was the wonderful Liz Jackson, host of Media Watch, that gave Sluggo his most appropriate nick name. 

But the reason I have felt so compelled to write about this prat is the immoral, unprofessional and totally pathetic story, he and his hideous Today Tonight cohorts call journalism.  Let's set the scene. 

Sluggo, in the local supermarket car park approaches woman and asks her, "how many children do u have?", she responds 5 (or something similar), and our mate Sluggo then goes on to ask "and how many fathers?".  She states she doesn't want to talk about it, especially given a camera is stuck in her face.  Just for the record, the number of fathers is disputed, but numbers around 4 or so ...

Of course, this makes her a serial welfare cheat, the only reason she does this is for the welfare cheque!  Sluggo, even tells us how much she MIGHT be getting from welfare, interestingly - a little thing called facts is forgotten about here ... Sluggo actually has NO IDEA how much welfare this woman collects, or if she actually collects ANY!  So instead he just takes the amount of welfare she would be "potentially" entitled to, and multiplies if by 5 (for the number of kids) ... WOW!

It turns out, of course, that the so called SOURCE of this story, is one of this woman's ex's ... I'm sure he's totally unbiased, and little of what Mr X actually states is ever verified by Sluggo.  All simply conjecture!

What really CHEESES me off (I would prefer to use a different word, but you know! Decorum!) is that this guy, and the Today Tonight (and for that matter ACA) clan happily run these stories night after night.  People's reputations are ruined, often with little or no evidence!  The sneaky way these stories are developed and presented to the public really makes for nothing other than character assassination.

If she was a public figure, and he had some HARD evidence, then great, go ahead.  But hello, some woman basically no one knows.  What does this prove? 

What a pathetic world we live in, where humiliating our neighbours is a ratings winner.

Ciao ...

Look, I'm not referring to the cute rodent who made his debut in 1942!  Instead this Mighty Mouse made his (or her) debut in 2005, yesterday in fact. 

Yes, Apple, the very company that "ignited the personal computer revolution..." have been at it again - this time they've re-invented the humble mouse! 

Oh No!, I hear the Mac purists shreek, they haven't!  How could they!  The single button mouse is as integral to a Mac as the "Apple" key, the design!  Oh My God, this spells the end ... ok, stop right there.  Do you really think Apple would be THAT stupid?

Remember,

"Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online music store."

Rest easy, they've done it again.  It's so great to be a Mac lover ... hmmmm ... So most recently there was the updated trackpads, allowing scrolling by using two fingers instead of one (ingenious really) and now comes Mighty Mouse (which interestingly Apple have licensed from Viacom Consumer Products Inc).

See http://www.apple.com/au/mightymouse/ for more details. 

You won't believe your eyes.  It looks like a single button mouse, certainly from the top!  It has a small "roller ball" located at the centre front - for all your scrolling needs.  One point here ... it doesn't just move up and down like most PC (ewwwww) scrolling mice/mouses (what is the plural of mouse, when referring to a computer mouse?), it moves through 360 degrees!  Oh, and by the way, Mighty Mouse is compatible with PCs also!

On top of this, the Mighty Mouse has a touch sensitive surface, so there is no need for the sight of two buttons (so yesterday), they are just there, disguised, under that sleek white casing we've come to expect from Apple.  But wait, there's more ... no, not steak knives, but perhaps if you ask your dealer they might throw them in ... on either side of the mouse are "force sensing buttons" which when clicked can be CUSTOMISED to activate tools such as Dashboard, Expose or Spotlight, plus many, many more! 

Oh, and for the purists - Mighty Mouse can be programmed to function as a single button mouse, there you go, best of both worlds!

Enjoy!

My good friend, Miss Victoria Zicopoulos is now the proud owner of a NEW JOB!  Yes, she is now free of the shackles of her previous employer and is moving on to bigger and better things ... Congrats Vics.