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This is my cat, he doesn't have a name :)
Vote for Cat on the Humane Society website! for the Spay Day 2010 Photo Competition.
Spay Day is The Humane Society of the United States' and Humane Society International's annual event to inspire people to save animals' lives by spaying or neutering pets and feral cats. Spay Day officially takes place on the last Tuesday of Februaryâbut events will be running all through the month! The 16th annual Spay Day will be Feb. 23, 2010.
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Towards the end of 2002, the Victorian State Government began work to replace the current public transport ticket with a new "Smart" ticket... 8 years later and at a cost of $1.4bn, we get MYKI.
This wonderful new ticketing system will allow seamless ticketing between trains, busses and trams... Or, that's what it's supposed to do. Right now, after all the fanfare of the launch, it only works on trains - so if you catch a bus or a tram, you're out of luck and must continue to use the existing tickets.
However, that's not such a bad thing! Reports are coming in of commuters being over-charged, cards not working at barriers and machines that are simply out-of-order - why does this not surprise me?!
During January, the Transport Ticketing Authority, the department responsible for running this wonderful system, is offering free MYKI passes to anyone who registers online.
So I took up that offer...
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In November of 1998, a Russian Proton rocket settled into orbit and deposited the first module of the International Space Station, the Zarya Functional Cargo Block, in space. Two weeks later, The United States added the Unity 'node' module. The image on the left shows both units joined.
In the 10 years since construction began, 14 other countries have contributed including Japan, Canada, Brazil and eleven nations belonging to the European Space Agency.
The tragic destruction of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003 as it attempted to re-enter Earth's atmosphere delayed work on the ISS for two years.
As at June 2008 (image below), the ISS weighs a little over 300,000kg and has a living volume of 350m3
The ISS currently houses has a crew of 3 for around 6 months, but with renovations taking place this month, will virtually double the crew capacity.
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This week, Australian TV turns 50!!
The development of Television started more than 130 years ago with the discovery of Selenium's photoconductive properties by Willoughy Smith in 1873. Over time, inventers such as John Logie Baird and Philo Taylor Farnsworth both demonstrated different ways of transmitting an image from one location to another.
John Logie Baird, in 1926, demonstrated what is considered to be the first true television system by electrically transmitting moving pictures. Just two years later, television broadcasts begun in America, followed by Britian in 1936.
Just a short 30 years after John's demonstration, Bruce Gyngell launched television in Australia with the now famous words "Good evening and welcome to television". This first official broadcast coming from TCN Sydney, 16th Semtember, 1956.
Over the next 15 years, Television was introduced around the nation:
NSW, Queensland and Victoria - 1956
South Australia - 1959
Tasmania - 1960
ACT - 1962
Northern Territory - 1971
From Valves to Diodes, From Black and White to Colour, from Analog to Digital - the last 50 years has been an incredible journey.
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Shine on you crazy diamond.
Pile on many more layers and I'll be joining you there.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
And we'll bask in the shadow of yesterday's triumph,
and sail on the steel breeze.
Come on you boy child, you winner and loser,
come on you miner for truth and delusion, and shine!