Category: mungenet

The backend was supplied and sponsored by IBM (they can’t promote this due to IOC contracts – and since their systems in Atlanta melted down, its a good thing for us!) It was an AIX 4.1 box running the Netscape Commerce server. The link to TelstraNet was 2Mbits – also provided by an IBM R&D; arm in Melbourne. The server only reached 20% utilisation which I found impressive as the hit count was extremely high (10K hits/hour) The fast server, sending out HTML (not heavy CGI munging) and a fast pipe resulted in a better site than the competition!

We were getting news (such as winning medals) posted to the site within a minute of the result occuring. In one case, where the Australian Women’s Hockey Team – the Hockeyroos – won a gold medal, we posted a story and picture within 10 seconds! Whilst not as “instant” as TV, people at work could keep up to date without losing their job! The site also had large amounts of background material that TV does not have the ‘time’ to usually show. Its interesting that newspapers are restricted to the size of the paper, TV restricted to time and the web is restricted to bandwidth.

We published an average of 20 pictures and 100 stories per day on this site – many of these stories are replaced and/or reprocessed; all within a 6 hour period. All stories and pictures were stored in a FileMaker Pro 3.0 database.

It was Frontier 4.0.1, however, that did all the hard HTML ‘munging’ work. It takes the data out of the FileMaker Pro 3.0 database and does some smart find-and-replacing from templates to generate the final HTML. Using Fetch, the results were sent to the Netscape-server via FTP. Frontier uses the AppleScript technology built into System 7.0 to get these other application to “do the job”. At last count, the ‘HTML-processing engine’ was Frontier is about 1000 lines of UserTalk; the database consists of 7 related tables.

The database system was built for flexibility. For instance, once it became clear that the IBM results service was, err, not as responsive as it could have been, we created our own “Australian Results” page. This was unplanned, but the database had the flexibility to build new parts of the overall web-structure within 10 minutes. I outlined the details of this Munge-machine at the ATS in Brisbane in August.

Brainwaave built all the HTML templates and did the design work. CGIs and Java were also supplied by Brainwaave. All I had to do was take the content from the database and process it into the correct templates. There are a couple of techniques I use; all rely on some nifty Frontier code to make work.

I have also scripted the picture-import and text-import process. Pictures are automatically uniquely named, sized (for WIDTH= & HEIGHT= commands) and thumbnails generated – again, from Frontier scripts.

As to the content; it come from Fairfax (Age and Sydney Morning Herald) journalists & photographers in Atlanta. The Photos were scanned and sent from 9500’s in Atlanta via ISDN to a set of Macintoshes in Sydney. These Macintoshes ran AppleScript scripts written by Fairfax to send them to Sun servers which run a series of picture databases. We pulled the pictures out of the database and processed them using Adobe Photoshop into an Internet-ready form (JPEG format) Some of the pictures were from Reuters and much of the ‘breaking news text’ is from Australia Associated Press wires. These pictures/stories are replaced with Fairfax content where possible.

Picture previews were stored in the FileMaker database so that when pictures were assigned to stories, we actually saw the picture. Saved on mistakes!

Text came out of Fairfax’s Tandem-mainframe running the SII INL newspaper publication system. A PC took a serial feed from the SII and ftp’d the text files to a Macintosh 8100/80 running Peter Lewis’s NetPresenz. Frontier read these files, stripped unwanted characters/formatting, and added them to the FileMaker database.

The Filemaker database stores the text and pictures in a way that allowed us to ‘assign’ them to locations within the web site. Frontier took the database and ‘mixed in’ the templates and generated the final HTML.

The search server was Starnine WebSTAR running on an Power Macintosh 8500/150 with the Apple eg ACGI. I wrote a Frontier script that took the raw .html from the main IBM server and ‘replicated’ it to the Macintosh 8500 for indexing. If a user found a story that matched their search, they were re-directed to the main IBM AIX server.

The ‘listserv’ – or Newsflash! as we called it, used Starnine ListSTAR/Apple Internet Mail Server on another Power Macintosh 8500/150 and a Quadra 650. At the end of the Games, we had 1017 subscribers on the list. I pushed for the listserv as a method of ‘pushing’ information out to people who were interested -and- a way of attracting people back to the site. The ListSTAR server was easy to create and manage and I would really recommend it.

The Macintosh 8100/80 was also running the VICOM Internet gateway; all the Macintoshes in Atlanta Web central were on a 10baseT Ethernet network; and the server had a 28.8K PPP connection to Brainwaave and subsequently TelstraNet. Using this gateway, all the Macs have access to the Internet.

So, could all of this be done with Windows? Probably, but not with the integration of multiple small applictions from different sources into a cohesive system – all within 2 person-weeks.

Background

In June 1996 Apple Computer Australia, Fairfax Publications, Brainwaave Communications, IBM, Comtech, Netscape began the Fairfax@Atlanta (1996) project.

In Australia, sport is a national pastime. Our sporting heroes are more revered than movie stars or rock musicians. Therefore, the Olympics is a 4 year feast to all sporting-mad Australians. Boxing, Cycling, Diving – and the list goes on – present a smorgasboard of viewing to the sports fan.

Fairfax Publications, one of the companies in the Fairfax empire (which includes The Sydney Morning Herald, Financial Review, The Age, Sunday Age and the Sun Herald), decided to marry the Internet with the Olympics.

Fairfax@Atlanta

was one of four Australian-team focused web sites. The nearest competitor was Inside Atlanta run by News Interactive, a company in the Murdoch News Corp empire. Other web sites were much smaller, and usually later with the news and information. Basically, it was a two horse race. As reported in Australian PCWEEK, Fairfax@Atlanta (1996) won gold for the Australian Olympic site.

Apple’s role and positioning was to gain experience with web-publishing on a grand scale; that is, outside of the PageMill/SiteMill level. Apple sponsored the site with my time (Nick Hodge) over a 5 week period; along with a bevy of hardware and software technology.

Initial analysis of the requirements of a “web publishing system” -and the intended volumes scared the hell out of me. No off-the-shelf tools exist for web publishing in this volume within this time scale.

Statistically, we finished up publishing 1,300 documents and 700+ pictures. On our peak days we began at 4:00am and completed work at about 2:00pm. Within this period, about 100 text items and 20 pictures were posted to the site. All links and structure were automatically generated as part of the publishing process.

Background:

Jon Casimir, a respected journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald interviewed Neil Finn on May 19th.

As Jon is a friend of mine, I proposed the following: why not see what questions the member of the “Tongue in the Mail” maillist would like to ask Neil … Jon being very ‘net savvy agreed!

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Results:

Jon Casimir’s first article appeared in Wednesday 20th May’s Sydney Morning Herald: Out of the house, Neil Finds a New Muse

There is an article slated for the “Metro” section of the Sydney Morning Herald in about 4 weeks time. Stay tuned.

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My Question for Neil:

‘Try Whistling This’ marks a transition from the acoustic ‘Finn’ album to a more digital sound; how has the digital age altered your craftmanship?

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Here are the Questions Submitted:

With Crowded House it often felt like attempts to be loud and rocky never quite came off, they sounded kind of self-conscious and polite, wheras on your new album it seems to happen much more easily and successfully – what changes have brought this about?

Though I’m sure everyone else will be asking this – why funky dancey grooves now when you’ve never used anything like that before in 20 yrs of making music? is it the radical development it sounds like with respect to your previous work or just a different feel to experiment with?

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Why is Twisty Bass called Twisty Bass?

What event/s inspired the song Try Whistling This?

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I’m a songwriter, and would like to ask Neil which instrument he composes on primarily, and what kind of acoustic guitar(s) he has in his home/studio (not looking for brand endorsement; I just know that there’s usually a single favorite guitar that’s usually close at hand for songwriters).

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How do you see your writing abilities progressing now the new album has been released and was the split of Crowded House any inspiration to the writing of your new material ? How do you feel when you hear Split Enz come on the radio these days ?

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One feature of all your work to date has been the banter at your live shows, either with Tim or with Paul or Nick. Is that changing now you’re solo, or have you already got a ‘banter groove’ happening with your band? And will you be encouraging paper planes?

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The new album is really impressive. What Iâve found interesting is how much my 14 year-old daughter loves your new material. How do you feel about reaching such a young audience and how have you maintained this appeal over the last 20 years?

There are always a group of lines in your songs that, along with a goosebump inducing melody, really stand out, hit home and play on the mind. Do you start with these lines and build the song around them or do you start from the top and they follow naturally from the original idea?

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How do you feel about the success and recognition you’ve earned?

Do you yearn for more high-profile, world-wide recognition (i.e. American success)?

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John Lennon is supposed to have said (about music): “If it’s real, it’s simple usually. And if it’s simple, it’s true.” It is bound to be possible to achieve this no matter what technology you avail yourself of to make your recorded music. It is. It’s not the arrangements or approach or even structure of the song that makes this happen. So what is it? What makes something ring true? And something not? Even different projects by the same person. What do you think is the essence of this simplicity?

Can you have strong personal ambition for your musical career and still maintain integrity as an artist?

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Each time we hear about the death of a celebrity, more recently Linda McCartney – and bearing in mind your contribution to the Princess Diana tribute album – do you ever feel inspired to write songs for the recently departed?

How do you react when a fellow musician/artist has played you a really good demo (or live version) of a new song of theirs and then when you hear the final version, it has been over produced – even ruined – in the studio? Do you tell them what you think?

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When you are in the studio, how much of a perfectionist are you? i.e., do you find yourself recording vocals or other parts over and over again until you get it “just right”? Has your level of perfectionism changed over time in your career (are you more or less of a perfectionist now)?

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How does the sound of the new album compare with Crowded House? Did you intentionally start out writing songs that would not sound like Crowded House, did the difference largely come out in the studio, or are there compelling similarities between your solo work and Crowded House albums?

Tim visited Burlington, Vermont in 1989/90, opening for 10,000 Manaics. Have you ever considered visiting or, better yet, playing here?

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Do you wish to write an album with any other artists in the future?

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In terms of Crowded House, would the songs ‘Black and White Boy’ and ‘In My Command’ and ‘Instinct’ best represent your new songs?

I can’t remember you having any one word titles for your songs. It is the kind of thing i’d expect to see on an REM, Pearl Jam or Radiohead album. Is this because you have focused more on the music and worried less about the lyrics?

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From Split Enz, with songs like ‘Years Go By’ ‘Voices’ ‘History Never Repeats’ and through Crowded House with ‘Love This Life’ ‘Distant Sun’ ‘Private Universe’ ‘Everything Is Good For You’ and ‘Instinct’ for example, it seems you take life as it comes, always looking at the past while wondering what the future holds in a light-hearted manner, while cherishing those special places and moments in your life. Is this true in any way?

The songs ‘Kare Kare’ and ‘Private Universe’ could not have summed up better the place attachment I have to our families bach in the Marlborough Sounds, and the general scenery, memories and atmosphere present there. Is ‘Private Universe’ about place attachment to you?

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Neil, even though you have been a solo songwriter for much of your career, you have always been a musical collaborator with your brother or with a band. How different was writing and recording this solo album from those experiences? Were you expecting to feel more liberated and able to carry through on your own vision, or did you miss the sounding boards that you used to work with?

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Any plans for a few shows in the US?

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How does the sound of the new album compare with Crowded House? Did you intentionally start out writing songs that would not sound like Crowded House, did the difference largely come out in the studio, or are there compelling similarities between your solo work and Crowded House albums?”

Tim visited Burlington, Vermont in 1989/90, opening for 10,000 Manaics. Have you ever considered visiting or, better yet, playing here?

September 89	As part of honeymoon, visited Apple Computer headquarters in Cupertino, California. Visited Apple Pacific and liaised with AppleCentre task force team and shopped at the “company store”.
April-September 1991	Moved from Technical Support Manager to Corporate Systems Engineer, responsible for Beneficial Finance, BHP Whyalla, Kinhill Engineers, Australian Submarine Corporation, F. H. Faulding & Co, and CRA Exploration. This role involved the all technical aspects of Macintosh usage in these corporates. Regular newsletters and fact sheets were also compiled and sent out, along with Corporate User Group Meetings and one-on-one technical sessions with their Technical Staff. Early experimentation with Ethernet, QuickMail, Apple’s A/UX and other technically challenging products pioneered at AppleCentre Adelaide were introduced to these Corporates and in many cases adopted as Corporate platforms. This role, whilst extending to September 1991, involved levels of Account Management and liaison with developers and distributors in Australia and the US. Close ties were created with Tri Data Communications, Keyway (now Conexus), Apple Sydney and Melbourne.
December 88	Completed writing chapter for the book “Tricks of the HyperTalk Masters” about using HyperCard as a front end tool to communications services. This book was published in 89 by the Waite Group, Mann County, USA. (ISBN 0-672-48431-5)
November 88	Employed and Trained new Technical Support team members. August 88 Appointed Manager of Technical Support at Random Access.
January 88	Appointed prime Technical Support contact for the Australian Submarine Corporation. This included daily liaison with Kay Lindley, PC & OA Supervisor and Brian Musker, MIS Manager.
September 87	Attended Apple Service Training in Sydney, achieving Level 1 Accreditation for Macintosh II hardware.
January 87	Moved from Sales to join the one man Technical Support team as a trainee Technical Support Analyst. In 1987 the world of Macintosh was just about to explode into ethernet networks, open systems with the Macintosh II and AppleShare. Supported Apple platforms ranged from the Macintosh, to the Apple II, to the rare Apple III.
August 86	Achieved highest sales in the month.
January 86	Commenced work at Random Access as a Junior Trainee Salesman. Job roles included store management and initial customer contact.

June 1990	As Systems Engineer with AppleCentre Adelaide, provided prime Technical contact for the Co-operative Group bid. AppleCentre Adelaide won this bid over IBM Australia as “it was the safer choice”. This bid involved the integration of a network of Macintoshes into an IBM 4381 host.
April 1990	Attended “A/UX Systems Administration” course at Apple Computer, Sydney.
February 1990	Appointed AppleCentre “Building the Difference” Trainer/Motivator for AppleCentre Adelaide. Attended training course in Sydney in April.

December 1993	Created client/server EIS/Query system called “Sherlock”. Written using VICOM. Macintosh front end displays data and executes Oracle SQL queries. Sherlock also integrates agent-based architecture into Random Access electronic mail system.
December 1993	Sold 200 licenses of VICOM into E&WS after extensive testing of TN3270 emulation at E&WS to Tandem Cyclone and ETSA IBM Mainframe.
November 1993	Installed a uucp-style connection to connect.com. Installed Mail, UseNet news and other services on a Random Access’ Sun server.
September 1993 – October 1993	Assisted DPA Computing in installation of new Sun/Oracle based School Management system for Walford CEGS.
August 1993 – September 1993	Part of team at Random Access Consulting that outsourced to the Cooperative Group in Macintosh, Windows, Netware and IBM Mainframe technical support.
September 1993	Started Newton development research for inhouse projects and evaluation for external consulting.
September 1993	Attended Apple Workgroup Server training, in Sydney.
September 1993	Project Managed and implemented cut over from old single user accounting system to new multiuser Sun/Oracle CFACS system. September was a $1.4 million revenue month for Random Access, very close to the company’s record at that time.
August 1993 – August 1994	Appointed as Technical Consultant and Technical presenter to Technology in Management project at the Douglas Mawson Institute of TAFE. This course will presented over 5 days in March 1994. This project is a joint venture between Random Access Consulting and Douglas Mawson Institute of TAFE.
August 1993	Consulted to Young & Rubicam for Desktop strategy in Melbourne. Also assisted in technical considerations in move to new building in early 1994.
June 1993	Presented Macintosh Futures Debriefing from the Apple World Wide Developers Conference to senior management of Random Access customers.
May 1993	Provided technical Consultation to IPEC Group in the integration of Macintoshes into their Delivery Note EDI system.
May 1993	Attended Apple World Wide Developer Conference, San Jose, USA. The WWDC is a once a year seminar where Apple present their technologies such as System 7, PowerPC and Newton to their developer community.
April 1993	Attended Windows NT Technical Seminar presented in Adelaide by Microsoft Australia.
April 1993	Provided Technical Consultation to CSIRO Division of Soils in Macintosh to Unix/TCP/IP integration.
April 1993	Assisted Mike Seyfang and Fujitsu Australia with the integration of Macintoshes into Novell Netware network and Unix-based PICK system at the City of Henley & Grange.
April 1993	Sold a volume license of VICOM for TV1950 emulation to the E&WS Department.
March 1993	Chose CFACS as product of choice for Random Access Pty Ltd’s new accounting system. Attended training at Cedardata.
March 1993	Attended Quality Auditor’s Course presented by Aptech Australia.
February 1993	Random Access Consulting appointed Australian and New Zealand distributor of VICOM. VICOM is a front ending tool for the Macintosh, written in the UK.
February 1993	Consulted to the Australian Submarine Corporation in Macintosh integration using DECWindows XWindows protocol.
January 1993	Attended the MacWorld Exposition, San Francisco, USA. MacWorld is a one of two major events in the Macintosh community for the display of products and services.

December 1993	Created client/server EIS/Query system called “Sherlock”. Written using VICOM. Macintosh front end displays data and executes Oracle SQL queries. Sherlock also integrates agent-based architecture into Random Access electronic mail system.
December 1993	Sold 200 licenses of VICOM into E&WS after extensive testing of TN3270 emulation at E&WS to Tandem Cyclone and ETSA IBM Mainframe.
November 1993	Installed a uucp-style connection to connect.com. Installed Mail, UseNet news and other services on a Random Access’ Sun server.
September 1993 – October 1993	Assisted DPA Computing in installation of new Sun/Oracle based School Management system for Walford CEGS.
August 1993 – September 1993	Part of team at Random Access Consulting that outsourced to the Cooperative Group in Macintosh, Windows, Netware and IBM Mainframe technical support.
September 1993	Started Newton development research for inhouse projects and evaluation for external consulting.
September 1993	Attended Apple Workgroup Server training, in Sydney.
September 1993	Project Managed and implemented cut over from old single user accounting system to new multiuser Sun/Oracle CFACS system. September was a $1.4 million revenue month for Random Access, very close to the company’s record at that time.
August 1993 – August 1994	Appointed as Technical Consultant and Technical presenter to Technology in Management project at the Douglas Mawson Institute of TAFE. This course will presented over 5 days in March 1994. This project is a joint venture between Random Access Consulting and Douglas Mawson Institute of TAFE.
August 1993	Consulted to Young & Rubicam for Desktop strategy in Melbourne. Also assisted in technical considerations in move to new building in early 1994.
June 1993	Presented Macintosh Futures Debriefing from the Apple World Wide Developers Conference to senior management of Random Access customers.
May 1993	Provided technical Consultation to IPEC Group in the integration of Macintoshes into their Delivery Note EDI system.
May 1993	Attended Apple World Wide Developer Conference, San Jose, USA. The WWDC is a once a year seminar where Apple present their technologies such as System 7, PowerPC and Newton to their developer community.
April 1993	Attended Windows NT Technical Seminar presented in Adelaide by Microsoft Australia.
April 1993	Provided Technical Consultation to CSIRO Division of Soils in Macintosh to Unix/TCP/IP integration.
April 1993	Assisted Mike Seyfang and Fujitsu Australia with the integration of Macintoshes into Novell Netware network and Unix-based PICK system at the City of Henley & Grange.
April 1993	Sold a volume license of VICOM for TV1950 emulation to the E&WS Department.
March 1993	Chose CFACS as product of choice for Random Access Pty Ltd’s new accounting system. Attended training at Cedardata.
March 1993	Attended Quality Auditor’s Course presented by Aptech Australia.
February 1993	Random Access Consulting appointed Australian and New Zealand distributor of VICOM. VICOM is a front ending tool for the Macintosh, written in the UK.
February 1993	Consulted to the Australian Submarine Corporation in Macintosh integration using DECWindows XWindows protocol.
January 1993	Attended the MacWorld Exposition, San Francisco, USA. MacWorld is a one of two major events in the Macintosh community for the display of products and services.

November 2001	Right Tools for the Job Roadshow, incorporating a special “Adobe for Developers Session”
June-August 2001	Assistance to ACP in evaluation of InDesign and Photoshop as a mechanism for changing internal design workflows. Resulted in ACP purchasing InDesign and other Adobe products. InDesign now implemented across all 50+ titles.
May 2001	PacPrint, Melbourne
April 2001	Paid-for events in Singapore, Malaysia and India
February 2001	Premiere 6.0 Roadshow, New Zealand and Australia

December 1994	Acheived Compaq Accredited Systems Engineer status.
December 1994	Passed External Quality Compliance Audit performed by Quality Assurance Services. 8 of 19 Corrective Actions closed, only 11 Minor Discrepancies raised.
December 1994	Attended Compaq Novell Advanced Performance Integration course, Sydney. Achieved highest marks in the class.
October 1994	Team Leader for Random Access Consulting – appointed three new staff members: Brian Forte’, Phil Dempster and Gary Smith. Assigned job roles, assisted in helping them transition to a consulting environment
October 1994	Achieved Certified Netware Engineer Status.
September 1994	Appointed Quality Manager, Random Access Adelaide.
September 1994	Implemented VICOM for Comcare in Canberra. Involved a small front-end development, and problem solving Unix and Tandem operating system issues.
August 1994	Attended Advanced Netware 4.0 Administration Course, Comtech, Adelaide. Passed Drake CNE certification exam September 1994.
July to September 1994	Assisted Digital Equipment Corporation in implementing Macintosh integration to new electronic messaging system and the Internet.
July to August 1994	Prepared a report for the board of Phillips Fox detailing a technical strategy for the implementation of: WAN, Unix server, new document management application, new word processor and electronic niail application.
June 1994	Achieved Distinction for Financial Management in Post-Graduate Diploma of Management/MBA with Deakin University.
May 1994	Completed First stage of a project for Young & Rubicam. Included Local Area Network cabling vendor Request for Tender documents, and Wide Area Network design. This project included communication with New York head office, selection of network infrastructure providors and exposure to Etherswitching and Frame Relay technologies.
March 1994	Completed a preliminary prototype of a query system into the Oracle-based QCIS application for ASC. Project included a written report being prepared for MIS Management on the impact of such systems. System written using the VICOM application’s scripting language.
March 1994	Completed a Performance Monitoring System for E&WS’s Tandem-based applications. System written using the VICOM application’s scripting language.
March 1994	Presented version 6.0 of the Macintosh Support Expert Course at Random Access, Perth.
February 1994	Attended Novell Netware 4.0 Administrator’s Course. Passed Exam and achieved “Certified Netware Administrator” status.
January 1994	Commenced Post-Graduate Diploma of Management/MBA with Deakin University.
January 1994	Assisted Colliers Jardine design a wide area network for Sydney, and the integration of their existing Ethernet/Token Ring Novell network with Macintoshes.

December 1995 to January 1996	Consulting, Fairfax Publications, Golden Master cleaning up the Macintoshes
November 1995	Sales Conference, New Orleans
August 1995	Attended Enterprise Selling Course, Barry Freeman and Associates.
1995	Present Strategic Presentations to key Apple customers throughout Australia.
1995 – 1998	Various technical escalation issues: DHCP Fed Ags, MacTCP Optus Vision, Equitilink, Billy Blue
August 1995	Apple Technology Symposium 1995: Networking (Novell, Macintoshes, Internet connection, Switched network), Delivering update on N&C/Development Tools for Macintosh; MacIS Response. Keynote assistance
July 1995	Attended Summer Camp, San Diego, US
May 1995	Technical contact for winning OptusVision deal for Apple.
April 1995	Assisted various resellers with complex Macintosh integration issues.
April 1995	Responsible for “MacIS Top 10” response at August Apple Technology Symposium.
April 1995	Joined Apple Computer Australia in Sydney as a National Systems Engineer, focusing on Networking and Communications integration.
January 1995	Project Manager and Technical Lead for installation of Netware at Colliers Jardine, Adelaide. Included PC and Macintosh to Unix integration.
January – February 1995	Implemented a ccMail to QuickMail gateway for CelsiusTech, Australia.