What Australian Bird is That

Bird photography is certainly one way to relieve the boredom while my face undergoes six weeks of Aldara skin cancer treatment. Living the life of a recluse during this time has had its benefits though. Through patience and sheer good luck this fine specimen popped up in front of my camera lens, but what Australian bird is that? It’s got me stumped, what about you?

What Australian bird is that? Common Koel

Prompted by Lynda Lehmann recently to showcase my photographs, this image of an unknown bird is the best by far. Now, if you know the birds common or scientific name, please leave your answer here.

UPDATE

My friend at Birds In Backyards has informed me that the bird is a Common Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea) – a member of the cuckoo order and on my reckoning an adult female, as it has been seen with an adult male. (blue-black in colour)

Some further checking reveals that it may be a Australian Koel (Eudynamys cyanocephalus) rather than an Asian, Black-billed or Pacific Koel – all of which come under the name, Common Koel.

Common name: common koel / cooee bird / rain bird / stormbird / eastern koel

You might also like these images:
Three Peas in a Pod	Fallen and Forgotten	Satin Bowerbird Pictorial
Howzat

Read more...

Peter Chen – Blogging Teacher Extraordinaire

Web content is king, right? Perhaps, but without the support from experienced bloggers in the form of mentoring, blog design and search engine optimization (SEO) tips, we’d find it even harder to make a dent in the ever expanding blogosphere.

Since the conception of this blog in 2007 I have been lucky. Having a long standing relationship with a number of bloggers, one stands out as a blogging teacher extraordinaire.

Peter Chen, aka Enviroman, is a blogging legend known to Google’s Blogger Help Group Blog*Stars and bloggers alike, a retired associate professor and author of many informative blogs including the famous: The Original Blogger Tips and Tricks

Why the news of Peter Chen on my niche blog? Firstly, to pay tribute to Peter for years of advise and secondly, to publicly thank him for asking me to be a guest writer on his blog.

Here’s the link to my guest post: Windows Live Writer Table Plugin

Why this topic? Windows Live Writer, with its ability to make HTML tables in a flash among its many talents, is my favourite blogging tool.

For your viewing pleasure:
Windows Live Writer Table Plugin Guest Post	Windows Live Writer Republishing	Google's Blogger Help Forum
Howzat

Read more...

Health Risks of Renewable Energy Targets

In Australia, the land we call “The Lucky Country”, soaring electricity bills due to the renewable energy targets (RET) and the subsequent need by electricity suppliers to upgrade to meet this challenge will increase the health risks for impoverished Australians, especially the elderly.

Electrical bills have increased by 60 to 300% for households around the country, forcing many into “fuel poverty” as they contend with spending 10% of their annual income on energy costs. Bill shocks will continue as the Australian Federal Government strives to force consumer demand down.

Already the highly vulnerable contend with electrical costs by:

1. Living at home with no electricity supply.
2. Using candles and torches to light the home.
3. Using unsafe flammable liquid lamps, cooking devices and heaters.
4. Washing in cold water, winter and summer.
5. Fans, heaters and air conditioners left unused.
6. Cold meals, winter and summer.
7. Cutting back on medications.
8. Cutting back on food.
9. Little or no social life.

With more Aussie Battlers likely to suffer the same fate, poor physical and mental health issues as a result of soaring electricity bills.

Renewable energy targets may add to the 1.6 billion people

living without electricity around the world (source)

In general, the days of paying a electricity bill off in one payment are gone. Electricity suppliers have been inundated by those struggling to pay their electricity bills, with extensions being granted to pay them off over a period of time; much like a personal loan.

Even though many of us have cut down on the usage of air conditioners, clothes dryers, pool pumps and installed energy efficient devices around the home, we’re finding these measures are not enough as our bills continue to remain frustratingly high, and for some, with no logical explanation.

Although state governments have introduced a range of electricity rebates they’re obviously insufficient in assisting impoverished Australians – New South Wales (NSW) has a rebate of only $145 per year. The positive step would be to increase rebates to such a level to negate any suffering, especially when state governments are set for a GST windfall on the back of increased power bills, with up to $550m a year from NSW and Queensland alone.

It appears the full impact of the renewable energy targets has been underestimated and something must be done now to prevent further suffering.

§ § §

1. Are you suffering from fuel poverty?
2. Have you experienced electricity bill shock?
3. What have you done to lower your electricity bills and did it work?
4. Do you know of anyone that is living without electricity?
5. Can you explain why your electricity bills are so high?

§ § §

What's happening in Australia right now:
Queensland Premier’s disaster relief appeal	Australian 2010 - 2011 flood disaster images & info	Facebook's Queensland flood Page
Howzat

Read more...

Open Source Image Gallery - Bonza

Behold, Emmi, the apple of her parent’s eye and that of her grandparents. Now, to showcase Emmi’s Christmas day I’ve come up with, Bonza, a simple open source image gallery that contains no JavaScript. (see source code below)

If you pass your mouse cursor over the four quadrants of the image, four different clickable smaller images of Emmi will appear along with text describing the shot. Try it and see what you think.

Bonza

Now for the source code: Yes, it looks gobbledygook. Don’t worry, just copy and paste the code below straight into the “Edit HTML” section of your blog post, or, into the source section when using Windows Live Writer and then follow the instructions below.

<div align="center"> <table style="margin: 0px auto" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" border-spacing="0"><tbody> <tr> <td width="91" align="center" border-spacing="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb2mqPiOiI/AAAAAAAAKGU/aCxI9DkciDo/emmione.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="padding-bottom: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-color: #cccccc; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 6px" onmouseover="this.src=&#39;http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb2mqPiOiI/AAAAAAAAKGU/aCxI9DkciDo/emmione.jpg&#39;" title="Emmi on Christmas Day" onmouseout="this.src=&#39;http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRbnnpcVvxI/AAAAAAAAKFM/4F9l6O-ziH8/emmitopleft-1.jpg&#39;" border="0" alt="Emmi" align="center" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRbnnpcVvxI/AAAAAAAAKFM/4F9l6O-ziH8/emmitopleft-1.jpg" width="186" height="248" valign="bottom" /></a></td> <td width="91" align="center" border-spacing="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb21OcLQ8I/AAAAAAAAKGY/Topy5cbm2I0/emmitwo.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="padding-bottom: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-color: #cccccc; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; display: block; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 6px" onmouseover="this.src=&#39;http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb21OcLQ8I/AAAAAAAAKGY/Topy5cbm2I0/emmitwo.jpg&#39;" title="Emmi admiring a Christmas present" onmouseout="this.src=&#39;http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRboAfn904I/AAAAAAAAKFQ/fRN3ZHdtVMY/emmitopright-1.jpg&#39;" border="0" alt="Emmi" align="center" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRboAfn904I/AAAAAAAAKFQ/fRN3ZHdtVMY/emmitopright-1.jpg" width="186" height="248" valign="bottom" /></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="91" align="center" border-spacing="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb3DHXnFJI/AAAAAAAAKGo/fnZTE9cI7aA/emmithree.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="padding-bottom: 6px; border-right-width: 0px; background-color: #cccccc; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" onmouseover="this.src=&#39;http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb3DHXnFJI/AAAAAAAAKGo/fnZTE9cI7aA/emmithree.jpg&#39;" title="Emmi on the phone thanking Santa Claus" onmouseout="this.src=&#39;http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRbodFa12II/AAAAAAAAKFw/5QBwfHqV8Hs/emmibottomleft-1.jpg&#39;" border="0" alt="granddaughter" align="center" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRbodFa12II/AAAAAAAAKFw/5QBwfHqV8Hs/emmibottomleft-1.jpg" width="186" height="248" valign="top" /></a></td> <td width="91" align="center" border-spacing="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb3QA4ex8I/AAAAAAAAKGs/FuLh6jaPB1o/emmifour.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="padding-bottom: 6px; border-right-width: 0px; background-color: #cccccc; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; display: block; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" onmouseover="this.src=&#39;http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb3QA4ex8I/AAAAAAAAKGs/FuLh6jaPB1o/emmifour.jpg&#39;" title="Emmi deciding which Christmas present to open first" onmouseout="this.src=&#39;http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRboKHK7LpI/AAAAAAAAKFg/fgRFXM7iQVY/emmibottomright-1.jpg&#39;" border="0" alt="granddaughter" align="center" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRboKHK7LpI/AAAAAAAAKFg/fgRFXM7iQVY/emmibottomright-1.jpg" width="186" height="248" valign="top" /></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <div align="right"><a style="text-decoration: none" title="Get this" href="http://stvincentsdarlinghurstmalenurses.blogspot.com/2011/01/open-source-image-gallery-bonza.html"><font color="#c0c0c0">Bonza</font></a></div> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </div>

Further Instructions:

1. Divide main image into four equal parts. (here, each quadrant is 186 x 248 pixels)
2. Change blue code to their http address.
3. Their http address appears twice in the code.
4. Select four separate smaller images for the mouseover effect.
5. These will be the same size as the quartered main image. (186 x 248)
6. Change red code to their http address.
7. Change green code for image click event.
8. Adjust image width (186) and height (248) in the code to suit.
9. Adjust background-color: #cccccc; image alt and title to suit.

Note:

1. Tested in IE8, Firefox 3.6, Google Chrome 8, Opera 11 and Safari 5.
2. Some web feeds are devoid of the effect but the click event remains.
3. If using the source code please retain the credit.

If you have any questions I will endeavour to answer them the best I can. Well, that’s about it, enjoy.

You might also like:
LinkWithin Alternative Howzat: Three stories	LinkWithin Alternative Howzat: Four stories	Flushed with success - Change Image on Mouseover	Random Rotating Header Images
Howzat

Read more...