marxy's musing on technology

Apart from a rice cooker, the other gadget we picked up during our stay in Hong Kong is an induction cooker . You don't see them in stor...

Medal auction It's reported that each Olympic gold medal in the last 20 years has cost Australian tax payers about 40 million dollars. ...

Did some work on my 20m (14Mhz) dipole antenna and managed to raise it about another meter above the (2nd story) roof. The difference is cle...

I don't normally do this but there is some amazing work being done at the University of Washington. Using Photographs to Enhance...

It's a year since I posted about how I thought printing phone books and distributing them was a waste in the days of the on-line phone ...

So happy to finally see iTunes movie rentals in Australia. I immediately jumped in and rented a movie through iTunes for AU$3.99. It took 65...

Regular listeners will know that I'm always searching for high quality headphone audio. In the past I've built a CMoy amplifier and...

I've just received my first bill for iPhone 3G from Vodafone Australia. As you can see it's rather excessive. I was unsure about wha...

I've taken some time off regular work to build BaristaReview.com , a site where you can find and review your local coffee shops. To buil...

My primary antenna for the past few months has been an 80m dipole. It works pretty well and I hear lots of regular groups chatting but I rea...

Dropped in to the new Apple store at Chatswood Chase this afternoon and ran in to well known blogger Ben and his wife (trying to get his h...

Like everyone I had a few annoying issues with the original software but I still feel it's the best phone/pocket internet device, I'...

I've just completed a short stint as a juror on a criminal trial here in NSW. On several occasions in the past I've been called and ...

The current project on the bench is a single sideband transceiver for 14Mhz. It's a kit from Hendricks . I'm following the instructi...

I'm a keen photographer, not a great one, but keen. Over the years I've captured a few shots, perhaps 10, that I'm happy with. T...

Saw some great news in the paper this morning, Stuart Gary's StarStuff which was taken off ABC NewsRadio has returned as a podcast here...

Neighbour Peter hatched a plan to combine traditional (fired) rocket motors with the new sustainable water and air propulsion. Unfortunately...

The gutters here at Marxy Manor are full of leaves and when it rains they overflow in all the wrong places. Being a fan of PVC pipe construc...

Heard about this on the wonderful Soldersmoke blog. A flexible digital display for home home brew radios, from Doug N3ZI . The pre-scaler i...

I've just received the first book printed through iPhoto using Apple's printing service. The book was assembled in iPhoto from pictu...

I've been hearing about location based services being the next big thing for many years. Now that I'm playing with Twinkle on the iP...

We're back with a podcast where we discuss our experiences with the iPhone 3G. The mp3 is here .

Peter has improved the launch platform and the spin is much reduced now. Here's just the flight in slow motion:

After a talk on ABC Radio National about the iPhone this morning, I was riding down in the lift at the ABC's Ultimo centre, the doors o...

I tuned in to ABC Newsradio today and mourned the lack of the regular Starstuff program produced and presented by Stuart Gary. The site sim...

I've been hanging out for an iPhone for a long time. Rather than going to the city I decided to head for Warringah Mall north of Sydney...

As the price of petrol climbs my theoretical enthusiasm for public transport increases. This weekend the family made the trip to Coffs Harbo...

Great innovation this past weekend. Here it is again, but with the footage shot from the rocket in slow motion. New technology is on th...

Vodafone The Vodafone store near North Sydney station told me today that all they know is that iPhones will be available on July 11 and t...

Chris, Coops and I wandered into the city to see if anyone had turned up to the opening of the new Sydney Apple store. It was dark and rain...

I'm building the new Softrock "Xtall+Lite" v8.3 from Tony Parks KB9YIG. He definitely needs to come up with a snappier name! ...

The Killarney Heights space program continues, but this time it's sustainable. These water and air pressure rockets work surprisingly we...

Stephen, VK2BLQ, has been selling off his old projects and I picked up an 80m double sideband radio he built for $5. The only modification I...

This year I'm not attending Apple's WWDC in person. I try to go every few years as it's a very energising experience. Like many...

I'm preparing a chat about smart phones and trying to get a rundown of the current mobile phone operating systems. Here's what I kno...

Currently on "Mark Twain" a lovely S&S 37. We're spending the weekend sailing around Melbourne. Sailing is something that ...