We had a stunned bird on our doorstep this afternoon, I presume it had smacked the glass. Waving at it resulted in no response, so we figured it’s not in a good way. I think about it for a while, she who must be obeyed says to leave it there, and yet for some reason I kept thinking that it would be bad karma to not at least try and help it.

Welcome to Bird Watch. I figure if it isn’t moving in the morning in the box then it wouldn’t have been outside. With any luck it will fly away. Presuming iiNet doesn’t crash or other event, this stream should be good until 9am AEDT Sat (+11GMT) or 5pm PST Friday. I’ll update the post with the result. The page with chat board on Justin.tv here.

Update: bird successfully returned to the wild at 8:30am Saturday. Archive 90mins below

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Finally moved into the new house. Removalist came yesterday but it took me (and occasionally she who must be obeyed) a day and a half to unpack to living standards. There are still plenty of boxes and I haven’t set up my office yet. Desk is there, but there’s a stray bed (one that we have no room for) in the room. Hopefully going to set it up tomorrow so I’ll have one night of dedicated work space before leaving for Vegas Monday.

So far there’s a number of points for and against for city living.

For is sheer convenience. We can walk to the Camberwell shopping strip, although it helps that it’s downhill, when I eventually do the whole strip I’ll be catching a tram back due to the hill + the strip is very, very long. You know you’re in a decent suburb when there’s a BMW dealership and Bang and Olufsen store. Boys school is exactly 4km away, but as I discovered Friday if you don’t go the right way this can take 30+ minutes. Apparently turning right at major intersections (ie Camberwell Junction) is not on. It should take less than 10 minutes once I work it out.

Transport is cool, except I guess for being able to hear the trams go past in every part of the house…and the cars. Clearway twice a day at the front door, not that it stopped the removalists. They weren’t cheap but a big shout out to Chess, great folks on both end, nothing damaged aside from the odd very minor scratch (on one item that we’ve notice, brilliant for a shipping container and some minor overflow).

Negatives: the traffic is grating. People are beyond impatient and awareness and courtesy to those around you is completely non existent. Be it in the supermarket, or the carpark, where I was nearly run over Thursday by a speeding Commodore. Driving: Jeezus. Who can be first and impose themselves every time. There’s no friendly let someone out, it’s force your way without a wave. It sounds corny, but 10 years mostly in regional and country areas has meant my Sydney driving experience was replaced by something slower and more friendly.

Overall I’m not complaining too much. I have thought more than once about going back to WA, and as I drive around Melbourne in my Dardanup plated Toyota Echo I sometimes long for home. That I’d call it home to me is something I never thought I would. I’m not a Westralian by birth, but after nearly 10 years there (it would have been 10 yrs November) it became my home, and even today I still feel WA proud. On some levels that’s scary, but it will always have fond memories for me. It will probably take me another 10 years until I feel at home in Melbourne. Just need to learn a second, third and maybe fourth language and I’ll fit right in

PO Box 8164 Camberwell North, VIC 3124

With choice strangely comes scarcity. I started at the Camberwell West LPO because it’s easier to get a car park there (despite being further) but they had no boxes, so I ended up at Camberwell North which is within reasonable walking distance but being on Burke Road is a pain for parking…and clearways as well, so it’s not as though I’ll be able to stop briefly in the morning after taking the boy to school. There’s something like 5 post offices just in Camberwell, all but the main one are LPO’s. We use to complain about LPO’s in the West because they never gave as good a service, but I have to say the local Camberwell North was very plesant, husband and wife running it. V. Small, but just sort of country nice in the middle of the chaos that is Melbourne.

The removalist (BTW that’s a real word, at least in Australia, ppl have asked me about that before) dropped off the boxes today for my move to Melbourne. Instead of coming Thursday they’re now coming Wednesday, which gives me 4 days to pack, lodge my business and personal tax returns with the accountant (March deadline), my December Quarter BAS, and deal with the various utility service providers.

I’m some what saddened by the move. November would have marked my 10th anniversary in Western Australia. I moved across here chasing the love of my life in 98, at the age of 23, despite having only ever visited the state once prior to moving. All my earthly belongings were packed in one big bag and a decent sized box (which meant my then Pentium 200MX PC and monitor). I’ve come an awful long way since. 5 jobs (although one was less than 6 months, so doesn’t really count) and my own business.  I’ve lived in Perth (Burswood and Inglewood), Mandurah (Dudley Park and Halls Head) and Bunbury (Eaton and Australind). We’ve owned 4 houses in that time, and rented 2.

There’s a lot to love about WA. Despite the now relatively expensive house prices, it still offers the ultimate life style amongst serious Australian cities (so not Adelaide, Darwin or Hobart). She who must be obeyed started her new job in Melbourne at the beginning of January, and as well as not coming with a car, it doesn’t come with a car parking space. Her first serious job when I first moved here didn’t come with a car, but despite being in the middle of the Perth CBD it had a car parking space, because in Perth most people still drive to work.

To this day I still marvel at the stars in WA. I grew up in Sydney, and I never knew (even during my 2 years in Queensland) that starts could be so bright, that the Milky Way actually looked milky to the naked eye, because here it is, where it never was over East.

In the last couple of years I’ve made some great friends and acquintances in Perth. People around my age and younger who follow and believe similar things to myself. It may sound a little strange, but it’s a wonderful thing spending time with people like that, particularly when you live in what is basically a country town like I do now. People who actually understand what you do….the amount of creative definitions I’ve come up with to explain it over the years…..

So although I’m probably here for a couple of more weeks (I’m hoping to get to one last Perth Bloggers meet up on the 20th), I bid Western Australia a fond farewell. Despite your flaws (lack of Sunday trading comes to mind), I really grew up here, and I’m a lucky man for the experience.

I’m currently in Melbourne looking for somewhere to live. We’d have hoped to buy but there’s been 2 people through the Australind abode since it was listed, the property market is rooted in WA at the moment. The plan is to keep the house on the market another month, and if it doesn’t sell we’ll rent it out for 6-12 months until the market picks back up.

That means having to rent in Melbourne instead of buying. There’s no polite way of describing the rental market here: it’s fucking insane.

We rocked up to a 3×1 in Richmond that had a $500-550 list price (something around that mark anyway), the online listing looked great and it said spacious. It was so small I wouldn’t let dog live in it. One of the rooms was so small I wouldn’t have been able to stretch my arms out wide without hitting a wall.

And the really not so fun part: there would have been 50, perhaps more people waiting there to inspect the property. Mostly early 20 something girls oddly enough as well.

We cruised past a few other houses in Richmond, Prahran and South Yarra and have now decided that as much as we want to live close to the city, the rental side is just too insane (the buying isn’t great either, but I can live with that side more). Heading out a bit to the burbs in Balwyn, Balwyn North and Surrey Hills, where you get a lot more house for your money rent wise. Hoping to go through a few homes Monday before I fly back to WA Wednesday (first day back at school Tuesday for the boy) and with any luck I’ll sign up for one, get it, and be moved by the end of the month.

Today I remembered why I like the odd drink…and don’t get me started on the traffic

Last couple of years have been cold, this year looks like a Christmas of old

For my American friends, who will be feeling the cold, some Fahrenheit cheer, I’ll be drinking some beer!

Have a great christmas.

Got invited to a Goodguys (Australian Electrical Retailer) VIP night last night. I’m still not sure exactly how it worked, but it was 15% off the ticketed price, but I’m not sure if the ticketed price was the normal price or not…these guys usually give 7-10% off for cash anyway.

Didn’t know what I would buy and ended up coming home with a Sharp Bluray player. I actually wanted the Samsung player but they were soo busy they didn’t want to get the box for it (shelf display left only). Ticket price was $469 AUD. The salesman offered me the $599 Sharp for the same price…which he then claimed was $499, I pointed out the Samsung was $469 and I got the I really cant do it for that price spiel..then he did it anyway. I have no idea what the difference between the two players was, aside from the Sharp being more expensive, but perhaps more importantly the Sharp came with 8 free Bluray titles, which given they retail for between $30-$40 makes the freebies worth at least $200, so all in all a bargain.

Got the thing home and there’s no HDMI plug in the box, only analogue plugs; why would anyone buy a Bluray player and use analogue plugs, at the very least they should have included digital composite plugs. Bought a HDMI cable this morning and a couple of Bluray titles. Meet The Robinsons for the boy and Casino Royale and the Fifth Element for me. So far only put Meet the Robinson on…oh my…freaking amazing on our Sony Bravia 1080i (or p, or something) TV. Absolutely amazing, like seeing the movies on the big screens in Myer or Harvey Normam, finally we see the true strengths of owning a Sony True HD TV.

I cant see myself rushing out and buying millions of Bluray titles at the price they’re being sold for, and the player is region locked until I find some way of turning that off so US Bluray titles are out of the question.

I’ve held off for a couple of years as the next gen players have come onto the market. At below $500 they become that much more affordable and time for me to buy in. Of course in 18 months time they’ll be retailing for $100, but these things happen.

As for HD DVD: read this SMH piece; they’re non-existent in Australia; cant find them in retailers and then you cant buy or rent movies on HD DVD. Sorry Toshiba + Microsoft, I would have happily supported you, but Bluray has won already in Australia.

Big news, she who must be obeyed has accepted a job offer and we’ll be moving to Melbourne in the new year, roughly mid January.

I moved to Western Australia in November 1998 after 2 years in Queensland (I’m originally from Sydney) so it was coming up on 10 years, and possibly time for a change

There are things I’ll miss: the lifestyle, the beautiful clean environment, by far and away the best wine in the world and when I get up to Perth the best most inclusive tech community in Australia. There are plenty of things I wont miss, like not being able to shop or buy alcohol on a Sunday or shop after 6pm on a week night, no gambling, poor roads, poor public school system, too many self important local Governments run by self-important wankers, the local Liberal party which is often to the left of the ALP, stupid debates against daylight saving, The Eagles, the WACA (both the ground + association), Ted Bull on ABC Radio…I’m sure there will be other things as well that will come to mind later.

There’s a couple of big selling points in the move for us; great private schools with choices, a richer and more mentally stimulating environment to bring the boy up in, with a variety of day trips, cheap airfares to the East Coast, great shopping…and of course for she who must be obeyed her mother and that side of her family. We’re hoping to live in the Inner Eastern suburbs, probably around Richmond/ Hawthorn, Prahran/ South Yarra areas, although renting is insanely expensive in Melbourne; buying not so bad but we’ve got to sell our house first then buy a house there, something not always done quickly. Me: I’m just looking forward to 24mbps ADSL2+, I’m mentally typing the OMG OMG OMG’s from the first time I use it now

Just for the record I’ve decided not to run for the DLP at this election. I think when it comes down to it that I’ve enjoyed my time out of politics too much, and certainly becoming political again risks damaging the great relationships I’ve built up in the last 2 years, and @simone comes to mind

I’m also not time poor at the moment, and running a campaign properly is a full time gig. On one hand I’ve always passionately believed in the civic good, and the individuals ability to make a difference, on the other hand at 32 I’m building my own business, writing for the bible of Web 2.0 and enjoying my working life more than I ever have before…which oddly enough before coincides with my time involved in politics.

I’ve got a podcast lined up this week with an old friend of mine Wade McInerney on the election, and depending on how that goes I’ll look at  forum discussion and/ or podcast the week prior to the election, but aside from the odd observation that’s it for me this year.

My thanks to the many people who encouraged me in considering running, and for your different opinions for and against.

BTW: you should vote for the LDP in the Senate in particular: Australia needs a good libertarian voice to counter the mad socialism of the Greens and the Religious socialism of Family First on the cross benches. If you’re in Queensland vote Democrat in the senate only because Andrew Bartlett gets new media and blogging: I don’t agree with most of the Democrats platform but Bartlett is definitely one of the good guys.

A totally left of centre offer today: I was aksed to consider running for the Liberty and Democracy Party as their candidate in Forrest.

The initial rush of blood to the head was like blood to a vampire for me: it’s hard to ever get away from politics once you’ve been involved at some stage, and particularly so as I was for 12 years of my life in the Liberal Party.

I’m giving it some serious thought, and I’ll probably sleep on it tonight. On one hand when I quit the Liberal Party that was suppose to be it for me in politics, and given what little it gave back over 12 long years of blood, sweat and tears it should have been it. And yet the LDP has a policy platform that is totally in sync with my fundamental political beliefs, beliefs which I’d note where once Liberal beliefs that were forgotten in the orgy of socialism that is the Howard Government.

Obviously I couldn’t win, but I might get enough votes to make a difference, and maybe even help get the LDP senate candidate up.

More soon.