Brighton Beach

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 :)

guests in melbourne

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

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

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

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

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!

The Dalai Lama in Melbourne

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.