Ikea Logan

A new Ikea store opened Friday in a suburb call Logan, 17 km south of Brisbane. In the week leading up to the opening, Ikea spammed the airwaves with an annoying commercial boasting a fictional Swede named Steve (a young bald trendy guy with glasses – thick black frame - dressed in yellow) fine talking the delights of Ikea in Lowgan (i.e. Logan with a Swedish accent).

In Melbourne we often visited Ikea because of their import of Swedish food products not readily available anywhere else. Within the first month of our arrival in Brisbane we decided to keep up the tradition and visit Ikea in Springwood. It turned out to be small and puny and as a result we didn't go again. However, with the new Ikea in Logan we were hoping for a better experience as it was being hailed as the largest Ikea in the Southern hemisphere.



We arrived at 10 to 10. There was already a queue building up outside the car park, but the attendants and police were quick to guide the cars into place. Once inside it was the familiar Ikea layout. On offer was a breakfast consisting of bacon and eggs for a lousy $2, so it wasn’t a surprise that people had turned up early for some food before hitting the exhibition. Because Tobias was hungry we bought some breakfast. It was poor (what can you expect for $2), but Tobias was happy nonetheless.

We ended up spending $120 on different items, most significantly some Christmas decorations. On our way out we also paid the Swedish food market a visit and bought some obligatory liquorish.

I am certain Logan Ikea will be a great success. Located between the Gold Coast and Brisbane it has a huge market base. It also has a reasonable size and therefore the full Ikea range with a decent warehouse to go with it.

Monicacos de Esperanza

Neil Guy, Burning Man photographer extraordinaire, has posted his striking 2006 pix: http://burningcam.com/2006/photos/.

Above is a photo of Monicacos de Esperanza by Pepe Ozan. An odd ensemble of surreal creatures walking towards nowhere. The creature in the foreground reminds me of cartoonist Vaugh Bodé. A common theme in his works was the use of lizard-like creatures as stand-ins for "real" humans (though most of his female characters are quite human).

Extracting extra value

Many DVDs have alternative language tracks. Especially many of the cartoons we have bought for Tobias contain a multitude of language options. Today Tobias watched the first 20 minutes of Garfield in Finnish by his own request. He had a ball!

iCrib

I was clicking my way through the Engadget website and came across the iCrib. Well, I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that someone would come up with a sound system that attaches an iPod to a crib. After all, babies like music and lots of people own iPods (we have 4), so it makes a whole lot of sense.

Christoffer is too old for the iCrib, he would probably grab it, wrestle it free and proceed to shake it and push any buttons he could find. Ultimately he would probably toss it through the air in an attempt to see how far it could fly. Probably better to consider the iCrib for the next one. And no... before you get too excited there is nothing on the way.

YouTube and looking forward

From Concept to Hyper-growth: Click here to view a fantastic video about the creation and early days of YouTube from the quiet co-founder, Jawed Karim. This is a University lecture he did on the 21 October. It is 50 mins long and required viewing for anyone interested in the process of creating an internet company.

Tobias and Christoffer hope you listen and learn. Although the world will probably have changed when you enter the business world, I would like to hope that you could be just a fraction as successful as the YouTube guys.

People are already searching the the next YouTube. One candidate could be outside.in.

Yesterday Boing Boing reported that Steven Johnson has published a new book The Ghost Map, a scientific thriller about an 1854 cholera outbreak on London’s Broad Street in Soho. The Ghost Map celebrates cartography in the context of neighborhood knowledge, the wisdom about a place that can only come from living there.

Now Steven has brought that same theme alive in today’s world of Google mash-ups and location-enhanced computing through outside.in.

outside.in is a tool for participating in the online conversations taking place about your community within your community. After you locate yourself on a map, real-time blog posts, reviews, and news relevant to that area appear. Drag the map and the content changes. The system draws from a wide variety of placeblogs, user-contributed links, and tagged neighborhood data. All of that hyperlocal information is then aggregated together and linked to the physical places where the news matters most.

So far it only appears to be working for selected areas in the US.

Abstract cars part II

In the previous post is a painting by Tobias. Majken managed to catch the artist on camera. It shows him initiating what apparently turned out to be a tractor. When you watch the clip, note the background music. This is not any recording of ours; it is music from the Roma Street Parklands at our doorstep.

Last weekend a multicultural festival was held in the park. The intention was to celebrate the diversity, colour and vibrancy of Brisbane’s population. There were samples of music, art, ceremonies and food from a multitude of different countries and the opportunity to take part in many of the activities.

An interesting feature was a world map (2 by 4 metres) where festival participants were encouraged to place a tiny red sticker on their parent’s country of origin. Not unsurprisingly there were mountains of red on Australia, most of Europe, New Zealand, Hong Kong (migration prior to 1997 prompted by the hand-over to China) and Pacific Islands. However, patterns I didn’t expect where: the relatively few stickers on countries like Spain and France; a red cloud around Peru and hardly any on the other South American countries; and two or three major pockets of red on Africa, suggesting substantial migrations from a few selected regions.

There was also Danish representation at the festival. The Danish Club of Brisbane had a stall where they sold hotdogs and aebleskiver (a small cake of batter cooked in a special pan resulting in a small round delicacy that is eaten with marmelade or sugar). According to Majken the quality of their aeblerskiver was not up to scratch. I guess this should be expected given that good home made versions are very difficult to come by even in Denmark.

Abstract cars

Tobias has painted a collection of different cars. Can you spot which ones are which?

Monster Trucks

Tobias har fået nogle nye biler – ikke helt almindelige biler men monster trucks. Han har i en periode leget med tog, sværd og computer men nu er biler et hit igen. Han har altid haft et særligt forhold til biler og tilbragte timer med at parkere (eller placere) dem i farveorden, da han var mindre.

Cars are back as Tobias preferred toy, not normal cars, but monster trucks.

Han fik sin første Hot Wheels monster truck fra fars trylletaske. Det er min gamle computertaske som har den særlige evne at den kan fremtrylle legetøj. Det sker dog ikke særlig ofte (hidtil kun tre gange på et halvt år) og det er kun mig, der ved hvornår tasken kan anvendes.

His first Hot Wheels monster truck came from dad’s magic bag, i.e. my old computer bag with the wonderful ability to conjure up toys. It doesn’t happen very often and at my full discretion (has only happened three times during the past 6 months).

Han har siden købt to til med penge han har tjent ved at støvsuge. Så nu har han tre ialt, hvilket gør det hele lidt lettere fordi Christoffer så også har mulighed for at lege lidt med dem. Det er ikke let at holde styr på alle tre på en gang.

He has since bought two additional trucks using the money he has earned vacuuming. So now he has three, which makes life a little easier because it gives Christoffer the opportunity to play with them as well. It is difficult to keep track of all three at once.

Hans fascination med monster trucks er ikke ny. Sidste år var vi på the Melbourne Show Grounds. Her fik han et førsthåndsindtyk af en monster truck ”in action”. Se videoklippet nedenfor.

His fascination with monster trucks is by no means new. At the Melbourne Show Grounds last year he saw one in action. See the video clip below.

Laughing with measuring tape

In a previous post I described how Tobias gets a lot of kicks out of everyday tools and objects. Here is an example of Christoffer (and Tobias) having fun with a measuring tape.

[Jeg har tidligere beskrevet hvordan Tobias faar en masse sjov ud af at lege med dagligdags ting. Her er et eksempel hvor Christoffer (og Tobias) har det sjovt med et maalebaand.]

TED

The TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference is an annual event where leading thinkers and doers gather for inspiration. Talks are made available on-line.  Click here.

There are may interesting talks, for example, Richard Dawkins Oxford University Professor and author of the 1976 book, The Selfish Gene and more recently The God Delusion gives a talk called Queerer Than We Suppose: The strangeness of science, he suggests that the true nature of the universe eludes us, because the human mind evolved to understand the "middle-sized" world we can observe. Also Hans Rosling professor of international health at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, provides an amusing presentation on how the well-being around the world has changed over the past forty years using the program Gapminder.

A bicycle light

Playing with non-conventional toys is always an interesting experience. Lately Tobias has been playing with my white bicycle light. He invites Christoffer to join him and they make their way to a dark spot where they can play with light. This afternoon Tobias explained the many functions the light has:

• A rocket – the white light is the exhaust from the rocket.
• A helicopter – the light has a flicker option. In his mind this translates to the propellers of the helicopter breaking the light.
• A light sword – not difficult to imagine as the light is pretty bright and therefore produces a beam.

He has also used the light to examine my face, mouth and hands. The mouth in particular was interesting because he is due for an examination at the dentist on Friday.

Story Bridge Climb

Yesterday I climbed the Story Bridge. The climb was a present from Tobias and Christoffer on Fathers Day.

The Story Bridge crosses the Brisbane River and connects Fortitude Valley to Kangaroo Point and is one of Brisbane's most recognisable icons.

The morning was a bit hectic as I had to dash out to the West End market and by rye bread and fruit before heading off to the bridge. And to make things a little more exiting I also had to pop by work to print my climb confirmation slip. With some help from my bike and a little running along on the way I made it to the bridge climb headquarters on time @ 9:45.

Our instructor (Jeremy) took us through all the formalities including an alcohol breath test. Climbing on the bridge is prohibited with a blood alcohol concentration higher than 0.05 per cent (the legal limit for drivers).

Equipped with a climbing harness, jump suit, radio equipment and other miscellaneous accessories and a brief instruction we started the climb.

Suffice it to say I felt pretty ridiculous dressed up in the outfit provided. The jump suit in particular was …. well don’t ask. But what we were lacking on the fashion front was made up for on the tech side. I was very pleased to try out a pair of temple transducers from Motorola. I have seen these many times in the past but had never tried them before. The temple transducer uses bone conduction technology, so you can receive audio without covering the ear. The receiver portion rests on the temples. The sound vibration is transmitted through the surrounding human tissue and bone directly into the inner ear. With them Jeremy was in crystal clear commando style contact with us throughout the climb.

The bridge climb starts on a spiral staircase that takes you up to the underside of the bridge, where a walkway has been built. Stairs take you up and above the pedestrian walkway and cars driving below, to the viewing platform on the main South pier (approximately 80 meters above sea level). This is the main look-out point.

We stayed up there for 15 minutes and enjoyed the panorama view. Then we descended to the middle of the bridge. This was the halfway point of the climb. After a short stop we ascended again to the top of the main pier and from there descended back down to climb headquarters.

The climb is enjoyable. It isn’t strenuous at all for anyone with a reasonable fitness. If you have acrophobia (a fear of heights) it is probably not the right activity to undertake, but for everyone else it shouldn’t be a problem. Obviously, the main attraction of the climb is the view and it doesn’t disappoint. Our guide Jeremy also did an excellent job of providing facts and figures and historic commentary on the immediate surroundings.

The bridge was constructed as a public works program during the Great Depression. As such it was a means of boosting morale and creating employment. Construction began on the bridge in 1935 and was opened five years later in 1940. More than 300 men were employed for its design and construction and the structure contains nearly 12,000 tonnes of steel. It is named after John Douglas Story, a senior and influential public servant.

Oh yeah….and I received this certificate as proof of my climb ;-).

Sheep Market

Here is a strange website: The Sheep Market

The owners of The Sheep Market have paid people online to draw a sheep facing left. No other guidlines where provided. The ‘brushstrokes’ of the artist are captured and are replayed when you select a sheep. You can buy a block (4x5) of sheep as lickable adhesive stamps complete with a certificate of authenticity in a collectable package for US$20 each.

Each drawer was paid 2 cents each for their efforts. That is $0.40 for a set of 20 sheep (or $200 for 10,000 sheep - the number of sheep on the website). Even with additional expenditure for the website, design, materials etc. these guys probably have a healthy profit margin.

Snake aquarium

Tobias latest creation is a snake aquarium combo. The aquarium is occupied by a family of octopus. It has wheels so it can drive to the fish shop. On the back of the aquarium he has painted yellow spots. Why? You guessed it, because the octopuses enjoy them.

Den seneste "kreation" fra Tobias er et slange-akvarium, hvori der bor en blæksprutte famile. Akvariet har hjul så det kan køre til fiskeforretningen. På bagsiden af akvariet har han malet gule prikker. Hvorfor? Du gættede det, fordi blæksprutterne kan li' dem.

Australian Financial Review

I was quoted yesterday in the Australian Financial Review. Read the article below.

Model warfare as Regulator tackles Telstra
By Tony Boyd

The competition regulator is planning to spend up to $1 million to build a computer model of Australia's phone and internet network to help it score points in its wrangling with Telstra over whether the phone monopoly is overestimating its costs.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's move has been welcomed by Telstra's rivals, but an economist who has worked for Telstra, which has its own computer model, said the ACCC is simply creating more hassle and cost for the company.

Henry Ergas said building a network-cost model was fraught with risk. "I think a note of caution one would inject into any effort by the ACCC to go off down this particular path is that building a model is complex, time consuming and costly," said Dr Ergas, head of the Asia Pacific operations of economic consultancy CRA International. "I think they would be extremely lucky if they can build a really robust model for $1 million."

Dr Ergas, who has worked for Telstra on many access pricing issues, said if the ACCC goes ahead with its own model Telstra would inevitably have to supply much of the source information.

The regulator has long been frustrated by Telstra's modelling, which the ACCC believes overstates the company's costs and produces access prices for competitors that are unreasonable. The ACCC also claims Telstra's model is not forward looking and overstates costs because it fails to take into account developments such as broadband internet.

"Telstra’s model is inappropriate, irrelevant and backward”

The new model will be used by the regulator to assist in its enforcement of the Trade Practices Act which involves, among other things, determining if the access prices are reasonable.

Telstra's fixed network cost model, known as PSTN ingres degress version 2 (PIE II), has been endorsed by the world's leading expert on hypothetical network models, Bridger Mitchell, the principal of CRA International.

Dr Mitchell, who built one of the first hypothetical network models in the 1980s in California, said in a report to the ACCC that the PIE I1 model was forward looking and included subscriber and traffic forecasts for 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Dr Mitchell said the model appropriately incorporated the principles for total element long run incremental cost modelling that have been developed and applied in international practice.
But the ACCC says PIE I1 is inappropriate, irrelevant and backward. Telstra's rivals and industry consultants have made similar criticisms.

Jasper Mikkelsen, senior economist at Marsden Jacob Associates, said PIE II failed to take account of non-voice traffic such as broadband resulting in inflated costs. "It is one of the models I have found most difficult to understand," he said.

The ACCC last month invited industry comment on what should be included in its new model when it goes ahead with a tender, which is likely to be published next month.

En milepæl

I dag sagde Christoffer ”far”. Det var sgu på tide - nu har han også kun sagt ”morgenmad” til mig de sidste 4 måneder som det første når han vågner.

Camouflage balloons

[From Boing Boing] Here is a gift for Tobias: Camouflage Water Bombs. Tobias has always been very fond of balloons and water bombs are no exception. I am sure these camouflaged versions are right up his ally.

The store selling them is called Larrys and not only do they sell water bombs they also sell water grenades and launchers. Yikes! And they will ship them all over the world.

On second thoughts, maybe water bombs are not such a good idea now that we live in an apartment. But he sure would love them.

More music - Monkeys and sheep

[Nedenfor er en beskrivelse af to engelske boernesange som Tobias regelmaessigt synger. Den ene handler om aber der hopper i sengen den anden om et faar og uld.]

There are two songs that Tobias currently is keen to sing: Five Little Monkeys and Baa Baa Black Sheep. He sings each of them in his own very special way. While he usually sings the sheep song with his innocent boyish voice, he tends to growl the monkey song in double tempo.

The monkey song goes like this:

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed.
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed."

Four ...

Three ...

Two...

One little monkey jumping on the bed.
He fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"Put those monkey's straight to bed."

Okay so you get the picture, as soon as the monkeys say good-night to Mama, they start to jump on their bed. Trouble lies ahead as, one by one, they fall off and hurt themselves. The doctor issues stern orders each time and finally says "Put those monkey's straight to bed".

I am not sure how Tobias interprets the song. He doesn't seem to have any trouble with the monkeys bumping their head and he himself has never backed away from jumping in our bed. For him it is seems to be all fun and games. Maybe jumping on the bed is his way of celebrating his inner monkey. It’s naughty. It’s fun. A phrase I got from a website appropriate for the occasion: http://www.bedjump.com/.

The nursery rhyme Baa Baa Black Sheep is a completely different story. It goes like this:

Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full.
One for the master,
One for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.

He sings it to a variant of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and will often only sing from "one for the master". When searching for the lyrics on the internet I came up with several versions. It turns out that the original lyrics (as shown above) have been criticized for being racially negative. According to Wikipedia, in 1999, guidelines from Birmingham City Council in England suggested that the rhyme should not be taught in schools because it was seen as racially negative and could cause offense. However, these guidelines were dropped by the council early in 2000 when black parents described the advice as ridiculous. Yes, indeed, bizarre! Nevertheless, in many different cities across the UK, the nursery rhyme is no longer permitted to be sung in its original manner. Variations include 'Fluffy sheep', Wooly sheep', 'Rainbow sheep'.

Pat Boone

Tobias er helt vild med Pat Boone's Speedy Gonzalez. Du kan høre 30 sekunder af sangen på "last fm". Klik her. Teksten er nedenfor. Han er især vilde den kvindelige stemme der synger la-la-laaa...

[Tobias is crazy about Pat Boone's Speedy Gonzalez. Get a 30 second preview here. The lyrics are below. He is particularly fond of the female voice singing la-la-laaa...]

Spoken:
It was a moonlit night in old Mexico. I walked alone between some old adobe haciendas. Suddenly, I heard the plaintive cry of a young Mexican girl.

(Female voice singing a series of 'La-la-la's')

You better come home, Speedy Gonzales
Away from Tannery Row
Stop alla your a-drinkin'
With that floozie named Flo
Come on home to your adobe
And slap some mud on the wall
The roof is leakin' like a strainer
There's loadsa roaches in the hall
Speedy Gonzales, why don'tcha come home?
Speedy Gonzales, how come ya leave me all alone?

Spoken in a male Mexican accent
Hey, Rosita
I hafta go shopping downtown for my mudder
She needs some tortillas and chili peppers

Your doggy's gonna have a puppy
And we're runnin' outta coke
No enchiladas in the icebox
And the television's broke
I saw some lipstick on your sweatshirt
I smelled some perfume in your ear
Well if you're gonna keep on messin'
Don't bring your business back a-here
Mmm, Speedy Gonzales, why don'tcha come home?
Speedy Gonzales, how come ya leave me all alone?

Spoken in a male Mexican accent
Hey, Rosita
Come queek
Down at the cantina they giving green stamps with tequila!!

(Female voice singing a series of 'La-la-la's')
(Female voice singing a series of 'Ya-ya-ya's)

Stoffer foran kameraet