Welcome to the 21st century

Listening to: Something For Kate - Pinstripe
--

Well, I'm finally dragging my ass into the 21st century. We've got broadband. :) And I'm SMRT enough to hook it up and not fry the electrical circuits in the house and the PC. Score!

Seriously though, it's so nice to be able to load pages at a normal rate. I've been on dial-up since about 2000 or so, and have also used high speed internet access at uni and various jobs. While I loved the fast speeds, I would simply go home and slip back into dial-up mode, patiently waiting for the modem to dial in and the pages to load eventually.

Recently we've been having issues with our phone line.Telstra twiddled their thumbs and ragged their knuckles kicking and screaming into the modern world of customer serivce, and took three weeks to fix a crossed phone line with our neighbour, but eventually after having basically no home internet for a month, we were back online. Just before the phone line filled its nappy, I'd been looking for a new ISP and had decided to upgrade to ADSL. I picked out the plan I wanted, the modem was chosen and the ISP booked in (almost). Finally, after Telstra got their shit together, we were able to join up.

Yesterday I got the message that it was ready to roll, so I shot into town on my lunch break and grabbed the modem and an ehternet card for my aging PC. After work I got home and immediately started playing. All my concerns about connecting it up and stuff like that quickly went out the window - this shit's easy to do!

So finally we have high speed broadband access. We're pretty much up to date on the techo side of things. Except for the aformentioned aging PC. I'm going to be getting a laptop in the next month or so, as the router I got supports wireless networking. But the PC will need to put out to pasture soonish. It's still going ok, but its teeth are getting rather lengthy.

Next stop, Google Earth 4.2, complete with hidden flight simulator mode. :)

Ramblings

Listening to: Fear Factory - Replica
--

I am a duplication
Innocently
I was conceived
So violently

I had a dream the other night, that I met Dream Theater. The fact that one second they were wearing the classic mid-90s white basketball shoes with black jeans and black T-shirt, and then the next, they were all in casual clothers with their hair cut shorter doesn't seem to stick in my mind as much as the fact that I was sitting next to guitarist John Petrucci, talking about when they would be touring.

For those who don't know, DT have never hit the shores of Australia, despite having been in the industry for twenty years now.

I love my dreams sometimes, they're so random. Then again, the one I had when I was about five, where I was being chased round my grandmother's house by a Tyrannosaurus Rex, wasn't so lovely. I've only ever had that dream once, but I've never forgotten it. I can still see myself clear as day, running around the house, with this god-awful thing behind me.

Have you ever had a dream where you knew what was happening, but couldn't see it? See, I knew there was a T-Rex after me, but I don't actually remember seeing the bastard. I know it was behind me - I just don't remember looking at it. Needless to say when I was that young, it spooked me which probably why I can remember it so vivdly.

I wonder if that's got anything to do with my morbid fear or being approached from behind without knowing. In my previous job, I sat with my back to the corridor. To overcome this fear, I placed a small convex mirror on the edge of my computer screen, so I had a view of any movement behind me. I didn't necessarily want to know who was there, just if there was someone there. It was there for a good twelve months before someone (never did find out who) complained to my manager saying it was "unprofessional", and I was asked to remove it. I moved it to a less obvious location on the partition, where I could still see it, but it was difficult for others to see.

Anyway, enough about my bizarre tendencies. If you're not aware, Nikon have announced the D300 and the D3. While I would love the latter, the former is more within my target price range. I've been planning on upgrading my venerable D100 for a while, and was eyeing off the D200. But with the D300 being released, I have a new prize to keep my eye on.

One thing I noticed while reading up about the D3 is that, because it's a full-frame sensor, if you stick a DX lens on it (which were designed specifically to get around the multiplifaction factor associated with non-full frame sensors), the D3 will actually reduce the size of the image you take, from 12 megapixels to around 6 or something.

Not something those semi-pro shooters who have a bag full of DX lenses want to hear I bet - hope you held onto your FX lenses!

A Taste Of Culture

Listening to: Machine Head - Battery
--

Friday night was a true cultural experience for us. The General Manager of the company I work for is Maori, and wanted to put on a show for all employees and their family, with a Maori twist. Instead of your traditional barbecue, or in my previous employer's case, a spit roast, he decided to put on a traditional Maori Hangi.

To start the night though, we were treated to a Maori welcoming ceremony which was amazing to see. When Kel and I were planning our now-delayed trip to NZ, we were able to learn a bit about the Moari culture and heritage. So to be able to see it right in front of us was incredible. The passion and pride the people involved showed made me think about the fact that, as Australians, we really don't have that much history. Sure, we've got two hundred or so years behind us, and a broad mix of cultures and heritages, but the Maori people have probably thousands of years of customs and history. To be witness to a small part of this history was an honour.

Then came the food... Cooked in a hole in the ground for about five hours, made for some mouth-watering meat. Perfectly cooked chicken, delicious lamb and beautiful smoked pumpkin and potato made for a fantastic dinner.

And to top the night off, a group of Cook Islanders performed traditional dances and drumming for us. Couldn't ask for a better experience, really.

A huge thanks to Clark and his crew for putting together a night that I know I won't forget any time soon. Beats my old employer's work dinners!

Life

Listening to: Dream Theater- The Ministry Of Lost Souls

--
Hello mirror

So glad to see you again

It's been a while

Well, here I am, four weeks into my new job. I'm slowly hacking my way through the quagmire that is the current documentation backlog, and am slowly making notes on how to improve the whole system. File storage, file references (the CAD software we use relies heavily on linked files and properties within those files - time-consuming to set up, but very powerful once it's sorted) naming conventions, supplier contacts, that kinda thing.

It's a lot to take in, but I'm getting there. I'm yet to spend some time on the factory floor, getting used to the different stages or production, but it's on the agenda and I'll keep pushing for it to happen. I'm also planning to ask to spend time with the guys installing our products, so I can see what they need to deal with.

It's nice to be able to sit here and work away, without the constant drumming noises of the huge die-cutting machines at my old work. I got used to it pretty quickly, but it's a change being able to hear the keystrokes on the keyboard! Every now and then I'll hear someone drop a length of aluminium rod, or hear the chop saws cutting up the steel tube, but other than that, it's a peaceful environment.

I'm also working on a little design project that's proving deceptively challenging. At first glance I thought it wouldn't be too tough. Man, did I underestimate this sucker! But I'm working through each issue as they come up, and I'm almost there.

And to top this first month off, in about two and a half hours, I'll be flying to Sydney for the Saturday inDesign show. Sweeeet.

In other news, my second photographic exhibition is coming to a close. No luck in selling, but for it was never about sales. I was proud to see my work hanging in a public space. Sure it would've been nice to flog it off, but I've achieved my goal.

Till next time.