The collected works of ScottyB

… would this be sitting in your lounge room or bedroom?!

The ‘Transport’, an egg-shaped fiberglass vessel outfitted with speakers and an array of light-emitting diodes. Mr. Frias, its designer, described it as a “perceptual pod.”

Whatever that means.

Regardless, I think it looks awesome. Does anyone remember those egg chairs? They were like all the hype after they appeared in the Men in Black film and suddenly it was super-cool and all futuristic to have one of them in your house?! Well this is just like those egg chairs. Except this thing hasn’t become famous yet. It just needs to feature in a cool film and you’ll see them everywhere.

At a retail of around $12,000 USD they’re probably a little out of my league, especially as far as optional furniture goes. Ah well.. one can dream eh?

And then there’s always the ultimate in lay-z-boy furniture, the Wave Chaise…

I can just see me sprawled out on that thing, watching the F1 in wide screen goodness. Oh yeah.

…

In other news, the Cockatoo’s were back in force today. I saw about 50 of them on the way to work this morning, the flock of them terrorising the water front just down the end of my street. This afternoon, the regular crowd was around the backyard awaiting their feed. Gramps (or the sick one) was around too.. looking as disheveled as ever. Poor thing. I managed to get the camera out in time to catch a couple leaving. The lighting wasn’t right, but I wanted to try a motion shot - so tried 1/125th at f5.6 (ISO400) and got this.

The other one in the sequence wasn’t worthy of mention though. Oh wait, I just mentioned it didn’t I? Well.. it wasn’t brilliant.

Elders Weather Australia
Temperature 24.9°.
Relative humidity 29%.
A cool breeze blowing at 16-26km/h from the West.

Perfect right?

Apparently not. Because sitting here right now, the office is sealed up, doors and windows closed - blocking what would be fresh air, a lovely breeze and perfectly moderate temperature from permeating the confines of this tiny space.

How anyone can prefer the cold, stale, artificial feel of recycled air directed right on their back to the fresh, real, surrounding feeling of a perfectly lovely Autumn day, I’ll never know. The concept eludes me.

So the air-conditioner runs all day long, consuming power and being noisy, keeping the room at an artificial 22°C… yup - a whole 2.9°C cooler than it is without air-conditioning. And apparently this is necessary or someone in the office would seemingly melt or be unable to cope with work in such a harsh climatic condition that the extra 2.9°C brings.

Its amazing really. To consider that 25°C is such an intolerable hell. Outside right now, I’m looking at plumes of fire erupting from the bowels of the Earth, magmatic lava flows oozing down the roads.. the trees - this morning, green and luscious - now reduced to smouldering piles of wood and charcoal.

People too are unable to move about without protective suits, the raw heat and blazing Sun forcing people indoors to the safe confines of their 22°C air conditioned homes and offices - where icicles grow from the ceilings, liquid water snap freezes before it emerged from the taps and the air is so cold it stings your eyes and corrupts your body with frostbite.

Some people must think this is a reasonable observation of the extreme variation we are forced to endure. For it requires air-conditioning all day to maintain a 2.9°C difference that is all important to the survival of ones self.

Right now I can walk outside the office and can barely feel the difference. The air outside just tastes better.

Lunacy.

How one survives in the middle of our harsh Summer in the midst of 45°C heat, I’ll never know.