Bangkok Holiday New Camera

About a week ago I finally made it to Bangkok, Thailand for the first time.

I have been looking around for a good digital SLR camera for a while and I wanted to check out the CANON 550D. I ended up buying the CANON Kiss X4 (identical to the 550D but this one is the Japanese version). I have never owned a DSLR so I did some research before I went and I checked out all the prices on ebay and in my local camera stores etc. Long story short, I bought the Camera plus a bunch of accessories including 3 different (basic) lenses for about half the price of what it would have cost me in Brisbane.

I did what I'm sure every person does when they buy a new camera and went out and took about 1000 photos in the first couple of days. Here are a few that I like more than the others.


This is the standard "Oh my I can do long exposure I'm going to try it out on the traffic at night" shot. I made the effort of walking all of about 20 metres away from our hotel to take this one.


This was actually harder than I thought it would be, turns out fish don't like things hovering above their heads and every time you get over the top of them the shoot off underneath the nearest ledge. I also found trying to avoid glare on the water was a bit of a nightmare.


We were having Yum Cha (one of my favourite foods) in Brunei and I was playing around with shortening the focus to just one item. I am loving playing around with my new toy.


I wanted to see how clear I could get a cityscape image from the rooftop, but I'd only had my camera for all of about 2 hours so I didn't want to try my luck sitting the little tripod on the rail of the rooftop where I was standing. This one was shot by hand, I tried to frame the neon sign of the neighbouring hotel.


There are about 1000 more shots from my week long holiday, I'll try to sift through and find a few more favourites. I think I'll have to make another blog post pretty soon.

Please feel free to leave any constructive criticism on my pictures, I can assure you I have been practising and the next ones to come will be a considerable improvement.

If you are on Twitter make sure to say hi and introduce yourself if you add me @rhyscooper

www.doophone.com is up!

I'm super proud to be able to say that thanks to Stephen Kelly, the Doo Phone is going to be launched in a few months time. And now we've got the site up at www.doophone.com so you can go and check it out.



It's been a real journey working on the Doo Phone and it's really had some ups and downs. But this deal takes the cake, it means that the Doo Phone is going to be publicly available so that the people who I've been working so hard for are going to be able to benefit from it.

The site has been up for less than 2 days and it's already had more hits than this blog has since I started. But who am I to complain. This is great news, and we've already got our first confirmed pre-order for the Doo Phone.

Feel free to let me know your thoughts.

My new favorite timelapse

The making of is the funniest clip I've seen in ages. Thanks to papi for posting this on his myspace page ;) Meanwhile I am getting so lazy with this blog thing, must start to make more effort soon.

60 days of GYM (day 15)

Ok, so I've still been going to the gym, I made it there another 3 times last week. I'm really loving the atmosphere at Sporting Wheelies Gym. In the past I've never really been into going to the gym but everyone is so friendly and non-competitive. I've even lost a kilo.

In other news, my life is going gang busters (in the best way), which means I'm working even more. The Doo Mobile deal is going swimmingly and I'm confident that my work is really going to pay off. We also got some great advice on how to take the Doo Phone to market. I've never been in this position and am not really sure how to feel about it all, I'm super excited but also pretty stressed out at the same time.

Then I get an email about another project I'm really passionate about but it's a little bit secret squirrel at the moment, so I'll tell more about it in about a month once I know how it goes.

I had really better get back to work, so many things to do.

I don't think I'm going to twitter about this post (it's not that exciting) but I'm posting it for the sake of #GAS.

If we've never met before feel free to contact me on twitter @rhyscooper

60 days of GYM (Day 5)

Lately I've been finding myself working ridiculous hours both on my company and in my role as being a lifestyle support worker. I've pretty much devoted my life to making change in the lives of people with disabilities. I found that if I work myself too hard I only end up becoming less and less effective because I don't have the brain power left to make the right decisions any more.

Long story short, I've decided that I need to make more of an effort to look after myself. I set myself the goal to go to the gym as much as possible (within reason) over the next two months. I started on the 1st of this month, and I was surprised to see how much change it made straight away. I hadn't slept properly for about 4 days and after just 1 hour 30mins in the gym, I slept like a log for 12 hours straight. I woke up feeling so good the next morning I felt like going to the gym again the next day (until I tried to get up and realised how sore my whole body was).

My second gym session was on Wednesday 3rd, I was testing out my limit on the bench press when a friend of mine from the gym started pushing me. Turns out my limit is 1 rep at 60kg. I'm 105kg so I've got a while to go to be able to bench press my own body weight. I started to give myself a little pep talk in my head and thought if I can lose 15-20kg (how much I've put on in the last few years) I would only need to bench press about another 25kg and I'd be pressing my bodyweight. I am not sure if I will ever get there but I figure why not aim high.

My 3rd session was this morning and I felt like I was really crushing it but had to shoot of after an hour to get some jobs done.

I figured I'd start posting on here about how I'm going with this so that my #GAS buddies can harass me if I don't keep it up. My starting stats are as follows:

Weight: 105kg
Waist: 42 inches
Bench press: 60kg

These are what I want to focus on.

Now to work on the diet, any suggestions? I'm aiming to lose about 10kg in 2 months. With 3 days gym a week.

If we've never met before, make sure to say hi to me on twitter @rhyscooper

I LOVE Stop Motion Animation!

For a long time now I've been meaning to buy a digital SLR. I've always had a love for photography and video production and I love some of the stuff people are doing with stop motion animation. I could only wish to make clips as cool as these ones.





If you know of any other cool videos like this let me know in the comments section or tweet me at @rhyscooper (if we've never met, add me and say hi)

Patrick Henry Hughes

For a while now I have been using my twitter tool on my laptop to follow the word "disability" as a search. I'm glad I checked it today because it lead me to this video. I have a real interest and passion in disability and I am always looking for inspirational stories from around the world. I want you to take the time to have a look into the life of Patrick Henry Hughes. The video says enough, watch it and be inspired.

Happy Bogan Pride Day!

So, as you might have noticed (if you come from the land down under) that today was Australia Day. That day of the year when we all get a day off work to celebrate all things Australian. For some, it's a good excuse to embrace all things bogan and throw on a pair of thongs, grab a cricket bat and an esky full of beer and head down to the park.

For me I had a bit of a mix, I started the day by washing the sheets and some towels and hanging them out, very important, I always like to get things out of the way first. Then I took my Singaporean girlfriend to Harbour Town so she could do some clothes shopping. Then I went to visit some random beach at the Gold Coast, the water was surprisingly cold. Then I went to Sunnybank (Brisbane's unofficial china town) for dinner.

It did get me thinking on what it is to be Australian. Until recently I had no idea of where my family originated or how long they had been in Australia. I saw a tv series called First Australians (highly recommended viewing) which details the story of Europeans coming to Australia from an aboriginal perspective. After seeing this series it got me thinking, and I decided to look into my family history. My grandfather on my father's side only knew names as far back as his grandfather. After many late nights of wrestling with the internets, I finally tracked my history back to England (not much surprise considering my surname is Cooper). It turns out it was my great, great, great, great grandfather who moved to Tasmania shortly after it was opened as "free land". As interesting as it was to find all this out, it left me with a few questions. For example; the First Australians tv series talks about conflict between farmers/landowners and the semi-nomadic Aboriginal people of Tasmania. And in the information I found about my family in this period was that they bought cheap land that was declared "Impossible to farm" by the government, then turned it into farms and re-sold it at massive profits. So could my ancestors be responsible for some of the things that happened to the original local Tasmanians?

I find myself thinking, do I really belong here? after 160 years of family history here am I any more or less Australian that those who have walked this land for many thousands of years? and if I am Australian, does that make me any more Australian than my Chinese girlfriend? In the past, I've always been of the opinion that since I was born here, (In Arnhem Land, NT) that I clearly must be Australian. Britain is certainly not going to take anyone from my family back. I love this country and I love to be a part of it, I feel very Australian.

My problem is when being "Australian" is shown in the media as being a white, middle class, beer drinking, yobbo. Australia needs to re-think their branding and they need to do it soon because this stereotype is getting old.

Hopefully this will be resolved by the time I am prime minister (Rhys Cooper for PM 2026).

I wonder if anyone has actually read this blog?

Rhys Cooper's goals for January 2010

Tonight was the first official GAS (goal accountability session) of the year and it was off to a great start. I'd fill you in on everyone's goals, but some things in life a private, and "what is discussed at GAS stays in GAS".

I can however fill you in on what I personally set for myself as my main goal to achieve by the end of next month. As you might know, I have been making some progress on the Doo Phone deal which should secure the release of the Doo Phone software within the next couple of months. This is a huge thing for me personally and I have set myself the goal of making sure that I make sure that everything continues to move along according to plan. When there is so much to get done I feel that I need to make sure that I don't get caught up on any of the small details and keep my eye on the bigger picture which is getting the solution into the hands of the people who need it the most. This is not to say that I should move forward at all costs, I still have to make sure that I negotiate a good deal that is going to ensure the future of the project.

Tonight also got me thinking of a couple of other things that I need to make some moves on. I've been sitting on a couple of ideas that I really want to try that are based around generating a passive income with an ultimate aim of limiting the amount of risk and capital investment to as close to zero as possible. I'll talk more about this concept after I've tested it more, but basically it involves re-working the delivery of product A to consumer B by changing the point of purchase and trying to secure an ongoing distribution contract with a parent company (That sort of thing). It's my first proper idea on generating an automated passive income, not sure how it's going to go.

The second thing I have been paying more attention to lately is getting over my fear of trying to build my own personal brand through www.rhyscooper.com and starting to think about possible video blogging and an idea I have for reviewing household products from a disability usability perspective.

Still need to work on remembering to take more photos for this blog also. Word on the street is that a couple of people have looked at my site but I haven't had much love with Google Analytics, I think I'll go work on that again now.

Edgeware Presentation

A few years back I had the chance to do a small course run by Michael Doneman though his entrepreneur school, Edgeware. I've had a few opportunities in the past to repay Michael and his beautiful wife Ludmilla for the guidance they have given over the years. Today was one of those days.

I was honoured to have the opportunity to present at the latest Edgeware Upload program this morning. I was asked to present the story of my entrepreneurial experience so far and provide some insight into what a young group of edgies might expect in the future.

It was interesting to go back and think of some of the things I've personally gone through to get me to where I am today. I decided to speak on the value of making mistakes, if you try something and it's not successful it doesn't always matter. The first time I went into business I knew that my major weakness was my lack of knowledge about business so I decided to just try some things with an ultimate goal of learning about business. This way you can calculate your risk accordingly, in my case with the limited knowledge I had at the time I figured it would be safe to assume that ANY money I invest is a potential loss. Unfortunately I was right, but I learned from my mistakes. A small business loss will often cost you far less than formal study, and I can assure you that you will pay more attention to the lessons you learn.

I also touched on the issues of your personal life interfering with your business ambitions. I have been involved with a group of other guys who meet up once a month for an exercise we call GAS (goal accountability sessions). Basically there is six of us who meet up once a month and set ourselves a number of achievable goals that we know we should really get done in the next month. Then when we meet up the next month we check in with our last months goals and we have to explain why we did or didn't achieve our goals. I've found it to be a very effective way of get things done. I also feel that it makes you realise how much your personal life can enhance or inhibit your business goals as well. It's always important to have balance.

Thanks Michael and Ludmilla for the opportunity to share.

Everyone check out their site www.edgeware.com.au

Exciting times for Doo Mobile

For those of you who don't know, I have been working on a project for the last couple of years to deliver a mobile interface that will make it easier for adults with intellectual disabilities to keep in contact with their carers, families and friends. This project has taken many, many late nights and has almost sent me broke a couple of times. Finally, GOOD NEWS!!! If all goes to plan "Doo Mobile" is about to partner with Peepel to bring the Doo Phone interface to the masses.

This project, and the company behind it are like my baby and I'm so stoked to have an opportunity to bring it to the world. In 2009 we were able to do a limited trial of our original prototype and the results were fantastic. For most people, it wouldn't be such a big deal to have a mobile phone. For some people with a disability, it's a potential life saver, and a link to the world that previously never existed.

Although the functions of the Doo Phone centre around simple dialling and remote GPS tracking in the case of an emergency. This is not all the phone has to offer, what it is really offering is freedom. There are so many people out there that would be capable of going out on their own but are too afraid because they don't have access to a backup if they are lost or find themselves in trouble. It's these people who I believe are going to benefit the most from the Doo Phone, it's the extra freedom and confidence that is going to benefit them (and the occasional emergency call).

I really look forward to seeing some progress on this project. And as for all the late nights and huge bills, if I can allow one person some more freedom in their life, it will all be worth it.

I'm really excited at the moment and although at this stage I don't think there are any subscribers to this blog yet, I just wanted to get this off my chest. I also want to just say thanks to all those people who have helped this project along to this point, I have had so much support from so many people but I would especially like to thank the team at Doo Mobile and the investors who have shared my dream and put their time (and money) where their mouth is. You all know who you are, so thank you.

An uphill battle.

For a while I was getting a bit sick of Facebook so I just updated my status as Rhys Cooper: "Never stops working". I did this partly because I didn't want people to keep trying to hang out with me and partly because I thought it would be funny for some reason to make everyone think I was such a hard worker. I'm not sure if it was already the truth or if it became a self fulfilling prophecy but I did end up working all the time. I worked so much that I pretty much burnt myself out.

I just looked back at my goals for this year and realised that I didn't put anything in there about allowing time for myself. And once again it seems that I've started to focus every last minute to achieving my goals with no thought of what the consequences might be. I've been either at work or in meetings for the last 13 days straight. And then when I'm not working, I find myself coming home and working some more. However, I still manage to justify to myself that this is perfectly ok because I'm smashing all my current goals. I'm thinking that I should really be committing myself to some more "me time" but at the moment I'm just not sure if its possible to fit that in.

One good thing though is that my trip with the gf's family to Bangkok is booked in so at least I've got something good to look forward to. And, I'm feeling great about crushing these goals, particularly getting rid of all of my debt.

For today, I think I might go for a walk around my neighbourhood and see if I can get some interesting photos to share on here. Oh, and grab a coffee while I'm at it. I'm off....

2010 - A year of travel ahead

I got an email from *shewhomustnotbenamedontheinternet* today and it turns out we are going to Thailand via Brunei at the start of April.

I also found out that it looks like my proposal to take some of my clients from my disability job to New Zealand in June. And on top of this my gf (*SWMNBNOTI*) and I are planning a month long trip to Europe around the end of the year, where we are aiming to take in about 8 countries. So I'm thinking my little old passport is going to be getting a bit more of a working out. It's a good thing I chose this year to start blogging, at least I'm going to have some interesting pictures to share.

I've got a stamp for Thailand in my passport, but I never left the airport. Last year when I was on my way to London I had about a 6 hour stopover in Bangkok and I was so bored at the airport I checked myself out just to get the stamp. I was tempted to go and have a look at the city but the guy at the taxi rank recommended against it, he didn't think I would get back in time for my flight.

This time will be different though, it will be rough leg massages and cheap hire scooters all week. I'm looking forward to experiencing the culture, when I was stuck in the Airport the people were so nice. I can't wait to go, Looking forward to spending some time with my gf and her family.

Car restraints for adults

In the world of disability support there is a term that at first I was unaware of the meaning of. I was asked shortly after starting in this line of work to attend a training session on what to do when you are face with "people displaying challenging behaviours". Which I soon found out to mean "when people get really violent towards you or other members of society".

The good thing in Australia is that the majority of the training in this area focusses on "why would someone want to get violent in the first place?" to which the most common reply is because their needs are not being met and they are having trouble communicating this to you. Some people have little or no verbal communication skills, and when something is really annoying them they have to resort to gestures, but sometimes its hard to tell what someone might be trying to tell you, and after a while of you not understanding they have to say it LOUDER. But when the language they are using is non-verbal, for example sign language, or in many cases subtle body language then they can not simply increase the volume of their voice. So when most people are engaging in what people might see as an outburst of violent behaviour could actually mean "I really want to go to the toilet, why haven't you taken me there yet!" or, "I really don't like being in this place because it's full of bad memories for me and I want to get out of here"

So, anyway, to get to the subject of the matter. I have come across some people who have limited ability to communicate verbally, or who need lots of reassurance when they are travelling to and from places in a car. Unfortunately, if you are the only other person in the car and you are driving it at the time, and , said person feels that you are paying too much attention to the road and not listening to what they are trying to say to you, the only option might be to say it louder. Which is less worse if you are able to pull over quickly, but can be a very dangerous situation if you are travelling at speed in a car. Which brings me to a new product that I have experienced using for the first time today.

I'm not sure exactly what the industry term is for these because I had a bit of trouble tracking examples down online. Here is one example of it called the Crelling Harness, It's essentially an extra seatbelt harness that can be worn by somebody who might likely reach forward and grab the driver while the car is in motion. The version that I used today has a zip up back and attaches behind the shoulders, and it looks quiet comfortable to wear. It is worn in conjunction with the standard over shoulder seatbelt and is a very effective tool for making both the driver and passenger much safer when travelling.

Before you start to think "that would be great, I could shove one on my brother so he can't change my radio any more". You must know, this is a restrictive practice and generally must be approved by the appropriate authorities before one can be used, especially when working with people with disabilities.

If you have any comments or experiences or thoughts with regards to this topic please feel free to comment on this blog. My aim here is to get people talking about subjects that normally never get any attention.

New Zealand winter 2010

My New Years resolution of making positive change in my disability clients lives no matter what is already looking to be starting to make it's way into the way I am planning out my year.

I started thinking about the things that make day to day life really good and I realised that I am always more energetic and positive when I've got something to look forward to (particularly holidays). And I realised that whenever I have clients who are going to be going on a holiday they are super excited and upbeat from the point of planning until the time comes and they fly off. Then when I looked at how long it's been since some of the guys I work with had been on a holiday, I figured it was time to make something happen.

I've put together a plan and submitted a proposal to my managers, but I've still got a long way to go. I'm planning a 10 day holiday to New Zealand's north island in the second half of June. My itinerary has us moving around nearly every day to see everything around the upper north island. I am thinking it might be a better idea to try to stay in the one place maybe near Rotorua and then we can drive out to all the attractions each day and not have to worry about luggage etc.

Either way, progress is being made and I've got a massive list of wants from the guys I'm planning to take so I'd best get back to the drawing board and start inserting some more numbers into this budget.

If you've got any good ideas on things to do on New Zealand's north island, feel free to let me know.

Crushing it in 2010

"Going for the impossible" - Rhys Cooper

Boom! the fireworks are over, you've probably gotten over your hangover by now and are back at work sitting in your cubicle again doing exactly what you were doing last month. But is this really what you want? Did you sit down and have a look over the last year to see if you would have done anything differently?.... I did and this is what I came up with.

My year 2009 in point form.

The good:

• I won and international award
• I raised startup capital investment for my company Orange Dot
• I started to crush my goals by sitting down with likeminded awesome people through our "Goal Accountability Sessions"
  
• I went to some places I've never been before (New Zealand, Brunei, Malayisa Borneo, Thailand & London)
• My relationship with *shewhomustnotbenamedontheinternet* grew in leaps and bounds

The Not So Good

• I let myself get too stressed out over things that didn't matter
  
• I could have managed my time better
• I failed to build my website & blog

On the whole, I'm pretty proud of my acheivements in 2009. But I think I can do even better in 2010.

I've decided that I am going to take a new tactic this year with more focus on wholistic planning. I find that if I have great things to look forward to in my personal life it makes it much easier to acheive my entrepreneurial goals.

In 2010 I will:

• Make the Doo Phone publicly available
  
• Be completely debt free by the end of the financial year (June 30)
• Travel Europe for at least 4 weeks (October-November)
  
• Make positive change in my clients lives (through the disability support work I do)
  
• Expand my contribution to the disability support community through new projects
• Build my own brand & internet presence through www.rhyscooper.com