My Presentation.
Kokoda presentation.
No Photos Today: Couldn't really find anything exciting to take a photo of, I might add some photos to the Kokoda talk tomorrow however.
For one of my assignments, my last assignment, I have to write up a reflection on four library events I went to or workshops I participated in. This wasn't either of them, but I thought I'd write up about it to get a better idea of what I need to do for tomorrow. Yes, I'm doing a rehearsal of an assignment.
Date of event: Friday 30th November 2012.
Many libraries around the world hold monthly presentations on different topics and subjects of interest to their local community and patrons. Some of these presentations are organised by the library staff, some are organised by community groups and organisations and some of these presentations are organised by members of the public.
The presentation on walking the Kokoda Track was one of the latter types of presentations detailing the journey and difficulties of our walking the Kokoda track in Papua New Guinea in 2004, it was a casual presentation for the public and offered a chance for questions and answers as well as feedback from the audience about how it was conducted.
It was organised by myself and my father for the Kenmore Library after the two of us had been to a talk in April at the same library on the topic of the El Camino de Santiago a pilgrimage walk in Spain(it is approximately 850 Kilometres long), my father and I planned on taking that walk later that year(due to unavoidable circumstances our plan was delayed by a year and we will do the walk in August this year instead). After being approached to talk about our experience in walking the track we agreed to do it later that year and began to plan out our presentation.
We had to look at five key factors in organising our presentation:
The Audience.
The talk was open to all members of the community who were physically able to come to see it and was promoted in the Brisbane City What’s On in the Library booklet of that month. Based on the talk we had already been to there was an assumption that the audience would be comprised of two different groups. Those who were interested in participating in the walk themselves and wanted to gain some information on the experience and those who were interested in hearing about the experience and had little to no intention of going themselves.
We attempted to cater to both of these groups by ensuring that the material would be useful for the first group but also interesting enough that the second group would not feel alienated in the process. This involved providing a lot of details through anecdotes and stories which provided a narrative for people to follow allowing us to provide information in an entertaining and informative way.
Audience numbers were also a concern as too many people might make it difficult to answer as many questions as a smaller group would allow.
We also had to factor in that a large part of our audience would likely be retirees and students as the presentation was during the daytime and people who are employed would have difficulty in getting away from work to attend.
The Location.
The location of the talk was as the Kenmore library's community room, which is capable of seating about 200 people if required but had an average of about thirty-forty for some of the talks like ours would be. The room allowed for a media presentation on a projector screen as well as a microphone and other utilities for presenting. The way it was set up was more conductive for a single speaker at a time compared to other locations which allow for a more open conversation between presenters.
The Presenters.
This area was a difficult one to decide upon. We wanted to get presenters who could talk well and clearly to the audience but we had a limited number of people who would be available for the date and time in question. The presentation was held during the day so people with jobs would have difficulty in going.
We decided on three speakers, my father and two of his friends who had walked the track with us back in 2004. I was scheduled to speak as well but the time limit of one hour, with ten minutes for questions at the end, made this impossible unfortunately.
The presenters all took a different aspect of the track experience and explained it to the audience. These aspects were the history of the track, the experience in walking the track and some of the logistics of managing the experience(such as travel, supplies, risks and problems encountered). My own section was to be on the training and preparation for walking the track but that was covered generally by the second and third speakers.
The Multimedia.
Walking the track in 2004 predated most affordable digital camera technology as well as a limited opportunity to recharge cameras and other digital devices due to the truly remote wild nature of the track. This meant that all images and media available was originally a print photograph from a variety of different people who participated on the walk. Most of which had been scanned into digital form at some point or another. Pictures chosen were mostly of the walking and accommodation, personal family shots were not included but some shots showing what we did at various sites and locations were shown as well as some maps of the area and historical pictures from World War 2 of the soldiers on both sides.
The Intention of the talk.
The general intention of the talk was to provide an overview of the experience of walking the Kokoda track to the people present that day. The speakers all had a general area to talk about as well as personal experience in walking the track and were able to present their information to the audience in a casual environment which fostered a back-and-forward conversational atmosphere in some parts.
These talks also showed that people of all ages and walks of life would be able to participate in the experience, not just those with high levels of physical fitness and endurance. It encouraged people to think about joining the walk themselves.
The final result of the day was that our presentation went over well with the audience, the presenters were asked a lot of questions and were more than able to answer them. The multiple presenters provided different areas of experience which helped with some more detailed specific questions and requests.
My Day.
I had to wake up early today because I had to check on the horses again. I really really don't like the fact that my dad has horses because they are such a pain to have to check on all the time.
I got up at about 7am and looked after Matt while the new carer David watched what I was doing and made sure he could do it himself in future if I wasn't available. I cooked up some Bacon, Sausage, Tomato, Onion and Mushrooms together and added the weird powdered stuff my mum told me to put in Matts breakfast every day(the stuff has to be kept in the fridge for some reason) and then served it up. While he was eating it I found a spare sausage and cut it up and put it out the back of the house for the Kookaburra that apparently lives there. My mother thinks they're great birds so I'm now obligated to feed them every couple of days. I think if I just give them half a sausage a day it'll probably stick around a while.
After Aaron showed up to take Matt out for the day I collected up my laptop, all the washing in the house and my own dirty clothes and rushed over to Brookfield to check that the horses weren't dead, they weren't. I was gearing up to leave when I saw a Kangaroo bound across the field which the horses live in. It was a nice and happy thing to see. So that was good. But it makes me worried that the fence is broken somewhere for the kangaroo to get through it, unless it jumped over somehow. I'll see if it is still there tomorrow and then I'll talk to my dad about it.
I left Brookfield and went to the Kenmore Library to steal their Wi-Fi and catch up on the news of the world, the news of the world was not that interesting or uplifting. The police still haven't caught the guy with the bow and arrow who shot that guy who was sleeping under the Victoria Bridge, nothing much else caught my attention. I eventually got tired of looking at random websites and signing myself up for the next game of soccer, which will be held in Logan and require me to wear the fully Green uniform, god help me if I forget. I personally think the full green looks a bit off, but that was somehow the uniform which won so we're going with it. I prefer the green jersey and white shorts of the last couple of years(and I also miss having my "name" on the Jersey, BATMAN, it’s just not the same).
I got home and had to put all the washing in the dryer and then let the dogs out of the laundry because they'd melt if they weren't allowed out of that room(they have a dog door but they don't leave the laundry because they seem to hate the outdoors). I then promptly went to my room and watched Paper Giants and the Documentary The Queen of Versailles(all available right now on iView), the former were okay but the latter was a really amazing look at the collapse of a fortune and how people just can't deal with a lack of money once they're used to it. I highly recommend watching it and watching pretty much anything Kristy Best puts up on iView, Sunday Best on ABC2 is really one of the hidden gems of Australian Television right now.
I eventually got a phone call from Dymocks Indro, they had finally got the book I orderd about a month and a bit ago("Crooked Little Vein" by Warren Ellis) and so before I drove home to Matts house I went over to Indro and picked it up. I will probably have to add it to my pile of shame in the near future.
My pile of Shame is the pile of books I started but never finished and have paid for. Right now it includes: Perdidio Street Station by China Mieville, The Strain by Guillermo Del Torro and Chuck Hogan, Perfume by Patrick Suskind, War and Peace by Tolstoy and The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver. As well as the entire Song of Ice and Fire series(or at least the first five books) which I was smart enough to buy just before they jacked up the price from $10 to stupid money that non-readers will pay for a bit of pop-culture.
They mock me these books, because I do honestly want to read them but I keep getting other books and writing my own stuff and watching crap TV that I don't find the time to get right into them. This is why I instituted a policy of not buying any new books until I read a non-fiction book, which has taken a while to get through(the Signal and the Noise is a good read, but it can be a bit dense at times). Crooked Little Vein doesn't count because it was written by Warren Ellis, he, Douglas Coupland and Terry Pratchett(Arthur C Clarke as well when he was alive) have a veto power over all my purchasing decisions. Corey Doctorow was almost there, but then I didn't really like Makers very much(what the hell was the deal with that graphic sex scene in the middle, it just made no sense in terms of context and didn't do much for the narrative at all, also his Disney Fetish just eludes me, I did like the idea of a futures market on Court Cases that was hilarious). A few other authors like John Birmingham and Neil Gaimann as close as well, but not over the edge yet. China Mieville was a contender but is now out because his worlds are usually better than his stories and that is annoying to someone like me.
I like to keep my veto list pretty clean and at a minimum number of authors if possible.
After I got the book I went to Matts house and discovered we were out of Teabags so we went to Mount Ommaney and did two laps of the centre(it was looking like rain and Matt and I both needed the exercise) before stopping at Woolies and getting the Teabags and some Chicken for tomorrow night.
After that was all done I went home and made dinner(Pork in Cabbage Stir Fry with a side of rice) and then settled in to watch Australia versus Jordan in the Soccer. 4-0 result means that Australia has a great chance of going to Brazil next year. We just need to beat Iraq next week and we'll be sweet. Looking forward to all the fair-weather fans showing up to cheer the Socceroos on.
And then I sat down to type this all up.
This has been one of the shortest entries I've done so far this year. I hope this isn't the start of a trend.
YouTube Clip of the Day.
Mirrors edge was a great game based around an integrated Parkour combat mechanic, set in a distopian future and written by Terry Pratchetts daughter. It wasn't a perfect game but it was a stunning achievement in translating a fluid movement system into a game which has never been topped to this day.
I've waited for a sequel for years and it has finally showed up and I couldn't be happier.
No Photos Today: Couldn't really find anything exciting to take a photo of, I might add some photos to the Kokoda talk tomorrow however.
For one of my assignments, my last assignment, I have to write up a reflection on four library events I went to or workshops I participated in. This wasn't either of them, but I thought I'd write up about it to get a better idea of what I need to do for tomorrow. Yes, I'm doing a rehearsal of an assignment.
Date of event: Friday 30th November 2012.
Many libraries around the world hold monthly presentations on different topics and subjects of interest to their local community and patrons. Some of these presentations are organised by the library staff, some are organised by community groups and organisations and some of these presentations are organised by members of the public.
The presentation on walking the Kokoda Track was one of the latter types of presentations detailing the journey and difficulties of our walking the Kokoda track in Papua New Guinea in 2004, it was a casual presentation for the public and offered a chance for questions and answers as well as feedback from the audience about how it was conducted.
It was organised by myself and my father for the Kenmore Library after the two of us had been to a talk in April at the same library on the topic of the El Camino de Santiago a pilgrimage walk in Spain(it is approximately 850 Kilometres long), my father and I planned on taking that walk later that year(due to unavoidable circumstances our plan was delayed by a year and we will do the walk in August this year instead). After being approached to talk about our experience in walking the track we agreed to do it later that year and began to plan out our presentation.
We had to look at five key factors in organising our presentation:
- The Audience.
- The location.
- The presenters.
- The multi-media presentation.
- The intention of the talk.
The Audience.
The talk was open to all members of the community who were physically able to come to see it and was promoted in the Brisbane City What’s On in the Library booklet of that month. Based on the talk we had already been to there was an assumption that the audience would be comprised of two different groups. Those who were interested in participating in the walk themselves and wanted to gain some information on the experience and those who were interested in hearing about the experience and had little to no intention of going themselves.
We attempted to cater to both of these groups by ensuring that the material would be useful for the first group but also interesting enough that the second group would not feel alienated in the process. This involved providing a lot of details through anecdotes and stories which provided a narrative for people to follow allowing us to provide information in an entertaining and informative way.
Audience numbers were also a concern as too many people might make it difficult to answer as many questions as a smaller group would allow.
We also had to factor in that a large part of our audience would likely be retirees and students as the presentation was during the daytime and people who are employed would have difficulty in getting away from work to attend.
The Location.
The location of the talk was as the Kenmore library's community room, which is capable of seating about 200 people if required but had an average of about thirty-forty for some of the talks like ours would be. The room allowed for a media presentation on a projector screen as well as a microphone and other utilities for presenting. The way it was set up was more conductive for a single speaker at a time compared to other locations which allow for a more open conversation between presenters.
The Presenters.
This area was a difficult one to decide upon. We wanted to get presenters who could talk well and clearly to the audience but we had a limited number of people who would be available for the date and time in question. The presentation was held during the day so people with jobs would have difficulty in going.
We decided on three speakers, my father and two of his friends who had walked the track with us back in 2004. I was scheduled to speak as well but the time limit of one hour, with ten minutes for questions at the end, made this impossible unfortunately.
The presenters all took a different aspect of the track experience and explained it to the audience. These aspects were the history of the track, the experience in walking the track and some of the logistics of managing the experience(such as travel, supplies, risks and problems encountered). My own section was to be on the training and preparation for walking the track but that was covered generally by the second and third speakers.
The Multimedia.
Walking the track in 2004 predated most affordable digital camera technology as well as a limited opportunity to recharge cameras and other digital devices due to the truly remote wild nature of the track. This meant that all images and media available was originally a print photograph from a variety of different people who participated on the walk. Most of which had been scanned into digital form at some point or another. Pictures chosen were mostly of the walking and accommodation, personal family shots were not included but some shots showing what we did at various sites and locations were shown as well as some maps of the area and historical pictures from World War 2 of the soldiers on both sides.
The Intention of the talk.
The general intention of the talk was to provide an overview of the experience of walking the Kokoda track to the people present that day. The speakers all had a general area to talk about as well as personal experience in walking the track and were able to present their information to the audience in a casual environment which fostered a back-and-forward conversational atmosphere in some parts.
These talks also showed that people of all ages and walks of life would be able to participate in the experience, not just those with high levels of physical fitness and endurance. It encouraged people to think about joining the walk themselves.
The final result of the day was that our presentation went over well with the audience, the presenters were asked a lot of questions and were more than able to answer them. The multiple presenters provided different areas of experience which helped with some more detailed specific questions and requests.
My Day.
I had to wake up early today because I had to check on the horses again. I really really don't like the fact that my dad has horses because they are such a pain to have to check on all the time.
I got up at about 7am and looked after Matt while the new carer David watched what I was doing and made sure he could do it himself in future if I wasn't available. I cooked up some Bacon, Sausage, Tomato, Onion and Mushrooms together and added the weird powdered stuff my mum told me to put in Matts breakfast every day(the stuff has to be kept in the fridge for some reason) and then served it up. While he was eating it I found a spare sausage and cut it up and put it out the back of the house for the Kookaburra that apparently lives there. My mother thinks they're great birds so I'm now obligated to feed them every couple of days. I think if I just give them half a sausage a day it'll probably stick around a while.
After Aaron showed up to take Matt out for the day I collected up my laptop, all the washing in the house and my own dirty clothes and rushed over to Brookfield to check that the horses weren't dead, they weren't. I was gearing up to leave when I saw a Kangaroo bound across the field which the horses live in. It was a nice and happy thing to see. So that was good. But it makes me worried that the fence is broken somewhere for the kangaroo to get through it, unless it jumped over somehow. I'll see if it is still there tomorrow and then I'll talk to my dad about it.
I left Brookfield and went to the Kenmore Library to steal their Wi-Fi and catch up on the news of the world, the news of the world was not that interesting or uplifting. The police still haven't caught the guy with the bow and arrow who shot that guy who was sleeping under the Victoria Bridge, nothing much else caught my attention. I eventually got tired of looking at random websites and signing myself up for the next game of soccer, which will be held in Logan and require me to wear the fully Green uniform, god help me if I forget. I personally think the full green looks a bit off, but that was somehow the uniform which won so we're going with it. I prefer the green jersey and white shorts of the last couple of years(and I also miss having my "name" on the Jersey, BATMAN, it’s just not the same).
I got home and had to put all the washing in the dryer and then let the dogs out of the laundry because they'd melt if they weren't allowed out of that room(they have a dog door but they don't leave the laundry because they seem to hate the outdoors). I then promptly went to my room and watched Paper Giants and the Documentary The Queen of Versailles(all available right now on iView), the former were okay but the latter was a really amazing look at the collapse of a fortune and how people just can't deal with a lack of money once they're used to it. I highly recommend watching it and watching pretty much anything Kristy Best puts up on iView, Sunday Best on ABC2 is really one of the hidden gems of Australian Television right now.
I eventually got a phone call from Dymocks Indro, they had finally got the book I orderd about a month and a bit ago("Crooked Little Vein" by Warren Ellis) and so before I drove home to Matts house I went over to Indro and picked it up. I will probably have to add it to my pile of shame in the near future.
My pile of Shame is the pile of books I started but never finished and have paid for. Right now it includes: Perdidio Street Station by China Mieville, The Strain by Guillermo Del Torro and Chuck Hogan, Perfume by Patrick Suskind, War and Peace by Tolstoy and The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver. As well as the entire Song of Ice and Fire series(or at least the first five books) which I was smart enough to buy just before they jacked up the price from $10 to stupid money that non-readers will pay for a bit of pop-culture.
They mock me these books, because I do honestly want to read them but I keep getting other books and writing my own stuff and watching crap TV that I don't find the time to get right into them. This is why I instituted a policy of not buying any new books until I read a non-fiction book, which has taken a while to get through(the Signal and the Noise is a good read, but it can be a bit dense at times). Crooked Little Vein doesn't count because it was written by Warren Ellis, he, Douglas Coupland and Terry Pratchett(Arthur C Clarke as well when he was alive) have a veto power over all my purchasing decisions. Corey Doctorow was almost there, but then I didn't really like Makers very much(what the hell was the deal with that graphic sex scene in the middle, it just made no sense in terms of context and didn't do much for the narrative at all, also his Disney Fetish just eludes me, I did like the idea of a futures market on Court Cases that was hilarious). A few other authors like John Birmingham and Neil Gaimann as close as well, but not over the edge yet. China Mieville was a contender but is now out because his worlds are usually better than his stories and that is annoying to someone like me.
I like to keep my veto list pretty clean and at a minimum number of authors if possible.
After I got the book I went to Matts house and discovered we were out of Teabags so we went to Mount Ommaney and did two laps of the centre(it was looking like rain and Matt and I both needed the exercise) before stopping at Woolies and getting the Teabags and some Chicken for tomorrow night.
After that was all done I went home and made dinner(Pork in Cabbage Stir Fry with a side of rice) and then settled in to watch Australia versus Jordan in the Soccer. 4-0 result means that Australia has a great chance of going to Brazil next year. We just need to beat Iraq next week and we'll be sweet. Looking forward to all the fair-weather fans showing up to cheer the Socceroos on.
And then I sat down to type this all up.
This has been one of the shortest entries I've done so far this year. I hope this isn't the start of a trend.
YouTube Clip of the Day.
Mirrors edge was a great game based around an integrated Parkour combat mechanic, set in a distopian future and written by Terry Pratchetts daughter. It wasn't a perfect game but it was a stunning achievement in translating a fluid movement system into a game which has never been topped to this day.
I've waited for a sequel for years and it has finally showed up and I couldn't be happier.
Click to view