The meme is basically defined with the following rules:

• Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
• People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
• At the end of your blog, you need to choose people to get tagged and list their names.
• Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Let me begin…

8 Little things about Gregory Brine

1. I’ll get this out in the open for those that haven’t yet read all of my site… I’m an Essex Boy. For those that know, please don’t navigate away. For those that don’t, I’ll leave you to search Google for Essex Boy. Actually, I’m quite proud of where I’m from. So it has some quite entertaining stereotypes, but it’s a beautiful, diverse place – it’s not many places where there’s a car at every set of lights with a deafening sound system and a desire to race down the street whilst earings and fake Ralph Lauren tops dazzle you in your mirror (a lot of them drive slow cars).

2. I’m a Mac Addict too – this isn’t off to a good start is it? 2 confessions in such a short period of time. This is a good one though. I have my dad to thank for this addiction. At the age of 11 he bought me my first Apple Mac LC and I’ve never looked back – thanks dad! From that age, I was working in his advertising agency, getting full marks for presentation at school (content very slightly less). I now own a mac laptop and am the proud owner of an iPhone (and a few other Apple gadgets). And I watch all the mac rumour sites.

3. Golf comes into that love it and hate it part of my life. Some days, it’s the best thing – like this weekend when I beat Chris. Other weekends, the game drags on and on… But it’s like life. It’s a challenge to overcome and when you do, man it feels good! Moment of reflection…. that was deep! But it is a great way to spend an afternoon. Good company, outdoors, you get a tan in summer, and for some people in Australia, it’s yet another excuse to spend a few hours drinking (incidentally, being a golfer from the age of 7, and a club member, that breaks just about every tradition of the game!).

4. Walking… Walking… Walking… I walk everywhere! Really. Some of my friends find it a little annoying at times, but thank me after. I just won’t get cabs unless I’m feeling really lazy! Walking’s great! I’m sorry, but it is. I even walk to and from work some days (that takes about an hour each way!). And when you’re somewhere new, the best way to see it is often on foot. Next time you’re away, try it. You might like, and I know you’ll be surprised how much more of a place you’ll suddenly see!

5. You can nearly always find a camera on me. I love taking pictures (slipped a bit lately, I’ll admit, but that’s more due to time than anything). On my travels I will often come back with so many photos it takes me weeks to sort them all out – and a little longer to re-touch my favourites (when I get time). I’m hoping to do a photography course at the Australian Centre for Photography soon, just need to decide which course now – any suggestions, please let me know.

6. OK… Another confession for those that don’t know me… I’m a geek! Those that do, already know that and are now wondering why I’ve said that. For those that don’t most people don’t guess straight away. But, alas, I do play games, I do like gadgets, certain jokes do amuse me, and I do own some stupid t-shirts (never understand why that’s such a geek thing, but it is). Part of that is that I do love technology, and in particular the web (and Apple stuff). I read about what’s new on the web everyday. I’m always looking for new ideas and approaches. Working out new ways to market and sell sites. I do love the web, and I’m lucky enough to work in that space too.

7. Entertaining my friends and family and how important they are to me. For those that know me, they know how much my friends mean to me and what I will do for them! Among my circle of friends, I’m know as one of the most loyal people, and often become that big brother person that everyone comes to as I usually have a very level head, and will always listen and help if I can. But… I love having friends round for drinks or dinner so I can show off my culinary skills in the kitchen.

8. I love cats! I really love cats! I know some people think they’re evil – I’ll admit they can sometimes be a little self centred – but they’re the best companions! They always make you feel good, want to play and love your attention. We have 3 at my parent’s house and I miss them dearly. I occasionally look after a friend’s over here (landlady won’t let me have one sadly), and it’s so good having her around. A sign that will always stay in my mind and I think is so true is “A house without a cat is not a home”. Never a truer word said.

And there you have it. A little incite into me. There’s a lot more to say, but the challenge was 8. I’ll do another one in a while.

Next, I need to tag some of my friends to take up the challenge:

• Nomad Pete
• Jatin Valabjee
• Thomas Ritter
• Sushiv Mathur
• Benjamin Christie
• Laura Tjitrafjaja
• James Cox

A while ago, I built a demonstration version of gregorybrine.com using Ajax. The reason being that I wanted to test a idea I had for a very fast, highly interactive site that we could use for Wiliam’s new web site. The site needed to make heavy use of Ajax and also be search engine friendly. No easy task. That demonstration version has been sitting on my computer for a while now, and I finally started having the ideas I wanted to really push.

So what’s going to be new? Well, I can’t tell you everything yet, as there’s some under the hood stuff I’m doing that I don’t think anyone’s done before. Then there’s the URLs. I wasn’t happy with some of the old ones as they had spaces and non-compliant characters in them. The new site doesn’t have these, and the SEO benefits are already shinning through. The site’s been up for about 3 weeks, and it’s already getting traffic from Google, and hopefully With my planned updates, that’ll increase further still.

The design you see is not the design. It was simple a design I put in to highlight the highly modular nature of the site, and how elements can be updated on the fly. The final one will be something special I hope – I have an amazing web designer helping me get it just right.

Watch this space… I’ll be updating the technology over the coming weeks, and hopefully start designing it too.

And the old URL will soon be pointed to be pointed to the www.gregory-brine.com content

1. Always have a camera
   This seems really obvious, but it’s a mistake I still make. Get yourself a small camera that fits in your bag. I have an Olympus Mju that’s served me well for the last two years, and has survived 6 months of backpacking.
2. If you think it might make a good or memorable picture, take it!
   How many times have you seen something, thought about it, and then carried on? One of the joys of digital photography is that you can take a lot of photos and edit them later. If you see something that takes your eye, even if it’s only for a moment, there’s probably a reason why you thought about it. So take it!
3. Format the memory card when you’ve backed it up
   This is something I do automatically, but I’ve heard of people who’ve never done it, and it’s resulted in them losing most of their photos. I doubt this would always happen, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
   
   
4. Take lots of photos
   Digital photography is a blessing as it allows you to take more shots than you can ever keep, and delete the bad ones. Hopefully you won’t take bad ones, but everyone makes mistakes.
5. Mini camera tripods are worth their weight in gold
   About 2 years ago, I started playing with long exposures, and I suddenly discovered how much better my photos became if I used something to rest on. Then I got a mini-tripod and have never looked back! Even the simple shots come out better, and it’s such a simple thing to leave in with your camera – or even attached to the camera. I personally use an Octopus style tripod.
6. Set-up somewhere to upload your photos
   In this day and age, it’s so easy to get your photos online. Sites such a flickr and myspace make it so easy to let your friends know what you’re upto. But, make sure you do it before you leave, and let your friends know what the address is!
7. It’s not always about the camera
   I have a Canon 20D Digital SLR and an Olympus Mju. Obviously an SLR isn’t the most practical thing to be carried around, and you’ll be amazed how good the shots that the pocket camera’s take now. When I was travelling in Asia, I opted for my pocket camera, and was so happy with the shots it took!
8. Don’t forget the timer or be afraid to ask strangers to take group shots for you
   This is one I always forget, and I’m hoping that by writing it down and telling everyone to do it, I’ll remember myself! I look through the shots taken for me, of me with the people I met, and I wish I’d asked more people to do it for me!
9. Get a tough little camera
   That’s an odd comment, but I say it as I look at my pocket camera and each scratch, dent or blemish reminds me of stumbling on the steps of some amazing temple, or crazy night’s drinking on Khao San Road. Part of the appeal of the Mju was that it’s semi-waterproof and has a toughened case, much like Canon Ixus cameras – I had a tough choice between them, especially being a Canon fan!
10. Smile!
    Now that’s a cheesy comment – no pun intended. But I look back through some of my photos, and the number of times we look dead-pan in them is frightening! That look just doesn’t convey the feelings at that moment. Even if you think you’re grin looks silly after, it’ll still make you, and those looking at your photos smile with you. Trust me on this.

This list is written quite off the top of my head. I’ve been meaning to write something along these lines, and with my trip to Japan, and then home coming up, I was keen to get my creative juices flowing again. I hope it works for you too!

In fact, it was just the other day that an Australian friend asked me why so many English want to come here, when so many Australians want to go to London. That’s a tough question to answer in all honesty, and I still find myself trying to come up with an answer. It’s not just Sydney that draws us with it’s amazing Harbour, Bridge and beaches. We seem to be drawn to other parts of the country too – on that note, I’ve decided Australia should be a continent, and the states countries, as they all do their own thing anyway and find it hard to talk. I think it’s a combination of the lifestyle, the weather and, well, as much as it pains me to say it, and as much as I’m proud of my country, it’s not the UK I was starting to get fed-up with. I won’t talk about that, but there’s a feeling I’m getting from a lot of people that they feel the same way as me.

But, I digress… I’ve been here a year. Why? Well, to be honest, life’s been pretty good to me in a lot of ways. My original plan was to work for 3 months, then carry on my trip around the world. But, thanks to my friend Martin, I got a great job at Wiliam, which has seen me rise from the html guy, to a team leader, to Technical Director.

There’s also been the people I’ve met! I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of the most amazing, wonderful people, from all walks of life. The house I currently live in is very transient, and as a result I’ve lived with 14 different people in that time. 14 people! That’s a lot by any stretch of the imagination! But, as I say, some of them will be friends for life I think.

As I write those last paragraphs, it makes me wonder what else there is. Obviously friends and a job you enjoy are really important to you, but there’s got to more hasn’t there? I mean, what else is honestly keeping me here? My friends back home all miss me – although they seem to have forgotten how to write more than 3 lines in an email. What else do I have here that’s not back in England?

The culture here is a mish-mash of those that have emigrated here. The national food is Kangaroo I think, although most Australians don’t eat it. Drinking is quite prolific – and as everyone who knows me, knows that I’m a sucker for going out and drinking. It’s sunny here a lot – although not as much as you’d be led to believe by the brochures. It’s also beautiful here! That’s a vague comment worthy of a little justification. I live 20mins from the beach, or 1 hours walk. And the coast here is amazing!

And there’s other things to do. Most weekends there’s something cultural going on. And there’s the golf, although I fear that it’s lost some of it’s appeal due to people not knowing basic rules – such as playing in 4 balls and shouting “FORE” if a balls going flying towards someone! Instead they stand there looking stupid to the point where you almost feel sorry for them as they have no comprehension of what they’re meant to do in that situation.

But, I’ll say it again. I do love it here. The lifestyle is undeniably great, as is the weather and most of the people. There are a few things that were getting to me, but they’re now forgotten. So, come and live here, it’s not too expensive, but you’ll have a tought time stretching your dollars back in England – although the Dollar is getting stronger.

Next up comes the cookery sites, with some great cooking tips from Cooking For Engineers and Ochef on the process of Brining. Behind that comes some of the more obscure things, such as Brines Sporting Goods, and Water flows on Mars, by the BBC. There’s also sites on treating water with Brine, such as Brine tanks by the Clack Corporation.

But, in amongst all this are the personal sites. How some of these get here is a mystery! One example that I’ve never worked out is chrisgregory.com. How that site stays in the index is beyond me, as it’s not been updated since May 2005. But, then there’s the genuine ones, such as the American singer, Mark Brine.

So, what am I doing to try and change this. Well, this blog is a start. The idea being that I’ve made good use of my keywords, Brine and Brining, ensuring that they’re used a suffecient amount – but not too much – and where possible, linked either back to this site or to external sites, such as Wikipedia that talk about Brine. There’s also the social tags I’ve used. Obviously, the main ones are Brine and Brining, along with my usual tags. I’ll be posting the page around a few websites, and relying on the RSS Syndication to work it’s magic. Then, hopefully in a week or so, I’ll start to see to a difference for that keyword…

The true measure of this SEO test will be whether or not using Brine in this way will make a difference. I’ll keep you posted…