Rob Masters

My new office, upon my return from LSL. I love my workmates!

Does anyone know anything about this vessel? She is the "Hybrid Ark", and around the 60-70' mark in size, a gaff-rigged ketch. The build looks modern, but the styling says early 1800s... My Google-fu has failed me :-(

This is an extreme crop of a raptor that flew past us at the lookout on Lake Richmomds, down at Rockingham. It appeared to have a Silvereye in its clutches. Any suggestions?

Alicia Smith spotted this while we were looking for some rope. Do you think we should tell Sergy?

One of the key problems with most holiday photos is that they are intensely personal, and do no translate to a larger audience well. Most... Originally taken at the Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk.

Rob Masters and 2 others were tagged in Rob Masters 's album.

Added photos to Rob & Leece's Grand SW Tour.

I had to delete the original of this, due to some editing issues, but this problem, and the action page remain valid. A three-view article discussing the problem is available here (from page 12): http://old.lms.ac.uk/newsletter/412/412_issue.pdf http://thecostofknowledge.com/

I hope the Swan River Trust has  put up one of their nice big "This tree was illeaglly removed" signs... http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-17/tuckey-on-trial-over-tree-chopping/4318762

Kim Boekbinder and Jim Batt share story behind the great video for "The Sky is Calling". http://www.warrenellis.com/?p=14401

Great. And now we really have no excuse for not visiting the planning office. On the other hand, an exoplanet we could reach with a probe in my lifetime is one hell of a birthday present! Originally shared by SETI Institute Exoplanet Found in Nearest Star System to Earth European astronomers have discovered a planet with about the mass of the Earth orbiting a star in the Alpha Centauri system — the nearest to Earth. It is also the lightest exoplanet ever discovered around a star like the Sun. The planet was detected using the HARPS instrument on the 3.6-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. The results will appear online in the journal Nature on 17 October 2012. The Aliens may not be too far. http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1241/ http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1241/

My favourite song and clip from New Order. Originally shared by Mark O'Callaghan I simply love this Band. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_rhnHpRSXQ

#redbullstratos   http://gizmodo.com/5951621/watch-the-video-of-the-space-jump-here

At the edge of space... #redbullstratos   https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A5L-VfzCIAA7P9w.jpg

Mach 1.24 (373m/s)! And the best quote ever: "Sometimes you have to go up really high to realize how small you are." Congratulations Felix! #rebullstratos   http://www.redbullstratos.com/live/

And this is what it is all about. No hokey-pokey involved. Originally shared by null Do you hear me? :-)

Cory explains how and why the Humble Bundle works. What he does not mention is that a similarish scheme run by Baen Books has also been working extremely well. Short  form: Treat your customers like they are honest, and most of them will be. Oh, and the Baen addendum? Pusher tactics work. Make the first hit free... http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/oct/09/customers-pay-what-want

Kim Boekbinder's new single, from her to-be-kickstarted project http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/KimBoekbinder/the-sky-is-calling-kim-boekbinders-space-album/ . The Impossible Girl keeps doing it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCJzUiBZItk

Pay what you want for a bundle of great eBooks. I love the Humble Bundles for their excellent indie games, so I'm glad to see they're doing eBooks too. DRM free! http://www.humblebundle.com/

Brilliant! Originally shared by Bradley Horowitz I love this kind of "social hacking".  Hilarious and thought-provoking. Be sure to check out the entire set here:   http://imgur.com/a/lUWTG/embed#0 // from Boing Boing  http://boingboing.net/2012/10/08/prank-signs-for-the-london-und.html

Brilliant! http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/693#

Thanks to the glorious statement of the Chairman of Macquarie Radio, claiming that the social media protest that has led to several major advertisers withdrawing from either the show or the station is "21st Century censorship, via cyber bullying", I predict, in my opinion, that the entire company is going to go belly-up, before exploding into a cloud of executive guts, with Alan Jones as a chest-burster squatting in the decaying remains. And about as welcome. I have news for you - Mr. Tate: Protest is not censorship. http://www.scribd.com/doc/109231004/Macquarie-Radio-statement-on-Alan-Jones

Heh... http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/10/the-geekiest-license-plates-of-all-time/

Our very own :) Originally shared by Philip Plait (The Bad Astronomer) Faces turned upward, a telescope array scans the southern skies This is a lovely time lapse showing the telescopes in the ASKAP array dancing in synchronicity while the Australian sky whirls overhead. I added my own thoughts to this about what it's like to understand what you're seeing when you look up into the night as well: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/10/03/time-lapse-stunning-australian-skies-over-a-pathfinding-array/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDoDk4D2RAw

Kim's music is amazing to begin with (just listen to The Organ Donor's March or Sex, Drugs and Nuclear Physics to see what I mean), and this combines two great things, last seen together in TMBG's Apollo 18 - music and space! Originally shared by Philip Plait (The Bad Astronomer) The Sky Is Calling Kim Boekbinder is an indie musician who writes music that's really hard to pin down. Pop, lyrical, quirky... but it's cool, and I really like it. So I was happy when she said she was doing an album of space songs, and thrilled when she asked me to be an advisor on it! She wants to get the science right, and to inspire people about space the way it inspires her. And me, for that matter. She's got a Kickstarter going to fund the album, and she put the video for her first song, "The Sky Is Calling", there. Go listen, watch, and kick in some moolah. Help support the intersection of SCIENCE and ART!  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/KimBoekbinder/the-sky-is-c...

Paul Pichugin great to see your work on display at the Perth Royal Show!

A bit of fun after a very cool SF play.

The Blender Foundation strikes again! Originally shared by Wade Inganamort Crowdfunded open-sourced coolness. Perhaps one of the best short films I've ever seen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6MlUcmOul8

Well, that hits the nail on the head. Could be one to keep an eye on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16K6m3Ua2nw

This Galah down at Woodman Point was having a good old feed - until he saw the camera.

Light globes at The Attic. (Which is, incidentally, a wonderful little cafe at 16 Bannister St Fremantle. They have fantastic food, are GF friendly, and have a great ambiance.)

Cormorants at Woodman Point.

This old tea tree in the dunes near Woodman point caught my eye.

A Splendid Blue Wren down at Woodman Point. These are quite bold - but always fast moving, so actually gettng them in frame can be a bit of a challenge. This gentleman had his harem of females flitting about and being very co-operative, while he hid deep inside a clump of shrubbery. In the end, though, patience paid off, and he emerged from cover just long enough for me to get two quick shots off. This is the first time I've seen one in full splendor in the wild, and getting a photo was an added bonus.

... Think a severely bent mix of As Time Goes By (the Max Gillies movie, that is) and Round The Twist. At least that what it looks like from the trailer! I'm really looking forward to it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPmGKiGMTTo

Well done, Red Hat. Originally shared by Lev Lafayette Nicely done, Red Hat. It Gets Better - Red Hat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4geTMvTwE8

At the Western Mudd Rush - "Serpentine Falls" :-)

At the Western Mudd Rush :-)

In case you missed it... Originally shared by Mashable , Inc Matthew Inman launched a new fundraiser, “Operation Let’s Build a Goddamn Tesla Museum.”  Do you think crowdfunding will replace traditional fundraising models? http://mashable.com/2012/08/16/oatmeal-tesla-tower/

Perth Open 2012 photo gallery. Originally shared by Perth Disc Golf Open

So after the hustle and bustle of the Perth Open, Leece and I decided to play the course that we have not actually played since we did the design work with Kim. Finding the remains of some of the tees and the basket marks after two solid days of play and one day of torrential rain was tricky in places, but we managed it with only having to resort to the GPS once. Leece got a 66, and I got a 61, with par being 57, so we're pretty pleased! Here you can see Leece making an amazing 15m putt on hole 15, and a very neat par putt on hole 18.

Jason Baker demonstrates utter awesomness! Originally shared by Jason Baker Of times gone bye This is a replica fossil of a Diprotodon that I installed in one of my playground upgrade projects last year. The replica is buried in the sandpit so as the kids dig they begin to uncover the life sized skeleton of the Diprotodon (also known as the giant wombat). Diprotodons have been found across mainland Australia and the largest fossils found have been about 3m from nose to tail, standing about 2m tall.

Originally shared by Daniel Harrington The Mars Rover From Above - A Self Portrait! - "...Remarkable image sets from NASA's #Curiosity #rover and Mars Reconnaissance #Orbiter are continuing to develop the story of Curiosity's landing and first days on Mars. The #images from Curiosity's just-activated navigation cameras, or #Navcams , include the rover's first self-portrait, looking down at its deck from above." See More Photos: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-235#4 #msl   #nasa   #marsrover   #marssciencelaboratory   #tech

Barry Jones, one of our few remaining statesmen, hits the nail squarely on the head. I am likewise reminded of a triplet from an Alan Parsons Project song: "If we call for the truth, And question the answers, Only the doubt remains" (Wolfson/Parsons - 'Ammonia Avenue'). This, in turn, raises the related point that our popular culture is similarly represented by the simple sound-bite and empty gossip. The likelihood of a major company releasing an album like "Ammonia Avenue" these days is vanishingly small, because they don't think 'smart' and 'thoughtful' sell. So take a few moments, when you next read some headline, to make use of these wonders of technology that we have, and find out what is really going on - not what the sloganeers, marketing executives, and power-brokers want you  to think. http://m.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/stupidity-is-on-the-rise-in-our-age-of-enlightenment-20120808-23uiq.html?page=1

OK, this is one I can get behind :) https://www.google.com/doodles/slalom-canoe-2012

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/PIA16001.html

Curiosity is DOWN! We have telemetry!

Originally shared by Perth Disc Golf Ace Race 2012 Perth Ace Race video - enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoZSHowgGhM

Originally shared by Perth Disc Golf Ace Race 2012 Well, that's the Ace Race for us for another year... Four players managed to get three Aces, and three of them got four metal hits, but Peter Bray scraped ahead by scoring a fifth metal hit. Amongst the female players, we had one player with five metals, one with a single Ace, and Alicia Smith  took home the prize with one ace and two metals - which she has generously decided to share with her two closest competitors. It was fascinating to watch which holes got the Aces... and which ones got the mulligans. The two did not always coincide! Hole 18 got a lot of mulligans, with the extremely short triple basket, but did not get as many aces as you might otherwise have expected, while hole 12 - the longest on the course - got no mulligans, but still picked up an ace! Overall, we had 33 players playing on the day, with five additional packs sold to no-shows, or people who love the disc. Weather-wise, we got pretty lucky, with only one m...

In a discussion just now with a co-worker about the effects of technology on society, the following came up: "So, with the new email giftcards for Fathers' Day, you don't have to visit your father even one a year any more. All this technology is supposedly making a global village, but it is pushing us apart" To which I replied: "Yes, we're getting our global village - but it is a village of hermits."

El Reg and Crikey take the AIIA submission to the Parlimentary inquiry into IT pricing to task. And to pieces. A reminder to everyone - just because it has "Australian" in the name, it does not mean that it has anything to do with Australia. Or our interests. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/30/the_aiia_has_to_be_joking/

Worth getting behind. Originally shared by Alicia Smith Sign or not, as you see fit.   http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/privacy/protect-us-but-respect-us/your-privacy-at-risk?t=dXNlcmlkPTQyMjc1MixlbWFpbGlkPTkwMQ== http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/privacy/protect-us-but-respect-us/your-privacy-at-risk?t=dXNlcmlkPTQyMjc1MixlbWFpbGlkPTkwMQ%3D%3D

And this is an example of why I won't deal with Apple any more. Originally shared by Shannon “Loud Rainbow Chikkin” Shoffner This is just nuts. Apple won't carry an ebook because it mentions Amazon Author Holly Lisle has a series of online writing guides that she sells. One volume of this, "How To Think Sideways Lesson 6: How To Discover (Or Create) Your Story’s Market" was rejected by Apple's iBooks store. At first, Apple told Lisle that she wasn't allowed to have "live links" to Amazon in her books. So she removed the links and resubmitted the book, and then Apple rejected it again, telling her that they wouldn't sell her book because it mentioned Amazon, a competitor of its iBooks store. But I also will not deal with this sort of head-up-ass behavior from a distributor. You don’t tell someone “The problem is the live links,” and then, when that person has complied with your change request and removed the live links, turn around and say, “No, n...

Originally shared by Perth Disc Golf Ace Race 2012 With the official announcement out, I can now talk about this year's players' packs! The disk this you get two Crystal-Z drivers. Add to that a stainless steel water bottle, the usual mini and sticker combo, and (here in Australia) a Discraft towel (instead of the sunglasses in the picture below). Why the towel and not the sunnies? Because of Australia's import and commerce regulations that require any sunglasses imported into Australia to meet and be labelled according to Australian and New Zealand safety standards. If your ATD had not picked up on this the players packs would have been sent straight back to the US or destroyed by Customs (after an impoundment of several weeks).

Originally shared by Perth Disc Golf Ace Race 2012 The Ace Race disc for this year is a Crystal-Z driver/mid. Think a short Stalker or a long Buzz.

One of my heroes. Not only a great aviator, but did most of her flying with a sinual drain. Originally shared by Lucinda Barlow I LOVE today's doodle! http://www.google.com/doodles/amelia-earharts-115th-birthday

The Oatmeal. At it again. http://theoatmeal.com/comics/religion

What Phil said. Originally shared by Philip Plait (The Bad Astronomer) Make the world better Sit. Read this. All of it . http://www.starstryder.com/2012/07/15/make-the-world-better/ No go out and do good things and be better. And support Pamela Gay and her efforts, because she is why we do good things in the first place. http://www.starstryder.com/2012/07/15/make-the-world-better/

(He's giggling again... back away...) Originally shared by Luria Petrucci aka Cali Lewis I think everyone needs a pair of these.  You know, for photos... http://bitly.com/censored-shades

And, unless this is a hoax (seems unlikely), McDonalds continues to cover itself in glory... http://eyetap.blogspot.com/2012/07/physical-assault-by-mcdonalds-for.html

There are still some bugs, but there is a form to fix them. And you can plan bike trips on Google Maps! Yay! Originally shared by Google Australia We're happy to announce that cycling directions are now available in Google Maps down under. Time to #getoffthecouch  and on your bikes! http://google-au.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/ride-on-cycling-comes-to-google-maps-in.html

Latest bit of fun from Mr Munroe... http://what-if.xkcd.com/1/

Hopefully the first of many. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18708365

A couple more retouched shots from the photowalk. #GplusAnniversary #GplusAnniversaryPerth

An improved version of one of my better shots from the 1st anniversary G+ photowalk down at Fremantle.