The AUSOUG Perth conference finished a few hours ago. It’s a really good size event, about 400 people, which is big enough to feel busy, but small enough to feel personal. I met a bunch of familiar faces and many new ones.
The best speaker prize went to Connor McDonald. If you get the chance, check out his presentation style. It’s not the normal thing you see on the Oracle conference circuit.
I did two talks, which must have gone down OK with the audience as I got the second prize behind Connor. It was very nice surprise.
So tomorrow morning I leave Perth and head to Sydney for a couple of days on my way to Gold Coast…
Cheers
Tim…
Doug: I’ve already had the Number Two’s joke, so I’ll head you off at the pass on that one… 
I took a trip out to Rottnest Island a couple of days ago. The beaches look tropical, but the center of the island is a mix of scrub land and unusual salty lakes. It’s pretty cool.
Here’s another shot…
The island was named Rottnest (Rat’s Nest) because William de Vlaming thought the native Quokkas were big (cat sized) rats. Here’s one of the little fellas.
They are really tame. They walk right up to you without a care.
After taking a bike ride round the island I spent some time on the beach. Sorry to anyone present who was subjected to my incredibly white body.
Cheers
Tim…
So there I was, minding my own business when this guy decided to introduce himself.
I turned around and this guy was grinning at me.
Later, this old geezer ambled past and said hello.
After all the exitement, I decided to find a nice spot and chill out, like this guy.
Cheers
Tim…
I didn’t really take many photos in San Francisco, but here’s two shots I thought were worth posting…
First the DeLorean. Why didn’t Larry pack the Database Machine into one of these?
Next, a photo taken on Friday morning, after the conference was over. Believe it ot not, this was the road with the big marquee. Hard to imagine this road actually has traffic on it the rest of the year.
Cheers
Tim…
I went whale watching in Freemantle today. I took a boat trip down the swan river from Perth to Freemantle, then got on a bigger boat and went out to sea. The water was really choppy, so about 25% of the people were really ill and many others were close. I haven’t found my land legs yet, so I was fine.
I wasn’t holding out much hope of seeing anything, but then we saw a Humpback whale jump. We moved towards it and it jumped again. Next we spotted a mother and calf. They were a bit more subdued, but we did see them come to the surface and there was a little bit of tail slapping. I didn’t get any photos or video of it, but I found this on YouTube which shows you what it looked like.
Finally, we saw a big whale in the distance repeatedly doing tail slaps. We moved closer, but then had to turn round and head back. I did video this, but I’m rubbish and it’s too embaressing to post it.
The rough sea made the boat trip feel like a rollercoater ride, which was fun. The fact that we actually saw the whales was totally cool.
Cheers
Tim…
Hello family and friends…
The flight to perth took a little longer than the planned 7 hours and 45 minutes. The last 2 hours were really tough. The lack of sleep meant I was really irritable. Everything was aggrivating my skin and my legs felt really stiff and bloated. I got into the hotel at about 19:00 and by about 19:30 I was in bed. I think it had been something like 40 hours without sleep and about 21 hours in a plane. Not good karma.
This morning I feel much better. I even did a bit of Yoga. The cold has graduated to a full on cough, but at least I’ve got a week off flying. It’s a holiday in Perth today, so everything is shut down. I had a quick look round this morning, but I still feel a bit shakey so I’ve come back to the hotel. I’m gonna do my washing and go back to bed for a bit.
I’m thinking about taking a boat trip in the next couple of days. Stationary floors feel like they are shaking, so I hope a boat will feel a little more steady.
Cheers
Tim…
I just checked the time in San Francisco and I understand why I’m on the verge of seeing Magic Pixies. It’s about 36 hours since I last slept. I’m about to board a flight that will take 7 hours and 45 minutes and get me to Perth at about 17:00. I really hope I pass out on the plane. I don’t care if I snore or dribble. I just checked out the symtoms of sleep deprevation. I’m so there dude!
Next stop visions of flames and voices in my head. I just hope the voice don’t try and persuade me to eat any animal prducts…
Cheers
Tim…
It’s difficult to understand how Tropic Thunder could possible become any more politically incorrect.
Ben Stiller plays a fading action star that tries to kickstart his serious acting career by playing “Simple Jack”, only to fail because he goes “full retard and you should never go full retard!”
Robert Downey Jr. plays an oscar winning method actor who undergoes a controversial skin pigmentation to play a black man in the film. Things go from bad to worse when he can’t get out of character.
Jack Black is an actor/junkie/bad boy in a franchise of films based totally around farting for laughs.
Brandon T. Jackson plays “Alpa Chino”, a rapper turned actor who endorses an energy drink called “Booty Sweat” and energy bars called “Busta Nut”.
You can’t imagine how painful it is watching Robert Downey Jr. “in character” talking to Brandon T. Jackson. It’s all so very wrong, which is why it works so well.
If you are easily offended stay well clear…
I watched Tropic Thunder in SF, but I’ve also seen a bunch of films on the plane, but I’m struggling to remember what… The hours kinda merge. I know I saw Kung Fu Panda, which was pretty cool. I also saw Deja Vu, which is a couple of years old, but it was quite good. I’ve seen at least two more, but I really can’t remember…
I’m sure this airport is built on a floating platform and the sea is really rough. I’m going to lie down on the floor again. Everything stops shaking then. The cleaners keep looking at me like I’m a tramp. You gotta laugh…
Cheers
Tim…
This is the 3rd OpenWorld I’ve attended and I think it was probably the most enjoyable for me so far.
The first year I was more than a little overwhelmed and intimidated by everything. The scale of the event is hard to imagine and being surrounded by people who are at the top of their game is quite daunting. I wouldn’t say I was suffering from hero worship, but I did get the odd “we are not worthy” moment.
The second year I had a bit of a “been there, done that” attitude and I don’t think I really appreciated it as much as I should have done.
This year I think I found my groove and relaxed into things. It’s really cool to reconnect with people from previous years and meet new people.
Massive thanks to Victoria Lira and Lillian Buziak who I bugged incessantly about my travel arrangements for this trip. You are both worth your weight in gold. Big thanks to Justin Kestelyn and the OTN crew for making sure everything ran smoothly.
Cheers
Tim…
PS. Doug, perhaps next year you will be 3rd on the list…
Just landed in Auckland. I left San Francisco 13 hours ago and it was 08:00 on Friday. It’s now 05:00 on Sunday. It’s something like 21 hours different, plus I flew overnight, plus the clocks just switched to summer time here. It’s like someone is trying, very successfully, to mess with my mind.
I’m going to be in the airport for 7+ hours waiting for for my flight to Perth. I was hoping to crash at a mates house while I waited, but he’s away for the weekend… 
The lack of sleep, the planes and this pesky cold have all combined to leave me feeling like I’m on a ship. I can feel myself physically swaying. In a few hours I expect I’ll be blogging about being found sleeping in a toilet or something similar. I just hope I’ve got my clothes on.
That reminds me, someone fainted on the flight over here. She was walking along and just went out cold. Flat out on the floor for a couple of minutes. They brought an oxygen mask and everything. A few minutes later she was up and back at her seat. Falling over in a plane is bad karma. There are so many things to hit your head on!
Anyway, I’ve got to get some food and find a quiet toilet to sleep in…
Cheers
Tim…
