tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46051040946497258892024-02-07T14:54:00.685+11:0042° SouthThis blog is for me to indulge whatever is close to my heart at the time. It is for my pleasure, yours is incidental.Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-16794311770907811902013-09-15T09:52:00.001+10:002013-09-15T09:52:30.840+10:00Spring is Sprung<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img style='max-width:586px;' src='http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7321/9752624555_ef9f5b6330_b.jpg'/><br/><br /><div>I've only added a frame; otherwise this poppy is au naturale. http://flic.kr/p/fRNKve</div><br /></div>Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-28932506142932664962013-06-04T19:02:00.001+10:002013-06-04T19:02:19.117+10:00By Gum<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img style='max-width:586px;' src='http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3818/8946584730_6eb9d5e2c7_b.jpg'/><br/><br /><div>http://flic.kr/p/eCzzWS</div><br /></div>Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-91044372430388607502013-05-18T15:02:00.001+10:002013-05-18T15:02:02.783+10:00Morning magic<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img style='max-width:586px;' src='http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2841/8749992166_9012ed5a39_b.jpg'/><br/><br /><div>http://flic.kr/p/ekcZPU</div><br /></div>Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-92140298042360993282013-04-26T06:32:00.001+10:002013-04-26T06:32:09.147+10:00Daybreak<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img style='max-width:586px;' src='http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8406/8680838215_d170fe8bca_b.jpg'/><br/><br /><div>http://flic.kr/p/ee6yLp</div><br /></div>Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-28656365395639241632013-04-07T01:32:00.001+11:002013-04-07T01:32:14.067+11:00Go well<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img style='max-width:586px;' src='http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8262/8611920819_78f90f851e.jpg'/><br/><br /><div>http://flic.kr/p/e81m2r</div><br /></div>Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-70420455094069954272013-04-06T07:42:00.001+11:002013-04-06T07:42:27.514+11:00Cape Pillar and the Monument<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img style='max-width:586px;' src='http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8124/8623132888_4e26673157_b.jpg'/><br/><br /><div>http://flic.kr/p/e8ZNYY</div><br /></div>Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-43406369758211527542013-04-06T07:27:00.001+11:002013-04-06T07:27:09.688+11:00Pretty new stonework on the Cape Hauy track.<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img style='max-width:586px;' src='http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8115/8622006709_3abede3d37_b.jpg'/><br/><br /><div>http://flic.kr/p/e8U3d6</div><br /></div>Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-27011830984920672872013-03-31T01:26:00.001+11:002013-03-31T01:26:41.160+11:00wooden window frame<div style="float: right; width: 240px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpa1964/8602353699/" title="wooden window frame"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8239/8602353699_b073a9af1c_m.jpg" alt="wooden window frame by Richard in Tas" /></a><br/><span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpa1964/8602353699/">wooden window frame</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpa1964/">Richard in Tas</a> on Flickr.</span></div><br clear="all" />Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-54024046926795590082013-03-29T20:46:00.001+11:002013-03-29T20:46:39.976+11:00See, an enemy.<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img style='max-width:586px;' src='http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8392/8599115787_b24de26219.jpg'/><br/><br /><div>http://flic.kr/p/e6SHx2</div><br /></div>Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-44647421549703741142013-03-28T22:17:00.001+11:002013-03-28T22:17:19.025+11:00Cockle Creek Cockles<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img style='max-width:586px;' src='http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8226/8597760094_bc2e769741.jpg'/><br/><br /><div>http://flic.kr/p/e6KLx1</div><br /></div>Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-34888089205556539222013-03-19T01:20:00.001+11:002013-03-19T01:20:15.059+11:00A sense of scale<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img style='max-width:586px;' src='http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8517/8568998694_e8f818fd9c_b.jpg'/><br/><br /><div>http://flic.kr/p/e4dmLN</div><br /></div>Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-48460481624392661132013-01-01T10:43:00.001+11:002013-04-07T00:54:04.405+11:00A new year, a new resolution<p>I've started a new; project. I'm taking a photo a day. I hope I have the stamina to stick at it. I'm posting them here: http://365project.org/43s/365. So far they are all portraits, albeit one of a dog. I started here as portraits are a form of photography that I long to take, but often lack the courage. I've also <u>been</u> doing a lot of post-processing. I used to think this was a bit naff, but now realize that it not only allows me to make a visually more appealing image, but also to add some element of the subject's character that is not immediately visible. I want to study some classic photographs and try to learn from their style.</p>
<p>I'm also running again, as I was disappointed with myself that I stopped for a couple of months. Having said that, I've now pulled my left hamstring slightly. I've been learning about recording the beats per minute of songs and trying to increase the cadence of my running by working with music. Apparently 180 BPM is a goal. Some songs are that fast, and plenty are around half that, so can be used for every second step.</p>
Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-68448436170968121652012-10-04T10:16:00.000+10:002013-04-07T00:53:53.917+11:00Not another article with a pun on frackingI've just read <a href="http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=14186&page=0">Shale gas revolution shaking up the world</a> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Bishop">Julie Bishop</a> about shale gas and fracking. Putting aside the environmental concerns with fracking, and the issue of delaying the inevitable by finding another fossil fuel to keep us putting along, I had some concerns with a comment towards the end of the article:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>One of the more interesting outcomes of the shale gas revolution is that the US appears to be on track to meet Kyoto targets for emissions reductions.<br />
<br />
There is more than a little irony involved given that the US did not ratify the Kyoto targets and has imposed neither a price on carbon nor an emissions trading scheme.<br />
<br />
European nations face the prospect of rising emissions due to increased reliance on coal for electricity production, with much of that coal coming from the United States.<br />
<br />
Australia would be well advised to heed the approach of US policy makers who have long argued that technology and innovation are the pathways to reducing emissions, rather than punitive taxes.</blockquote><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTkCtRgRbkulvgvlX5hO-kMQ4a4xVYP6T5o3daRIzXUE-eDudl-EBCwEuKd2VBJ2px2IwBe_PTnzV2zJC4irNbUH9LNau1aYcpP9_ZqlesVV3VQIAoK-jr2I-cagdXSYRQYY5IOMv3U8/s1600/USCO2Watts.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="211" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTkCtRgRbkulvgvlX5hO-kMQ4a4xVYP6T5o3daRIzXUE-eDudl-EBCwEuKd2VBJ2px2IwBe_PTnzV2zJC4irNbUH9LNau1aYcpP9_ZqlesVV3VQIAoK-jr2I-cagdXSYRQYY5IOMv3U8/s320/USCO2Watts.PNG" /></a></div>This caught me by surprise. I tried to ignore the blatent political point scoring and turned to google. There were a few article on the subject, many referring back to a graph from <a href="http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/07/02/us-co2-emissions-may-drop-to-1990-levels-this-year/">USA CO2 emissions may drop to 1990 levels this year</a> by Anthony Watts. He shows that US CO<sub>2</sub> emissions are forecast to drop and holds the energy mix moving from coal to shale gas as responsible.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOQsy4HAM2IwpaHFfssd_e1b0edeM2LJoDjh13T3lHK_sKJIBgpEY27ISUISSFkTIXPSVAwY3Zit7AovDi67cOQhtCZver7JO5kwBpgm6pM08FfIbcwTjq04y83OdY5Fsr9WsBspx9Vs/s1600/USEnergyOverview.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="202" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOQsy4HAM2IwpaHFfssd_e1b0edeM2LJoDjh13T3lHK_sKJIBgpEY27ISUISSFkTIXPSVAwY3Zit7AovDi67cOQhtCZver7JO5kwBpgm6pM08FfIbcwTjq04y83OdY5Fsr9WsBspx9Vs/s320/USEnergyOverview.PNG" /></a></div>I wondered if the economic downturn in the US might also have something to do with it. Looking at the <a href="http://www.eia.gov/">U.S. Energy Information Administration website</a>, they have a graph of <a href="http://www.eia.gov/">US energy production and consumption</a>. <br />
The graph of energy consumption looks suspiciously similar to the CO<sub>2</sub> emission graph from Anthony Watts. I haven't looked at the numbers in detail, but I suspect that there is some wool being pulled over our eyes here. I'm especially concerned about the 'projected' part of Watts graph. If the US economy recovers, as can be expected at some point, it seems reasonable to assume that its energy consumption will continue to increase and so will its CO<sub>2</sub> output. I quite like graphs and statistics, but I don't like them being used to mislead or draw doubtful conclusions.Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-20845605417835234072012-06-23T07:00:00.000+10:002013-04-07T00:54:24.206+11:00Map lust<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNk3m-qFkQOZkaGRz3OqxmKtS8NJVdl3DRoR8P_sIYzHRoxEYlSJP49ZtAZ-ZGRBonVzTRMfQsZKaquDmxBPOhXh3yQGo_BmxjslZw7KLip2iqv2kK5g2sDJEUrTCOnfdXtfOtgu9xw4/s1600/Mt+Wellington+Map+1942+Small.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="232" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNk3m-qFkQOZkaGRz3OqxmKtS8NJVdl3DRoR8P_sIYzHRoxEYlSJP49ZtAZ-ZGRBonVzTRMfQsZKaquDmxBPOhXh3yQGo_BmxjslZw7KLip2iqv2kK5g2sDJEUrTCOnfdXtfOtgu9xw4/s320/Mt+Wellington+Map+1942+Small.png" /></a><br />
This week I finally took this old map up to the Xerox Shop and got it scanned. The copy I have is a print that I made while I was working at the Department of Housing and Construction in 1984, using their plan printing machine. It was from a tracing that a friend made of a crumbling old map that Dad owns. The text in the title block reads:<br />
<br />
Sketch Map of Mt Wellington<br />
Drawn R.N.S. 7-12-42<br />
Traced P.B.R. 3-2-56<br />
Re-Traced D.J.I. 17-4-84<br />
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The scan is higher resolution than the copy I've included here. Next step is to import it into my GPS software then try to find lost tracks on the mountain.<br />Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-25640106838111040162012-06-21T21:42:00.001+10:002012-06-21T22:16:39.126+10:00Mount AmosI spent the past couple of days at Coles Bay. Yesterday I walked up Mount Amos. I hadn't done that for many years, although I went half-way up maybe five years ago. I wanted to do it again to prove to myself that I could. The sign says 3 hours return, so I was intend on asserting my masculinity by doing it a lot faster. In the end it took me about an hour each way, with half-an-hour at the top to take photos.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWy-S0UZdZdFNO4C47GiUOsD0yOEMP1IDfUrraoyZLC23mnlb-Eyf4RKJ7ae0IXr9pbeGDdYjC2oksx7h6NdV1IwLDw_shcsu4A86ro623QX-WGWlY6mY-3jkh7B8iKP3RpF0tTGBSvM/s1600/Mt+Amos.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="222" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWy-S0UZdZdFNO4C47GiUOsD0yOEMP1IDfUrraoyZLC23mnlb-Eyf4RKJ7ae0IXr9pbeGDdYjC2oksx7h6NdV1IwLDw_shcsu4A86ro623QX-WGWlY6mY-3jkh7B8iKP3RpF0tTGBSvM/s320/Mt+Amos.PNG" /></a>In a fit of overt geekery, I recorded my trip on <a href="http://memory-map.com.au/">Memory-Map</a> on my phone. I love being able to see the <a href="https://www.tasmap.tas.gov.au/do/category/25000TOPO">Tasmap 1:25 000 map</a> on my phone and see where I am and where I've been, so much more authentic than Google Maps.The track wasn't quite as scary as I remembered, although the wide sheets of smooth granite still took most of my nerve and concentration, especially when there were wet patches that made my boots slippery.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpa1964/7413167950/" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="222" width="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8001/7413167950_f21a5607ec.jpg"></a>The view from the top was as good as I hoped. Although the day was overcast and grey, I had a clear view to the lighthouse and over Wineglass Bay.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpa1964/7413171740/" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8147/7413171740_50fcd36271_n.jpg" width="320" height="240" alt="DSCF4278"></a>All the rest of the photos are on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpa1964/sets/72157630220276670/">flickr</a>.Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-57745736983039591512012-01-06T12:53:00.000+11:002012-01-06T13:29:37.247+11:00I don't want to change the world<p>The heading isn't quite correct, in fact I do want to change the world. Anyone who knows me and has got me started will have heard me launch into tirades on topics varied. What I'm gradually learning is that I can't change the world. I'm sorry, I'll run that by you again, I can't change the world alone; there are too many topics, there is too much work to do, there are too many skills to learn. Luckily, I can still make a difference. Luckily there are people with those skills. Luckily there are lots of other people who want to change the world too.</p>
<p>For a while now I've been a believer in the principle that it's best to say what you think even if you know it will be rejected, because (possibly due to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heisenberg_Uncertainty_Principle">Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle</a>) through the act of refuting your opinion the refuter has been influenced.</p>
<p>Many years ago I was talking to someone about how she voted. She said that she always voted as radically to the left as she could. Her theory was that most people who purport to follow the true faith find their courage fails at the ballot box and they drift towards the centre. To counteract this conservative entropic malaise she voted hard left. I wonder how statistical theory of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_tendency">Central Tendency</a> translates into sociology; whether there is an optimum position to hold that will move someone else's idea of the social norm in the direction that I want. Certainly if the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean">mean</a> was all that mattered then I should just go hard in the desired direction. But as anyone who has looked at real estate prices knows, sometimes the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median">median</a> is a more indicative measure of the population, in which case regardless of the extremity of my position the effect will be the same, as long as it is in the desired direction. But there's worse to come, if my position is clearly an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outliers">outlier</a> I might be dismissed as a crank. So radical, but not too radical must be the key. I shall continue my field research.</p>
<p>Now, back to the main story, how to change the world. I realized that part of my mistake was in considering the world, and especially the world of people and society as an unconscious machine blundering forward. This is clearly wrong. Society is billions of people all making decisions and all with different ideals, motivations and dreams. There are already lots of people who want to move in the same general direction as me. If I do what I can to encourage and support them, contribute my own effort and try to understand and influence those who think differently then perhaps the behemoth will blunder in the direction that I'd prefer. At the very least I will alter my opinion and be less frustrated with our current course.</p>
<p>Here endeth the rant.</p>Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-80321519144440567922011-10-16T21:47:00.000+11:002011-10-16T21:48:44.513+11:00Personality PerceptionThe other day I did a personality test. A friend sent me the <a href="http://www.personal.psu.edu/j5j/IPIP">link</a> and I answered the questions and found out the inner truth of who I am. Actually, I suspect I anticipated what the questions were measuring and answered according to who I think I am, or who I'd like to be, while also ensuring consistency between the questions that were reworded repetitions checking for consistency.<br />
<br />
Today I did a different personality test. I went to the museum to help dismantle <a href="http://brigitaozolins.com/thereadingroom">The Reading Room</a>. Not as drastic as it sounds, this involved rummaging through an immense number of books arranged in no particular order and buying any that I fancied for a gold coin each. I suspect my choice of books gives an equally valid insight into my personality to that from the test results.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvUuj6Aryv0M7l_FKzEMfgAjzs0NBtSSKhPLPXW7GokmSwDov66-qvCx7CiSY7bhErPUvaxjUl-u0kRP8y8rTkYXwz1oC-HD0k4RadVYDFtYsikXhGvUKS6uUjO6SkyRSUBOcATV9QyU/s1600/Reading+room+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvUuj6Aryv0M7l_FKzEMfgAjzs0NBtSSKhPLPXW7GokmSwDov66-qvCx7CiSY7bhErPUvaxjUl-u0kRP8y8rTkYXwz1oC-HD0k4RadVYDFtYsikXhGvUKS6uUjO6SkyRSUBOcATV9QyU/s320/Reading+room+books.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
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At first I didn't hold much hope. There were numerous tomes on economics and political history, mostly old books from the State Library that had been donated to the project. I toyed with reading about Marx or the significance of Utility Functions. I flicked through studies from the 70s on the societal effects of gambling on British society. The combination of a pre-teen limpet silently willing me to move along and find her something to eat, and the knowledge that the collection had been picked over by probably hundreds of people over the previous day-and-a-half left me pessimistic about finding anything that I would actually read, rather than keeping for a few years before donating to an op-shop.<br />
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My first find was <i>The Portuguese Seaborne Empire 1415-1825</i>. Not a particularly inspiring title to most, but I like a bit of history and all things nautical, so I picked it up in the hope that it was the start of a lucky streak.<br />
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Next was <i>Human Factors in Engineering and Design</i>. Filled with diagrams of ergonomics I hoped that one day I would read it, or at least flick through it, and become an expert on the design of things that have to interact with humans.<br />
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I turned and saw the word 'Doyle' sticking out at the bottom of a heap. Nervous with anticipation I pushed aside the covering volumes to reveal <i>A Star Called Henry</i> by Roddy Doyle. I borrowed this from the library a few years ago and bought and read the two sequels. I sort of regretted not owning the first one as it was a favourite that I wanted to reread, and here it was practically for free.<br />
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On my final lap, pretty much satisfied, my eyes fell upon <i>Contraception from the Ancient World to the Renaissance</i>. Who could resist a title like that?<br />
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So now I have them, four more books to put beside my bed and probably not read for a very long time, but they did make me think about who I am, who I think I am, and who I want to be. I'll see which one I pick up first and which I read to the end before I draw any more conclusions.Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-4836183461658664392011-09-14T11:40:00.000+10:002011-09-14T11:43:10.099+10:00Visual Clutter<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtzMVqSD0bAB-8OR5q7jEPsLmj6BLgfp40fRdwp9cP9xfvPCeGfebYuqEuRNiGVbC4Py2KuibqVA7HgY95kxAaaR1ngXz0aQQ5Pu2oAaJOJTXVPYUal4BYNGj7O4N9o1L4q3xvIRwauyE/s1600/DSCF2903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtzMVqSD0bAB-8OR5q7jEPsLmj6BLgfp40fRdwp9cP9xfvPCeGfebYuqEuRNiGVbC4Py2KuibqVA7HgY95kxAaaR1ngXz0aQQ5Pu2oAaJOJTXVPYUal4BYNGj7O4N9o1L4q3xvIRwauyE/s320/DSCF2903.JPG" width="320" /></a>It seems that we need to be told what do do; or more specifically, what not to do. Everywhere I look there are signs and a lot of them seem to be telling me what I should not do. I look along the streets, trying admire the beauty of the architecture and then realize that I'm mentally redacting the street signs.<br />
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Try it yourself. Take a photo of a row of buildings and try not to fill it with street signs. It's become a bossy world. Perhaps it's because we've sacked all the quasi-officials that told us what to do. No tram conductors or park inspectors. No one to tell us what is allowed behaviour, just lots of sign.<br />
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Many of the signs are for drivers, telling them what they should and shouldn't do. I know some are necessary, but many are not. If the curb is painted with black and white stripes then why do we need a sign at both ends to tell us that it's no standing? At an intersection with a slip lane I am confronted with a large <i>Turn Left at Any Time With Care</i> sign; that's what the road rules said when I got my licence, but someone decided that a reminder would be useful.<br />
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I wonder if all those words reduce my concentration as I drive, filling my mind with a monologue of instructions. There are also the signs that I can read when driving, but for which I have no need. The overpass at the University has a large sign announcing <i>Bridge Open, Maximum 10 persons</i>. Rather than a small notice for pedestrians to read, this is emblazoned in letters visible to me from 30m, as I negotiate a roundabout, a bus stop and approach a sweeping curve with an intersection; visible, but totally superfluous.<br />
<br />
Pedestrians get their fair share too. PW1 has a brand new deck along the western side. The building now sports a sign every ten metres or so announcing that it is a smooth and slippery deck and that I should take care. Public parks, are a peaceful place, but on the way in I am told that I cannot consume alcohol there between sometime and some other time.<br />
<br />
Try to walk down a street and have an idle thought, or even a profound thought. The signs are like a five year old child chattering persistently about nothing in particular. That's just the official signs, combined with advertising and shop signs it becomes a cacophony of banality.<br />
<br />
I wonder would the world be worse without most of these signs; would we degrade into anarchy? Or perhaps the lack of immediate and accurate information about everything would reduce me to ineffective insecurity. I suspect that I'd get by perfectly well with fewer words shouted at me at every turn, or entrance or overpass.<br />
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Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-70985610272967238382011-09-12T16:42:00.000+10:002011-09-12T16:44:15.367+10:00I got quite annoyed.I like <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/">stackoverflow</a>. I think that Jeff Attwood and Joel Spolsky did a great job of surveying what other question and answer sites existed, and designing something that works really well. I think the popularity of the site and the way that the core software been taken up be so many other stackexchange sites is proof that it fills a need.<br />
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I'm not a big user. I get on there every now and again. I'm a sporadic user. I have runs of days where I get on and answer questions and comment. I ask the odd question. The other day I answered a question in a way that I thought was helpful. Another user commented on my answer and we got into an argument. He thought my solution was wrong. So wrong that 'nobody would ever want' to do what I suggested was reasonable. Towards the end of the to and fro he told me that he was glad he'd downvoted my answer and that I shouldn't be working in the industry if that was the way I thought.<br />
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I was annoyed. Here was a total stranger, to whom I thought I'd shown tolerance and respect, making quite hurtful comments. Then I looked at his history of answers. I'd already seen that he had a remarkably high <i>reputation score</i> on the site. Many times, when he gave an answer he also added a comment to the original question complimenting the poster on the quality of the question and promoting his answer. I felt this was manipulative. I googled to see if it was common practice and what I found was that this user was far and above the biggest offender.<br />
<br />
And justice was done. I asked a question on meta.stackoverflow.com about whether this was good practice. The answers and opinions came back that others agreed with my opinion. I flagged the comment about my eligibility to be a computer professional, as well as another comment viciously criticising a user, as rude and offensive. Both comments have been deleted.
<br />
<br />
So now I feel a little better. I'm not alone in my opinion. But why did it annoy me so much? Why couldn't I just shrug it off? I think part of the reason that I took such offence was that a lot of work went into creating stackoverflow and a lot of people put in time for free to provide helpful answers to often esoteric questions. I saw the way this user was behaving as bullying and predatory. He was not letting others play in his sandpit. I didn't like the idea that his form of behaviour would catch on. I'm glad I made a fuss. I'm also glad that I was supported in my view. I'm not longer angry and hardly annoyed at all. He still adds his self congratulatory comments to questions that he answers, but now I feel that I'm not alone in my opinion of them and that I don't have to fight the good fight so furiously.
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<br />
I suspect this whole saga is as much a comment on me as on him. A positive thing it achieved is that it spurred me to introspection as to why I was upset about the behaviour of someone who is a total stranger and who I could equally well have ignored. Hopefully next time I feel my blood boiling I'll stop and think why first, and only put in the effort if it's a cause that matters.Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-14238848298614757782011-08-25T13:35:00.001+10:002011-08-25T14:12:32.052+10:00Old newspapers and chronological pedantry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictoria/a/1/5/im/a15735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="185" width="120" src="http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictoria/a/1/5/im/a15735.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I'm becoming obsessed with <a href="http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mawson-sir-douglas-7531">Douglas Mawson</a>. It started slowly. I was at a <a href="http://tmaggots.org.au/">TMAGgots</a> talk about recent Antarctic research and someone mentioned the <a href="http://centenary.antarctica.gov.au/events/events/other/100th-anniversary-of-departure-of-mawsons-expedition-commemorative-flotila">Mawson Centenary Flotilla</a>. At the time I scribbled the date, 2 December 2011, into my diary. (Alright, I typed it into my phone, but this is the 21st century.) What caught my interest was the opportunity to sail down the Derwent in convoy with lots of other old boats.<br />
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I didn't think much more about it until the newsletter for the Australian Wooden Boat Festival arrived in my inbox and there was another mention. Not wanting to miss out, I rang up and got some details and registered my interest.<br />
<br />
I started thinking how little I knew about Mawson. I knew that he was an Australian Antarctic explorer, had done some dramatic and heroic things, but I couldn't sort him out from the jumble of Antarctic and Arctic tales of exploration entwined into my race memory. So, I started to do some research. Initially I was looking for photos of the <i>S.Y. Aurora</i> on which he sailed. I started in the <a href="http://catalogue.statelibrary.tas.gov.au/find/?q=aurora&format=Images&avail=Online">Tasmania Library photo collection</a> with some success, and then broadened my search with google until I rediscovered the <a href="http://trove.nla.gov.au/">National Library's Trove</a>.<br />
<br />
Trove is a fascinating site, for me at least; it contains a unique record of Australian culture. The part I like is the scans and text conversions of historical newspapers. Anyone can log on and correct the translations, which range from excellent to unusable. I found several contemporary reports about Mawson preparing for his expedition and was delighted by the detail that gave an insight into the realities and the atmosphere.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>After knock-off time last night the Aurora was hove over alongside the Westralia, lying at King's pier, opposite, in order to facilitate the transfer of coal from the latter vessel to the former. The Westralia lent her lines for the purpose, and in addition most valuable services in getting the Aurora across were rendered by the officers and crew of the steamer. By the joint efforts of the complements of both vessels, and a long pull, and a strong pull, and a pull all together, or several of them, the Aurora was got snugly alongside her larger sister, and the job of coaling was begun after tea yesterday evening, and went on all night. The Westralia has 250 tons for the Aurora, but the latter vessel, which draws between 18 and 19 feet when fully loaded, was getting fairly well down with the other cargo on board, and there is also the question of trimming, so that possibly she will not be able to take the whole quantity.</blockquote><br />
This is so far from the flippant and sensationalist reporting so often printed today. I took great delight in reading the original scans of these articles and typing the text of those that had not be translated correctly. I found the process slowed me down to read and contemplate the articles and the detail gave me insight, especially when the places named were so familiar. My <a href="http://trove.nla.gov.au/list?id=13798">list of articles that I found relating to the expedition</a> will be updated as I find more of interest.<br />
<br />
While I was looking on Trove for photos of Mawson I found <a href="http://trove.nla.gov.au/picture/result?l-usertag=anachronism&q=">a number</a> that were dated as 1912 and 1913 that I doubt very much were taken then, considering that he was in the Southern Ocean, Macquarie Island and Antarctica during those years.Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-1620268963847476052011-08-07T09:28:00.002+10:002011-08-07T13:49:52.378+10:00What bad weather?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1kClYm5SuCaKNLkTram252Teumdwzdnycz4oiJSm_GsBQHog-Yp3ddoShoglHm1aYLbRG8xOzREbj7pTXCikKE65paNNXS_em6GzfRy3ciHlxWk7ekmpPk5_RezIPhqEswv1JrEUeo4E/s1600/Weather.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="218" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1kClYm5SuCaKNLkTram252Teumdwzdnycz4oiJSm_GsBQHog-Yp3ddoShoglHm1aYLbRG8xOzREbj7pTXCikKE65paNNXS_em6GzfRy3ciHlxWk7ekmpPk5_RezIPhqEswv1JrEUeo4E/s320/Weather.png" /></a></div>It's been raining since last week and the forecast for this week is rain, patchy rain, showers, some showers ... you get the idea. A low pressure system is drifting lazily from Adelaide over Bass Strait and this means rain in Tasmania. Not a quick Summer shower, clouds skitting across the sky between patchy sunshine, this is rain. It's wet. It does vary, from drizzle to fairly heavy, but there's no escaping it. The creeks are flowing hard, the gutters are full, the oval outside my window is saturated like that sponge that got left in the sink and the children's playground next door is a pond.<br />
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Yesterday morning I was standing on some very soggy grass outside Parliament House. There was at least one small child already soaked through and smeared down one side with mud and whatever else was on the lawn after the Friday night drinkers had stumbled home. I was there to add my number to a rally for Tasmania's forests. The speakers were a well chosen mix from the arts, politics and environmental NGOs. Nick McKim, the leader of the Tasmanian Greens stood at the microphone, shaded under a marquee, and opened with "I love this weather ..." and I sighed with relief. His point was that weather has created Tasmania's natural environment. It takes rain to make rain forest. Bob Brown continued the theme. He spoke with dynamic passion about the leaves reaching out to take up the rain. They both made me think about how important the rain and cold is.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxe5SoIVTFkQPAuoEqTPFS-lmPbmKkeJpy4E_qAf8PE62SrC1mKsfOpgGzon-r0Ry2BaHft2Dan7IloszQphbZvyDAw4KZizXT_1P7-iiXsDNl0_KE7k_998A4TfNIYsQrFqqgSK2zbks/s1600/DSCF2943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxe5SoIVTFkQPAuoEqTPFS-lmPbmKkeJpy4E_qAf8PE62SrC1mKsfOpgGzon-r0Ry2BaHft2Dan7IloszQphbZvyDAw4KZizXT_1P7-iiXsDNl0_KE7k_998A4TfNIYsQrFqqgSK2zbks/s320/DSCF2943.JPG" /></a></div>I like the rain and cold too. My reasons aren't just those raised by Nick and Bob. I like dressing in thick clothes; the extra padding when I squeeze against someone special; the feeling of warmth and security; me against the environment; feeling truly awake when the cold wind whips against my face; the subtle tones of the landscape as sheets of rain grind relentlessly from the the Mountain over the city. It makes me think too about the generations that have lived here before me, no heat pumps or insulation, poorly built houses, shacks of split timber, canvas tents, convict cells and scanty clothing, bark humpies. Our hardships are minor and our complaints pretty wet.<br />
<br />
Then it starts "bad weather all week", "what a miserable day", "I'm looking forward to some good weather", "is tomorrow going to be better?". The insidious value judgements, the implication that some weather is better than other. That wet and cold are things to be despised. There's an anthropomorphic implication here too. The weather has no free will so how can it be good or bad? Do these people not know the joy of walking in the rain? The pleasure of sitting inside a warm room with a hot cup of tea looking out on the rain? The colours of the wet eucalypts? The sounds of the birds when the rain eases and they come out from where ever they hide to celebrate?<br />
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I like a warm day too, of course; light clothes, swimming in the sea, the smell of sunscreen, a lazy afternoon lying under a tree; but without the cold the warm would be less precious to me, it would be mundane and I would slip into complacent expectation that it should be warm and anything else was an affront.<br />
<br />
Let's celebrate our seasons. Stop the complaining and resentment. Make the most of the inevitable. As B. J. Thomas sang, and Butch and Sundance frolicked to, "I'm never going to stop the rain by complaining."Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-34222012005572603072011-07-31T23:00:00.049+10:002011-08-01T22:34:51.761+10:00What makes me happy?Yesterday morning my friend and I were talking about what we would do if we had no constraints of time, or money or other people's expectations. I found this a hard question. I habitually dismiss possibilities as impossible or else as being driven by invalid motives such as extrinsic reward or the search for recognition. I wonder what really makes me happy. There are some things that I do that make me feel happy, but perhaps that is because they are outside my usual routine. I enjoy physical challenges, ones that feel risky, but would I still enjoy them if they were my daily routine or would I then crave the intellectual activity of my usual work?<br />
<br />
That evening I did something that brought me simple pleasure. I walked from my home to my parents'. The walk took me across the hillside of Mt Nelson. I had intended to leave earlier, and by the time I left it was already twilight.<br />
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I knew roughly the route I wanted to take, but backtracked a few times, as the start was an unfamiliar area. After the first ten or fifteeen minutes I was getting into bush where I used to play and explore in my early teens, and I was loving it. By now it was almost dark, I could only just make out the track. I could tell I was rounding the head of Lambert Creek, then came down the hill above Enterprise Road. Then I heard it, frogs. That could only be one place, the <i>frog pond</i> where we used to catch tadpoles and water fleas. I was on a 4WD track, I remembered, more than thirty years on, that I had to turn off in about a hundred metres. There used to be a cairn that we'd made, it was long gone, and there was only a rabbit track. I followed it; the light was almost gone; I could only make out the track as a slightly lighter shadow in grass and bush. A newer track cut across mine; I followed it for a few tens of metres and could feel where I had to leave it onto a smaller path into the bush. I knew, I could feel, that I would come in onto the side of the main track to the signal station. There it was. I started down it, steep, dirt and occassional rocks. I remembered the she-oak trees that grew over a section of the track, making it slippery with their leaves and seed pods. There they were, bringing back memories of running down that track at breakneck speed. It was dark and it was familiar. Now I could see the end of the road and a parked car. This was the new extension to the road, that comes up onto where there used to be a flat grassy patch, cropped short by rabbits, where I used to practice archery. A little further and I was walking down the footpath past new houses, and then the older ones that had been there for forty years or more. I was back at my parents' house. I was grinning.<br />
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I still don't know what I would do if I could choose anything. I still don't know my destiny or my next adventure. I do know a little more about what things make me happy.Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-19696620801863389322011-07-30T21:18:00.000+10:002011-07-30T21:18:52.804+10:00Historic Signage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zTIgxO7vlBphLP0zw__K8dcYmUJmE48kHR2uhtgBQE6ov8w4AqhOdB6iWYsEc3zE4lXQbEOS-0rftaY56jV01dwEJQRGXDCrFzp2ntxLihfrWUyHpqC2R46biI49vN4V9aZicWdqDZk/s1600/Warning+Sign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="213" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zTIgxO7vlBphLP0zw__K8dcYmUJmE48kHR2uhtgBQE6ov8w4AqhOdB6iWYsEc3zE4lXQbEOS-0rftaY56jV01dwEJQRGXDCrFzp2ntxLihfrWUyHpqC2R46biI49vN4V9aZicWdqDZk/s320/Warning+Sign.JPG" /></a></div>I went to the tip shop yesterday, looking for a drying rack and some crockery. Instead I saw a wonderful sign behind their counter. It was more significant for me than for most customers as I'd help paint it in 1973. It is signed SA, JP and RA (that's me). We were trying to discourage potential buyers from building on the block behind my parent's house.Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-84285430035570261362011-07-28T09:45:00.000+10:002011-07-28T09:45:52.326+10:00Local shoppingThere's a lot of talk on the radio about how internet shopping is taking over from traditional local shops. The retailers are upset that people go into their shops to test out products, only to go and buy them from someone else at a cheaper price online. The other day I had the opposite experience. I was looking for a copy of <i>The Tasmanian Trading Ketch</i> as I don't trust the library not to lose or dispose of it. I seached online and eventually found copies available from booksellers advertising through <a href="http://biblio.com">Biblio.com</a>. To my great joy one of the booksellers was Astrolabe Books in Hobart. I went to their shop and bought a copy and while there put another book on layby (with very flexible terms) and talked to the woman working their about boats for about half an hour. That is an experience that could not get online. The unexpected personal interaction and the flexible service was delightful and hopefullly features that will keep the good local shops in business.Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605104094649725889.post-59507786102306606642011-07-26T19:01:00.000+10:002011-07-26T19:01:30.305+10:00Barges<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6Xpyd3ctz8EWp0EXLqLreHg0dscEEvVBQsf_yz9gWiWrUtdnIZTyuYjRJt-z1x1IUnYTz2rCPublhXFLnzaA_Gc_aMAt9FdPzbsI4XU7HK0Wb90r_sUDZzS6ARmevE2ZLqCDIq0SLKE/s1600/TradingKetches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6Xpyd3ctz8EWp0EXLqLreHg0dscEEvVBQsf_yz9gWiWrUtdnIZTyuYjRJt-z1x1IUnYTz2rCPublhXFLnzaA_Gc_aMAt9FdPzbsI4XU7HK0Wb90r_sUDZzS6ARmevE2ZLqCDIq0SLKE/s320/TradingKetches.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I'm reading <i>The Tasmanian Trading Ketch</i> by Garry Kerr (ISBN 978-0-7316-0887-4). I picked it up at the library when I was meant to be looking for books on goldfish. I knew that there was a tradition of shallow draft vessels that traded the coast and inlets of Tasmania, but the only example I was familiar with was the <i>May Queen</i>, that lies tied to the wharf at Constitution Dock.<br />
<br />
The history of these vessels is fascinating, and Kerr has managed to capture some nearly lost knowledge by interviewing in 1987 men who sailed these vessels. The effort involved in building such a boat defies modern comprehension. To walk the bush until you find a good sized tree, cut it down and cut the keel from it on site, all with hand tools is an astounding task. The sheer physical labour combined with sophisticated techniques for shaping the complex lines of a vessel leave me feeling clumsy and lazy.Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12493231771510000546noreply@blogger.com0