Category: Innovation

Martini Dry – Abu Dhabi 

On By cjx07sterIn Control, Innovation, news, TravelLeave a comment

people turn up for brunch by the beach around the courtyard fountain – not all at once – but gradually the place is shiny with tourists and locals – who must realise this might be the better brunch in town today. 

Today is a Friday – a holy day in the Muslim week – which we all probably do our best to hold too. Malls are open. Ferrari world is open. The blue mosque too. But people in the courtyard have maybe seen it all before.

I haven’t yet I’m tired from the tumultuous week at ADIPEC and maybe jet lag too quietly dulling out the brainwaves in the sunny afternoon.

So many people at that show. Cars people security parking badges delegate or exhibitor or visitor. Still with 100,000 people expected over the last 4 days, it had been all rather well organised. 

The paper, too techies for some maybe had to be written. Presented in minimalist form in a 20 minute slot. Of course there is a whole calendar of work starting May with the abstract last chance. How easy to write an abstract with keywords, but work and bits trashed searching through the argument and all the while looking for how to explain in only 6k words or less. 

Anyway that’s just the beginning. There will no doubt be a return visit next year with another idea extending the thoughts of others with another new insight.

But not today – too hard – too bright and the population too shiny under the Abu Dhabi sun reflections of the shiny buildings in the courtyard pool beside.

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The hairy Egg of an Idea

On By cjx07sterIn Art, Engineering, Innovation, PoetryLeave a comment

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Sometimes there comes a point when you hold it in your hand

an egg of an idea fit to fit in the can,

its all a bit rough though, still a bit hairy

so to make it work, you tie it with string and present it carefully…

…it would have been interesting of course,

had the lecture been more terse

reading my phone  quietly while the powerpoint rang loudly

you missed the essential piece of technical slang

never mind the acronyms, the instant NEW.

you pulled too hard on the string

so they’ll be gone by tomorrow, gone by tomorrow…

when the strangled egg turns blue.

Bull Ants at Bay

On By cjx07sterIn Australia, Innovation, Travel6 Comments
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Rotary Kitchen Canister Cabinet – c. 1912

 

It rotates, this thing.  It’s got drawers like something out of a Dali painting, but it rotates as well.  The drawers of course should be full of foodstuff like sugar, flour, and other commodities. The drawers are made of hot dipped zinc steel and the whole thing is very chic and perfect for the new gourmet kitchen without cupboards.  This is an imported Rotary Kitchen Canister Cabinet.  The interesting bit is the stand which has a circular cup around the axle.  This circular cup, you fill with water.  It keeps the bull ants at bay and out of the sugar.  The kitchen ant proof cabinet was made by an American company and this obviously a perfect import for the Australian bush.  If you are desperate to see one and muck around with the drawers looking for bull ants, you can find this one in the Berrima museum, NSW == not far south of Sydney.

https://open.abc.net.au/explore/60297

Excuse me Sir – You have to Imagine it

On By cjx07sterIn Art, Engineering, Innovation, TravelLeave a comment

On entering the room, there it was, a submarine so it seemed, all big round and rusty as I recall, and really filling the space, standing tall close to the ceiling, and wall to wall, almost corner to corner.  It looked more like a massive piece of war junk, a bomb perhaps, long not exploded after being left behind.  A modern day artist had found it and installed it in this rather white room of the art gallery.  How long had it been there ? How did they get it in ? Not sure – it looked familiar, yet impossible to really comprehend as something of any use whatsoever. How heavy was it ? It kind of looked solid, but I should have been too heavy if it was solid all the way though maybe.

The room seemed too small for the object and you could not the whole thing from where I stood near the entry. I started over to the left side, and tried to crab my way down the side wall – trying to see behind the thing, to see if there was a nameplate or something.

“Excuse me Sir”, came the command of the supervisor.

-mm.. but there was no line on the floor indicating the viewing limits — I thought..

I tried a bit further in, just a peek behind it is all I wanted..

“Excuse me Sir” !!

I backed out, oh well – I would just have to imagine it, since I could not see behind it.

How will the egg remember it’s me

(who backed out with care in the gallery)

when it has to remember

a rusty old chicken

It’s laid there to be

Later I ventured into another small room, an alcove hidden from view and the only thing in it was a square hole in the wall. The hole in the wall was pitch dark.  I poked my head in. There was nothing in there.  Gradually my eyes became accustomed to the dark inside the hole in the wall.  I still could not see much. I closed my useless eyes.

It smelled rusty !

“Excuse me sir !” I yelled into the void.  A dark metallic echo came back !

Now I remember what I imagined.

A short recollection – written in response to a experiencing the sculpture MEMORY of  Anish Kapoor.