blads blog

For those who know me, it’s common knowledge that I love red wine - Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, alternatives like, Montepulciano, Tannat, Saperavi, Nebbiolo to name a few.   Do you have an all time favourite. Ok, I know that’s difficult for most red wine affectionados but I fell in love with this wine variety early 2000s. So what is it you ask??? Durif... those who know me will be well aware of this amazing wine.   This red wine grape from the Rhone Valley wasn’t highly regarded in its native France.   Durif is actually a cross between the noble grape Syrah and the less well-known Peloursin. It was created at the University of Montpellier in the 1880s by a gentleman named Dr. Durif - a nurseryman who was looking to develop a grape variety resistant to downy mildew, one of many scourges of the vine. It was introduced into Australia by pioneering Victorian viticulturalist Francois de Castella in 1908. Although only a few token plantings remain ...

You have eye colour, for example, blue eyes like your mom and long legs like your dad. Things like this are incredible when you think about it: we inherited every physical attribute from our parents, from copies of their genes. But what other things came from our predecessors?  One thing I inherited from my mum was Hammertoes.  So what are Hammertoes, you ask? Hammertoe is typically a bending of one or both joints of the second, third, fourth, or fifth (little) toes. This abnormal bending can put pressure on the toe when wearing shoes, causing problems to develop. Hammertoes usually start out as mild deformities and get progressively worse over time.  Hammertoes are progressive – they don’t go away by themselves and usually they will get worse over time. I elected to have my hammertoes corrected by surgery, starting with the left foot. This was performed by Dr G. Dracopolus and his great surgical team, on October 30. For the skirmi...

Besides being tricky to pronounce, Montepulciano is one of the more complicated grapes. You see, there's an Italian town called Montepulciano, which produces a wine called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. But, this wine is mostly made from  Sangiovese , and doesn't actually include any of the Montepulciano grape! The most famous examples of Montepulciano (the actual wine) come from the Italian region of Abruzzo, but it's planted throughout much of central and southern Italy, but nowhere near the town of the same name. Thankfully, this grape is also grown in Australia, it's much more straightforward and in true Aussie style, we've taken away the pronunciation problem by shortening it to 'Monte'. One that I tried very recently is Atze’s Corner Wines “The Mob” Montepulciano where it’s appeal lies in its beautifully generous fruit, including red plum, sour cherry and boysenberry, and moderate acidity, so I reckon if you love Shiraz you'll lov...

Way back in 2011 , I was diagnosed with a rare lymphoma, titled,  Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL).  It was considered to be totally non-aggressive and is commonly known as "the Lazy Cancer".  As  “it” was not causing me any concern or stress, it was decided that we would not interfere with it… So we did and watch wait approach and go on with our lives... Middle of this year, I started having "hip" issues and it turns it was a bursitis which was resolved very effectively with cortisone injection.  Shortly after that, started getting "back problems", nothing too much at first, then legs started to have "pins and needles". Late October, I finally had some "free time" to get into my GP and get CT scan... unfortunately another large mass (5.1cm x 5.6cm x 2.2cm) was found, roughly in the middle of my back which was putting pressure on my spinal canal / nerves. In I go for another biopsy... and again w...

Once again, Autodesk have provided a subscription only mid-year release.  For the full review, refer to Redstack's blog site , where it was first posted.

Autodesk University , or AU as its more commonly known by is an annual conference run by Autodesk each year, where all the biggest CAD geeks on the planet assemble and compare notes on best practices for their industries and try to outdo each other when squealing in glee over the latest updates to their favourite CAD package.   Whether you're interested in  Revit ,  AutoCAD ,  Inventor ,  BIM ,  Civil 3D ,  3D printing , point clouds or anything else CAD, design, architecture or engineering related, AU is a huge show with something for everyone. I've had the opportunity to attend AU for the past ten years and I must tell you: I have squealed with the best of them!  Seriously, AU is a fantastic event that gives you the opportunity to look at your everyday work processes in ways you’ve never even considered. Let me put that into perspective for you. I’ve been using CAD in excess for 30+ years now, I've been an architectural technician, buil...