DIY projects to put the finishing touches to your bedroom.

So I am currently in the process of changing bedrooms. My housemate has moved out which leaves the bigger and by far- better bedroom up for grabs. Since I got in quick, the bedroom is now ours !

So I am venturing on a couple of DIY projects. The first a jewellery tree; I have this magnificent tree in the backyard, which twists and turns above my garden. Leafless due to winter, the trees branches are ideal to hold my jewellery. So I got up this morning and created this !

What you will need: 

·         3 or 4 decent sized twigs

·         a bottle, or vase, small or large.

·         Jewellery, preferably delicate, the thicker/chunkier types need thicker branches.

Oh, Nha Trang

As many of you know, I have just returned from the beautiful Vietnam. The country was full of new aromas, smiling faces, and risky roads. Our itinerary originally gave us two nights in Nha Trang but as soon as we arrived at the breath taking Mia Resort, we decided to change our flights. 

                     

This place was heaven ! They popped into your room twice a day, to clean and at night to light candles, turn back the bed and leave a freshly baked goodie on the pillow. They really thought of everything.

The pool was stunning ! At night they would light the water features ablaze which sprinkled little flaming reflections across the surface of the pool. The website really does not do this place justice. It is only a year old and the architectural and interior design is well thought out and expertly executed. Because the resort is still new and there is some work still continuing, the prices are well under what they should be. We hired a motorbike for three days (not a good idea when you don’t have a map), mainly because Mia Resort is about 15 mins out from the city centre and taxis start to hurt the pocket.

One day trip we really enjoyed was the mud baths. We jumped on the bike and followed the main roads (and the tour busses) until we reached Nha Trangs Thap Ba Springs. The springs are famous for the healing and therapeutic powers of its mud and mineral baths. Claims that the baths cure ailments ranging from chronic joint disease to leprosy bring in a large number of daily visitors. But even if you don’t have leprosy, you can still have a very relaxing day at Thap Ba. After we were well and truly mineralled, we headed back to the bike, feeling very relaxed and lethargic. What I was no expecting was for my skin to actually feel different. It is difficult to explain, but the best way to put it is I just felt unbelievably clean.

Nha Trang is said to be the Gold Coast of Vietnam and that is certainly the feel it has. The beaches, the bars, the people, the activities, are all a must see and do. 

The Silver Lining

At Fathers Day dinner my Dad began talking about 'The Cloud'. I told him he needs to stop making up his own terms for things and there was no such thing (good daughter right?). Monday morning comes and what are we learning about in a meeting at work? The bloody Cloud. So I suppose I better do my reasearch so at least when Dad does a little dance and says, 'I'm always right, its my job, I'm your Dad.' as he usually does I can throw back with some new found knowledge to shut him up.

From what I have researched Cloud Computing sounds pretty amazing. There's a good chance you've already used some form of cloud computing. If you have an e-mail account with a Web-based e-mail service like Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail or Gmail like I do, then you've had some experience with cloud computing. The way it works is, instead of running an e-mail program on your computer, you log in to a web based e-mail account remotely. The software and storage for your account doesn't exist on your computer -- it's on the service's computer cloud.

When it comes to business it is even more exciting. Let's say you're an executive at a large corporation. Your particular responsibilities include making sure that all of your employees have the right hardware and software they need to do their jobs. Buying computers for everyone isn't enough -- you also have to purchase software to give employees the tools they require. Whenever you have a new hire, you have to buy more software or make sure your current software license allows another user. It's so stressful that you find it difficult to go to sleep on your huge pile of money every night.
Soon, there may be an alternative for executives like you. Instead of installing a suite of software for each computer, you'd only have to load one application. That application would allow workers to log into a Web-based service which hosts all the programs the user would need for his or her job. Remote machines owned by another company would run everything from e-mail to word processing to complex data analysis programs.

It's called cloud computing, and it could change the entire computer industry.

Cookies and Cream

This room is so enticing to me. Apart from the obvious connection to cookies and cream (I say obvious, but I am quite hungry, which could be affecting my judgement) the room just feels so warm. The natural sunlight opens up what is actually a very small space. While, the delicious flow of brown tones throughout the room play to  a  simple yet effective feel. This room is heaven. 

Bubba Crib..

Now, let  me start by saying I do not, as yet, want children. However, if my child was happy to forever live in this delicious room until they decided they were ready to move out then I may reconsider. I love the simple but affective hint of green and the circular shapes carried through the room. I adore the lamp, it is simple, stylish and fun- perfect for children.

An End Note..

Well as much as I would love to have my house unlock itself instead of allowing random gusts of wind to CONTINUOUSLY blow my front door shut, I find it a little creepy. I mean, we have all seen the movies where robots takeover and all us poor humans can do is locate and remove the dreaded ‘chip’. To be honest all I could think while hearing about the internet of things is we are becoming a huge generation children disguised as adults playing with our big shiny toys. The internet of things is a global network infrastructure, linking physical and virtual objects through data capture and communication capabilities. So pretty much, robots will watch us and talk between themselves all in the name of helping human kind. Freaky, no?

In reality, we as humans will keep control over these inventions so it is evident that danger isn’t in an ever growing Internet of Things, but our increasing reliance on it. Having said this there are benefits. Universal connectivity, sensors and computers that are able to collect, analyse and act on data will bring about improvements in health, food production. In a roundabout way, it might even alleviate poverty. Even our efforts to battle global warming would benefit from the Internet of Things.

At the end of the day, everybody who has experienced that moment when a computer or phone has defeated all your attempts to do something basic such as calling. At times like these, it’s hard to imagine a technology-driven utopian world in which billions of devices are all communicating seamlessly and controlling everything around us to improve our lives. To be honest, my iPhone is in the clutches of Optus at the moment after continuously NOT calling when I needed it too so the thought of my life being controlled by technology I can’t work makes my heart rate rise in anger. 

Mitew, T 2011, Case: The Internet of Things: From Networked Objects to Ubiquitous Computing, Lecture, DIGC202 Global Networks, University of Wollongong, delivered 24 October

A Social Media Revolution!

Hold your horses. Can you really say it was social media that brought down the Tanzanian government? No, social media was simply a vessel steered with great effect by the Tanzanian people. While the future of Tunisia's governance is extremely uncertain at present, it seems we've witnessed the rarest of phenomena, a popular revolt toppling an Arab dictator. 

Although it cannot be said that twitter was the sole driving force of change it can be said that the revolution appears far more likely to lead to lasting political change. Ben Ali's government tightly controlled all forms of media, on and offline. Reporters were prevented from traveling to cover protests in Sidi Bouzid, and the reports from official media characterized events as either vandalism or terrorism. Tunisians got an alternative picture from Facebook, which remained uncensored through the protests, and they communicated events to the rest of the world by posting videos to YouTube and Dailymotion. It was the people who were the voice; social media simply helped them conclude that it was time to hit the streets.