Entries by Robert

Experiments with Qik

Qik is a little piece of software that enables you to stream videos directly from your phone to the Web. Use it to stream engaging videos to your friends in Facebook, Twitter, etc. or as your camcorder to capture entertaining and special moments.

With Qik you can stream engaging video live from your phone to the world or use your phone like a camcorder to capture entertaining, interesting and special moments. Go LIVE with your life by streaming anytime, anywhere—right from your phone. Be an eyewitness, capture those first steps, or whip up your own streaming video blog. There are just a million and one uses of Qik.

This is one of the coolest Web things I have played with in a long time. Let me know what you think.



... Robert

I can remember when I was 5 years old and had formulated a theory of how electric motors worked. I got as far as electricity, currents and forces but how the forces "knew" what to do was a mystery to me! So began a career in electronics. In the last 23 years I have been involved in product development, embedded software design, engineering management, technology and innovation management, marketing and business development.

In short it has to date been a rewarding and fascinating time. As a self confessed techie, I love being involved in the latest and most interesting innovations, especially those impacting our everyday lives

... Robert

Edithburgh Dive Weekend 17/18th June '06



















Edithburgh Dive Weekend 3rd September '05


















Jennifer & Myself Diving 'The Lumb', 5th June '05


















Andy & Myself Diving 'The John Robb', 4th June '05

















Whyalla Cuttlefish Weekend, 15th May '05

I have been a SCUBA diver for more than 18 years now and in that time have had the opportunity to dive extensively throughout South Australia. I've dived elsewhere and yes, tropical water is wonderful but my soft spot is for the dramatic offshore waters of Australia's Southern coast. It may be cold but the dramatic scale of walls, caves, ledges, kelp, dolphins, seals, reef fish, oceanic pelagics and the odd rather too large for comfort predator make for what South Australian diving stands for!!

My favorite dive location is Allthorpe Island off the coast of South Australia's York Peninsula. My favorite shore dive is Chinaman's Hat, again on South Australia's York Peninsula.

I wish I could say how many dives I have done but for 10 years I kept no record of my diving, an oversight I now regret, many hundreds I'd say at a pinch! I now teach others to dive and my enthusiasm for the salty realm is as strong as ever.

... Robert

I have been involved in this mad sport for nearly 20 years now and can be found at the bottom of the pool on a regular basis. We play weekly at the Adelaide Aquatics Centre with formally organised teams and games. After the game you will almost certainly find us continuing the proceedings at a nearby watering hole!

Underwater hockey is very similar to field hockey in the way it is played with 6 players in the game per side and 4 players as interchange. We use a puck which, although looks like an ice hockey puck, is made of plastic coated lead. The hockey stick is very short, about 20cm long and is held in one hand. The entire game is played at the bottom of the pool while holding your breath!

Underwater Hockey started in England in 1954, but it was not until 1984 that the first World Championships took place in Chicago , USA where Australia made a clean sweep in Men’s and Women’s winning in both team events. Australian Open UWH Championships were held in 1975. The Women’s UWH Titles commenced in 1981, with the Junior UWH Championships commencing in 1990.

... Robert

I could could tell you a bit about who I am but I'm afraid the story would be obsolete before you get to read it. So let me give you a little of who I am at the time of writing this text. I am having a rich and adventurous life, full of "life experiences" as they say and it is my intention to keep things that way!

I presently live in the quiet city of Adelaide in South Australia. Adelaide may be quiet to some but believe me, there is plenty here to keep anyone thoroughly engaged, enthralled and occupied! You might just have to put in a bit of effort to find it sometimes!

My most recent passion has become the pursuit of excellence in teaching scuba divers. For me it has been a wonderful experience in bringing the brand new uninitiated into a world I have had many privileged years to be part of. Such a stark contrast from my previous life in the world of electronics, technology and computing.

That all being said I am still a technologist at heart and keep my ears to the ground and my eyes out for the latest, the greatest and most fun new things to play with. Today's new ideas may seem like fun and folly for the early adopters but history has shown that the future depends on us. If it were not for our insatiable appetite for ever new and more complex things to fill our lives with then I'm sure we would all still be living in caves and wondering "is this all there is!!".

... Robert

How do you describe the moon rising above the mangrove swamps of Garden Island behind the silhouette of the Torrens Island transmission towers?

A ‘3M’ moment perhaps!

Or perhaps just the three things I captured in the frame.

#Moon #pylon #mangroves #silhouette #evening #moonrise #fullmoon

I recently spotted a marketing slogan for Adelaide that went something like ‘where the sun sets on the sea’. Funny how I never think of it any other way.

I find it oddly disturbing anywhere else to experience an ocean sunrise or worse, a sunset that can't quite make up it’s mine who’s side it’s on.

The evening golden hour and Grange Jetty, with its sun setting on the sea, feels the way it should be.

#Sunset #goldenhour #grange #jetty #grangejetty #silhouette #winter #seascape #ocean #southaustralia #aerial #drone

It might 12 degrees in the water but winter diving in South Australia is worth a little chilly inconvenience.

Today we headed out to the wreck of ‘The South Australian’, a.k.a ‘The Dredge’ and pretty much had the wreck all to ourselves.

Visibility was very good at 10 meters, as it often is in winter, giving a great sense of presence in seeing so much of the wreck at once.

My mission for this dive was to pay attention to the sessile marine life attached all over the decaying structure. My overwhelming experience was colour, colour, colour! So much beautiful marine life to take in that’s not even swimming!

One of the many highlights was this spectacular Western Longspined Sea Urchin on top of the deck on our way back to commence our ascent. It amazing how a little critter like this can completely take you mind of the cold. At least for a few moments!

#seaurchin #thedredge #thesouthaustralian #scuba #diving #sessile #critters #centrostephanustenuispinus

At least once in the meanderings of experimental imaging, a photographer will stand or even lay in the middle of a train line to experience one of the most cliched forms of visual perspective, vanishing tracks.

The more adventurous might even have waited for an oncoming train to provide both context and action. The sensible ones will have used a tripod and a radio controlled shutter release just to be on the safe side.

I’ve visualised this shot for nearly 8 years from when construction of the Onkaparinga Valley Bridge construction commenced. As cliched as it is, I never thought it would ever be realised.

#Viaduct #onkaparinga #river #bridge #trains #tracks #railway #perspective #vanishing #electric #aerial #drone

Tidal creek mangroves cast elongated shadows across the low salty marsh of Garden Island in the last light of the day.

These salty rivulets, now full during one of the highest tides of the season, will in a short time begin draining back out to sea.

#aerial #goldenhour #landscape #mangroves #marshes #nature #pristine #salt-marsh #southaustralia #torrens #torrensisland

It’s cold in the water down down here but there is no shortage of colour on the hull of the Seawolf and every reason to keep on diving through the South Australian winter.

One thing the cold does is to keep our dives quite short. Not long after reaching the sand and beginning the swim around the hull I’m already starting to check my time. Not checking my time in case I’ve been down too long but hoping I’ve been down longer than I think.

The cold aside. Cold water is full of life and the colours on our wrecks and reefs are just amazing.

#ascidians #diving #portnoarlunga #scuba #seascape #Seawolf #shipwreck #sponges #wreck

I wonder the leagues of ocean she’s traversed.
I wonder the storms she’s braved.
I wonder the lives transformed through her employ and the goods she’s delivered.
I wonder the crews she’s kept safe at sea.
I wonder if she still sails in dreams.

#santiago #shipwreck #southaustralia #dolphinsanctuary #Gardenisland #highkey #wreck

There was a big tide this evening and I was eager to see just how much of Garden Island became submerged.

From my limited vantage it was really hard to tell. If I were to offer a guess I’d say two thirds of the swampy landmass was underwater.

Garden Island continues to intrigue, delight and inspire me. So beautiful and so wild a place so close to home is like a secret garden oblivious to its industrial boundary of shipping wharfs, power stations and shipyards.

So inviting was the view of this garden in flood that I’m inspired to paddle in here in a kayak and to experience this close up.

#Gardenisland #mangroves #sunset #goldenhour #landscape #outerharbour #southaustralia

The colours on the sunken hull of the Seawolf off of Port Noarlunga are are just stunning. But at 15-20 meters down without bringing your own light you might be disappointed in the almost monochrome blue green landscape.

In the light of my strobes or a super bright torch you’ll see reds, and purples, and oranges, and yellows. Like a colourful spring garden tended by an aquatic gardener.

#Seawolf #portnoarlunga #wreck #shipwreck #ascidians #sponges #seascape #scuba #diving

Is there such a thing as being lucky? I’ve heard from seasoned boaties that every now and then a sea turtle, normally a tropical creature, finds its way down to the southern coastline of Australia.

I’ve listened to these stories over all my diving years with a grain of salt and a handful of scepticism; content to imagine, maybe, but something I never expected to see.

Today, out on a local Adelaide waters dive site in about 20m of water, Andy and I rounded the stern of the wreck and there he or she was. In my 30 years of diving in South Australia, including hundreds of wreck dives, the last thing I ever expected to see was a hawksbill sea turtle.

Was this really our lucky day, year or decade? or just a happy coincidence of time, effort and persistence?

I feel so privileged to have seen a sea turtle while diving in South Australia – an experience I will never forget.

#hawksbill #turtle #seaturtle #rare #SouthAustralia #scuba #diving #underwater #photography #wreckdive #wreck

Here’s another biscuit star from Sunday’s dive at Rapid Bay.

This little guy was as obvious as a red giant in a dark sky. Its bright orange stood out from the edge of my vision only to become so much more vivid in the white light of my strobe.

Not much colour variation here, just and lots and lots of orange!

#Rapidbay #starfish #seastar #critters #biscuitstar #SouthAustralia #scuba #diving #underwater #photography

The number of and variety of seastars we saw at Rapid Bay on Sunday was just wonderful. The biscuit stars alone were both numerous and incredibly varied in their colours and patterns.

This little biscuit star perched atop an old pylon stump could not have found a better place to get its portrait taken while munching on lunch.

#Rapidbay #starfish #seastar #critters #biscuitstar #SouthAustralia #scuba #diving #underwater #photography

After a week of cold, overcast skies and rain the sun finally came out and made our trip to Rapid Bay Jetty to dive with Jess and Andy all the more delightful.

The visibility was pretty good in that milky non-committal way that we all know and love about Rapid Bay. Here rough weather will leave gypsum particulates suspended for days making the visibility look tantalisingly good from the shore only to discover the real state once in the water.

Still, four meters of visibility is not bad and was plenty good enough to enjoy the dive and all the amazing fish and critters we encountered.

I’d captured a few shots of ‘Shaw’s Cowfish’ before Jess unexpectedly rounded the pylon so, photo bombed or not, I decided to go with this one.

#Rapidbay #jetty #shawscowfish #fish #critters #cowfish #SouthAustralia #scuba #diving #underwater #photography #Aracanaaurita #paintedboxfish

Her life was so short, not even ten years since her timber hull and six proud masts came together in the shipyards of Portland, Oregon, USA.

She never fell victim to tide nor reef nor storm and in 1929 dutifully delivered her last cargo of oregon pine to South Australia.

She had fallen victim to the great depression. The owners had ran out of money and her captain and crew were forced to abandon this once proud 80 meter schooner in the docks of Port Adelaide.

Eventually the US consul repatriated the crew and the Dorothy H. Sterling was towed away to rot in the ship’s graveyard of Garden Island.

#SouthAustralia #shipsgraveyard #gardenisland #DorothyHSterling #shipwreck #aerial #drone

While my dive buddy was busy wrestling her GoPro back from an eleven armed seastar this little guy was swimming around her content it was hiding in plain sight. It was being as cute as it was being ridiculous.

On a typical southern coastline dive you will often come across a pygmy leatherjacket hiding next to a stalk of kelp or algae. For while it will sit there looking nervous but pretty soon it will slowly edge its way around to the other side.

In its quest to remain hidden the pygmy leatherjacket will just keep on circling its stalk of kelp, or some conveniently distracted dive buddy.

#SouthernPygmyLeatherjacket #PygmyLeatherjacket #Leatherjacket #fish #scuba #diving #critters #southaustralia #portnoarlunga #night #underwater #photography

Just off of Grange beach is a big cage protecting the tidal outflow from West Lakes. It’s also the evening’s roost for a gathering of Australian pied cormorants.

I’ve wanted to capture them here in their little sanctuary for quite a while now. Finally the sea and the sunset were on my side.

#Cormorant #piedcormorant #seabirds #birds #waterfowl #shags #Sunset #goldenhour #sea #ocean #grange #aerial #drone #twilight

I love the light over water during civil twilight. That time of day just after the sun dips below the horizon when its still bright outside and the stars are yet make their appearance.

It’s a time when you can put anything between yourself and the horizon and its silhouette will look stunning;

… even an alien seagull.

#Sunset #goldenhour #sea #ocean #grange #dji #mavic #photography #aerial #drone #twilight

Nineteen years ago today I met this amazing Irish woman who turning my life upside down, inside out and helped me to rescue that creative, playful, curious child inside that I thought I’d left behind long ago.

Nighteen years later, here we are celebrating with a day of singing, rollerskating, messing about in boats on a twilight ocean and loving being alive. Thank you Jennifer for your love, your humanity, and for bringing playfulness and being child like back into my life. You are one very special woman!

#Ocean #grange #anniversary #love #friendship #photography #aerial #drone #sunset #goldenhour #sea #boating #twilight

The last time I dived at Port Noarlunga the entry steps down to the water at the end of the jetty were broken and boarded off from access. Last night was a great treat as I got to try out the brand new dual lane super steps. What a treat!

Visibility however was not fantastic, perhaps 2-3m at best making it very easy to get lost. Not many fish either last night but lots of small critter action to make up for both.

One awesome critter we found was this super cute Southern Dumpling Squid, Euprymna tasmanicas. Actually we found quite a few of these in the sand south of the jetty and they always make be grin.

We spent just over 70 minutes which was more than enough in the chilly 13 degrees water. We exited via the short ladder and platform near the start of the jetty and I was once again reminded why climbing ladders and carry camera gear while half frozen never makes for classy end to a dive.

Despite the cold it’s nice being back in the water again.

#Ocean #portnoarlunga #jetty #southaustralia #squid #macro #scuba #diving #underwater #photography #underwaterphotography #SouthernDumplingSquid #Euprymnatasmanicas #critters #animals

Port Noarlunga’ Jetty is one of Adelaide’s most popular close at hand shore dive sites. I’ve been here so many times on so many dives and seen so many amazing things but never this!!!

All being well I’ll soon be underwater here again too. Hopefully under a cold clear starlit night sky and calms seas, … or not.

#Ocean #whitewater #surf #portnoarlunga #jetty #aerial #drone #blackandwhite #b&w #monochrome #southaustralia

’ve experienced this washing machine from both above and below many times. The only advice I can offer is that if you are going to dive in this, go for the top-loader over front-loader every time.

#Ocean #whitewater #surf #portnoarlunga #abstract

Who’s perspective is correct I wonder? To me I am underwater. I am in that strange place most look down on from an airy world. Would the whale perceive itself as overair?

The more I think about more I am sure the whale cares not while it’s in the water the same as we never think about being in the air.

#Tonga #humpback #whales #cetaceans #snorkelling #underwater #ocean #photography

A few minutes earlier a number of fishers were chancing their luck out here on Brighton Jetty however getting wet was not a chance they were prepared to make and shortly hightailed their way back to more substantial cover.

One solitary stalwart fisher persists despite the oncoming deluge.

A few seconds later we took for cover too as it came in lashing in while the fisher remained content to keep on fishing.

#Brightonjetty #southaustralia #jetty #boardwalk #rain #twilight #sea #ocean #fishing #solitary #aerial #drone

You could easily miss out on this beautiful mural adorning the grain silo’s of Kimba if you were just passing through. The main highway from east to west passes a view of nondescript plain white.

Melbourne artist Cam Scale used 200 litres of paint to cover this unusual canvas with a vision representing the region. It is now one of South Australia’s most photographed silos.

Silo art has become wonderful part of Australia’s rural landscape since the first grain silos were painted back in 2015 in Western Australia. Since then over thirty more silos across Australia have become canvas’s for artists who like working on grand scales for rural communities with vision.

#Kimba #southaustralia #mural #silos #siloart #art #graffiti #rural #camscale #artist