Ireland is a place that has marked me forever. It has been the backdrop to my coming of age (a year in Dublin), happy moments with my family (holidays in Kerry), and where I met the girl I hope to spend the rest of my life with (if she’ll have me!).

The door is always open in Ireland, although, this may have more to do with my name than the politeness of Celtic folk; type Martin Cahill into Google and you will see what I mean. I haven’t always liked Ireland though. In fact, I used to hate it when I was younger. A trip to Ireland typically meant cold rain, scary aunts who would plant those sloppy kisses on your cheek, and extended stays in Kate’s (the local pub). My patience (at the age of 8 or 9) was bought with Club Orange, Tayto crisps and coins for the pool table. These days I visit Kate’s for the same reason my Dad did before. The Guinness is great, yes, but more than that – it’s the conversation. Local farmers walk through the door and into the warmth of Kate’s bar. The atmosphere can sometimes be quiet. Subdued even. There is no hurry to engage in wit and banter. Sometimes a period of reflection is the first order.

Kate also maintains a kitchen behind the bar. I don’t know how she does it, but she can go back there and within a few minutes provide a plate of steaming hot stew, potatoes and veg. Most surprising, is the customer did not even ask for it, but they certainly welcome it. Kate then communicates events from the day. What has been said by Farmer Connolley and the latest prices from the mart. She is a knowledge hub. An RSS feed in traditional Irish style. Another customer arrives and the conversation continues. A community of neighbours all ready to highlight changes in the market, economy, and even the weather. The local radio sits in the corner relaying the local news and the death list (those who have recently passed and the time of the mass and burial). Comment is passed, drinks are finished and people are back on their way. Back out to the land. Back to practice.

Kate’s bar – A School? … And the only piece of technology in sight – the radio.

The experience was reflected in London some time ago. It was my first visit to the Apple Store. As I walked through the door teenagers were typing and clicking on the new range of Mac laptops and iMacs on display. They were emailing and facebook’ing. To my right was a genius bar. A whole workbench of Mac geeks ready to fix your machine or answer your Mac related questions. I walked up the stairs and entered a creative zone. A place where photographers and movie-makers could learn and share tips in relation to their creative pursuits. Further along was a lecture theatre. A speaker was clicking through the latest features of iWork. Some were listening, others were posting online, networking, thinking.

Apple Store – A School? … Technology is on sale, but the centre-piece is people and knowledge.

I arrived in Sydney six months ago. In those early months I was looking for work and networking across the city. I was using both traditional and modern methods. One evening, over too many bottles of Cabernet a new friend asked me “If you could do anything, what would your working week look like?”. Great question, I thought. My response surprised me. “Well”, I said, “If I could do anything then I would like to open an Alternative School of Business. A place where talented folk across Sydney’s new and emerging industries could meet and a space where those looking for work could ‘hang-out’. People would be presenting – perhaps a new business idea. Others would critique and hopefully offer new ideas or routes to making it happen. Industry Pecha Kuchas would play out, events, and possibly corporate off-sites. It should be a hive of learning. A place where folk would come, enjoy a hot meal, and go back to the land. Back to practice. There are no corridors. No offices and no static zones. Just movement, progression and space”. “I would spend my time there”, I said, “and the rest of the week I’d pick up my camera and notepad and go venture” (that though is another story).

An Alternative Business School? Perhaps not so dissimilar to what we have now, you might say? Still, since talking to managers, analysts and talented folk across Sydney’s media, hi-tech, and social innovation scene I still hear a call for change. All cite the importance of an MBA and how they would benefit from such an experience. The good stuff like learning from other industries, making new connections, challenging their thinking, tackling tough problems etc. However, I was reminded of the gulf (supposed) between academia and practice, the pressures brought to bear on families and marriages, the untimeliness of case based learning and the fees!

I think the sector is ripe for great change, but we must avoid the McDonaldisation of education, just as Ireland must avoid the McDonalidation of its Celtic ways. Technology should never replace our human needs for social contact and social spaces. Technology should only ever fuel the conversation, peoples understanding and our overall pot of knowledge. It should only ever be the radio in the corner. What is interesting about today’s technology, is it makes the alternative business school self-organise. There is no need for administration or administrative teams. The school is open. Groups gather around themes. People subscribe. People unsubscribe. This is the magic of new social technology.

“I have to keep celebrating that I’m alive. I shouldn’t be here now. I’m on borrowed time”. These were the words spoken by Jayne before she sat down and told her story about how Individualised Budgets has changed her life, the life of her husband Mark and her wider family including her Mum.

Jayne’s life as a high energy career nurse was thrown into chaos at the age of 30 when she was diagnosed with cancer. She describes how treatment offered structure to her weeks following the original announcement and how she found a sense of purpose in simply trying to stay alive. “By finding structure and purpose something positive will merge” Jayne says. This model of chaos, structure, meaning and emergence has seen Jayne through eight years of fighting cancer and all the ups and downs that entails.

Jayne explains how time became her greatest commodity because no one could say how long she had left to live. Following her first round of treatment Jayne took a part-time job which allowed for flexibility and days away; days spent with Mark on an canal barge – “We like canal barging – it slows life down”. However, one afternoon Jayne was plunged back into chaos as she fractured her spine pushing the boat through a lock. The cancer had spread to her bones. At this point the nature of the problem had changed. It was was no longer an illness, but a disability. This was going to take away her independence and this was the one thing that scared her the most.

It was at this point that Jayne was offered Direct Payments, but this proved to be rigid and outside of her desire to regain independence – “I was trying not to be a disabled person. I didn’t want many of the installations that were being offered. I did need help though, especially with my food shopping, but the times were fixed and no matter what I had to be well on that prescribed day, but I wasn’t”. Outside of this chaos Jayne found meaning attending a local college to study art, but was soon hit with a real problem. She was reliant on other students to lift the wheelchair from her car – “you can’t describe how helpless it makes you feel”.

This is when Jayne was introduced to Individualised Budgets (IB) and she was able to purchase a floating chair and trailer for her car. “All of a sudden my life was transformed. I could go shopping on my own. I could get to and from college and also take part in local field trips. I felt independent again”. The IB payments also allowed Jayne to compartmentalise the six hours of support she was offered through Direct Payments. It was broken into different instances allowing Jayne to take the burden of cleaning the house from her busy Mum and instead spend quality time with her at the local swimming pool. “The IB budget has really allowed me to understand where I want to spend my time and what I want to spend it doing. In the end, this is not about having a service, it’s about having a life”.

Jayne does however state that there has been periods where she has been able to reduce the budget – “We are very conscious that this is not our money. I keep returning to the IB panel and asking if it’s okay to procure a particular service. There have even been instances where I have even been able to give money back”. Jayne now has support on a daily basis – a position that Jayne gave great consideration to – “This is the person I am going to choose to share the last parts of my life and it was important that I was able to make that choice”.

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The full report is now available. Please click on the link below to read the report or left-click and download.

Unpacking Service Transformation – Oldham In Control

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This is the first time I’ve been to the Sculptures at Bondi. It was a really beautiful day, the sun was blaring but the wind was just as strong which made the heat quite bearable. We spent about 2 hours walking around, hoping to see as much as we could. There are over 100 sculptures and let me tell you that a couple of hours is definitely not enough! Here is a tiny snippet of the sculptures we saw during our walk yesterday afternoon.

big drink by Justin Drape / Simone Brandse

cement truck by Jimmy Rix

the shoppers by Jie Qian

chaos and order by Barbara Licha

fractal columns by Alan Rose

dream home by Jane Gillings

tribute to a workhorse by Belinda Villani

Unfortunately, today is the last day to see the sculptures so head down to Bondi if you can. However if you can’t, Sculpture by the Sea is an annual event so be ready to see it next year! In the mean time, check out the website to see more amazing art.

Have a great Sunday!

Yup, we're mature like that

Aaaaand we’re back! Sorry for the delay, but now it’s on to part deux of the recap of Bridget’s oh-so exhausting visit. BTW I’m sort of going through it so thoroughly for a couple reasons: 1) As a personal journal entry to fondly recall all the fun that we had with our first guest 2) To post some funny photos and 3) To give shoutouts to various restaurants, bars, and other attractions that visitors or other potential hosts might want to hit up.

Day 4: This was our designated beach day (since the forecast for the week showed cool temps through the rest of Beege’s stay), and although the sun peeked through the clouds a few times in the morning, it was pretty disappointing considering how nice the weather typically gets here. Anyway, we started off with a leisurely breakfast at famous Sydney resto Bill’s, which I guess is known for pioneering fresh, local ingredients. The eponymous owner/chef has a cookbook/TV empire and all that jazz. From what I can gather he’s like the Jamie Oliver of Australia; he was even quoted in this recent NYT story about the ongoing (and hilarious) Vegemite iSnack 2.0 controversy, so he must be a big deal, right?

Anyway, we both partook in the signature breakfast dish of Ricotta hotcakes, and sure enough they were delicious. The other cool thing about Bill’s is they have this enormous communal table where they set out tons of newspapers and magazines for patrons to read (this is actually pretty common here). Bridget and I first read the Sydney Morning Herald’s special coverage of the Melbourne Cup (that’s how I learned I wanted to pick SHOCKING to win), then we moved on to Aussie fashion magazine Madison, which is where Project Runway Australia winners get to showcase their work. A definite highlight was reading what we thought was just a really lame advice column (people asked questions like: “How will my shoulder surgery go?” and “I’m homesick. Should I stay in Melbourne or move back to Tasmania?” Who writes for advice on rando things like that with no background information, right?). Annnnyway, after laughing through the page we both realized it was actually an advice column from a psychic. Hence the lack of relevant background info. Needless to say, our mutual blind spot would come back to hilariously haunt us again in the trip. More on that later.

After Bill’s we returned to the apartment to pick up our car. To this point I’d driven a bit with the hubs, but it was kind of stressful and contentious (i.e. bad flashbacks to learning how to drive/screaming at my father when I was 15). But Beege was an excellent navigator, and we made it to our first stop, the enormous Westfield Mall at Bondi Junction, without incident. Beege was able to enjoy sights like the ghetto (yet sadly overpriced) Target ($30 for a beach towel? Seriously?), Bed Bath & Table, and the neverending levels that are segregated by the quality of merchandise that they purvey. The mall is so big, yet I always leave feeling unsatisfied.

Next stop: Bondi Beach. Beege was on a quest for new flip flops because her Havaianas were giving her blisters, and I assured her we’d be able to find something suitable at one of Bondi’s countless surf shops. After that mission was accomplished, we set off along the Bondi to Bronte Coast Walk to take in Sculpture by the Sea. This was one of my favorite sculptures (unforch I only had my iphone):

I'm always a fan of random, cartoon-like characters-as-art

We’d decided that we’d get lunch at the cafe at Tamarama Beach, and I kind of didn’t realize how far a walk that was from Bondi. It took us about 20 minutes to get there, and involved a decent amount of steps, therefore it became part of the “Kate requires a workout before we’re allowed to eat” joke.

Finally we descended upon Tamarama, and grabbed lunch at the cute little cafe that’s right on the beach (I’d been wanting to eat there since I walked by once and saw they have turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce, my all-time fave). After lunch we decided we’d come all that way, so we’d do our best to enjoy the beach, even though it was cloudy and a bit chilly. En route to finding a spot for our towels (the whole area was crawling with people there to see Sculpture by the Sea), we stumbled upon this fairly creepy, life-sized (maybe oversized?) sculpture of a naked toddler. Funnily enough, I first saw a photo of it posted at Jezebel, though you’ll note that it was originally wearing a Speedo for modesty, as mandated by the event organizers. Apparently the artist thought this was unacceptable, and snuck down in the middle of the night to remove the offending article (I got this scoop via Sydney blogger Dave).

The best part of this picture: Bridget creepily tiptoeing behind the kid

So yeah, being the mature art connoisseurs that we are, we found the sculpture HILARIOUS, and were clearly not alone as people were constantly gathered around it to snap pictures. I took the one above with my iphone, but used an app called CameraBag to make it look like a blown out Polaroid. It’s a fun app with lots of cool editing effects; I recommend it.

Anyway, we sort of dozed on the beach for 45 minutes or so, but finally acknowledged that we were both on the chilly side, plus it looked like the skies could open to pour at any moment. So back we trekked to the car, which we’d parked in the public lot at Bondi since everywhere else that I’ve found near the beach only has 1 hour parking (boo to that). We then headed back to the apartment, gorged on leftover GORP from our hike the day before, and passed out until about 8pm.

I’d recently read about a restaurant called The Winery by Gazebo in Surry Hills, and since it was a bit chilly (and our legs were falling off from walking so much), I decided to make my maiden nighttime driving voyage. We actually got there with surprising ease (save for a oneway street that Google maps neglected to tell me about!), although we drove down Crown Street and couldn’t for the life of us spot the restaurant. Taking that to be a sign, we opted instead for a Japanese place near where we’d parked, Toko. The menu offered both freshly-prepared sushi and hot stuff from the robata grill. Everything was quite reasonably priced (even the wine), and each of our dishes was delicious. The space is minimalist and extremely chic – Bridget joked that she felt like we were on a date on Sex and the City – and everyone else eating there seemed to be a skinny hipster. All in all, dinner was an unexpected success.

I’d planned to cover Tuesday and Wednesday in this post as well, but it’s run on far too long, and I’ve somehow been slaving over it for three days so I think it’s best to start fresh tomorrow. There is just so much to cover!

Social Business Design has replaced the rush for cheaper, faster, more. The survival and prosperity of well-known web businesses now rests on their ability to include us all.

It was a red-hot morning and the school disinfectant smelt particularly strong. The doors were wedged open at the back of the school hall, but there was little movement in the air to have any affect. Still, I took up my position on the concrete floor and tried to find comfort in what was likely to be another agonising assembly. The heat fuelled chatter beginning to fill the room but this was soon cooled by the entrance of our Headmistress – Mrs Burden. We all thought the world of her, but she also commanded our immediate respect. “Good morning” she said. “Today we have some special visitors from the Royal National Institute of Blind People” (or the RNIB ). “This should be interesting” I thought, and I was right. Almost 24 years later I can still remember this particular talk, not so much the words, but the technology on display. There was a red ball that made a loud screech (I still don’t know what that was for to this day), a mug that bleeped when the water reached the rim, and a whole host of specialist canes and telephones with mega-sized buttons. Great, but even at the age of eight something wasn’t quite right. The motivations behind these solutions were true and good, but the manifestation of the design was the great disappointment. Not only does a vision impaired person have to make sense of a life without eyesight, they are subject to equipment that is, well, simply “not cool” – that was the impression of an eight year old.

Looking at those technologies today I might better understand the importance and freedom they brought to people’s lives, but the young man’s hunch was probably correct. The design far being from being inclusive was actually building barriers. The technology with its loud and garish appearance was labelling people, and when we label people we tend to categorise them, and when we categorise we leave the door open to stigma and preconceived ideas. These preconceived ideas take hold and the paradigm is set. Industry and society are able to produce simple responses to that category or group. Worse than that, it takes away the problem. Industry and invention can get on with getting on, safe in the knowledge that access is most likely someone else’s problem – in this case the RNIB. This, sadly, was the lesson I took from that sweltering hot assembly hall. The RNIB will look after the blind group. Unless I want to join the RNIB I don’t really need to worry about it. The same can be said for the environment. Organisations like Green Peace for all their brilliance tend to take the problem away. “Those green peace boats are on top of it, so I don’t need to worry”. And even if Green Peace falls short, technology will likely fix the problem. This, of course, is wholly wrong and unfair.

I am sorry to report that this mindset continued to play out in my early professional career. Like many ambitious, head-strong twenty somethings I was saddling up my horse and on route to those rivers of gold – getting on with the business of building web sites and creating online initiatives. But I may have missed a trick, because not once did I think about accessibility. It seemed to me as a nice-to-have. Something to think about once the race was won. If I had given it a moments thought then I would likely have come across the W3C guidelines, but these in themselves are inaccessible to anyone but the most savvy of web engineers. When money and time is tight the three hundred page document does little to inspire hope. Innovation is once again put first – cheaper, faster, more. The other stuff can be fixed later.

Over the last several weeks I have been working for Media Access Australia (MAA). It has been a humbling and enlightening experience. For one, the challenge is startling. They are up against the steal tank of preconceived ideas. They know that access issues are unlikely to be fixed overnight, but having said that, everyone at MAA has a success story. They have, in each of their relevant disciplines brought about a dramatic change in access to cinema, TV, education and new media. Over the last six weeks I have been fortunate to work with Dr Scott Hollier. Scott has a degenerative eye condition by the name of Retinitis Pigmentosa but it is not in Scott’s nature to dwell on this point. In a show-stopping presentation to the Australia Broadcasting Commission (ABC) Scott started by saying “I have lived a full and good life”. This line was quickly followed up with an acute pronouncement that “At some point in all our lives we have to manage and cope with some form of disability – whether it be ourselves, a friend or a family member”. My early dogmas were beginning to erode and I was sufficiently motivated to learn more.

With my interest roused, I started to do some research. I immediately came across a study commissioned by Microsoft (2004) showing that among adult computer users in the United States 1 in 4 has a vision difficulty, 1 in 4 has a dexterity difficulty, and 1 in 5 has a hearing difficulty. There may well be overlap in those groups listed, but adding up the numbers suggest that 40% of the population has an impairment of some description. 40%! If these numbers are only half true it would not be too bold to propose the following hypothesis:

H0: If a site is accessible, it is more likely to access a greater share of the market and succeed.

H1: If a site is inaccessible, it is less likely to access a greater share of the market and will not succeed.

According to some analysts, if a site is accessible, it is also a third quicker to all other users, suggesting that a route to the mainstream market can now be forged through innovations that are directly concerned with accessible design or Social Business Design. There are a number of practical reasons why this makes sense, for example, web services are increasingly being accessed through iPhones, mobiles and notebooks. A mobile version of the site is less cluttered and often more accessible and intuitive to us all. Obliterating the flash elements and providing alternative or transcribed media content of photos, videos, and audio will undoubtedly improve a web-sites search rankings, moreover, and as we have noted, an accessible site is typically a usable site, and in an age of limited patience this can not be ignored.

Where is the evidence?

Consider Google for one moment. At its inception (circa 1998) the web was made up of a number of cluttered portals – windows to the web that listed sites under entertainment, health, and arts. Google saw this and decided to walk the other way. They kept it simple, adopting a search box and an ‘I’m feeling lucky’ button. This simple design paired with useful results attracted a loyal following to the service. Accessibility was a cornerstone of their growth and success. Google.com is still arguably the most accessible website on the planet.

• Portals like Yahoo maintained a cluttered and busy interface.

• The Google search engine attracted a loyal following among a growing number of Internet users, who liked its simple design and useful results.

Perhaps this was an early indication of social thinking in the modern day gold rush, but has this been repeated in history? The California Gold Rush of 1848, sparked by James Wilson Marshall, resulted in thousands of men, women and children arriving in the sunshine valleys in search of their fortune. Those early settlers soon advanced sophisticated methods for the recovery of gold – cheaper, faster, more. Cheaper – cut back on your possessions and pack up your wagon. Faster – develop more sophisticated methods of gold recovery. More – retrieve as much gold as you can. However, the euphoria eventually tempered and the gold seekers began to develop a social conscience, building churches, schools and even systems of law and government. They gave time to cementing their place in the world and putting the lives of others first. It might be argued, they recognised the importance of social business or the social economy that they were in.

This could well be food for thought for the savvy entrepreneur. The twist suggests that we should now lead with a social innovation. It is no longer a case of producing a technically brilliant product, pitching to the early adopters, hoping that it filters into the mainstream, and then, and only then, if the company does sufficiently well adopting a social conscious and building the accessibility features in. Social business design is now central to modern day business. The web asks us to obliterate the categories and labels that once defined access to technology, services and normal life experiences. It is no longer okay to leave the social aspects to the end, and if this strategy were adopted today it would most likely sound the death knell to any early stage startup and even an already well established business.

• Existing paradigm: Innovate, pitch to the early adopters, convince the mainstream and trust that a third-party group will fix the access problems.

• New paradigm: Successful organisations will now lead with Social Business Design.

Reena Jana suggested in a recent Business Week article that Apple’s success can be put down in part to features that were created to help disabled people use their products more effectively, including voice commands, touch screens (iPhone), and even audible navigation (iPod shuffle). Peter Abrahams takes this further and observes a more significant twist in the Apple product strategy. Not only are they including accessibility features in all of their products, to the benefit of the impaired as well as the regular user, but they are actually leading their marketing campaigns with this message.

“Apple products have included accessibility functions for many years, the difference in the latest release is that Apple is making accessibility a significant part of the marketing of the products. In the recent Snow Leopard release of Mac OS X, accessibility is one of the bullets on the first page of the announcement.” Peter Abrahams.

Perhaps the real genius of Apple is that their technologies attain to be, and often are, accessible to all. The vision or hearing impaired no longer have to be saddled with a mobile phone designed with mega-sized buttons or even that screeching red ball. The labels and categorisations have been obliterated. Not only that, the original hypothesis begins to show strength. Apple is succeeding and how!

Apple are not alone. According to the Social Media Accessibility Review produced by Media Access Australia, Facebook undertook a comprehensive design review to improve the way we all share and discover information on the service. As part of this review the company partnered with the America Foundation for the Blind (AFB) to make the site more accessible to users who are blind or vision impaired. Undoubtedly other factors are at play, but by focussing their design effort on accessibility Facebook opened up their service to an additional 40% of the overall market. Facebook is now the number one social network in the US with more than 300 million active users. MySpace, in comparison, is in free-fall having lost over 30% of the market this last year. MySpace is an inaccessible site. It has failed to deliver any accessibility policy and has no evidence of accessible design built into the service.

TED (a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading) has sought to open up their talks to new audiences, nationalities and languages by offering interactive transcripts. TED continues to grow. YouTube has also recognised the importance of Social Business Design and has been working on a number of projects to make videos more accessible to everyone. One new feature is the ability to include captions in videos via Caption Tube. When uploading a video to YouTube you also have the option to upload a closed caption file for the video. You can even include multiple languages. When you have uploaded the file, viewers will be able to activate the captions through the video player menu. Not to be out done, the incumbent media players have adopted Social Business Design to cement their position as primary delivers of content. The BBC is the only broadcaster in the world to include audio described TV programmes in its video-on-demand service.

There is much to be learned from this social twist in the modern day gold rush. Fundamentally, it is a recognition that we are all different and that we should no longer categorise groups believing that their representatives will solve the problem. The savvy startup or established business will now lead from Social Business Design, whether it be accessibility, the environment, or business ethics. This makes social sense, but the true gold-seeker also knows it makes economic sense. Social Business Design is a rich source of innovation and a key catalyst for growth or simply cementing a position in the marketplace. Social Business Design equals successful business.

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This article can also be found at Free Trade – the free trade of ideas.

wenn das mal gut geht...

Kurz dachte ich gestern, es könnte auch eine Marketing-Idee sein: Hose aus, Hose an, Hose aus. Aber die Skulptur-Ausstellung wird auch ohne derlei Tricks von ihrer eigenen Beliebtheit überwältig. Sie braucht wirklich keine Extra-Werbung. Zuletzt wurde dem Künstler das ganze Theater zu blöd. Gestern früh gegen 7.30 zog jedenfalls Paul Trefry seinem Little Boy Lost die Badehose wieder aus, säuberte die überlebensgroße Skulptur und ließ der Dinge ihren Lauf. “Die ganze Geschichte ist doch total albern”, meinte Trefry zum SMH. “Wir werden langsam zu einer Gesellschaft in der alles und jedes zensiert wird.” Dann empfahl er noch jenen, die ein Plastikgenital irgendwie irritiert, einfach nicht drum rum zulaufen, sondern es nur von hinten anzusehen. Die meisten Kunstspaziergänger taten das Gegenteil: Little Boy wurde rasch zum begehrten Foto-Partner. Wir bleiben dran.
Oder um es mit der eye sea you Skulptur von Tim & Shayn Amber Wetherell zu sagen: Ich halt die Augen offen…

Sie sind  - fast fertig – die 100 Skulpturen, die in den nächsten 2 Wochen zwischen Tamarama und Bondi für eine Massenpilgerung zur Open Air Kunst sorgen werden. Sculpture by the Sea 09 in Bondi fängt zwar erst morgen offiziell an, aber ich musste unbedingt heute eine kleine Blitzkostprobe nehmen.

Hat sich gelohnt. Es wurde noch ganz schön hart gearbeitet und gewerkelt auf den Klippen, Kunst bemalt, Kunst ausgepackt, Kunst im Wasser versenkt – Aber dabei zuzusehen macht eindeutig auch Spass. Im Tamarama Park nippten unter dessen künftige Käufer / Sponsoren / Honoratioren schon mal am französischen Champagner. Und ich bekam wie üblich nicht die Finger vom Auslöser. klicklicklick.

Also, tant pis und sorry schon mal an alle Skulpturenhasser in der geneigten Beachblog-Leserschaft: In den nächsten Tagen gibt’s noch mehr Kunst am Meer!  (Dann liefere ich auch ein paar Namen von Künstlern nach, es sind wirklich geniale Sachen zu sehen!)

My alarm clock beeped at 6:20 this morning. As my bleary eyes began to adjust I had a sense that something was not quite as it should be. Something was awry and my curiosity intensified by the glow piercing through the edges of our window screen.

My phone rang shortly thereafter; around 6:32. It was Scott, my manager. “A dust storm has hit Sydney … International flights are cancelled … Roads are closed … Health warnings have been issued … feel free to work from home today”. A dust storm! “Eah?”. This was the sharp response from my Pommy English brain. Leaves on the track is often a show stopper in the UK, but never a dust storm. “What do I do about this one?”.

The next image to greet me was our front door. “It’s Armageddon”, I thought. A scene from Independence Day or The Ten Commandments.

The picture from our balcony was equally dramatic. A filter of pure orange (the photo below has not been adjusted. I took the shot and uploaded).

My next step was to get some news. Here is a roundup at what is now 9.48.

Ping (Twitter): Can’t wait to see satellite pics of Australia covered in dust. It’s amazing how bright the glow is. Feels ominous.

Lisa Harvey (Twitter): It is orange and spooky outside today. Best to stay in bed. But I really really have to go out in it.

Misc: ”I went out for a ride on my bicycle and I ended up looking like a red panda.”

Wikipedia: 2009: On September 23, a duststorm in New South Wales Australia blanketed Sydney.

Sydney Morning Herald: Sydneysiders have woken to a red haze unlike anything seen before by residents or weather experts, as the sun struggles to pierce a thick blanket of dust cloaking the city this morning.

Viele Menschen meinen, wer in Bondi Beach wohnt, sei rund um die Uhr umgeben von gut aussehenden, mindestens ebenso gut gebauten und kaum bekleideten Strandadonissen. Und das ist natürlich auch so. Naja, fast. Seit monatlich neue Tättowierstuben aufmachen, kommen die Beach Boys auch zunehmend farbenfroh daher. Die Aufnahme oben zeigt übrigens keine Australier, sondern Besucher aus englisch sprachigen Ländern der Nordhalbkugel am Strand von Tamarama. Heute war es 32 Grad in Sydney, “12 above average” wie der Wetterfrosch lakonisch vermerkte. Das klingt toll, aber viele sorgen sich, wie brandgefährlich erst der Sommer werden mag, wenn das hier nur der Frühling ist…

7 July 2005 – The day of the London Bombings. Tragedy struck that day. A city thrown into chaos. Systems shut down, media isolation and communication blackouts. Sky News and The BBC were racing to the scene for the first picture, the first interview, but they were held back. Roads were closed and access restricted. First-hand news was therefore limited at best, dangerous at worst. But this is where the magic of the web came into play. At the time of the first bomb, almost within a minute of the first detonation, somebody, somewhere created a new Wikipedia entry. Others came to the table. Office workers sat at their desk, people working on laptops outside of coffee shops and folk simply walking by on their mobile phones. People were contributing. Many people were contributing. They all brought a piece of information to the puzzle. Communication was no longer controlled by the media gatekeepers but by all of us. Sky News and The BBC were referring to Wikipedia for up to one hour after the attack had happened.

And then this. A creative light somewhere put together a time lapse of the pages history from the time of the first bomb to some days and weeks later. The result is quite phenomenal. The day I came across this clip was the day I woke to the real magic of the web. I suddenly realised that the Internet was no longer a mysterious place reserved for the geeks in the computer lab. Everyone was contributing, and how! The level of detail now found on the 7 July wiki page is a testament to the creative ability and diligence of us all.

But then we start to ask the big questions like what motivates people? Why do people give up their evenings and weekends to do something that never pays back? Quite simply, why bother? Initially I was thinking about those folk who point a camera at every Simpson’s episode (or similar) and upload the content to YouTube. What is their reward? Perhaps these are the real revolutionaries – leading the charge against the media oligarchs. The other contributors motivations are perhaps more understandable – the creatives. The producers of film, photos, writing and systems code. If I open up flickr (a popular photo sharing website) I can see that 3,773 photographs have been uploaded in the last minute. We are moving towards the era of ‘Gift‘ in which the exchange of objects between groups builds relationships between them or ‘The Gift‘ economy – the obligation to give, the obligation to accept, and the obligation to reciprocate.

It also likely that any online effort is about building reputation capital, to coin a phrase. I found it quite interesting to read that twitter paid $6 to the designer of the bird graphic – Simon Oxley. It was simply sourced from the web using iStock Photo. An unfair exchange some might say given the success of the global tweet, but I wouldn’t bet against Simon offered a whole host of lucrative design projects. His reputation enhanced, the riches and work will follow.

Building reputation capital takes time and effort. It is not necessarily the contribution, but the contextual detail that sits around it. The title, the tags, the location, and the submission to groups and search engines. This aspect is important to the creator. Their content needs to be found and it is their responsibility to make that happen. It is only when the content gets some traction, an audience, do others want to contribute. People will add comments, new tags and possibly even improve the original media object. They will be sufficiently motivated to do so. They associate themselves to the successful entity.

I think we can take two things from this whirlwind tour of the web:

1. It is the responsibility of the owner to promote their content with descriptive tags and contextual data.
2. We can not underestimate the ability of the crowd and of peoples’ motivation to help out. This is where the magic of the web sits.

At Media Access Australia we would promote 1 over 2, but if 2 helps deliver 1 then all the better. Our ambition is to make all media accessible to all audiences at the point of delivery.

More on 1 – Owner Responsibility …

Translating audio and video files into text transcriptions is a resource intensive and time-consuming task. This is the challenge but one we can overcome. Firstly, it is in the interest of the organisation to transcribe their content. Outside of the accessibility agenda, text is easier to scan. We can learn more and we can learn quicker. Audio and video is a powerful source but it is a slow medium to consume. Transcripts improve the user experience. Text can also be read by spiders and search engines. As we mentioned before, the contextual detail is complete and searchable. Traffic is increased. The content has more influence.

‘Doing it for ourselves’ is one option, but invariably technology is often coming up alongside us offering a helping hand. I came across SpinVox –  a company that can take spoken words and feed them into a Voice Message Conversion System. This technology has initially been adopted to translate voicemail messages into simple text messages, but there are rumblings that the technology will be adopted elsewhere. More here.

We can also look to mass media and the technologies adopted by the BBC and the ABC. Perfect voice recognition is some way off, possibly 40 years or more, possibly? By perfect, we mean taking multiple audio channels and picking out the spoken word. For example, a travel show where the presenter is driving in a jeep through the Serengeti. There is the sound of the engine, passengers, and even the sound of a distant elephant. This confuses the voice recognition software. Having said that, organisations like the ABC have adopted speech recognition for single voice broadcasting like news bulletins, sports events and live entertainment shows. Occasionally the subtitling feed is delayed by a few seconds as someone respeaks or corrects what is being broadcast. A trick that could be employed on the web in particular podcasts where the audio is often single track or single voice.

More on 2 – Crowdsourcing …

OhNoRobot.com is designed especially for web comics. Like audio and video, there is no textual information around comic books so search engines are unable to find this creative work. The comic book writer looses their audience. To overcome this problem OhNoRobot allowed readers, as well as the comic book writers themselves to transcribe the text and make it searchable. They offer a button that says ‘help transcribe’ or ‘improve transcription’. Like the Wikipedia example cited before OhNoRobot is inviting contributions from those who have their own motivations for doing so.

OhNoRobot is one example, but perhaps a better one is TED. TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. A stage where leaders in their respective field of thought can promote their unique ideas for the future. The site maintains over 500 talks that are available through video, and new content is always being added. Producing interactive transcripts for the deaf community and also transcripts for all nationalities is a monster task for a not-for-profit organistion like TED. The costs associated to such an endeavor would be too high. In true TED style, they have not allowed cost to be an excuse for open and accessible content. TED allows for any talk to be translated by volunteers worldwide. The most active translator Anton Hikov has translated over 68 talks. Anton is not alone. There are thousands of volunteers. In the words of TED – “translators donate their time, energy and expertise to share TED Talks with the world. Their generosity and talent allow these ideas to spread”. The process is not difficult as TED provides a simple online interface to translate or review a talk. They also promote the individual behind the translation. They cite the most prolific contributors and they list translators next to each media piece. Reputation Capital is increased for the translator.

I hope to be making contact with TED over the forthcoming weeks and I also hope to learn more about the online translation tool. If this is a simple plug-in then perhaps it can be shared across other media sites including Government 2.0? I will also do some research on the big media players and the voice recognition software they have adopted. Again, hopefully open source!? Another great gift from the magic of the web.

********************************************

Article prepared in my role as New Media Coordinator at Media Access Australia.

Originally listed under Gov2, in particular ‘The Vox Pop 2.0 Learning Journey‘. The Government 2.0 Taskforce is being formed against a backdrop of increased interest by governments worldwide in the potential uses of public sector information and online engagement.

Quote Requests:

Please phone, SMS or email your quote request

Andrew Fox 0466 090 380
seachangeremovals@yahoo.com.au

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We are always happy to provide advice on how to ship and store any items.

SeaChange Removals Rates

Local Moves

Multiple items/Moving home

$110 per hour truck and 2 men

$150 per hour truck and 3 men

Negotiable 30 minutes travel time for removals Sydney Metro Local Service Area listed at the bottom of page.

n.b. SeaChange Removals subcontracts work from larger removals companies.

We are charged out  at:

$132 per hour 2 men

$198 per hour 3 men

Direct SeaChange customers get the same service level as premium, full service clients sourced by more established removalist agents/companies.

Sydney Local Purchase Delivery

Sydney local metro door to door up to 5 items one man $99

two man $150

Interstate Moves

Interstate minimum $330 for up to 3 cubic metres

Interstate whole of truck (46 cubic metres/4 bedroom house):

- Sydney to Brisbane (or Brisbane to Sydney) $3850

- Sydney to Melbourne (or Melb to Sydney) $3850

- Sydney to Adelaide (or Adelaide to Sydney) $4400

With enough notice and time to plan these interstate prices can be reduced by backloading.

A backload is where multiple jobs are carried on the same return journey.

The above prices are for whole of truck exclusive use. Backloads can reduce costs by up to 40%.

Nb: All prices include GST, prices are charged in 15 minute blocks, travel time is negotiated (no depot to depot charge)

Conditions on fixed price moves and deliveries:

Ground or first floor access, truck within 20 metres of front door, small items must be packed by owner into boxes. 150 kg per item limit. Packing service available at per hour rate.

About Seachange Removals

Seachange Removals Pty Ltd is wholly owned and operated by Andrew Fox.

The company was formed in April 2009.

Andrew has been moving furniture since 1993 when at 14 years old he was helping in his family’s furniture store in Sydney. Andrew and his father worked after school and on weekends delivering new furniture to customers.

After leaving high school Andrew worked for investment banks in trader support, technical and back office roles for approximately seven years.

During the other 7 years since finishing school Andrew has worked for many of the larger furniture removals and transport companies in Sydney, Brisbane and Darwin as an offsider, driver, team leader and operations manager.

Seachange Removals works with many of Andrew’s previous employers. Andrew’s ongoing relationship with these other established companies and operators gives his customers access to other trucks, discounted storage and backloads.

Do you need boxes?

If you need boxes to move we can help.

We buy boxes in wholesale quantities to keep the price low.

We provide new boxes for $4 new and used boxes for $3 (when available).

We can drop off boxes to you before your move for free.

We buy back boxes for $1.50 each (Sydney metro only)

If you are using another removalist service and just want to buy boxes from us we can deliver them for $20 (Sydney metro)

Fragiles/ Valuables/ Antiques/Heirlooms?

We will look after your items and treat them with the utmost care whether they have a high monetary or sentimental value.

We will keep your items safe by taking the time to ensure they are packed carefully and loaded securely.

We have bubble wrap, sensitive quilted freight blankets, boxes and crates. We will choose the most appropriate method to wrap, stack and load your items to avoid damage.

We are happy to safely move your paintings, artworks, pottery, heirlooms, fish tanks, glass, plasma tvs, pianos, AV/IT and electrical items and musical instruments.

What equipment do we have?

Sensitive freight blankets
Quilted furniture pads
Heavy duty trolleys and dolleys
Balcony Straps
Piano Straps
Battery Powered LED Lights
Power Tools for disassembly
Plastic covers for mattresses and lounges
Packing tape
Portable robes and boxes
Packing Boxes Available

What will we move?

Boxes, furniture, home, house, antique, artworks, cedar, oak, bookcase, drawers, table, chair, lounges, couch, dining, mahogany, blackwood, grandfather clock, hutch, desk, piano, draws, retro, sideboard, marble, glass, cabinet, stand, coffee table, mirror, dressing table, cupboard, bedroom, bed, cedar, lowboy, tallboy, bedside, bench, seat, dresser, china, tray, hallstand, washstand, lounge, seater, kitchen, pedestal, armchair, baltic, chest, setting, chaise, hardwood, tapestry, daylounge, daychair, commode, paintings, crystal, liquor cabinet, shop counter, pine, chic, headboard, armchair, sewing machines, credenza, display cabinet, fridge, freezer, washing machine, trunk, case, collectors items, cast iron, wardrobe, rocking chair, dresser, buffet, bookcase, leather, vinyl, veneer, particle board, office, reproduction, shop, single, double, queen, frame, shelf, teak, occasional table, corner suite, masonite, plywood, skate ramp,

What won’t we move?

Unfortunately we won’t be able to move any dangerous goods:

Gas bottles

Flammables

Liquids

Chemicals

Explosives

Infectious or decaying matter

Contraband

Weapons and ammunition of any kind

SeaChange Removals Sydney Metro Service Area

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Mount Druitt – Mount Kuring-Gai – Mount Lewis – Mount Pleasant – Mount Pritchard – Mount Vernon – Mulgoa – Mulgrave – Narellan – Narellan Vale – Naremburn – Narrabeen – Narraweena – Narwee – Nelson – Neutral Bay – Newbury – Newington – Newport – Newtown – Normanhurst – North Balgowlah – North Bondi – North Curl Curl – North Epping – North Manly – North Narrabeen – North Parramatta – North Richmond – North Rocks – North Ryde – North Seaforth – North St Ives – North St Marys – North Strathfield – North Sydney – North Turramurra – North Willoughby – North Wahroonga – Northbridge – Northmead – Northwood – Oakhurst – Oakville – Oatlands – Oatley – Old Guildford – Old Toongabbie – Oran Park – Orchard Hills – Osborne Park – Oxford Falls – Oxley Park – Oyster Bay – Paddington – Padstow – Padstow Heights – Pagewood – Palm Beach – Panania – Parklea – Parramatta – Peakhurst – Peakhurst Heights – Pemulwuy – Pendle Hill – Pennant Hills – Penrith – Penshurst – Petersham – Phillip Bay – Picnic Point – Pitt Town – Pitt Town Bottoms – Pleasure Point – Plumpton – Point Piper – Port Botany – Port Hacking – Potts Hill – Potts Point – Prairiewood – Prestons – Prospect – Punchbowl – Putney – Pymble – Pyrmont – Quakers Hill – Queens Park – Queenscliff – Raby – Railway Square – Ramsgate – Ramsgate Beach – Randwick – Redfern – Regents Park – Regentville – Revesby – Revesby Heights – Rhodes – Richmond – Riverstone – Riverview – Riverwood – Rockdale – The Rocks – Rodd Point – Rookwood – Rooty Hill – Rose Bay – Rosebery – Rosehill – Roselands – Rosemeadow – Roseville – Roseville Chase – Rossmore – Round Corner – Rouse Hill – Rozelle – Ruse – Rushcutters Bay – Russell Lea – Rydalmere – Ryde – Sackville – Sackville North – Sadleir – Sandringham – Sandy Point – Sans Souci – Scheyville – Schofields – Scotland Island – Seaforth – Sefton – Seven Hills – Shalvey – Shanes Park – Silverwater – Singletons Mill – Smeaton Grange – Smithfield – South Coogee – South Granville – South Hurstville – South Maroota – South Penrith – South Turramurra – South Wentworthville – South Windsor – Spit Junction – Spit, The – Spring Farm – St Andrews – St Clair – St Helens Park – St Ives – St Ives Chase – St Johns Park – St Leonards – St Marys – St Peters – Stanhope Gardens – Stanmore – Strathfield – Strathfield South – Strawberry Hills – Summer Hill – Surry Hills – Sutherland – Sydenham – Sydney – Sylvania – Sylvania Waters – Tamarama – Tarban – Taren Point – Telopea – Tempe – Tennyson Point – Terrey Hills – The Ponds – Thompsons Corner – Thornleigh – Toongabbie – Town Hall – Tregear – Turramurra – Turrella – Ultimo – Undercliffe – Varroville – Vaucluse – Villawood – Vineyard – Voyager Point – Wahroonga – Waitara – Wakeley – Wallacia – Wareemba – Warrawee – Warriewood – Warwick Farm – Waterfall – Waterloo – Watsons Bay – Wattle Grove – Waverley – Waverton – Wedderburn – Wentworthville – Werrington – Werrington County – Werrington Downs – West Hoxton – West Killara – West Lindfield – West Pennant Hills – West Pymble – West Ryde – Westleigh – Westmead – Wetherill Park – Whalan – Whale Beach – Wheeler Heights – Wiley Park – Willmot – Willoughby – Willoughby East – Windsor – Windsor Downs – Wingala – Winston Hills – Wisemans Ferry – Wolli Creek – Wollstonecraft – Woodbine – Woodcroft – Woodpark – Woollahra – Woolloomooloo – Woolooware – Woolwich – Woronora – Woronora Heights – Yagoona – Yarramundi – Yarrawarrah – Yennora – Yowie Bay – Zetland

Eugene Tan, a Tamarama-based water photographer, got his first camera in a garage sale at the age of nine. It was the size of an adult’s palm and tiny compared to some of the equipment he uses for his work these days. Now, the 33-year-old owns a multitude of cameras and lenses. The largest one is about as long as his outstretched arm.

Tan has managed to turn his passion for the beach and photography into a successful career and is the proud owner of two galleries, in Bondi and Bali, to date and another one in planning.

His local exhibition is an aquatic little world with over two-hundred panoramic, surf and underwater pictures hung on white walls, handy in wooden boxes and on draws. Their presentation is modern and meticulous. Blue lights create a true underwater setting in the evenings.

According to Tan, he wants to show people something they don’t normally see and aims to show “unique angles” in his shots.

Sara Groen, one of Tan’s customers, says he creates an intimacy with the ocean in his images. She particularly likes his use of light.

And Andrew G, a fan of Tan’s website Aquabumps and subscriber to his free daily surf report, says “Not only does [he] capture the majesty of Bondi in the morning, but when I’m away, I read [his e-mails] and feel a little closer to home. He inspires me to buy expensive lenses and get up extra early to make my own photos better.”

If you’ve always dreamt of taking your own beautiful shot of the ocean or your home break, Tan shares some professional advice.

“Tips would be: good light. Light’s everything. It’s actually just waiting for the right moment of light.”

While Tan’s equipment is a cut above anything a hobby photographer could afford, including a lens worth over $15,000, he says good photos can be taken on any camera.

“Good gear helps. It’s not everything though. When I couldn’t afford a real lens, I shot one of my best shots on a two hundred dollar lens,“ Tan said.

“It’s just being out there at the right time. I reckon at the start and the end of the day is the best time to shoot. Middle of the day is boring. Everyone sees it.”

According to Tan, another common mistake is when “people just think they’re gonna go out and take a good picture straight away. Whereas, I really hammered it to get good shots. You don’t get it in one shot. You really gotta be persistent.”

And getting back to his artistic eye and unique angles, he adds. ”The most important thing is: try and show something that people don’t normally see. Otherwise it’s not that interesting… ‘cause everyone sees eye level. So don’t shoot eye level, try and shoot on the ground or on a wall or something like that, where people don’t normally put their head. That’s when you get interesting angles.”

If that all sounds like too much work to get a beautiful photo of the ocean, just go down to the Aquabumps Gallery in Bondi and look through Tan’s samples of his work or log onto www.aquabumps.com.au.

It is winter after all, and not everyone will want to join Tan for the sunrise at the beach, sitting on the cold sand for hours, waiting for the perfect shot.

Article for The Beast.

Food – wheat biscuits, juice, sandwiches, salad, chickenandchips, beers.

Exercise – about 20k in about 2 hours.

+++

Beautiful weather again yesterday, so herself suggested the Bondi/Coogee coastal trail. She kept me company from Maroubra to Coogee, then I jogged to Bondi and back again. Lots of human traffic so it was a bit stop and start, but the views are incredible and all those steps and hills give you a good going over. Can’t recommend it highly enough to anyone visiting.

Just about time to start tapering. Maybe one more long run on Wednesday and then wind down after that. I’m enjoying the new level of fitness, but it’s hard to see the difference in your day to day life. If I ever run out of petrol 15 kilometres from the nearest station, I’ll know exactly how long the kids will have to play eye spy for until we can get going again. I don’t have kids, but you know what I mean.

Sport massage tonight – woo!

R

A collection of shots taken on the 20 August 2009. I was having one of those days so I decided to step out and at least show something for this particular calendar event.

http://martincahillphotography.com

I was fortunate last week to attend the debut event for The Hive Sydney, an initiative that concerns itself with entrepreneurs in the creative industries. I had just arrived when I was introduced to a qwerky looking character with a mustache. “Retro”, I thought. But then this bloke told me how he had established a charity that promotes blokes to grow a mustache during the month of November. “Oh yeah”, I have heard about this before I said. I bet you have too.

Luke Slattery (one of four original founders, the others being Travis Garone, Adam Garone and Justin Coghlan) then took to the stage to deliver a keynote presentation. The fun and jokes I was having with Luke were soon turned into thoughts of very serious business. Alternative, but serious.

From Movember:

“Movember is an entrepreneurial movement that raises money for prostate cancer and male depression through its participants (Mo Bros and Mo Sistas), by bringing back the ‘Mo’ to generate awareness of two life-threatening diseases which are almost taboo to talk about among most Australian males due to cultural stigma. Since its inception as a formal charity in 2004 Movember has raised over $60 million globally, significantly increased awareness of prostate cancer and depression in the community, and is continuously working to change the attitude men have about their health. The first Movember was in 2003, and the event first raised funds in 2004 when 262 registered Mo Bros raised just over $55,000. In 2006 Movember exceeded all expectations and by the end of the month, $6.63M had been raised by Mo Bros and Mo Sistas. 2006 was also the year that Movember gained international recognition … campaigns in the UK, USA, Canada, Spain and New Zealand, and in 2007 a phenomenal 130,000 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas participated worldwide. In terms of awareness, a recent survey showed that over 70% of Movember participants have become more aware of men’s health issues and have discussed those issues with family members, friends or colleagues. This kind of communication is important for promoting early detection of prostate cancer and breaking down the stigma attached to depression.”

This is no small achievement. What started over a Sunday beer with mates down the boozer rapidly grew into a $6.64m charitable business. It ticks all the right boxes of an alternative business:

• It is self-sufficient.
• It is not concerned with profiteering.
• It has raised over $7M for charity. Charities that were previously ignored.
• World-class research centres have been established where they weren’t before.
• Lives have been saved through improved awareness of key health issues.
• It employs teams of people around the world.
• There is no production.
• … And there must be countless tales of immeasurable laughter as your spouse, brother, or work colleague has groomed their mustache during the month of Movember.

This is a real alternative business and a perfect example of social innovation.

Luke’s talk was also insightful. He spoke about the importance of viral marketing and he was aware that people were keen to big up the technological aspects. Yet Luke was less concerned by the viral online network and suggested Movember’s success was spread from the age old tradition of people talking to other people. He also spoke about the pressures of being tied to a successful startup. All four directors had careers that were blooming. Each in very different disciplines – one building boats! Movember was never meant to take them away from their professional lives and when it commanded more and more attention the pressure was difficult to manage. To overcome any friction that would naturally develop between the group they all agreed to a mutually agreed set of expectations, the first being that they start as friends and they end as friends. They also listed simpler expectations like communication standards, for example, each director must respond to emails within 24 hours.

I like the modesty that came across from this presentation. Luke did not label himself with the tag of world’s greatest social innovator. He almost distanced himself from the entity that is Movember – “It was just a great idea, and we went along for the ride”.

A great story and a great starter for Alternative Business, and Movember is just around the corner!

I’ve been in Sydney for almost six months now and it seems that you can’t go more than a few steps before you stumble on a sporting field. Sport and competition is at the very heart of Australian life. The sports field is a typical scene, a significant part of the Aussie tapestry. Still, this photo is untypical in that the scene is empty. Rarely do you find an empty sports field. They are often crammed with teams and those supporting at the edges – soccer Mum’s and soccer Dad’s. At the weekend the city professional wins his reprieve. On a Sunday, the local team fights for local glory. Others sit at the edge and dream as to what might lie beyond the gate.

http://martincahillphotography.com

I don’t know why I like this photo. It’s about as uninteresting as it gets really, but perhaps that is the beauty.

It is also the first time I have accurately composed the white balance. I did not realise, until now, just how important this can be. It can really bring an image to life and create a true impression of the subject, even if it is a train carriage /

http://martincahillphotography.com

When you write a small blog about a small topic like crochet you hardly expect to make any waves.

So, yesterday when I posted up the photos of Walter the Giant Squid at Tamarama, I expected thirty or so facebook friends to click across and have a little smile at my handy work. Well, you can imagine my shock when I opened up my dashboard and found several hundred hits staring me in the face. It took me a while to figure out how, or why, all these complete strangers were spontaneously dropping by to say hello. But finally I got there, and saw this, to my surprise and delight!

Thanks so much, WordPress, for featuring Walter and I on your front page for a day. And thanks to everyone who said something nice when they visited.

I’m still grinning from ear to ear. These giant animals take a while to create, but I’m planning another shoot with Walter this weekend (hopefully this time with all 8 legs and 2 tentacles in tow) and I’m also starting work on a giant grasshopper.

And in the meantime I have a few little side projects to share with you along the way. So, to all my new friends out there, please drop by again soon!

It sounds like the title of some cheesy 1950s hollywood flick, but as we all know, life is stranger than fiction.

And this Sunday, Walter the Giant Squid really did go to Tamarama.

He’s still very much a work in progress (he only has three legs!) but I felt it was high time Walter got his name in lights, so I took him down to Tamarama with a very patient Anna, Kathy and Lucie the dog in tow for his first official photoshoot.

So, how was it? Well, it was wet (particularly when Walter made a bid for freedom and tried to swim out to sea, taking my shoes with him). It was long (I squatted for about 90 minutes shooting right through the sunset). It was messy (Walter then dragged a whole pile of sand and sea water back into our nice clean apartment and then spent the night warming himself in front of the heater). It was embarrassing (a pile of teenagers came and sat on a rock and stared. And stared. And stared.).

And it was totally, completely, and utterly worth it. I think the photos speak for themselves. My beloved Walter, a creature of the deep at last!

Adora cafe

On Friday I borrowed a camera for Fridays ride to Bronti for a ride to watch the sun rise. Some would wonder why anyone would bother getting up at 4.00am to watch the sun rise. However watching the sun rise over the sea can be a pleasure. I got up at 4.00am and rode Black Magic down to Bronti.

The traffic at 04.30 was quite good. I was able to ride all the way down Unwins Bridge Road and then rode most of the way up King Street. I was able to turn into Wilson street and rode all the way to Little Everleigh street with out any traffic. I was quite fast and it was a bit surreal riding through King Street Newtown.

When I got to Redfern I was able to ride all the way up Redfern Street and followed the Saturday Slowies route to Centennial Park. The thing that struck me about riding at this time was the number of other cyclists out and about at that time. I was followed from Wilson Street through to Redfern Street by a roadie and I met other commuters at Centennial Park.

When I got to Centennial Park I found myself riding to Bronti along the road that goes up from the TAFE opposite the park. I made it up the hill and then rolled through the streets of Waverly. I rode into Bronti after I got lost looking for Gaerloch street. I found myself near Tamarama. I found the spot where I had last watched the sunrise and got myself set up I took some before photos. Yes they are almost useless with the sky still dark. But when considered with the other photos things became interesting. I waited and waited and watched the sky turn from black to grey and then clearing to a beautiful azure.

The running track behind the place where I had set up became busier and I noticed an increase in the traffic on the streets near where I was waiting. Eventually the sun began to rise and I took the photos of Bronti, Tamarama and Bondi. Eventually things got to the point where I packed up and rode to work. I rode through Tama, to Bronti and then went through Charring Cross and Waverly to Centennial Park.

As I got closer to Centennial Park the idiot level of driving grew. I rode into work, through Newtown, Marrickville and used the Cooks River Cycle path to make right into work. I was amazed at the number of riders out and about early on a cool spring morning in Sydney.

In contrast yesterdays ride was interesting ride. I as a prologue I did the Saturday Slowies ride with Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club as I usually do.While I was waiting for the ride to begin I met Simon Sharwood, who told me Mike had decided to have a go at the hands free record. I asked if this would be the world, Australian or club record but was told it was a record. Eventually more riders turned up and we were joined by many a new face. This included a couple who were Audax riders. They were a lovely couple but the reminded me of a power couple for some reason.

We took off for Centennial with just over twenty riders. We broke the group into two bunches. I rode with the last bunch. We had a few riders who were obviously new and in one case was using new cleated pedals which they were not used to. Mike joined us and we stuck at the back after the guy with the new pedals almost came off.  We had to shepherd the riders at the rear when the bunch broke up. However we got the bunch to Centennial Park.  We all went about doing what we normally do but eventually I caught up with Mike and Weiyun opposite the cafe.

Mike took off on his fixie with his hands either by his side or on his hips. I went off to follow him as a witness if required and he dropped me riding on his fixie. Mike made the record or so I am told and he got some photos done. I don’t know if it is official but I would say that it is pretty much up there.

When we got back to the Marrickville Road Cafe we had the usual coffee and raisin toast and other goodies. We also had our good old chat. I found the power couple charming. I was still confronted with what to do for the rest of the day.

 I did not have anywhere to go afterward so I contemplated my options. I had thought about riding to Penrith. It was one of my favourite rides when I began riding but some uncertainty over the diversions to the prospect reservoir ruled it out.

I decided I would go to Olympic Park and have a look at the Newington Armory. I needed a second bidon cage and went to Cell Bikes in Stanmore to get it. I rode to the shop in Stanmore and found myself eying up a pair of shy shorts which I could use for commuting in Canberra. I picked up a bidon cage and went to pay for them and found that I had left my wallet back at home. With the radio story of a female cyclist being struck by an idiotic P plater ringing in my ears I rode back home to pick it up.

I returned to Cell Bikes and completed the purchase. I got lunch at Subway in Stanmore and then headed off to the Cooks River Cycleway, via some of the streets in Hurlstone Park. I took the photo of the Hurlstone Park war memorial after the smoke had cleared from a car hoon’s doughnuts. I then rode on to the Cooks River and rode up to Olympic Park.

When I got to Olympic Park I met a guy who had been cycle touring. He had is bike panniers loaded and was going to head back to Queensland as soon as he could. I rode to the lookout area and took the photos of the surrounding wetlands and how the urban growth encroaches on them. I then rode on to the Newington Armory which is an old munitions depot near Olympic Park. It is now a museum and art space. I took some photos there.

While I was at the armory it turned out that there was an art exhibition on. I decided I would go and have a look at the exhibition after I had a look around. I have been on Army bases before and took some photos of the armory because some of it is extremely old. Some of the buildings were built in the 19th century. I was on my way to the art exhibition when I came off after my wheels got stuck in the tracks. I landed heavily on my right side and have bruised my right thigh and my right shoulder. I was helped up by a couple walking close by.

I went to the exhibition after I had sorted myself out. It was quite interesting. There was an installation and one of the oddest treatments of a drawing I have ever seen. There was a room hived off with black curtains. On the curtains was pinned a sign saying “This exhibition contains material that may offend. Viewing recommended only for those over the age of 15″. Curious I went into the room and found it only contained a large drawing of the female pubic area. In my opinion there are few people who would be offended and many people over the age of 15 have seen this time and again. There was a video installation of a cover of Bette Middler’s “Industry”, which was set in the armory grounds. It was a good exhibition.

I got myself together and rode to Olympic Park which was being set up for the Bledisloe Cup match that evening. I had an iced coffee and headed off. I got back home and got myself together to catch up with Ruth.