Two Choices for Rates and Cheap Isn’t One of Them

This is a very good article.

Work for free or for full price. Never for cheap.

http://www.drawar.com/articles/two-choices-for-rates-and-cheap-isnt-one-of-them/242/

If you charge too much though they will walk away. You might even feel guilty charging the rate you want for doing the thing that you love, but very few people are in the position that you are in. You bust your ass for a reason and not everyone can do the excellent work that you do so be proud of it and charge a rate you can be proud of. Most companies have no problem paying for quality work and yet most designers have a problem charging for it.

If you do a job for free you can control the expectations of the client. You can tell them what the boundaries are and what they should expect of you. When they aren't paying anything they don't want to overstep those boundaries to piss you off. They are thankful for any work that they can get out of you.

Electric (element) hot water hearers are becoming illegal!

This is an environmental rant -- not a political rant .. :-)

Hunter region -around Newcastle - New South Wales - Australia is doing something pretty drastic.

Electric (element) hot water hearers are becoming illegal! Any new heater has to be a solar or a heat pump type with subsidies of up to AU$1000 to help with the process.

This will reduce by TONS the amount of CO2 produced each year by our region.

Are any other areas going this way ?

Here's a link to Rheem Hot water as an example http://tinyurl.com/4sk6.

Add to that --"As Part Of The New Economic Stimulus Package, The Federal Government Has Removed The Means Test On The Solar Hot Water Rebate.

You can now get $600 for installing a heat pump, or $1000 for installing an on-the-roof system, when replacing an old electric HWS."

This seems to be a better way of stimulating an economy rather than giving money to banks ;-)

Location:Belmont,Australia

Gamasutra: Mark Newheiser's Blog - Farmville, Social Gaming, and Addiction

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarkNewheiser/20091204/3733/Farmville_Social_Gaming_and_Addiction.php

Massive Samoan Quake Triggers Tsunami Warnings Off Coast Of Hawaii, New Zealand - cbs2.com

This is from CBS News USA

Dozens Dead After Tsunami Levels Samoan Towns

American Samoa, Other Pacific Nations On Edge After Magnitude 8.3 Earthquake Spawns Tsunami

http://cbs2.com/national/samoa.earthquake.tsunami.2.1215867.html

7.45 am 23dr Sept 2009 Belmont Dust storm!

We have fish AND WHALES!!!

Busy minding our own business, happily pulling in lots of different fish
("http://bit.ly/E3yXO We have fish!!! http://yfrog.com/75z8qj ")
when out of the blue these three enormous pests tried to scare away all our fish!!! :)

Check out the last picture!!!

Wait, there's more than one!


Thar she blows!


"Did ya get that shot Jim?"

"Stick Dudes" getting naked!