Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Prodigal Kid Returns to Transit
Kid Confucius hit Transit Bar again on December 6th. Be there in your best jumpin' kicks.
Labels: Canberra, Do, Go, Listen
Saturday, September 06, 2008
12 Hours of Local Tunes
Canberra Musicians Club launch next weekend. Get amongst it.
Monday, April 21, 2008
BarCamp Canberra 2008
'Twas a chilly Saturday in April when the tech enthusiasts and advocates of the capital region gathered for the first local BarCamp Canberra this past weekend. Part conference, part hangout, BarCamps are a low-key way for all flavous of geeks to get together and talk about things they're working on, challenges, ideas, get some experience in presenting to live audiences and generally network with working-level peers.
Strictly speaking, there shouldn't be any passive attendees at a Barcamp; everyone's meant to pitch in somehow but not being a developer, savvy web/UI/UX designer, or photographer with a massive lens, I didn't really know what I could contribute so I just got into the discussions. I threw in a few comments during Nathanael's FreeCanberraWireless / Meraki presentation on my experience thus far and protecting yourself from legal liability using the site blocking function of Open DNS, and during the Firefox Extensions You Can't Live Without, but most other sessions were too technical for me. I suppose I could have recorded everything to minidisc and edited it down to podcast, but they had that covered.
There were some really interesting presentations:
- Nathanael Boehm on the Meraki units and a bit about the FreeCanberraWireless project. Good discussion;
- Ruth Ellison on Ruth's Design Nightmares – all the funnier for featuring Gordon Ramsey but Ruth being unable to curse;
- Gavin Jackson on some very useful Firefox extensions – great session for attendee participation;
- Janine Cahill on augmented reality games – location-aware devices are going to bring forth a bunch of cool new games we'll be able to play just walking down the street;
- Simon Pascal Klein on de-sucking the web through typography – Hmm, is it possible that there are too many fonts? (Great presentation Pascal, even though you looked pretty nervous starting out, you hit your stride);
- Darren Menachemson on design and getting away from self-imposed design restrictions;
- Stephen Collins on social tools in corporate places– awesome tipi house picture;
- Stephen Dann on teaching tech to non-tech students;
- How free content can help humanity; and
- A last minute presentation on open source GIS projects – going to keep a close eye on this stuff because MapInfo products and datasets are really bloody expensive.
The presentations by the two Stephens offered a refreshing dose of perspective. I think a lot of tech presentations talk too much to the converted; Stephen Collins said it explicitly and Stephen Dann had the stats showing the lag between early adopters (I'd say most attendees) and mass uptake (non tech students).
I have to say I found Stephen Dann's presentation on the non-tech students a bit surprising, not for the students lack of web use but for the audience reaction, their shock born from a startling lack of perspective that others might not be gadget and tech freaks and might just want appliances that work intuitively and support them doing what they want to do, whatever that is.
I think if Stephen Dann approaches those marketing students by starting with what they know and exposing them to other web tech through that, the road might be a little easier for all involved. Start with Facebook and then show 'em Twitter for status updates, Blogger for notes, Flickr for photos, Blip.tv / Youtube and Miro for video.
Anyway...
I got serious gear-envy. There was a abundance of laptops (many Macs), quite a few big DSLRs, a wee video camera, some audio gear and at least one iPhone (I know I've preferred the Nokia N95 for a while now, but damn Apple and their slick designs – that iPhone is just drool-worthy). I also got blog shame (lets face it, this place really needs a cleanup or redesign or something).
I walked away with one of the door prizes, a book on information management Keeping Found Things Found (sponsored by Maadmob), a twitter account and resolved to keep attending WSG and IA meetings.
Over the conference dinner I had a good chat with Janine Cahill about her presentation on augmented reality games (it reminded me of the artist in William Gibson's Spook Country, which she hadn't read) and managed to make a couple of people emotional recounting how T-bone & Cheese used Facebook during her illness, how her last status message invited us to the hospice and how it became a platform for grieving with so many photo albums, status messages and profile pictures featuring her.
I'm looking forward to the next BarCamp. I've got an idea for a FOSS system for community broadcasting, but that's in a very very embryonic pre-alpha stage but I wanted to document it before putting call for help / challenge to the BarCamp crowd; maybe the next one will be the place to get some feedback on the idea.
Labels: Canberra, Consider, Do
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Royals & Revolutionaries Party
A new social group has emerged in the capital. The Canberra Droughtbreakers are organising parties just because they can:
"Bored of whining about how dull Canberra is, we've decided to do something about it. We're a small band of brothers dedicated to breaking Canberra's social drought. We'll drown the place in lager if we have to."Last night they hosted their first event at Lot 33 in Kingston, a Royals & Revolutionaries party:
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Lightning Rods 8 def Spitfires 4
With the Spitfires missing the Bad News Byrons, the Lightning Rods silenced their critics once more in the 2007 season of the Happy Christmas Professor Ovington 1970 Cup Plate Shield competition.
The Rods had a one player advantage over the Spitfires until the last five minutes of the game that can only be described as a veritable goal frenzy.
In coming weeks the competition will be returning to its social roots and making post-game pilgrimages to the clubhouse in Green Square.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Spitfires 3 def Lightning Rods 1
The on-field crowd swelled to 19 in this weekend's match in the Happy Christmas Professor Ovington 1970 Cup Plate Shield competition. Playing 9 on 9 with the 10th player alternating based on the handicap, both teams played a top passing game with many potential goals thwarted in the box.
The Spitfires were strong in the first two halves. Following a minor cranial collision, the Lightning Rods answered.
Many players convened for post-game analysis at Cream, followed by dinner at Sammy's and pool & jukebox fun at the Civic Pub.
Monday, April 09, 2007
National Folk Festival 2007 - Part 3
Another busy day recording and editing, getting ready for a national broadcast this afternoon 4pm-6pm AEST. 2XXfm is streaming live too.
Labels: Canberra, Do, Listen, Look
Sunday, April 08, 2007
National Folk Festival 2007 - Part 2
This year 2XXfm is broadcasting live from the National Folk Festival. You can even listen online.
Some pictures from Saturday's performances:
Bloke-apella and Mad Violet
CIT A/V Geeks and Buskers
Labels: Canberra, Do, Listen, Look
Saturday, April 07, 2007
National Folk Festival 2007 - Part 1
This weekend I've volunteered to do stuff for 2XX at the National Folk Festival. Mostly it involves checking out the acts and then plugging in recording equipment into the mixing desk. I plan to do some vox pop stuff before the weekend is out.
I've got to say that folk's not a genre I'm really into, but the variety here has really opened my eyes and ears. So far I've heard the story of Yarri of Wiradjuri by The Roaring Forties, talked crap about music with complete strangers around a water pipe that produced smoke that smelt of apples, and Mr Sister (pictured) was good. The highlights have definitely been the jamming at the Session Bar (there was a group of guys doing some really catchy americana 1920s/jugband stuff in the background here) and the first heat of the Infinite Sound of Music Competition in which festival acts do covers of songs from The Sound of Music.
Best of all I was able to check all of this out with A&B and Ducky.
Labels: Canberra, Do, Listen, Look
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Lightning Rods 6 def Spitfires 1
This match report brought to you by Mrs W's Ice Cream, now in mint choc-chip and pickle flavour for when those cravings hit.
DISCLAIMER: This game report may be a little biased, and seen through azur coloured glasses, as it is written by a founding member of the Happy Christmas Professor Ovington 1976 Bitch Butter cup plate shield league, who is a loyal and passionate Lightning Rods supporter, and proxy mascot for the blues during my 'confinement'. No apologies forthcoming, just a warning.
SATURDAY 24 MARCH
It was a reasonably fine day in the 'berra, and despite some key players being absent, including both beloved team captains, we had a good turn out, with 9 people donning the blues and reds. The uneven numbers were in favour of the blues this week, since the Rods had the benefit of uneven numbers in the previous two weeks.
On the SpitFires (red) side there were the Byron stalwarts - Jen, Ash, Craig and Dean.
On the Lightning Rods (blue) side there was Patrick, Chris, Rob, Katy and Frith.
Play commenced late as there was a very friendly mowing man doing large loops around the outside of the field, slowly spiralling in. (And about bloody time Telopea! The grass is bloody long!)
He graciously agreed to mow our pitch first, so that we could get playing. It was handy in the beginning as we the sidelines were easily delineated by the longer grass, but it did mean the field kept expanding as the longer we played, the more he mowed!
Craig started out with two hungry early attempts at goal, 1 went high, and the other Pat gallantly defended. Ash made a strike off the left foot, but to no avail.
The first goal of the match went to the Rods, resulting from brilliant passing between Chris and Rob. Rods 1 - 0 Reds.
Soon after, the second goal also went to the Rods, in much the same way, but with Jen giving an heroic attempt at goal defence. Rods 2 - 0 Reds.
In the first half Pat managed to kick the ball solidly into Dean, at close range - twice. That's the way Pat, beat 'em up early and make 'em soft.
Opening up the second half, Rob made a great cross pass to Pat to strike, but Craig dive block defended with great agility.
Soon after, Chris made another Rods strike at goal, which Craig sped back from a sojourn in the field to defend with another dive block.
Jen lined up a great goal, which Katy stole nicely, and Pat made an overzealous strike, which hit the tree behind goal.
Pat's second try at goal was successful when he sneakily left footed Craig. Rods 3, Reds 0.
Here we are deep into the second half and the Spitfires are still to score. These are indeed strange times. Soon to be rectified by a physics defying high arching kick from Jen, which went over Katie's head, then arched back into goal. 3-1.
Chris followed up with a masterful run down to the blue goal, and with heaps of time on his hands, managed to send his strike straight into the diving hands of another stinging Craig goal defence.
He reenacted it a few minutes later, and Craig knee wedge blocked that one too.
In an attempt to even the score before the end of the second half,
Ash took a shot at the red goal, but got the post.
Jen took a strike, which Katy blocked.
Craig took a strike, which Katy blocked.
Jen took another strike, which Katy blocked.
and soon after, Ash called 'time' on the second half.
To open up the third half, Craig aimed to rectify the imbalance by weaving passed Frith, Pat and Katy's defence to make a damaging strike at red goal, however Pat managed to make a glance block off his left leg, resulting in a corner. The corner resulted in several messy red strikes, none of which found their home in the goal.
Chris took a long run towards blue goal, taking the ball all the way himself, for a successful strike past Deano. 4-1
Katy and Pat tried to work some deja vu with a beautiful partnership long run down the field, but this time Deano put a stop to their intentions.
Soon after, Pat blocked a goal kick from the Spitfires end, and ran it straight back into goal. 5-1
By this stage Ash was pretty hungry for a goal, but Frith continued her solid mid field game, and stuck on Ash like glue, until his high strike landed in Chris' goalie hand block, resulting in another red corner.
The Byron's were impressive as always, with Ash directing his corner kick straight to Jen, who almost succeeded in sliding it passed the goalie, but it was not to be.
At the other end of the field Pat got a shot at open goal, and missed. Then had another go, and got the pole. (There was some frustration ensuing.)
To wrap up the match Rob rounded off the Lightning Rods score to a neat half dozen with a nice run all the way down the field, 3 swings passed defenders, and a stupendous final strike at goal. 6-1
Ah, victory is sweet!
See you all next week :-)
Cheers
Liv
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Stop the Bleeding
And I saw the when the captains flipped the cap, and I heard as it were the noise of thunder, one of them saying 'anti-bucket'.And I saw, and beheld a white player, and he had with him boots, and a top was given unto him, and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
And when they had both scored a second time I heard the second new player say 'blooorrrrr' and swear an oath to imbibe nevermore.
And when they had played three halves, I beheld and saw another player with grim determination and he too had with him boots and that those boots were black.
And when they had sealed the fourth goal, I heard the multitude cry out, and one of them did scream 'Golden goal!'
And I looked, and did behold a pale player and injury did follow with him. And power was given unto him over the oval, to pass with jump, and with feint, and with speed, and with the approval of his wife.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Spitfires 4 def Lightning Rods 2
The Spitfires defeated the Lightning Rods 4-2 in today's Happy Christmas Professor Ovington 1970 Cup Plate Shield 2007 season opener.
Returning to its spiritual home at the Telopea Park School Oval, the competition got under way on a bright, clear March Canberra morning with many of the 2006 players returning to do battle. Performers at the local council's party in Telopea Park provided a varied soundtrack.
Sources close to the Spitfires predict that the Lightning Rods will once again be formidable opponents once the two new players - both quite skilled - fully integrate with their team and adjust to the unique 'three halves' style of play and the HCPO1970CPS official FSF rules & regulations.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Just Enough
A good weekend with just enough on.
Friday night in with Kat, Ross, cuz Dan & Rio. Rocked out with Guitar Hero (1 & 2, multiplayer on GH2 much better than 1. Ross on lead & me on bass = much fun). Kicked back with the David & Margaret At the Movies boardgame. Not exactly a fast-paced game, but a good brain teaser. I give it three and a half stars.
Rode around the lake on Saturday morning with Dan & got a good measure of how unfit I really am; quite. It was damn humid; the thunder and bolt lighting coming in over the suburbs was a good motivator to get ourselves home.
Recovered over the computer & did research for Sunday's show before drinks at the Belgian beer place. TJ was well-fueled & had command of the table. Didn't get himself or anyone else kicked out with the explicit material at full volume (the staff joined in); he'll make a great spinner.
I wasn't sure how Sunday's show was going to go with a couple of quiet observers, the previous show's presenter hitting a mystery button & screwing up the monitors (not being able to hear what's going to air isn't optimal for radio) and then with his interruptions as we were trying to get set up... grrr... Anyway, got it done and was happily surprised to find our quiet observers weren't so quiet on air. Whiled away the afternoon putting new wheels on new skates before kicking back with Sir David telling me things about the sea.
