Mayor4Unley

The Unley Repair Cafe held monthly (on the last Saturday of the month) at Clarence Park Community Centre is just fantastic. Such a great concept and all made possible by a large group of skilled volunteers. I went to the May session and took my broken bentwood chair. The chair had a wonky leg with a screw broken off (inside the wood). It was a tricky job, but Unley resident and volunteer Peter Moors fixed it. Peter did a great repair job and I picked up a couple of tips. Every repaired job gets a photo. Here is a pic of me absolutely delighted with the repaired chair. #Unley #RepairCafe #UnleyRepairCafe

I was delighted to learn of the Repair Cafe being established at Clarence Park Community Centre @ Black Forest in #Unley. Just love the concept ❤️ It’s a growing trend across the globe. Volunteers will assist people to repair home appliances. These people may over time (with increased confidence) offer to volunteer their services at the Repair Cafe and assist others in the community. I would like to see more Repair Cafes across Unley. Read more about the Repair Cafe concept

Its amazing the apps now available on smart phones and devices. Now there is one that gives reliability to the rhythm method of contraception. A new mobile app for monitoring body temperature to track a woman’s menstrual cycle has been extensively trialed and now has been certified as a medical device for contraception by a German regulator.  The Natural Cycles app records daily temperature and uses an algorithm to plot fertility on an in-app calendar. The app was part of a clinical study in 2016 of one million women and it is claimed that it could be as effective as the contraceptive pill. The German certification body TÜV SÜD has approved Natural Cycles as a Class IIb medical device. The app developer now claims that the software is the first of its kind to be certified as a contraception alongside condoms, the pill and intra-uterine devices (IUDs). It is stated that ... “Our high quality clinical studies, together with the required regulatory approva...

Recently I attended the launch of the Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience at the Showground in Adelaide. A wonderful exhibit and experience. I carried an iPod-like device and tagged exhibits that I found interesting and wanted a link for future reference. Excellent use of technology. My tagged exhibits can be viewed by this link Click here

When visiting Tasmania, it is a must to go to that museum, MONA. Take the ferry from Hobart. I notice the new book titled Toilets: A Spotter's Guide (Lonely Planet, $14.99). A lovely coffee table book. Anyway, one of the Aussie toilets featured is a public toilet at MONA. That toilet has an array of mirrors in the pan to enable you to see what is happening down there. There's a warning about ... 'Things you'll have trouble forgetting once seen'. For more information Google MONA toilet. The shop at the museum also has a range of unusual soap for sale as a souvenir. Certainly a conversation piece. Again, use Google to get more information.

It's that time of the year, or actually just past it. The time of the year when you have too much fruit ripening in the backyard. What to do? Next year plan on making fruit leather roll ups; yummy snacks to have in the months ahead. The fruit mash can be dried in the oven or in a dehydrator; maybe it's time to invest in a dehydrator. Get the missus one for her birthday; she'll love it. Here's a link to the full story on making fruit leather rollups ... making fruit leather rollups

Li-Fi is an emerging technology, a new form of wireless technology that transmits data up to 100 times faster than conventional Wi-Fi. It may revolutionise the way in which we transmit data on a smartphone, tablet or computer. It is wireless technology that uses flickering LED lights to transmit up to 1 gigabit per second; much faster than current Wi-Fi data speeds which average around 11 megabits per second. Read more about Li-Fi

hhmmm the Internet of Things aka. IoT People ask me, what is it? The term was first coined back in 1999. Interesting that it has taken so long to emerge and begin to become mainstream. It is certainly going through a hyper phase at the moment; of what is and what might be achievable. Within 24 months we will have embraced it or become entwined in the technology and taken it for granted, perhaps with some trepidation in the early stages. But, what is it? A few definitions will help to explain ... A definition: The  Internet of Things   ( IoT ) is an environment in which objects, animals or people are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction Another definition: Simply put this is the concept of basically connecting any device with an on and off switch to the Internet (and/or to each other). This includes everything from cell phones, coffee makers, wash...

Why is the limit of an SMS 160 characters? It’s not a decimal number ie. not a multiple of 10 and has nothing to do with dozens (12), not  even  a butcher's dozen. So why is there a limit of 160? BTW if you often push the limit of 160 characters, then you really need to get a life. But, back to basics … why the limit of 160? There are 2 stories and reasons suggested. A man called Friedhelm Hillebrand, Chairman of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), had the task of setting the limit on the amount of characters a text message could contain. This would become the international standard. He did this by analysing  typical  sentences viz. questions and answers. He also reviewed messages written on postcards and received by Telex transmissions. (Telex was not so long ago the state of the art message transmission technology.) Friedhelm Hillebrand arrived at the answer of 160 characters. His recommendation became the standard. T...

All I want for Christmas … is a croc claw back-scratcher. Its just $45 !! a Bargain, and made (and produced) in Australia. I spotted an advertisement for a back-scratcher made from the claw of a deceased crocodile. It sounds like the perfect scratcher. I just love a good back-scratcher and the dog ate the last one. These are made in Darwin by CrocStockandBarra company who do most of their trading at the local markets in Darwin. According to the advertisement ' it’s made from a real crocodile claw and taxidermied to keep the scales on and preserve the natural colour of the crocodile, This back-scratcher is not just a novelty but really gets at those hard to reach itches.' for more information ... http://crocstockandbarra.com/

This is one kind of big belly that definitely looks good. And it’s solar powered. Big Belly is a public litter (waste) bin that provides on-site (in the belly) sorting of solid waste from recyclables and then compacts it. The compaction is such that the unit can hold 5 times as much. This unit is appearing on the Australian landscape and has recently been installed in the Flinders Ranges in SA.  Benefits include:  solar-powered, automatic compaction, reduces collections by 4 times or more, eliminates overflowing bins, keeps litter in, pests out, demonstrates commitment to community & environment, educate the public, can provide marketing platform – Advertising mounts.  Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn1Ac1DE4BY Unley Council is considering the merit and cost of Big Belly. It certainly has merit and if the cost is right, it should have a big bellied future across Australia. www.solarbins.com.au

The Unley Council will be providing recharge stations across Unley, at community centres and libraries. A good idea. For more information, visit Cr Don Palmer’s blog via http://www.donpalmer.org/good-news-for-mobility-scooters-in-unley/ or visit Cr Mike Hudson’s blog via https://grumpyinunley.wordpress.com/2015/07/17/plug-in-and-keep-on-rolling/

'Squishy' batteries can be made from trees – this may be the future. Zero pollution. A new type of squishy battery has been designed. It’s made from tree pulp and is 'squishy' to touch, but is stress and shock resistant. Also, it is ideally wearable, embedded in our clothes to power own 'wearable' devices. Importantly, it is not harmful to the environment when disposed. The description gets a bit more technical so I’ll leave you to read the link below. It’s amazing how our (technology) environment is transforming as a result of technology research. Read more here

Just when I was about to buy a newer smart phone, along comes news that holographic technology is about to emerge on smartphones. We will soon be able to receive holographs on our mobile phones. Maybe I should wait a bit for the technology to emerge and mature. To understand the technology and where we are headed,  click on this link

The pundits have it that eBooks are everywhere and they will replace paper based books – you know the ones that are nice to hold, bound in cardboard or leather, the ones that are easy to read and cause less eye strain – the type of books that you can dog ear for easy reference. Yes, eBooks are available and they have their place. But, certainly not as a big bold glossy book on the coffee table. When people visit their local library they expect to find in the main, traditional books and electronic media eg. CDs, DVDs – something to hold and touch. What the eBook pundits have not realised is that despite the availability of personal mobile devices (that can read an eBook) there is not a rich availability of titles. It comes down to licensing complications and the publishers have no intention of letting go and loosening the reins. It’s a long story … I spent an hour with a librarian the other day and was staggered by the difficulty of libraries to economically stock a wide ...

The new train station at the edge of the Showgrounds came alive to the sounds of farm animals last week. The temporary ticket validators at the station were programmed to make cow, chicken and sheep noises when passengers validated their Metrocards. The assessment is that the innovation was well received by the passengers – it brought a smile to many faces. I would have added the sounds of dogs and horses. Maybe next year ...

The function and purpose of libraries is being challenged. Are books really out of fashion? I challenge that suggestion. Maybe they are becoming unfashionable and less read. Replaced by electronic media? Replaced by CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray? Curling up to book is a better feel than snuggling a CD. Whatever, the function of libraries is changing and whilst cracks of change might only appear on the surface now, there will be rapid shift in the near future. Libraries must recognise the need to change and embrace and experiment when the opportunity arises. It’s always better to be in control and driving the change rather than playing the hard game of catch-up. I found this interesting story about libraries in the USA that are establishing innovative and high tech facilities (aka. Workshops and Maker Labs) within the existing library. A practical example is the installation of 3D printers.  Residents can use the printers to make whatever they wish eg. a mobile phone case (yellow...

I have an enthusiasm for science and mathematics. I am intrigued by some science trivia and often surprised by the practical everyday outcomes. Fact: if you put a length of string or ear buds in your bag it will later emerge tangled and knotted. Every day I watch people struggled to de-knot their tangled iPod ear bud cables. Solution: simply join the ends of the string or cable to make a loop and place in your bag. Use a simple clip, maybe a hair clip. The string or cable will emerge untangled. Scientists have found that string spontaneously knots itself and the longer the string the more likely it is to happen. People have done serious study in this area. As the string gets longer, the probability of string knotting increases exponentially. The studies revealed that the longer the string, the more likely it is to form a knot. String that was 1.5 feet (46cm) or shorter never got tangled up. As the string gets longer, the probability of a knot forming increases expon...

If you have an unexplained rash or itch, then it may be due to use of a mobile device, in particular the iPad. Mobile devices contain nickel and that can irritate the skin. It is thought that the contact is from a surface coating that contains nickel. It is not life threatening, but it can be uncomfortable. There have been recent reports in medical journals regarding nickel allergies from personal electronic devices, Here’s a link to the story.

The other day I bought a copy of Nero2014 online. Sucked in by end of financial year specials! A key feature is a tool to recover deleted files on disk and USB sticks. That's what sealed the deal! Reading further about the offer,  it also has a tool called SecurDisk 3.0 that enables you to burn critical data in a more durable and secure form on CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray disks. Sounds wonderful and it probably is. What struck me was some statistics viz. The average home PC hard disc breaks down after 3-7 years CDs/DVDs/Blu-ray disks break down after 2-15 years Only last week I had an old VHS tape of family memories converted to a DVD disk. I need to make a mental record to replace the DVDs in 5-10 years. If you're buying software online, then be patient and wait for the specials.