Spotted on Brunswick Road in Moonee Ponds, a Toyota Prius Hybrid Electric Taxi. A good step towards tackling climate change i think!

I then did some research and found an article in the New South Wales Taxi Driver’s Magazine ‘Meter’ from September of 2007, see www.nswtaxi.org.au/public/meter/Meter%20editions/Meter_August07.pdf It explained that in NSW they have been trialing Hybrid vechiles as taxis since January 2006 and that the results show that drivers could save up to 30% on their fuel bill.

I was unable to find any direct information about the Hybrid Taxis in use in Melbourne, but I did find information from Toyota www.toyota.com.au/hybrid and also information relating to Toyota’s plans to build a new Camry in Melbourne.

I would love a Hybrid, but at the moment they are too expensive!

VCA Production - Puppetry Solos 2008 - “Raw Material” - June 2008
Just over two years ago, The Victorian College of the Arts School of Production established a Post Graduate Degree in Puppetry. Since then the degree has grown and gathered strong support from the Arts Industry, in fostering the development of Puppetry as a performance art.

The course this year is home to 5 puppeteers, Sabrina D’Angelo, Gai Anderson, Rachel Guy, Lisa Foote and Iris Radovic. The 5 puppeteers are an extremely diverse group of people with a wide range of backgrounds, a very large age range and varying interests. My work on the project was as Sound Designer for Sabrina D’Angelo’s and Gai Anderson’s pieces. » Read the rest of the entry..

Sometimes I love my work… Sitting in the bio box editing sound files, and…

The view from the sound room in the bio box is stunning! Tim Ross is the lighting designer. Taken in Grant Street Theatre, as part of the VCA Production Puppetry Solos 2008. I am one of the sound designers for this production.

I would love to invite everyone along, but it is invite only, so please contact me to book tickets if you are interested!

Cheers!

I just wanted to share this article with everyone. It was found on www.theage.com.au in the technology section. It amazes me how far technology has come in 10 years. I found the article quite amusing in its judgments. Read on to find out more…

The Apple of your iMac

The Bondi Blue iMac G3 was unveiled ten years ago today on May 6, 1998. It was launched by Steve Jobs who had returned to Apple the year before after almost a decade in the wilderness. And it marked the beginning of Apple’s golden era. » Read the rest of the entry..

Now we are all trying to do our bit for the environment, and increasingly people are leaving their car at home and taking public transport to work/uni/school. I would like to class me as one of those people, who is committed to reducing the amount i use my car. If I am going into uni, i try not to drive anymore. I either walk to the station and catch the train in, or if I am very late, I drive to the station and then catch the train in. » Read the rest of the entry..

Hey everyone,

I have just finished uploading a heap of new flickr photos, so please have a look @ www.flickr.com/geordieb

Cheers

In this developing world of technology, I am continually amazed by the things you can do with common consumer devices and the internet. I am also interested in the distribution of information, and the opportunity for development in the arts.

After discovering the amazing world of podcasts (see the Wiki), and using my whole download usage in just a few short nights, I stumbled across the equally wonderful, and perhaps more functional and useful world of ‘podtours’. Now for those not so technically minded i might explain what these strange words mean. » Read the rest of the entry..

I love my macbook, i really do. It doesn’t give me a blue screen of death, it doesn’t get infected by virus’ and spyware and best of all, it helps me do really useful stuff.

Except…

I was sitting here today and my mouse stopped working. I have a bluetooth wireless mouse and it is very pretty, but it simply stopped. When i took control of the mouse pad i navigated up to the bluetooth menu and was greeted with a cross through the bluetooth symbol. When i clicked on it, it stated “Bluetooth unavailable”.

I searched a few forums and eventually gave up. I spent an hour or so using the normal mouse and then decided to try something. I restarted the computer.

And BANG! it was fixed…..

Greatest computer fixing advice ever… Restart you machine!

I have always stated that a company is only as good as the people it employs. You can own the nicest shop frontage in the city, but if your staff are disgruntled, unhappy and unmotivated, they will ultimately not be interested in their jobs and drive away the customers in droves.

Late this afternoon I stumbled upon an article by Adam Lusher in Melbourne’s The Age Newspaper (direct link) entitled “Google’s Free Beer and Big Ass Barbies”. Essentially Google founders Sergey Brim and Larry Page, employed chef Charlie Ayers to provide free food to all its employees. The idea was to encourage the workforce to come in early and stay back late, by filling their stomaches with freshly prepared, and more importantly, free food. This was in 1998 and Ayers distinctly remembers them saying ‘we are not going to charge for food here ever’. Ayers was faced with a challenging mission, he had a captive audience and something to build on. The greatest part of the story is that Ayers didn’t just provide canteen style food free of charge, he developed a menu that encouraged workers to get a kick start in the morning, kept them energized after lunch and gradually moved them from a diet of fast food to salads and weekly lobster. He has released a book entitled “Eat Yourself Smart”, and has since sold a portion of his estimated 28.8 million of Google Shares, to buy a home. He has also left the company, and when he did, they renamed the canteen, Charlie’s. » Read the rest of the entry..

This post is rather symbolic really. I turn 21 in just over 6 hours time and this post is the first on my new blog. Is this a sign of a new adult era? Or am i just being crazy?