Is this think working? What time does it say I was here posting this? If it says it was a minute earlier than 5:30am it is wrong. God damn it! You just wait, because I got plans for today and if the come off I will be back later tonight all free and with lots of time etc.

So much to say and so little time! The Games start tonight and work has been most demanding and will continue to be. At the office now, so this'll be a fast one. First: heard of screamo? As in scream-emo. Hardcore emo. I've been trying to find someone who will nail down a definition. Can you help? I think it has something to do with when you are listening to "Choices" by Mudvayne and, every time the chorus comes along, think: "Boy, this sounds like The Smiths". Looking for some light reading? Check out the INTERROGATION LOG OF DETAINEE 063. And this: The Melbourne Graffiti Games

You know, occasionally, someone says something so profoundly stupid you just have to point it out. Now, those of you who have seen Outfoxed might have remebered a chap by the name of Bill O'Reilly. You know, the human vulture with the giant head who likes shouting at people. Yeah, that one. Well it turns out he's also well versed in the art of diplomacy: "You know in a sane world, every countrywould unit against Iran and blow it off the face of the Earth. That would be the sane thing to do". Ahhhh sanity. A tricky concept, yes?

Hilarious piece courtesy of the good people over at Mcsweeneys. Entitled "A seminar for nightclub bouncers as conducted by a big, menacing former doorman who abhors violence". I think given recent experiences you sould enjoy this v.

Okay this was printed in the age on friday but I have been rather busy. In case you missed it apparently morrissey has been out there making jokes about killing G. W. Bush. Apparently these threats were thought to be serious enough to demand a little visit from the good old F.B.I. . So far pretty normal. Anyways most of the questioning was standard, except at one point and F.B.I. agent with "thinning hair and wearing a "How Soon Is Now" T-Shirt" asked if the Smiths would be reforming anytime soon. Gold.

Ok... In order to begin building the name of The Opportunists, I have moved The Great Blog of Sinster Things to their server. The new address is blogs.opportunists.org/gbost. You can still access GBOST @ gbost.blogspot.com but you'll only see the posts before this one. The posting process remains the same.

Music music music. First of all, we went to see Bob Log III at The Tote on Tuesday. It was his last show of this latest Australia tour, which I think started when he was the mystery act at Meredith in December last year. I got Angus (Christofersen) to come along, and as we neared the venue he asked me in a concerned voice: “He doesn’t play whiney emo shit, does he?” I assured him no. Angus was pleased to see me proved correct. He jumped around with the best of us and made comparisons to Hasil Adkins. It was a great show, featuring crowd surfing in the rubber dingy, a chick on each knee for I Want Your Shit On My Leg, and the production of a very big boob scotch (big glass, big boob). In their review of the gig The Age prints some comments from Bob as he dismisses claims that he is in any way the misogynist:

"If a female is turned off because I sing about boobs or tits, she has not done her homework. This is important for all females to realise - men have boobs and tits, too, and can just as easily clap them or dip them in a drink. "This does not mean I want a man boob in my drink. I want men to put it in their girlfriend's drink, or somebody they want to be their girlfriend. "To a girl offended by my ideas of fun I would say, 'Relinquish your boob monopoly and let me dip my boob in your drink. It tastes better.'"Link

I also learned that while Bob Log’s pale guitar is afraid of some songs, his black guitar fears nothing except keeping tune. I got at least one great photo which I will post when I have time. … Now, I really hope I am the first one to be telling you this, but Chopper Read has cut a rap album. It is called Interview With a Madman and will hit stores March 13. From The Age once again:

The album, which has been three years in the making and includes performances from DJ Selekt, Matty B, Ken Oath, Hunter, Terra Firma, Phrase, Necro (US), Lotek (Britain), Hyjak, Torcha, Anecdote and Justice, is the brainchild of Aussie hip-hop promoter and producer Jaydub. Jaydub, who made his reputation by running rap battles in Melbourne and working on a hip-hop compilation on Obesity Records, is a PR and marketing graduate, created a record label (Rott'n Records), expressly for the album, and financed the venture by working ridiculous hours in fast-food outlets. His determination was fuelled by the belief that Chopper and gangsta rap belonged together. "I saw it as an opportunity for Australia to have a gangsta rapper; he's the only person in this country with the criminal credibility to do it," says Jaydub, who met Chopper while doing work experience on the film Trojan Warrior. "Basically, he's lending Australian hip-hop his criminal credibility, and we're lending him our musical credibility."Link

Do you think The Hilltop Hoods are scared?

Calling all White Stripes fans. Jack White has formed a band known as the raconteurs with an american folk singer called brendan benson. They have a single just out called "steady,as she goes" and a new album out soon. Tracklisting and details may be found here p.s. If you already knew this forgive my excitement.

Okay...so, absentee ballots are tricky things. You do realise you have to request an absentee ballot by a cerain time, but goshdarnit, you have a lot of important things to think about. Like pretzels. So the fact that the leader of the free world, George W. Bush forgot to request an absentee ballot for the republican primary in his home town of Crawford, Texas, this I can forgive. But, whereas a normal human being, would just shrug, give up, and pour themselves a beer, thanking God for Americas optional voting system, George Bush, like a particularly determined peanut, will not give up. So he's flying down to Texas for the night so he can cast his vote. In Airforce One. On taxpayers money..wtf. Anyway you can link the story here

Here’s one for you: a device called the LongPen that allows authors to sign books over great distance using various forms of technology. You can read its launch here. At first I just thought that some company had roped in Atwood to act as a spokesman. But no. Apparently the LongPen was “designed by a Canadian company that Atwood created for the purpose.” That company is called Unotchit, Atwood is its chairman. You can find their website and some information about the LongPen here. At first I dismissed the thing as frivolous and a waste of everyone’s time. A gimic by on the part of some company trying to make some dollars, that was able to score a high-profile author to endorse it. But it seems that Atwood, who surely isn’t feeling the squeeze economically, really believes in the virtue of the thing. According to her it will cut the cost of books, while limiting the (apparantly extreme) effort required by authors to promote them:

“As I - Margaret Atwood speaking here - was whizzing around the United States on yet another demented book tour, getting up at four in the morning to catch planes, doing two cities a day, eating the Pringle food object out of the mini-bar at night as I crawled around on the hotel room floor, too tired even to phone Room Service (I am not alone in such practices), I thought: "There must be a better way of doing this. Or of doing some of it.” Link

Some critics fear that it will spell then end of the book tour, leaving us unable to make fools of ourselves in front of heros. I just think it’s stupid for a host of reasons, which I will provide on request. I have been trying to think of other possible applications for the LongPen. Perhaps world and business leaders could use it to sign treaties and memoranda of understanding while eliminating the need for travel. Perhaps we could streamline the signing of everything, centralising it all in one spot that had two LongPens, a printer, and the biggest array of filing cabinets ever seen. This place would be staffed by the loneliest man in the world. He would never leave, sleeping in a cot in the corner. Basic ingredients would be delivered to him via a pipe and he would train the LongPens to prepare and cook meals. As time wore one and the loneliness deepened he would teach them to do other things as well. It’s a stupid idea. Ahh, I say it but I don’t really mean it. I don’t even like using that word, and what’s more I only found out about the LongPen about half an hour ago. The Guardian gets stuck into those who laugh at the idea, comparing them to the detractors of Guglielmo Marconi. I can’t picture the revolution the LongPen will bring in but will hold my tounge on the subject for the time being.

I love unions. For instance: Today I went into work with no expectations at all, only to discover: 1. Today was picnic day, a national holiday for tradesmen and labourers. 2. I am apparently, a tradesman( I know! wtf!) 3. I get double pay I shall never say a bad thing about unions, ever, ever, again.

An excerpt from an interview withthe great Guitar Wolf (or at least their lead singer seiji). P: You moved to Tokyo, right? Seiji : Yes. P: You are from…? Seiji : Nagasaki. P: Why did you move to Tokyo? Seiji : Ah, easy to rock. Why I love the japanese. By the by check out the Guitar Wolf movie. Zombies, rock, young men coming out of the closet. More Rock. Personally, every time I see Seiji say "Rock n, Roll means no boundaries" a little tear wells up in my eye.

Heee Heee Hee. This made me cackle like a little monkey. Follow this link to the London Times article in question. Read the headline. Enjoy

Links These will come along every now and again, and will be collated on our Links page (coming soon). Music -NME: The embarrassingly enthusiastic yet strangely invisible 14 year-old sister you never had. Computer Games -World of Warcraft: Talking about the addictiveness of this game might be passé, but seriously think twice about this one if you have other stuff to do. Seriously.