What I Learnt Today

How’s your backflipping going? 

Looked at the world from upside down lately?

Paddy and Will put the new Oregon Scientific ATC9K HD Action Camera through its paces today.

This little camera is pumping for action – it is shock proof, and water proof to 20m, and can be attached to your helmet, your bike, your hang glider, your parachute, or your head.(?).

Amazingly, it takes High Definition video at 1080p, or you can take stills with its 5 megapixel still camera. It has a LED display so you can watch while you film, a HDMI cord so you can plug it straight into your TV, and a laser pointer so you can see where you are aiming while it is stuck to your head.

It contains a G-force sensor, and a GPS unit is available as a plugin accessory. This allows you to track where you are and how fast you are going while filming. With the included software you can  combine the video action with a map of the course you took.

Using it is very easy.

Paddy and Will think it is sick.

This is their test video in ‘mobile’ quality. The boys will upload a HD version tomorrow.

My cousin Rick has always been cool. 

When I was little, he drove an old army jeep, gave me my first Beatles record (bootleg, no less), played on the wing in the GPS premiership winning First XV, and regularly took me out on his surf mat at Palm Beach.

When I was in third grade, by some strange co-incidence his then girlfriend (Susie) was the unfortunate student teacher assigned to teach us some drama. My connection through Rick meant that I got to play the lead part in ‘Rinse the Blood Off My Toga‘.

Flavius Maximus was my character, and he had a Humphrey Bogart accent.
“I couldn’t believe my ears! Big Julie was dead!”

It was the only lead role I ever got.

I remember that Peter Hill played a convincing Calpurnia, Mrs Caesar.

Anyway, my cousin Annabelle, Ricks daughter, also thinks her father and mother Prue were awesome, and has blogged about it. 

For reasons I can’t understand, I suspect she finds his 1970’s fashion sense somewhat entertaining 🙂

On her blog, Bella says “It’s easy to forget that once upon a time, our parents weren’t parents. They weren’t called Mum or Dad. Their lives didn’t revolve around us. They partied, they dated, they studied, they travelled the world. They were, shock horror, just like us”

In fact, sharing the grooviness that was your parents before you were born is a very popular activity, judging by the website that inspired Annabelle’s post – ‘My Parents Were Awesome‘. It contains thousands of photos of parents in their prime, uploaded by their children from all over the world. That site has spawned a book, and been featured on ABC Network news.

The creator of ‘My Parents Were Awesome‘, Eliot Glazer, sees it as a tribute – I think. “Before the fanny packs and Andrea Bocelli concerts, your parents (and grandparents) were once free-wheeling, fashion-forward, and super awesome.”

You can judge for yourself at My Parents Were Awesome, http://myparentswereawesome.tumblr.com

(Bella’s blog is kind enough to remind us that her parents are still awesome. Go Rick and Prue.)

What I Learnt On 11th February in other years

11th February 2013 Al-Gebra and weapons of math instruction

It can be difficult to compare the cost of buying books from different websites – but it is worthwhile. The same book can cost more than twice as much at different stores.

Is Amazon better than the ABC Store, allowing for delivery and currency cost? How about Fishpond, or the Co-Op, or the Book Depository – UK or US? By the time you do a currency conversion and allow for the cost of postage, it can be complicated.

Booko.com.au does one thing well. It does your comparison shopping for books and DVDs from 48 different online stores in Australia, the US and the UK.

You do the actual purchasing from the original store website. The site designer, Dan Milne, built the system to scratch a personal itchl. Some sites (such as Amazon) have an affiliate process, so he may make a small amount if you choose to buy the book using his link, This does not affect the price of the book, unlike some aggregated flight services where there is a premium booking fee to be paid. (I’m looking at you, Webjet).

There are verysignificant savings to be had.

I’m interested in Bill Bryson’s ‘At Home – A Short History of Private Life’ – $40 difference between the cheapest (AbeBooks) and most expensive (ABC Books).

One of my favourite books is ‘The Design of Everyday Things’ by Donald Norman. Save $37 or 68%

The new book ‘What to Do About Everything – A Manual for Domestic Life’ by Barbara Toner‘ sounds of interest to What I Learnt Today. ($39.89 – $52.95)

I think booko.com.au is worth a check.

What I Learnt On 10th February in other years

10th February 2012 Revolution in the Classroom

Today is a special day in our family, and it is the only day that dad jokes are tolerated without complaint.

Richard Glover, that great suburban historian, is a world expert in stupid dad jokes.

According to RG, all dad jokes have two factors in common.

They must be

• a) not funny in the first place and
• b) become rapidly less funny through constant repetition.

After years of research, Glover has collected the top 10 dad jokes.

Here they are in order of frequency of use

1. When opening a book-shaped Christmas present: “I know, it’s a bottle of wine.” 
2. When asked “Shall I put the kettle on?”: “If you think it will suit you.”
3. When a huge leg of roast lamb is being placed on the table: “Well, here’s my dinner – I don’t know what the rest of you are having.” 
4. When driving past a road sign saying “Dip Ahead”: “I hope you’ve got your Jatz ready – there’s dip ahead.”
5. When asked “How long’s dinner?”: “About 10 centimetres – it’s a sausage.” 
6. When someone says “I’m Thirsty”: “Hello Thirsty, I’m Friday.” 
7. When someone says “I’m hungry”: “I’m Germany, pleased to meet you.” 
8. When someone says “What?”: “Watt? Didn’t he invent the steam engine?”
9. When patting his tummy at the end of a big meal: “It’s good we ate then – because I’m not a bit hungry now.” 
10. When asked “What’s on the TV?”: “A pot plant and a DVD player.”

Then, of course, there’s calling “Yes” in a high-pitched girly voice whenever the kids call out for their mum.

Two special favourite in our house that don’t rate in Glover’s top 10

“Dad, can you put on my shoes”, “Sure, but I don’t think they’ll fit”

On the phone “Hello, its Milly speaking”, “Hello Milly Speaking, dad here”.

Do you have any stupid dad jokes in your family? Let us know in the comments.