• Shared today on Twitter

    Huh. Just made the connection with @darkosubotica’s Twitter name! https://t.co/NkuNYr9D2t


    @JustinRThiessen Now that things are opening up, hoping to get in a visit during the first half of the year if I can!


    @isahuerga I remember my cousin had that game for NES, and it BLEW MY MIND that the game actually saved your state even after you turned it off. 🤯


    @randomknits HA! We have an order pending for booze right now too.


    Reminds me of how, working in a knitting shop, I’d be asked 10x a day “How many balls of wool do I need to knit a scarf?” Eventually I got tired of explaining the many, many variables involved and just started saying “4. You need 4 balls.” https://t.co/jJwyjfsM5m


    @windblewinn Only when it’s a Doctor Who scarf, maybe. 😂


    @JennaPrice No, not deliberately. Sometimes we work it out afterwards, like when there were only two votes in Chippendale for the Pirate Party. 😂


    Me: “Tomorrow is 22-2-2022, you know.”
    Rodd: “Shall I wear the bone, the white, the off-white, the ivory, or the beige?” 🤔

    #RichieBenaudDay



  • With great power comes great responsibility…

    With great power comes great responsibility…

    Oscar Contest 2022

    The fourteenth (semi-)annual Web-Goddess Oscar Contest has officially launched! 🎉 And this year you can win your very own set of Spider-Monkeys so you can act out scenes from No Way Home (or the meme!)

    Spider-Monkeys

    Each is crafted from a pair of Spider-Man socks, with felt eyes appliquéd. See? They’re very similar, but all slightly different. You can call them Peter 1, Peter 2, and Peter 3 if you like. (They’re a bit simpler than my original idea, but it turns out that the only person that wants a dirty, sexually repressed, toxically masculine Benedict Cumbermonkey is me.)

    Entries are now closed!

    The 2022 Academy Awards happen on Sunday, March 27th (California time), which is like 2am here. So I’ll cut off entries a few hours beforehand when I go to bed, and you’ll have to wait until I get up in the morning to find out who won!

    Spider-Monkeys

    Web-Goddess Oscar Contest Sock Monkey History

    Nineteen years ago, I thought it would be fun to run a contest and give away a sock monkey. I then kept that up for 10 years running, and you can see the history of my creations below. These days I only do it when the inspiration strikes…

    2022 – Spider-Monkeys
    2021 – Schitt’s Creek Sock Monkeys
    2019 – Freddie Monkcury
    2013 – The Avenger Monkeys
    2012 – The Monkey with the Dragon Tattoo
    2011 – Black Swan and White Swan ballerina monkeys
    2010 – Sparkly Emo Vampire Sockmonkey playset
    2009 – Batman and Joker monkeys
    2008 – Striking Writer Monkey
    2007 – Trio of Dream Monkeys
    2006 – Gay Sock Monkey Cowboys
    2005 – Soctopus
    2004 – Plain sock monkey
    2003 – Oscar the Sock Monkey


  • Shared today on Twitter

    @richdevelops I’ve been Team Tables for like 25 years now.


    The 2022 web-goddess Oscar Contest is now open for entry, and you can win your very own trio of Spider-Monkeys! See the blog post for details and the link to enter.

    https://t.co/886xxI7TYE https://t.co/YXkM6F8jeD


    RT @dietantefrieda: »Du strickst Socken?«
    »Ja.«
    »Und häkelst Decken?«
    »Ja.«
    »Das ist unsexy. Du wirst versauern.«
    »Das kleingeistig. Du wir…


    Repeating now that the Aussies are up… https://t.co/EKpL88nS9N


    @kouky @mcannonbrookes I hope not!



  • Seattle and the Spheres

    Seattle and the Spheres

    Solo trip! I had a work event in Seattle, so I made my first long-haul trip without the Snook in several years.

    Flying to Seattle

    My hotel room had a nice view of the city. It wasn’t water, but it was still pretty.

    Seattle

    The event was an internal work conference so there’s really nothing to share there, but one highlight was that my team arranged for a professional photographer to take headshots for us. He’d asked us to bring a prop that showed our “personality.” As you can see, I figured I might as well bring along the knitting!

    Me knitting

    I had a couple hours free one afternoon so I couldn’t resist the opportunity to finally visit the Amazon Spheres. Somehow I had managed to work for the company for nearly 4 years without ever visiting Seattle! Time to rectify that.

    The Spheres

    I walked over from the hotel. The Spheres opened four years ago and are next to one of the big Amazon buildings. They’re made up of three adjoining spherical glass domes, and they’re intended as an employee lounge and workspace. (They do have occasional public tours too.)

    Inside the Spheres

    The first thing I noticed inside was the heat and humidity. The domes are kept at a constant temperature of 72 °F (22 °C) and 60 percent humidity during the daytime. The other thing I couldn’t appreciate from the outside was how big they are. They’re several stories high inside!

    Path

    There are various paths through the plants on each level, and I wandered through taking photos. Almost felt like I was back in Australia!

    The juxtaposition of the riot of colourful leaves and flowers next to the organic shapes made of steel and glass was really beautiful.

    Me in the Spheres

    The biggest tree in the Spheres is this 55-foot (17 m) Ficus rubiginosa tree that had to be lifted in with a crane. You can ascend through its branches on a walkway.

    Fig Tree

    I needed to have a work call with a colleague back in Australia, so I found one of the work areas and settled into a chair. It makes for a pretty stunning backdrop!

    Work area

    Eventually I made it to the top floor where I was able to get a better view of the living green walls. The plants have been carefully chosen as different plants thrive at different heights and temperatures. The plants at the top are very different from the ones at the bottom!

    Green wall

    Taking a selfie with the Spheres sign is practically a law for Amazonians visiting Seattle. 😂

    The Spheres

    Jeff and Tricia

    And that was it for Seattle! I headed for my flights back to Munich, passing through O’Hare and my least favourite tunnel in the history of airport construction. 😐

    O'Hare Tunnel


  • Shared today on Twitter

    Arrived home to find the Snook baking biscotti to accompany his homemade chocolate pudding! 😍 @ Munich, Germany https://t.co/vjh9b6UiwF


  • Photo Post

    Two hours into the beer tasting… and the jet lag is real. 🍻🥱 @higgins_ale_works

    Two hours into the beer tasting… and the jet lag is real. 🍻🥱 @higgins_ale_works


  • Photo Post

    Just about to kick off tonight’s @higgins_ale_works virtual Beer Tasting with @demsabroadgermany! 🍻

    Just about to kick off tonight’s @higgins_ale_works virtual Beer Tasting with @demsabroadgermany! 🍻


  • Photo Post

    Arrived home to find the Snook baking biscotti to accompany his homemade chocolate pudding! 😍

    Arrived home to find the Snook baking biscotti to accompany his homemade chocolate pudding! 😍


  • Shared today on Twitter

    I’ve been working at Amazon for nearly 4 years and never before visited the offices in Seattle! The Spheres are pretty spectacular. 🌿🍃🌱 https://t.co/WbfzzhKBok


    @QuinnyPig Same. I was all rugged up for winter and had to peel it all off within minutes.


    RT @Vel12171: Learn how to get started with #infrastructureascode and #awscdk on #aws with @SathyaBhat at the Kenya user group virtual meet…


    This airport makes me feel tired. @ Chicago O’Hare International Airport https://t.co/eamV84raw7



  • Shared today on Twitter

    @MelissaKaulfuss @evanderkoogh @deekob Whaaaaaat


    @wolkencode Oh no! Sorry to hear it. Get better…




ABOUT

My name is Kris. I’ve been blogging since the 90’s. I live in Sydney, Australia, and I spent most of my career in the tech industry.

No AI used in writing this blog, ever. 100% human-generated.


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Special thanks to Matt Hinrichs for the site logo!