Seattle

-,
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

Again, I had an opportunity to visit the US as part of a conference trip. This time I went to Seattle, where I listened to Bill Gates and other luminaries. And I had a few days before the conference to acclimatise and to explore (an unusually sunny) Seattle and Mt Rainier. Photos are as per usual on Flickr.

2-week visit in Australia

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originally uploaded by _bernd_.

A week of relaxing, cooking, eating, drinking, writing, presenting, shopping, bike-riding, swimming, sunbathing and then getting rained on in Melbourne. Then a week of meeting, presenting, networking, more eating and getting rained on even more in Sydney.

Cambodia, Thailand & Vietnam

bamboo bridge,
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

My first trip to Asia was incredible: lovely people, great food, amazing nature and scenery, and some pretty crazy traffic. When I first arrived in Ho Chi Minh City I wasn't sure how to cross the street without running into a motor bike, but I've learnt to just walk slowly and at a steady pace and the bikes just drive around you.

My personal highlights were Angkor Wat at sunrise, a relaxed bike ride on an island in the Mekong river, and a swim at the bottom of a waterfall. I also learned more about the war in Vietnam and the the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. Many a time I was reminded how lucky I have been to grow up in Austria.

It was certainly a memorable trip. I've started to share photos on Flickr and will add more over the next week.

short trip to San Francisco

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originally uploaded by _bernd_.

Another conference, another trip to the US. This time the conference was in the Silicon Valley, organised by the research branch of a large web search company.
I had a few days off prior to the conference, which I used to visit the main sights in San Francisco, catch up with a friend, and for a short trip to the Yosemite National Park. This is a really wonderful part of the world and I hope to come back to enjoy it for a bit longer at some stage.

Austin, Texas

waiting for a café latte,
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

A conference trip to Austin, Texas gave me a chance to escape the winter in Melbourne and to catch up with friends from Europe.
I can't help but feel strangely fascinated by the confidence and pride that Texas displays. After only a week I got to like the omnipresent lone star flag, but also fashion items like cowboy boots and hats.

Christmas in Austria

Family,
originally uploaded by _bernd_.

Lisa and I spent a few wonderful weeks over Christmas in Austria. We spent some time at home near Feldbach, and we also travelled to Graz, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna, and Linz to catch up with friends and family. Needless to say that we never had enough time, but I treasure these moments as I go through my photos and reminisce.

Netball grand final

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Weekend in Sydney and Kiama

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

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

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

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

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

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.