A Press Release from an Australian company prompted me to do a little research into new developments in the field of suspect identification.
The Release is in the form of a statement from the company that is responsible for the development and deployment of the new digital system. The statement is actually the transcript of a talk given by company representative Mr Nassal Bridge, at the conference on International Development of Independent Observational Technologies (IDIOT).
The press release/ talk is as follows:
" Good morning, Fellow Attendees, my name is Nassal Bridge, and I represent an Australian company at the forefront of research and implementation of technology in the field of Facial Recognition.
The use of electronic and digital technology to scan and process facial features of individuals has been growing in recent years, with much publicity and excitement associated with its introduction. It was touted as the answer to preventing the movement of known criminals through our various domestic and international transport systems.
Unfortunately these technologies; The Facial Recognition System (FRS), the Human Recognition System (HRS), and various other developments, have failed to live up to expectations. Weaknesses in data-bases, lack of programming flexibility and poor image quality, have all contributed to making this idea seem like an unfulfilled dream. There is however, a light at the end of the tunnel.
My company, an independent, privately financed entity, with no government affiliations, has been secretly working on an innovative method which will not only aid in the identification of criminals and suspects, but make it possible for each nation around the world to have its own unique data-base of those it regards as undesirable in its community. Furthermore, this database will be administered by an independent entity, ensuring complete impartiality and anonymity. This independent entity is my company, and the system we have developed will change the world.."
"Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to present to the system of the future!!
Facial Area Recognition Traits, or FART, is how we will detect the criminal of tomorrow!!
Let's face it, folks, everybody's FART is unique!! I'll say it again! Everybody's Facial Area Recognition Trait is unique!
No two FARTs are the same, but what we need is a system to make those FARTs detectable, and that's where my company comes in. We are the National Observational Security Entity, or NOSE.
Every persons face is defined by the measurements between certain points on the face: such as between the eyes, or jawbone to jawbone. We have decided to focus on the area above the top lip, but below and between the eyes. This is where NOSE comes in. This area on the face is unique in each individual, and this Facial Area and it's unique Recognition Trait gave rise to FART.
As we implement this system throughout the world, we envisage that each FART system will be accompanied by a NOSE. Each NOSE will be structured to make it unique to each country's requirements. Yet each NOSE will still be a part of the parent company. Therefore, we can see a time when each nation will have its'own individual NOSE, sensitive to its' own FARTs, and able to pick the difference between its own FARTs and its neighbours' FARTs.
Naturally, this means that each country will have it's own unique NOSE. Some NOSEs will be big, some will be small and some countries will be more sensitive about their NOSE than other countries, and some countries will not like to talk about their NOSE at all. This is all incidental, as in the long run, each NOSE will be focussing on detecting as many FARTs as possible.
Of course, it goes without saying that individuals who do not wish to be detected will attempt to hide their FARTs in any way they can, In fact, we at NOSE have already witnessed attempts by individuals to hide FARTs by coughing, (hand over mouth), sneezing, or even by singing loudly. Needless to say, you can't hide your FART from our NOSE! In fact, a good NOSE, no matter what nationality, can detect a FART from across a crowded room, so if you have a FART, we will know about it!!
Certain situations are of course better for the detection of FARTs than others, for instance, it is difficult to hide a FART in an elevator, or a taxi, because both are enclosed spaces with a limited number of occupants, and they are all facing the one direction with no room to move. No FART can go undetected. Also, as we all know, all FARTs are individual, so after a time, when NOSEs from around the world have collected enough FARTs, we will be able to track an individual's movements by his FARTs alone.
As you can see, the future of criminal investigation will very likely comprise a bunch of expert NOSEs looking at old FARTs to determine if they are relevant to a particular situation.
Finally, I am often asked, as an expert NOSE, if there are any particular FARTs that are memorable in any way. Naturally, I don't like to talk about individual FARTs, but I can honestly say that there are one or two FARTs that always bring a smile to my face, especially late at night when I am relaxing after a good meal. This is one of the pleasures of my work.
Thank you for your time today, and the next time you are sitting in an airliner late at night, just remember; your FART is being detected by a NOSE somewhere."
Saturday, 26 July 2014
Monday, 21 July 2014
Trust
There is a moment in any activity involving more than one entity, that defies all human logic. A moment when it is necessary to trust without question, to believe when you have every reason to doubt.
I have not ridden a horse in many years, and I was never an accomplished horseman at the best of times.In fact, my first boss still loves to ridicule me whenever we meet, reminding me how bad I was as a Jackaroo.
There is, however, one moment involved in riding horses that will never escape me. It will forever be burned into my memory. It did not happen often for me, because I was tall, and for some it happened so often that perhaps it became common-place and not memorable at all. For me, it remains a pivotal point in horsemanship.
You stand, ready to mount, reins in left hand and grasping the pommel. Your right hand grips the saddles' rear, and you are ready to lift yourself into the saddle. Normally, at this point, your left foot goes into the stirrup and with a little double jump, you push and pull yourself into the saddle.
Sometimes, however, it is a world of difference. Sometimes, as you stand there, left hand grasping reins, right hand on the saddle facing into the horses' side, you are approached from behind. You bend your left leg at the knee, backwards. Your bent leg is grasped at the ankle and you are BOOSTED into the saddle...swinging your right leg effortlessly over the horse and saddle and settled easily into your seat.
Now your trust has been transferred from Mother Earth, to horse, through the action of trust in another's grasp and strength, their power transferred to you by an act of generosity on their part.
Any team sport, any business transaction, any relationship with a loved one, even buying a cup of coffee, all involve an act of trust, but the exhilaration happens when the trust involves you being "lifted" beyond your circumstances.
I have never forgotten the feeling of power from their grip, the lightness of being lifted, and the security of knowing that someone was below me, lifting me up, while my horse stood ready to take me and be a strength beneath me.
I never rode well, but I loved to ride.
I have not ridden a horse in many years, and I was never an accomplished horseman at the best of times.In fact, my first boss still loves to ridicule me whenever we meet, reminding me how bad I was as a Jackaroo.
There is, however, one moment involved in riding horses that will never escape me. It will forever be burned into my memory. It did not happen often for me, because I was tall, and for some it happened so often that perhaps it became common-place and not memorable at all. For me, it remains a pivotal point in horsemanship.
You stand, ready to mount, reins in left hand and grasping the pommel. Your right hand grips the saddles' rear, and you are ready to lift yourself into the saddle. Normally, at this point, your left foot goes into the stirrup and with a little double jump, you push and pull yourself into the saddle.
Sometimes, however, it is a world of difference. Sometimes, as you stand there, left hand grasping reins, right hand on the saddle facing into the horses' side, you are approached from behind. You bend your left leg at the knee, backwards. Your bent leg is grasped at the ankle and you are BOOSTED into the saddle...swinging your right leg effortlessly over the horse and saddle and settled easily into your seat.
Now your trust has been transferred from Mother Earth, to horse, through the action of trust in another's grasp and strength, their power transferred to you by an act of generosity on their part.
Any team sport, any business transaction, any relationship with a loved one, even buying a cup of coffee, all involve an act of trust, but the exhilaration happens when the trust involves you being "lifted" beyond your circumstances.
I have never forgotten the feeling of power from their grip, the lightness of being lifted, and the security of knowing that someone was below me, lifting me up, while my horse stood ready to take me and be a strength beneath me.
I never rode well, but I loved to ride.
Saturday, 19 July 2014
Who'd Want To Be A Billionaire?
I noted with interest the recent news that Elon Musk has released the design patents for the Tesla electric car into the public domain. This is Big News for electric car makers everywhere.
Mainstream media seems to have given this little attention, but it is the equivalent of Bill Gates releasing Windows 98, way back in (you guessed it) 1998, and saying to the whole computer world; "Ok, now we've done this, we are going to let you use all our programmes and designs for Windows 98 for free"
Car makers are now able to take Tesla's designs and use and develop them however they like...for free!!
Why would someone do that? Well, There's a few possibilities. How about these?
1. Elon Musk is a billionaire. He developed PayPal and sold it for many, many Pesos, so now he can afford to just give away stuff.
OR
2.He is rich enough, so now he can afford to be a philanthropist and help others.
OR
3.The patents are old and about to run out, so why not look good and give them away...good publicity!
WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!
But I can see why you're mistaken....let me explain.
1. Elon Musk is a billionaire...you don't get there by giving stuff away...unless you are going to get back a lot more than you gave away, in return.
2.Giving away patents is not an act of philanthropy. Giving away millions of bucks is philanthropy; Warren Buffett, at one point richer than Bill Gates, has given away HALF of his Billion dollars. That is philanthropy.
3. Even if the patents are old, they can be renewed, or sold. Musk does not need good publicity, he has half a dozen projects on the boil, not least of which is supplying the International Space Station with his own rocket.
No, there is a good reason (in MY mind and please remember, this is only MY opinion), that a smart man like Elon Musk does a seemingly foolish thing like this, and I am going to have to talk about Richard Branson to explain it.
Branson has been around since the early 1970s. When he launched Virgin Records, with Mike Oldfields' Tubular Bells as his labels' first album, Richard Branson already had half a dozen smaller entrepreneurial ventures under his belt. When you look back, though, it seems like everything up to and including Virgin Records, was aimless meandering on his part. This is because soon after, the Virgin brand became inextricably linked with transport. Outside the United kingdom, we have only heard of Virgin Airlines, but before that were Virgin Mini-cabs and Virgin Rail.
Richard Branson decided that people would tolerate fewer frills on their transport if it got them there cheaper.
Richard Branson is a great believer in finding existing systems that people use a lot, and finding ways to do it cheaper. As a result, he has gradually built an empire that is based around transport, until it reached a level where it is so big, and so stable, that he can now step up a level and take on a high-risk, high-cost venture like Virgin Galactic, and build a budget space travel system. The big thing in this equation is reaching the "big enough to afford it" level. It's what I call "critical mass".
If Richard Bransons' Virgin Galactic, never makes ONE cent of profit, he will still be ok, because his businesses around the world are SO BIG, that they can carry that kind of loss. They are above "critical mass". They are big enough to survive being hit by a financial loss in Virgin Galactic. It has taken Branson a long time to get there, but he is now able to do original things in business, instead of just refining existing systems.
Elon Musk has reached that point a lot quicker than the founder and CEO of Virgin. This is in part because Musk has had the advantage of a computer industry that is expanding like a supernova, while he is himself a clever computer guy, and also because he is an original thinker instead of a "refiner", like Branson. When Musk made his billion, he immediately stepped sideways and took on a totally different project. He bought Tesla, a struggling electric car company, but he also got into the space race, and won the contract to supply the International Space Station with his cleverly thought out Space X Dragon capsule, and this is where the similarities to Richard Branson come in.
Most people think of space capsules as transportation for men, or as ways of getting satellites or supplies into space. The Space Shuttle could do all three, but was hideously expensive. Musk looked at the concept, and instead of seeing a car, or a truck....he saw a dual-cab pick-up truck. Big enough for a bunch of people, or able to carry a ton of stuff.. And you can re-use it by putting it on a reusable rocket. He found a way to "refine an existing system"
So what does this have to do with the Tesla patents?
Well, when the Tesla patents were released to everyone, it also meant that Tesla itself could use them, and the improvements that other people made to them. So when another inventor improves on a Tesla design for free, I think that Tesla can also use that improvement, without having to spend a cent on research themselves. Of course Tesla will still do their own research, but if 100 others are working on the same idea, then Mr Musk suddenly has a research department that is much bigger than it used to be.
Elon Musk has found a way to refine the patent system to his own benefit, and I think that the next Tesla will be seriously amazing.
Let us see if I'm right.
Thanks for bearing with me....
Mainstream media seems to have given this little attention, but it is the equivalent of Bill Gates releasing Windows 98, way back in (you guessed it) 1998, and saying to the whole computer world; "Ok, now we've done this, we are going to let you use all our programmes and designs for Windows 98 for free"
Car makers are now able to take Tesla's designs and use and develop them however they like...for free!!
Why would someone do that? Well, There's a few possibilities. How about these?
1. Elon Musk is a billionaire. He developed PayPal and sold it for many, many Pesos, so now he can afford to just give away stuff.
OR
2.He is rich enough, so now he can afford to be a philanthropist and help others.
OR
3.The patents are old and about to run out, so why not look good and give them away...good publicity!
WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!
But I can see why you're mistaken....let me explain.
1. Elon Musk is a billionaire...you don't get there by giving stuff away...unless you are going to get back a lot more than you gave away, in return.
2.Giving away patents is not an act of philanthropy. Giving away millions of bucks is philanthropy; Warren Buffett, at one point richer than Bill Gates, has given away HALF of his Billion dollars. That is philanthropy.
3. Even if the patents are old, they can be renewed, or sold. Musk does not need good publicity, he has half a dozen projects on the boil, not least of which is supplying the International Space Station with his own rocket.
No, there is a good reason (in MY mind and please remember, this is only MY opinion), that a smart man like Elon Musk does a seemingly foolish thing like this, and I am going to have to talk about Richard Branson to explain it.
Branson has been around since the early 1970s. When he launched Virgin Records, with Mike Oldfields' Tubular Bells as his labels' first album, Richard Branson already had half a dozen smaller entrepreneurial ventures under his belt. When you look back, though, it seems like everything up to and including Virgin Records, was aimless meandering on his part. This is because soon after, the Virgin brand became inextricably linked with transport. Outside the United kingdom, we have only heard of Virgin Airlines, but before that were Virgin Mini-cabs and Virgin Rail.
Richard Branson decided that people would tolerate fewer frills on their transport if it got them there cheaper.
Richard Branson is a great believer in finding existing systems that people use a lot, and finding ways to do it cheaper. As a result, he has gradually built an empire that is based around transport, until it reached a level where it is so big, and so stable, that he can now step up a level and take on a high-risk, high-cost venture like Virgin Galactic, and build a budget space travel system. The big thing in this equation is reaching the "big enough to afford it" level. It's what I call "critical mass".
If Richard Bransons' Virgin Galactic, never makes ONE cent of profit, he will still be ok, because his businesses around the world are SO BIG, that they can carry that kind of loss. They are above "critical mass". They are big enough to survive being hit by a financial loss in Virgin Galactic. It has taken Branson a long time to get there, but he is now able to do original things in business, instead of just refining existing systems.
Elon Musk has reached that point a lot quicker than the founder and CEO of Virgin. This is in part because Musk has had the advantage of a computer industry that is expanding like a supernova, while he is himself a clever computer guy, and also because he is an original thinker instead of a "refiner", like Branson. When Musk made his billion, he immediately stepped sideways and took on a totally different project. He bought Tesla, a struggling electric car company, but he also got into the space race, and won the contract to supply the International Space Station with his cleverly thought out Space X Dragon capsule, and this is where the similarities to Richard Branson come in.
Most people think of space capsules as transportation for men, or as ways of getting satellites or supplies into space. The Space Shuttle could do all three, but was hideously expensive. Musk looked at the concept, and instead of seeing a car, or a truck....he saw a dual-cab pick-up truck. Big enough for a bunch of people, or able to carry a ton of stuff.. And you can re-use it by putting it on a reusable rocket. He found a way to "refine an existing system"
So what does this have to do with the Tesla patents?
Well, when the Tesla patents were released to everyone, it also meant that Tesla itself could use them, and the improvements that other people made to them. So when another inventor improves on a Tesla design for free, I think that Tesla can also use that improvement, without having to spend a cent on research themselves. Of course Tesla will still do their own research, but if 100 others are working on the same idea, then Mr Musk suddenly has a research department that is much bigger than it used to be.
Elon Musk has found a way to refine the patent system to his own benefit, and I think that the next Tesla will be seriously amazing.
Let us see if I'm right.
Thanks for bearing with me....
Tuesday, 15 July 2014
Politcians and FEEAARR!!!
Has anyone noticed how just lately there has been a lessening in the amount of fear-mongering by politicians around the globe??
It is a well-known fact that politics thrives when people are afraid, and naturally, politicians are aware of this and act accordingly. In Queensland we have had the Anti-Bikie Association Laws, which, for better or worse, have increased the police presence and also reduced crime, while alienating whole sections of the community.
The United States has been pushing the Terrorist fears, as well as the Russian/Ukraine threat of war, and then of course there is the Iraq situation which is dragging the U.S. back into the Middle East far too soon.
The interesting thing, though, is that in the last 2 weeks, all this has faded away...but why?
World Cup.
The media love a good story, and the World Cup of Football gives them plenty, so they don't want some drama in a far-away country giving them grief. Far better to ignore that and focus on the soccer, and all the drama associated with that.
Let's just watch and see what happens now that the Big Show is over.The political players know that it is pointless trying to have a fear campaign when a major feel-good event is on; witness the relative calm news-wise during the Olympics. So they shut up shop until it's over.
It's not as though the events don't continue; Russia is still pressuring the Ukraine, Islamist militants are still murdering hundreds in Africa and the Middle East, but the politicians aren't yelling, and the media knows what sells. I can understand that, I even approve, on some level, because we all need a break from the horror occasionally, my problem is this;
Politicians obviously don't care about people as much as they say they do, otherwise they would be upset ALL the time....not just when they think they can get mileage out of the situation.
Back to normal with the fear factor now...let me know if I'm wrong...
It is a well-known fact that politics thrives when people are afraid, and naturally, politicians are aware of this and act accordingly. In Queensland we have had the Anti-Bikie Association Laws, which, for better or worse, have increased the police presence and also reduced crime, while alienating whole sections of the community.
The United States has been pushing the Terrorist fears, as well as the Russian/Ukraine threat of war, and then of course there is the Iraq situation which is dragging the U.S. back into the Middle East far too soon.
The interesting thing, though, is that in the last 2 weeks, all this has faded away...but why?
World Cup.
The media love a good story, and the World Cup of Football gives them plenty, so they don't want some drama in a far-away country giving them grief. Far better to ignore that and focus on the soccer, and all the drama associated with that.
Let's just watch and see what happens now that the Big Show is over.The political players know that it is pointless trying to have a fear campaign when a major feel-good event is on; witness the relative calm news-wise during the Olympics. So they shut up shop until it's over.
It's not as though the events don't continue; Russia is still pressuring the Ukraine, Islamist militants are still murdering hundreds in Africa and the Middle East, but the politicians aren't yelling, and the media knows what sells. I can understand that, I even approve, on some level, because we all need a break from the horror occasionally, my problem is this;
Politicians obviously don't care about people as much as they say they do, otherwise they would be upset ALL the time....not just when they think they can get mileage out of the situation.
Back to normal with the fear factor now...let me know if I'm wrong...
Sunday, 13 July 2014
The Glass Tree
 |
| GLASSIFOLIA TREMENS |
This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a photograph I took recently, of an extremely rare Australian native tree, called "Glassifolia Tremens" or the Glass Tree. The remarkable thing about this tree is that its leaves are completely invisible!!
Every Winter, the Glass Tree drops its summer foliage and sprouts a complete growth of fine, delicate, glass-like leaves that are completely invisible, and the story behind how this happens, how it was discovered by Europeans, and how it was forgotten by almost everyone, is quite amazing.
Strap yourselves in, because you may find some of this story hard to believe...
The Glass tree is only found in areas of sandy soil where a seed, lying dormant, is struck by lightning. As many people are aware, when lightning strikes sand, the area can be "glassified" and the silica in the sand turned to glass by the extreme heat generated by the strike.The seed, germinating in this environment, then grows into this remarkable tree.
In summer, the warmer soil dissipates the glass in the soil, and the tree develops large glossy green leaves that look remarkably like a frangipani. In winter, colder soil temperatures cause the glass to re-form, and the osmotic action of the trees' roots pull the glass into the system of the plant, and glass leaves are formed. A unique genetic factor reduces the glass molecules to a thinness so fine that they do not refract light, making them invisible.
Of course, we would know none of this, had the tree not been discovered by a rather remarkable, eccentric European explorer called Wilhelm Glassenhaf.
Glassenhaf was an Austrian engineer, with a passion for Botany. He arrived in Australia in the early to mid 1800's, and apart from his discovery of Glassifolia Tremens, and some of his later exploits, little is known of him.We do know that he was driven to Australia in a quest to fulfil the prediction of his close friend and mentor, a Dutch botanist named Pearce Lavver. Lavver, upon hearing of the unique nature of the flora in The Great South Land, predicted with great certainty that a tree would exist there which would have medicinal properties that would cure all sickness in mankind. Unfortunately, Lavver died soon after this announcement, and the young Glassenhaf, fired by his teachers' passion, vowed to prove him right.
No portraits or photographs of Wilhelm Glassenhaf have ever been discovered, but we can assume from his contemporary explorers that he had a beard and a tendency to wearing broad-brimmed hats. (see photograph). Having arrived in Sydney, Glassenhaf soon set off exploring the Blue Mountains in an effort to find the medicinal tree that Lavver had predicted would exist. This proved more difficult than he had anticipated and he soon returned to the settlement to muster support for his venture. While working at various projects in Sydney, it soon became apparent that Glassenhaf was both a brilliant engineer and a controversial one. It seems that Wilhelm often did his best work while under the influence of several alcoholic beverages. Naturally, this caused some argument among the people of the colony, with some saying that he should not be allowed to work, and others saying that it did not matter what condition he was in, if his work was good, then the settlement benefited. So intense was the debate over this subject, that it became quite common to hear people strike up conversations with strangers just so they could ask them; "So, are you a Glassenhaf full person, or a Glassenhaf empty person?". Often an argument would follow.
After several months, Glassenhaf had secured enough financial backing to resume his exploration of the bush, and it was on his first journey that his Aboriginal guide pointed out the tree that was to be his great discovery. Aborigines had always known of the tree, of course, but to them it was unimportant, as it was neither medicinal, nor poisonous. The wood was unsuitable for burning or making anything, and so it basically was of no interest and therefore not worth mentioning.Of course, to Europeans the tree was remarkable, but after a short time it became obvious that it was useless as a plant, and soon disappeared from memory. The one remaining memory that carried on from the tree, was that Glassenhaf, while examining the glass-like leaves, was almost bitten by a snake hiding in the foliage, because the invisible leaves naturally made anything hiding in them invisible. This close call caused Wilhelm to remark that one should always beware the "snake in the glass". The comment was later corrupted to the ridiculous "snake in the grass".
Ironically, the reason that Glassenhaf came to Australia in the first place, to discover the medicinal tree to honour his great mentor, always eluded Glassenhaf. It is said that in his later life, Wilhelm Glassenhaf often bemoaned the fact that in his entire time on the Australian continent, he never once found a Lavver Tree.
It is believed that this added to the perception that Australia was an uncivilised place.
After leaving Australia in the late 1800's, Glassenhaf returned to Europe and his original profession. As an engineer, he made a solid living for himself, and actually patented a unique mechanical process for treating milk, which was much used by confectionery manufacturers. In fact, one prominent chocolate maker advertised its' product as containing "Glassenhaf Full Cream Milk".
Wilhelm Glassenhaf died in 1903, leaving no living relatives. He was the last Glassenhaf.
The Glass tree is only found in areas of sandy soil where a seed, lying dormant, is struck by lightning. As many people are aware, when lightning strikes sand, the area can be "glassified" and the silica in the sand turned to glass by the extreme heat generated by the strike.The seed, germinating in this environment, then grows into this remarkable tree.
In summer, the warmer soil dissipates the glass in the soil, and the tree develops large glossy green leaves that look remarkably like a frangipani. In winter, colder soil temperatures cause the glass to re-form, and the osmotic action of the trees' roots pull the glass into the system of the plant, and glass leaves are formed. A unique genetic factor reduces the glass molecules to a thinness so fine that they do not refract light, making them invisible.
Of course, we would know none of this, had the tree not been discovered by a rather remarkable, eccentric European explorer called Wilhelm Glassenhaf.
Glassenhaf was an Austrian engineer, with a passion for Botany. He arrived in Australia in the early to mid 1800's, and apart from his discovery of Glassifolia Tremens, and some of his later exploits, little is known of him.We do know that he was driven to Australia in a quest to fulfil the prediction of his close friend and mentor, a Dutch botanist named Pearce Lavver. Lavver, upon hearing of the unique nature of the flora in The Great South Land, predicted with great certainty that a tree would exist there which would have medicinal properties that would cure all sickness in mankind. Unfortunately, Lavver died soon after this announcement, and the young Glassenhaf, fired by his teachers' passion, vowed to prove him right.
No portraits or photographs of Wilhelm Glassenhaf have ever been discovered, but we can assume from his contemporary explorers that he had a beard and a tendency to wearing broad-brimmed hats. (see photograph). Having arrived in Sydney, Glassenhaf soon set off exploring the Blue Mountains in an effort to find the medicinal tree that Lavver had predicted would exist. This proved more difficult than he had anticipated and he soon returned to the settlement to muster support for his venture. While working at various projects in Sydney, it soon became apparent that Glassenhaf was both a brilliant engineer and a controversial one. It seems that Wilhelm often did his best work while under the influence of several alcoholic beverages. Naturally, this caused some argument among the people of the colony, with some saying that he should not be allowed to work, and others saying that it did not matter what condition he was in, if his work was good, then the settlement benefited. So intense was the debate over this subject, that it became quite common to hear people strike up conversations with strangers just so they could ask them; "So, are you a Glassenhaf full person, or a Glassenhaf empty person?". Often an argument would follow.After several months, Glassenhaf had secured enough financial backing to resume his exploration of the bush, and it was on his first journey that his Aboriginal guide pointed out the tree that was to be his great discovery. Aborigines had always known of the tree, of course, but to them it was unimportant, as it was neither medicinal, nor poisonous. The wood was unsuitable for burning or making anything, and so it basically was of no interest and therefore not worth mentioning.Of course, to Europeans the tree was remarkable, but after a short time it became obvious that it was useless as a plant, and soon disappeared from memory. The one remaining memory that carried on from the tree, was that Glassenhaf, while examining the glass-like leaves, was almost bitten by a snake hiding in the foliage, because the invisible leaves naturally made anything hiding in them invisible. This close call caused Wilhelm to remark that one should always beware the "snake in the glass". The comment was later corrupted to the ridiculous "snake in the grass".
Ironically, the reason that Glassenhaf came to Australia in the first place, to discover the medicinal tree to honour his great mentor, always eluded Glassenhaf. It is said that in his later life, Wilhelm Glassenhaf often bemoaned the fact that in his entire time on the Australian continent, he never once found a Lavver Tree.
It is believed that this added to the perception that Australia was an uncivilised place.
After leaving Australia in the late 1800's, Glassenhaf returned to Europe and his original profession. As an engineer, he made a solid living for himself, and actually patented a unique mechanical process for treating milk, which was much used by confectionery manufacturers. In fact, one prominent chocolate maker advertised its' product as containing "Glassenhaf Full Cream Milk".
Wilhelm Glassenhaf died in 1903, leaving no living relatives. He was the last Glassenhaf.
Welcome
Hi Folks,
Welcome to My Place.
This is my response to those that have been encouraging me to write again, many of them for years....you know who you are.
Here you will find my mind wandering around, plucking at thoughts here and there. Occasionally it will settle down and have a serious discussion about a particular thought, but you are just as likely to come across a whimsical bit of nonsense, or simply my take on a topic which I feel is too involved for somewhere like Facebook. Don't start me on Twitter...90 characters is not even enough space to get warmed up. I tend to regard it as a kind of space for people who feel they have to share every single thought all the time and don't have the depth or patience to think about ways of expressing a thought. But that's just me...
Anyway, welcome to my Spot In Space, comments are welcome, and I will try to entertain.
Welcome to My Place.
This is my response to those that have been encouraging me to write again, many of them for years....you know who you are.
Here you will find my mind wandering around, plucking at thoughts here and there. Occasionally it will settle down and have a serious discussion about a particular thought, but you are just as likely to come across a whimsical bit of nonsense, or simply my take on a topic which I feel is too involved for somewhere like Facebook. Don't start me on Twitter...90 characters is not even enough space to get warmed up. I tend to regard it as a kind of space for people who feel they have to share every single thought all the time and don't have the depth or patience to think about ways of expressing a thought. But that's just me...
Anyway, welcome to my Spot In Space, comments are welcome, and I will try to entertain.
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