tweets from me
- Saturday night at the buckingham arms- can we go home mow? 1 week ago
- Universal phone charger OK'd - CNET News: http://bit.ly/2Jr3lY - what a good idea! - its about time! 2 weeks ago
- @marlenemanto if i was going to do an E-newsletter i might use this : - http://bit.ly/qBns8 2 weeks ago
- thinking of coming back to twitter. some say twitter search is almost as good as google ? 1 month ago
- Twitition: Optus to Optus don't charge extra for tethering!! http://twitition.com/5tsv8 @trentqueen 4 months ago
Well what a day at tunk today!
I thought it might be one early - so I got started early and left home at about 9 I got to tunk at about 10:15 ish to find it WSW. I waited and enjoyed the sunshine while the posse turned up, but i wasnt the fitrst one there as wayne and his cohorts had beaten me to it.
for the next hour or two there was a lot of standing around - we all realized it was probably going to straighten up and that it would be better at blowhole but no one could remember the way to get there.
we also considered the bluff, but with such a big posse the bluff would have been a logistical nightmare, so we waited.
jonno showed us how its done and set up first. he had to endure a few gusts, but eventually he was geared up and launched and flying with eagles.
I got geared up and then launched knowing it was probably going to be a sleddie – and i was right - crappy launch too - I dont think I’ve ever flown tunk when it was so WSW. the wind was so off there was no lift and I had to turn to the south and out of what lift there might have been just to get some height.
Second launch was much better,
i dont know why , but i was the only one to move around to the SW and launch directly into the bowl. it was a lot better.
After getting a feel for it in the air, I wandered over to the bowl to the west over the powerline. I was pushing into wind and I made it with a little bit of height to spare and I think the advantage of having a better glide and ability to go upwind with a bit of speedbar became obvious because someone on an ozone wing tried to follow and bombed out.
( BTW – there’s so many new faces and new wings I have no idea who is who in the air anymore - how embarassing! - I used to know everyone’s wing at a glance! )
coming back I scraped over the powerline - ( i think I gave Wayne a fright! coz i was a bit close)
got back to the front and topped up with height. i tried a few very mild wingovers and realized that this wing rewards precision flying ( and might punish sloppy flying ) - I decided not to push my luck today with big wingovers.
I saw that adam and simon were heading down to tunk head. so I took after them. jumping the gap to the left of lauch was easy and as you would exepect going downwind to the nob was fairly easy with almost no loss of height. I met simona nd Adam coming back there and decided I’d turn and follow them.
It was obvious the difference in wings right there. - Adam in his DHV 2/3 peak was just effortlessly pushing back into wind, not losing height , and just left us for dead.
Simon, was low and scratching forward - but he earns the scratch and sniff award for today - it was amazing that he managed to scrape back all the way back to launch. !!!! amazing!
My new wing was halfway in between. I didnt have to scratch but I had to be careful with how much speedbar I used – too much and I was down with simon.
I made it back and after a boating about I went for a secong trip down to the nob.
This trip was harder! – the wind had gone more west and i was forced to scratch just like simon did !
Later on steve told me he was behind me scratching as well. I must admit that although I remember following a red wing down there I forgot all about it when I started concentrating on scratching back.
Steve apparently bombed out where I managed to scrape around the front of the hill with the house next to it and got back.
on the slope to the left of launch Adam was there and we did some side by side glides - and found that my glider is trimmed to fly a little faster than the peak. and they seemed to glide around about the same. but as soon as we apply speedbar Adam ” leaves me in his dust “.
to get back in front of launch I tried out full speedbar - which should give me a forward airspeed of around 52-55kmh - i wanted to see how fragile the leading edge was at that speed and how much sink I will get.
as is typical of a lot of this type of wing 1/2 speedbar is quite good and efficient – full speedbar is almost as terrible as a DHV 1/2 .
I lost hieght punching forward ( the wind was picking up ) and just as I got to the fog tree I got strange rotory air - the strange air that Helen warned us about when its so WSW caught me! - the wind instead of flowing up over the tunk launch was flowing along in front of it, and when I went ot scratch up the front I flew in to rotory air.
luckily It wasnt bad and I just went and landed in the paddock.
So, the wing is what I was looking for. - I wanted a wing like my old sport 2 - but with lighter brakes and better turn, shorter brake travel, and good launching characteristics.
I was also wanting to break with tradition. although i am happy with the passive safety of DHV 1/2 wings, I wanted better handling and shorter break travel. I wanted to see if a mild DHV 2 would give me a boost ing handling and performance without sacrificing too much in passive safety.
So far it’s looking good, but I have yet to fly it in thermic conditions.
They say that the Airwave Cobra is the wing you should get if you are looking for an update to the Sport 1’s handling and performance. – and I would agree with that.
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but getting back to the day, - I think it was a challenging day today, flying tunk when its on with a consistent southerly is great but sometimes too easy - today a lot could be learnt from dealing with the conditions.
I saw a few blown launches and one drag, and you can now see that skilling up in higher wing launches is something you need for coastal flying ! 
anyway I’m still in a buzz about my new wing.
My New RAV4
On the weekend I took delvery of my 2009 RAV4 CV. (Australia gets the japanese built model) Having had such a good run from my 1994 Rav4 three door, I was keen to get a RAV4 again.
The 2009 Rav4 has a few enhancements from the previous years model, namely a slight change in the grille, the taillights, addition of turn indicators mounted in the mirrors and minor changes to the dashboard.
The interior. As will the previous model the interior of the RAV4 is roomy considering its size. The seats are comfortable and fabric covered, and wider than the 1994 seats.
One thing that drew criticism from my missus is the large climate control knobs on the dashbaord. “ They look like knobs from my kitchen oven” She said. And I had to agree – the dished controls in the cruiser seemed a lot nicer to look at. But I have found that after using them that the “ oven knobs are quite ergonomic – easy to read and adjust. So although they might not be the most elegant looking controls, they do work well.
The plastic surround is different compared to other photos I have seen of Rav4 interiors – it now is more subdued in brightness and has a brushed steel look, and it pleasing to the eye.
The instrumentation is well lit and the other controls are easy to find . I do find the steering wheel quite small, and I wondered why they designers of the RAV4 chose such a small steering wheel, and after getting in an out the RAV a few times I found that it might have to do with the typical seat position and that a large steeering when would get in the way of getting your thighs out from under the wheel.
The rest of the interior is well laid out with an amazing 8 drink holders around the cabin.
The boot space is very large for a car this size especially if you take into account the area under the boot’s floor ( normally used by the spare wheel in most cars.
A cargo net and cargo blind is supplied as standard.
The rear seats are roomy with plenty of leg room and kids can see out of the car easily.
There is a lap sash belt for the centre rear seat passenger, which involved using a car key to release one of the buckles allowing it to retract completely into the car roof.
One criticism I have read about the RAV is the poor visibility to the rear . Most blame it on the rear wheel being in the way, but I think it is a combination of the slightly small rear window, the larger rear pillars and the slight convex side mirrors making it hard work to back the rav into a car park. I can now see why they are pushing the rear parking sensors and rear camera as attractive accessory.
Of course the rear visibility is no worse than my Holden Commodore, but I suppose when buying a new car everyone wants it to be perfect.
The engine is relatively quiet, and is ticking over at about 2400 RPM at 100 Kmh. While cruise control on and the RAV in 5th gear the engine has enough torque to power up most hills and only requires shiofting back for the steep ones. Although I need to explore this a bit further as I havent owned a car with cruise control before.
Some of the things my 8 year old Commodore had, that the Rav4 is missing are : -
- an electric adjustable driver’s seat. ( which I dont really miss)
a speed alert reminder ( this might cost me a ticket of two.)
a trip/ fuel consumption computer – this is the thing I miss the most, I cant understand why it is missing from a modern car. With all the traction control , stability control airbags, etc how hard can it be to add a trip computer?
The brakes and the ABS pull the RAV up quickly with no fuss. The tyres supplied on the vehicle are Bridgestone Duellers whereas the previous model ( at least on the V6 ) was supplied with Yokahamas.
The suspension gives a firm ride with a minimum of body roll but has enough give in it to make easy work of potholes, and there are no annoying rattles as yet.
Under the bonnet the layout of the motor is relatively uncluttered for a modern car, an simple jobs shouldnt be too hard. The alternator is at the front of the motor as is the exhaust manifold. Topping up fluids should be easy.
I am considering getting a nudge bar are the radiator is vulnerable behind that plastic bumper bar. One kangaroo could do a lot of damage to the front of the car and strand a motorist in the middle of nowhere with a busted radiator.
Surprisingly looking under the RAV the petrol tank is not at the rear of the car, its located on the left hand side of the underbody underneath the rear left passenger floor. The lowest point under the car seems to be the exhaust as it curves under the rear axle. – although the point where it exist the engine bay is at about the same level.
I’m still getting used to the car, but I am finding that it handles well for a SUV, has enough clearance at 200mm and when I tookit onto out local beach, didnt get bogged. ( the sand wasnt deep) the 4wd button didnt seem to make any difference to low speed handling on sand.
So Far I am very happy with the RAV – far more refined than our 1994 three door, but still has that RAV feeling.
Ok we moved into our current house almost 2 years ago, and it’s only today that we’ve unpacked the last box and have got both cars into the garage . Fist time ever.
I’m testing an iPhone app that allows direct blogging from my iPhone
[TALO - stands for teach and learn online - an email list started a couple of years ago in Australia. It covered the changing face of online/ blended/ technology learning......]
OK. well, to put it bluntlly, TALO isnt as good as it used to be.
Leigh provided the (almost) religious zeal for networked learning, and put in the time to facilitate the list like we all know decent lists should be. He would gather the threads together, respond and encourage, ask probing questions, and tease out the deeper meaning behind some of the more cryptic responses.
Leigh and others have also practiced what they preached - a networked learner/ netizen should have a distributed presence on the net, and not put all of their energies into a single mail list. Quite simply they have moved on – and quite rightly - how can you speak with any authority on “all things internet” if you dont get in there and try it?
Here’s an example. One thing I noticed is that some of the previously high profile posters on TALO were doing stuff on Twitter. and having a brief look at Twitter I couldnt understand the attraction. I would see twitter posts (sometimes called microblogging) where people would post things like : – I’m doing the dishes, I’m driving to work, I’m picking my nose etc….. at first I didnt see much value in it .
Then I started using twitter more when I downloaded an App into my iphone called Twinkle - which provided an easy way to post and read Twitters. The app also provided a way to see twitter posts based on location – I could also see twitters from within – say – a 50 Km radius.
It was about this time I saw a change in the way people were using Twitter.
I noticed some bloggers were blogging as per usual but were announcing a new post with a summary and a link in Twitter…..
I notice when some twitterers had found an interesting article they would comment and provide a link.
I noticed that some twitterers were using a feature in which people could post to a twitter category that was related to some event. ie a twitter category was created which related to a conference etc. Conference attendees could Twitter each other during the keynote speech - and so a twitter conversation would be happening during the presentation.
This led me a small moment of epiphany. - One of the reasons I have never been able to incorporate using an RSS reader into my daily life is because that approach is centred around content. Twitter, on the other hand centres around people.
I realized that I dont make connections with data – I make connections with people. The twitter approach connects me to people. and through that connection their blog post has meaning, context and relevance.
Many ex TALO posters are in the Twiterverse - maybe thats why the email list is a bit dead.
Is it a case of ” TALO is dead, long live TALO “ ???
OK you might have seen the propaganda campaign from the Free Software Foundation? - here’s a copy from Leigh Blackhall’s Blog : - learnonline.wordpress.com
iPhone completely blocks free software. Developers must pay a tax to Apple, who becomes the sole authority over what can and can’t be on everyone’s phones.- iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology.
- iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge.
- iPhone won’t play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora.
- iPhone is not the only option. There are better alternatives on the horizon that respect your freedom, don’t spy on you, play free media formats, and let you use free software — like the FreeRunner.
- Its way over priced for something that WILL break in your pocket (OK, I added the last one
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I don’t agree with some of the assertions being made so lets look at them 1 at a time.
iPhone completely blocks free software. Developers must pay a tax to Apple, who becomes the sole authority over what can and can’t be on everyone’s phones.
Not true.
If you can write software you can download the software development kit for free ( $0). if you choose to publish the application you create and give it away for free ($0) apple will host it on i Tunes for free ( if it meets software quality and meets apples broad criteria (ie no Porn).
If you choose to charge for your software apple will take a cut – but why should that worry the free software foundation ????
One thing I will agree on, is at the moment there is no way for a developer to share source code and techniques with other developers – and they are grumbling a bit about that. I expect apple will relax this rule soon.)
iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology.
no surprise there. if apple was going to get the record labels and the movie companies to provide content at an affordable price for quick and easy download then yes the iPhone would have to support DRM.
So what! - the iPhone also supports un-DRM’ed content so you are not locked out of using your music and videos the way you please. and although its not quite legal there are utilities readily available to remove DRM if you so desire.
iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge.
Oh Come on! - the FSF are really clutching at straws here.
when an application on the iPhone wants to use GPS location data, it gives you – the user, the option to allow or deny access to location data. and that permission routine is built into the operating system. it cant be bypassed.
iPhone won’t play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora.
no. and it wont play Betamax video tapes either.
The iPhone supports MP3 (the most popular format) and AAC ( and open standard). converting files from one format to the other is usually a trivial task on a computer. People like mp3 – and the iPhone does it.
If the FSF are so cut-up about this, why don’t they commission someone to write an iPhone app that plays OGG and Theora files??? instead of just whinging about it?
iPhone is not the only option. There are better alternatives on the horizon that respect your freedom, don’t spy on you, play free media formats, and let you use free software — like the FreeRunner.
err no. other initiatives like Google’s Android phone OS are nothing but “vapourware” at this point while the iPhone is here and now. The iPhone breaks new ground as a sophisticated Internet device, multimedia player, and mobile phone. and they are selling MILLIONS of them . So why complain ? As consumers we will all benefit from the competition that the iPhone brings to the market.
Its way over priced for something that WILL break in your pocket (OK, I added the last one
Leigh added this one – and i don’t think its too dear. 2years ago I bought a Motorola SLVR – an almost smart phone on contract. Through Optus I got a 16gig iPhone and the contract was only 7 dollars a month dearer than my previous phone, and I get 250mb of data a month thrown in. ( I will be using wifi mostly). So in comparison I don’t think its overpriced – (its not cheap either!)
Lastly jailbreaking an iPhone isnt legal, but its not too difficult either. so if you really want to get your own content onto an iPhone, its possible through this avenue.
You also don’t have to deploy applications to the iPhone through the iTunes store. the software development kit also allows you to deploy an application to up to 100 iPhones through a wifi enabled network. this can be used by enterprises that want to deploy an in-house application to their workforce.
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Frankly I am tiring of the FOSS movement’s shrill condemnation of anything that doesn’t meet their narrow outlook when it comes to computing technology. Their techno-bigotry is not winning the hearts and minds of consumers - they need to rethink their strategies. as the saying goes – you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
Well well! This post comes direct to my blog from my iPhone . Hopefully it might make it easier to blog a bit more often.
One of the things I’ve been meaning to find out more about is augmented reality, as one of the things that sprung to mind when I was thinking what podcasts could actually do – one idea I had was the ” guided tour podcast. but if you take that idea one step further…….Imagine you are walking through a park with your augmented reality glasses on – they are plugged into your portable device – which is connected to the net via WIFI, and has a GPS unit in it so it knows where you are.You walk close to a statue – there is an RFID tag embedded in the base of the statue – your mobile device detects that you are in close proximity to the statue and through your augmented reality sunglasses it indicates there is information about this statue by overlaying a hotspot on it as you look at it.you tap your pocket to indicate you want the information. and after a moment an audio feed from the ‘net tells you about the statue, its creator and the reason its here in the park.Science fiction? – no i think we have all the building blocks to make this augmented reality right now. in fact I bet with a enough google-ing I will find its probably already happening.______________________________ I was using Youtube to gather videos about augmented reality and was saving them to an appropriately labeled playlist in my account. It thoought that others might want to see this collection of videos in the playlist so I emailed the playlist to the TALO mailist and it occured to me that I hadnt seen this done by anybody else.Apart from the fact that Youtube is blocked by the TAFE firewall , it seemed me to be a quick and effective way to direct you audiences attention to video resources on Youtube – so its a teaching tool that’s quick, easy and simple! Lastly welcome to my new blog. The old one – fliteblog.blogspot.com was missnamed, and on a site that was increasingly full of spam and blocked by almost everybody and admittedly had fallen into disuse. This blog will hopefully be more broader in its outlook.
