Rob Masters

Lost wrecks found under a carpark in Bunbury! For many years there have been rumours of 'lost' shipwrecks along the SW coast. Now three of them have been found. Two are American whalers, but the third is currently a mystery. Although a bit further north than the rumoured Deadwater Wreck ( http://www.lifeonperth.com/deadwaterwreck.htm ), several of these could be contenders for the unidentified vessel. Wood samples have been taken, so now we wait... http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-28/story-4/3750362

Merry Christmas,or whatever seasonal greeting is appropriate to you. May you and yours have a good and safe year. A special 'good luck' to any folks in Darwin, as they brace for another Christmas cyclone. I remember the year Santa never made to you.

Hmm... My irony meter is pegging right now... I wonder why? http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/12/internet-suitcase-dc/all/1

Give-aways - yay! Originally shared by Android Police More international love. http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/12/15/mega-holiday-giveaway-2-win-one-of-four-tablets-either-a-sony-tablet-s-or-asus-transformer-with-keyboard-dock-25-amex-gift-card

One does not simply walk in to Mordor...the route has trolls. GMaps link: http://goo.gl/1FRT1

Some hard data to support a position I have held for some time. Now if we can just sort out our environmental impact and social equality issues... But, as the Possum says "The problems we have left in Australia are difficult and sophisticated..." http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollytics/2011/12/08/australian-exceptionalism/

Fear the Space Rain Crab!

One of my favourite writers, in conversation with one of my favourite illustrator/writers. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/02/neil-gaiman-shaun-tan-interview

Next weekend, December 3rd, the Perth Disc Golf Club is visiting Hester Reserve in Langford for their monthly league match. We will also, before the match, be running an Introduction To Disc Golf session for the public from 9am-10am, followed by the league game (to which everyone is invited) and after the round there will be a barbecue. Hester Reserve is a great location, and it is sure to be a fun morning. You can find Hester Reserve here: hester park, langford http://www.perthdiscgolf.com/joomla/index.php

Originally shared by Rob Shinn Victoria Nigar created a poster. I thought it might need a bit of work to make it more convincing, so I've helped her out.

And how it was made... Aardman remain extraordinary. http://www.vimeo.com/27019750

Wow.... the scale of this is stunning! And it is very funny! http://www.vimeo.com/26877221

I'm sorry - I want some of these! http://www.williams-handmade.com/collections.html

After a blow up with a very old friend of mine on this topic, this says things perfectly. I, too, am often 'that girl'. Originally shared by Alan Porter Excellent short video on life from the point of view of a Celiac. - And, yes, sometimes I'm "that girl" too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4G5Qw8S90M

IGA here has GF Christmas puddings!

Preview the new Kate Bush album, thanks to Radio National! Here's a hint - she's still good! http://www.abc.net.au/rn/breakfast/stories/2011/3359910.htm

This is stunning, beautiful, and touching. http://funniest10k.1000notes.com/86-yr-old-makes-rage-comic

Excellent summary! Originally shared by Gabriel Vasile UNDERSTANDING GOOGLE+ v2.0 Ok, so this is the second version of Understanding Google+ and it should be very useful for all the newbies. I would've also added: "Want to see influencers and statistics? -> View Ripples" , but there's no more space for that. Feel free to share it to help everyone and give me some feedback on the original post: https://plus.google.com/106393478695568433143/posts/bXh4UpWh3Kc Background source: http://thedeleteduser.deviantart.com by Gahan Raj Other useful posts: #gvgpUseful

Courtesy of BoingBoing... http://www.flickr.com/photos/14112399@N00/6319612186

May we never forget them, and always remember why. http://www.news.com.au/national/lest-we-forget-pms-tribute-to-last-ww1-digger/story-e6frfkw0-1226192415021 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-11/australians-mark-remembrance-day/3660364

We've got our photos from the Classic Paddle a couple of weeks ago up! The photographer from Aussies in Action was very accommodating, too - and gave us permission to publish low-res versions of the photos he took of us! Thanks, Kevin! http://www.lympago.com/leece_galleries/ClassicPaddle2011/index.html http://www.lympago.com/leece_galleries/ClassicPaddle2011/mq/img-23.jpg

OK - even at that price, I'd be interested in the 7" version... http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/11/07/the-panasonic-toughpad-a1-a-droppable-everything-proof-10-inch-tablet-coming-spring-2012-for-1300-7-inch-b1-version-coming-fall-2012/

This is BBC News - the home of up-to-the-minute, accurate, impartial and independent news, features and analysis from across the UK and around the world. We're pulling together our plans right now for how we're going to use this space to bring you the best of what we do, from all our TV, radio and digital output. Please let us know what you think, and how you'd like to see BBC News using Google+.

I want these! The perfect office shoe for me! Originally shared by David Shellabarger Some things shouldn't exist.

Monsterously good fun! http://www.monstersupplies.org/

The concept of an 'average' typeface is rather interesting - and I am pleased to see that the average includes serifs. Originally shared by Carlyn Maw Averages are beautiful. http://iotic.com/averia/

Allie nails it, in her own inimitable way. http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2011/10/adventures-in-depression.html

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, at a workmate's prompting Leece and I are taking part in the RLSA(WA) Classic Paddle, and we’re fundraising to help prevent toddler drownings, through the education programs of the Royal Lifesaving Society (WA). The event is coming up this Sunday, so please think about donating – or, better still, actually donate. You can sponsor either of us: http://classicpaddle.gofundraise.com.au/page/RobertMasters http://classicpaddle.gofundraise.com.au/page/AliciaSmith http://classicpaddle.gofundraise.com.au/page/RobertMastershttp://classicpaddle.gofundraise.com.au/page/AliciaSmith

By way of theweasleking over on LJ. http://www.canada.com/health/Ottawa+taxi+goes+airborne+flips+then+lands/5602101/story.html

So glad we have Media Watch to shine the light of truth on our cockroach 'journalists'. http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s3346987.htm

Originally shared by Art Russ Yep, we've organized yet another Giant Giveaway! Here's your second chance to win an Eee Pad Slider: http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/10/24/giant-giveaway-11-two-more-16gb-white-asus-eee-pad-sliders-are-up-for-grabs-win-one-for-doing-next-to-nothing/

So, I posted this a few days ago over on my blog pages, and it would seem to be Too Hard for everyone over there. Anyone here willing to take this quiz on? http://rdmasters.livejournal.com/45443.html

As I seem to be saying more and more these days - I love living in the future! http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/18/us-malaria-vaccine-scientist-idUSTRE79H59220111018

via BoingBoing...If it times out, try again. I particularly like #3 and #11. http://occupywriters.com/by-lemony-snicket

I can only repeat what Howard said... Originally shared by Elron H This is what democracy looks like. Faces of the OWS protesters. http://www.flickr.com/photos/macdawg/sets/72157627753926729

So very, very true. Originally shared by Wil Wheaton This bears repeating: "The greatest hoax of the last couple of decades has been the ability of the right wing to co-opt members of the struggling lower middle class and lower class and pretend they speak for them while enacting policies that enable the super-rich. They’ve used wedge issues like gay marriage and abortion and the baby Jeebus to alienate folks from their own economic interests, feeding them a steady diet of hatred of minorites, the educated, science, and, well, reality to create a voting block of people so guided by hatred of the 'other' that they would crawl over broken glass to cut their nose off to spite their face." -John Cole http://www.balloon-juice.com/2011/10/10/long-division/

This tiny little aircraft is a Cri-Cri - the world's smallest two-engined plane, shown here with her proud owner/builder. Powered by two 20HP two-stroke engines, and able to maintain flight on one, it is an amazing piece of minimal engineering.

Pitts Special at the SAAA 2011 flyin. Tail-stand and fall-back over the Swan River.

Extra 300L coming out of a stall turn over the Swan.

My photos from the second day of the Sports Aircraft Association of Australia's fly-in and display at Langley Park, Perth, Western Australia. This airfield has been operating for 90 years, right in the heart of the CBD!

SAAA Fly-in 2011, Langley Park, Perth. Oct 16.

SAAA Fly-in 2011, Langley Park, Perth. Oct 16.

SAAA Fly-in 2011, Langley Park, Perth. Oct 16.

SAAA Fly-in 2011, Langley Park, Perth. Oct 16.

SAAA Fly-in 2011, Langley Park, Perth. Oct 16.

SAAA Fly-in 2011, Langley Park, Perth. Oct 16.

SAAA Fly-in 2011, Langley Park, Perth. Oct 16.

SAAA Fly-in 2011, Langley Park, Perth. Oct 16.

GF Fruit Mince Pies at Coles! :)

A perfect way to lead up to the weekend. Originally shared by Jason Donnelly It's a classic! :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abBjXMNFHPY

The wonders of understanding what you can do to wood! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqFz2Gxa9_w

So, I got asked if I was taking part by a dragon-boating co-worker. And I decided, well, why not do things properly? So, Leece and I are now signed up to take part in the short leg of the Classic Paddle (formerly the Bridge to Bridge), known as The Left Bank Challenge. They'll even let us use our Mirage drives :) http://classicpaddle.gofundraise.com.au/ Anyone want to join us? It is a 4k paddle from Pt Walter to Stirling Bridge - with hundreds of other paddlers. It will be great fun, and a 4km paddle is not that far, really. Even if you're not going to join us, please think about donating - the money raised goes to the Royal Lifesaving Society (WA) to help fund their toddler drowning prevention program. http://classicpaddle.gofundraise.com.au/page/RobertMasters

Seriously WTF? http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.time.tz/4133 Suing for use of facts ? I mean in any sane world this is not going to fly, but for the next however many months/years there are not going to be any updates to the TZ database, and any changes (of which there can be many in any given year) will not be updated - resulting in times in many parts of the world being mis-reported in emails, on web logs, and in documents. From a legal perspective, this is a potential disaster - not to mention the other impacts for technical people. Rage does not adequately describe my mood right now. http://blog.joda.org/2011/10/today-time-zone-database-was-closed.html

I think I love Al even more now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCSA7kKNu2Y

Thanks to Seawasp over on LJ for this. According to the author, On Basilisk Station (and potentially the rest of the Honorverse) has got itself a movie contract. And the old debate gets dusted off... who plays Honor? http://www.davidweber.net/posts/379-movie-announcement.html

And we've finished the Ace Race report - enjoy the read! http://rdm.dreamwidth.org/42978.html

A photo-record of the Perth 2011 Discraft Ace Race, held at the Rob Hancock Memorial Disc Golf Course, Cockman Park, Greenwood, Western Australia, Saturday September 24, 2011.

Attention Planet Earth. Incoming! (UARS re-entry prediction track) http://reentrynews.aero.org/1991063b.html

Wibble? Theory-shattering experimental results aside, it is interesting to see the reporting of the reaction of the physicists in this, which can be summed up as "What the?! Did you see that? Hey, George, you try it!" Which is a nice change from the usual science reporting of "We've proven everything is wrong!" as a reaction. Mind you, this is the sort of thing that makes physics so exciting - even to a lay-person such as myself. On the gripping hand, such a result is so unlikely that it does strike me as being some sort of experimental error or co-incidence. http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-09-cern-faster-than-light-particle.html

The printer is cool - but the link to 3dtin is even cooler! Originally shared by Casey Weederman http://www.origo3dprinting.com/what-is-origo/ http://www.origo3dprinting.com/what-is-origo/

Ace Race Update #2 The Perth 2011 Ace Race is nearly upon us! There are only a few days to go before what has become the largest disc golf event in Perth so far this year! We now have over 40 competitors signed up, with spaces still available. These are rapidly disappearing so if you want to be certain of a spot, sign up below! Now, a thank-you to our local sponsors: Our good friends at GCS are providing on-site facilities, bags and pencils for the event. Down Under Disc Evolution - DUDE are sponsoring the Ring of Fire prizes and will also have discs on sale to help you round out your new bags with mid-ranges and drivers. Please visit and support them! GCS - http://www.gcs-group.com.au DUDE - http://www.downunderdiscevolution.com.au Discraft - http://www.discraft.com and http://www.discgolfacerace.com - who sponsor the event globally! About the Ring of Fire: All Ace Race competitors have free entry into this fun putting event. Everyone stands in a circle around a target, and a call...

Apropos a certain New Scientist article... http://dresdencodak.com/2009/09/22/caveman-science-fiction/

Nice to see things laid out clearly. Not that the deniers will believe it. Oh well. http://www.mamamia.com.au/news/climate-change-abbott-gillard-and-the-myths/

I love living in the future! Using HIV1 to treat leukemia... http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/health/13gene.html

As things stand, it is not a 'War on Terror' at all. It is a 'War of Terror', and the world's governments are winning. Mere hijackers and bombers could not hope to achieve the levels of terror that our leaders are managing to reach. http://shebshi.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/some-real-shock-and-awe-racially-profiled-and-cuffed-in-detroit/

Just sent to our sitting members, because we deserve to be better than sheep: Dear members of the Australian government, I strongly request that an in-depth inquiry into media ownership and responsibility be started. This is because current regulation doesn’t foster a diverse, informative media, and that currently News Limited controls 70% of news market (and hence public opinion). This imbalance represents a major threat to democratic debate within our society, as it means that a single man controls the bulk of the public forums, and thus the means of debate. The effect of this on the ability of the population to make informed decisions about topics of public interest should be obvious. Sincerely, Robert Masters, Doubleview, Western Australia, Australia. http://www.avaaz.org/en/last_push_for_media_inquiry

Time for an update! (As emailed to registered entrants.) Perth Ace Race 2011 Update #1 The first shipment of players' packs have arrived, and have been bagged up! It’s very exciting and the smell of new, bright shiny plastic is in the air! A second shipment will arrive next week. We now have over 30 competitors signed up, with spaces still available. These are rapidly disappearing so if you want to be certain of a spot, sign up below! In other news, we welcome GCS as a sponsor - providing on-site facilities for the event. We also welcome Down Under Disc Evolution - DUDE, who are sponsoring the Ring of Fire, and will have discs on sale to help you round out your new bags with mid-ranges and drivers. And of course we must not forget Discraft, who are sponsoring the event world-wide, and without whom this would not be possible. Please visit and support our sponsors: GCS - http://www.gcs-group.com.au DUDE - http://www.downunderdiscevolution.com.au Discraft - http://www.discraft.com an...

The concept of "extraordinary rendition" (or kidnapping for the purpose of torture in real english) is horriffic. The idea is that they nab someone from the street (or transfer them out of a jail), load them into a chartered plane, and then fly them to some location that legalises torture, get the officials there to extract ... something from the victim, and then either leave them there to rot, or fly them off to some other jail (Gitmo is popular, for some reason). At least now we get some visibility on the process, and a chance to do something about it. Hooray for the land of the free. Not. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/ny-billing-dispute-reveals-details-of-secret-cia-rendition-flights/2011/08/30/gIQAbggXsJ_story.html

Sure we don't amount to much in the global scheme of things - but if we don't make a start, who will? Let us be the ones to light the candle that others can follow, rather than curse the darkness that inaction will lead to. http://www.avaaz.org/en/australian_carbon_price/?vl

The difference between scepticsm and denial propaganda. http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/2870492.html

Originally shared by Andres Soolo The Guardian reviews strange and, at times, downright funny ways Murdoch-dominated Australian media discusses climate science. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/sep/01/australia-climate-scientists

Showing my age... o It is an HP15C o It is brand new o They Have Speed It Up 100x! I want . http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/calculator/Scientific/1/storefronts/NW250AA%2523ABA

One for the New Scientist's list of cases of Nominative Determinism... http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-01/jamaican-coke-admits-to-drug2c-racketeering-crimes/2865242

Originally shared by David Gerard http://www.boganipsum.com/

We are ordering the Perth 2011 Ace Race player packs tonight! Register now at the link below to guarantee a place, and you can also pay online, the payment button becomes visible after registering. After tonight, there will be a fixed number of additional places available, and they will be on a first-come-first-served basis. The player packs consist of: 2 Ace Race Prototype golf discs, a colour mini-disc, sticker and a Disc Golf Bag , all thanks to Discraft. Total value is over $60 Australian, for your $30 registration fee! What is the Ace Race? The Ace Race is an open-to-all hole-in-one disc golf competition suitable for both beginners and experts as it is run on a specially designed and shortened course. The winner is simply the person with the most hole-in-ones, who goes home with a prize pack of 8 discs and a large disc-golf bag to carry them in. When and where? The Perth Ace Race will be held on Saturday, September 24 from 10:30am to 1:30pm at Cockman Park, Mulligan Drive, Green...

Woah! That is awesome! Originally shared by David Shellabarger Amazing live action Portal short film by +Dan Trachtenberg of the Totally Rad Show. Expand to full screen to see all the details. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4drucg1A6Xk

We are ordering the Ace Race player packs at the end of the week. Register now at http://www.perthdiscgolf.com/joomla/component/ckforms/?view=ckforms&id=5 to guarantee a place. You can also pay online, the payment button becomes visible after registering. We will order some extras, but they will be available on a first-come-first-served basis. The player packs consist of: 2 Ace Race Prototype golf discs, a colour mini-disc, sticker and a 6-8 disc capacity golf disc bag, with an extra putter pocket, drink holder and bits pocket, all thanks to Discraft. Total value is over $60 Australian, for your $30 registration fee! What is the Ace Race? The Ace Race is an open-to-all hole-in-one disc golf competition suitable for both beginners and experts as it is run on a specially designed course. The winner is simply the person with the most hole-in-ones, who goes home with a prize pack of 8 discs and a large disc-golf bag to carry them in. When and where? The Perth Ace Race will be held on ...

Google buys Motorola Mobile. One way of dealing with a patent suit - buy one of the companies that holds most of the competing patents... OTOH, I'm looking forward to an opening up of Motorola's handsets! http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/supercharging-android-google-to-acquire.html

I've just put the GF/DF/NF/low-fat chocolate mud-cake muffins on to bake for the RSPCA Cupcake Day at work tomorrow. Only thing left? Toxic Green Peppermint Icing, of course! With pastel dinosaur sprinkles! Maybe pics tomorrow. :) http://www.rspcacupcakeday.com.au/

This is the other side of the coin. The media and pollies have been making a big deal of how social network tools have been fueling the riots. They have also, though, been aiding communities in setting up recovery efforts, and in providing support for the emergency services workers who have been attempting to restore order and help the injured. Originally shared by Tony Sidaway English people prevent imminent collapse of society, with a cup ot tea and a cake It's amazing how a simple symbolic gesture can restore confidence. In some areas dodgy vigilante groups are springing up. In my area we were a bit too realistic to put on tights and a cape, so some of my neighbours got together and put up a temporary rest area and canteen for police and emergency workers. Volunteers and donations, as the saying goes, flooded in. Morale among the frontline support workers is higher because they know how much we value their work. We don't have to sit and fidget desperately because we know we ...

"He who controls the information, controls the world." Stephen Franklin, Babylon 5 Rupert Murdoch controls 70% of the media in Australia. Do we really want him telling us what to think? (Fixed naming error) http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_murdochs_monopoly

A very insightful bit of commentry on the 'whys' here... Originally shared by Alicia Smith http://pennyred.blogspot.com/2011/08/panic-on-streets-of-london.html http://pennyred.blogspot.com/2011/08/panic-on-streets-of-london.html

Mozilla clearly trust their mascot to look after the petty cash... Originally shared by null Hey, he's just withdrawing a little cash.

Originally shared by Cory Bergman Residents in Clapham Junction, London raise their brooms during a clean-up after last night's riot. Photo by Andy B (@Lawcol888) who tweets, "Very proud of everyone in Clapham right now - keep it up." http://twitter.com/#!/Lawcol888

Why I loath Top Gear. Aside from the jerk who hosts it. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2011/aug/05/top-gear-bbc

Originally shared by Stephen Sciortino

Via Steve Miller over on FB ... A group of students assemble a newspaper. The traditional way. Pre-computer. You know, when 'cut-and-paste' involved scalpels and glue? http://journoterrorist.com/2011/08/02/paperball2/

Your source for Lionel Fanthorpe's greatest quotes! Like this one: "Maginty was singing; at least he thought he was singing. His mouth was opening and shutting and a noise was coming out. The noise was not all pitched on the same level and to that extent, at least, it would probably be true, if not musically accurate to define the sound as singing." Dark Continuum Writing as John E. Muller And you have to admire a man who can turn out a book in a weekend. If you have not encountered him before, think sort of the Roger Corman of literature. http://www.peltorro.com/miscquot.htm

Not the first ornithopter I've seen, but certainly the most life-like! Originally shared by Tom Anderson Here's a full TED video of a Robot that flies like a bird (they even show the mechanics / how it works): http://bit.ly/nhJ15V Lest you think this post is not about G+ be warned that Larry Page has often said he imagines Google connected to our brains, and Google is working on cars that drive themselves. Do you think Google robots are far behind? Some robotocists think its important to make robots look and behave like things in nature, so humans can better interact with them. There's probably other reasons to do this as well. For more on the mix between man & machine, see my Kurzweil post: http://bit.ly/pCuHCr

Evil... evil choices! And only 10! Aaarrgh! Originally shared by John Scalzi NPR Books asked people to nominate books for its all-time Top 100 SF/F list; they nominated a few thousand books. A panel of SF/F experts narrowed that field down to a few hundred. Now you can vote to get it down to the final hundred. You can choose ten books. CHOOSE WISELY. http://n.pr/pg2wIt

The Ace Race Disc for this year has been announced! It is a large slow putter. This is what Discraft say: This year's proto is unique and sweet, and we think you're going to love it! It's the widest diameter putt and approach model Discraft has ever offered, so it can legally weigh in at a hefty 183 grams (subject to PDGA approval)... that's at least a full seven grams more than... other putters! The disc is obedient to its master and goes where you throw it, delivering directional precision and soft, flat landings. The rim is beadless and feels great in your hand. Think of it as a shorter, slower Comet that is hungry for chains. class: putt and approach plastics: ESP and Pro D width: 22.06 cm max weight: 182 or 183, depending on PDGA ruling So here is what you get for your $30 entry: 2 prototype putters 1 weekender disc bag 1 mini marker disc Some Discraft promo material 2-3 hours of FUN! Sign up at http://www.perthdiscgolf.com/joomla/component/ckforms/?view=ckforms...

To quote a friend of mine "Back away now, he's giggling again..." Originally shared by Aaron Wood Sorry all. There was a typo in the last bit of art I posted. Here it is again sans typo. :) Looks like they're already spreading around though! lol

A short-listed entrant for the Dyson Design Awards. As a coeliac, I can only say "Oh, yes please !" http://student.designawards.com.au/application_detail.jsp?status=2&applicationID=9431

I wants it, I do! Originally shared by Roc Patterson I have been thinking this for a while now: The future is made of bamboo! http://theweek.com/article/index/217634/grow-your-own-bike

Please post this as your status in your stream if you know someone who has been eaten by Reavers and is now a hood ornament on a Reaver ship. 85% of people won't copy this as their status because they have no idea what a Reaver is; 10% will start speaking Chinese or say something profound like "I swear by my… pretty floral bonnet I will end you"; and 5% will start singing "The Hero of Canton." via Christopher Phillips, originating on FB, but too much fun not to share!

More on the Humble Bundle. As always, the breakdown of the purchasing patterns are interesting. And if you missed the link.. http://www.humblebundle.com/

The Humble Indie Bundle 3 is now out! Includes Cogs, And Yet It Moves, Crayon Physics, Hammerflgiht, and Vvvvvv. Mac, PC, Linux, and Steam. Pay what you want, and pay who you want (Devs, EFF, and Child's Play). Enjoy! http://www.humblebundle.com/

Originally shared by Ju Transcendancing Eliminate gender stereotyping in toy marketing! http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/toychoice

Google's name/nym/etc policy has been revised. Note that other technical revisions are also taking place (to improve the review and reporting processes), but will take time to fully implement. Not perfect, yet, but better, and I suspect it never will be. As I have previously observed, there are humans involved. http://www.google.com/support/+/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1228271

As an aside to the whole Google+ names/nyms/pseudonyms/nicknames/anonymity thing... I am reminded of this cautionary post about the nature of 'real names'. http://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-believe-about-names/

Vince Mo continues to share good information on the inside look at the naming controversy. Some excellent comments can also be found on his share at https://plus.google.com/116594199576805510790/posts/dytaMVxZRFY Originally shared by Bradley Horowitz Last night, Robert Scoble shared some information based on his conversation with Vic Gundotra. That post ( https://plus.google.com/111091089527727420853/posts/Fddn6rV8mBX ) went a long way toward clearing the air, and we want to thank many of you for your feedback and support. I wanted to also more directly address some of what we’re learning and how we’re reacting to the feedback. Note that this isn’t a comprehensive “last word” on the topic that touches on every issue. On the contrary, it’s just some transparency and insight into a dialog that I expect will continue for a long time. (It’s worth noting that in general we’ve only been discussing upcoming changes to Google+ as they are being released. In this case, we felt it would be ...

Good to see that things are being talked through, and thought about. This (and several other incidents) bring home that Google does try to follow the mantra of "Don't be evil'. Yes, they stuff up (AP sniffing, China, this little matter, etc) but they are open about it, and, when they realise that a mistake has been made (in policy or otherwise) they say so. In public. And then go about fixing it. The whole AP sniffing matter could have been swept under the carpet, for example. No-one would have known, except for Google themselves saying "Err, guys? We've made a mistake here..." For which they were roasted. So, in short, I do believe that Google are trying to do the best they possibly can. But they are human, and make mistakes. But, unlike many other companies, they admit their mistakes, and do their best to fix them. This is not to say that we should not complain when they get it wrong! If we do not, how will they know otherwise? Just don't claim that it ...

A brilliant series of articles about the climate change 'debate'. Part 9 - http://theconversation.edu.au/a-journey-into-the-weird-and-wacky-world-of-climate-change-denial-1554 is particularly fascinating! http://theconversation.edu.au/climate-change-is-real-an-open-letter-from-the-scientific-community-1808

It is probably very, very wrong that this makes me so happy! To quote the songwriter: "One night we couldn't decide whether to sing a mining disaster song, a train song, or a maritime tragedy. Why choose, I figure! This is our saddest song. Sniff. " http://catfish.dhs.org/~happyfish/filk/wreckcrashetc.html

So, I'm running (as you are all probably sick of hearing) this year's Ace Race in Perth. This will be on Saturday, September 24, at Cockman Park, in Greenwood. So, what is the Ace Race? The Ace Race is a simple disc golf hole-in-one competition, with specially shortened holes. Being a hole-in-one contest, almost everyone is on an even footing! You get one shot at each hole, and you do two laps of the course, for 36 throws. The winner is the person who gets the most holes-in-one, with a tie-breaker on the number of metal hits that did not go in. We're getting close to the start of the event globally, so more news is out. This is the bag that you get just for entering . In the US they retail for USD20, so expect to pay AUD30 locally for them in W.A. You also get a pair of prototype discs (AUD20 each), a mini-disc (used in normal games to mark your lie) (AUD2), and a sticker. On top of that, you get to play in a fast-paced fun competition, with a chance at a large bag full of ...

Vulgar, profane, but well written, and spot on, this little piece points out the wonderful lack of bias in the news reports on the proposed tax on CO2 pollution, and the effects thereof. Meantime, El Reg, an organ not noted for supporting the science providing evidence of anthrogenic climate change, had surprisingly positive things to say about the proposal! http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/07/11/carbon_tax_in_australia/ Note: The original link has been suspended (I suspect excessive traffic is to blame) - so here is the cache link: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:9lubiI-b5K4J:www.heathenscripture.com/you-shut-your-goddamn-carbon-taxin-mouth/+You+shut+your+goddamn+carbon-taxin%E2%80%99+mouth&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&client=ubuntu&source=www.google.com http://www.heathenscripture.com/you-shut-your-goddamn-carbon-taxin-mouth/

On the 27th of September, I am running the Perth edition of the Discraft Ace Race. The Ace Race is an open-to-all hole-in-one disc golf competition suitable for for both beginners and experts as it is run on a specially designed course. The winner is simply the person with the most hole-in-ones, who goes home with a prize pack of 8 discs and a large disc-golf bag to carry them in. Ace Races are held all over the world between August and October each year. This year, the Perth event looks like being the only one in the Southern Hemisphere! It will be held from 10:30 to 1:30 on the 27th of September at Cockman Park, on Mulligan Drive(!) in Greenwood. Entry is $30, and includes $40 worth of discs plus other goodies, including a small disc bag! Official registrations are open - please go to the Perth Disc Golf Club link below. There is also an payment facility to pre-pay for your player packs here. Player packs will be ordered mid-August, and we will only be ordering a small number of ext...