suBPersonic Blog

Netball grand final

2011-12-05T22:14:00.001+11:00

I didn't make it to finals with my volleyball team this year, but for the last few weeks I've tried to help out with Lisa's netball team. Until a few years ago I didn't even know netball existed, and until a few months ago I had no idea how to play it, but I'm slowly getting into it. We've got a great team and it's quite a pleasant game (not as much fun as volleyball though ;)
We made it into the grand final and we fought hard. We played not just 1, not just 2, but 3 overtimes. Unfortunately we lost. At least we received little trophy, and it gives us room to improve for the next season.

Graduation

2011-08-26T16:44:00.002+10:00

graduation 2,
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

It was a very special day thanks to my family, friends, and colleagues, who joined the ceremony and (Austrian) dinner afterwards. Thank you for all the messages from back home in Europe, and a big THANKS to Lisa, who organised everything in between moving to a new place and playing tour guide.

In case you are wondering what my thesis is all about (or if you want to look at photos of bodybuilders, or just to check whether I did not forget you in my acknowledgements)—you can download the whole thing on http://repository.unimelb.edu.au/10187/9798

Moving from Brunswick East to South Yarra

2011-08-22T11:25:00.003+10:00

Moving from Brunswick East to South Yarra 2/2,
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

With the great support of of friends, volleyball team-mates, and Lisa's family, we moved to a lovely apartment in the heart of South Yarra.

These two suburbs couldn't be any more different—a post-industrial, cheap, multicultural, student, elderly, hipster, graffiti, .... place (Brunswick) vs. a ueber-posh suburb of private schools, SUVs, Mercedes, Ferraris, endless shopping opportunities and bars for young business people (South Yarra), at least that's my first impression.

It may take me a while to get used to the new environment, but at least the coffee seems good so far. We are well connected to public transport, and the apartment is spacious and bright. Despite the mess, Lisa and I feel very homely already.

My first roll of film developed at home

2011-07-10T14:47:00.004+10:00

impression from the garage,
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

I love photos produced on film. So far I've invested in old cameras and film, but I always got my pictures developed by a professional lab.
Yesterday I finally took the time to develop film at home. I spent quite a few hours taking pictures, preparing myself, and going through all the steps of developing in my kitchen. I think I developed them for too long or I agitated the film too much because the images are rather high in contrast. I also messed up the last step a bit and put the wetting agent in too early, but that didn't seem to have any effect.
I was pretty excited this morning when I got up and looked at the dry film :)
Big thanks to Ross Holmberg for his detailed instructions.

new job

2011-05-14T10:04:00.002+10:00

4.52,
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

Since April 2011 I am a Research Fellow with the Department of Information Systems at the University of Melbourne. For the next 2.5 years I will work with the Cancer Council to explore the potentials of social network sites to help people give up smoking. Wish me good luck!

Short trip to the red centre

2011-03-21T17:00:00.005+11:00

Uluru,
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

I spent a week in Australia's red centre, which was surprisingly green due to ongoing rainfalls. Especially Alice Springs felt more like a town in a tropical area than in the middle of a desert. Luckily, the rain cleared, and I enjoyed Uluru, Kata Tjuta, and Kings Canyon in sunny conditions. Camping was also much more fun in dry conditions. I had a remarkable view of the milky way out my swag.
Besides following the typical tourist paths, it was interesting to catch a glimpse of the rich culture of Indigenous Australians, but also of their current struggles.

the balloon

2011-02-18T13:03:00.001+11:00

the balloon,
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

After almost 4 years I submitted my thesis. It is now under examination and I expect to hear back from the examiners in June or July this year. Most likely I will have to carry out changes on the thesis, but the main part of the work is done (I hope, fingers crossed), and I feel very relieved right now.

The balloon is a Melbourne University tradition. It's a what you get in return when you submit 3 bound copies of your thesis. Some say, it's a symbol of relief due to the loss of a burden. Maybe it stands for the elevation into the ranks of an academic. Or it could just be a symbol for all the hot air produced over 4 years and printed on hundreds of pages :)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T17:05:00.002+11:00

Weekend in Sydney and Kiama

2010-11-09T23:38:00.001+11:00

Sydney Opera House (triple exposure),
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

Lisa and I spent the last weekend of October in Sydney to catch up with old friends from Austria, and we went to the picturesque town of Kiama to celebrate the wedding of a friend and volleyball team mate. I will post more photos as soon as I find time to scan them.

Photos from a short trip to England & Austria

2010-07-08T18:45:00.004+10:00

British Museum,
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

Due to work/studies, I spent 2 weeks in England in June 2010. It all happened on a short-term notice and was quite stressful, but interesting and insightful nevertheless. And as a further plus I had a few days of holidays in Austria at the end.

My Yashica FX-D was my constant companion throughout the trip, but it took me a while to get the film rolls developed and scanned. I'm happy to report now that the images from England are on Flickr, and that the images from Austria will follow soonish.

Aotearoa / New Zealand

2010-02-28T16:12:00.003+11:00

Kaiteriteri,
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

Lisa and I spent 10 gorgeous days on New Zealand's South Island (Aotearoa is the indigenous Māori language name for New Zealand).
We spotted whales, swam with dolphins, went sea kayaking, walked on a glacier, ... , and Lisa even undertook a bungy jump. I think this is one of the most beautiful countries I've ever seen. Hopefully, some of the photos on Flickr manage to convey that impression.

A new favourite sport

2010-01-17T18:10:00.002+11:00

Pakistan vs Australia 1st Test Melbourne 2009,
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

I'm getting more and more into cricket. Before I came to Melbourne I was barely aware of this sport's existence. Then I honestly thought that there could be nothing more boring than watching a game that runs over 5 days. But thanks to my previous housemate Eric, who introduced me to the game, and thanks to Lisa, who took me to the cricket at the MCG during the Christmas break, I'm getting more and more into it. Lisa patiently taught me all the basics: I know what a wicket is, or a duck, or the silly point.

It's a great game to watch, it's always exciting with each new ball, and it is interesting how the game unfolds over the 5 days. I love watching it.

Wineglass Bay & other nice places in Tasmania

2009-12-17T20:34:00.002+11:00

Wineglass Bay,
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

Lisa and I spent a prolonged weekend in Tasmania to visit Hobart, Cradle Mountain National Park and the famous beach on Wineglass Bay. The photo shows that the weather wasn't always at its best, but we had a lovely time down there, and I hope we will revisit Tasmania soon having better weather.

I still need to finish a roll of film and get it developed, but I posted some photos on Flickr.

Conference photography

2009-11-27T17:54:00.002+11:00

OZCHI 2009 student volunteers,
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

This week was all about OZCHI, the Australian conference on Computer-Human Interaction. I had several roles in the conference, one of them being the event photographer. Have a look at the set of photos on Flickr if you are interested in what's going on during and around such an academic event.

End of the volleyball season

2009-09-14T17:13:00.005+10:00

volleyball,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Last weekend marked the end of the indoor volleyball season. This year I've been playing with the Division 2 team of the Melbourne University Renegades. We dominated this division at the beginning, but lost all our games at the end of the season because half of the team was on holidays. So we landed in fourth position, which was slightly disappointing given the players we had.

After my team was out, I had the opportunity to play the semi-finals and finals with the Division 1 team. Unfortunately, we lost the final against Monash University in 5 sets. Nevertheless, it was fun to play with this team, especially in front of the large crowd in the final.
More images of the finals are on http://www.renegades.com.au/

2.33

2009-08-18T16:10:00.003+10:00

13/08/09 at 12:35 PM,
originally uploaded by 2.33.

Shawn and I have started taking photos from our office (2.33) to make use of our amazing view of the city and to experiment with our camera. For each day of the week we post a photo on http://flickriver.com/photos/41420945@N03/

Whale watching

2009-08-13T10:19:00.002+10:00

watching,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Last weekend, Lisa and I drove to Warrnambool to watch whales. The bay in Warrnambool attracts Southern Right Whales, in particular whale mothers who raise their young (while the father hangs out somewhere in the ocean). For me this was the first time I had the chance to see such gigantic and fascinating animals. It was amazing just to see their fins, to watch them play with their tails or even seeing them jump out of the water.

Trying to take good photos

2009-07-19T16:29:00.002+10:00

the risks of cycling,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I bought a new camera recently and try to develop my photographic skills, basically from scratch. Until now I generally took photos of interesting objects and landscapes during holidays or snapshots of friends using automatic setting. Now I'm trying to take photos of seemingly mundane things like a cyclist on the street. Trying to create an appealing photo teaches me the difficulty and complexity involved in photography once you go beyond automatic settings. The more photos I take, the closer I look at other people's photos, the more I learn to appreciate the skills and hard work involved in creating a good photo. I'll keep trying and will continue to post my photos on Flickr, and I'd appreciate any thoughts you may have.

Video & photography

2009-06-03T09:09:00.003+10:00

video crew,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I'm attending an introductory course on documentary video production at RMIT together with Shawn and Emy in order to work on my filming skills (actually, in order to develop those skills from scratch :) It's been an interesting experience to see how much work it is and how difficult it is to produce something that looks good and is interesting. The photo was taken at the end of a film shoot at the farmer's market and shows our group.

The next thing will be that I want to get more into photography, which will be the context of my final study for my PhD. I'm planning to get a new camera (my old one broke) - the question is Canon Powershot G10 or Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3? Hopefully I'll have more recent updates to present on here then.

Volleyball again

2009-05-03T13:11:00.002+10:00

Lloy Ball,
originally uploaded by nataliebehring.com.

I'm back in action on the volleyball court with the Melbourne Renegades. I've already played in the second and first team over the last 2 years. Now I'm in the third team, because I want to focus more on my studies and I can't commit to the amount of training required for the first two teams. It's fun though to play in the third team, which is led by my house mate Jared. All players know how to play and put a lot of effort into their game; we've got a good team spirit, and we easily won all games so far.

PS: the photo is obviously neither me setting nor my photo, because my camera is broken. But I'm planning to get a new one soon and I hope to deliver more photo impressions from the court, from uni, and my life in Melbourne soon.

Congratulations to a colleague and very close friend

2009-04-25T10:53:00.003+10:00

with Shawn and Bernd,
originally uploaded by leongtuckwah.

Tuck submitted his PhD thesis last Monday and received his balloon at the School of Graduate Studies (If you see someone with such a balloon on campus, you can assume this person has just handed in his or her thesis - or it's open day at Melbourne Uni ;) His supervisors, Shawn and I were fortunate to be with him at this big moment.

Tuck has worked extremely hard over the last few years and created a more than outstanding piece of research. His supervisors highly praise his work and I'm sure it will be the thesis against which all other theses in the near future will be compared with (including mine :-O ) Tuck has also managed to get a post-doc position at an outstanding university in Europe, and that during times where funding and jobs are generally short.
He will leave us soon and Shawn and I will miss the conversations with him over a cup of coffee about research, life and everything else.

All the best Tuck!! ... and time for me to get some work done ;)

From Sheffield to Salzburg to Auersbach and back to Melbourne

2009-04-25T10:27:00.003+10:00

Eureka Tower,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I travelled quite a bit over the last few weeks: First I left Sheffield after 3 great months and said "see you" to Nicola, Silvia, Coilin, Grace, Andy and Peter.
Wolfgang picked me up at the airport in Salzburg and I had a few fantastic days with him Laura, Sophie. It was great to catch up with Elisabeth, Regina, Michi, Carina, Geraldine, Berni, Christoph & Sigrun.
On the way to Auersbach I stopped in Graz to hang out with Lena on the Mur beach.
I spent my last week in Austria then in Auersbach with my family, relatives and friends Mario, Arnold, Christoph (playing volleyball felt sooooo good :), Lorenz, Jürgen & Phil. Time was way too short, and it wasn't fun to say "goodbye" again.
After more than 28 hours on planes and at airports I arrived in Melbourne where I was happy to see Lisa again. All the travels were fantastic, but I'm more than happy to settle down for a bit and to change trains and planes with my bicycle.

A weekend in Wales

2009-02-23T09:07:00.002+11:00

Juergen, Jenny, Johanna & I,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I spent the last few weekends mostly working (or at least I tried to) so that I would have some time for Juergen, Jenny & Johanna. They came to the Island for holidays and we caught up in the North of Wales for the weekend.

I was planning to take the train to Aberystwyth early in the morning on Friday, but I took the wrong train and ended up in York. Eventually at 6pm (and 4 hours later than intended) I arrived at the coast in Wales and met JJJ.

The following day, we hung out on Llyn Peninsula. Unfortunately, my digital camera stopped working, so I don't (yet) have many pictures to show. Any who, we saw lots of beaches, sheep, hills & the highest peak in the UK (or at least we saw the clouds surrounding it), the hometown of the British pop star "Duffy" (who won 3 Brit Pop Awards a few days before), cliffs, and more sheep.

We continued our trip with some pretty impressive castles (Caernarfon, Beaumaris and Conwy), and a short visit to the place with the longest name in the UK, called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, which is Welsh for "St Mary's Church in the hollow of the White Hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St Tysilio near the Red Cave. We saw neither church nor cave, but the sign at the train station was pretty loooooong.

It was good to see the sea again, get some sun, have lots of food (especially the huge breakfasts with everything from black pudding to baked beans), and to hang out with old friends and have fun (and to eventually get the RIGHT train back ;)

Visit to York and Life in Sheffield

2009-01-21T08:56:00.002+11:00

York Minster,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Lisa visited me in Sheffield over the last few days. We spent most of the time in Sheffield, which is lovely to live. However, for her last sightseeing trip in Europe we had to go to York, which is only 1 hour away by train. York is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the primate of England (whereas the Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ALL England :) The church is incredible and also the rest of the city centre is very charming and resembles the atmosphere of the Middle Ages (though in a much more touristic way :) We ended this trip in a traditional pub where we tasted ales with Peter Wright and his wife.

Some notes about Sheffield:

We walked across the town over the last few days and discovered some beautiful patches.
It's got one of the best independent cinemas I've ever been to (I wish I had time and money to go there every day).
I also found good coffee, though for the most time it's safer to order tea.
And I watched a great game of football - Sheffield United beat Norwich 1-0.
Finally, I've become physically active myself and participated in circuit trainings in the gym - omg, my muscles are sore :) I hope it will help me playing volleyball again.

Arrival in Sheffield, UK

2009-01-10T10:03:00.002+11:00

Why 2 separate water taps?,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

From Jan to April 2009 I am a visiting student at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK. I will use these 3 months to to get to know other people with related research interests and to make some progress in my thesis.

My impressions after 2 days are predominantly positive. Sheffield seems to be a nice town, although it's actually quite big. My uni is close to where I live, directly in the city centre. My host and my colleagues here have been very supportive and I think that I will have a good and hopefully productive time here.

Two things that I can't understand however are: Why is it impossible to get good coffee here? (tea is nice, but it can't replace coffee) And why do old and new basins have two separate water taps? In this way you can chose between burning your hand or freezing, hmmm...

Christmas / New Year in Austria

2009-01-10T09:46:00.002+11:00

Lisa's first snowman,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Lisa and I had a wonderful (though chilly) time in Austria over Christmas and New Year. During this trip I was reminded of several things:
1) How beautiful Austria is with all the historical places, the wonderful nature and pittoresque landscapes that the weather at various seasons paints.

2) How good Austrian food tastes, the bread, the meat, the pastry, I really missed it :)

3) How dreadful smoking is, especially in Restaurants and coffee bars. I can't see any reason why it is still allowed and accepted.

4) Finally, how valuable my family and my friends in Austria are to me. Thanks to you all, and especially to Mum & Fritz, Dad & Heidi, Anita, Doris,Arnold, Mario, Lorenz & Silvia, Wolfgang & Laura, Celina, Frankie and all the Spartakaners, Lena and Juergen, for such a wonderful time. It's great to know that it is possible to keep up the friendship despite the geographic distance.

PS: I put lots of photos on Flickr

More travel stuff - this time to Austria over Christmas!!!

2008-11-14T06:17:00.002+11:00

Panda bears,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I'm still in San Diego for my studies. My only sightseeing activities have been Sea World and the famous zoo, as you can see on the photo.

I wanted to announce that I will be in Austria over Christmas. I will arrive on the 22nd of December and leave probably on 6 January. That's just a short period of time, but I'm looking forward to seeing you all in Auersbach, Feldbach, Graz, Salzburg, ...?
I will then have the great opportunity to spend 3 months in the UK as a visiting student in Sheffield. That's really close from Austria as compared to Melbourne. It would be great if anyone wants to visit me in Sheffield and / or travel with me in the UK.

Trip across California - the academic part

2008-11-10T14:28:00.002+11:00

view from the hotel room in san diego,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

The second part of my trip across California is all about academic stuff. I had the honour to be a guest at UC Irvine last week. In that week I was worked in the Lab for Ubiquitous Computing and Interaction, gave a presentation there, and met great and very supportive people working on similar research.

This week I am at a conference for computer-supported cooperative work, one of the top conferences in my area of research. Yesterday, I took part in a workshop for doctoral students, and Tuesday will be my first talk at such a big conference - please keep your fingers crossed for me. The photo shows the view from my hotel room - the environment is just gorgeous. I went to the zoo today, but now I'm working on my slides again, although I know that I will never feel perfectly prepared.

Travel & Work in Cali

2008-10-24T09:00:00.003+11:00

my temporary workspace in the hostel,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I'm travelling across California to conduct interviews for my PhD studies. That requires that I carry a lot of equipment with me all the time and that I'm permanently looking for quiet places to work. In San Francisco I visited the Main Library and shared my desk with a lot of homeless people. I arrived in Los Angeles yesterday, and luckily the hostel has its own library, which makes it a bit easier for me.

Although I had thought I wouldn't enjoy travelling that much because I'm mainly here for my studies, it's still quite exciting to visit new places every few days. Despite my preconceptions I've enjoyed LA so far, especially since I survived my first trip on the highways here. To be fair, I've got to give kudos to my "friend" the navigation system, that has led me safely to all places so far.

PS: A big THANKS to all who support my trip here - the people who spend time to talk with me for the interviews, Kris for showing me around in San Fran, my host at UC Irvine, the CSCW doctoral colloquium organisers, and the University of Melbourne, especially the Department of Information Systems, as well as my parents for support with the travel funding.

Trip across California

2008-10-17T03:39:00.002+11:00

Golden Gate Bridge,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I'm travelling through California for a few weeks to conduct interviews for my PhD research in San Francisco and Los Angeles. I will then spend a week in OC (Orange County) as a guest at the University of California, Irvine before I go to San Diego for a conference. This will be my first presentation at a major conference - keep your fingers crossed for me.
Along the way I've got of course to do some sightseeing, like yesterday's walk through San Francisco to stay awake after the long flight. Now I'm off to the library to do some work.

We won again...

2008-10-04T11:40:00.001+10:00

The Tiger,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

... at least the bronze medal. This time it was the Australian University Games volleyball competition, which took place in Melbourne this year. I took a week off uni to play volleyball with (from left to right) O'Keefe, McKenzie, Jimmie, (myself), Luke, Gerard, Dan, Joe and Reece won the bronze medal game in a close and 5-set game - what an improvement compared to being 2nd last the year before ;-)

We won...

2008-09-13T19:11:00.001+10:00

Melbourne University Renegades, Men's Honour's Team,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

... the finals of the Victorian championships in the men's honours division!!!!!

Back in volleyball action

2008-08-02T12:24:00.003+10:00

back in action,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

My ankle injury prevented me from playing volleyball for almost 2 months, but now I'm slowly making my way back. Last Saturday I played in a game again, well, I tried to :) I didn't jump very high, I wasn't fast, but it was a good start with a few points by me (although most of them were serves :) We won the game in 3 sets and my team (Melbourne Renegades) is on top of the ladder. Please keep your fingers crossed that we win the title this year!

Back from holidays

2008-07-18T23:59:00.001+10:00

sunshine :),
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

My danish friend Kasper and I spent a few wonderful days in the tropical area in North Queensland, Australia. We started off in Cairns and visited the Great Barrier Reef, headed up to the rainforest in Cape Tribulation and then spent a few days on a sailing cruise through the Whitsunday Islands. It was just gorgeous!

Houses & stuff in Melbourne

2008-06-22T12:46:00.001+10:00

Storey Hall at RMIT on Swanston St.,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I put some pictures of interesting houses and other buildings in Melbourne on flickr, like RMIT's futuresque Storey Hall on Swanston St. (picture on the right, with the Melbourne-typical tram in front).
The pictures stem from Geraldine's visit in Melbourne a few weeks ago. Having had an architect as a guest I discovered some facets of the city that I previously hadn't paid attention to.

Austrian culinary delights in Melbourne

2008-06-09T21:40:00.001+10:00

wiener schnitzel,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

This weekend I was again pleased to have a guest visiting me in Melbourne. Geri, who I know from Salzburg and who has meanwhile settled in Brisbane, came down to the South for a long weekend. Besides the obvious highlights in and around the city, we enjoyed a few encounters with Austrian "culture" in Melbourne:
After enjoying a delicous "gugelhupf" and a "creme schnitte" in a pastry shop in St. Kilda, we went to the Hofbräuhaus for dinner. I know it's German, well Bavarian, but I would argue that it is close to what you'd expect from an Austrian place. Not only did we enjoy Wiener Schnitzel, Kasnocken, Radler & Weissbier. We were also surprised by a glimpse of Alpine culture in the form of jodelling, schuhplattln, vogerltanz and a special performance of the Edelweiss song from the Sound of Music. I'd be the first to leave the venue if just one of these things would happen to me back in Austria, but here on the other side of the world I quite enjoyed the performances. All of which were a bit over the top but very enjoyable for us as well as the Aussie audience.
Similarly I enjoy watching Inspektor Rex here in down under, which is on the TV on Thu nights. I wasn't the slightest bit interested in that dog since I was a kid, but here in Australia it is something I do not only enjoy but also take pride of. Strange, how distance and a bit of nostalgia let you embrace the stereotypical "crap" presented in these instances. I love down under, but a glimpse of home from time to time is just great!

Baby in the Ploderer family

2008-05-04T10:49:00.001+10:00

Mum & son,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

This time the news are not from down under but from Austria: my sister Anita got a baby - Nicolas Stephan. Like everyone else in the family I'm very, very happy about this. I'd like to be with them to hold my nephew but at least I have some photos and skype.

Indoor volleyball is on again...

2008-04-13T13:28:00.002+10:00

... and we started with 2 wins into the new season! I'm playing with the men's Honours Team of the Melbourne University Renegades in the top volleyball league of the state Victoria. After the ups and downs last year I hope stay in the best team for this year and contribute to a good season. The start was promising, let's hope we/I can keep up the good shape.

FYI: the results are online on http://www.volleyballvictoria.com.au/vvl2008/results/

Camping during Easter

2008-03-31T22:44:00.002+11:00

Bushwalking around Lake Eildon,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Finally I uploaded a few pictures from the camping trip over Easter to my flickr account. Shawn, Emy, Tom, Juri ... took me to Lake Eildon, which is a few hours north of Melbourne. We did the obligatory bush walks (even one at night, though the bloody possums were hiding away ;-) We then spent 2 days at the Nagambie River, where we went canoing and kayaking to wineries. In summary 4 days with great people, wonderful weather, and surrounded by nature :)

Guest in Melbourne

2008-03-06T10:26:00.001+11:00

St. Kilda Pier,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

It's been a while since the last blog entry. I moved to a new place and had a lot of work to do for my studies, so not much to post in here.

This week, Frank, a friend from Salzburg, has been visiting me in Melbourne. It's always strange to see a friend from Austria here in down under, but at the same time it's great I can show him my new home and chat about old times. He went to volleyball training with me and yesterday I showed him a few places in the city. I put some snapshots on flickr and hope I can attract a few more of you to come and visit me.

Some impressions...

2008-01-27T17:50:00.001+11:00

budapest,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

from my holidays at home in Austria and in Hungary are on Flickr. It was cold, but it was great to come home after 10 months and to spend time with family and friends, and it felt like as if I had just left a week ago.

my new home

2008-01-27T13:26:00.001+11:00

my new home,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I moved to a new place in Brunswick East this weekend. It's is a little bit further away from uni and the city, but more affordable and definitely more sociable: Now I share a house with 2 volleyballers, Eric & Jared. The first evening (and also Australia Day) was celebrated with a BBQ! I like it here, and we've got space for visitors to stay if you come to down under :)

subpersonic xmas tour 2007 / 2008

2007-12-20T15:19:00.001+11:00

fake plastic tree,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

This is announcement of the official tour locations for the subpersonic Xmas tour through Austria & Hungary from 22 Dec 2007 to 14 Jan 2008: Auersbach, Feldbach, Budapest, Salzburg & Graz.

Hope to see you all soon & have a Merry Xmas!

Surf fever

2007-12-13T19:40:00.001+11:00

Surfing at Torquay with Romain et al.,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Looking forward to going home for Xmas, but before that I had to try surfing. Last Saturday a group of French, Germans, Austrians and locals went to Torquay and tried to learn surfing. Very challenging, but we had a great teacher. So I had a few stands already after a few hours (but still terrible technique and posture)
On Sunday we got up at 6am (can you believe that, me getting up at that time? voluntarily! ;-) The waves were small and clear, perfect for me to get a bit better.
Had a great weekend and still thinking of the waves. Definitely to be continued...

back from adelaide & kangaroo island

2007-12-06T23:45:00.001+11:00

I spent a fabulous week in Adelaide & Kangaroo Island. The video (sorry, 38 MB!) shows my first attempt to use a snowboard on sand in the sand dunes of Little Sahara on Kangaroo Island - have fun and leave a comment if you like it :)
I also posted some photos on photos.subpersonic.net
More details to follow face-to-face. Btw: I will be in Austria from the 21st Dec. to 14 Jan. I think, looking forward to going home & cu all again

Trip to the Grampians National Park

2007-11-13T14:39:00.001+11:00

panorama at the Jaws of Death,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Just a quick blog entry: I did a day trip to the Grampians National Park last Sunday. The weather was fantastic, and it felt good to get out of town, and to be surrounded by nature and mountains. (I put a few more pictures on flickr)

beachvolleyball rocks!

2007-10-29T19:42:00.001+11:00

panorama manly beach,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Spent a lot of time during the last weekends at diverse beaches in melbourne and found my love to beach volleyball again (maybe because my performance in indoor volleyball is really bad at the moment, maybe it is the sun and the fantastic weather, maybe it is the nice and welcoming people at the beach :)

Thanks for the gifts :)

2007-10-09T14:24:00.001+10:00

presents :),
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I've been waiting for a package from Salzburg with gifts from my friends and former colleagues at the Uni Salzburg and today it finally arrived!! Yipieh!!

Just had a short look here in the office and will enjoy and read everything in the evening. I just wanted to say thanks to all of you guys in Salzburg - I miss you (and sorry to Cel for nagging her about that package :)

Pumpkinseed-Oil Found!

2007-09-23T12:24:00.000+10:00

I grew up in Southeast Styria, an area that is famous for its pumpkinseed-oil (Kürbiskernöl). Every salad dressing is made with it and some people referred to the people there as (pumpkin)seed-styrians.
Fact is pumpkinseed oil is by far my preferred salad dressing, but I hadn't brought any to Australia (limited luggage and quarantine). Thus I've been looking for it for a long time. Last weekend in Sydney I went to an Austrian restaurant. I had my first schnitzel in a while (and it was fantastic), but they didn't have pumpkinseed oil either, which was slightly disappointing.
Anywho, this weekend I finally found oil on the Queen Victoria market. It came from southeast Styria, more precisely from Jagerberg, which is maybe 20kms away from where I used to live. It's a small world after all and I was very happy to find the oil here in Melbourne (even though the small bottle cost me 21 AUD). The shop sold all kinds of European food, however the goodbye from the shop owner was very Australian: "Have fun with the bloody oil!" :)

pics from sydney

2007-09-18T11:35:00.001+10:00

meeee,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Back in at uni in Melbourne and just put a few photos from Sydney online - unedited- but at least some quick impressions.

cheers

Sydney vs. Melbourne

2007-09-17T15:01:00.001+10:00

coffee in Sydney,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I've spent the last few days in Sydney and that's of course way too short to find out which city is actually the more livable one. Sydney is by far the more spectacular city for tourists. Probably also the weather is slightly better than in Melbourne (which is still a lot better than in Austria).
However, the quality of coffee - a critical criterion for any hard working student ;) - is still a big pro for Melbourne. Even though the coffee in front of me looks great, it just tastes boring like all the other coffees I had so far in Sydney. Sydney is without a doubt fantastic. But I guess there a few small things, which are not immediately visible to a visitor, that make Melbourne a fantastic place to live.

Celebration at the end of the volleyball season

2007-09-09T21:14:00.001+10:00

trophy,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Yesterday my club (Melbourne Renegades) celebrated the end of the Victorian state league season. We had a fancy dinner and a few selected players received awards, e.g. for the MVP (most valuable player - which I was not :) However I was very proud to receive the prize of the Most Improved Player (MIP) for the Men's Honours team. My coach obviously meant that I made the biggest improvement of all players in the team, which is a big honour for me. But since I started really badly in the first game, I had enough room to improve afterwards (and I think in the last game I played really good :)

I also received the "Golden Fist Award", which is a fun award for the player with the best celebration in a game. I'm usually a quiet guy, but in games I can get very emotional and jump around and yell :)

Procrastinating work

2007-08-26T19:32:00.001+10:00

taking lomos in the lake,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I put a few pictures from my trip to the Sunshine Coast on Flickr. It's just a few impressions from Fraser Island. More pictures will follow when I have more time but now I should get some work done :)

to play or not to play

2007-08-26T17:59:00.001+10:00

The season for the Victorian state league is over for my team. We had a terrific game yesterday, which we unfortunately lost in the 5th set (19-21). Maybe it was my best game ever, it was just fantastic.
Now a new team is being formed to play in the Australian league. This team will travel to Sydney and Canberra to play against other teams from all over Australia. I joined the training today and it was just great (the coach used to play in the Chinese national team, it's just unbelievable). Anywho, they are still looking for players who are committed to spend a lot of time and money to play and I have to reach a decision until tomorrow. Hmm, would be a wonderful challenge, just to train and travel, but time and money are biiiiggg issues, hmm....

thanks

2007-08-25T18:16:00.000+10:00

I had a great birthday yesterday. thanks for all the text messages, mails, gifts, calls... and the time you devoted to me (and sorry to those where I haven't had time to reply yet :)

new haircut

2007-08-23T16:03:00.001+10:00

new haircut,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

You know I'm vain and I'm a hairstyle fetishist (though I usually have conservative hairstyles). Anywho, I went to the hairdresser and thought something new might be appropriate and the result was this decent Mohawk - I like it :)

Back from Sunshine Coast

2007-08-22T09:46:00.000+10:00

My holidays are over and I (should) work for my studies now. It's tough to get back to work again and I would prefer to fly back again immediately, but that's life. I saw a lot of fantastic places, some of which came very close to my image of paradise.
A big thanks to the host family, it was amazing. It was a short, and very, very intense time.
I will put some photos online during the weekend to share some of the experiences with you.

on my way up to Queensland

2007-08-15T19:01:00.000+10:00

I'm about the leave the office and will fly up to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland tomorrow morning - my first holiday in Australia - yipieeehhh!

In the gym

2007-08-14T15:49:00.000+10:00

I've started gym training last week. It's related to my research but also out of personal interest to become better in volleyball (my goal is to jump higher than Mika, my 2.05cm tall colleague :). It's much more fun than I thought (thanks to my trainer Peter), but it's also far more difficult than I had assumed.
Anyway, my colleagues suggested that I should use myself as a case study and take a picture each day to track the progress. Not sure if that's a good idea :)

movie: forever never anywhere

2007-08-06T07:44:00.000+10:00

Does this movie title ring a bell? The original title of the film is "Für immer nie am Meer". It's an Austrian movie by two of my favourite comedians, namely Stermann & Grissemann. (the trailer is on youtube)

I almost couldn't believe it, but I found this film in the program of the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). The film was shown last Friday and the huge cinema was almost sold out. I didn't have high expectations, but I thought it could be nice to get some kind of experience from at home, listen to Austrian dialect, music and jokes. And the film didn't disappoint me. It felt almost like sitting in a comedy program by Stermann & Grissemann. I enjoyed it a lot and I think my two German-speaking colleagues who joined me might also had a good experience. But I'm not so sure if the subtitles in the film provided the same experience (I'm not even sure if it was the same for non-Austrians). Anyway, there must have been a few more Austrians in the audience, because a couple of people also laughed with me during the jokes that definitely only Austrians could get (or consider funny).

To sum up, I had a good Austrian experience here in Melbourne, and I think I can recommend the movie, at least to FM4 and/or Stermann & Grissemann fans.

Visitors to Melbourne

2007-08-02T18:13:00.001+10:00

Elisabeth, mum, & I on the Shrine of Remembrance,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

My mum and her friend Elisabeth spent the last week at my place and explored the city and its surroundings. In their few days they saw far more than I've seen so far (I'm still waiting to see my first kangaroo). We had a great time, but now I'm looking forward (to working and) my travels in Australia, which will bring me to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland (where I will meet (not only :) my mum again) and to Adelaide in the next half year. And of course I'm looking forward to welcoming friends from Austria in November (And I thought I would be far away and have time to study :)

Self promotion

2007-07-25T16:34:00.000+10:00

My first university (FH JOANNEUM Graz, Austria) features my PhD studies here in Australia in their current newsletter (in German only). It's still not easy to do continue with a PhD program after graduating from a FH (University of Applied Sciences). It took me such a long time until I could continue my studies in Salzburg and I'm glad that it finally worked out here in Melbourne. So I guess the FH is proud to announce that it is possible to do a PhD (or Masters) afterwards. Anyway, I just play the second role in the article, because obviously another guy from my degree program was faster than I and already finished his PhD. Anyway, that's not a race (and at least my photo looks better ;-)
I'm more than glad that I can conduct my studies here in Melbourne at such a great university, supported by two Australian scholarships. It's still so unbelievable to have this opportunity to be here :)

Brighton Beach

2007-07-22T21:17:00.001+10:00

just very relaxing,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Today I explored a new beach in Melbourne - Brighton Beach. Steffie Matzer came to Melbourne this weekend and besides all the good places I already knew I wanted to explore also new spots.
I know it's summertime in Austria and we here have the coldest winter since 19... But nevertheless a walk on the beach and chilling out in the sunshine since can be so fantastic (and bad for my poor skin - I have a slight sunburn :) You can find a few more winter impressions on my flickr website

PS: I have to admit the sun today might be a bit misleading, because we had really bad weather for the last few weeks :| (and sometimes I wish I could be in Austria and enjoy the fantastic weather on a beach volleyball field or on a lake, but not today :)

Aldi / Hofer everywhere

2007-07-22T20:27:00.001+10:00

Aldi / Hofer everywhere,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Many things are different here in down under: cars drive on the wrong side of the street, door locks close in the other direction, the sun stands in North at noon, we have winter now... but some things are the same here: The first time I saw an Aldi plastic bag in Melbourne I was really surprised, but thought that for whatever reason someone brought it along from Germany. However, I saw more and more of those plastic bags and finally I found the shop. It's unbelievable, you can buy all those cheap stuff here in Australia. It's not that I'm a big fan or want to advertise it, but it's an interesting facet of a globalised world.

guests in melbourne

2007-07-21T18:16:00.000+10:00

It's holiday time and this means guests for me in Melbourne. I had a wonderful weekend with a guest from Brisbane two weeks ago :) This weekend a friend from Austria, whom I haven't seen for years, is here in Melbourne. Finally next weekend my mum and her friend (the mum of one of my best friends) will come to Melbourne. That's fantastic, I enjoy it when I can present my new hometown to guests from all over the world, especially with people with whom I spent great times in Austria.

update #3

2007-07-01T22:53:00.000+10:00

I just finished my last major update again on my PhD Research website (at least I hope so) - thanks in advance for any constructive feedback :)

Website update #2

2007-06-29T21:23:00.000+10:00

As so often software systems grow or change like cities - largely unplanned. I started with some ideas on paper, but in the end I played a little bit with photoshop, dreamweaver and blogger and changed the website architecture & design.

The main reasons for the change were, (1) that I wanted to separate the private and research/studies area so that when someone googles me for my research (if that ever should happen :) he or she is not immediately forwarded to the private blog. (2) I wanted to get rid of the frameset and simplify maintenance and (3) I needed distraction from studying :)

It is still a beta version (I'm still looking for better pictures), but i hope you like it. However I would appreciate critical & constructive feedback, thanks!

Have a good weekend!

Website update

2007-06-26T18:31:00.000+10:00

I plan to update my website and I started with a first draft of my future research/studies website on http://web.dis.unimelb.edu.au/Pgrad/berndp/
It's just a quick draft and I have not yet startet with a real design (it's definitely not very accessible yet), but any constructive feedback for that draft is welcome.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon on Brunswick St

2007-06-24T16:00:00.001+10:00

Lazy Sunday Afternoon on Brunswick St,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

After 2 birthday parties and a volleyball game this weekend I enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon in a café on Brunswick St. The relaxed music reminds me of my favorite radio show FM4 sunny side up - and the cappuccino helps to cope with the slight headache. Have a good Sunday too!

no news today

2007-06-20T09:31:00.001+10:00

Klettermaxe,
originally uploaded by spartak washington.

I received "complaints" that I have no updates for this blog. The problem is, I really have no news at the moment. Thus I have to present something from the past: Has anyone ever seen the small guy on the picture?

The Dalai Lama in Melbourne

2007-06-10T21:03:00.001+10:00

The Dalai Lama in Australia #1,
originally uploaded by bigbuloke.

I went to a talk of the 14th Dalai Lama in Melbourne last Saturday. I have to admit I was a little bit disappointed at the beginning, because I couldnt' find anything new in his talk. Furthermore it was difficult to understand due to the bad acoustics in the footie oval.
However after some time I got into what he was saying and I started enjoying his talk. He talked about nothing new: deep compassion for the people around us and feeling responsible for the whole world. What I enjoyed was that he seems to represent what he talks and that he admits that he has not an answer to all the questions asked by the audience. Most of all I enjoyed his smile, which has the power to make thousands of people laugh, and which gives them hope and a good feeling.

BTW: the "glorious" ACDC Lane in Melbourne

2007-05-30T18:25:00.001+10:00

The "glorious" ACDC Lane in Melbourne,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I hope the picture can give you an impression of one of the "highlights" in Melbourne. Not glorious, but cool and a famous club at the end of the lane. I would guess ACDC had some gigs there, but I'm not sure on that. I don't like their music too muc, but nevertheless I kind of like the band. They are from somewhere in Australia, and they remind me of my metal friends in Austria :)

Patriotism for Au(s/t)

2007-05-28T09:50:00.000+10:00

Patriotism can be a dangerous thing, I know. But when I read an article in a volleyball magazine here in Australia, that says that the world's best beach volleyball tournament takes place in Klagenfurt, Austria, I felt a little bit proud. Same thing happened, when I saw a "Sound of Music" documentation on Australian TV recently. Not that I'm proud of the music nor the movie (I think I'm just one of in total less than 2% of Austrians who ever saw the movie), but I like the city of Salzburg and its surroundings, it's a great place.
Having said that, I must also emphasise that I begin to develop similar feelings to things here in Melbourne. Of course I'm more than happy to have a big kangaroo in my Austrian passport. Furthermore, I find it great that so many great sports events are taking place here in Melbourne. I also have begun to argue for Melbourne and against Sydney when I talk to friends who visit me here. Finally and a little bit scary, I find it cool that Melbourne has an AC/DC lane. Don't misinterpret me, I don't enjoy their music, but I find it cool that they are Australian and have a (though not very spectacular) road named after them. That's Victoria, Australia, "The place to be" :)

Graffiti Sightseeing

2007-05-23T17:36:00.001+10:00

Graffiti Sightseeing,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Last week I had a sightseeing tour of a different kind: First it was the first time that I tried to show someone the highlights of Melbourne. Furthermore we did not focus only on the traditional highlights but were also looking for places with Graffitis.
Had a great afternoon, evening, but since then I 've been busy with assignments. Thus I have not yet finished the next newsletter, but I promise I will finish it soon (and hopefully also upload some new pics :)

Sightseeing in Melbourne

2007-05-08T11:41:00.001+10:00

Federation Square,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I hope to see many of you as guests here in Melbourne one day. To know what is worthwile seeing I went sightseeing last Sunday with my colleagues Sevi & Silvi. The picture on the right shows Federation Square, the central place in the city. It has cool museums and bars, etc. If you want to see more pictures including some views from the Rialto Tower (253 metres high skyscraper) you've got to go to my flickr site

Footie (aka Australian Rules Football)

2007-04-30T20:04:00.001+10:00

Richmond Tigers vs West Coast Eagles at the MCG,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Footie seems to be the national sport here in Victoria. Some might say that it is Cricket, but that's boring (sorry to my Australian friends for that statement, give me a few more years, maybe I change my opionion :) Footie to me seems like a combination of Rugby and American Football. Compared to American Football it's much more action (there are hardly any breaks) and no protective clothing.

My first live Footie game was Richmond Tigers vs West Coast Eagles last Saturday. The game took place in the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground). It's huge (as you can see on the picture), when sold out there are about 95,000 people inside. That wasn't the case last Saturday but nevertheless it was loud and a great experience. Daniel and I supported the Tigers, but they had no chance. We were even more concerned with getting to understand the rules and getting enough beer - it was a gorgeous afternoon (and a funny evening :)

Thanks to Daniel for the pics & the great time I could spend with you in Melbourne - Dankeschön!

BBQ

2007-04-24T18:39:00.000+10:00

What are Aussies doing on Sunday afternoons - BBQs, right. I've been to BBQs the last two weekends and I learned that it is the best way to spend the Sunday afternoon when you have a slight hang-over. Just relax in the sun, have a beer and enjoy the food.
For those who seek relaxed activity I can recomment lawnball. I haven't heard of it before, but it can be easily described. It is similar to boccia: Everyone has a ball and the goal is to come closest to a ball in a distance. However instead of throwing the ball, you roll it on the lawn. Sounds simple so far, but the trick is that the ball has different weights on each side. Thus it makes a curve when it rolls. The main challenge thus is to estimate the distance and the curve it makes.
I hope I didn't confuse you with my description. You can see some pictures taken by Tom, a volleyball colleague, and his friends at his birthday party last weekend.

PS: I forgot to mention that similar to Boccia, it is mainly played by elderly. However I can't understand why, because it's really cool.

Easter 2007

2007-04-11T11:05:00.001+10:00

Easter Bunny,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I spent Easter Sunday and Easter Monday on gorgeous beaches on Phillip Island and on Mornington Peninsula. It's not exactly as good as celebrating Easter at home with the family, but thanks to Daniel and Christine it was a great weekend too.

Good Friday on Brunswick St.

2007-04-06T16:14:00.001+10:00

Good Friday on Brunswick St.,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I wanted to spend the day in my flat writing the newsletter for you guys. However it's such a wonderful day so Daniel asked me to join him on his way to St. Kilda Beach. Since we didn't want to go back to the office after that we decided to take our notebooks with us and to look for a place in a Cafe on Brunswick St. That's how I celebrate my first Good Friday (Karfreitag) in Melbourne :)

thx

2007-04-02T16:10:00.000+10:00

I justed wanted to show a friend that Rafiki stands on the desktop in my apartment. Hopefully he helps me to find my way here in Melbourne, like so many friends who helped me to make it to where I am now. In this way this picture stands for a big THANKS to all of you who encouraged me, actively helped me with my application and supported me with this move. I couldn't have done it without you.

Great Photos of the Great Ocean Road online

2007-03-25T23:39:00.001+10:00

5 of the 12 Apostles,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Finally I have my own notebook and slowly I regain control over the huge amount of digital data including my photos. The trip was just for one day but I could see a lot: Bells Beach (surfer paradise), a lighthouse (just forgot the name), a moderate rainforest, the 12 Apostles (as you can see on the picture) and London Bridge. More on flickr.
Btw: this weekend was much less exciting (but also less exhausting), just sleeping, reading, shopping and going to the beach :)

I converted to a Mac

2007-03-23T18:13:00.001+11:00

photo booth,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

After more than 10 years working on DOS, Windows and sometimes on Linux I converted to Mac. I'm just trying to set everything up. Hope it's really as good as the Mac people say, I'll see. The first contact is very positive and I wanted to share the smile on my face with you by blogging this picture :)

koalas in the wild

2007-03-19T00:11:00.001+11:00

koala in the wild 3,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

What a day! I saw koalas alive and kicking (eating / sleeping :) on my trip along the great ocean road. more pictures 2 follow.

volleyball inside: 21

2007-03-16T11:16:00.000+11:00

I've been to the volleyball training of the Renegades yesterday. After my degradation to team 2 on Monday I was allowed to join the Honours team yesterday so that the coach could watch me. It was a good training and I learned some new offenses: First a short and a long (variations of a 1) and furthermore a 21, which was totally new for me. The basic idea of a 21 is to run for a 2 (which is signalled as a 4 in Feldbach and as a 3 in Salzburg, the numbers are different everywhere), and then make a fast step aside to a 1 and hit the ball. The intention is to confuse the block on the other side, however I think trying the 21 confused me even more :) Nevertheless it's good to learn new things, though my biggest challenge at the volleyball trainings is to understand the coach and the other players - c'est la vie.

my bicycle

2007-03-14T11:36:00.001+11:00

my bicycle,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Finally I'm mobile! I made a tour to the beach last Sunday. On the way I wanted to explore the Formula 1 circuit, which is nothing more than a street through St. Albert Park. Anyway, the circuit was already closed and somehow I got lost and found myself with the bicycle on a city highway :-O Never mind, I'm still alive and kicking and I also found my way to the gorgeous beach. (The beach may be nothing special for someone from Queensland or whereever, but it's gorgeous for someone from the Alps)

Uni Melbourne

2007-03-08T23:36:00.001+11:00

Old Quad,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I put some photos of my new uni online. I took them last Sunday, that's why there are no people on it. Usually it's crowded with students from all over the world. A great place to study and as far as I can say, it offers outstanding research & education (what else should I say :)

Melbourne from St.Kilda Pier

2007-03-08T21:20:00.001+11:00

Melbourne from St.Kilda Pier,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

I've been to St. Kilda Beach last Sunday and made a couple of fotos. However I still have difficulties with the computers down here, so it may take a little while until I get organised and can add new ones. Just one thing to say about the beach, it was gorgeous - especially the sunset!

the ball is round

2007-03-07T14:16:00.000+11:00

"The ball is round", that's a "wisdom" about soccer in my home country. It's obviously true for volleyball as well. I travelled around the world and what did I do last night? - play volleyball. The ball is round here too and it still makes lot of fun. Nevertheless I've never been in a sports hall that was that hot. Nevertheless it was wooooonderfulll!

Ferrari parade

2007-03-04T18:26:00.001+11:00

Ferrari parade,
originally uploaded by JohnvW.

I wanted to go to IKEA yesterday and I accidentally crushed into a Ferrari parade. Everyone who knows me can confirm that I' have no special interest in cars. I never I owned one. Cars are usually just a means to overcome distances for me. However yesterday maybe the little kid in me came up. 60 Ferraris in a row - awesome!
Just a comment on the drivers: As far as I could see all of them were male. That's just the way it is with sports cars.

my first day in Melbourne

2007-03-01T16:25:00.000+11:00

Finally after 2 weeks extra holidays in Auersbach I arrived in Melbourne. What can I say so far about my new home: the weather is fantastic, the people are sooooooooo friendly and helpful, the flat is more than just ok, and the uni seems to be amazing. Nevertheless I miss Austria a little, but I think that's normal. Look forward to meeting new friends and commencing with my studies. First I have to get some basic items for my flat, like linen, pillows, dishes, ..., suncream (very important! :) ...
I'm overwhelmed by all the impressions (and the tons of information brochures I got from uni, housing, ... ;-). It feels great to be here.

unscheduled holiday in Auersbach

2007-02-21T21:24:00.001+11:00

Münzer Kapelle,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Due to a bout of ill health, I rescheduled my flight to Melbourne and spend now 2 weeks of recreation holidays at home. It's a great feeling to have no stress and to have time for my family and for myself. The picture shows one of my favourite places at home: I'm not very religious, but the chapel is located on a wonderful spot on a hill close to our house. When I go for a walk it's my destination #1 because you have a wonderful view over my home.
Furthermore I'm looking forward to moving to Melbourne. I will leave Austria on 26th February and arrive in Melbourne 2 days later. A dream comes true.

Melbourne

2007-01-26T05:19:00.001+11:00

melbourne 2,
originally uploaded by Off ya chops.

Since a few days before X-mas it's official: I'm moving to Melbourne!! I will receive a scholarship that allows me to do my PhD studies in the Interaction Design Group of the University of Melbourne. I had to organize so many things in the meantime that I forgot to blog the good news. I'll definitely miss my family & you all my friends, my colleagues in the office, my volleyball colleagues, snow in the mountains, ... I enjoy living in Salzburg but now I'm looking forward to moving to the other side of the world.
As you can see on the photo, the fountains are similar to the ones in Salzburg, however the houses are a little bit higher :)
Keep connected to this website to find out how life is going on in Australia.

Spartak Washington

2007-01-04T20:17:00.000+11:00

Indianer,
originally uploaded by christine_puehringer.

I spent the last days of the last year with friends in the mountains of Salzburg. A big THX to Michi for the invitation and all the other guys from Spartak Washington (=mixed volleyball team & friends) for the amazing time. For the latest news and photos of Spartak Washington check out http://spartakwashington.blogspot.com/

first lomo shots

2006-12-22T04:57:00.000+11:00

on the gaisberg,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

Finally I have the photos of my first session with my lomo. Unfortunately I opened the camera too early. Thus most pictures were destroyed (including those from Paris) and some pictures now have strange colors. Some pictures are really awesome, like the one on the right.

pyramids...

2006-12-13T07:19:00.000+11:00

Louvre,
originally uploaded by bernd ploderer.

...so where am I? And what am I doing? Working, in Paris - C'est la vie.

singshot.com - thank you web 2.0 developers

2006-11-29T11:37:00.000+11:00

Finally someone created a web 2.0 karaoke application http://www.singshot.com/. So far I haven't been courageous enough to sing in public, even though I would like to sometimes. Should I find myself in a situation where I cannot resist, I hope my friends will hold me back, so that I can look in the mirror the day after. However, singing and recording online seems to be a great idea. Though I haven't figured out yet if I can delete bad recordings. We'll see, maybe I post a song in the next weeks or call for contest to beat me :)

last christmas, I gave...

2006-11-13T20:48:00.000+11:00

Last Saturday I heard this famous Wham song again for the first time this year. Not the best song but definitely an earworm and for mit it belongs to x-mas like santa clause or x-mas trees. Additionally shops and streets are already covered with x-mas decoration, is it really this time of year again? - GREAT :))

research in shopping center

2006-11-12T05:04:00.000+11:00

Just finished a 3 days exhibition / field study in Salzburg's biggest shopping center. We tested an ambient display installation in a sports store and conducted shopping observations based on camera built in spectacles. In this way we could watch on our computer what the participants saw while they were shopping and watched products, talked to other people or... It was hard work and I'm just exhausted. The regional TV station was also present and the spectacles cam is also shown for a few seconds on this online video stream of the news report.

volleyball

2006-10-29T03:38:00.000+11:00

I'm now attending the training of PSvBG Salzburg team that plays in Austria's National volleyball league. Maybe when when I'm grown-up :) I will also play in the team, for the meantime I attend the training as often as I can, try to improve myself and play in team #2. Keep your fingers crossed, maybe in a year or two...

have a lomo

2006-10-18T02:06:00.000+10:00

Pinky The Flower,
originally uploaded by .ET..

I made my first transaction on eBay and bought a lomo action sampler. This cameara makes 4in1 pictures like the one on the picture (it's not my picture, I have to take, develop & scan them first) Looking forward to cool pics