Archive for the ‘News’ Category

The Drysdale Collective is ONLINE

Sorry, this will be a short post. I just wanted to let everyone know that we are in the new place, broadband is working and all is right with the world…

Seriously though, we are still finishing the cleaning at the old place as well as cleaning and unpacking at the new place.

I hate moving but being 500m from Hornsby station kicks ass…

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2 More Sleeps

Well, the countdown to the move (M Day) progresses well.

We signed the lease and paid a big wad of cash to the Real Estate Agent this morning.
Viv will pick the keys up on Thursday morning while I supervise the movers loading our crap into their trucks.

I hate moving!!!

By the way, did I mention

“I hate moving!!!”

Just to be clear on this

“I hate moving!!!”

Anyway, even though the new place is nowhere near as nice as our current place, the location (500m from Hornsby station) is unbeatable.

I’m not sure how many more posts I’ll have time for before we go offline, so if not before, I’ll catch y’all after the move.

M-minus 2 days and counting…

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The countdown has begun….

The Drysdale Collective is on the move..

After a little over a year in beautiful downtown Baulkham Hills we’ve decide to move.

We’ve found a place in Hornsby only 500m from the station.

We’re currently scheduled to move on 22/09/2005.

I’ll be email the new contact details out shortly so if I miss you, please drop me an email.

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Beam me up Scotty…..

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) — James Doohan, the burly chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise in the original “Star Trek” TV series and motion pictures who responded to the apocryphal command “Beam me up, Scotty,” died early Wednesday.

He was 85.

Doohan died at 5:30 a.m. (1330 GMT) at his Redmond, Washington, home with his wife of 28 years, Wende, at his side, Los Angeles agent and longtime friend Steve Stevens said. The cause of death was pneumonia and Alzheimer’s disease, he said.

I know I join Star Trek fans around the world in mourning the loss of a much loved character that has a special place in all our hearts.

My thoughts at this time are with his family.

I admit that I didn’t know much about James Doohan beyond his work as Scotty on Star Trek, from what I’ve been reading today, he was a kind, decent and well loved man, and interestingly a World War II veteran with the Canadian Army.

Below is a posting from Slashdot that resonates strongly with me

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Here’s the lines from the TNG episode “Relics”:

Scotty: “Starfleet captains are like children. They want everything right now and they want it their way. But the secret is to give them only what they need, not what they want.”
LaForge: “Yeah, well, I told the captain I’d have this analysis done in an hour.”
Scotty: “How long will it really take?”
LaForge: “An hour.”
Scotty: “You didn’t tell him now long it would really take, did you?”
LaForge: “Of course I did.”
Scotty: “Laddie, you got a lot to learn if you want people to think of you as a miracle worker!”

And those words are one of the guiding principles in everything I do professionally. I always undersell and overexecute. RIP good man, RIP.

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and another outlining a incident between James Doohan and a suicidal fan…

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Damn right. Not only did he expertly play the character that hooked many a kid on the idea of science and engineering, but was also a decorated war veteran and a genuine class act.
He was always warm and receptive to his fans and a beloved fixture of the convention circuit.

This is an important point. Doohan really gave so much back to the community. In the fascinating (and sometimes hilarious) documentary Trekkies [trekdoc.com], Doohan relates the story of a suicidal Trek fan who confided in him.
Doohan took it upon himself to nurse this poor soul back to health. He told the fan that he wanted to see them at the next convention.
To his amazement, the fan was there and Doohan graciously met with them, allowing them to come backstage and the whole deal. Doohan tried it again and again the fan showed up at the next convention.
They kept this up for a long time (I forget — it might have been years) when suddenly the fan stopped coming. Doohan feared the worst had happened.

Years later Doohan was stunned when the fan showed up at a convention out of nowhere! The fan told Doohan that they had turned their life around, enrolled in school, and become … an electrical engineer.

If you haven’t seen this film you should definitely rent it. Watching Doohan come close to tears as he tells this story is worth the rental fee right there.

GMD

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Below are some links to press coverage of James Doohans passing….

James Doohan, ‘Star Trek’s’ Scotty, dead
Obituary: James Doohan
Star Trek’s Scotty dies
one to beam up . . .

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Ice Ice Baby ….

I’m changing jobs!!!!

Yesterday I resigned from my position as Software Engineer with Dexion Integrated Systems, I have been working with DIS ( nee DS+, nee Custom Software ) for the better part of the last 9 years.

During this time I have been involved in the design, implementation, commissioning and support of warehousing solutions for a number of large companies.

Some of the companies I have worked with

  • ST Microelectronics
  • Entertainment Distribution Company (EDC)
  • Gillette
  • Reckitt Benkiser
  • Woolworths
  • Supercheap Auto
  • Mayne Logistics
  • Cork International

As of the 1st of March, I will be working as a Software Engineer for IceTV developing Value Added products for PVRs

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