Broadband access in Weston Creek
September 17, 2008 at 8:23 am | In Aussie in USA, Technology | 1 CommentI’ve always wondered if the area I grew up in (Weston Creek) was particularly special when it comes to computers & the Internet. I know quite a few people that I went through school with who now work in the IT industry.
A paragraph in this article last month especially piqued my interest: Forget inner-city life: Weston Creek is the place to be
More than half of Weston Creek homes 55 per cent had broadband access, which put the suburb among the top 5 per cent of districts on a national basis.
Weston Creek was ranked the 16th most liveable community [in Australia], ahead of Tuggeranong (30th), Woden Valley (36th), Belconnen (44th), Gungahlin (45th), South Canberra (57th) and North Canberra (146th).
This all comes from the BankWest Quality of Life Index 2008 which has this to say about broadband internet access nationally:
Forty percent of households across Australia have a broadband internet connection with connection rates varying from 69% to 2%. There are 54 LGAs where at least 50% of households have a broadband internet connection. Twenty-two of these LGAs [local authority areas] are in Sydney.
69% of households in Ku-ring-gai in Sydney have a broadband internet connection, the highest proportion in Australia. This was followed by Peppermint Grove (67%) in Perth and Willoughby (65%) in Sydney.
How does that compare to the United States? The Leichtman Research Group, Inc.’s Q2 2008 research notes say:
57% of US households (at the time of the survey) subscribed to a broadband service – compared to 20% just four years ago
How you doin?
August 8, 2008 at 12:44 am | In Aussie in USA | 2 CommentsLooking for TFS content? I’ve moved them to my work blog. Subscribe to the new feed: 
http://blogs.msdn.com/granth/atom.xml
It’s been over a month since my last post and next weekend will mark 2 months since I arrived here, so I think it’s time I do a bit of a brain dump.
The question I seem to be getting a lot lately is “So, how do you like it over here?” and since about my first week here my answer has been “I’m loving it“. Even though Em isn’t over here yet, furniture hasn’t arrived yet, I’m sleeping on an airbed, I don’t have a credit score, I don’t have a driver’s license - it’s still great.
One of the reasons I wanted to move overseas was to get out of my comfort zone and personally “grow” a bit by experiencing a new environment. Well that has certainly worked and I feel very revived, stimulated, refreshed and energised. To pack up everything in two months and move was the right decision.
Highlights
Internet Access Rocks!
Unlimited, cheap, fast & plentiful. Australia really is a backwater in the Internet access story. Even mobile Internet rocks.
Weather
I know that this will look very different 6 months from now, but Seattle’s summer is the best kept secret. The weather for the past week has been absolutely gorgeous!
Events
I have no idea whether it’s a year-round thing or not - but in the last two months I’ve been to numerous picnics, BBQ’s, fireworks, concerts, etc. There seems to be some sort of festival or outdoor event on every weekend day. And even when there’s not - somebody is always having a BBQ at their place.
 Microsoft Company Picnic |
 Microsoft Product Fair |
 4th of July Celebrations |
 Kirkland Summer Picnics |
 Seafair |
 Developer Division BBQ |
Getting Outdoors
One of the things that I had kind of stopped doing back home was getting outdoors and going hiking, camping, etc. I’d become lazy & it was always “too hard”. Since I’m over here and there is so many things to do close by, I’ve started making the most of it. I bought a book of hikes in the area and they all look like great walks. It’s gerat while the weather is sunny but there will always be skiing in the winter.
 Fishing with Chuck |
 Lake Chelan |
 Rattlesnake Ridge hike |
 Mountain Biking |
People
Everybody knows what the stereotypical American is like - loud, obnoxious, narrow-minded, obese, etc. Well I can honestly say that Seattle (and the “Northwest”) is different. The people I’ve met & the friends I’ve made here - they rock. It seems that everybody is well educated, liberal minded, independent and friendly and/or they’re an Aussie.
Work
I’m really enjoying my job and the people I work with. The work is challenging enough that I have plenty to learn and important enough that I can make a difference. I’m also working with lots of different people and teams. Microsoft really is an amazing place to work - there’s so many resources available to you.
For instance when we had a server problem - we ended up getting the developer from the Windows team who wrote the memory management code to have a look and explain why our application was behaving how it was. I’m working on performance monitoring and a guy from another team who wrote a book on it sought me out and offered to help. Great stuff. It’s also scary at the same time - because if you run into a problem that the product group can’t fix, it’s not like you can call up CSS and get it escalated - the buck stops here.
Food
Food was one of the things that I was most worried about in moving over here. It turns out that it’s not all that bad and my eating habits have stayed much the same. There’s plenty of fruit and vegetables around which makes it easy to stay healthy. There’s also a cafeteria in each building that sells discounted fresh & healthy cooked meals - the menu is different every day and I haven’t been disappointed with a meal yet.
I’ve also become addicted to yogurt over here. I don’t know whether it’s the Phenylalanine or the nifty upside-down-cup containers that they come in - but I’m really enjoying them. What’s even better is that you can buy them in an 18-pack from CostCo 
Current Relocation Status
- Moved into a great apartment in Kirkland
- Got some new furniture
- Bought a new car
- Got my SSN
- Emma got her E3-D visa approved
- Passed my practical driving test
- Got cable installed
- Went Riding with the Ducks and saw the houseboat from Sleepless in Seattle
- Saw the Fremont Troll from 10 Things I Hate About You.
- Did the adults-only version of the Seattle Underworld tour
Overall I’m really enjoying it over here - I feel very comfortable and I sometimes forget that I’m in a “foreign country”.
My first North American walk
June 23, 2008 at 6:43 pm | In Aussie in USA, Outdoors | 2 CommentsLooking for TFS content? I’ve moved them to my work blog. Subscribe to the new feed: 
http://blogs.msdn.com/granth/atom.xml
This weekend I was lucky enough to be invited out for a bit of a day walk with some people from work. Unfortunately most of my outdoors gear is still in transit. This meant that I had to do a quick dash down to the local camping gear store (REI) to pick up some hiking boots amongst other things. I ended up with a nice pair of Asolo’s.
Although the weather was fine when we left town, we hit lots of fog and drizzle on the highway to our starting point. It didn’t look like it was going to be too pleasant but we made a start anyway. It turns out that the weather wasn’t too bad at all - no wind, not too cold, a little sunshine at times.
After a challenging climb up the snow covered ridge we eventually made it to our lunch spot.
 |
 |
| What it is supposed to look like | What we saw |
The hardest bit for me was communicating distance and measurements. I ended up setting my GPS to feet/miles just so that the other’s could understand what I was saying It’s also good practice for me to do the conversions.
It was a great walk and we were all quite amused comparing some of the differences between Australia and America. They’re also considering training to attempt the summit of Mt. Rainier next year - I’m in!
Driving in the USA for Australians
June 21, 2008 at 8:43 pm | In Aussie in USA, Driving | 6 CommentsThe first thing I did after the 20+ hours of travelling via CBR-SYD-SFO-SEA was get in a hire car and start driving. Here’s some advice for others doing the same.
Before you travel
You should go to your local Australian Automobile Association office (NRMA, RACV, RACQ, etc) and purchase an International Driving Permit (IDP). You don’t need to be a member, but you’ll sometimes get a discount if you are. Just present your valid driver’s license, give them a passport-sized photo and they’ll give you the permit.
Although an IDP is not technically required to drive in the USA, rental car companies may require it. (The Avis I went to didn’t.)
Before you drive
When I got to the hire car, I took some time to familiarise myself with it.
- How do I adjust the seat?
- What side are the indicators on?
- Where’s the park brake?
- How do I turn the lights on?
Driving
Before leaving Australia, I had a catch up with Rocky. His advice on driving was this:
It’s easy. Driving on the opposite side of the road isn’t a big deal. It doesn’t take very long for something in your brain to flip and it becomes normal.
Then came the scary bit. I drove out of the parking space and my mind got a bit frazzled - it felt very strange to be on the opposite side of the car, on the opposite side of the road. But then I came to my first intersection and followed another car through it. That’s when my brain flipped and I’ve haven’t been on the wrong side of the road yet!
Turning right / left
The second moment when something else in my brain flipped was on my first right turn at a traffic light. It felt a bit weird turning in that direction and hugging the kerb (just like turning left back home) - but now it feels normal.
The third moment was turning left at traffic lights. Once again, it felt weird traversing an intersection on the opposite side, but now it’s normal.
When sitting at intersections, I now find myself thinking about what line (like in racing) I’m doing to take and where I want to end up.
Right turn on red after stopping
In Australia they have selected intersections signposted with “turn left on red after stopping”. In the States they have a similar rule. You can turn right at any intersection after stopping unless otherwise signposted. Similarly, if you wait at the intersection, the light will eventually turn green anyway. I learnt this one through observation and somebody beeping their horn at me
Always give way to pedestrians
In Australia, people often stand on the kerb or footpath and wait for a gap in the traffic so that they can cross. In the States, the traffic will generally stop for the pedestrian - regardless of whether it’s at a crossing or not. Pedestrians are worshipped.
4-Way stop signs
Mitch has spoken about these before. These are mostly what Americans have instead of round-a-bouts. The rule is that everybody must stop and the first to arrive is the first to move off.
My Advice
The best bit of advice I can give is:
- Take your time,
- Be observant,
- Follow other people!
The best way I’ve found to learn is to drive a little bit slower and follow other people through intersections. It helps you get used to being on the opposite side and you learn different things. It’s also useful for speed control. If you’re not sure what the speed limit is, just travel the same as everybody else.
Other
Some other things that I’ve noticed:
- Most cars automatically lock the doors once you put it in gear, or get above a certain speed. (strange??)
- If you park illegally, there’s a high chance you’ll get clamped & towed. Especially around apartment complexes, etc.
- Everything has a drive-through option. There’s drive-through banks, take-away, coffee, post offices, etc.
- When I’m a passenger, I always go to the wrong side of the car. This habit will be hard to break.
After I get my Social Security Number (SSN), I can sit the written knowledge driving test for Washington State. It’s 25 multiple-choice questions and you need to get 20 correct to pass. Then after the knowledge test is the driving test.
Blog at WordPress.com. | Theme: Pool by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.
