Sunday 12 December 2010

Statistical Maps of Europe

Here are some statistical maps of Europe, mostly from years 2005 and 2006. Nonetheless, it is interesting to seem the distributions of population, GDP, and different other stats.

http://www.eupedia.com/europe/maps_of_europe.shtml

Some more info on European demographics, with maps - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Europe

Friday 10 December 2010

New Games

After finding a reference to a new game, called Just Cause 2, at Coding Horror (link) it was even more hillarious to read an adventure described in a referenced text (link). It was a hillarious experience to go through the text and all the comments and links. Really good treat for a Friday!

Tuesday 7 December 2010

Jedinica

VREME i B92 predstavljaju dokumentarni serijal

JEDINICA

neispričana priča o CRVENIM BERETKAMA

http://www.b92.net/specijal/jedinica/

Wednesday 1 December 2010

Rains in Melbourne

This year there is surprisingly lot of rain. Apparently it is El Nino year and in Australia it manifests itself by having huge amounts of rain. Which is quite contrary to what I expected, having been used to El Nino meaning dry years. So it seems at the Northern Hemisphere, at least.

Anyway... Having lots of rain finally makes this place resemble home. And, at the same time, it brings those memories of the reasons I left, after all. :) Getting wet on the way to work. Not being able to go out for a walk whenever one feels like (without getting wet). Swamps, streams, and water deposits everywhere. Awesome. The dams will probably fill to 120% this year...

Friday 27 August 2010

Best Old Games | The Incredible Machine download, cheaty [eng]

I've found an old friend of mine online - The Incredible Machine is available for download at the link below!

Best Old Games | The Incredible Machine download, cheaty [eng]

Free eBooks The Book Depository

Free eBooks The Book Depository
Over 11,000 free ebooks now available from BookDepository.

Saturday 10 July 2010

Why Breaking Up Hurts: Similar to Addiction, Says Study - TIME

Why Breaking Up Hurts: Similar to Addiction, Says Study - TIME
Interesting research:
"Using brain-imaging scans, researchers study the postrelationship feelings of jilted lovers still pining for their exes. Turns out, it looks a lot like addiction."

Monday 28 June 2010

Mt Buller - Home

Mt Buller - Home
Winter in Australia! Some snow and temperatures below zero. Looking forward to a weekend on snow.

Saturday 26 June 2010

Unforgettable Places - Buzz Inn

Unforgettable Places - Buzz Inn

15 Unfortunately Placed Ads - Oddee.com

15 Unfortunately Placed Ads - Oddee.com
Marketing is wonderful!

15 Unfortunately Placed Ads

15 Unfortunately Placed Ads
:))))

Bosnia Press Review - June 25, 2010 :: BalkanInsight.com

Bosnia Press Review - June 25, 2010 :: BalkanInsight.com: "Hundreds of hooligans took to the streets of Banja Luka on Wednesday following Serbia's 1-2 defeat to Australia in their World Cup game, attacking homes and businesses of Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) and Bosnian Croat returnees to the town. According to Banja Luka police official Drazen Arbutina, hooligans broke windows in several buildings in the town."

WTF?!

Frets On Fire

Frets On Fire is a free game similar to Guitar Hero.
I've played Guitar Hero last night with friends for the first time. It was Metallica edition and I'm a bit hooked at the moment. Just found this link and wonder what the game is like. :)

Wednesday 23 June 2010

The Algorithms Design Manual (Second Edition) - AlgoWiki

Algorist.com (link) is the home for Steven Skiena's Algorithm Design Manual, one of (if not) the best books on algorithms.
The site below contains answers to the questions posed in the book.
The Algorithms Design Manual (Second Edition) - AlgoWiki

Tuesday 22 June 2010

2 Degrees this Morning

The temperature indicator on the Internet shows 2 degrees on a Celsius scale. Fortunately, the temperature indoors is more like 12. Expected high today is 15. This is like middle of the Summer elsewhere. :)

Sunday 20 June 2010

Saturday 19 June 2010

Manhole Cover: How Products are Made

Manhole Cover: How Products are Made: "All manhole covers are round because a round object cannot be dropped into a round hole of the same diameter."

LOL! Here's an answer to one of the supposedly job-interview questions.

Friday 18 June 2010

Oceanic Climate Map of the World

Koppen_classification_worldmap_CfbCfc.png (2000�1280)
The above map, from Wikipedia, shows areas of the world with oceanic climate. Coincidentally, all the areas I've lived in have these climate characteristics.

Thursday 17 June 2010

Interview

Just had two interesting conversations. One with a friend living in a beautiful country in the North of Europe and one with a recruiting consultant from a large global company. Both discussions involved software development positions in Europe and both seem interesting and challenging. At least my worries about moving continents again seem to disperse now.

Citizenship Application Approved

I have just received the approval for my citizenship application from Australian Government in Canberra. Now the arrangements are undergoing to place me in the queue for the citizenship pledge at a local council.

Wednesday 9 June 2010

Australian citizenship test

I’ve just had an appointment with DIMIA regarding my citizenship application. Part of which was the citizenship test. Now all the administrative tasks I had to do are finally done. I hope the processing will be straightforward and I should receive a letter of approval in the following weeks. After that the local council should notify me of the ceremony date.

Citizenship Appointment and Test

Today is the day. I’m off to the citizenship appointment and test. Its been a bit over two months since I submitted the application. Wonder what happens after this is done.
Hope to have a small celebration today after the test. :)

Tuesday 8 June 2010

US Immigration – A Guide for Employees

US Immigration – A Guide for Employees: "E-3 Visa for Australians

In 2005, the US announced a new visa called the E-3, for Australians only. The E3 visa allows Australian nationals, along with their spouses and children, to come to the US to work in a specialty occupation.

This should be welcome news for Australians interested in working in the US. Until now, Australians have had to battle it out with others around the world for the highly desired H1B Visa. Last year only 900 Australians obtained an H1B - now Australians have 10,500 E3 visas just for themselves. A specialty occupation is one that requires a body of knowledge in a professional field, and at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent, as a minimum for entry into the occupation in the United States. For Australians interested in the E3 visa, the process is actually quite similar to the H1B visa. You must first find a job with a company who will then sponsor your visa. There are 10,500 E-3 visas available per year.

Spouses of an E-3 visa holder are permitted to come to the US and work also. A spouse's employment may be in a position other than a specialty occupation."

Saturday 29 May 2010

First World War (WWI) Planes -- Great War Flying Museum

First World War (WWI) Planes -- Great War Flying Museum
Museum of World War I airplanes in Canada.

SAMIR RIZVO: "Građani BiH će od novembra putovati bez viza" - Sarajevo-x.com

SAMIR RIZVO: "Građani BiH će od novembra putovati bez viza" - Sarajevo-x.com: "Šef pregovaračkog tima BiH za viznu liberalizaciju Samir Rizvo izjavio je da će bezvizni režim za BiH, najverovatnije, stupiti na snagu početkom novembra, budući da bi konačna odluka Evropskog parlamenta o ukidanju viza za BiH i Albaniju mogla da bude saopštena 8. oktobra."

Thursday 27 May 2010

Theory X and theory Y - Psychology Wiki

Theory X and theory Y - Psychology Wiki
Interesting view of the workplace and management. Two diametrically different methods of management.

Sunday 23 May 2010

Home (Alen Siljak Consulting)

Home (Alen Siljak Consulting)
I have just created a business-like web site. It is amazing how quick it is to create a professional-looking web presentation.
I have spent some time creating the header image and am thrilled by the capabilities of Expression Designer. This tool is all I imagined a nice drawing tool should be like. It has lots of features that were present in Corel Draw years ago but I haven't seen Corel around for a while.
Anyway, I'm thinking about having a nice web site that I could use as my business presentation. Obviously, I'm now considering going private sometimes down the line. This is the option I used to avoid but lately it seems more acceptable.

Saturday 22 May 2010

IT Jobs in Germany :: Technojobs

How awesome is this...

IT Jobs in Germany :: Technojobs: "People tend not to work long hours and those who work in the public sector often finish their working day at 4pm"

Interpol Confirms Arrest of 'Pink Panther' Suspect :: BalkanInsight.com

Interpol Confirms Arrest of 'Pink Panther' Suspect :: BalkanInsight.com

Wonderful sequel to previously reported diamond heist.

Bucking the Crisis?: Germany's Labor Costs Rise as Unemployment Drops - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

Bucking the Crisis?: Germany's Labor Costs Rise as Unemployment Drops - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

Excellent news from the main European industrial nation - Germany. Contrary to popular belief, the unemployment is on the downside.

Mladic Diaries May Be Used in Seselj Trial :: BalkanInsight.com

Mladic's diaries from Bosnian war (1992-1995) reveal more truth about paramilitary volunteer formations that caused major upheaval in the region in the initial stages of the conflict.

Mladic Diaries May Be Used in Seselj Trial :: BalkanInsight.com: "Among other entries, on 14 May 1992, Mladic notes that the largest space in Bosnia is taken up by paramilitary formations, writing: 'they should be withdrawn, as soon as possible, disarmed, and if they resist liquidate them'."

Thursday 13 May 2010

The Untold Story of the World's Biggest Diamond Heist

The Untold Story of the World's Biggest Diamond Heist
Amazing diamond heist story from Wired.com. There's bound to be a movie about this.

Science Books to Read

Couple of my work colleagues were discussing some interesting titles so I'm putting their titles here in order not to forget. As the saying goes, "When putting something into memory, always remember where you put it."

So, the titles are... Down to the rabbit hole, and Elegant Universe. Some of these are books and some are documentaries. Good preparation for a YouTube night, I guess.

Wednesday 12 May 2010

NewGenCoal - Home

NewGenCoal - Home
Here's a web site with some amazing and awesome stories and links related to new energy sources and ideas. There is some really exciting stuff in there.

Sunday 25 April 2010

The Chicago Manual of Style Online: Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide

The Chicago Manual of Style Online: Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide
And here is the citation style guide from Chicago Manual of Style (CMS). According to Wikipedia, "The American Psychological Association (APA) style is often used in the social sciences. The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) is used inbusiness, communications, economics, and history. The CMS style uses footnotes at the bottom of page to help readers locate the sources. The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is widely used in the humanities."

Purdue OWL

Purdue OWL
APA Style guide, citations and references.

Friday 23 April 2010

Booko: Compare book & DVD prices in Australia with Booko

Here is a great site that compares quite a few online book stores. Wonderful when you're looking for a place to order a book from.

Friday 16 April 2010

Slide show: Back exercises in 15 minutes a day - MayoClinic.com

Slide show: Back exercises in 15 minutes a day - MayoClinic.com
Great exercises for the back. In 15 minutes sorts out the back problems caused by long sitting in the office. My brother recommended these and I'm more than happy to try them out.

Thursday 8 April 2010

Operation

Today I went for an exam to a dermatologist. I expected a quick, 15-minute exam and a sample take. Then possibly an appointment depending on the findings. But, since the procedure was so simple I guess, the doctor decided to remove a couple of moles.
Amazingly, the operation itself took less time than it took me to undress. I did not feel any pain and the spots were burned so there was no blood at all. The whole experience was quite amazing.
Additional recommendations include regular annual skin checks. The findings will be complete next week and then I will get to know more about potential Melanoma.

Saturday 27 March 2010

Personality Test

Alen Siljak, based on the results of your Free Personality Questionnaire, your personality type is...
INTJ (Introvert, Intuitive, Thinker, Judger)
People of this type tend to be: autonomous, aloof, and intellectual; imaginative, innovative, and unique; critical, analytical, and logical; intellectually curious, driven to learn and increase their competence and knowledge; socially cautious and reserved; organized and definitive. The most important thing to INTJs is their independence and being able to live according to their own standards.

Eye Check

Just came back from an optometrist. Had an appointment for an eye check here in Altona. She found that the eyes are healthy. There is a slight distortion in vision with 0.25 on the left eye and 0.50 on the right. Considering it is Saturday morning after a busy week with lots of reading and staring at the monitor, concentrating on the designs, and a lack of sleep last night, I’d say the results are pretty good. The vision improves significantly with the lenses but the main reason could be tiredness.

Citizenship Application

Today I was reminded by my phone that the day has come to submit my citizenship application. I went through the process online and it was pretty simple and straightforward. The fee was charged online to the credit card. What remains is to gather all the hard copies of the documents required, sign the character reference form and photographs, and wait for the notification in the mail.

The next step, I guess, is the citizenship appointment where the documents will be reviewed and the citizenship test performed. After that the appointment with the local council will be made (automatically) for the citizenship ceremony. My new council is the Hobsons Bay City Council and they have citizenship ceremonies every two months. One was just the other day, actually.

Thursday 25 March 2010

SandStorm by Darude - Grooveshark - Listen to Free Music Online

SandStorm by Darude - Grooveshark - Listen to Free Music Online
Interesting service for listening music online. The interface is in Flash and serves like a multimedia/audio player with a playlist and a large database of media available.
Better than recharging and carrying around a music player while at work.

Tuesday 23 March 2010

Cooking

I’m getting very used to freedom of choosing food for meals. Sometimes I mix variety of small bits of different food and that makes a dinner. Other times I cook. Usually I make sandwiches for lunch, as well. I’m mostly enjoying just mixing tastes and experimenting with food. I find there’s more of that going on rather than preparing actual dinner. Although I do get to eat what I prepare, there are usually leftovers for tomorrow. So now I’m quite confident that cooking is not a big deal at all. Especially with microwave cooking it gets very convenient in terms of number of different bowls required for food preparation. I just bought a ceramic bowl today and it is perfect for microwave cooking. Got a plastic cover with holes in it, made for microwave cooking to keep most of the moisture within the bowl and the food being cooked. I’m quite happy with how the food turns out. The difference with gas or electric cooking is that the bowl rotates in the microwave automatically and there is no steering needed. The food gets cooked equally. This gives me time to work on other bits of the meal or making those sandwiches for tomorrow. I quite like how things can be simple and easy sometimes.

Cherry Lake, Altona

Yesterday I went jogging around Cherry Lake in Altona, catching the last rays of the Sun for the day. I was impressed by the surrounding of the lake. And, the more away I was from Altona, the more amazed I was. At times it felt as if I was in the nature far away from urban life. The grass was cut, there was lake and different plant species. It was wonderful. I saw a bunny (rabbit) next to the track. This is definitely one of the most beautiful jogging tracks I’ve seen around here. The scene of the Sun setting was magnificent, with blue and red colors mixing in the clouds.

Later, on the way home, I did stretching on the grass football field. All this is only minutes from home. Feels like a place from my imagination…

Wednesday 17 March 2010

Microwave Cooking

It has been a couple of days of successful microwave cooking. Every day after I get back from work, I check out a new microwave recipe and do the cooking. Seems that most foods can be cooked in a microwave. There are different timings and intensity of power. The good thing is that it takes me only one bowl to prepare a meal.

Today I cooked some rice. It went on for five minutes on High power. Then four minutes on Medium power. After that I added the calamari and sauce and cooked for further three minutes. The only downside so far is that it takes forever for the food to cool down. :)

Monday 15 March 2010

Food prepared in microwave oven causes cancer? - Yahoo! Answers India

Food prepared in microwave oven causes cancer? - Yahoo! Answers India
After I moved to a new place I started looking for a quick way to prepare meals. Apart from fruit, spreads, and salads, I would like to have some cooked food but without the overhead of having to prepare them for a long time and do a lot of cleaning up afterwards. If I had to do that every night it would occupy all of my time, which is pointless.
Browsing the shops today for some household stuff, I ran into some plastic rice cookers that caught my eye. The cooker was nothing special but next to them was a booklet about pros of microwave cooking. Having read a few interesting things in there, I decided to research more info online.
From what I could see, microwaves are not a health hazard if used properly. I generally don't like plastic containers so I'm using Pyrex glass dish to heat and cook food in microwave. It was interesting and refreshing to see quite a number of recipes in the booklet mentioned.
So, now microwave looks like a perfect answers to my prayers. I can use a single dish to cook small amounts of food. There is not much to wash afterwards and the food is good. I managed to cook scrambled eggs, which I considered impossible initially. Well, seems I'll be doing more microwaving in the days to come and experience the pros and cons compared to conventional gas or electric cooking.

Moved to Altona

The Altona move has been completed over the weekend. Everything has fallen into place in those two days. I got Toyota Corolla at the rent-a-car and moved the majority of the things in two rides. It was a funny thing playing Sokoban in my mind while packing the things into the car.

On Sunday I finally found the hanger stand, which I missed in Ikea on Saturday. The Internet access has been arranged with the owner so by Sunday night all was all set. Now even my SIP clients for VoIP work without any problems.

Monday was also good. First real trip to work on a train after two years. I have to say I got exactly what I was looking for. When I walk through the town towards the pier I can smell the salt in the air. On the way to work, in the morning Sun, I can see the blue vastness of the ocean. Now I’m going to enjoy this feeling for a while. Until the times comes for a new adventure.

Saturday 6 March 2010

Moomba Festival – Hailstorm

Moomba Festival is going on in Melbourne at this time of year. There is river skiing and –boarding on Yarra. Today the day started really well. It was sunny and warm. All until about 2pm when it looked like a shower coming but is going to pass soon so that we could continue looking around the park. But…

Have a look at some photos below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=158502

Saturday 20 February 2010

Altona Visit

What a wonderful day. First a friend and I searched for tennis courts around Melbourne on Gogle Earth and found some nice ones in Royal Park. There is 14 courts as a part of a club there and there are some more not far from that place. While the friend was checking for a price, the woman on the phone told him it was too hot today and that he should go to the beach instead.

Then I went to Altona to confirm the new place and talk to the owner. The owner was so cool, he gave me two weeks half rent since I will not be moving in immediately but only after our four weeks notice expire. The Internet has also been arranged.

In Altona everything is close by, at two minutes walk. RSL, shops, cafes, supermarket… Saw a lot of retirees from ex Yugoslavia playing bocce in the park. There is a library nearby. That means I could spend more time in the near future reading books or watching movies. I can read on the train. Went to the beach and walked in the water. If I did not have cold I’d have a swim. I might start to getting used to living on the shore and go for regular swims. There is a bus line to Coburg and eastern parts of the city. I topped up myki card and used it on a train for the first time.

On the other side of the street where the new place is there are several grass ovals. Perfect for jogging and exercising. Right next to that is a big lake with a bike/jogging path around. It looked as such a perfect environment for running around. I also found an indoor pool and some tennis courts.

I have such a wonderful feeling about Altona. Loved it so much that I even spent some time daydreaming and looking at houses for rest and sale. There is everything I'd want in that place.

Thinking of my time arrangements during the day, I plan to cook more to practice my culinary skills. There will be more time to prepare food and even have the lunch at work. Also enough time and shops close by to get milk and cereals for breakfast every day.

Being in Altona feels like being on a holiday. Now that I came back home the city now looks so busy and crowded.

Had an Apple cider on the Yarra shore after I came back, then had a look at some cool festival on alternative lifestyle - healthy food and alternative sources of energy - solar and even bike (pedal) powered. There was a solar panel supplying enough power for a water turbine.

Yeah, today was such a great day. I’m also feeling better and my coughing is almost gone.

Edit:
Forgot to mention, Altona is the home of Australian aviation. Back to the roots. :)

Friday 12 February 2010

St.Kilda Laughs Festival

I just won the tickets to St.Kilda Laugs Festival at work. This is awesome for a couple of reasons. First, it is a comedy festival and I am really happy to go and watch the shows. I had a really good time watching some shows during Melbourne Comedy Festival in the previous years. And second, I simply knew I was going to win this one. :)
I’m not used to this sort of thing where a company has the budget for entertainment. Most the projects and companies I worked for had nothing like it. It is a quite nice surprise (although I said I knew I was going to win, I know)…

Sunday 17 January 2010

That’s Melbourne – 10 Degrees!

I can’t believe it was only a week when the temperature gauge was crossing 40 degrees mark regularly and now I wake up in the morning because of cold weather! It was only 10 degrees this morning. Just like in the winter!

melbtemp1801100758

Friday 15 January 2010

Betting

With my last day at Sportsbet, I feel like I finally sorted out my relation to betting. Now I quite enjoy watching sports on TVs that hang around the office and I think I’m going to miss that from now on. I also don’t mind betting and see it as a fun activity. Nothing productive and/or special but at least it does not have negative connotations anymore.

Farewell, this is the end of an era. Also a beginning of a new and interesting one!

Wednesday 13 January 2010

20 Degrees – What a contrast

After the 43 degrees the other day, there’s been a cool change and the temperature is pretty low and it feel a bit cold. It is such a contrast to Monday. The house still feels hot but outside is very nice and cool. It felt even cold this morning when I was off to work, with temperature even below 20 degrees Celsius.

melbtemp1301101623

Monday 11 January 2010

82kg

Today, at the pool, I had an opportunity to weight myself, which I haven’t done in a while. So I used the opportunity to find out what my current weight is. And it is 82kg. I think it is well within some standard boundaries for the height of 185cm. Anyway, this is just a historical record so I can show to my parents that I *do* eat normally although I’m far away from home. :)

Another hot day

Today is forecasted to be quite a hot day with 43 degrees Celsius. Well, currently it is almost 40 and I feel like going out to see how it feels. :)

 

melbtemp1101101338

It has just hit 43 degrees and is quite hot in the room. The air is not that humid so the heat is bearable and quite pleasant. My washing will dry in a few minutes, I think. :)

 melbtemp1101101533

Sunday 10 January 2010

Clairvision

For years I’ve been using the free Canopus Astrology Software to analyze the people I know. I found it to be pretty accurate in interpretations of the positions of the planets. Sometimes too accurate, for it’s own good.

Well, the software is retired for a long time now. But there is some good news. Clairvision has a new, online, version of the software available at http://astro.clairvision.org/

It is so much easier to use and can produce all the charts and interpretations as images and PDFs. The Clairvision Virtual Astrologer is located at http://astrology.clairvision.org/astro/switchboard. From this link you can load and save your chart files with individual’s details and go from there. All the options are easily available from the menu.

Friday 8 January 2010

Avatar

The experience of watching a 3D movie in Imax theater was simply amazing! The Imax screen is 7 stories high and the seats are positioned so that the screen covers your whole viewing area. All you see is just the screen in front of you. It covers your peripheral vision so the viewing experience is complete.

This was my first 3D movie and the initial effect was stunning. I felt as if I could touch the actors in the first few scenes. Everything seemed so real.

I won’t go into details about the story but computer “effects” (if we can still call them that) are getting so realistic it is hard to distinguish what was animated and what was real. The nature, live beings and their movement, look so real. The colors in the imaginary world where Avatars live are so beautiful and so well animated that it gets very easy to imagine something like that is possible. Some parts of the movie felt like a dream, in fact.

The whole watching experience was so good that I noticed only in the end that the movie went on for more than two and a half hours. It ended past midnight and now it’s time to catch some sleep as I have to work Saturday. Fortunately, for the last time at my current job.