Hazel Owen’s Neighborhood

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Live Stream Radio Show

I will be doing an interview via live streaming on the Internet with www.wcanradio.com on Hollywood today with Brad Evans on Saturday Nov 21st at 12pm EST. Oh billy, Can't wait to see your gorgeous face live streaming!

http://www.wcanradio.com/hollywood.html#

Stanley Works Acquires Black & Decker - Fine Homebuilding

Roger Bateman
4 days ago

Stanley Works Acquires Black & Decker - Fine Homebuilding

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/...

Stanley, of New Britain, Conn., and Black & Decker of Towson, Md., produce tools and construction materials. They are among the most widely recognized brands in their industry. Stanley makes the Bostitch line of nailers, and B&D is the parent company of DeWalt and Porter-Cable, brands familiar to woodworkers and builders alike.

Come Join Billy's BootCamp

SHaC09 Exhibition opens today at Unitec

Roger Bateman
Nov 6, 2009

SHaC09 Unitec Exhibition opens today

Disruptive Technologies

Here the term "Disruptive" is in reference to a challenge to traditional thinking in order to bring about positive change (or transformation from instructivist to social constructivist) in learning.

"Why has classroom training taken such a hold in corporate training and development? To answer this question, we need to look at its origins and its history. The modern classroom is a learning technology that was first developed in Prussia in the 1700s, and then spread throughout the world. Sitting in rows, raising hands, short recesses, detentions, and other disciplinary practices all emerged over relatively short period as part of modern classroom technology. The use of classrooms for corporate training is a recent phenomenon, rising sharply after World War II. Dr. Gary Woodill, Director of Research and Analysis at Brandon Hall Research, argues that the purposes of the modern classroom include the need to immobilize the bodies of learners, have them pay attention to the instructor, and instill a self-discipline that comes from sitting still for a long period of time. He also notes that the aim of social, networked and mobile learning is to break that pattern, which is why these new learning technologies are so disruptive of classroom based instructor led training."

http://www.brandon-hall.com/webinars/webinars.shtml http://mt201.centra.com/main/Customers/demo/Registrar/NewRegistration.jsp?event_id=0000002a46ea7301245c16d651007f8b&locale=en_US&source=W

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 announced

thomcochrane
Nov 4, 2009
1 comment

Sony Ericsson XPERIA™ X10

Sony Ericsson have formally announced their first Android-based smartphone, the Xperia X10. Looks promising:

Find more info and specs at the website:

http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/overview/xperiax10?lc=en&cc=nz

RFID

Roger Bateman
Nov 3, 2009

Thanks to Nick Gill for leading me to this one which I am now passing on...

Fifty Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years: A Half-Century of Automotive Eyesores - BusinessWeek

Roger Bateman
Nov 3, 2009

Fifty Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years: A Half-Century of Automotive Eyesores - BusinessWeek

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/...

By Damian JosephConsidering how many new cars are rolled out every year, it's no surprise that a few might be just plain homely. There's a chance that certain styles might become fashionable with a dash of retro hip. (Well, maybe not from the 1970s.) But for the most part, the following 50 cars will never be anything but design duds.

Mount Albert native garden - Metro Gardens Limited

Recently Keith, my work colleague, and I began work landscaping a property in Mount Albert.

The photograph below is a panoramic composite allowing some view of the complete garden as it was before we began. You'll note the low wall at the middle. The shape is itself interesting, though its placement draws your eye towards the corner - and without any plants the fence tends to dominate the scene. My idea was to use the line and extend and develop it whilst breaking some of its heavy symmetry. To this end I ran a line from the gate at the right-hand side extending to weakly parallel the wall but bulging slightly on the left and softening the curve at its centre.

Panorama 4

Here's the planting plan 'rough' which loosely resembles our alterations - and provides a better sense of the new line.

In respect to plants and materials I chose natives (Nikau and Cordyline 'Kaspar' with mixed Pseudopanix dominating and astelias, Cordyline 'Red Fountain' (yet to be planted), a good swathe of Libertia grandiflora 'Gentle Annie' and black flaxes as ground cover amongst volcanic rocks). The Nikau have been underplanted with several hebe 'Blue Gem'. A year down the track and they should be providing planty of supporting colour - adding to the yellow of Clematis paniculata and Tecomanthe speciosa - planted either side. There's also a nice grouping of Pittosporum kirkii to the left and one Elingamita johnsonii in the middle of the plant-out - which should one day offer up some wonderful red berries for the birds to feed on.

Planting plan

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Here's the raw line as seen from the gate.

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A few rocks (curiously pale in this shot) and some nice compost.

DSCF0281

In go the plants. That's Keith slaving away while I take some snaps.

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The finished work (well, almost). The week following this photo we added a rather interesting mowing strip (interesting because it is composed of red scoria - a temperamental medium). Also adding those Cordyline 'Red Fountain' this week - photos to follow. I'm looking forward to revisiting in a year's time when it's looking a bit more colourful and dense.