Cablog

Phone videos

Here's some rough previews of what sort of vision my phone is producing. The first two are edited short music videos, while the last two are uncut and longer load-ups. I haven't had time to learn the professional technique of presenting videos, so for the moment they come to you from my files.

The first is a short video taken by a passenger, hand held going over The Bridge one evening on sundown. An automatic movie editor, on the phone, was applied with style and music added.

This is also edited. At the Airport we wait for ages in the holding paddock, before finally being given the green light to go to the terminals...this taken with hands free, steady phone/cam. Obviously I need to square up the bracket.

If you're still interested, this is raw footage. Here I am arriving at Star City Casino and this one hooking over the Anzac Bridge one recent evening.

Ultimately I intend making them more personal with interviews and such. By then I'll have the right tools to adapt such vision in order to present decent videos. Plus be able to send them remotely to the blog. Just need the time...

UPDATE : I've decided to pull Phone Videos links as readers are having trouble accessing them. Additionally my PC is threatening to crash. Just thought overnight to put up a couple of rough previews, but obviously I need to work out the correct technique.

No worries, they were no big deal, more an amusement factor. Please bear with me while I sort things out for proper presentation. With this new technology, I find I'm having to learn all this stuff myself as bugger-all development, to help computer novices like me, is available to date. Cheers, Adrian.

UPDATE 2 : Okay, I've arrived home this morning from work and relented to a request to bring back the video links. If I wake up this afternoon and find my computer crashed it's on your head Sandcrab ! Sorry to be so primitive about this folks but you'll need to download Quicktime if you can't view them first up.

My darling

Here's an image of my ex-girlfriend. She once worked in the Edgecliff Centre seen in the background. One day she came out for lunch and the artist, who painted it and has maintained it for near on 20 years, was so taken by her loveliness he immortalised her. She's so gorgeous. Now a Sydney landmark. If you believe that, you'll believe anything.

Seriously though, this image has always captivated me over those years. Whilst the colours have been constantly changed and updated - recently she was in sparkling lurex - the form has not. It's very Sydney and should be declared a heritage site, if not so already. I believe the artist is a European guy who operates out of the old gas station between Darlinghurst Roads and Victoria Street, Darlo. Can anyone shed more light on his story..?

Click image to enlarge

Too much money

Some passengers have no sense of place or fear of consequences...

Audio moblog 2

Correction : In this post, from my home phone, I stated my Telstra Plan was the Homeline Complete. In fact I just changed it to Homeline Plus at an extra $3 per month. This allows me to call Audioblog in Texas for flat rate of $1 for ten minutes. All in all a fairly cheap exercise.

Audio Moblog 1

powered by Audioblog.com

A first test.

Web Page Analyser

Just flicking around the Net when I came across this handy tool for Bloggers via Bloggingblog. I've been wondering how slow my site is loading now with the addition of images. With the free Web Page Analyser bloggers can get the lowdown on how their site loads,

Test your web site speed and improve website performance with our free web-based analyzer. Enter a URL below to calculate page size, composition, and page download time. The script calculates the size of individual elements and finds the total for each type of web page component. Based on these page characteristics the script then offers advice on how to improve page display time and website speed.

Besides providing a host of data, here's the Analysis and Recommendations it gave for cablog,

TOTAL_OBJECTS - Congratulations, the total objects on this page (including the HTML) is 1 which most browsers can multithread. Minimizing HTTP requests is key for web site optimization.
TOTAL_SIZE - Congratulations, the total size of this page is 138 bytes. This page should load in less than eight seconds on a 56Kbps connection - or 0.03 seconds. But there's always room for improvement.
HTML_SIZE - Congratulations, the total size of this HTML file is 138 bytes, which less than 20K. Assuming that you specify the HEIGHT and WIDTH of your images, this size allows your page to display content in well under 8 seconds, the average time users are willing to wait for a page to display without feedback.

Additionally, Web Page Analyser gives advice on how to speed up a site download, via Speed Tweak of the Week. These cover general tweaks, server tweaks, CSS tweaks, graphics and multilmedia tweaks, HTML and XHTML tweaks, plus javascript tweaks. Check it out fellow bloggers.

Pit Stop - a mobile post

A favourite cabbies cafe, Hernandez on Kings Cross Rd. - a first attempt sending an image remotely.

I also took some shots Tues. at The Gap overlooking the Harbour - posted in 'Aw Shucks'.

Airliner alert

6.15 pm

In the last half-hour an airliner out of Sydney bound for Los Angeles has returned and safely landed at Sydney Airport after a bomb threat. United American Airlines Flight 840 was one and a half hours into the flight when the captain acted on a non-specified, Code 3 alert and took the decision to return to Sydney.

After dumping fuel over the Pacific the 747 landed at a secure part of the airport on Botany Bay. The plane is now isolated and locked down, with all interior lights off. The 246 passengers and 18 crew have been evacuated by bus.

Unconfirmed radio reports have a threatening note being found at the terminal after the plane departed with a further note being found onboard. There is also a suggestion an attempt was made to forcibly enter the cockpit.

Full emergency procedures were enacted. Airspace over Sydney was closed and flights from other cities and regional centres are either in a holding pattern, or returning to their points of origin. Additionally police are closing General Holmes Drive under the Botany Bay runway.

In another incident, Monday at Sydney Airport a knife, boxcutter, was found on a Middle East airliner before passengers boarded.

UPDATE : Last night neither Sydney airport nor the Department of Transport would confirm exactly what had taken place on board but it is understood to relate to a note that was found on the aircraft by crew.

Aw, shucks...

I've been asked about my comment yesterday - Sydney has been voted world's best City for the seventh time in the past nine years. This poll is conducted by American magazine, Travel + Leisure,

This year's results are based on 425,105 evaluations, making these our most comprehensive (and competitive) awards to date. Our rankings identify the cream of the crop around the globe: the top hotels, cities, islands, cruise lines, outfitters, airlines, and car-rental agencies.

In our category, Best City, the rated characteristics were, sights, culture/arts, restaurants/food, people, shopping, value. The full survey methodology can be found here... The press release found here...

WORLD'S BEST CITY - SYDNEY
WORLD'S BEST ISLAND - BALI
WORLD'S BEST HOTEL - SINGITA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE, SABI SANDS, SOUTH AFRICA
WORLD'S BEST SMALL HOTEL - SINGITA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE, SABI SANDS, SOUTH AFRICA
WORLD'S BEST HOTEL FOR $250 OR LESS - RITZ-CARLTON BALI RESORT & SPA
WORLD'S BEST LARGE-SHIP CRUISE LINE - CRYSTAL CRUISES
WORLD'S BEST SMALL-SHIP CRUISE LINE - SILVERSEA CRUISES
WORLD'S BEST DOMESTIC AIRLINE - MIDWEST AIRLINES
WORLD'S BEST INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE - SINGAPORE AIRLINES
WORLD'S BEST TOUR OPERATOR/SAFARI OUTFITTER - MICATO SAFARIS
WORLD'S BEST CAR-RENTAL AGENCY - HERTZ

Best City /Score 2004 / 2003
1 Sydney 87.58 / 87.62
2 Rome 87.00 / 86.64
3 Florence, Italy 86.77 / 87.14
4 Bangkok 85.68 / 87.11
5 Cape Town 85.30 / 84.88
6 New York 84.67 / 84.67
7 Oaxaca, Mexico 84.15 / N/A
8 Istanbul 83.94 83.18
9 San Francisco 83.64 83.86
10 Venice 83.49 83.

The only other winner/s in Australia, was in Queensland, for Best Island/s - Lizard Island in particular and the Great Barrier Reef islands, in general. Years ago, whilst hanging around Alaska, I met a well travelled, travel-agent from Los Angeles. She insisted the two best Harbours in the world were Hong Kong by night and Sydney by day. Can't argue with that.

Additionally, tourists in my cab argue the two best City beaches in the world are Rio in Brazil, and Bondi in Sydney, around 7kms from the CBD. However given Rio's crime problem, Bondi takes the cigar. Excuse the pun. Further to that, they also insist I'm the world's best cabbie !

And if I can just find an IT/telephony/weblog solutions specialist, in Sydney, I'll be the world's only on-line publishing cabbie. If not, my very next fare will be to The Gap in Watsons Bay, the world's best suicide location....aaaarrrrgggghhhh.... Help ! Somebody...?

NOTE : As usual, click on images to enlarge

Night owl

Last night, Sunday, with a passenger off Oxford Street and riding up front, I broke my golden rule - Never talk to a single man off Oxford, late at night, who elects to ride up front - it just encourages them. Especially if wasted. He was a masseur, specialising in Shiatsu and Reikji. So I quizzed him on his hours - 7 a day, hourly rate - $ 90, and the untapped potential of the Korean bathhouse in the Crest Hotel, Kings Cross.

The bathhouse is basically a legitimate health facility with gender segregation. It offers saunas, multi temperature spas, robust Korean massages, and full personal grooming. Having been there a few times, I was aware certain patrons indulged illicit options in the multiple spas. Unfortunately this has given the bathhouse a slightly seedy reputation.

My passenger noted this by demonstrating with a hand on my knee. He didn’t persist, so I ignored his proposition. One becomes immune to this stuff in Sydney and, as such, I wasn’t offended. I was more interested in discussing the massive new Westfield Shopping Centre, near his home in Bondi Junction. Call me boring...