Swan River foreshore wheel – eyesore on the foreshore

As Perth’s newest tourist attraction gets ready for its first paying passengers, it interesting to compare it to two other wheels that i have seen while on holiday in the UK. Firstly there is the The Wheel of Manchester and then the really impressive London Eye. The wheel of Manchester has 42 capsules which are lifted to a height of 60 meters and the London Eye has 32 capsules which are lifted to a height of 135 meters. The new Perth wheel has 36 capsules which are lifted to a height of 50 meters.  View more wheels around the world on the World Attractions website.

Read the NEWS BLOG on the west.com.au – Will you ride the Wheel?

There are some very interesting comments on the blog below. Here are a few of my favorites.

“What a pathetic bunch our politicians and mayor of Perth must think we are that we need to be ammused and sit on a wheel to look at the view of Perth.”

“Measure the wheel it will be more like 44 then 50 meters. Small gondola’s you can not even stand up in them. To compare this baby wheel with the London eye or the Singapore flyer is simply a joke.”

‘Just when I thought I couldn’t be more embarrassed.’

For me i think it is just another eyesore on the foreshore that joins the Bell Tower and that shocking Convention Centre. I agree that the Perth city council is totally out of touch to come up with this idea. It also makes me remember that episode of the Simpsons called Marge vs. the Monorail, particularly the closing sequence.

As the camera pulls away from the scene, Marge’s voice narrates: ‘And that was the only folly the people of Springfield ever embarked upon.  Except for the popsicle stick skyscraper.  And the 50-foot magnifying glass.  And that escalator to nowhere.” The magnifying glass focuses the sun’s rays on the skyscraper, igniting a fire.  Meanwhile, people rise to the top of a huge escalator, only to fall off when it reaches the top.

PS: want a great view of Perth, simply go to Kings Park and the best part is, it’s free!

Posted by Posted in: General Stuff, Griffs View No Comments » January 2009

The walk of shame

I consider myself lucky to live in Perth, and after a great ride on this beautiful sunny Saturday, it makes you realise what a clean, pollution free city Perth actually is. Now this vision is one that is easy to keep in your mind as you ride along the cycleways next to the Swan River and gaze over the water and surrounding parklands.  Wildlife is everywhere and the water looks clean and fresh as does the bright blue sky over the city.

Now lets look at the other side of things which unfortunately i see most week days, the untidy and embarrassing side of Perth, or the walk of shame as i call it. If you exit the Perth train station and head towards the Art Gallery of WA you start to see a side of Perth you wish was not there. It seems to be a constant vision of rubbish , graffiti and an overall look of complete untidiness.

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Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: Griffs View Comments Off December 2008

iiNet sued over BitTorrent piracy

As we all know BitTorrent piracy is always in the news, both here and overseas. Well iiNet is being sued over BitTorrent piracy by the major film companies and Chanel 7. I’m currently a Westnet customer using ADSL 2 with a combined 60GB monthly limit and now that Westnet is under the iiNet banner this is of interest to me. I’ve personally had a gutful of commercial tv and the programming, which treats all users like complete morons. Now that the old and tried formula is failing on viewers both young and old the heavies are up to the same old tricks of intimidation.

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Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: Griffs View, Tech and Gadgets No Comments » November 2008

Bluff Knoll Trip 14/09/08

Yesterday a group of us took a day trip to Bluff Knoll which is the highest point in the south-west of Western Australia and is situated in the Stirling Range. The drive from Perth is about 4 hrs heading south along Albany Hwy.

It is 1,095 m above sea level and is one of the very few places that snow has been reported in Western Australia, with snow falling usually once a year. The most recent ‘heavy’ snow was recorded on October 6, 1992. Now on this day the weather seemed to change every few minutes from light rain, to warm winter sun shine and then very strong winds at a seconds notice. I was so glad I packed warm clothes and gloves when I got to the top.

Climbing Bluff Knoll took about four hours, on a 6 km return track which tested my level of fitness to be honest. Don’t think its a level trail by any means, in places its a real test on your legs. It is also possible to ascend the face of the bluff with rock climbing equipment, but i think ill leave that to the pro’s. At the top the temperature was very cold and the wind was extremely strong.

The view from the summit encompasses the Stirling and Porongurup mountain ranges, as well as the coast near Albany which is visible on a clear day. I must say I was amazed by the view and the chance to get some pictures was well worth the effort. Bluff Knoll is visible from Albany, along with Toolbrunup.

View Bluff Knoll Photo Gallery from this great day out. Thanks go out to my mate Kim who organised this trip.

Where: Bluff Knoll is in the Stirling Range National Park, around 400km southeast of Perth and 80km north of Albany.
Why: It’s the highest peak in southern WA
Grade: A steep and unrelenting climb, ascending more than 700m. Pack for alpine conditions.

More Info:  CALM Albany office (08) 9842 4500, Stirling Range NP

Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: Griffs View No Comments » September 2008

Out for a ride

Perth has so many places to just get out on the bike. Bike paths surround the city so it makes it easy to see so much safely and enjoy these warm winter days. I have really started to enjoy getting out on the bike again and soak up this great city. Today from home in East Perth to Victoria Park, onto Burswood and back home. Today I just went out with the Nokia N95 and took a few photos. Check out the updated Perth and Motoring galleries.

Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: Griffs View No Comments » August 2008

Trip to Seoul Korea

I was excited to finally make it to Korea for a holiday. It was a flight of just over 8hrs from Dubai to Incheon International Airport which is the largest airport in South Korea, and one of the largest and busiest in Asia. It fully deserves the full 5-star ranking by Skytrax, a prestigious recognition shared only by Hong Kong International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport at this time.

From arrival to customs and baggage collection everything was fantastic. The weather was very warm and hazy most days which again was a change from the cold weather in Perth i left behind. We stayed at the Renaissance Hotel in Seoul and managed to see lots of of the local attractions and landmarks.

The people were very helpful and friendly and getting around the city on the subway system was a breeze. The Canon 40D got its first good workout and performed well with excellent battery life over the trip. The Kata DR-467 bag proved to be a good choice and managed to carry all my gear without hassle.

I have posted an image gallery of my favourite photos from the trip. View Gallery

Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: Griffs View 1 Comment » August 2008

Virgin Mobile gets iPhone 3G

Virgin Mobile has officially commenced sale of the iPhone 3G in Australia effective today Friday 1 August 2008. The iPhone 3G went on sale at Virgin stores around Australia offering the best data plan currently available in the country at a huge 5GB.

Now this is more like it, its still not unlimited but we are now starting to see plans with realistic data allowances.

Virgin will sell the 8GB iPhone 3G for $0 upfront on a $70 monthly plan, which includes $520 worth of calls and 1GB of data. If you are willing to cough up an extra $30 per month, you will receive an extra 4GB of data and get the 16GB iPhone 3G for $0 up front. All Virgin iPhone plans are based on 24 month contracts.

Virgin is also offering the option to unlock the iPhone from its network for $80, plus an additional $250 “early evacuation” fee if users opt out within six months.

Now note that Virgin is a wholly owned subsidiary of Optus.  What will this mean for all those customers who have already signed up with Optus and recieved much less data?

In less than 3 weeks we have seen many plans in Australia for the iPhone 3G, from the bad through to plans that are now more in the ball park. I think this is only the start and i expect things to heat up as carriers push for customers.

My decision to hold of being an early adopter has been difficult, but I’m relieved not to have signed a plan weeks ago and be waiting for a phone with this latest news.

View full details of the Virgin plans

Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: Griffs View, Tech and Gadgets No Comments » August 2008

iPhone 3G Unbox

One of my friends Kim called me last night with the news he had just got his iPhone 3G and wanted to share the news. A couple of hours later he called by to show off his new gadget. Its a white 16GB model and i must say the white is a classic Mac looking product. A couple more friends have contacted me after waiting for weeks and weeks for their providers to get stock, including Jane who got her black 16gb iPhone just before a trip away. So lets look in the box.

Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: Griffs View, Tech and Gadgets No Comments » August 2008

Is eBay losing its shine?

For those of us that use eBay as a seller or buyer or have followed the recent issues in Australia with PayPal and the ACCC concerning the eBay proposal to mandate the use of PayPal for almost all transactions on the eBay site will find these latest 3 news stories interesting. I’m not surprised by any of these stories and what once seemed like a hip online company appears to be losing its shine in many ways.

The bigger picture is that if consumer confidence in such a big operator like eBay shifts away from buying online, it may spell doom for smaller operators or new businesses trying to enter the online marketplace. I buy many items online from both local and overseas suppliers on a regular basis and I found these companies through referrals from friends and trusted sources who’s opinions i trust.

I personally don’t ever buy big ticket items through eBay and I never just base a purchase on seller feedback. Also check what level of insurance may be available to cover you through PayPal or your chosen credit provider if the purchase goes bad.

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Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: Griffs View, Tech and Gadgets No Comments » July 2008

N95 8GB sync with iTunes

My current weapon of choice is a Nokia N95 8GB which Ive had since Jan 2008. I love the phone still and find all the onboard features fit my daily needs and really that’s what is important. Like cars these days most phones are much the same, with some better than others depending on your price bracket. I’m a fan of the iPhone 3G but as in previous posts I’m disappointed by the plans offered currently and so have decided to hold off for a while.

For me the Nokia good points are

• 8GB on board storage
• Wi-Fi, GPS
• 5-megapixel camera
• Great build quality
• Nokia menu usability
• great onboard speakers
• excellent reception and call quality
• good screen size and display quality
• Bluetooth and default connections

I now use this as a point and shoot when a quick pick is needed on the fly, a well as listening to music and podcasts. Ive downloaded the typical few games and Google maps to compliment the bundled Nokia maps which is great for turn by turn navigation with the GPS.

The one think I have wanted to do is sync it with my iTunes and then my Nano could be left behind at times when i just want the 1 device.

After some research and thinking about what was the best way i decided on using iTunes Sync to handle the task.

1. Pretty easy just download and install iTunes Sync and then configure it to work with my N95.
2. Connect the USB connector from the phone to the laptop and select data transfer
3. Make sure iTunes is open and open iTunes Sync
4. Configure the phone as a device and I created a new playlist in iTunes which is what i use to sync with the phone. [help files are easy]
5. Then sync
6. All my video and audio podcasts as well as music files were transferred and filed correctly in videos, podcasts and music.

The software will work with MP3 players and id guess most phones.

Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: Griffs View, Tech and Gadgets 1 Comment » July 2008

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