Dark Rum Mojito

The most refreshing way to drink rum is without a doubt muddled together with lime and mint.  This is my favorite cocktail, and is the perfect to cool down in the summer.

Ingredients

• Juice of half a lime
• 3 teaspoons of brown sugar
• 6 mint leaves
• Crushed ice
• Rum of choice (light or dark)
• Soda water

I like to use my favorite golden dark rum such as Mount Gay, or for a real treat Mount Gay Extra Old.

Put the mint leaves, sugar and lime wedges into a tall glass and muddle together.  Add the crushed ice and rum then top up with soda water.  Garnish with a mint leaf.

The Force: A new wave of online collaboration will change the World.

The Internet is connecting people in ways that have not been possible before.  A powerful world changing force is being unleashed through the connection of vast numbers of people, and this force is one to be reckoned with.  It drives people to collaborate and innovate faster than ever before, and even seems to have the power to ignite revolutions.  Is this the early stages of development of a force similar to the one referred to in the Star Wars films?

TED is one example of a place to share ideas, ideas which prior to the Internet would have not been shared.  In my spare time I no longer watch regular television shows, but dip into the world of others who are working on inspirational and life changing ideas.  A prime example of online collaboration at its best is the The Legion of Extradorinay dancers.  The Legion is a collection of dancers who have learned to dance not through traditional classes, but by watching others on YouTube. Check out the video here:

Another recently viewed favorite of mine is a talk John Hardy delivers on his Green School in Bali.  Built entirely out of grass (Bamboo) this school is pushing the boundaries of low carbon buildings.

Sydney Swell Guide

I'm still in the early stages of learning to surf, and alongside trying to work out how to manoeuvre a board I also need to learn how to read the swell.  To help me work out which beach is best in which swell & wind combination I've created a handy picture chart to refer too.  It currently covers my three favorite beaches; Manly, Bondi and Maroubra.  Enjoy!

Sydney Surf Guide

SketchUp plugin for Augmented Reality

I discovered a SketchUp plugin this week that literally blew my mind.  It's hard to explain why but when you see the YouTube clip below you will understand.  If you want to try this yourself all you need is a computer, a webcam and a printer.

Firstly a quick introduction to Augmented reality.  It simply means adding an extra layer of information over the top of a real life environment.  The computer augments (changes) the view to show computer graphics or information interacting with  real life.  The exciting part is it allows you to play with computer models as if they were real life objects.  If that doesn't make sense play the video below and all will become clear.

As an engineer and designer I'm constantly looking for ways to improve communication of design with clients and team members, and augmented reality is looking promising as a future method of sharing 3D design with a wider audience.  I'm very much looking forward to experimenting with SketchUp and the AR-Media plugin which allows you you quickly set up augmented reality of a 3D model of your choosing.

Click play below, and prepare to be amazed....

Worlds Best Guacamole

I'm not even boasting, this recipe is simply the best Guacamole I've ever tasted.  And so simple to make.  It can go with so many things, but is also excellent just as a dip with some corn chips.

All you need is the following:

2 Avocados

Bunch Coriander

1 Red onion

2 tbsp Jalapenos (more if you like it spicy)

Reserved juice from the jalapeno jar

Lime juice to taste

Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

Blend all of the ingredients and add jalapeno juice and lime juice to taste. Simples.

Google Earth view now in Google Maps!

Very exciting news, something we had long expected to happen, Google Earth is now visible through the Google Maps interface.

Why is this exciting I hear you ask...  well  this means that everyone can now enjoy the wonders of Google Earth, including the 3D buildings layer, without having to install Google Earth.  All you need to do is go to Google Maps, find a map location your interested in and then click the 'Earth' button on the top right of the screen.  For example if you zoom in on Perth, then click the earth button you will see our latest geomodels, the two tallest buildings in Perth.  More to follow on these soon.

The integration of Google Earth into maps is exciting as it will make it the 3D buildings layer far more accessible. All you need is the Google Earth plugin.

Currently when you click on a 3D building in Google Earth a balloon pops up which contains text and a link which are populated by the maker of the model.  This functionality isn't yet in the earth maps view, but Google have confirmed they are working to include this functionality very soon.

Google have helpfully created this video to explain more...

This is great news for both geo-modelers and for users of Google Maps!  There are still a lot of features included in the full version of Google Earth that aren't available in the maps view that we would highly recommend downloading it.  A few of the additional features of Google Earth include:

• Additional layers including information such as photos
• The animation of sun and shadows
• Historic photo imagery
• Tape measure to measure distances

Crawley Edge Boatshed - Perth

After our break creating geomodels from our tour of New Zealand we are back focussing on creating geomodels in Western Australia. And what perfect timing with South Western Australia being chosen by Lonely Planet as one of the world’s Top 10 Regions for 2010!

There are some pretty spectacular things to see and do in Western Australia, from wine tasting to world class surfing. We are working on sharing this spectacular region with the world with geomodels created for the Google Earth 3D buildings layer, so that everybody explore Western Australia in 3D on Google Earth, not just those of us that are lucky enough to live here.

And what better place to start than with the small and humble Crawley Edge Boatshed. We have crafted a beautiful geomodel of this well-recognised landmark five minutes drive from the centre of Perth which was originally constructed in the early 1930s. Enjoy the boatshed, we will be back soon with news of some exciting new geomodels of Perth we are currently working on!

Here is a photo of the Boatshed as taken by an outstanding young photographer, Lloyd Snook.  See more of his work here.

And here is the geomodel:

To see the model in the Google 3D Warehouse click here.

And finally for those of you who don't have the Google Earth plugin or if you are reading the blog in an RSS reader and can't see the above, here is a photo of the geomodel taken in Google Earth: