Inverted Reality

Barcamp Perth 2010

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Today I attended Barcamp Perth 2010 It was good. Lots of people, great talks, good topics! Some of the topics included web security, fixing forms, cloud computing, foursquare chat, geotagging, and more. I figured it would be a great idea to stream the talks to uStream with my trusty HDV camera and Macbook Pro. Epic Fail. Here's what went wrong, for those that are wondering:
  • My mac hates FLASH. Safari, Firefox, and Chrome all crashed out because of FLASH.
  • The dedicated uStream Producer app (for mac or PC) hated the proxy server provided and wouldn't stream vid
  • I booted in to windows *vomit* and streamed it via the uStream web UI. Windows doesn't know that my HDV camera hosts an audio interface, so the two recordings I did basically recorded audio with my Mac's built in mic, URGH.
  • The provided wi-fi became saturated
  • The proxy server failed several times (overload, or just junk?)
It's funny, I attended AMTC (Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Centre) which is now Central Tafe back in 1995, fresh out of school. It was the year it commenced operation, and was freshly built. Nothing really worked properly, including the proxy server. And that was fifteen years ago. hah. You can read up on the event by checking out #bcperth4 and #barcampperth in twitter, maybe also check youtube and vimeo. I'm encoding a couple of HD sessions now for upload and will notify all when the uploads are done.

Filed under  //   #barcampperth   #bcperth4   Internet   Travel   barcamp  

Chocolate

During our recent trip to Albany we stopped in at the Margaret River Chocolate Factory in Metricup W.A. Do you like Chocolate? I do.

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This has got to be one of the most awesome places on earth! No, really. isles and isles, walls and walls, stacks and stacks, ALL CHOCOLATE. Any kind, any type, everywhere. Some  information on the Margaret River Chocolate Factory:
With factories in both the Margaret River and Swan Valley wine regions of Western Australia, we have been making award-winning chocolate products since 1999. Both chocolate factories provide a fascinating insight into the world of chocolate, with free chocolate tastings, interactive displays, viewing windows to watch the chocolate products being made and a family friendly atmosphere. Information and merchandise are available on all aspects of chocolate, plus both factories sell a mouth-watering range of chocolate bars, chocolate coated delights, hand made truffles, novelty chocolates, icecreams, chocolate milk and a variety of chocolate cakes and deserts. Entry is free and both factories are open from 9am-5pm every day of the year except Christmas Day.
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Posted March 5, 2010

Albany

Last weekend, Melissa and I packed the kids in to the car and took a trip down south. The great south-west of Australia. We drove directly to Margaret River along the new extended Kwinana Freeway (Perth -> Bunbury freeway). It was fast. In fact it probably knocked 45mins or so off the trip time. Impressive. We stopped at my favourite winery, Woody Nook. Had lunch, picked up a pile of wine, and continued on to Albany, via Manjimup. The trip to Margaret River seemed a quick one, no stops along the way, it was great. After lunch, we stopped at the famous Margaret River Chocolate Factory Pushing on to Albany, through the Karri Valley (insanely old and tall tree's) we stopped outside Manjimup so Melissa could feed Spencer who'd decided it was tucker time. We arrived in Albany around 5:30pm, after leaving home that morning at 8:20AM, lots of driving! We stayed in a cozy little chalet at Emu Beach Chalets. Close to the beach but just set back enough to be protected from the incredible wind! The weather was a lovely 25'ish C in Albany, a light drizzle on Saturday, otherwise very nice. A huge cruise ship was in town (Queen Victoria) with something like 2000 passengers walking around the Albany town centre.

Tonnage: 90,000 gross tons
Length: 964.5 ft (294 m)
Beam: 106 ft (32.3 m) waterline, 120 ft (36.6 m) extreme (bridge wings)
Height: 205 ft (62.5 m) keel to funnel
Draft: 26.2 ft (8.0 m)
Decks: 16 total, 12 passenger
Installed power: 63.4 MW Sulzer ZA40 diesel plant
Propulsion: Two 16.7 MW Azipods
Speed: 23.7 kn (43.9 km/h; 27.3 mph) maximum, service at 18 kn (33.3 km/h; 20.7 mph)[2]
Capacity: 2,014 passengers
Crew: 900 officers and crew
On Saturday, we all jumped in the car and headed to town to grab some coffee. I found a place on York Street called "York Street Cafe" and ordered a latte, it was enjoyable. We jumped back in the car and headed to Denmark for lunch, a 55 min trip back west. We drove around town, parked, and decided to try the Denmark bakery for lunch. WOW. Awesome pies! Whilst eating our pies we noticed the signage in the window, boasting 11 win's at last year's Perth Royal Show, not only for pies but for freshly baked breads. Awesome! Returning to Albany after lunch, we treked around town for a while with the kiddums in the pram, and eventually headed back to the Chalet for the evening, packed up, and headed home on Sunday morning. The goal was to put some kilometres on the car, but ultimately we had a nice trip out, and even have plans to travel more often. Perhaps a camper will be in our future? Maybe when the kids are a bit older! [gallery link="file" columns="2"]

Filed under  //   Albany   Travel   Western Australia   denmark   down south   karri valley   manjimup   mt barker   pemberton   perth   south west  
Posted March 3, 2010

Trip to Albany

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So we're heading down to Albany this weekend for yet another family get away. This could be the start of a fair bit of travelling! Last weekend's trip to Tammin was great. This time we're going three times further and staying for longer. I'll update this post with more photo's, maybe some video, we'll see! Here's a little info on Albany, Western Australia. As taken from wiki: Albany (pronounced /ˈælbəni/) is a port city located in the Great Southern Region of Western Australia, some 390 kilometres south-east of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population is estimated at approximate 33,600 making it the sixth-largest city in the state[2]. The city centre is located at the northern edge of Princess Royal Harbour, which is a part of King George Sound. The Central Business District is bounded by Mount Clarence to the east and Mount Melville to the west. The city is situated in the Local Government Area of the City of Albany. The city was founded in January 1827 as a military outpost of New South Wales as part of a plan to forestall French ambition in the region. The area was initially named Frederickstown in honour of Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. In 1831 the settlement was transferred to the control of the Swan River Colony and renamed Albany by Governor James Stirling.[3] During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century's the town served as a gateway to the Eastern Goldfields and for many years was the colony's only deep water port, having a place of eminence on shipping services between Britain and its Australian colonies. The construction of Fremantle Harbour in 1893[4], however, saw its importance as a port decline after which the towns industries turned primarily to agriculture and timber and, later, whaling. Unlike Perth and Fremantle, Albany was a strong supporter of Federation in 1901. Today the town has a place of significance as a tourist destination and base from which to explore the south west of the state and is well regarded for its natural beauty and preservation of heritage. The town has an important though somewhat controversial role in the Anzac legend, being the last port of call for troopships departing Australia in the First World War. Albany is the oldest permanently settled town in Western Australia, predating Perth and Fremantle by some two years.

Filed under  //   Albany   Travel   Western Australia  

Trip to Tammin

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This weekend, we (wife and kids) are heading to Tammin to visit mates of ours who live there. It's a nice trip east of Perth along the Great Eastern Highway. There's really nothing in Tammin except open space, dirt, and heat, but it's a great chance to get away and enjoy the wide open spaces and fresh air. The Nicholls have been working and living (and raising kids) in Tammin for as long as I've known them, which is as long as I've known my wife, which is almost 8 years now. Here's a bit of history which I dug up from around the place: A typical, unassuming wheatbelt township Located 178 km east of Perth, Tammin is a typical wheatbelt town which derives its name from the tammar or tammar wallaby, a small wallaby which was the first Australian marsupial ever sighted by Europeans. The tammar, which only stands about 60 cm, is capable of withstanding droughts of over six months.

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Filed under  //   Nichols   Tammin   Travel   Western Australia   bush   farm   trip