Just finished reading this article at BBC News Podcasts bring DIY radio to the web and started to check out some of the linked sites and must say I'm quite impressed. My only complaint with my iPod is there's just so much damned music on it! Sometimes I can be sitting there for 5 minutes scrolling through music trying to sort out what I want to listen to. Sometimes I just give up and hit 'shuffle' and put my listening in the hands of fate. But then fate really annoys me too as I hear something I haven't heard for years, can't remember what it is and have to dig around in my 'man bag' to see what it's playing... Yes, spoilt for choice - it's a hard life!

So, now I've discovered podcasting, it's going to be perfect for my daily tram ride to work and back. Particularly G'day World mainly for its Australian-ness, but I will have to suss out a few more from Podcast Alley.

If you've got any others to recommend, let me know... Oh, and Happy New Year too!

So you may be wondering where I've been. I create a site, launch a blog, and then disappear... Well, yes and no.

Nearly 2 weeks ago I turned 30. Woo Hoo! And I've just been flat out ever since. Visitors from overseas, interstate and catching up with many people I haven't seen for what seems like years. So I've been doing the touristy things around Melbourne and playing the good host. And launching a new web site in the meantime. And preparing quotes, and proposals and still managing my work from London. Yes, things have managed to pile into a bit of a back-log, and hopefully in the next week I'll have things sorted out and nice little piles (so to speak) for upcoming projects and work. I thought I was rather organised and some might even say 'anal', but a week just flew past without checking emails or getting back to people and my-oh-my! There's just stuff everywhere! Piles of papers, a desktop littered with files (oh how I love a clean empty desktop), magazines bought and laying unread and even unopened, books started, new music waiting to be listened to and photos to get organised. This just SO isn't me - but loving it just the same...

OK, here's where you can help me out - here's a link to my original design - SDV1.

Let me know in the comments or email me and let me know which you prefer...

Or maybe I should have themes and a choice of both?

Well, after checking my site statistics, I see I already have visitors, and even a few people with the lush NetNewsWire have found me subscription worthy.

So simply I say "G'day", "How you doin'" and, well, "Who the hell are you??". :) And while we're at it, how'd you find me?

So speak up, let me know who you are, why you exist...

In return I'll be more encouraged to write more often, and even get this site finished. It could do with a bit of a spit & polish I know. All in good time.

PS If anyone has any suggestions on how to NOT become addicted to site statistics, please offer your sage advice...!

No, I haven't disappeared, but just (clich

So, here, after seeing only 4 days of daylight, SDv1 is replaced with hardly a trumpet fanfare in sight by Version 2! It seems like only days ago I was lamenting the fact that I'm never happy, always looking for something better - especially in regards to my work. Well, here's the beginnings of (hopefully) something better... Version 2.

Version 1 was, well, nice. Nice is never good. It looked like every other blog out there sans drop shadows and gradients! So here is hopefully the makings of something a little different. It's going to be a work in progress over the next few weeks as little additions make their way into the design, but I still want it to remain fairly basic and "airy", sans drop shadows and gradients. In the meantime I'll work on the rest of the sections and get my portfolio organised. I probably should have done that BEFORE I started looking for work. Oh well, it'll keep me busy at least.

One think I did notice yesterday while testing on Windows (under Virtual PC) is how damn ugly web pages look! I have got used to OS X's crisp smooth type and Safari's excellent standards support. So I was very disappointed to see that the left column (logo, photo, meta info) doesn't remain static when displayed in Windows IE. So IE users will have to put up with the scrolling left column and all that white space below. Unless anyone's got a hack? I've even tried using it as a fixed background image. But IE just doesn't seem to like position: fixed; any more than it likes smooth crisp typography.

OK, domain's registered, and the site's up and working. A few tweaks over the next few days and hopefully by next week my portfolio and maybe even some photos will be up...