Happy Anniversary - Sylvania (Sun 30 Apr 2000)

Cheers - Happy Anniversary - Sylvania (Sun 30 Apr 2000)

On Noticing - The Story of Telling (Wed 30 Apr 2014)

Untitled - The Galleries Victoria / Sydney (Tue 15 Apr 2014)
The Story of Telling (*) writes the value of noticing (*):

Noticing (*) what people do is often more valuable to us than listening (*) to what they say they think.

[..] the trick to bringing things that matter to the world is not just to absorb information, but to make meaning (*) from it.

via The Value of Soft Data (*) by The Story of Telling (*).

On Victory - Simon Gerrans - Cameron Wurf (Mon 28 Apr 2014)

Bikes and Canoes - South East Belgium (Sun 13 Sep 2009)
Camron Wurf (*) writes on Simon Gerrans (*) victory in the Ardennes classic of 2014 (*):

Those are the victories (*) which really impress me, the ones where the target (*) is firmly planted on your back and the opponents can do is watch the bullseye (*) ride away from them.

via Fun in the sun in Turkey!! (*) by Cameron Wurf (*).

On the Challenge of Change - Viktor Frankl via Vernon Gambetta (Sun 27 Apr 2014)

Pacific Dragons - Premier Mixed 2km - 2014 AusDBF Nationals - Kawana (Fri 18 Apr 2014)
Viktor E Frankl (*) writes challenge (*) of unavoidable change (*):

When we are no longer able to change (*) a situation, we are challenged (*) to change ourselves.

via Some Random Thoughts on Sports, Coaching and Life (*) by Vernon Gambetta (*).

Had to face a few unavoidable changes in my time, and this is a brilliant summary of the only to move forward, even if there a few steps back.

The thing to remember is to keep moving forward (*)

On Calculus - ImprovOmega / Slashdot (Fri 25 Apr 2014)

Flower - Jardim da Estrela (*) - Lisbon (Wed 14 Aug 2013)
ImprovOmega (*) writes On Calculus (*), and its elegance (*) and beauty (*):

The brilliance of calculus (*) is the usage of infinitely many infinitely small rectangular slices to nonetheless derive an exact measurement of the finite area under a curve.

At its core, calculus is the merging of the infinite and the finite. When you truly understand it, it is one of the most elegant (*) and beautiful (*) discoveries in human history.

via Ask Slashdot: Books for a Comp Sci Graduate Student? (*) by peetm (781139) (*).

Like this one. Reminds me of what I felt when I first learnt calculus in high school.

After 12 years or so of not reading Slashdot (*), I have started following again to keep up the latest in the nerdy tech world I have always lurked as a fringe-dweller (*).

On Performance - Julia Ryall / PDdb (Tue 04 Nov 2008)

Pacific Dragons - 500m Premier Mixed Final - 2014 AusDBF Dragon Boat Nationals - Kawana (Sat 19 Apr 2014)
Julia Ryall (*) writes On Performance (*) and Expectation (*) amongst other things:

Performance (*) is not about crossing the line first, it is about having great plan, the right preparation (*), the ability to execute the plan (*) well on the day, realistic expectations (*) and an ability to celebrate (*) the performance rather than the placing.

via PDdb - DB Paddling Update: The ultimate performance is a greater reward than first place by Julia Ryall (*).

Written, what now seems so long ago, but still so right and relevant. Almost six years on, and so many amazing experiences (*) in between, these words makes much more sense now than they did back then.

Pacific Dragons - 2009 AusDBF Dragon Boat Nationals - Kawana (Sun 26 Apr 2009)

Pacific Dragons (*) - 2009 AusDBF (*) Dragon Boat Nationals - Kawana (*) (Sun 26 Apr 2009)
(l-b-f-r) Geoff, Graeme, Kaizer, Norm, Lisa, Christian, Darren, Adam, Mark, Todd, Jo, Dave, Matt, Helen, Jenny, Gav, John, Eugene, Kristen, Christoph, PaulC, Mandy, Julia, Craig, Dean, Phil, Toby, Andrew, Shell, Becky, Jo, Bonny, Mel, Kath, Phil, Charlotte, Nicola, Lucy, Di, Dave, Leesa, Rachel, Michelle, PaulS, Suzy, Amanda, Linda, Annett, Billy
Five years have passed and we have come full circle. Jenny (*) was with us last time and I shed a few small tears as I watched the PD Girls, paddling two short and Jo drumming, cross the line second in the Women's 500m Final. In my heart I felt her presence in one of the seats left spare for her and I knew she was there with them, making the impossible possible (*) yet again.

Lots of new faces but still a few of us who paddle on. Thanks to all.

Pacific Dragons (*) - 2014 AusDBF (*) Dragon Boat Nationals - Kawana (*) (Sat 19 Apr 2014)
Kerry Davenport,
Jasmin Keick, Kathleen Burrows, Annett Happich, Nicola Frowen, Catherine Gale, Laurette Ah Jack, Amanda Wyllie, Rachel Giang, Dianne Morgan, Rebecca Oately, Kylie Haskins, Kirsi Niinimaki, Caitlin Moffat, Jane Hill, Elizabeth Cowen, Emma Walsh, Alison Linn, Daniella Storm, Greg Oatley, Eugene Lee, Geoff Eldridge, Gavin Godfrey, Matt Spies, Paul Wilkins, Craig Stewart, Christian Happich, Stuart Young, Graeme Bacon, Albert Au, Paul Smith, Kaizer Austin, Paul Cooke, Ivan Sanchez, Tim Vose, Peter McAllister, Tony Pound

Pacific Dragons - 2014 AusDBF Dragon Boat Nationals - Kawana (Sat 19 Apr 2014)

Pacific Dragons (*) - 2014 AusDBF (*) Dragon Boat Nationals - Kawana (*) (Sat 19 Apr 2014)
Kerry Davenport,
Jasmin Keick, Kathleen Burrows, Annett Happich, Nicola Frowen, Catherine Gale, Laurette Ah Jack, Amanda Wyllie, Rachel Giang, Dianne Morgan, Rebecca Oately, Kylie Haskins, Kirsi Niinimaki, Caitlin Moffat, Jane Hill, Elizabeth Cowen, Emma Walsh, Alison Linn, Daniella Storm, Greg Oatley, Eugene Lee, Geoff Eldridge, Gavin Godfrey, Matt Spies, Paul Wilkins, Craig Stewart, Christian Happich, Stuart Young, Graeme Bacon, Albert Au, Paul Smith, Kaizer Austin, Paul Cooke, Ivan Sanchez, Tim Vose, Peter McAllister, Tony Pound

On Leadership - David Foster Wallace / Dan Coyle (Wed 16 Apr 2014)

Julia and Gav - my dragon boat coaches - Kawana (*) - 2009 AusDBF Nationals (Sat 24 Apr 2009)
David Foster Wallace (*) writes On Leadership (*):

Deep down, you almost always like how a real leader (*) makes you feel, the way you find yourself working harder and pushing yourself and thinking in ways you couldn’t ever get to on your own.

via 3 Simple Things Great Teachers Do (*) by Dan Coyle (*).

Two people who have believed (*) in me right from the very start when I thought there was nothing to believe in. And who pushed and challenged me to be more than I thought I could have ever been as a paddler and a person. They have given me so much and I am forever appreciative for that.

On the Camera - making it happen - eyecurious / Conscientious Redux (Tue 12 Apr 2014)

Horizon Camera (*) - Lomography Store (*) / Barcelona (Mon 05 Aug 2013)
eyecurious (*) writes on the camera (*):

even today, things can still happen (*) by simply taking a camera (*) and going out into the world.

via eyecurious: I just got my hands on two books, Going Home and... (*) by Conscientious Redux (*) / Jorg Colberg (*).

I have a copy of Going Home (*). And I was very interested in the Horizon (*) Panoramic Camera (*) in my early days (*).

On Creativity and Teamwork - Daniel Coyle (Wed 09 Apr 2014)

Pacific Dragons (*) - SIRC / Penrith (Sun 06 Apr 2014)
Daniel Coyle (*) writes on creativity (*) and teamwork (*):

Creativity (*), then, is not about finding one brilliant individual, but rather about creating effective patterns of interaction between a bunch of smart individuals. About arranging the right people in the right way, and letting them get to work with as few barriers and as much focus (*) as possible.

via How to Be More Creative (Step #1: Buy This Pixar Book) (*) by Daniel Coyle (*).

This might be abstracted from the Pixar (*) experience. Same can be said about any team based activity. Thanks for the photo Ali.

On Photography and Vivian Maier - Ella Taylor (Fri 28 Mar 2914)

Pink Balloon - Madrid (Sun 11 Aug 2013)
Ella Taylor (*) writes On Vivian Maier (*), photography (*) and maybe a few more of us:

Perhaps she just loved taking pictures; perhaps they kept her company or even prevented her, for a while, from falling apart. Perhaps it never crossed her mind that she was an artist.

via 'Vivian Maier' Brings Nanny-Photographer's Life Into Focus (*) by Ella Taylor (*).

In 2010 as I struggled with the loss of Jenny (*), those around me were concerned. So I am thankful to my Mother who suggested I should try to get back into my photography and Jo, who independently, suggested I start to organise my photos. And so I did (*), and still do ..

On Apprenticeship - Adam Marelli (Thu 10 Apr 2014)

Untitled - Alexandria (Thu 03 Apr 2014)
Adam Marelli (*) writes On Apprenticeship (*):

an apprentice, no one usually cares who you are, what you do, and if you ever succeed. It is the master who gets all of the attention and that’s just fine, because like an unripe vegetable the apprentice is not yet fit for human consumption.

via Eric Chevalier: The Blacksmith’s Apprentice (*) by Adam Marelli (*).

Always the apprentice (*) in life (*), and that's just the way I like it.

The seven sins of a specifier - Bertrand Meyer / IEEE SOFTWARE (Jan 1985)

On Formalism in Specifications (*)
Bertrand Meyer (*), University Of California, Santa Barbara
IEEE SOFTWARE, January 1985
The seven sins of a specifier:

• Noise: The presence in the text of an element that does not carry information relevant to any feature of the problem. Variants: redundancy; remorse.


• Silence: The existence of a feature of the problem that is not covered by any element of the text.


• Overspecification: Thc presence in the text or an element that corresponds not to a feature of the problem but to features of a possible solution.


• Contradiction: The presence in the text of two or more elements that define a feature of the system in an incompatible way.


• Ambiguity: The presence in the text of an element that makes it possible to interpret a feature of the problem in at least two different ways.


• Forward reference: The presence in the text of an clcment that uses features of the problem not defined until later in the text.


• Wishful thinking: The presence in the text of an element that defines a feature of the problem in such a way that a candidate solution cannot realistically be validated with respect to this feature.

I had an opportunity, this week, to reflect on this paper and these basic points on writing a clear and concise specification. They have remained with me since first reading the Paper in the early 1990's. A formative Paper for some one like me who has always struggled to write clearly and concisely.

Bertrand also introduced me to Object-oriented software construction (*) and the The Eiffel Programming Language (*), an elegant way to construct software, that I use everyday to great advantage. Many thanks to Bertrand, who helped equip me with the skills to achieve more than I could have otherwise.