Rob Masters

This is one of the earliest Auto Awesome creations that the Goog has added to my collection - taken (and uploaded to Picassa) back in October 2010, at the mixed doubles round from the Australian Disc Golf Championships that year. When was it created? Who knows? All I know is that it did not exist a few months ago!

Quietly, and in the background, G+ has been going through some of my earlier photos and applying their autoawesomeness to them! These New Holland Honeyeaters were having a ball on Woody Island back in November 2012 ! I've even got some going back to 2010!

John Samuel consistently produces fascinating reads on anime, and it is great to see him getting some of the recognition he deserves. Congratulaions on your nomination, John! Originally shared by John Samuel Artemis over at Otaku Lounge [1] had some really nice things to say about me here when she included me …Continue reading » http://piratesobg.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/the-liebster-awards/

It is a promo competition, but it looks like fun. Originally shared by Dots To Spots Printing Merry Christmas and happy New Year. Dots to Spots would like to thank everyone for supporting us over the past year. It's been a fantastic and very busy year We couldn't think of a better time than Christmas to give away some prints. The theme for this event is "Christmas" The 3 best photos of the event, as judged by the public will receive a 16" x 24" (40x60cm) Print on 250gsm Satin Photo Paper delivered. The 3 winners will be announced on the 7th of jan 2014 and have a choice of their own photo to print. The winners of the event have till the 14th of jan 2014 to send their selected photo to Dots to Spots for printing. Event dates. Start: 21st of dec13 End:    30th of dec 13 Rules. -The photo must be taken between the event dates. -Processed photos allowed. -1 entry per person must be uploaded to this event page for judging. -Australian only event (the winning p...

Leece and Rob's Decembercon 2013 Ogre Tournament at the Western Australian Boardgaming Association or "Get your hands off my main battery!" Having backed the Ogre Designer's Edition Kickstarter some 18 months ago, when we received our copy we felt we had to share. "Decembercon, the WABA wind-up - some 11 hours of gaming - is coming up", we thought, "what better time to introduce a whole bunch of people to the game we played when we were courting?" So how best to introduce a lot of people to Ogre? A single massive game? No, that takes up too much time. "How-about a tournament?" Leece suggested. After a bit of thinking, Rob replied "Why not? It sounds like fun!". So we put out feelers to see if there were going to be people interested. The feedback was generally positive, so we then had to think about how to run it. After a lot of to-ing-and-fro-ing, we came up with a fairly simple idea of having to play at least 3 games to qualif...

Leece and Rob's Decembercon 2013 Ogre Tournament at the Western Australian Boardgaming Association or "Get your hands off my main battery!" Having backed the Ogre Designer's Edition Kickstarter some 18 months ago, when we received our copy we felt we had to share. "Decembercon, the WABA wind-up - some 11 hours of gaming - is coming up", we thought, "what better time to introduce a whole bunch of people to the game we played when we were courting?" So how best to introduce a lot of people to Ogre? A single massive game? No, that takes up too much time. "How-about a tournament?" Leece suggested. After a bit of thinking, Rob replied "Why not? It sounds like fun!". So we put out feelers to see if there were going to be people interested. The feedback was generally positive, so we then had to think about how to run it. After a lot of to-ing-and-fro-ing, we came up with a fairly simple idea of having to play at least 3 games to qualif...

A band I've never heard of before with a great song, and a stunning video! Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you 'The Corresponents'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABS-mlep5rY&feature=share

This is at once brilliantly funny and tragically sad. As a humour piece, it is superbly dark and witty, and as a political commentary, tragically accurate. As I look back at the our political history in Australia, the very sad thing is that I cannot point at any one event and say "This is where it all went wrong" - it has been a slow march downhill for many decades. Sort of like being gently boiled alive. And to round things out, I look at Canada, the UK, and the USA, and think 'This could be about any of them, too'.  http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-05/green-a-maiden-speech-for-our-times/5135890

I have been a part of the 2013 Project 52 (although I bombed out part way throught the year), and the taking on a theme a week is quite challenging and fun. There is no stress involved, no issues if you are late, miss a week, or if you come in late. It is all about stretching your own stills and learning from each other. Originally shared by Weekly Photo Project 2014 Following from the success of the projects in 2012 and 2013 we are pleased to be able to announce the Google Plus Weekly Photo Project for 2014.   Visit the project page at  Weekly Photo Project 2014   for more information and details. Best Wishes, The Project Team

Revisited Ogre after nearly 20 years... not only has the suck fairy not visited, but, as Alicia Smithsaid, the 'pimp my game' fairy has . Here a Mark III falls foul of 4 howitzers, 2 GEVs, 2 missile tanks, and handful of infanty. Largely thanks to a very lucky opening hit on the main battery. At the end, I had lost one howitzer, and all my mobile forces, except for the two GEVs. My command post also survived!

Our copy of the Designer's Edition of Ogre has arrived here in West Oz. The courier was like a whirlwind, and there was some collateral damage...

Listening to The Whitlams at A Day on the Green. They still rock and still pull the heartstrings like no-one else.

There's an Indiegogo project for a hand-held spectroscope for food analysis - for coeliacs like me this is a stunning development - the alternative tests take over 30 minutes, and cost $20 per test-stick... http://igg.me/p/tellspec-what-s-in-your-food/csgp/1047762

A wider shot of the same scene. Yes, things are about to go horribly wrong....

Every year we hold a memorial Wings of War / Wings of Glory game at the W.A. Boardgaming Association meeting closest to 11/11. We missed last year by being on a 3 month trip, so this year we made a special effort. Here, a Br14 makes a break from a furball of D.VIIs, Camels, Gothas (!), and Caproni 3s (!!!), and makes a run for a recon photo target. By the time the furball broke up, the Br14 was making for the secondary target, there had been a collision between a Caproni and a a Gotha, and someone else had collided with a barrage balloon! Moral? Don't try to dogfight with bombers!

Twilight sailing on the Swan on a friend's SS22.

So we're just back from the join Nik Kershaw/Kim Wilde show at the Astor. This was the last show of the tour, and what a show it was. Nik opened with Wide Boy, and proved that not only is he one of the most accomplished songwriters of the 80s, but that he can still wow a crowd with his performing skills. He followed with a a wide selection of his more famous tracks - making mention along the way of another concert series he did that consisted of the entirety of The Riddle album. He also played a few of his more recent songs, including a very moving piece call The Sky is the Limit. He wound up with his greatest hit, Wouldn't It Be Good, to resounding applause. Although remembered as a keyboardist in the 80s, he played guitar during the show, and he can shred with the best of them! After his set, there was an intermission, and Kim Wilde came out, with the same band. Exactly the same band. This meant that her lead guitarist was Nik! She sang a huge set, covering her hits (includin...

Days of Wonder have added Ticket to Ride to the latest Humble Bundle for Android! http://static.daysofwonder.com/c/0127ojk/en/

Oh Seattle Police Department. You made me chuckle today http://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2013/10/09/an-open-letter-to-stephen-colbert-and-colbert-nation/

So just how does your digital camera work? Here's how. Originally shared by Mark R. Meyer When my Fiance asked my how my digital camera sensor captured and stored images I had a simple explanation , a basic understanding you could say. Then I googled it and found this....  Pretty Awesome that all this goes on in there!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K525KL4sgzI

It is a plan elegant in its simplicity... I might be ill, but this makes me very happy! http://igg.me/p/the-middleman-the-crowd-funded-franchise-resurrection/csgp/1047762

Spending a couple of days here convalescing and attending a friend's wedding in nearby Pinjarra.

Another band I see I'm going to have to track down ;) Originally shared by Wade Inganamort I really like this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wrsZog8qXg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Make sure you read the introduction text! h/t Mathew Hanley  Originally shared by Peter Bailey You seriously, seriously, serious need to watch this. Seriously http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX6JcybgDFo

I have no words that can describe how awesome this is. Originally shared by Richard Hay What fun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKNDml12Big&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Another fun video from Au Revoir Simone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp052xQ-BsQ&feature=share

There is only one coot. One of the more fun bits of multi-frame panoramas :)

No matter what you think of their policies, take the time to read the hows and whys of the preferencing decisions  by the Pirate Party. It is a wonderful demonstration of transparent policy-making, and deserves some respect. http://pirateparty.org.au/2013/08/18/preferencing-statement-for-federal-election-2013/

Ryk Spoor (aka Seawasp) has a wonderful look back at The Incredibles. And if you've not read any of his books - go an do so! http://grandcentralarena.com/on-my-shelves-the-incredibles/

A rare thing. A senior politician giving a straight answer about something. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdU3ooAZSH8&feature=share

A bit of fun with my Little Cyclops mini fish-eye camera. Brighton Beach, as the storms roll on in over the Indian Ocean.

More fun with Amazon :) The review by someone claiming to be George Takei is gold, but it is only one of many priceless bits of creative reviewing. http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AKDL1-Dedicated-Link-Cable/product-reviews/B000I1X6PM/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_summary?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=byRankDescending

Modern Sculpture. Industrial area wind turbine.

"The Sentinel" A Sharkwatch listening buoy off Brighton Beach, Western Australia.

Last Saturday saw the Perth Disc Golf Club hold their edition of the Discraft Ace Race for 2013. Strong gusty winds made for challenging play, and aces (or even metals) were few and far between, with many heartbreakingly close near-misses. Despite this, it everyone had fun, and we had a good number of new players along, one of whom scored a metal hit on their very last throw of the day - which really made the event for them!

Last Saturday the PDGC held their edition of the annual Discraft Ace Race at the Rob Hancock Memorial Disc Golf Course. Here are some highlights.