Category: Uncategorized

Let’s all hope that the case against iiNet from “big media” falls flat. Nic Suzor knows enough about copyright law to have an opinion worth hearing, and he’s hopeful.

In other unrelated news, Japan was awesome and there will be notes and pics in due course. Fellow parents will know that time is the scarcest commodity about.

Kyoto rain

We'd given up on seeing this 1000-year parade as Hazel doesn't like
staying still for long, but we came across it at the end of our walk
anyway.

It was a tad wet.

More posts to come after our return along with much advice. iPhones
have been fantastic but composition on a tiny phone when there's a
baby needing wrangling is hard.

In Hiroshima at the moment; it's a profoundly moving place. Today,
though, is a Hazel day. Not much travel and lots more playtime.

Bamboo and crowds

We've been all over Kyoto and around in the last few days. West to
Arashiyama and south to Nara, to bamboo forests and parks without
grass, to stunning gardens with few visitors and to so-so gardens with
hordes of people and deer poo.

Highlights? Hazel has been feted by so many people so far… given
gifts, food, had her photo taken. A lovely cafe owner gave her a
squeaky octopus. Some great temples and gardens, the best ones off the
main tourist routes.

What can we recommend if travelling with a baby? Don't bring a pram;
too many steps. Don't try to do too much. Relax about bedtimes but be
ready for crazed squawking. Don't underestimate how far distances can
be.

Eep. Enough for one post. Email is good here but not voip so
apologies; no phone calls at the moment.

So we got here

A 2-3 hour delay is not the best way to start a 9 hour flight, but a
father-in-law in hospital was visited and good vibes ensued all round.

Flights with babies are long. Take lots of toys, books and food and
take turns with the wrangling. Hazel wandered up and down the aisles
making herself cute and only cried during the descent.

We're at the Cross Hotel in the heart of Osaka, a luxury oasis we'd
heartily recommend, in a corner room with fab bath, one of those fancy
toilet seats you've heard about and many comfy trimmings.

Outside it looks like this at night, with local goths and fashionistas
strolling the alleys. Huge, well lit, safe, overwhelming. All yay.

I’m looking for an iPhone navigation app to fill a niche. I had planned on writing this app myself, but I haven’t had enough time and don’t expect to find it.

I’d like to be able to import my own maps and then track my progress across them. The iPhone camera is probably the most convenient way to get the map in if the resolution is good enough. You’d need two points for accurate display: the current location and a verifiable location some distance away, plus the ability to move/scale the map and/or the trail.

This opens up possibilities for any other kind of map (such as a guidebook map) and will really help when travelling away from data connections or where writing is in a non-Latin script. I’ll be in Japan in a couple of weeks and even when I can get wi-fi to cache some Google maps, all the location names are in Kanji. I’d much rather follow myself around a Lonely Planet map.

The navigation market is getting pretty competitive, but there’s a lot of ugliness in the current offerings. Track ‘n Trail and Trails both look good but neither does quite what I want. For me, tracking is nice but only a side benefit. I really want to know where I am without a data connection, in useful detail, and in a language I can decipher.

Anyway, if you’re looking for a hot new iPhone app, there you go.