Category: Quickhit

There’s been a lot of speculation about how prominent Costello will be in the coming election campaign. The [team](http://liberal.org.au/team/) page of the official Liberal party site splits the front bench into three groups: Prime Minister, Treasurer and ‘Other Cabinet Ministers’. Costello was also [out of the gates early](http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/costello-eyeing-victory/2007/10/14/1192300586315.html) in election comment. It all suggests that…

[A Jacuzzi party on Mont Blanc](http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/jacuzzi-high/mont-blanc-jacuzzi-party-at-15711-feet-was-low-on-oxygen-high-on-booze-309708.php) (4,807m above sea level). It’s safe to say that there isn’t a great long list of reasons to do this, other than ‘why not’. It’s an impressive display of effort to actually make it all happen.

[Scan Cafe](http://www.scancafe.com/): we ship your slides and negatives to India for scanning. This is a brilliant idea, and very cheap (24c a slide, 19c a negative). Unfortunately it’s US only at the moment, otherwise I’d be packaging together a big shipment for the company.

[Apple’s directory of applications for the iPod Touch and iPhone](http://www.apple.com/webapps/). I’ve just recently acquired an iPod Touch, and there are a lot of useful little applications in this directory.

[Some alternate designs for the periodic table](http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2007/10/dynamic_periodic_table_an.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890). The periodic table of the elements is such an icon of science it’s easy to forget that it’s a somewhat arbitrary arrangement, that doesn’t include a lot of the complexity of the chemical and physical makeup of the atoms.

[Australian swim coach Don Talbot calls for sports authorities to allow currently banned drugs](http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/let-them-all-cheat-talbot/2007/10/13/1191696232452.html?s_cid=rss_news). I’ve always been a big fan of the idea of removing a lot of the restrictions on sports drug use. Authorities can’t police it adequately. But more importantly, think of the spinoff benefits if drug companies can legally test performance enhancing…

[10 per cent of UK residents want to be an author](http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2153330,00.html). Fewer want to be an astronaut or sports personality.

[A guide to cleaning stains out of your carpet](http://www.fabriclink.com/Stains/Carpet.cfm).

[A bedside table that converts into a baseball bat and shield](http://www.jamesmcadam.co.uk/portfolio_html/sb_table.html).

[No more needs to be said](http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/08/sweep.php).