As an increasingly adventurous foodie and all ‘round lover of edible things, I thought it might be great to give this challenge a go.  One of the great things about Australia is that because of its diverse multiculturalism, a lof of the foods mentioned on this list are easily accessible and available locally, which means I won’t have to travel too far to try them.  But then again, going abroad to try the original item does add an extra level of adventure, doesn’t it? ;D

Of course this is by no means a definitive, nor comprehensive listing of foods one must try —I see it as more of a guide to those foods which may often be overlooked or unappreciated.  Anyways, I’ve ticked off some of the stuff I’ve already tried and dated those which I remember specifically, although I’ve left some so I can make a conscious effort to try them again.

100 Foods to Try Before You Die

1. Abalone
2. Absinthe
3. Alligator
4. Baba Ghanoush
5. Bagel & Lox
6. Baklava
7. BBQ Ribs May 1, 2008
8. Ballini
9. Bird’s Nest Soup
10. Biscuits & Gravy
11. Black Pudding
12. Black Truffle
13. Borscht
14. Calamari
15. Carp
16. Caviar
17. Cheese Fondue
18. Chicken & Waffles
19. Chicken Tikka Masala
20. Chile Relleno
21. Chitlins
22. Churros
23. Clam Chowder
24. Cognac
25. Crab Cakes
26. Crickets
27. Currywurst
28. Dandelion Wine
29. Dulce de Leche
30. Durian
31. Eel
32. Eggs Benedict
33. Fish Tacos
34. Foie Gras
35. Fresh Spring Rolls
36. Fried Catfish
37. Fried Green Tomatoes
38. Fried Plantain
39. Frito Pie
40. Frogs’ Legs
41. Fugu
42. Funnel Cake
43. Gazpacho
44. Goat
45. Goat’s Milk
46. Goulash
47. Gumbo
48. Haggis
49. Head Cheese
50. Heirloom Tomatoes
51. Honeycomb
52. Hostess Fruit Pie
53. Huevos Rancheros
54. Jerk Chicken
55. Kangaroo
56. Key Lime Pie
57. Kobe Beef
58. Lassi
59. Lobster
60. Mimosa
61. Moon Pie
62. Morel Mushrooms
63. Nettle Tea
64. Octopus
65. Oxtail Soup
66. Paella
67. Paneer
68. Pastrami on Rye
69. Pavlova
70. Phaal
71. Philly Cheese Steak
72. Pho
73. Pineapple & Cottage Cheese
74. Pistachio Ice Cream
75. Po’ Boy
76. Pocky
77. Polenta
78. Prickly Pear
79. Rabbit Stew
80. Raw Oysters
81. Root Beer Float
82. S’mores
83. Sauerkraut
84. Sea Urchin
85. Shark
86. Snail
87. Snake
88. Soft Shell Crab
89. Som Tam
90. Spaetzle
91. Spam
92. Squirrel
93. Steak Tartare
94. Sweet Potato Fries
95. Sweetbreads
96. Tom Yum
97. Umeboshi
98. Venison
99. Wasabi Peas
100. Zucchini Flowers

Note: Checklist brought to you by Post To-Do Lists plugin.

Since I acquired the iPhone 4s and beheld the wonder of its Retina screen, I made myself a promise that once Apple released an iPad with that same screen technology, I would be there; I would get one.
While the difference may seem minor and possibly even trivial to someone who hasn’t ever used these devices, it’s actually quite an incredible leap in visual display technology. To be able to fit such a large resolution screen —bigger than your standard HD TV set— onto a hand-held device is quite amazing. Pictures and text are sharper and easier to read, colours seem more vivid, and it just seems brighter overall. It’s a great improvement to an already magnificent device.

And of course, on top of that they’ve even increased the power of the CPU (now featuring the A5X with quad-core graphics), the amount of RAM (now 1GB), the wireless speed (4G LTE), and included an improved iSight camera (5MP) which just makes it that more attractive and usable.
Unfortunately, they did not see fit to increase the storage capacity of the devices, which —because of the increased screen resolution— means that they’re likely to fill up quite a lot faster then the previous models.

Of course the only thing missing on the device right now are the jailbreaking tweaks and options I’ve grown used to. But that’s to be expected for new iDevice with an updated OS, and something soon to be remedied if reports are to be believed.  I’m patient; I can wait.

Anyways, check out the photos.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

But since the introduction of their touch mobile products (iPods, iPhones, iPads —or collectively, iDevices), my mind has been somewhat transformed.

The Beginning

Just about two years ago now, I purchased my first iDevice:  the iPhone.  It was a great experience.  From purchasing to unboxing, to making my first call, it was incredibly impressive and fun.  The packaging was pure class, the construction of the device itself was solid, the look of it was shiny and sleek, and the interface was stylish and beautiful… perfectly designed for hands —my hands.

On top of that was the new adventure of  the App Store.  The world of apps and games has brought new and wonderful experiences at every turn and even now I’m impressed everyday by the kinds of ideas people come up with.  It’s quite incredible and I’ve probably spent more money on apps than I care to find out.

My Reasoning

Now, I hear myself saying this and I cringe inwardly thinking, “OMG, I’m one of THEM!! ”  One of the brainwashed minions; a mindless automaton who has been subconsciously programmed into the Cult of Mac.  But upon further thought I find that I’ve somehow grown to be ok with that, not because I am one of them —I’m not, by any stretch of the imagination— but because on some level, to some degree, I think they think like me.  Let me explain.

I truthfully and wholeheartedly admit that I’m a huge fan of technology —and anyone who knows me will testify to this.  But more accurately, I consider myself a smart follower of great technology.  You see, when I come across a potentially great device —such as the iPhone— I research it and carefully consider whether it’s worth getting.  I immerse myself in information about the device; news articles, blogs, user & magazine reviews, company marketing, you name it, I’m there.  I’m just not one of those people who has to have every new hyped up contraption on the market and my interest isn’t just centred around Apple products.

In the case of the iPhone, I didn’t jump into the purchase until the 3Gs model was available; and this was primarily because of the negative press I was coming across regarding the annoyances in the software and functionality of the previous generations.  While it was groundbreaking and innovative technology, it just hadn’t really matured enough for me to jump into it with any amount of confidence.  However, by the time the 3Gs was available, the major bugs and issues had either been already, or were well on the way to being sorted out.  Today with the iPhone 4, you have an almost completely stable device with a vast software ecosystem,  incredibly solid construction, and a multitude of uses —not simply a phone.  And overall I’ve been extremely pleased the purchase.

I took the same approach with the iPad.  When it was first announced, I thought it looked great but the features it offered just weren’t appealing enough; it was simply a larger version of an iPod Touch, so I decided to wait and see what the future held.  In addition there were simply no apps that made full use of the platform so overall adopting the device in the beginning would’ve been a waste of time and money.

Enter the iPad 2

Although its featureset isn’t exactly groundbreaking in some areas, it does reap the benefit of Apple’s more powerful A5 chip, as well as a boost in memory which speeds the experience dramatically from its predecessor.  The slimmer form of this device while keeping comparable battery life was also a positive, as well as the addition of the gyroscope for gaming & other applications.
Unfortunately, according to reports it’s not without a few flaws.  Basically, the included cameras aren’t great; it can’t charge from a standard PC USB port while activated; and personally, after having tasted the freedom of the jailbreak world , vanilla iOS just bugs me.

Nevertheless, it seemed like a great device and the time was right, and given my positive experience with the iPhone and generally positive reports for the first generation iPad, I decided I would purchase the iPad 2.  The declining rate of the US dollar also made for a definite deciding factor, but since it wasn’t yet available here in Oz at the time I made the decision I decided to order it from the US along with a bunch of peripherals for it.

Five or so weeks later, it finally arrived , and considering the short amount of time I’ve owned this device —which I’ve dubbed the Intrepid , I can already sum up my experience with one word: AMAZING.

Not Just Another Big Boy’s Toy

While it was certainly certainly never meant to be a complete replacement for a proper computing platform, the portability, versatility and convenience of the iPad makes it a phenomenally useful tool to have around.  It’s incredibly easy to take with you wherever you go and the convenience of the App Store means you have access to a veritable plethora of apps to satisfy almost every need imaginable.

Moreover, its media capabilities mean I don’t have to miss out on any of my favourite shows, music, movies, or videos.  In fact, you’ll often find my iPad sitting in the kitchen playing one of my favourite shows while I cook dinner or wash dishes.  It’s pretty awesome.  And when I’m sitting around bored I’ll launch a game, or read through my RSS feeds, check Twitter and Facebook, or do some drawing or writing on it, read a book, make some music, browse the web, or any of a multitude of other things for which the App Store has apps.  There’s not a lot you can’t do on it.

It’s also very solid.  You can feel it when you pick it up; no rattles or squeaks, no loose bits, the buttons are crisp and flush against the casing, the screen and body are free of imperfections, the materials feel durable but look incredibly shiny and sleek.  While it’s not something you’d take with you to a construction site without additional protection, it doesn’t seem like it’s something that’s going to give up the ghost easily.  I’m sure it’d scratch without too much effort but the damage would be superficial, the insides would still be intact and there’d be no loss of functionality.
In fact, its sleek and shiny design encourages you to take more care with it than you would otherwise.

The peripherals I also purchased are no less meticulously constructed.  The Dock, Wireless Keyboard, Smart Cover and even the VGA and USB Adapters are equally as precisely constructed as the devices themselves.  In fact one of the things that always strikes me as amazing whenever I receive something from Apple is how sharp, crisp or smooth some of the corners and surfaces are on these products.  None of the after-market peripherals I’ve bought elsewhere ever feel as well-designed and built as these.  They just… feel solid & weighty.

In Closing

Say what you will about Apple, its short-spoken founder, its exuberant followers, its secretive nature, and overly restrictive policies, but their approach to technology is just top-notch.  Of course I can’t speak for all of their products, but as far as the iPod Touch, iPhone 3Gs and iPad 2 are concerned, I’m thoroughly impressed and won over, and frankly, I’m not sure that a device from any other company would win me over as thoroughly (and that’s not to say I’d be unwilling to try any others; I’m just so extremely pleased with these to want to…  ).

And I respect that.  I’m obliged to acknowledge that the company has done its work and done it well; from design, to construction, to user interface experience, it has all been thought out and painstakingly arranged to create great mobile products.  In addition, though I’ve never been to one personally, I hear that Apple Stores are pretty awesome.

Of course, none of this is to say there’s no room for improvement, but simply that flaws are almost always easily overlooked.  I say almost because some things I just can’t abide, but for that, there’s always the jailbreak solution.   That, however, is a post for another day.

Be sure to let me know if you have an iDevice and what your thoughts are in general about the device itself and Apple’s overall approach to technology.

This post was (mostly) edited and uploaded with the help of BlogPress from my iPad 2.

It’s unbelievable that after all this time they should resurface, as I’d given them up as lost forever (although I still have the crashed drive that I hope to somehow be able to restore when I can afford it), and it was all thanks to my little bro’s curiosity and looking through a bunch of CDs I unknowingly left at my dad’s house.

So I’ll be posting up additional icon packs from the Novacons series, and some others. Unfortunately, the photoGraphic Folder icons artwork was not recovered in this batch, but you never know, it might just turn up again.

Stay tuned for the icon packs.

As a result,  I’m scheduled to be online as of the 23^rd of this month. 
I also decided to change providers.  Internode was ok, but iiNet offered a better deal right now.  I’m going to be getting Naked ADSL2 + VoIP so I won’t be paying line rental charges, and all for the same price I was paying with ‘Node.  They also offer a higher off-peak download cap, which is always a good thing.

So until then I’m borrowing my dad’s net when I get the chance and at work during the week.

So that’s it for now.  I’ll try post up some pics of my new home when I get a chance this week, but until then, y’all take care now, y’hear?

Also, feel free to leave your mark on my site and sign my Guestbook. 

Peace out. 

I’ve put my belongings (including my computers ) into storage while I await the hand-over of keys on the 4^th of March, then the arduous process of actually moving my stuff in and setting up the place.  Of course my PC will be the first thing I set up but I don’t know that I’ll have any net access straight away, at least until the relocating process goes through.
In the meantime I’m sojourning at my dad’s place:  enjoying the cuisine, spending time with my little brothers, and whiling away the few spare hours I get watching Cartoon Network. It’s not too bad at all, but it would probably be a lot more enjoyable if I didn’t have to work.

So, until I move in and get set up properly there may not be any major postings here, though I may still keep up with my twittering as I’m able.
Once I’m in and settled I’ll also post up some pics —maybe even do some before and after shots.  We’ll see.

Until then, take care, keep up with my tweets, and check out the following useful (and fun) web finds after the jump.

MaxTo

MaxTo is a small Windows program that divides your monitors into regions. When you maximize a window, it will no longer fit the entire screen, but only the region it was maximized into. Your windows are neatly organized into the grid you have defined when they are maximized. MaxTo has been described as a tiling window manager.

MaxTo is light-weight, and works on both 64-bit and 32-bit versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista. The .NET framework version 2.0 or higher is required (preinstalled on Windows Vista).

WizMouse

WizMouse is a mouse enhancement utility that makes your mouse wheel work on the window currently under the mouse pointer, instead of the currently focused window. This means you no longer have to click on a window before being able to scroll it with the mouse wheel. This is a far more comfortable and practical way to make use of the mouse wheel.

Obamicon.me

The longest election season in memory is now over, and we wanted to help you unwind and express yourself as we head into the new era.

Make your own “Obamicon” — your image in a style inspired by Shepard Fairey’s iconic poster. Regardless of your candidate of choice in the 2008 election, here’s your chance to sound-off.

Take your picture with a webcam or upload a photo, choose your own message, and submit to the gallery.

AutoPager

The AutoPager Firefox extension automatically loads the next page of a site inline when you reach the end of the current page for infinite scrolling of content. AutoPager works with a ton of sites, including Lifehacker, of course, Google …….

Unlike other auto paging scripts, this add-on works well with most other add-ons like adblock plus, WOT and most of the greasemonkey scripts.

Peace.