My Name

While purchasing URLs I also got my name... www.jasonmuirhead.com

For the time being this URL will be pointing at this blog.

Potential Harm

So the new name is now out.  You maybe wondering why "Potential Harm"?  I am now.

I've worked in risk management (focused on industrial safety) since early 2001.  2000 is when I got the two pieces of paper from Curtin Univeristy, Bentley, Western Australia.  And so I've read about risk for much of the current decade (which is almost over).

Risk is the likelihood for something bad to happen.  I know that isn't the most technical definition.  Trying to shorten the definition to two words for a potential URL resulted in potential harm.  Potential being the likelihood and harm being the bad things that may happen.

Now that I have the URL, I'm not sure what I want to do with it, except for posting my rants.  So here is the website - for now.

Utility Companies: Private vs Public

I've got a rant about public vs privately owned utilities.  Here in Australia we have the National Broadband Network brewing.  Plus I've have current first experience as a customer in how a certain telco is creating a new monopoly.

But my rant could be contorted to be about the industry that I administer the safety legislation for, as a public servant employed by the state.  And I wouldn't want to break any of the numerous policies I agreed to when going the public service.

I need to think about how to separate my telco rant from my work before going further...

Lest We Forget

Today is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand.  I'm very grateful for the men and women of the Australian Defence forces.  Whether they have passed before us enduring hardships I can not imagine to protect the nation and our allies, or are currently deployed doing what it takes to provide the peace we have in these weird times.

I take it back...

A few days ago I complained about not being about to get Google Earth at work.  That was true when I worked for a different government department.  The group I've with was moved from one department to another.  The IT group in the new department rocks.

These guys and girls must be one of the few service groups in a large organisation (gov or private) that I've been involved with that understand they are there to provide a service.  And they do that well.

So now I have Google Earth at work and can use all the resources that the department produces for everyone else to use.  My previous post on the matter was trying to point out the irony of working for a department that prevented access to Google Earth yet produced geographical information for the public in Google Earth file formats.

Anyway, at least there is one thing at work that is going well.

Tweet Tweet

I included my Twitter link in the Follow panel to the right of this page.  Ignore it.  I've made one post and that was to get a free licence code to Delicious Library during the recent Mac Heist promotion.

Huh

I work for a government department that releases a considerable amount of information to the public via the net in various GIS formats, including a format for Google Earth.  Within the department there is an online GIS tool that is cumbersome (at best).  And within the department we are blocked from using Google Earth.  So the department produces data that the employees within the department can't use.  WTF.

Lazy Linking

Hey Square Space people.  I'm lazy.  My laziness is why I'm testing you're system, as Leo Laporte told me you make this easy.

But I want more (give your customers and inch and they take a mile, no good deed does unpunished, etc).

I've had an idea, that I think would be incredibly cool - a module that allowed you to readily apply links you've used previously.  Once you've finished a post it could scan the post for text used to represent links in previous posts and provide a tick box to apply the same link.  If a user was to "trust" the system, then links could be applied automatically.  The trigger for automated linking could be included in preferences for material from other sources such as RSS and email posts.

The next stage could be to learn the linking by tag and/or category.  For example to a Christian Socialist the phrase Burning Bush could be linked to their favourite bible story when tagged "religion" and to their favourite past-time when tagged "hobbies".

Anyway, thanks Square Space.  I'm really enjoying the tools you provide as I don't have to spend much time with them to get stuff done.

 

Galahs in the Fire Mist

I'm stumbling around introductory digital photography.  Given I was already listening to podcasts when I bought my digital SLR camera it didn't take long before This Week in Photography was on my ipod.  Through that podcast I found Scott Bourne's work.  And I really liked his recent work Cranes in the Fire Mist.

I appreciate the history of the work.  The forethought, the research, the annual return to the same spot and luck in obtaining the shot he visualised 12 years ago.

This morning I crossed the Swan River on the way to work to see a flock of galahs flying by the bridge during the early morning light as a mist was settling across the river.  I now want to get a photo of these birds in flight.