blads blog

As reported in the AUGI Forums earlier today… The results from the recent 2010/2011 AUGI Board of Directors are in and hearty congratulations goes to… Jane Smith David Harrington Donnie Gladfelter John Morgan Ken Leary Peter Jamtgaard Paul Kirill and yours truly :)

What a great day indeed… SnagIt is available on the Mac (beta)… I was alerted to this exciting piece of information via Twitter Tweets from both mrcadman & binrock and Shaan's blog "Between the Lines" OK I'm off to download and install SnagIt - what a great day indeed :)

The Board of Directors is the governing body for AUGI. Board members are involved in long-range planning, vision casting, high-level management and, most importantly, positive member interactions. The Board is responsible for the overarching direction of the organization. Board members possess a passion for Autodesk products and services and they are committed to sharing knowledge amongst the AUGI membership. Just a few days remain to cast your votes for candidates running for open positions on the AUGI Board of Directors. Click here to become familiar with the candidates and vote. The ballot is a Ranked Ballot. Each person on the ballot can receive a yes or no vote. A maximum of eight (8) yes votes will be allowed per ballot. Each name is voted on individually. Those candidates receiving the most votes will be elected to the Board. Elected candidates will serve for a two-year period from January 2010 through December 2011. Voting closes on midnight CST December 16, 2009 , so pleas...

Well the sun is finally starting to shine in Las Vegas, this cold & chilling morning in Las Vegas. Autodesk University 2009 is all over but the AUGI Board of Directors are still open... It certainly was a hectic week, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. I'm still sorting out the tons of photos I took in readiness to post some here after getting back home. Hopefully I'll see you all again next year @ AU2010 :)

The ballot has recently been announced for the AUGI Board of Directors and you can come and meet the slate of candidates here . Voting for the 2009 AUGI Board of Directors annual elections will commence after the AUGI Annual General meeting on Wednesday Dec 2, 2009 at #AU2009

Here's a short list of AUGI events happening @ #AU2009… AUGI Leadership Conference - Monday Nov 30, 1:00 - 3:00pm The 4th annual AUGI leadership conference which focuses on the creation, building and maintaining of AUGI Local communities. AUGI Local Chapters Present's roundtable - Monday Nov 30, 3:30-4:30pm A meeting with the AUGI Local Chapter management teams to discuss issues surrounding their groups. Twitter Tweetup @ the AUGI booth - Tuesday Dec 1, 7pm AUGI Day - Wednesday Dec 2 (all day) Wear your vintage and/or new AUGI gear for the chance to win great prizes… AUGI Annual Meeting - Wednesday Dec 2. 5:00 - 6:30pm At the AUGI Annual Meeting, members are informed about AUGI's status, progress and future plans. All are invited to attend this open and informative meeting. AUGI Annual Beer Bust - Wednesday Dec 2, 7:00-10:00pm Mingle with thousands of your fellow AUGI members over a cool brew at the 2009 AUGI Annual Beer Bust in the Exhibit Hall. AUGI Top DAUG Finals - Th...

Wow, I can't believe #AU2009 is almost upon us and I'll be back in the US in 13 days time… For those of you unable to attend Autodesk University this year for whatever reason… no travel budget, no time, can't leave the office... there is an option… Autodesk University (AU) Virtua l is a new web-based event that originates at AU in Las Vegas, Dec 1-4, 2009. News and views from the show floor by streaming some of the best of AU to your desktop, AU Virtual offers a powerful way to obtain practical skills, industry knowledge and professional contacts. Perks for Subscription customers & AU2009 attendees... The premier pass (US$99) is free for Autodesk subscription customers plus everyone who registers for #AU2009 gets four (4) free Premier passes to share with your peers. AU Virtual puts more than 400 hours of expert-led training at your fingertips - but only if you preregister. Space is limited in some virtual sessions - be sure to reserve yours today! Register Now for ...

Wow doesn't time fly when you're having fun... since landing in Orlando almost 4 weeks ago, we've had a magical experience with Disney Cruise Lines and the Disney Magic / Caribbean Cruise. If you ever get the chance, you simply must experience the magic of a Disney cruise... it was simply fantastic :) Since then, we've been based in Cumming, Georgia and venturing to far away places like Chickamauga & Chattanooga, Atlanta and environs to name a few... I'll post some images once I've organized them a tad more...

I can't believe AU2009 is almost upon us... only 25 d ays to go!!! Apart from the many exciting classes on offer, there is also the 2nd annual Autodesk Bloggers Social on Monday night, 30 November. Earlier on Monday, is AUGI's Leadership Conference & Local Chapters President's meeting There will also be a Twitter Tweetup event on the exhibit hall floor Tuesday night @ 7pm in the AUGI area. Fellow tweeters, if you help spread the word and follow Shaan @mrcadman, donate to the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation we may get Shaan to shave his head at AU for the good cause!

Having arrived in Orlando, FL late Monday night we've hit the ground running seeing Disney World (Epcot & Hollywood Studio parks), the Florida Mall (our Hotel is adjacent) and today made a huge killing at the Premium Shopping Outlets :) so glad we brought an extra suitcase...

From information gleamed from the AUGI Forums and Twitter earlier today... The Update can be applied to all languages of Revit Architecture. Currently, only the English download page has the update, but the other language download pages will be available by the middle of next month. Until then users with other languages can download the update from the English page. Please note, the update release does not contain any new functionality. However, we are developing functionality enhancements that will be available to Subscription customers in the near future. All of the fixes that are in Updates 1 & 2 will be included in the functionality enhancement release, so if you need to update a large number of seats it may be best to wait until it is released unless there is a fix that you absolutly must have. Thanks Scott for the update

I've been a bit slow in catching up with the latest news news but this is definitely great news to hear that Autodesk has expanded its its support for us Mac users... Autodesk will now support use of AutoCAD software, AutoCAD LT software, Autodesk Inventor Professional software, Autodesk 3ds Max software, Autodesk 3ds Max Design software and the Autodesk Revit software platform for building information modeling (BIM) on Mac OS X via Parallels Desktop . Autodesk added official support for these products on the Mac via Boot Camp earlier this year.

Well details of the 2nd annual AU Bloggers Social has been set down for Monday, November 30 , 2009 from 6:30pm - 8pm. To be considered for an invite one must complete the form linked below - so spread the word if you know of fellow bloggers who will be attending AU2009. AU2009 Blogger Social Signup Form Hopefully I'll see you there :)

An AUGI CWC friend of mine has developed this great concept / website called " Travelthrutime ". it is a photography and local history website where members can add photos and show how regions and areas have changed over time. The site is aimed at pictorially telling the history of towns/cities as people upload more photos to each location. Well done, my friend... well I'd better scoot off to scrounge through all my photo collections

Snow Leopard has just been delivered by TNT Air Express... work will have to wait a bit longer today... :)

Ah well, my Endovenous Laser Ablation surgery was postponed today so I'll just have to wait a tad longer to have my blood boiled from the inside of my leg surface vein...

Yes I know Mac have an inbuilt screen capture utility but I have really missed SnagIt since going to a Mac based system but good news it at hand... happy days are here again :) Snagit for Mac is Coming!

Are you beginning or changing your career? Need direction? Need a job? Need an employee? Get your career advice at careers.augi.com Check out the latest from your friends at AUGI.com - it is a new Web-based career centre that connects job seekers with prospective employers in our industry. AUGI's Career Centre was made possible by connecting and networking with Job Services industry leader, JobTarget. Access to this exciting development is available at all times to AUGI members and non-members alike. To visit the AUGI Career Centre, log onto the AUGI website at www.augi.com and click Careers. Once there you can immediately post a resume or a job opening.

Well the wait is almost over with only a few days until Snow Leopard starts to ship on August 28, 2009.

Autodesk University 2009 is opened for registration... If you haven't registered yet you'd best hurry up and do so as the good classes and host hotel accommodation is on a first-come first-served basis. This years' Autodesk University is on December 1-3 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, Las Vegas. See you there @ AU2009 :)

Somewhat old news now but new to me... I stumbled on this whilst searching the Autodesk site... A utodesk announced in late July that AutoCAD, Revit platform products, Inventor and 3ds Max will now be supported on Windows XP & Vista running under Bootcamp on Apple Macs. This is great news, especially for customers including myself who have been running this environment for some time without official support (one proviso is English Language products only). You can view the applicable products at the link above :)

Wow, its been 3 months to the day since lobbing in hospital with severe cellulitus and subsequent finding out about my diabetes and high blood pressure. At the beginning of this year I was approx 150 kgs (330 pounds) give or take a few kilos... never really knew for sure... I decided then it was time to shed some weight. Landing in hospital in May, I was down to 137.5 kg (300 pounds) but unfortunately I had a raging infection in my leg, blood sugar levels exceeding 15 mmol/l (270 mg/dl) and a blood pressure of 198/116. A few days later after a fasting blood test, blood sugars were taken as 10.6 mmol/l (approx 190 mg/dl) and BP had dropped to about 160/110. Now 3 months later, I'm weighing at 121.6kg (268 pounds) with still a ways to go... ideally around 90kg (198 pounds) will probably look the best even though that is still considered overweight for my height/age.. so we'll just have to wait n' see. My average daily blood glucose reading is about 6-ish (approx 100)...

Well I never thought that this day would happen but I've succumbed to the dark-side and joined the legions of happy mac users... yep... I've traded in my troublesome windows based PC and moved to a happier place using my Mac Pro/Macbook Pro. Thanks to green compatriots, Chris Reardon and Dick Clarke for showing me the way...

OK well this week has been a barrage of doctors appointments, tests, etc but the good news is that my left leg is healing. The dried skin has virually gone and for the interim period I'm back to wearing compression stockings once more. However, I am due to return to hospital early July for day laser surgery, initally on my left leg, then later my right. Basically they make a small incision above the knee, insert a small tube with a laser attachment into the offending surface vein and heat the non-working value, which destroys it and boils the blood inside the vein which collapses it. Hmmm sounds err intersting... Lower left leg @ 4th June Extra good news I've lost 5kg since leaving hospital :)

Just booked my spot at THE Revit training event in Australia - namely Revit Technology Conference 2009, which is underway in about 4 weeks in Melboune at the Sebel Albert Park Hotel, June 18-21. I'll look forward to catching up with you all there!

Wow! its been a whole week since escaping the confines of Flinders Private Hospital. Whilst it doesn't look like it my leg is healing rather nicely with dead skin literally dropping off by the hand-fulls... I just wish it wasn't so dammed itchy.... grrrr

OK I'm posting this announcement a tad late - needed to catch up with things a home first, but as of May 14 late in the afternoon, I was discharged from hospital. The leg is healing nicely every day, I'm still on antibiotics (which don't give me the sh*ts, thankfully) and I'm monitoring my blood glucose levels 3-4 times per day. I'd like to thank all who visited, sent emails and/or cards and particularly the doctors & nurses of Ward 4 South FPH.

Day 8, then last two days have been more restful than previous. The docs are pleased with the effects of the antibiotics on the infection, blood-sugar levels have been down and blood pressure getting back to normal levels at last... that being said, I've still will most likely have at least another 4-5 days in here, unless I can get off this antibiotic drip machine... For the food lovers, choices for my food menus over the last two days are as follows (bold selection = what I had...) Saturday Lunch Soup - Chicken Noodle (great for the soul) Main Course: Home style Lamb casserole Spinach & Ricotta patties with chargrilled vegetable relish Assorted sandwiches Accompaniments: Seasonal vegetables Mashed potato Cous Cous Side salad Saturday Dinner Main Course: Glazed Chicken with bbq sauce Scrambled eggs on toast Combination salad Assorted sandwiches Accompaniments: Seasonal vegetables Baked baby Potato Mashed potato Side salad I meant to post the above on Day 8, however a minor i...

OK its now nearing the end of day 6 but certanly at the beginning I thought I'd never experience pain that exceeded the squeezing of those postules... man was I ever wrong!!! This afternoon my leg was about to be fitted with a compression bandage which had these cute little images on them to indicate level of compression - however on the 1st attempt of placing the bandage it was placed perhaps a wee bit toooo tight and pain levels went thro' the roof... Thankfully the fabulous nurses understood my incoherant babbling and all was rectified and pain eventually subsided particularly with the help from pain meds... On to other more interesting stuff - today's menu Breakfast - weetbix with berry fruit yoghurt Lunch - Roast capsicun & swiss cheese quiche with chips (fries)... man I shoulda ordered the side salad (probably their master plan...) Dinner - braised pork with plum sauce, rice and asian greens today's surprise visitors: Cathy Reid & BDASA el Presidente, Neil...

Well to date May exacty hasn't been a great 'month'. It sorta started off well with me in Brisbane, finishing off the BDA's Eco-Smart training the day before, unfortunately things had deteriorated during the night... my left leg was severvely swollen and it'd looked like I had dipped my leg in red food colouring... for the first time in my life I wasn't looking forward to flying but I made it home where my darling MBH organized an after hours doctor to visit who immediately sent me packing to the emergency department of the hospital. OK Sat May 2 arrives with me having brekkie in the emergency dept whilst waiting to be delivered to my room for the next ??? days After spending a few days here, with the wonderful doctors lancing my 'postules' on my leg, the pain helped partially by the meds a surprise visitor appeared... and man what a spirit-lifter :) Whilst I was trying to type up some minutes, who should appear near the end of my bed... none other than ...

OK earlier today my existing mouse and keyboard died, so I had to venture out in the 40+C heat today to go mouse and keyboard hunting. I got to say I was initially none too impressed with what was presented in the marketplace. Everything I saw were "mini" mice, suitable for notebooks n' stuff - I'd just gotten rid of one of those, although my old one was a tad larger than what was generally on offer...I looked at both Logitech and Microsoft but to no avail... I was almost ready to give up and then I found it... a glorious shaped, exceedingly stylish, large-ish mouse and it felt as if it was made for my hand... I was extremely eager to get back to the office and put it through its paces. Using this mouse is almost orgasmic... really it just glides over all surfaces and it feels as if its an extension of your own hand. It is quite simply the best mouse I've used... its just amazing. So what is it, you ask... its a Microsoft Explorer Mouse with BlueTrack Technology. ...

Happy New Year everybody and I thought I start this years' blogging with something outside the box... For many years MBH (much better half) & I have collected Monopoly games, thankfully many of our friends have indulged us in our pastime. I did have a list but as another friend pointed out recently, a picture is worth a thousand words... With thanks to all who supported us in our little collection, here it is...