Nick Perkins Archive

About This Archive

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +1000

This is an archive of my old blogs. Two of them, actually.

nicholasperkins.com (2008 to 2009)

My first blog. I started it in December 2008 because I had opinions about internet censorship and wanted somewhere to put them.

At the time, the Australian government was pushing a mandatory internet filter called the “Clean Feed”. I was pretty fired up about it. So I wrote about that, plus some other things: atheism, Queensland politics, gay rights, the occasional bit of everyday life.

Feeling lost? You are not alone despite how it feels.

Sat, 11 Feb 2017 16:32:33 +1000

A common question asked of kids is “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Society places an importance on a person’s purpose in the world way before they are ready to perform it. When meeting someone for the first time, a common question is “So, what do you do?” Answering with “I get up at 7 am and grab a coffee” is not what they are after. So when you are feeling lost with your life, it can feel like you don’t belong in the world.

Your heart or your head? How do you know which one is broken?

Thu, 09 Feb 2017 11:13:31 +1000

“Don’t listen to your head… Follow your heart!” It’s a cliche oft used to point out it’s good to listen when something feels right or wrong, good or bad. I’m being a little more literal with today’s post.

Your head or your heart?

I am sitting in my office at work and suddenly I have pain in my chest. What was going on? I start to get a little concerned. First I check my pulse. Is my heart racing? It’s a little high. “Maybe I just need a drink,” I think to myself so I get up and grab some water. Dizziness. “Oh crap”, I think to myself. Tingling in my fingers. “It’s just anxiety,” I try to tell myself as I sit down, and hope it all passes.

Disconnected? Stumble you might fall…

Tue, 07 Feb 2017 16:55:27 +1000

Stereo MC’s had a song they released in 1992 called “Connected“. The lyrics were catchy (it was used in an ad) and the chorus went something like this:

If you make sure you’re connected
The writings on the wall,
But if you’re mind’s neglected
Stumble you might fall

Disconnected? Stumble you might fall

I am feeling disconnected from the world around me the last few weeks. It is like the people around me aren’t as close as normal and seems like I’m not as in touch with what is going on with me and with others. As a result I have been feeling a little blue. A little disconnected.

Dealing with loss – the hidden cost of mental illness

Thu, 19 Jan 2017 22:10:29 +1000

Some loss you are taught to deal with by watching other people deal with it. The loss of a loved one, a pet, or a physical object that is of value to you is hard to take but there are examples to follow from family, friends, the media, and other sources. Other losses you aren’t taught or shown how to deal with them.

How do you deal with losing opportunities for success because your mind is unable to cope with day to day life? How do you deal with the feeling of slipping into a sadness that feels like it will never disappear? In what way should I grieve the missed chances at career growth, new connections with people, and the fun times I’ve missed out on because I was too scared to take a risk or even leave the house on a given day?

Resilience

Sat, 16 Jan 2016 11:42:35 +1000

I sat down this morning and start taking stock of myself and what quality/skill/thing I could work on to make myself a better manager and a better person. After some time I came up with one word.

Resilience.

When faced with something that makes me uncomfortable, anxious, where I doubt my ability to cope or achieve or when faced with a challenging interpersonal issue I am very quick to crumple like a scrap piece of paper. I will put things off to avoid the situation. I will tiptoe around the issue and then wonder why nothing is better. I will apologise when there is pushback and fold like a deck of cards.

Depression is not sadness

Mon, 04 Jan 2016 18:05:39 +1000

People who have never lived with depression, or lived with someone who has depression, can sometimes misunderstand what it means to have depression and how it affects people. Depression is equated with sadness and from that viewpoint the concept that a good ol’ “Cheer up, buddy” or “Snap out of it” will solve everything seems perfectly logical. Alas as someone who has lived with depression (technically Dysthymia) I can assure you that is akin to considering having a leg cut off as merely a flesh wound.

Hands off our super? But no one is putting their hands on our super.

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 17:43:21 +1000

ETA: Below I mention that interest is paid. To clarify, the ATO pays the account holder interest when an unclaimed amount is claimed.

This week I received an email from a family member asking me to sign a petition about superannuation. It isn’t a subject matter that I would normally be asked to look at but I thought that if they were convinced there was an issues that I should look into it. I’m not one to go and randomly sign petitions so I thought I should at least go and look into this a bit further.

Thoughts on School

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 11:33:26 +1000

I initially posted this on Facebook the other day but felt it was important enough to share here.

I look back on school as being some great times, although I did suffer at the hands of bullies. And then I think about how I never knew any LGBTIQ people at school, and how unlikely it is that out of all the people I went to school with no one wasn’t LGBTIQ.

Being a fat man – intersectionality between fat stigma and male privilege

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:21:30 +1000

I was asked on Twitter this morning to comment on how fat stigma and male privilege intersect. I start out by saying that this is only from my lived experience. Other people will have different experiences to add to the discussion and should not be discounted.

One thing I think that needs to be outlined from the start is that all men, no matter if they are fat or otherwise, benefit from male privilege. I will be happy for the day to arrive where this isn’t the case, but it is a reality that I recognise exists at this current time.

Welcome The Project viewers #theprojecttv

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:31:35 +1000

So you saw me on The Project and you want to have your say. Here you go. Go nuts. Comment all you like.

Anything abusive, rude, demeaning or otherwise uncalled for will get trashed. Other than than, welcome.

Bullying – It’s also for adults

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 19:04:18 +1000

In March 2011 I wrote a guest piece for DISCOURSE. I discussed how I was bullied as a child. It had a big effect on my life and there are still times where this bullying causes me to react in strange ways. One example is, even after being together for more than seven years, if Natalie puts a hand up towards me quickly I will flinch and cower, waiting to be hit. Even if the movement isn’t even the slightest bit like a punch. It’s just a split second, but long enough to be noticed.

People shouldn’t have to die to get here

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:34:06 +1000

I’m feeling a little conflicted. I firstly want to state that I’m not an expert on the question of refugees, asylum seekers or ‘boat people’. If I get something wrong, please point it out to me.

I hate the fact that people risk their lives to travel in boats that are rarely seaworthy, are overcrowded, with little food or water and a shambles of a crew to come to Australia to apply for asylum or refugee status. More often than not, people die trying to get here.

Fat people face supersized bigotry in “obesity” fight

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:48:46 +1000

I would like make a suggestion to local councils right around Australia. If the science is to be believed, using a sunbeds and visiting a tanning salon increases your chances of developing skin cancer. It damages the skin and can cause eye damage. I therefore recommend that they increase the rates for properties where sunbeds and tanning salons operate. This money can be funnelled into public health initiatives.

I would also point out that alcoholics buy their alchohol from pubs, clubs, liquor stores and (in some states of Australia) supermarkets. Alcohol can lead to increased violence, can cause health issues such as liver damage or damage to a person’s brain. Therefore pubs, clubs, liquor stores and supermarkets that sell alcoholic beverages (take home or for on-site consumption) should pay higher rates to local councils. This money can be funnelled into public health initiatives.

Unborn Again: How do you fill your “God-shaped hole”?

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:57:31 +1000

_18/07/2012 – Six months later and I feel a whole lot different about this these days. No, I didn’t crawl back to Jesus or anything. I identified that was just feeling a bit shit. Therefore comments are now closed and no further discussion will be entered into. I would pull it down, but I don’t believe in removing the past as it helps create your future. – Nick
_

You can understand the peace and comfort that comes from being religious. The idea that at the end of the life on this planet that you can then go on and live an eternal life of peace and happiness is so inviting. I was a born-again Christian for many years from around the age of 8 or 9, and not because my parents were religious or church people. I attended church because I wanted to, and I thought that what they said sounded good and true.

On bodies and such

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:33:50 +1000

I originallyposted this on Tumblr. But I thought it might be a bit tl;dr for over there.

I am a cis-gendered hetro man. I have been known to see a lady in passing and notice that they have fantastic eyes, or great hair, or a nice body. I’ve been known to think to myself “mmm, nice x”. X could be hair, eyes, butt, smile, boobs, or something else.

I like to think of myself as a “progressive man of the world”, whatever that means. I would like to think that I’m a feminist, at least in training. And yet I’m still out there noticing women and going “mmm, nice x”.

My rant on Mental Health

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:02:09 +1000

The other day I recorded a rant about mental health and how other people treat those who are mentally ill. I posted it on tumblr but I thought I’d post it on here as well.

I swear a little bit, so be warned.

BMI is crap. Let it go already.

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 11:58:07 +1000

Trigger Warning: Discussion of eating disorders and a mention of Alex Perry.

Fashion is not my thing. I’m no where near being a fashionista. However something caught my eye in the paper today.

There is an article today on the Courier-Mail Online about how Alex Perry is being a douche bag again. Since most of us know this already, I’m going to skip over it and talk about the last part of the article.

Census 2011 – Let’s use religion to scare the Christmas carols off you

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 11:39:56 +1000

I’ve seen this on Facebook a few times and it really gets my goat.

AUSTRALIA WILL BE HOLDING A CENSUS IN AUGUST
DO NOT LEAVE THE “RELIGION” SECTION BLANK. BE SURE TO AT LEAST TICK CHRISTIAN (OR YOUR OWN FAITH).
1,000,000 MUSLIMS WILL TICK THEIR BOX.
10,000,000 AUSTRALIANS WILL LEAVE IT BLANK THEN WONDER WHY CHRISTMAS CAROLS ARE BEING BANNED IN SCHOOLS!
PASS THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS.
IT’S NOT ABOUT RELIGION, IT’S ABOUT KEEPING OUR WAY OF LIFE .

The thought process of an emotional man

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 21:43:35 +1000

I’ve been feeling rather strange over the last few days. My digestive system hasn’t been at its happiest, which tends to have an effect on how I feel emotionally. The weather is a bit cool even for me, and sometimes that can have an effect on me. I suffer from depression which I have to remember that even though I’m medicated, it fluctuates from day to day and week to week.

Freedom and challenges – working from home

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:41:55 +1000

March last year saw a big change in my life. I went from being a public servant to working in the private sector. I went from being a leader of a team of around 13 people to working from home by myself, with my boss working from his home and their boss working as part of a larger team in another state. I went from having structure to having freedom. It’s been great and it’s had its challenges.

The media makes me angry. Big phama make me angry. Here’s why.

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:43:52 +1000

Something I have become conscious about in the last few years is the importance of reviewing the background of information that is presented to you. It’s important to become critical of data and want to know where it has come from, how it was produced and what influences may have been placed on the creation of the data.

I learned very early with computers the GIGO principle – Garbage In, Garbage Out. It doesn’t matter how good a computer is, or how good the software is. If what you put into it is tainted, or skewed, or wrong, what comes out of it will be tainted, skewed or wrong. This principle applies to scientific research, news and other information just as much as computers.

Law and Order: SVU taught me something last night…

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 08:22:37 +1000

Trigger warning: talk of rape and violence against women

I watched an episode of Law and Order: SVU last night that dealt with some really tough issues. Actually I was working and went out to the lounge for a smoke break and ended up watching the last 15 minutes because I couldn’t look away.

The story was of a young lady who was raped by a knife wielding bandit. The story went that a lady had come across the scene and fought off the attacker and then slipped away into the world to hide. She was an illegal immigrant who had come to the US from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Human Software Testing

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:09:14 +1000

The last few weeks of my life have been full of tests. Not medical or life changing ones. Software tests. If you aren’t aware by now, I’m a computer programmer by trade. Well I’m called a “Business Analyst/Developer” by my company, but that really just means I look at problems and solve them with code.

I’ve been working on a major project for quite a while now and we are at the point of running through testing scripts to see if there are any major issues with it. I’ve come to love and hate testing since I entered the full time world of software development. On the one hand, there is great satisfaction in running through all the tests to find that there are no errors and that something I created does exactly what it is meant to do. On the other hand, there are the times where I just feel like there is no end to the issues I am finding.

Poll: Should fat kids be taken away from their parents?

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:48:02 +1000

This seems to be a topic that does the rounds from time to time. I would love to know what you think.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Regardless of your view, please let me know in the comments why you think one way or the other – anonymously is fine.

Pea and Barley Soup

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:20:02 +1000

We got our fortnightly veggie box last night and this week we didn’t get a chance to change what was in it before it was delivered. This meant we got a few things that we wouldn’t normally get, with one of those being celery. I’m not one to eat a stick of celery and I don’t really use it in cooking but the one thing I think has to have celery is a good soup. A soup is not really a hearty soup without the holy trinity of soup – onion, carrot and celery.

Poll: Have you ever urinated in the shower?

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 11:13:02 +1000

I had a discussion with someone the other day about urination in the shower. I wondered how widespread this practice was so thought I would see who would be game enough to answer this poll.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Results are anonymous so don’t be shy!

Diabetes – what the fuck do I do now?

Sun, 29 May 2011 01:58:43 +1000

A couple of months ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.

Prior to this I lived in a space that was safe and loving of my body. I knew that I was sick since the doctor already knew that my testosterone was running low. I thought I’d need some booster shots for the rest of my life and that would be that. Simple. Easy. Done.

Besides that I was well. I was fit and healthy in every other way. I could walk and exercise. I’ve had some reflux issues for a while but they were under control and I knew what to eat to help minimise those issues. I would eat when I was hungry and try to pick foods that would nourish me. Sometimes I’d choose foods which would nourish me in other ways than nutrition, and I was cool with that.

Rapid Loss – my comment on weight loss products

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:34:31 +1000

A good friend of mine and fellow fat activist Sonya wrote an article over at Lip. I left a comment on it due to some of the other comments completely missing the point of her article. Since the comment was a little TL;DR I thought I would post it here as well, since it is probably more of a blog post/rant than a comment. You should probably check out theoriginal post first for context.

Guest Post: Janevideogate

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:32:57 +1000

Awesmome lady and friend Melissa has written today ’s guest post. She currently lives in Turkey, loving live and living it to the full. She sent this to me a couple of weeks ago after a personal experience got her thinking. I’ve been a bit slack and busy, but today got around to reading her post and this is a very moving and powerful story. Please make Melissa feel welcome as she makes her first forray into the world of Fat Acceptance blogging.

Childhood Bullying. Nick tells his story. – Guest post from DISCOURSE

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:38:42 +1000

Last week I wrote aguest post for Dr Samantha Thomas over on her blog DISCOURSE. I had planned to post it here straight after it had gone live on her site. However a couple of major things happened to me over the last week (which I’m not ready to blog about, but I will need to soon) and so I didn’t get to posting this.

Wherein a man talks about his medical problems – wait, what!?

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 10:00:28 +1000

This subject matter is very personal. I’ve taken a bit of time to sit back and think about whether I really want to open up about this on my blog but I think it is important that I do.

As I wrote in one of my previous posts I’ve been a bit unwell recently. At the time I figured that everything that was going on was due to my mental health issues. The symptoms seemed to fit the bill and my doctor was sure that was it. Don’t get me wrong here – I still have a mental illness and the symptoms still relate to that in some way. It’s just that things changed recently.

I’ve been sick recently

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 21:45:25 +1000

I’ve been ill recently. In fact, I’ve been quite ill for quite a long time but over the last two or three months it has gotten a little worse and a little harder to deal with. It leaves me feeling tired and lethargic and makes it a struggle sometimes to do daily tasks.

The symptoms come and go. Some days are really bad and I can do nothing else but function on a basic level. Most days are OK; not great, but good enough that I can do what I need to do and sometimes a little bit more.

Does my gender look fat in this?

Sat, 05 Feb 2011 16:10:53 +1000

When reviewing the recent BMI research that was printed in the Lancet for my post on the “Tsunami of Obesity” something occurred to me. The paper was at pains to say that they had split the data they were reviewing by sex, because “BMI trends can differ in men and women”. Even when looking at the trends on a global basis, the results were still talked about with regards to men and women. I even mentioned how some of the lowest mean BMI were found in different countries for men and women, whereas the highest mean BMI for both men and women was found in Nauru.

“Tsunami of Obesity” my (fat) arse

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 22:39:14 +1000

It is not surprising to see the media reach for the sensationalist headlines when a new study about “obesity” comes out. Today’s headlines were all on the same theme – the “Tsunami of Obesity” that is sweeping the planet. It’s an interesting use of a word which I don’t normally associate with “obesity”. So I wondered why researchers were suggesting that there was such a “Tsunami” and what evidence there was to back up this claim. Thanks to a couple of wonderful sources I managed to get a hold of the research papers related to the media frenzy, and this is my take.

[Postponed] Australiasian Fat Acceptance Conference Call – Tonight

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 12:43:52 +1000

I realise this is short notice. I’m going to be hosting a conference call tonight at 8pm AEDT. That is 7:30pm ACDT, 7pm AEST, 6:30 ACST, 5pm AWST and 10pm NZDT.

Add freeconferencing.com on skype and send me an email through the Contact Form. I’ll forward you the codes later this afternoon.

I want to talk about the current state of Fat Acceptance in Australia and what we can do to move it forward.

DrupalDownunder 2011

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 23:52:42 +1000

I attended the DrupalDownunder conference which was held in Brisbane last weekend. Work paid for me to go since I have been working on a major Drupal project over the last couple of weeks.

Talking about Drupal and web development in general and attending all these great sessions have really driven home that my passion is in web development and web programming. Most of the development work that I do is in Excel so being able to shift into web development is going to take time and patience.

Facebook stoops to a new low in revenue raising

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:31:17 +1000

Update: False alarm folks. Carry on. Apparently it relates to a spam bug in Facebook Pages. Content below is left as a historical reference as to why I should not go off half cocked.

Facebook have done it again. In its attempts to make itself a quick buck it has run roughshod over its users. This time it isn’t about privacy concerns or about claiming in ads that people have used features which they haven’t. This time they are adding links to pages which the page admins have not added and cannot remove.

A cry for self acceptance

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +1000

December 17, 2010

Trigger warning: Talking about weight loss and cutting. Not actual cutting mind you. It’s more a figurative thing.

I’ve been pretty much hating on myself today. I’ve started to feel like my weight is getting in the way of my life. I suppose a lot of fat people feel that, but I feel like I should be able to accept who I am. Today I haven’t. I’ve felt pretty useless and unhappy and my gut has been the focal point of that.

Fatty nirvana not yet achieved

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +1000

December 15, 2010

The road to fat acceptance nirvana is a long and arduous one

Trigger warning: I will be talking about weight loss concepts. If this triggers, look away now.
As a fat activist I often think that people look at me and think I have hit fat nirvana. That place where I’m always happy with my body and I never think about losing weight and never wish I was a different shape. That place where I am confident and happy in my skin all the time and I’m always ready for the enslaught of negative media and social pressure because I’m there, man. I’m at total nirvana.

Remove the headless fatties from our media

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 15:39:37 +1000

It is high time that mainstream media around the world stopped using headless fatty shots with every article or video piece about fat people. I think there are a few reasons why they do this.

They know that if they asked people, they would say no.
If they have faces, it makes it harder to use them in generalised negative news pieces
If the fatty looks happy or really well dressed, they don’t suit a doom and gloom story
They won’t get sued for humiliating someone if you can’t identify them by their face

Yet when that person sees this footage of them being used in this way, it can cause pain and anguish become compare. It also dehumanises fat people and gives people power to pick on and attack fat people.

Quickie: Opinions, feel free to feel entitled

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 02:48:34 +1000

A bit of a quickie tonight as I sit up and wait for the after hours doctor to come visit. Yes, everything is fine.

Now that I’m living a little more enlightened, it has become clear to me that people very much hold their opinions close to their hearts. It doesn’t matter how many times you hear the quote “Opinions are like arseholes – everyone has one”, it seems that opinions carry a very big emotional value to the person to has it. I know that this is true for me, but it has taken a while to recognise this.

The idea of being sociable seems so foreign to me

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:50:44 +1000

I’ve never been big on making friends. It’s not that I don’t want to, I’m just really inept at it. When I’m in a social situation it is quite normal for me to sit quietly in a corner somewhere as everything else revolves around me. Occasionally I will pluck up the courage to talk, but quite often I will peer into my phone and pretend I’m doing something important. This implies that I’m not available and you don’t have to worry about me. Yet I’d love you to worry about me.

Depression sucks for friends

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 10:29:12 +1000

Depression sucks. I think I can say that most people know this. Recently I’ve been struggling with a massive bout of depression that I’ve been trying my best to work through. It hasn’t been easy and I haven’t always been successful, but I do the best I can. That’s all most people can do in this situation.

Depression affects everything that I do. I have depression coloured glasses, so to speak, so that everything I see is tinted differently because of my depression. My interactions with people are tainted by my depression. My inter monologue is shifted off centre by my depression.

Friendship has so many different meanings

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +1000

November 21, 2010

I was talking to Natalie the other night about friendship. Everyone has their own view on what friendship is. I’m no different and I think it is interesting to see the different forms of friendship that exist in the world. I thought I should explore this further, even if it is just for my own benefit.

What is friendship to me? I think there are different levels of friendship depending on how long I’ve known someone, how I became friends and there are different reasons why I am friends with them. That doesn’t mean the friendship is any less important but it does mean that what I might expect from them is different.

Angry Birds Cake by Lauren Lee

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 22:29:50 +1000

Click to see the full size image

Yo shorty, it’s ma birthday. We’re gonna party like it’s ma birthday. Well it is on Friday. Tonight I went and picked up what I can only describe as a very generous pre-birthday present from good friend Lauren from Cakes by Lauren Lee. It’s an ANGRY BIRDS CAKE!

Mental Illness – it can’t go on being hidden

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:07:53 +1000

A blog is a personal space but it can be very hard to allow the deepest parts of yourself to be on show. I talk a lot about fat acceptance issues on this blog because it is something that is important to me and that affects me daily. There are other things that affect me daily that I never talk about on this blog, since they feel too raw to share with the world in general. One of those issues will be getting an airing today.

I need your help – tell Flickr to help block stalkers!

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:52:23 +1000

I don’t ask for much but today I need some help. Flickr is a great medium for posting photos and my wife is a major user of it, especially for her art work and outfit photos. Sadly some douche is being a stalker and creating multiple accounts every time she blocks them.

Click the picture to make your voice heard on Get Satisfaction

I’m sure you can imagine that this would make someone feel very uncomfortable. But would you believe that flickr doesn’t have a block by IP Address option? In this day and age where static IP addresses are becoming more prevalent, this one step would help to eliminate her problem. Or at least make it harder for them to continue stalking.

Nicholosophy is on the tumblr

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:52:57 +1000

I wanted to let you know that you can find me on tumblr. I use it for reblogging things that I find and like or for short bits and bobs that don’t make sense as a full blown blog post.

http://nicholosophy.tumblr.com/ is me, funny enough.

For a taste of the kind of stuff you find on tumblr, yet funny enough not mine:

A fat idea

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +1000

September 13, 2010

I realise the title is a bit cryptic. That’s just the way it is. I have a new idea and I’d like you to hear about it. But rather than write about it, I’ve talked about it. Have a listen.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Love/Hate Relationship

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +1000

September 8, 2010

I hate flying. I hate business meeting or situations which require me to wear a high standard of dress. I hate social occasions. I hate shopping for clothes. I hate packing for holidays. I hate formal situations. I hate being in crowded spaces. I hate being on a full bus. I hate being near strangers.

I don’t hate all of these things because I don’t like them specifically. I hate all of them because they remind me of how difficult it is to be fat person and how much people dislike/look down on/don’t consider fat people.

Nicholosophy: A man in the Fat-o-Sphere

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +1000

September 13, 2010

I had the honour to speak at the Fat Studies: A Critical Dialogue conference held in Sydney on 10 and 11th September. This was unexpected and therefore my talk was an impromptu discussion about a man’s perspective of the Fat-o-Sphere. I don’t have a transcript or paper to post, so the best I can do is to show you what I had to say. Please forgive me if you can’t watch the video. Transcribing this would take half a day and I just don’t have that time spare. Next time I will put together a paper first so that I can post that online instead.

Hung like a parliament

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 11:18:23 +1000

Two weeks after the election and we still don’t know who will be the next Prime Minister of Australia. We’ve had the Green’s Adam Bandt and independent Andrew Wilkie side with Labor, giving them a 74-73 lead in the race for power. However there are three independents left to make up their minds. So what happens if they split and we end up with 75-75?

I can see a few things that could happen. The first thing that happens in a new parliament is that the speaker is elected. The independents would have agreed to vote with the government on supply and confidence votes, but they could still go against them when voting for the speaker. If a speaker is elected, then the side where the speaker comes from will be down one person, as the speaker only votes in the case of a tie. If there is a tie when voting for the speaker, there is no casting vote so they would have to try another candidate. This is the point that we may find that no speaker can be elected, and therefore parliament is borked and new elections required.

Election 2010: Be Informed – know how preferences work

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:49:37 +1000

I am so sick and tired of hearing stuff like “If you vote for <insert party here> they are giving their preferences to <insert major party here>. So that’s a vote for <prime ministerial candidate here>!” I’m not sure if I can make this any clearer, but:

NO IT ’S NOT

Let’s cover voting basics. In the House of Representatives, you number each box from 1 to n, where n is the number of candidates on the ballot.

Stand up for your rights on Polling Day

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:10:00 +1000

It’s one day before the Federal Election here in Australia. I’d forgotten what that means until I saw a tweet just a second ago.

Tweet by @ben_hr

Whilst most politicians have been spending the last five weeks worrying about hitting a snag throughout the campaign, it’s Saturday when the focus is really on the snags. And the onions and tomato sauce. Don’t forget the lamingtons, other baked treats and even perhaps some jams or drinks. Polling day is a big money spinner for school Parents and Citizens (P&C) Associations across this big land of ours.

The only way is oAuth!

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:27:34 +1000

A reminder for all those who deal with the Twitter API that the cut off has now passed for the end of Basic Auth access to Twitter. For the non-technical out there, this is where you give an application, or a website, your username and password and it logs into Twitter and does something for you.

From now on, all applications will need to use oAuth. I think this is much more secure as the application or website will direct you to Twitter, who would verify who you are and whether you give approval or not. Twitter will also tell the user who is seeking the authorisation, so as an end user I have a better idea of who gets to know what. Developers of Twitter applications have been moving towards this model for a while now and it was pretty much the de facto standard anyway.

Who will be Deputy PM if Tony Abbott wins?

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 08:55:13 +1000

Sometimes all you need is a quick shot of adrenaline to get you through the day. In the same way, sometimes you just need a quick shot of information to inform you. This is the first of probably many quick shot post s.

I have seen some friends questioning who will be the Deputy Prime Minister should Tony Abbott become prime minister after this weekend’s Federal election. This tweet got the conversation rolling.

Marriage – why do I have the right, but not gay people?

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 01:25:54 +1000

There was an equal love/gay marriage march held in Brisbane today. Sadly I didn’t make it due to other plans, but from what I understand it received an excellent turnout. I’m not going to talk about the march, since I wasn’t there. However I do want to cover the topic of gay marriage.

The Marriage Act in Australia specifies that marriage is between a man and a woman. This clarification was added to the act by the Howard Government, which isn’t surprising really. I think it was in their last term in office as well. When the Rudd Labor Government came to power, much was done to bring many rights for gay people into line with those for straight people. This includes recognising gay couples as being the same as ‘de facto’ couples and therefore receiving basically the same rights as any heterosexual couple. The right to get married was not included in this though.

Not-crying and the art of self-awareness

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +1000

August 27, 2010

I am always on a journey of self-development. It’s only been in the last few years that I have become more self-aware. I am learning to listen to my body and to heed it when it tells me that I need to rest, or that I’m feeling flat. I am aware now that when I’m feeling blue that it is a state of mind and something that I can work though. Well, sometimes I am aware of this. Sometimes I fall into a heap and not-cry.

One Nation Victoria State President promotes gay bashings on Twitter

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +1000

August 9, 2010

Over the last couple of days there has been talk on twitter regarding the tweets of Family First Queensland senate candidate Wendy Francis (@wendy4senate). Over this time, many people have pointed out her bigotry to her, which was reported in Fairfax Media this morning by Ben Grub (@bengrubb).

I sent a tweet this morning to her twitter account after watching her performance on a Sunrise debate (link).

Sometimes it is okay to cancel on your friends

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +1000

August 14, 2010

I’ve done it a few times, and I’m sure that many others have done it too. I get invited to something by a friend and check my calendar, find that I’m free and tell them I’ll come along. I even put it in my calendar so I won’t forget. When the day rocks up, I’m feeling particularly anti-social or I’ve had a really bad day and I just can’t face the world. So I make up some excuse as to why I can’t go and said friend is probably a little miffed but accepts my reasons.

Flashback: National Broadband Network – a quick summary

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:16:44 +1000

In the first of a number of ‘flashbacks’ to my old blog, here is something that is quite topical. Back in April 2009, I wrote on the Federal Government’s plans for a National Broadband network. Quite relevant given the current debate over the Opposition’s plans being announced today.

The Federal Government has announced the winner of the National Broadband Network tender process. Nobody wins! Yay! I’m sure you’re thinking WTF? right about now, so lets get into some of the details.

The future of the Internet in Australia

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:06:34 +1000

Today we have finally seen the plan of the Liberal/National Coalition for Australia’s future when it comes to Internet connectivity. Today we have seen what the Liberal and National Party plan to do in order to take Australia into the Internet future. That is, move back into the past.

The Coalition has announced that Australians will have access to at least wireless with a peak speed of 12mbps. They also propose that the current Hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) network will bring 100mbps speeds to the major centres of Australia. They will also spend money to upgrade exchanges to provide more people with access to ADSL 2+ speaks.

Why so many blogs, Mr Perkins?

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:00:56 +1000

Natalie, who also happens to be my wife/partner in crime/better half, is an amazing artist who also runs her own blog. She has been blogging for the last three or four years now, and over the time she has had more and more readers come to her blog. There are times when I notice that she isn’t so enthusiastic about blogging, perhaps when she has a lot of work on or when she is a bit run down. Yet she still keeps at it.

Lap Band Surgery/Eating Disorders and LoudMouth Golf Pants

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +1000

Today I discuss why it’s important to think carefully about Lap Band Surgery, especially if you have an eating disorder. I also plead for LoudMouth Golf Pants to make me some pants in my size!

ETA: These are the pants I want so bad!

[Image not archived: Loudmouth Pants - Sand]

Loudmouth Pants - Sand

I’m appearing on Today Tonight, tonight!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +1000

I have crawled from my sick bed to let you all know that I will be appearing on Today Tonight tonight discussing the issue of why fashion excludes sizes 16+.

Tune in tonight from 6:30pm, Channel 7 and have a look at what I and others have to say on the issue. When I can find a copy online to embed on the site, I’ll be sure to do so!

Excel Tutorial – COUNTIF

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +1000

Have you ever had a spreadsheet with 150 lines of data and you need to know how many times “Red” appears in a cell? The COUNTIF function in Excel is for you. Here is a run through of how you can use this in your spreadsheets.

Testing Excel expressions with the IF function

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +1000

I figured it was time for another Excel tutorial. This time I’m looking at the IF function. IF is really just like it would be in a sentence. If A=B then “something”, else “something else”. The syntax is :

=if(logical_test,value_if_true,value_if_false)

Check out the video for more.

Brisbane Event: The Illustrators exhibition