The New Prime Minister & The Resource Super Profits Tax

     I suppose that it's not so surprising that one of the first things Julia Gillard would do when stepping into power is to begin to backpedal on the resource super profits tax.  The bad sentiment towards Kevin Rudd that everybody involved with mining developed over the new tax was, after all, the final bit of backing she needed to take power.  I hope this only extends to advertising changes, but it'd be a fairly naive view to actually expect that.

     The resource super profits tax is a good idea, we're talking about a finite resource that cannot be replaced.  From that point of view, there's almost no value you can place on it that would be too high.  The government has looked at the mineral wealth of Australia and realised that we (the Australian people) aren't getting a fair price for our resources.  I think the implementation of the tax could even be on the soft side - it's not as though more is being charged for prospecting rights, which may or may not pan out.  With the tax in place the mining companies simply pay more as they pull more from the ground.

     If the level of tax is right (I don't know enough about the mining industry to judge this, but I certainly haven't seen anything from the "Pro Mining" community that shows mining is now unsustainable.) it will funnel more money to government for essential services, while at the same time slowing the rate at which we're losing our mineable materials.  Win Win.

     The mining companies aren't going to walk away from the profits they're still able to generate under the new tax scheme, however there will be an incentive for them to do things on a smaller scale.  What this means that rather than being in and out of a place in a few years,  the overall process will be slowed down - acting more like traditional forms of employment for people, possibly even allowing communities to develop.  Even if that doesn't happen, not rushing all of Australia's mineral onto the table at once means that we'll get a higher price for it in the longer term.

     Before Julia Gillard became the PM, she apparently felt the same way, quoting her from a television interview before the leadership debacle:

"These minerals, you can only dig them up once, you can only sell them once, we've got to make sure the nation gets a fair share,"

     I hope that the pressure she'll be feeling from her new backers to rescind the tax doesn't mean that the cost of our first female Prime Minister is billions of dollars lost that could've be spent on healthcare, education,  sustainable power & industry, public transportation, etc, etc etc....

Link to a document explaining the tax: Resource Super Profits Tax

Infrared Photography

     I quite like this gallery of infrared images.  There's not a lot of information about them, but they seem to be mainly infrared with a gentle blending of normal colour information added back in post processing with photoshop.
     It's very easy to go wrong trying this sort of thing, and end up with some very... "striking" or "interesting" images which aren't actually pleasing to look at.  Whomever prepared these though has shown some nice restraint.
     Most digital cameras are able to capture infrared light to some extent - take a picture looking at the end of your TV remote with a button pressed.  Voila, infrared photo.  Typically cameras have some heavy duty IR filters though, as otherwise the photos you take won't look much like what we can actually perceive.  There's some ways around it - either by _heavily_ filtering the visible spectrum and only allowing the IR through, or modifying your camera to remove the IR filters.
     Search for infrared photography if you're interested, there's plenty of links on the web.

New Mac Mini

     So it seems Apple have finally gotten around to refreshing the mac mini, case and all.  About time really.  Not that there's anything wrong with the original design - I've still got a G4 ticking away as a home "server", it's a great little form factor.  I suppose that Apple wanted all the WWDC coverage to focus on the iPhone, but I still find it amazing that they passed up the opportunity to release this a week earlier and grab some extra press.  I'm not sure if any other companies would be able to show that level of restraint.
     Making the new computer even smaller though has to be a good thing, providing that Apple haven't messed up the thermal footprint.  I've seen a few blog posts comparing it in size to the Apple TV.  Given that mini now has HDMI out it's a fair comparison to make, and surely a revised Apple TV with HDMI out can't be far away either.  It is small too, no doubt about it - I was comparing the dimensions to a Wii I've got nestled nicely beneath my TV and it'd make the Wii look bulky.  Having an integrated power supply is a massive improvement as well - again, providing Apple have the thermals worked out.
     However there's a definite downside to the new sizing - it's not just shorter as I originally thought from the images.  It's gotten wider.  Pffft.  No longer will the mac mini and Airport Extreme make a neat little hardware stack.
     If there was a new wireless standard floating around I'd be betting Apple had a revised router on the way as well, but there's not....  It seems a little clumsy and unlike Apple's usual attention to detail.  Yes, I know it's now the same size as the Apple TV, but how many people stacked a Mini & ATV together?  Though I suppose the argument can be made that the all plastic router has never looked like a fantastic match with the mostly metal Mini.
     Still it seems with the new form factor that Apple is giving a definite hint to Apple TV owners looking for an upgrade - this little box will do everything you asked for in an upgraded ATV.  Shame about the price.

Obligatory iPhone 4 Post

     So the Stevenote announcing the iPhone 4 happened a couple of days ago.  I've been thinking about what was announced, trying to decide if it's worth upgrading from my current phone (3GS).  I probably won't rush into it and pre-order one, but...  While most of the updates that have been made seem nice, I can see that there's two things that I'm not going to be able to fairly quickly dismiss as trivial.
     Firstly, I'm a sucker for a nice screen.  I've got a feeling that when I get the chance to play with one of the new iPhones I'm going to be suddenly very dissatisfied with my 3GS.  Not that I think the 3GS screen is bad - I'm very happy with it.  I watch quite a few movies and TV shows on it, I use it a lot as an e-reader, as well as for general casual web browsing.  You can definitely see the pixelation though.  (As a side note, why on earth did Apple design the iPad to be the resolution it is when they were bringing this to market so soon afterwards?  I wish I could see the chain of reasoning that Apple went through to reach that conclusion.)
     I've got a feeling the difference between 3G & 4 is going to be like the jump to HD TV.  I wasn't really at all excited about HD TV, until I saw one in person showing a good quality HD signal.  I was totally blown away, and started planning to get one.  I'm a bit like that with sound quality as well, I guess most people are to some extent.  (Another side note - most Australian HD broadcasting is terrible!  There should be a compression limit you can't cross and still call it HD.)
     The other really nice feature for me is the 720p video recording.  I've been looking to replace my current handycam with something newer.  Something cheap and cheerful like the Flip or one of those waterproof Kodak ones was seeming like a pretty good way to go.  Depending on the quality of the video from the iPhone, those two could be pretty much crossed off the list.  iPhone already one-ups them in one respect at least with the led "flash".
     I'm really eager to see some actual footage recorded with the iPhone.  Apple does have one snippet here.  It does look fairly nice, with a reasonable amount of detail in the waves and froth crashing on the beach, but I'd really like to have some original "as recorded" video to download.
     Still, with the iPhone not coming to Aus until (at least, if the iPad launch is any judge) July, I've got a bit of time to mull over any purchases.

Apple Magic Trackpad

     I'm not sure if I hope THIS article from engadget is true or not.  I really like the larger trackpads on the macs, and don't miss the mouse for most of the things I do with my computer while mobile.  While planted at a desk though, I'm not sure it's going to be that much benefit to me.
     I suppose I hope that Apple does announce it, and that it adds enough new functionality to my desktop setup that I'd want it.  From my experience with the laptop trackpads, I feel like it'd be useful... I just can't quite picture how at the minute.
     If they could integrate it into a basic keyboard as a replacement for the number pad, while keeping the number pad functional, I think I'd be sold on it.

6 Legged Rugby Robot!

     Ok, so the title is probably more than a little sensationalist but the idea is pretty cool.  Unfortunately details on the thing are kind of scarce, but Thales Aerospace have built a scrum simulating robot - see THIS link to Gaea Times for more details.  Anything which helps reduce injuries is a positive, no arguments from me there, but the details seem a little disappointing all the same.
     When I saw a snippet about it, I was thinking more along the lines of something like BigDog but specifically designed to tackle people.  (How neat would that be!)  Given the lack of pictures I can find of the Thales device though, I doubt it's that exciting.
     I was kind of hoping this would be the precursor to some robot vs. robot rugby.  Or even robot vs. drug pumped, genetically modified humans.  Either of those might get me watching more sport.

Cost of Fuel Economy

Wired Autopia Article

Linked article skims over some of the general added vehicle costs to improving fuel economy.  I think one of the most important statements from it is this one:


"Regardless of the level of hybridization, the biggest gains come in vehicles specifically designed to maximize aerodynamic efficiency and minimize rolling resistance while using the smallest possible gasoline engine, the study states."

Hybrids help in specific use cases - particularly heavily built up areas.  So across Australia, that's mainly the state capitals.  Outside of those areas it's just extra cost weight and complexity to lug around.  As a marketing ploy though, their usefulness seems almost unlimited.

You know, that's not too bad....

     So, I tend to have a little fascination with bad foodstuffs.  Over-processed, wrongly coloured, bad flavour combinations, things like that.  I got a free sample of this "Dilmah Exceptional Peppermint & English Toffee Real Leaf Tea" on a magazine recently.  Looking at that name, I was sure this would be right up my alley.
     Well it is... But only because I drink a lot of tea.  The black tea flavour is pretty mild, the toffee adds a nice sweet flavour and the peppermint leaves a nice fresh feel in the mouth.  I'm not sure I'd drink it everyday, but it has some definite pleasant qualities about it.  I'm almost dissapointed. :)

Really?

Is it wrong that I found the strangest thing about this article http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10207486.stm that people actually have up to €1000 dollars invested in virtual goods for Habbo hotel.
Honestly, if anybody wants to spend this much money on something they can't hold - send me a new laptop and I'll send 'em back a picture of it.

I bet the Habbo admins haven't just reinstated the "stolen" furniture because they expect these guys will be gullible enough to repurchase it.  *Sigh*

/rant

eBook Gripes

  So, lately I've become quite a fan of reading eBooks rather than physical ones. Yes real books are nice, and much more durable when accidentally dropped in the bath, but the convenience and instant availability of eBooks is a real winner for me. Plus they are cheaper, and cheaper is often a bonus.

  Availability in Australia is a real pain though. I can't wait for the day that there is one common format, and all the books available in print are available electronically. I think that day may be more than a few years off though.
     So far the majority of my eBooking has been on an iPhone via the Kindle app.  I was really excited when Borders made their eReader available.  Ok, so it may only be a Borders branded kobo app, but it does look a lot nicer IMHO.  Besides which, the main benefit of the Borders app was some competition for Kindle.  (The B&N eReader is available in Australia, has been for ages, but the books aren't - interesting marketing you got there B&N.)
     Anyway, I grabbed a sample book (The Night Angel Trilogy if anybody is interested, it's kind of trashy but I chew through a lot of books) and was almost immediately caught up in it.  Great I thought, I'll buy this one - and so much cheaper than I expected, it was a price I would expect to pay for one book of the trilogy as a paperback.  However, it's vanished from the Borders eBookstore, oops!  Probably I got it off the international store because somebody flicked the wrong switch when turning on the backend for the Borders app?
     Now if I want to keep reading I need to buy the books elsewhere, blegh.  I can get them as an eBook from Amazon, which is fine.... Except I need to buy all three individual books, it'll cost me a lot more than the price for the compiled trilogy.  I'll probably still do it but it's frustrating that it's so hard to actually buy something you want.  (I think to get an electronic copy it'd be easier to not buy it judging from the links that popped up when I searched for "Night Angel Trilogy eBook".)
     While I'm grumbling:  Borders, Amazon - you guys really need to get in app purchasing sorted out.  Being bumped out to safari is pretty annoying.  Borders one-ups amazon here by at least letting you browse the store from within the app.