Monday, May 31, 2004

Chemical Brother's The Test Lyrics

I love getting lyrics of the Internet. Always teaches you something,
like Tori Amos Siren lyrics that included the use of the word coquette.
Great stuff!!!!

In the case of The Test by the Chemical Brothers, however, trusty ole
Google really let me down.

So I am here to rectify the problem. Here is my version of The Test
lyrics. I tried to get the bits in the background right, and I reckon
"I'm fine" fits in nicely with the Acid trip undertones, but the best
I could do with the other one is "see saw" and bugger me if I can
figure a context for that.

The stuff in the brackets is in the backgorund, any news, let me know!!!

So, if anyone has a better idea, please email
me mmotherwell - at - yahoo.com.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

O-o-o-o-oh
Can you hear me now?
Can you hear me now?
Can you hear me now?
Can you hear me now?
yeeeh
Am I coming through?
Am I coming through?
Is this sweet and pure and true?

(I could use tablets easily??)
(I could use tablets easily??)
(I could use tablets easily??)

Devil came by this morning,
Said he had
Something to show me
I was looking like I'd never seen a face before
Here we go now, let's slide in through the open door

Pictures and things that I've done before
Circling around me,
I'm here on the floor
I'm dreaming this and I'm dreaming that
Regretting nothing
Think about that

I'm seeing waves breaking form on my horizon (see saw)
Yeah I'm shining (see saw)
I'm seeing waves breaking form on my horizon (see saw)
Lord, I'm shining (see saw)
Ohhhh, Are you hearing me? (I'm Fine)
Like I'm hearing you? (I'm Fine)
Ohhhh, Are you hearing me? (I'm Fine)
Like I'm hearing you? (I'm Fine)

You know I almost lost my mind
I can't explain
Where I've been
You know I've almost lost my mind
I can't explain
Where I've been
You know I almost lost my mind
I couldn't explain
What I've seen

How happy am I today,
To find that the images are fading away

I'm seeing waves breaking form on my horizon (she saw)
Yeah I'm shining (she saw)
I'm seeing waves breaking form on my horizon, (she saw)
An lord I'm shining yeah (she saw)
Ohhhh, Are you hearing me? (she saw)(I'm Fine)
Like I'm hearing you? (she saw)(I'm Fine)
Ohhhh, Are you hearing me? (she saw)(I'm Fine)
Like I'm hearing you? (she saw)(I'm Fine)

You know I almost lost my mind
I can't explain
Where I've been
You know I almost lost my mind
I couldn't explain
The things I've seen
But now I think I see the light
Now I think I see the light
Lend me your hand
Lend me your hand
Lend me your hand
Lend me your hand
Lend me your hand

I'm seeing waves breaking form on my horizon (she saw)
Yeah I'm shining (she saw)
I'm seeing waves breaking form on my horizon, (she saw)
Lord I'm shining (she saw)
Oh are you hearing me, (I'm Fine)
Like I'm hearing you? (I'm Fine)
Oh are you hearing me, (I'm Fine)
Like I'm hearing you? (I'm Fine)

You know I almost lost my mind (I'm Fine)
Now I'm home, and I'm free (I'm Fine)
Did I pass the acid test? (I'm Fine)
Did I pass the acid test? (I'm Fine)
(Repeat several times)
(I'm Fine)

You'd better go to bed now (I'm Fine)
You'd better go to bed now (I'm Fine)
You'd better go to bed now (I'm Fine)
You'd better go to bed now (I'm Fine)
You'd better go to bed now (I'm Fine)
You'd better go to bed now (I'm Fine)

My heart and My soul they are free,
My heart and My soul they are free,

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh
You know I've almost lost my mind,
But now I'm Home, And I'm free
Did I pass the acid test? (I'm Fine)
Did I pass the acid test? (I'm Fine)
Did I pass the acid test?
(Repeat several times)

oh my my my my my my my (I'm Fine)

Thursday, May 20, 2004

Great Article: Black Hole eats Web Resources, claims Survey

Black Hole
eats Web Resources, claims Survey


Great article about how very few websites are positive ROI generators.

The reasons for this aren't discussed in much detail, but the
inference is pretty clear from the statement: "...you do not have to
be a big spender to make money from the Web. Small budgets are just as
capable as big budgets of generating good returns". This is all pretty
self evident from the money thrown at websites by many companies.

So, how does a website generate a positive ROI?

Firstly, a website has so many goals to achieve, and these are often
in competition. Post sales support, an online marketing, sales and
lead generation tool and a portal for using various online resources.

To be successful, a web has to manage all these competing goals. To be
profitable, and generate a positive ROI, a site needs to acheive all
these goals while keeping costs down..

A big problem with ROI on a website is that: "Over half of 465
companies surveyed have not analysed the cost/benefit equation." How
can you know if a website is worth the investment if you don't track
the Return on any spend?

Websites can generate a positive ROI in one of two ways:
1. Generate additional sales. This is the obvious omeans, and needs no
explaination.
2. By reducing costs. This is the least measured, and least well
tracked, even by comapnies that do track ROI on their site.

As an example of reducing costs, take a company that currently answers
around 100 emails a month from customers on various topics. Of these
100 emails, 60 are requests for information that exists on the site,
but is hard to find. If 48 of these 60 emails (or aroung 80%) could be
stopped by improving a website, and each email took 10 minutes answer,
that is saving per month of 8 hours (I fudged the Math a bit to make
it work neatly). That is one working day per month, and 2 working
weeks and two days per year saved. That is a significant reduction in
cost for any SME, and an ongoing benefit year in year out.

The tools to achieve such a reduction are well known: usabuility,
SEO, fleshing out content via an FAQ or improvements to existing pages
and adding take away content for downloading.

To few companies focus on their web efforts on any tangible Return. By
setting out with targets for cost reductions via pre- and post-sale
cost reductions, the true usefulness of the web as a 24/7/365 tool for
a business can be harnessed, and a positive ROI generated.

Thursday, May 13, 2004

I have a lot of odd interests, it would seem, and my current "thing" is the whole open source movement. I never really got why FreeBSD is the way it is, and what its difference to Linux was, and why FreeBSD wans't the "Great open source hope" on the Desktop, as linux seems to want to be portrayed.

Well, I found this article - FreeBSD vs Linux that kinda explains the juicy bits. Well worth a read.

I actually like some of the authors points toward the end on the relative strength of Linux being its approach, that is that Linux pushing in every which direction is a great way to find, and perhaps even invent, brand new market places. I think Linux and PVR, bootable CDR distros (like Knoppix and Mandrake Move) could very well be where Linux ends up. The swiss army knife approach is incredible, and even some of the mini distros look interesting.

FreeBSD, on the other hand, clearly has its own advantages, and I really want to try out Ports, especially on my new server (which should supposedly be around some time soon).

Ahh, for another day perhaps.

Tuesday, May 11, 2004

Welcome To My New Blog
Supposedly, I am gonna do this at elast weekly, but quite frankly I doubt is. Anyway, i wanna kick off this one with a link to a really super plus good post @ Cre8asite:

Marketing 101 - Introducing the Essentials of Marketing
Some really good starting advice, and well worth a read. Hopefully, If I ever get off my huge butt, I can add more useful links, but I geuss paragraph one can be re-consulted on the likelihood of that happenning!!!

OK, I am on a bit of a roll now, and seeing as how I want this blog to actually make my own life easier, I am gonna add a feew more good links:
A great Article On Usability - It talks about how the "small things", like were a user ends up after using a shopping cart, are so vital. I really like the way this article isn't about Usability as an absolute, but rather a tool designed to improve conversions.

IT TAKES A LOT MORE THAN PRESS RELEASES (YAWN) TO MAKE YOUR ONLINE PRESS ROOM WORK - A great article about the good and bad of Online Press centres and PR sections. Not a lot of justifible rationale, as teh writer has a regular newsletter and appears to assume a lot of pre-knowledge in the reader. Stuill, reading between the lines, it is a definite interesting take ona part of websites that are often under utilised and underdone.

Internet and Information Technology Statistics - Compiled by the Victorian egov department, includes some valuable reports including links to an Australian Bureau of Statistics - Use of the Internet by Householders and Household Use of Information Technology.

Ammon Johns Article on multiple paths through a site - Having separate paths to sale for different types of user, e.g. cheap
asses, quality mongers, and specific feature searcher, just makes sense. Don't know why it isn't far more common (apart from the fact that it requires forethought and planning). Excellent idea.

Three Page Optimisation - Having three pages for each product, in order to provide, again, more information for prospective customers, and a different page that can be optimised for different Search Engines (relevant with the release of Yahoo! Search Technology to compete with Google). Some good Points, although the seperate paths article is the more interesting of the two.