Creative Commons releases a zero copyright that allows authors and artists a way to waive all rights, and release works into the public domain.
Visit my photos page to see new photos of Brisbane!
I’ve been in Australia for two months now (came Dec 4th). So far things are going smoother than I could have expected. We found place to live rather quickly, although there are other suitable places, we didn’t want to spend more time & effort searching, inspecting, and filling out applications. This one was available, so we took it.
Another job offered me around $16/hr, including 4 weeks vacation (the norm around here), sick pay (normal as well), and a business car to drive around Brisbane. I told him “no” because i found another job requiring no quotas, hardly any major responsibilities, and $19/hr. I figured, for the 6-12 months that I will be working in Brisbane, I’ll take the $19/hr.
I submitted my application to OzTrekk yesterday. It should arrive there in about 2 weeks, and tomorrow I should find out how much time it will take before I will be notified of weather or not I got in.
Chatting with the folks Sunday should be a lot of fun. My webcam isn’t working (yet) with opensuse 11.1 (it worked with 11.0 so I don’t get it). I’ll get it sooner or later, but for now I might need to borough EVs laptop/webcam so I can skype my family back home.
Australia is suffereing some strange weather — hurricanes (called cyclones around the pacific), droughts in some parts, floods in others, fires. It is affecting crops, and prices at my store have been bouncing like yo-yo’s.
Mentally, I am focussed on working, earning some money, paying for my food/rent/etc. Nextly, I will look at P.R. (permanent residency) to see if I can take my Masters program as a domestic student (and pay 50% tuition)
A sneaky computer worm that uses a virtual Swiss army knife of attack techniques has infected millions of Microsoft Windows PCs, and appears to be spreading at a fairly rapid pace, security experts warn.
Also, while infected PCs could be used for a variety of criminal purposes — from relaying spam to hosting scam Web sites — there are signs that this whole mess may be an attempt to further spread so-called “scareware,” which uses fake security alerts to frighten consumers into purchasing bogus computer security software.
The worm, called “Downandup” and “Conficker” by different anti-virus companies, attacks a security hole in a networking component found in most Windows systems. According to estimates from Finnish anti-virus maker F-Secure Corp., the worm has infected between 2.4 million and 8.9 million computers during the last four days alone.
If accurate, those are fairly staggering numbers for a worm that first surfaced in late November. Microsoft issued an emergency patch to fix the flaw back in October, but many systems likely remain dangerously exposed.
One reason for this is because businesses will generally test patches before deploying them on internal networks to ensure the updates don’t break custom software applications. In the meantime, an infected laptop plugged into a vulnerable corporate network can quickly spread the contagion to all unpatched systems inside that network.
But the worm also has methods for infecting systems that are already patched against the Windows vulnerability. According to an analysis last week by Symantec, the latest versions of Downadup copy themselves to all removable or mapped drives on the host computer or network. This means that if an infected system has a USB stick inserted into it, that USB stick will carry the infection over to the next Windows machine that reads it. That’s an old trick, but apparently one that is apparently still very effective.
If you don't get it, read about the current health of Steve Jobs
I’m working at Fruity Capers, a fruit stand inside the mall. Only a 25 min walk from my house. They will (likely) pay about $20/hr, and give me 5 days a week. But I am not sure how many hours per week I will be getting.
Internet comes on Monday, and I have my overseas visitor health coverage now. Next I will apply for my international drivers licence. Everything is working out.
I had an interview on Tuesday for a job with OzSpy selling security cameras and equipment. I have a feeling it would not pay much more than Fruity Capers, and I would need to travel more, and work more, and actually persuade people to buy things — “salesmanship”.
Yvonne starts school Monday, and I start work Monday as well! Thinks are falling into place.
Searching for work is a PITA (pain in the ass). 38 resumes, and 8 left. I gave about 30 resumes at the Indooroopilly mall, and a Toowong. Most places weren’t hiring — they were overstaffed from Chistmas time. Right now, where I work is not as important as finding a job ASAP. I need to pay rent!
Yvonne bought a printer. Printed 20 more resumes, today I’m handing them out. I’m also posting ads for my computer services anywhere I find an empty pole!
Getting internet this week, so I can post more often!
Happy New Years to you and your family. Sorry i didn’t send mass-produced e-mails to you! We miss you!
We’ve been busy! Buying dishes, sauce pans, pots, food, bed sheets. We borrowed a fan from Yvonne’s Aunt Ding, and we are keeping cool at night. We’ve been walking a tremendous amount for a few reasons, some of which include no money for public transport, and a good way to burn away some calories and hours.
Christmas here was unusual, for Yvonne mostly I think. It just didn’t feel like Christmas. They play carols in the malls, but not like we are used to. They play them softly, or sparsely, so they are less prominent than other sounds or music. Obviously it is Summer time in Oz; 35 or more degrees, no snow, with some showers, and a heavy dose of humidity. It just wasn’t a Christmas we’ve ever experienced. Yvonne has her tiny red and white stocking out though, to comemorate these Christian times (she’s Taoist/Buddhist).
We spent Christmas at Auntie Ding’s house, with about 25 other guests. The young crowd sat at the kitchen, while the “adults” sat at the dining-room table. We enjoyed lasagne, satay chicken, three salad varieties, butter cookies, beer and juice. Yvonne and I got a few gifts too.
We have an apartment now, and although the unit holds 7 bedrooms in all, many of the other tenants are either away on vacation, or their rooms are vacant.
My time at the Public Library’s internet session is about to expire in 3 min 50 sec. So until next time,
Felipe
Let me know if you notice funky things with this blog. I upgraded it to the newest version tonight. It should be fine (most Free software is — I am biased), but small ‘bugs’ do tend to show up from time-to-time (most Free software).