Brilliant Low-Tech

This is how it clips together

One of the advantages of working with people one-third my age is that they are generally tech savvy, and I learn a lot from them.

There were two good examples of this phenomenon this week on my westward trip.

The first is what could only be described as low-tech, but it works a treat.

It’s a solution to the problem of wheelchair access though a range of doors and lips. Most of the schools I work in are full of them, and they provide barriers to easy access, and the conventional solution of constructing a permanent ramp is not always practical for a variety of reasons.

The clever Danes have come up with a product that looks like a cross between the aluminium matting used to create airstrips during WW2, and Lego.

These are the segments that clip together

The Occupational Therapist and Physiotherapist that I work with (both in their twenties) have found this, and I helped them install it around the doors of a preschool, so the child in a wheelchair could get in and out.

Almost done

The high tech solution on the other hand was when a Speech Language Pathologist (again in her twenties) showed me how to connect my iPad to the corporate network.

It’s surprisingly simple, and means I no longer have to haul my laptop with me every where I go to stay in touch with emails on the trot.

Ain’t technology wonderful….

What's the Time?

One of the most enjoyable aspects of small towns in this part of the world is their individuality.

They were opened up by pioneers who had strong notions about they wanted in terms of the built environment. This often results in "one-offs".

This building in Surat is a good example.

The clock is unique. I don't know the story behind it, but will try to find out when I get home.

Using it to tell the time presents a challenge.

 

Update: This is the story of the clock.

Finally Finished

It's finally finished. The hardtop I mean.

Yeah, I know that's very poor English, but it covers the ground.

Getting this thing to the point where I was happy with it has taken nine months. Actually getting it home intact after buying it (from a vendor in Melbourne) was the biggest hassle.

The problems didn't stop there. It didn't fit well, and I had plenty of fiddle with the adjustments of the clamps that hold it down. It was trial and error, and there was much more error initially than trial.

The painting went OK, except that the guy doing the job had difficulty in reseating the rear window after he removed it.

He had to call in a windscreen specialist to get it right, and even then I wasn't happy with the way the beading settled at one corner. A few grams of Araldite with a lump of wood wedged against the garage holding it in place whilst it dried overnight did the trick.

The whole thing comes off in about one minute. Then you have a convertible for when the weather's good.

Now I need a storage solution for the hardtop.