Making the Internet of Things Practical and Useful

^{Newcastle IoT Coverage.
Image from City of Newcastle.}

Recently I was in Newcastle, just north of Sydney, on holiday. I was surprised to find down the end of the street Core Electronics, not only selling devices for the Internet of Things (IoT), but also running hands on workshops for the public. The company founder, Graham Mitchell, was out, but the next day I bumped into him at the nearby Fernleigh Cafe,  frequented by cyclists on the Fernleigh Track.

Core sell hardware for, and give workshops on,
Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN). This is the technology  the City of Newcastle is rolling out to help motorists find parking spaces, integrating transport, manage parks, and detect full bins. With a low cost network many other applications are possible, such as local sense of environmental conditions and pollution.

While much is made of ultra high speed 5G wireless,  that will require billions of dollars to install hundreds of thousands of base stations, and most Internet of Things (IoT) applications don't need high speed data. The LoRaWAN adopts a low speed, low cost DiY approach.
 

Backpackers by the Beach Newcastle

The Newcastle Beach YHA was full so I stayed at the nearby Backpackers by the Beach for one night. It is one block from the railway station, so easy to get to by train. But if arriving by car, parking outside is limited (had to park a block away in the Mall on a rainy Saturday night). The building is on the corner of Hunter and Pacific Streets.

The location is excellent, between Newcastle's main street and a short distance from the beach.  There is a cafe next-door and late night supermarket not far away.

The reception is on the ground floor which is also the share kitchen and lounge. his makes for a convivial atmosphere. The rooms are up a steep steel fire-escape type stair. I was in room 7 on the third floor. There are views of Newcastle and the water from this floor.

Some reviewers complained about mosquitoes, but the room had working fly-screens. The facilities were very good for a backpackers. But then I have stayed at places where all the windows were bricked up. ;-)

Revitalizing Regional Australia With the Arts

Greetings from Digital Culture Public Sphere, in Sydney, where Simon Crean, Minister for the Arts, started his talk by using the example of revitalization of the Newcastle city center through the arts. The Minister released a National Cultural Policy discussion paper 11 August 2011 and input is invited from the community.

The Minister mentioned the Bangarra Dance Comany's recent performance of "Belong" (which I attended at the Sydney Opera House). At the other cultural extreme, the Minister mentioned Baz Luhrmann's 3D filming of The Great Gatsby. He pointed out that this involves digital technicians, as well as traditional film production staff.

Coal from Newcastle

Greetings from Caves Beach, north of Sydney. As I look out over the ocean there are about 20 ships at anchor, waiting to load coal at the port of Newcastle. This is a reminder as to why we need to learn how to use energy more efficiently (I am currently teaching an online class of ACS students from Australia and the South Pacific about Green ICT).
The ships at anchor represent a failure in several ways. The ships wait, sometimes for weeks. This is a waste of shipping resources. There is more demand for coal than the port can handle.

Despite the Australian Government's claims to be working on reduce greenhouse gas emissions (coal being one of the most polluting ways to generate electricity) the Australian Government is helping fund expansion of the coal export facilities, rather than funding ways to replace the coal with less polluting, sustainable energy sources. The likely result will be that Australia will continue to be able to export coal for the next ten to twenty years. By then there will be alternative renewable energy sources developed. Australia's coal will then worthless and considered too dangerous to use, much as Australia's large deposits of previously valuable asbestos is now. Having not invested in alternative sources of energy, Australia will then have to import energy technology.

Newcastle Beach Youth Hostel

My be a bit late in life but I have discovered the wonders of Youth Hostels Australia. having stayed at Newcastle Beach YHA last weekend. This is in a converted 100 year old hospital, which looks more like a gentleman's club than a backpackers, with high pattered ceilings, fireplaces and chesterfield sofas. A double room at the YHA costs about half that for a budget hotel and a genuinely friendly atmosphere. The YHA is not age limited (but young people get a discount on membership).

The Newcastle Beach Youth Hostel is a few blocks from the Newcastle railway station, with regular trains from Sydney along the picturesque coastal route, including the not to be missed bridge over the Hawkesbury River at Brooklyn.

While in Newcastle visit the Renew Newcastle projects. Artists and craft workers are temporarily vacant shops in the CBD. These include artist Vivienne Nelson, with watercolour works of Newcastle industrial and port scenes using coal dust from the ceiling of her home for the black wash. This seems appropriate as coal is the main industry of Newcastle. There is an ABC video clip about the project.

For getting to a low cost hotel by public transport, I have found an airline carry-on size wheeled backpack very handy. Otherwise it can be difficult to wheel a bag, particularly over cobblestones and up stairs. In Istanbul I found myself surrounded by carpet sellers. The backpack changes you from a tourist, to a traveller so you can quickly escape the sellers.