tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165028182024-03-18T14:04:15.856+11:00Net TravellerAbout technology, travel and lifestyle, by Tom Worthington.Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.comBlogger5789125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-85372710991377455102024-02-21T18:22:00.007+11:002024-02-24T12:53:33.604+11:00Stealthy Optionally Crewed Catamaran for Australian NavyHMAS Stradbroke Island.Stealthy Optionally CrewedCatamaran for Australian NavyDiagram by Tom Worthington,CC-BY 21 February 2024The Australian Government released a fleet plan for the Navy yesterday which included designing and building six large optionally crewed missile carry ships. Australian companies Austal and Incat have both made catamaran high speed transports for the US military, derived Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-57356653411159671382023-12-16T16:59:00.005+11:002023-12-16T17:02:00.615+11:00Flip Phone Screen Cracking May be Due to Stress From Hard Third Party Protective CoverThe case of my Samsung Flip Phone cracked after being dropped on a hard floor, resulting in an intermittent fault. So I purchased a third party case to protect the replacement phone. However, I noticed that when folded to 90 degrees (halfway closed) the hinge mechanism appeared to be putting pressure on the phone's hinge. After a few days the screen protector started to lift and bubble, Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-49648613559629117842023-11-28T14:43:00.007+11:002023-11-28T14:52:02.518+11:00Mini drone carriersWe may see a new class of warships come to prominence: drone carriers. These look like aircraft carriers, but are one quarter the size. At 107m Damen Shipyard's Multi-Purpose Vessel for the Portuguese Navy is half the length of HMAS Canberra. The ship can launch surface and sub surface drones via a crane, as well as fixed wing drones via a ski-jump equipped through-deck. There are Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-76915423154335796722023-11-28T10:04:00.004+11:002023-11-28T10:06:31.544+11:00New Theatre Sydney 2024 SeasonIn the Foyer at the New Theatre. Photo by Marghanita da Cruz 2023The New Theatre launch was exciting, a theatrical performance in itself. I suggest starting a night out with an early meal in one of the cafes in King Street. Ask for a table overlooking the street and you can watch the passing parade of interesting characters. Then a drink in the foyer of the theatre.
For the launch we were Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-13416561540677042702023-11-04T08:53:00.003+11:002023-11-04T08:53:21.546+11:00JLab JBuds Frames Bluetooth Head Phones Clip to Your GlassesThe JLab JBuds Frames Wireless Head Phones are two small boxes which clip, one to each arm on your glasses. Each has a microphone, speaker, battery, and one push button. You an use just one for mono, or two for stereo. The sound is not as good as Bose Frames sunglasses, but much better than Lenovo Lecoo C8 Smart Sunglasses. These are fine for phone and Zoom calls, but not so good for Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-36115484100302917552023-11-01T14:35:00.002+11:002023-11-01T14:35:52.311+11:00Electronic Binding Death Benefit NominationThis is to suggest the Australian Government permit and require superannuation funds to accept an electronic binding death benefit nomination, secured with two factor authentication, which do not lapse. I just asked two people to witness my form. They both commented that they should get around to doing this. But it requires filling out a paper form, getting two people to witness it, and thenTom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-14639707527580353402023-10-27T17:42:00.003+11:002023-10-27T17:42:30.891+11:00Bose Frames Work Okay for Audio On The GoRecently I have been trying out not-so-smart glasses. These have a Bluetooth connected speaker and microphone in each arm of a pair of sunglasses. The Lenovo Lecoo C8 Smart Sunglasses (under AU$20), were disappointing but Bose Frames "Bose Frames Rondo" (under AU$150 second hand), have much better sound quality. They also have a movement sensor built in, but Bose gave up on Augmented Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-59582144519176071392023-10-25T09:09:00.003+11:002023-10-25T09:10:13.655+11:00Audio Glasses Are Now Affordable But Not Great Sound QualityThere have been many attempts at smart glasses for consumers. Google tried and failed with Google Glass there are Ray-Ban | Meta Smart Glasses, and were Bose Frames. Google's were equipped with small screen for Augmented Reality, the Ray-Bans have small cameras for live social media, and the Bose have a movement detector for AR sound. None of these have been a great success. However, there are Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-28658436802772995972023-10-23T19:39:00.004+11:002023-11-09T11:50:39.931+11:00New Plays Delve Deep into the Nature of Vanilla SliceGreetings from the Silver Gull awards at the New Theatre Sydney. We are getting readings.The shortlist was:Next To Godliness by Alastair BrownChicken In A Biscuit by Mary Rachel Brown and Jamie OxenbouldBurning by Christopher BryantThe Mews by Joanna ErskineThe Dragonfly by Simon ThomsonThe winner is Next To Godliness by Alastair Brown. Two of the plays featureTom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-24139261338630262722023-10-11T10:17:00.009+11:002023-11-14T14:48:59.600+11:00Solar Car Palaces to Save the PlanetSolar carport at Addison Road, Photo by Tom Worthington CC-BY 2022This is to suggest promoting carports covered with photovoltaic panels (called "Car Palaces"), to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and free up resources to build more accommodation. Currently in Australia, it is common to have houses with one or two car garages built in. As they are built into the house, the same quality of Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-62122640275667681672023-10-10T15:30:00.002+11:002023-10-10T15:30:29.273+11:00Code Embedded in the Floor of ANU BuildingStanding in the coffee queue on the ground floor of the Marie Reay building at the Australian National University today, I accidentally decoded the floor. I was intending to scan a QR code on a poster, but pointed the camera at the polished concrete floor. To my surprise my phone interpreted the pattern of stones embed in the concrete as the number 08371140.There are secret codes, provided by theTom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-69990154384200378112023-10-03T16:33:00.004+11:002023-10-03T16:37:44.676+11:00Canberra Counter-drone System for UkraineThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports that Canberra company, Electro Optic Systems (EOS) is shipping its Slinger counter-drone system to Ukraine. This works very differently from the other Australian anti-drone system, the Brisbane based DroneShield. These place Australia at the forefront of anti-drone technology.Ghost Gecko ConceptDroneshield jams the drone's electronics Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-23610658311383220072023-07-21T18:58:00.009+10:002023-09-27T09:51:54.177+10:00Ghost Gecko Uncrewed Ground VehicleGhost Gecko ConceptThis is to suggest Australia develop the "Ghost Gecko", an Uncrewed Ground Vehicle (UCV) for the Australian Army. The Ghost Gecko would be derived from the Hawkei four-wheel-drive protected mobility vehicle. The crew cab would be removed, to lighten the vehicle, and lower its profile. In its place would be an Australian made remotely controlled station (RWS). The Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-52005476406172457722023-07-16T10:29:00.003+10:002023-07-16T10:29:58.606+10:00Off the Record at New Theater SydneyEnjoyed last night's performance of "Off the Record", by Chris Aronsten. This is a play of the MeToo era, & is topical with the BBC engulfed in another sex scandal. It took some work to understand how the play's disparate themes were being stitched together, but that was rewarding. I did not understand some of the English references, such as describing residential areas with numeric codes. AsTom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-70801024058844291192023-06-22T12:03:00.002+10:002023-07-06T10:53:53.753+10:00Smart low cost power controller/monitors for EVs? My 20+ years old burglar alarm went off while I was away for the weekend
and the neighbors, thinking I was in trouble, called an ambulance. So I
decided to buy a new alarm.
The new alarm is part of a smart home system. One of the
133 optional extras is a plug in smart energy use monitor and controller. There are many such controller/monitors available, for less than $20 each. I realize Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-89917615052176026962023-06-21T10:33:00.002+10:002023-06-21T10:34:08.752+10:00Neighborhood Watch Needed for the RegionI had the pleasure of meting the late Senator, and former Major General, Jim Molan several times on defence discussion panels in Canberra (I get called in as the defence tech expert). While I did not agree with the Senator's politics, I respected his military experience, and patriotism. Part of his legacy is the book "Danger On Our Doorstep" (HarperCollins, 2022), warning of the potential Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-58965704178973526262023-03-16T08:44:00.003+11:002023-03-16T08:44:36.098+11:00Plan C for AUKUS Submarine Project: Buy Just Three Submarines Armed with DronesOn 4 Mar 2023 the Australian government announced a plan to acquire three US Virginia class nuclear-powered submarines from 2030, with modified UK Astute "AUKUS" class submarines built in Australia from 2040. If there are delays with the AUKUS class, Australia has the option to purchase another two Virginia class submarines from the USA. However, I suggest the Australian government have a Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-89008623474948676942023-01-09T13:42:00.000+11:002023-01-09T13:42:08.422+11:00Entertainment Venue for Thousands Built from Shipping Containers in BrisbaneLast week I was on a ferry on the Brisbane River and felt like seafood. So I did a web search for a restaurant near the next terminal, Northshore Hamilton. Follow directions I turned west along the shore, past people playing beach tennis. What appeared in the distance looked like a carnival, with bright coloured lights, a cacophony of music and what sounded like thousands of Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-12191227620439770782023-01-05T10:18:00.001+11:002023-01-05T10:27:47.539+11:00Virtual Bendy Busses for CanberraAutonomous Bus, by ST Engineering, SITCE conference, Singapore, 2 November 2022In Singapore a few weeks ago I saw an autonomous electric bus on display at a transport conference. This is intended for regular routes, but is still a work in progress. What would be possible sooner is convoys of buses for the express routes from Civic to Woden and Turragnong. At peak times one bus with a Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-40864292779977516892022-12-23T10:31:00.002+11:002022-12-23T10:33:54.657+11:00I was a Runner for The Sydney OlympicsWas tidying my office & came across my ID card for the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Yes, as the card says I was a runner, but not in a race. My volunteer job was to take the printed results to the press center. This did not involve running, but more walking than expected. The electric golf cart which was to be used was too heavy for the temporary floor installed, as fell through the day before my Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-63677590039673965712022-11-28T09:16:00.000+11:002022-11-28T09:16:28.169+11:00MyGovId is Robodebt II?Medicare Card with Wrong NameAustralian company directors have until 30 November to register with MyGovId. The ABC reported that about a million have not yet done so and each risk a fine of $13,000. The registration requires providing multiple forms of identification, with matching names. This may prove impossible by following the instructions issued. This may result in a situation similar to Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-66538248733980604752022-11-20T17:54:00.003+11:002022-11-20T17:54:15.167+11:00PARKROYAL Hotel on Pickering Street SingaporeParkRoyal on Pickering in Singapore. Photo by Tom Worthington CC-BY 2022Singapore is leading the way with Biomorphic Architecture, and the PARKROYAL Hotel, 3 Upper Pickering St, is a good example. Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-21094580502141955382022-11-15T12:25:00.001+11:002022-11-15T12:25:19.607+11:00The Luggage Market SingaporeThe Luggage Market in Singapore, Photo by Tom Worthington CC-BY November 2022The Luggage Market in Singapore is worth a visit, if just to see the spectacle. Took me while to work out it is not a market for selling luggage, but one where people bring things (mostly clothes) in a suitcase, open it on the floor and allow others to rummage through.Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-51429668511302344542022-11-05T15:00:00.005+11:002022-11-15T12:27:07.316+11:00Battlebox Singapore Standing outside the bunker where the decision was made to surrender Singapore in World War Two, there is very much a sense of history. It must be confronting for British tourists to hear how their military lost. There are lessons for Australians, on the limits of alliances. The "Battlebox" tour of the bunker is worthwhile.Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16502818.post-20194316283422846672022-11-01T14:04:00.001+11:002022-11-01T14:04:17.676+11:00Ez-link isn't easyThe friendly staff at Changi Airport called around until someone came to open the Travelex booth. They quickly handed me my Singtel combined SIM & travel card. Took some time to get the SIM to work, as the number to use was on a label which sealed the card in a bag, and had to be split in half, through the serial number, to open. Tried to top up the travel part of the card, but the MRT Tom Worthingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437898895608697334noreply@blogger.com0