August 12, 2010 Posted by alan jones

On cancer and chemotherapy

I try to keep my personal writing separate from my work, but sometimes when I’ve written something I’m proud of I’ll link to it from here, since writing is writing. This piece got a lot of response on Twitter and Facebook when it appeared on Bigyahu.com earlier today. Hope you get something from it too. My wife feels like cancer has taken her body hostage She’s got two more weekly... read more

May 10, 2010 Posted by alan jones

The best camera to have is the one with apps on it

They say the best camera to have is the one you have with you. Never more true than this evening when the universe hit me with a stunning sunset as I crossed the shared cycle path across the Warringah Freeway at Neutral Bay. I certainly wouldn’t have thought to take my DSLR out with me to pickup tomatoes from the shops. Very little trickery used here, just the iPhone in my pocket with the apps... read more

April 4, 2010 Posted by alan jones

Train in the rain, can you alleviate the pain?

Through the heavy showers of an Easter Sunday morning I set out with Nadya, Tim and Roger at 6:30am to complete a quick morning training walk down the Lane Cove river catchment from Thornleigh back home to Naremburn, a distance of about 25km. Here’s the first half of our route (captured before my iPhone battery died) and our 10-12 mins/km pace is good, although it was largely downhill (following a... read more

March 10, 2010 Posted by alan jones

Get an XBOX360, help Oxfam!

Help me. I have reason to believe Microsoft is stalking me. I need a free charity auction platform to make them go away, but so far, no luck. So I’m turning to you, dear readers (Yes, both of you). But perhaps I should explain… I’ve only ever won two prizes in ‘lucky door prize’ type giveaways in my entire life. [cue X:Files theme music] and both prizes were Microsoft... read more

February 3, 2010 Posted by alan jones

Does watching a movie on a plane make you cry?

It does for me. I have to be really careful with my movie choices when I’m flying internationally, for fear of looking like a big sook in front of complete strangers. (This post started out as a comment on fatpaddler.com, where Sean mentions crying while watching The Cove. But me, I’ll cried in anything with a sad moment. Well, anything except romantic comedies starring Sandra Bullock or... read more

January 13, 2010 Posted by alan jones

My wish for 2010: a little bit of Shhh please

I’m back from a longer summer break than I had planned, due partly to the irresistably seductive charms of a particular beach house but also because my wife Melissa being diagnosed with breast cancer. Elsewhere in the world, as the Copenhagen climate conference showed how self-interest and greed still drive humanity on a global scale, James Cameron’s Avatar3D inspired me to renew my... read more