Sci Fi Art

 

When I was a teenager the most exciting science fiction book covers were painted by Chris Foss.

I purchased a book of his illustrations and cut it up to make wall of exciting science fiction illustrations. I had to steel myself to cut up such a great book.

If it works...

When on holiday, the caravan mixer tap became stiff and was difficult to turn on and off. Armed with my plumbing tools I prepared to disassemble the tap and investigate the cause. I turned off the water pump. I turned on the tap to release the pressure and turned it off again - it was easy to operate. I checked again with the water pump on -it was working fine.

I put my tools away. There is an engineering rule I learned as as a student - If it works don't fix it.

Sunda to Sahul

 

The cover of the board game.

The clever interlocking pieces.

Australian designed, Australian made and no longer available.

I found the game in a Vinnies second-hand shop. The shape of the pieces allows them to interlock - very clever.

Board games are physical. Handling and clicking the pieces into place is a delight.

Tree Removal

 

A young fig.

There are many large pest trees in the local environmental areas such as camphor laurels and african tulip trees. The local government while very keen to remove hollow native trees is slow to remove pest trees. They would be expensive to remove and the nearby residents often object to the trees being removed.

So the plan is to plant figs in the pest trees. The figs will strangle the pest trees to death over the next 50 years.

Banned Authors

Occasionally an author so disappoints me with their story that I ban myself from reading another of their books-

1) My Sister's Keeper by Jodie Picoult. 

The premise is set up brilliantly. A young girl refuses to undergo an operation that would save her sister's life. Then at the climax in the crux of the dilemma there is a car accident and and so the whole point of the story vanishes. I read the book flying from London to the USA. I was so deflated at the weak ending.

2) Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier.

In the US civil war a soldier deserts and slowly makes his way home, an often delayed and painful journey. I lived his trials as I read. Then just before he reaches home he is killed. So no point to the whole journey - perhaps true to life but not why I was reading the book. I read the book based a a recommendation in heard on the radio from Bob Carr.

3) A Song of Fire and Ice - an unfinished series by George R. R. Martin.

A great fantasy adventure and well told but my favourite characters kept being killed. I could not endure it - I stopped after Book 2 or 3. The first book was published in 1996. Book 5 of of 7 was published in 2011. The last 2 books are unpublished, possibly still unwritten. So in stopping early I avoided the disappointment and frustration of all those still waiting for the series to finish.

Nest Boxes

Nest boxes in the workshop

 

I have built over 40 nest boxes in the past 3 years. They are erected in local environmental areas. Many Australian birds, bats and marsupials need tree hollows to breed and to hide. The local government is very cautious and they remove hollow trees. So the animals must rely on boxes attached to sound trees. 

With practice I have become very efficient producing 3 or 4 at a time. The designs are still improving with experience - my early efforts were very attractive to European Honey Bees.

Sleepers Wake!

Sleepers Wake! by Barry Jones (ISBN 0-19-553756-4) investigates the post-industrial revolution - the revolution that is happening now. I read the first (1982) edition, now I have the 1995 edition.

The text includes Jones Eight Laws of employment and technology:

1. Employment levels are culturally determined.

2.Technological innovation tends to reduce aggregate employment relative to market size and to increase employment at lower wage rates in other areas.

3. Employment absorption tends to be in inverse relation to economic efficiency.

4. In production on a massive scale, employment tends to be in inverse proportion to demand.

5. The economic viability of a technologically advanced society may depend on having an increasing number of consumers, despite the number of large producers reducing.

6. Rising levels of employment depend on increased demands for a diversity of services: simplicity of personal needs contributes to low levels of employment, and complexity to high levels.

7. The amount of time spent by generalists in making technically based decisions is in inverse proportion to the complexity of the subject matter.

8. Most technological discoveries have an equal capacity for the enhancement and degradation of life, depending on how they are used.

Street Library

The Street Library

 

Back in June I installed a Street Library at the front of my house.

There is reasonable passing foot traffic with a lots of services nearby schools, buses, a craft brewery, a playground, and a dog park.

I had lots of good books that I wasn't going to read again. A library seemed a good way to send the books out to new readers. It has become self sustaining with others contributing their own books. When I returned from a 5 week holiday the library was full of books and very tidy.

Children's books are popular and are claimed quickly. In my opinion there are too many thick romance and action novels and if I did not cull them they would choke out other interesting books. When I cull the books, they are given to the Lifeline second-hand shop. If I find a religious or a fad diet book it goes into the rubbish - there is no need to spread lies.

Designing and building the library was a challenge. I arranged the shelves to accept the largest books in my own collection. It is designed to resist sun, rain and vermin. I had to reinforce the fence behind to make a proper mounting. The structure is marine ply with 5 coats of polyurethane varnish. The window is shatterproof, UV-proof polycarbonate. The latch is stainless steel.

To find out more refer to https://streetlibrary.org.au/

Holiday Home

 

A'van Cruiser

This was our home for five weeks. The walls and roof fold to make a trailer. We think of it as a luxury tent.

Garage length - 5200mm

Interior Length - 3615mm 

Interior width - 2000mm

Maximum gross mass - 1205kg

To correctly calculate the tyre pressure for a caravan see - https://www.gnschassis.com.au/tyre-pressure-calculator/

Services - water tank, cooktop,  microwave, fridge/freezer, hot water, air conditioning, water pump, radio/CD player, 240V socket, outlets, 12V socket outlets, lighting.

Energy sources - 

1) 240V 15 amp mains power for everything except cooktop

2) Photovoltaic panel and battery - for water pump, radio/CD player, 240V socket, outlets, 12V socket outlets, lighting

3) LPG (2x4kg) - for cooktop, fridge/freezer, hot water.

Mold or cast

 

 Dinosaur footprint made 95 million years ago.

At Lark Quarry -90 minute drive from Winton- there is an array of dinosaur tracks showing a predator chasing a multitude of smaller prey.

When I look at this photo now I see a raised cast but in fact the claw marks are depressions in stone. My mind sometimes defaults to see bumps where there are dents. In looking at moon photos I have seen mesas where others see craters.

Telecommunications country wide

 When I crossed the Great Dividing Range into western Queensland I soon found that my mobile telephone no longer worked. It is such a common problem that the tourist information centre I visited had maps on hand to explain it all - only Telstra works outback. Only Telstra SIM cards are sold at the shops.

Years ago I had transferred my number from Telstra to Belong (a discount brand from Telstra) in order to get more data at a reasonable price. I had thought that Belong - being owned by Telstra would work. I was wrong. 

In the meantime Telstra now includes a enough data for my purposes in its plans (not a huge amount) so I have switched back.

DRCS mast at Larks Quarry

Early in my career I was a member of the team that automated outback communications with the Digital Radio Concentrator System. I enjoyed seeing the tall masts in remote places.

The ways of Queensland

The highways of Queensland are given interesting names. In the last 5 weeks we have travelled on Warrego Way, Leichhardt Way, Pacific Coast Way, Overlanders Way, Matilda way, Great Inland Way, and Australia's Country Way.

Take me home country roads...

 

Heading home on the Australian Country Way - after 5 weeks in outback Queensland it's time to head home.

Wilderness no more

Carnarvon Gorge is very popular with very many walkers hiking along the trail each day. It is not a lonely experience. There is little chance of seing wild animals with so many people around.

The rocky formations are spectacular. But the plants are still recovering from the last bushfire. The Xanthorrea are just small grassy tufts. And the Banksia are all skinny twigs with no flowers.

The saddest thing was 20th century initials and dates carved through the aboriginal rock art. The people viewing the the art were all very respectful.

Vitamin E

 A couple of weeks ago I cut my thumb with a hand saw. I was treated at the Townsville Hospital where the doctors cleaned the cut, inspected the moving parts under the skin and stiched it up.

It has healed nicely. 

Years ago when a melanoma was removed from my nose, the surgeon recommed rubbing Vitamin E oil from oral pills into the wound to minimise scarring. 

So I have been rubbing Vitamin E oil on my thumb scar as well.

Towers of Stone

Someone at Takarakka camping ground at the entrance to Carnarvon Gorge is obsessed with balancing rocks. The are everywhere particularly in the river bed. I even found where some had been glued - surely cheating.

Making towers stops the stones from being shelter to plants and invertebrates. 

Just like staying home

When some people go bush they bring their home comforts with them.

Other people make do with less when they travel.

Booming chimes

In Barcaldine giant wooden chimes sound over the Tree of Knowledge -

We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other and fight to defend our rights and liberties.

Moon rise

I caught a full moon rising through cloud a couple of days ago.

Apart from that it's pretty good

This quote on the wall of the Stockman Hall of Fame is a wry summary of the outback - the flies, and the bulldust, and the empty bellies, .and the rain that can soak your bones to a chill.

Golden lies

This text is from the Waltzing Matilda museum.

A true text would read -

A consortium of wealthy Victorian pastoralists stole aboriginal lands around Winton and prospered ....

Diamintina Driving

In the 1980s I sang Diamintina Drover with the rest of the audience at Mt Isa Irish Club on Sunday nights.

Today I sang Diamintina Drover in the channel country of the Diamintina River as I drove the dusty road near Old Cork station.

Its a great sing along song - thank you Redgum.

Dinosaurs in Winton

Australian Age of Dinosaurs is an great experience of ongoing dinosaur discovery.