Just a very short article to link to one of the best FREE virus scanners I've seen to date. Written by a company called "Comodo" their antivirus product is free and extemely featurful. So go and get it! No excuses now for not having a good virus scanner.
Comodo Antivirus

From Comodo's web site:
"Comodo AntiVirus 1.1 beta, subsequent beta versions, and the final release version will each be available to businesses and home users at no charge. After installing the program, just register with us and you will be sent a free license. Once activated, this license will never expire.

Unlike some vendors that offer stripped down versions of commercial products for free, this is the full, completely functional version of the product."

Normally I don't write articles about technology news - there's plenty of others doing that and besides, I don't want to compete with my brother over at the Rooster's Rail! (Hi Dave). However, this time, I'm making an exception because it affects Australia, and more importantly, the average "Joe" on the street.

Technology has promised many things over the years, and sadly, very few have actually become a mainstream reality. Sure there's lots of new content being created (webogs or podcasts anyone?) but has any of that really made a personal impact in your life. I'm not referring to how much time you spend blogging, or surfing, or fragging your mates; I'm talking about the sort of moments that you sit back and ponder over, then smile. Tonight was one of those nights.

Last weekend was great - the weather is warming up (slowly) and the wind stayed away which meant it was a good opportunity to go out with the girls.

On the left hand side you will now see some information about the local weather here at the Gray Matter. The inside temp/humidity is my study, and the outside values are whatever the sensors are reading on my TV antenna. Photos soon! (I promise!!).

For now, just enjoy watching the numbers - they refresh every three minutes, so no point hammering the refresh/reload button at your end ok?!

It was recently my birthday and my lovely (long suffering) wife bought me an electronic weather station. WOOT! Not just any weather station mind you...one that hooks up to my computer :)

After a few days to enjoy having my family home I figured it was time to post a few thoughts on life and how it's changed since Elise arrived.

(This is a few days late, but hey, I've got a new born....what day is it anyway?!?)
It was a pleasant surprise to get a call from Natalie on Saturday to say she'd seen the obstetrician and Elise had been reviewed by the paediatrician and the doctors were happy for Nat and Elise to come home on Mother's Day!! That in itself is special, but also having my mum (Emily and Elise's Nanna) there too was just fantastic! There's a few photo's in Elise's gallery starting on page 5. Enjoy :)

Please join, Natalie, Emily and I in welcoming our newest arrival! Introducing Elise Kathryn Gray - born at 10:05am on Thursday 11th May, 2006. She weighed in at a healthy 3365g (7lb 4oz) and measuring 50cm (19 3/4 inches). Nat and Elise are doing great! Please cruise over to Elise's gallery to see our little princess.

I've just finished upgrading the content management system for The Gray Matter. This new version adds a few cool features from an administration point of view and fixes a number of annoying little bugs for users too. For instance, you can now leave a message from the main body of a story by hitting the "Reply" button at the end of the story, without having to go back to the story list and clicking on the "Post a Comment" link. Same restrictions still apply though (like having to log in to leave comments etc). Enjoy!