Greener Desktop

A couple of weeks ago I posted an entry about a work colleague and her husband’s attempt to cycle across Australia from Sydney to Perth. Well, they’re doing well despite having to take a day off for a rest and recouperation break and should be half way cross South Australia by now. They’re updating their blog – Clea and Garrett Cycle Across Australia, as frequently as possible so I encourage you to check back on it regularly.

One thing I found with reading the blog is that while I know the distance is enormous it’s hard to really get the sense of scale just from reading it so I decided to plot their journey on a map with links back to each of the blog posts. So without further ado here’s the map at 1:1 billion scale.

View Larger Map

A good work mate of mine and her husband are cycling across the Nullabor over the next few weeks. I say they’re crazy but it should be a good one to follow.

So without further adieu I present – Clea and Garrett Cycle Across Australia.

BTW: Did I mention it’s actually a tandem bike they’re riding?

I have to say this straight up. I’ve been pretty proud of the fact that almost all, if not all of the content on this blog is original. I don’t just re-blog funny or stupid things I’ve found around the Internet. However, with that being said, I had to post this one.

Ever since I was a kid I have wondered. If a nuclear bomb was dropped right on the centre of Sydney would I survive?

This cool little site lets you find your location on Google maps then choose a nuclear bomb to “drop” on it. Anything from the first bomb right through to a Russian 50 mega tonne giant. It shows you the immediate thermal effects and not the radiated areas or the resulting fallout which would cover a much, much larger area.

Read on for more and screenshots.

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This list is written from the perspective of a Sydney sider visiting Melbourne. Having been there quite a few times you can be assured this point of view is not just “holiday goggles” in action.

1. hospitals sponsored by gambling companies

Where else in Australia or in fact the world can you find hospitals sponsored by the companies that quite possibly landed them there in the first place. Anyone for the Marlboro cancer ward or Heineken detox facility.

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If you know me then you know that I rant on a bit about Sculpture by the Sea. Even though I love it to death and think it does great things for Sydney’s cultural desert – it does have its issues. Issues like exclusionism and over corporatisation. Take this chap’s plight as an example.

People have asked me – “Why don’t you set up your own show then?”. Well, I’m too lazy. Ok no, I’m not motivated enough to jump through all the hoops it would require. Mainly around permissions to use sites and the logistics of promoting the event.

What if one could install a virtual exhibition in a public place?

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I’ve finally finished my first roll of super 8 and Nanolab have processed and telecined it for me.  Richard from Nanolab was really helpful and even gave me some tips to improve things on the next lot of film.  Here’s the film in all its 3:30 glory. More info after the players.

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Finally..I’ve finished my first roll of 8mm film. I know I said I’d do this film in one continuous roll but I cheated a bit so I’m rolling over two. I still plan on doing the entire movie on the equivalent of one roll though.

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I’ve embarked on a project to document Sydney in the closing days of 2008. It will be filmed on 8mm film in a number of locations in and around the central business district (CBD).

The primary aim of the movie is to document what Sydney looks like in 2008. What wasn’t there in the heyday of the 8mm format and how it has changed since. By using this old film stock I hope to, rather contradictorily, show Sydney in a timeless fashion, in a medium that hasn’t changed for almost 50 years.

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In the first part of this (what could turn out to be quite a rant I addressed (a small part) of what I think has to happen for Sydney to continue to grow and move on from a Beta city into a Global city. I’ve also found some interesting plans which I will present and incorporate into my vision.

George Street, Sydney

“It’s certainly no Broadway, Oxford St or the Champs-Elysées”

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As anyone who lives in Sydney knows. It’s a horror to get around, even with a car.

The CBD, the supposed inner heart of the city, is without a heart. Emptying out after 5pm as everyone goes home to watch television. Not because there’s something interesting on TV, there isn’t. There’s just nothing to do in the city and even if there was, they’d have to catch a ($50 plus) taxi home as public transportation practically shuts down after 6pm.

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