And the academy award for best medicine in a leading role goes to...

They say that laughter is the best medicine. And don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of laughter. But I still think that, even after all these years, the front runner for the category of 'best medicine in a leading role' has got to be the humble antibiotic.

I'm personally indebted to antibiotics this week for swiftly rescuing me from what felt like deaths door.

Three cheers for Flemming!

What else should be nominated for best medicine? and what should the selection criteria be?

P.S. More posts in the days to come, now that I'm on the mend.

My dreams are plagued by flow charts

David Allen's 45min talk: intro to Getting Things Done

In my recent post on OmniFocus (the new Mac todo list software from Omni Group) i gave a very quick and dirty intro to David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology for personal productivity. Well, here's a much better (and longer) intro from the man himself in the form of a 45min talk he gave to Google employees:


I've just finished watching it myself, as I feel like i've fallen off the bandwagon recently, even with the help of OmniFocus. From the watching the video, I think it's my lack of discipline with the weekly review that has screwed me up.

There's something about talks from american buisness gurus that seems very evangelical...i think it's the fast talking and dramatic pauses...Amen sister!

The Unbearable Awkwardness of Subway

This week I returned to Subway, after having avoided buying sandwiches from them for sometime.

I've been avoiding Subway because I find the consumer experience there a bit traumatic.

First, there's the performance anxiety that comes from the responsibility of designing every aspect of my sandwich under time pressure. What bread? What meat? What salad? Which dressing? Too many choices! And if your sandwich turns out to be disappointing then the blame is all on me.

Second, there's the guilt I feel over micro-managing the sandwich maker. When I order some regular take-away food, sure, the staff member has to prepare and package it for you, but I don't have to stand over them and supervise. Ordering the Subway staff around makes me feel like some kind of sandwich dominatrix...i don't like it.

And when I returned to Subway this week, the experience was much the same. I guess it's the price one has to pay for a delicious custom sandwich...well, that, and about $8.

MacBook Air

Enjoyed the SteveNote immensely.

The new MacBook Air is beautiful...not something I really need...but very very beautiful. Great for people who might be traveling a lot (wink wink, Lee).

SteveNote 2008: the excitement builds

Tomorrow is the most exciting day on the Apple fanboy calendar -- the real christmas. Yes, as we speak, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, is making his list and checking it twice before tomorrows big keynote presentation.

The strongest rumor is that Steve will be announcing a new sub-laptop -- a macbook that's light weight, tiny, and probably works off a flash based hard drive. And perhaps there'll also be an announcement of a new 3g iPhone -- such a device would be perfect for the Australian market.

But there's always the chance that something completely unexpected will be announced as well. Steve has a talent for nice surprises.

So tomorrow i'll be waking up and downloading the video of the keynote straight away. Macrumours.com has a nice email service to let you know when the video is ready, if you'd like to sign up too.

Macnytt has also provided us with this great SteveNote bingo game to play.

5 things Australian tennis crowds always find amusing

Tennis crowds in Australia are amused by the quaintest things (aside from the actual tennis). I wonder if it's the same elsewhere.

5 things (apart from the tennis) that will amuse crowds at this year's Australian Open:

1. A ball kid catches a ball that's ricocheted high in the air on the full. Ball kid receives round of applause.

2. Crowd sees themselves on big screen. Waves and jumps around like crazy.

3. Player chases moth, trying to get it off the court. Moth elusive. Crowd delighted.

4. Someone yells out "Come on Hewitt, you can do it!" during a Lleyton Hewitt match. Laughter at the use of rhyme.

5. Player aborts a serve. Someone yells out "sorry mate" in imitation of Pat Rafter. Appreciative chukle.

I do enjoy tennis though, I must say.