How to read the news: a beginners guide for Generation Y and the "Millennials"

Two tragic events this year have brought to the fore the fact that my generation and the generation following (Gen Y and the so called a i generation or the millennials). I am often dismayed at the inability of my peers to be able to evaluate and reconcile news stories, rather than just take every word as fact.

Often the hardest realisation that news junkies such as myself come to is that the news is never just the facts. There is always some 'editorial' or opinion included. It might not be out and out bias but when you have x number of words or x number of column inches, x number of second of video or sound grab to work with inevitably some one has to make a call to cut something out. Therefore you receive edited facts.

Another key point that we, as news readers, have to be aware of is the reliability of the source. Not just the actual masthead (publisher) but the source of the information. Is it a 'wire' report coming in from a syndicated journalist on the ground reported by every single outlet or is it a one to one connection, the the story written or presented by some one on the scene.

Further to the source is the publisher. We all know there are differing degrees of bias or agendas being pushed by today's publishers whether newspapers, radio, or individual bloggers. Knowing the inbuilt bias of the publisher can also alter the lens in which we take in the news.

Australian news and analysis blog Crikey published the list of Australia's most trusted news sources HERE from 2013.  Interesting that the national broadcaster here ranked the top. One could say they are not trying to sell advertising or appeal to a 'market segment' they are freer to report the news, also their reporters are in more locations. There is of course the usual calls of bias against the public broadcaster. Those calls of bias are usually calling the ABC 'left' leaning. However the trust worthy poll linked above does not seem to support that.

Top 5 tips when reading or taking the news in:

1. who wrote it (which journalist)

2. Who published it ( which masthead)

3. Who is the intended audience - is the producer writing for a 'market' or stating fact

4. Who benefits from the story

5. Are other reporters reporting the same thing with different sources?

Travel: Winter Road Trips - Ep1

I love going for drives around our region during winter, it is the best time of year to see the region after the winter rains. Starting early we headed off from Canberra to Batemans Bay via Bungendore, Braidwood. The sun was bright over the green dewy fields of Bungendore followed up by a stop off at the Lolly Shop in Braidwood.

Lunch was on the waterfront with fish and chips in Batemans Bay followed by wandering around the marina looking at boats and slips for #ProjectSailBoat, just information gathering.

Heading back south heading through Narooma down to check out our favourite camping site at Mystery Bay, then south to Bega and up to the mountains through Bemboka (remember to stop off for a pie at the famous bakery) then up further into Cooma.

Just before dark we managed to make it back to Canberra having missed most of the first snow of the year but we did catch the trail end of the storm.

Were is your favourite road trip to?

House Update: SURPRISE!!!

I have just had it confirmed by our real estate that our house might be finished a month early. This does throw our financial planning into disarray but I am sure we will sort it. At this stage we are looking at settling in around early October 2014.

#projectsailboat boat features / boat shopping list

I guess to truly explain what I am looking for in a boat I need to further explain why the dream is there. That the dream is split in two parts.

1) This may sound strange to some seafaring folk but the idea of even tinkering and working onboard a boat at mooring all weekend I find incredibly appealing. Even when the weather is crappy, just being aboard a vessel that by definition is part of the sea. Every movement, every wave, ever breeze effects what you do.

2) The actual sailing – clearly this is linked to part one. A safe and comfortable boat that you know well only further enhances the time you have underway – that feeling when you cut the engine and nothing but the unseen force of the wind filling the sails – just like solar power – it’s magic.

I feel I need to set this picture up a bit more.

This was taken on the ‘local’ side of  Kyaiktiyo Pagoda where not many foreign tourists go.  Just over his shoulder is a small local tea house were we spent many nights just sitting at the floral vinyl covered bench seating drinking Burmese Tea mix. Simply talking with locals while either the fog rolled in or the rain tumbled down.

This picture really speaks more than a thousand words to me, I hope to share the feelings with you.

If you would like to read more about our trip to Myanmar or about Kyaiktiyo Pagoda please subscribe >> on the left.

Life : house is progressing nicely - June 2014

With only a few months to go, you can really see it coming along. If you look back at the previous pictures from January when it was just a concrete slab, to April when it was just a soulless box. Now it is really taking shape. In the pictures our town house is the one on the left of the two mirror imagined homes.

While the right hand side has more sun, I am happy because the other two that were available are all extreme south facing with almost zero direct sunlight.

Introducing - #ProjectSailboat

By sharing it, it makes it real.

I have been toying with the idea of sharing this with you.

Since I was as young as 12 years old growing up on the far south coast of New South Wales, on the east coast of Australia I have dreamt of living on a boat. A sail boat in fact.

In my early teens I was fortunate enough to learn to sail on my mum's bosses' Endeavour 24 called Xanadu.

These small coastal and bay racers are quiet common up and down the east coast of Australia. I even saw one for sale recently in the trading past for $2000, was in overall good condition with a spartan interior.

While yes, we are building a house at the moment, this dream has not left me.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about why, why do I want this. To boil it down to the base, I would have to say, firstly the adventure. Yes while it may not be climbing Everest, it would be my adventure. Secondly, the self reliance - wind for movement, the sun for power

You may have seen some of my postings on twitter (@wade85blog) on different solar projects such as the battery box etc. These are all linked to #projectsailboat. Exploring simple 12v solar systems, their layout and their setup.

Inspiration

I have spent countless youtube hours watching fellow dreamers turn their dreams to reality - you are my inspiration.

Here are but a few:

• The brothers from SV Delos, while their boat may be larger than I would ever want, their sense of adventure and self reliance is amazing - they even have their own air compressor on board for scuba.
• The extremely handsome young waterman Billy, aboard Tula- who's quest for the long summer, his boat, his passion is a continual push forward for me.
• Drake, on his large cruising yacht Paragon, his videos were the first I stumbled on - many an hour spent watching.
• Aussies Chris & Jess onboard their Junk rigged 29 foot Teleport exploring frozen Alaska and Canada, they are my latest stumble upon - 5 hours binge watching last night. While you might not know Chris by name, I bet you have seen one of his GoPro videos with lion cubs chasing his RC Car
• Last but not least, another recent cause of me not sleeping well due to binge youtubeing, Nike, the stunning young German lady and her cheeky boat Karl. There is no end to her capable and amazing handy work.

What next?

Well financially my entire attention is fixed on beating this crappy requirement by my bank to have 20% deposit for my new house in the bank or they will charge be huge fees on top of my home loan. This is on track and going well - completion date is still looking at around October 2014.

Dreaming wise, I have been discussion with Frankie, he says he understands it's my dream, but where do I want to take it.

This has lead to me distilling the idea of a boat into 2 connected halves. I want the boat to be 'home away from home', meaning it can be some where to go and enjoy being off work, even at anchor. The second half is the sailing. It has been a number of years since I have actually been sailing so some practice is needed.

What am I looking for?

I started talking this over with Frankie too. It is looking like 24-32ft coastal sailor is what it is likely to be. Decent layout, my preference is with an outboard motor - easier to replace, less hassles with fuel and depending on the tender, it can be dual use. Budget is looking like under $10,000. I just need to get a better picture of yearly costs like mooring, mooring fees etc.

So there you have it.. stand by for more of ProjectSailboat.

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Tech: Thoughts on Apple’s announcement at their recent WWDC

While I am not a programmer or developer, listening to Apple’s recent World Wide Developer Conference announcement, the bit take home from me was the Continuity and Wifi linkages between IOS devices under IOS8. This will mean that when my iPad Mini 64Gig Wifi and my iPhone 5 64Gig are on the same wifi networks then essentially they will behave the same - if I receive a phone call, both devices will ring, same for messages - no longer just iMessages.

What was your favourite announcement at the recent WWDC?

REVIEW: Devotec micro usb charger (with lightning converter)

With the ever increasing reliance in the devices we carry with us everyday the chances of them going flat at a critical moment is almost a certainty.

The following scene has happened to me on more than one occasion. After leaving working I swing by the local supermarket to get a few things (as directed by chef, photographer and all round awesomeness Frankie). I think the list said lemon grass and .. Wait was that basil or thyme?.. I'll check my phone only to see the black screen and spinning white wheel indicating my phone has entered a slumber it can not be awoken from without juice.

As I have shown before I have an ever growing family of external batteries . These are great - if you have one with you. Even my smallest - the Goal Zero Guide 10+ (which is only slightly bigger than a deck of cards) I don't have it with me in my pants pocket. But what do I have? My key ring..

Enter the Devotec Industries Fuel Micro charger. A pint sized addition to my keyring that can take my iPhone5 (using the usb micro adapter sold by Apple) from sleepy time to 17% while in airplane mode - more than enough to check my text and read what's needed before I get back to the car or home.

The device offers through charging, allowing it to be connected to your gadget to be charged while it itself is being refilled, through a USB micro in the base.

Coming in at $30 us at time of writing including shipping - it is well worth it in my books. Just remember to keep it charged. Give it a top up every few weeks.

Catch the Sun! Store the power!

I seem to have developed a bit of a fetish for batteries.

Any one that knows me or reads this blog knows that I love my gadgets. I have specifically designed all of my kit to either be charged by solar (the Goal Zero Guide 7) or via USB.

On an every day basis I use the Plox Box. Which replaced one of the 2 Guide 10 Plus battery pack. It was only replaced because I needed more power for my iPhone 5 and USB Wi-Fi. I still used the Guide 10 Plus packs as a solar regulator when items cannot take a direct solar charge due to irregular power delivery

I have divided the kit for the purpose of this post into: Tools, Writing, Charging & Cables, Medical & Boo Boo, Wifi and Apple connectors.

In the past I have written before about the kit that I use for overseas travel, such as my iPad Mini in a waterproof LifeProof case along my iPhone 5 also in a LifeProof case.

I know looking at the picture above, it looks like a lot. I assure you, I use almost everything inside this case at least weekly.

So I will run through my different sub groups so you can see what I have:

Tools:

So what I have in this section is:

• A tiny Gerber Multitool. I use the straight blade to open boxes and I really like the spring opening pliers

• Stanley pocket screwdriver set – I like the former factor giving me 4 different heads (2 different sized phillips head, and 2 blade) all in a hard plastic pen body

• Streamlight Stylus Pro torch

• Small water tight container that contains some spare cash and a pair of needle nose tweezers

Writing:

Nothing is worse than needing to take a note, or leave a note such as in the recent case of our trip to Horse Gully Hut - I left an emergency note on our car’s dashboard so people knew were to look for us.

In my daily kit is the following writing items:

• Rite in the Rain spiral bound pad

• Space pen -Mate Black

• Maxpedition Trekker all weather pen

• The last item is a just a generic metal body black ink pen – looks less tactical.

Medical / Boo Boo kit

Firstly, I am sorry for this blurry picture, in this kit is enough things to just make me feel better, rather than cure the ills of the world.

It contains:

Tissues

Panadol x 2 tabs

An alcohol wipe

Gastro stop type pills or mouth dissolvable buttons

The only thing missing from this group is a bandaid that is normally folded inside the container

Now for the most used group of my kit

Charging & Connections

I am an apple boy, not a fanboy but an apple boy – The OS  does what I need.

By gosh does the iPhone and iPad mini chew the juice! Hungry little things.

The above includes:

A YellowStone short iPhone 5 lightning charger

Pebble Smart watch magnetic charger

Fitbit force usb charger

Small “BlueLounge Kii’ that I have shaved down to fit through the charging port of the LifeProof Fre case.

Griffin short usb connection cables – Mini, Micro and large apple connector

Plox 6000mAh usb external battery with inbuilt micro us charger

Belkin extension usb cable

USB power adapter from the iPhone 5s it’s small and easy to carry.

LifeProof Fre 3.5mm audio adapter so I can use headphones with the waterproof case on (the apple EarPods work without using any adapter)

Apple and Wifi converters plus USB and EarPods

Now this group is one that is not used as often, but when it does – it’s a real saver.

The first is the white USB stick - this is a Huawei E355s-2 - one of the most versatile HSPA+ modems I have ever seen. I picked this one up outright from Celcom in Malaysia.  I pop a sim in, plug it into anything with a  USB port - the battery above, the wall charger above etc and it creates a mini wifi network.

I am a massive Amaysim fan here in Australia, in essence they are a 4G reseller of the Optus network. I have 2 accounts with them - my phone is on the 49 unlimited plan - unlimited calls and sms (in AU) with 9gig oData.  The USB stick uses their $99 for 10gig (lasts 365 days or until 10 gig used).

I can not rate them highly enough.

Also above you can see the following

Apple micro USB to Lightning converter

30pin to lightning converter

30pin SD card reader

With three items above I can easily convert any USB micro cable to a lightning charger, I know people will be saying ‘but there is a lightning SD card reader’ yes - but it is longer - on a short cable. I like the compact nature of these 2 items.

EarPods - these fit inside the LifeProof Fre case without a converter

Sandisk 4gig USB stick with tiny micro light - cheap and nasty - about $5.

EDIT: Update March 2015

I have removed some items, either because they no longer work, or are no longer needed.

1. I have upgraded my phone to the iPhone 6 plus, with the Lifeproof Nuud case. Every Lightning cable other than the Apple provided one no longer fits inside the charging port so I have ordered a short genuine Apple cable (30cm)
2. The BlueLounge Kii is gone - see above
3. Fitbit Force replaced with the Fitbit Charge HR and matching cable
4. Plain metal black pen stopped working so was binned and not replaced

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Indonesia: Bali – Not just an Island full of drunken teenaged Aussies

Background

My first visit to the Indonesian Island of Bali was with my parents as part of a family holiday.
My parents had never been overseas before my work trip to Timor-Leste. In fact I think my Mum’s passport didn’t arrive in the mail until only a week before they departed Australia. East Timor was a turning point in my life, both personally and professional. I will cover more of that over in the Timor Category as I update more info. You can follow those posts here.

Getting there

Most cities have direct flights from Australia to Denpasar by either Virgin Australia or Qantas / JetStar.  My first trip was actually Canberra to Brisbane, meeting my parents who were living in the Northern NSW regional city of Coffs Harbour in Brisbane.

The next day flying Brisbane (BNE) to Denpasar (DPS)  on Virgin Australia.  It was my parents first decent length flight. Say what you will about low cost carriers, and semi-low cost carriers, but I actually prefer them over the full service.

Why I went

Our first goal was a family holiday. My family is not a family that requires gold plated, 5 star resorts – not least because we can’t afford it.  The accommodation and activities I mention are not 5 star, nor are they backpacker / a few dollars a day type. They are your typical family type places.

As I said in previous posts, my parents had not travelled internationally prior to coming to visit me in East Timor in 2008. Almost a year after the visit to East Timor, my parents had saved enough for a modest holiday to Bali

After planning and bookings were well processed my sister announced she was getting married, also in Bali, during our holiday.

Where we stayed.

The decision was made very early that we didn’t want to stay in downtown Kuta. The sight of drunk and drugged Aussies peeing in the street at 10am is not a sight that is conducive to enjoying another country’s culture and sights.

We stayed at the  Puri Dewa Bharata Hotel just off the main road near Seminyak. In fact since 2009 to today my parents have stayed there every year. They are offered discounts as repeat customers.

Favourite Memories

Middle sister:

Getting married in Bali during my first trip, returning later to take my children to Bali and the zoo.

Favourite place to eat:

Middle sister:

Any restaurant along the beach along with Marlo’s

Hot tip: Over 22? Don’t want to be another ‘aussie drunk in bali? Stay out of Kuta after sundown.

Have you been to Bali? What was your highlight?

Don’t forget to check out the map page to see posts about other destinations

East Timor - Getting there

Further to my recent post on my 6 months in Timor during 2008 here is a look at the rapid changes around transport, specifically Getting There.

 In 2008 there were extremely limited ways of reaching East Timor.

1. Either flying from Darwin to Dili with a turbo propeller 15 seat aircraft at an extremely prohibitive cost of something in the area of $700aud each way.

1. Air Merpati from Denpasar (Bali) at around $370aud

1. Overland from West Timor – while cheaper, this process was hazardous as well as the border was commonly closed or disrupted

Now in 2014 I have discovered the following

1. Air North now flys an newish small jet – Embraer 170 for around $550aud  Darwin – Dili

1. Air Timor  Singapore – Dili  $370USD

1. Sriwijaya Air – Denpasar (Bali) – Dili 2,200,000 IDR – approx $200-250 AUD

1. Overland as above

Visitor / tourist visas, as with 2008 are available as visa on arrival for around $30usd for 30 days.
East Timor uses the USD for notes and Timorese coins.

While I was living there Comro Airport / Dili international

Airport was a dual Military & Civilian airport with UN flights, Australian Military and commercial airliners arriving often.

6 Months Timor-Leste

I was fortunate enough during 2008 to live in Timor Leste for 6 months for work. Timor Leste – Leste meaning east in Tetum, the local language, really was a turning point in my life. I spent a majority of my time in the capital Dili, with only the briefest jaunts out of the city limits, usually on work business. Looking back, the lack of further exploration is one of my biggest regrets I am seeking to remedy with a return trip possibly in 2015. During my time in TL, I was also fortune enough to learn to speak Tetum to a conversational level. Sadly my reading and writing Tetum isn’t up to scratch.

In June 2008 when I arrived the the President, Jose Ramos Horta had been shot in an attempted assassination only a few short months earlier. After the briefing work had given me about what to expect they made it sound like I was going to an active conflict zone. However what I encountered could have been further from the truth.  Sure if you wanted your electricity to operate without question and in turn your air conditioning; if you wanted your milk fresh; your meat shrink wrapped; your fruit and veggies from mega farms then possibly TL isn’t for you. If however you handle never going over 40km/h in your car, never obeying a traffic light, coffee strong enough to melt the spoon, grass so dry and tough that will stab your shoes  - TL most certainly is for you. I tease.

Looking back, I can not think of a many negatives about the country while I was there – apart from not being able to drink the water from the tap. Over the coming weeks I will be making posts about my time there, sharing stories and experiences. If you would like to read more, keep an eye on this link, it will be a central point of all my Timor Leste posts.

Related articles

• Children of Lafaek: The People and Culture of Timor-Leste
• [Video] Timor-Leste: Southeast Asia’s Final Frontier
• East Timor is a gorgeous country
• Diving Pertamina Pier in Dili, Timor-Leste

Kyait Htet Gyi- A day hike around Mt Kyaiktiyo

A short hike you say..

During our time at Mt Kyaiktiyo Frankie suggested a ‘small’ hike to a neighboring village where some pre Buddhist ‘Nat’ spirit idols are situated in the hillsides.

The small village, Kyait Htet Gyi (pro.Jow Chat Gee) is tucked away from visiting foreign tourists, approx. 1-hour hike straight down the mountain along a dirty maintain track. The monsoon season has not been kind to the Kyait Htet Gyi area. Situated along a ridgeline on one side of Mt Kyaiktiyo in the region near the Myanmar border, which is home to Karen (pro. Car En) people, which are a Burmese Ethnic minority and to the east is Thailand.

While strolling along the dirt track we were over taken by a local man, muscular and wiry which was perfectly suited to his role as a carrier. As the name suggested he is a man powered product mover. He was carrying supplies on his head and in his arms for the local tiny corner stores. For extra income he also carried timber that was harvested in the area for building supplies often carrying weights equal to half his body weight in a single trip – up hill and down dale, on their head or on their back

Frankie struck up a conversation with him in Burmese and he offered to be our guide in exchange for us buying a drink from his little house stall. Today he was taking the trip to deliver goods to the small path-side stalls in preparation for ‘festival season’ and the newly constructed stalls. The trip normally took him 35-45 mins. With us novices it took over an hour. He also kindly took us to his main source of income – his stall. We met his little daughter and son both aged less than 5yo along with the business manager – his wife.

When not carrying goods they all live in a small space behind their stall measuring no more than 5m x 5m constructed of bamboo, thatch and tarps. Frankie purchased all the children little packets of chips.. the cautious smile that appeared on all faces was priceless.

In fact we approached one fork in the path our ‘accidental’ guide pointed out the path to Thailand.

Almost at the end of the trail our guide took us down a small washed out landslip to a small ‘Nat’ temple for the ‘Mother of Dragons’ who guard the mountain. The Game of Thrones reference was not lost on me and brought a little smile to my face when Frankie translated our guide’s explanation.

Further at the end of the trail was another rock that is similar to ‘the golden rock’ only, not golden. The rock is balanced precariously on the side of a cliff just like is more famous cousin. The elders of the village that also look after the temple space told us that each year they travel to another village to collect a long thick vine that is climbed by a designated village member to place donations of gold leaf and adornments on the top. If the walk down to the village was not harrowing enough… the walk back – all uphill was certainly a challenge.

Some shots from my trips to Malaysia - Keep checking the link for more posts

via IFTTT

Related articles

• A massive 6 months!
• Trip to Redang Island (23 ~ 25 May 2010)
• Redang Island here we come!