Smarv Living

Government commits $294 million for the East West Link (Victoria)

2013-05-14T10:15:00.000+10:00

The East West Link is a freeway standard road linking the Eastern Freeway at Hoddle Street with the Western Ring Road in Sunshine West. It extends over 18 kilometres and would be constructed using a combination of methods, including tunnels, bridging and surface road sections. Key connections include the Eastern Freeway, Tullamarine Freeway, Port of Melbourne and the Western Ring Road.

The Victorian Government yesterday announced that it would allocate $294 million towards the East
West Link project as part of the 2013-14 Budget.
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2013-05-09T16:18:00.004+10:00

Letter for my daughter later on... By Dr Flanagan

Dear Cutie-Pie,

Recently, your mother and I were searching for an answer on Google. Halfway through entering the question, Google returned a list of the most popular searches in the world. Perched at the top of the list was 'How to keep him interested'.

It startled me. I scanned several of the countless articles about how to be sexy and sexual, when to bring him a beer versus a sandwich, and the ways to make him feel smart and superior.
And I got angry.
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Save your blurred photos

2013-05-08T10:41:00.000+10:00

Blurry images are universal in our life.

There are many causes for the blur: camera shakes, defocussing, or the rapid movements of the object... Restoration of these defective images is therefore an interesting and important scientific problem.

Here is a tool, SmartDeblur, with comprehensive features aiming to remove the blurs and recover the details.And it's free!

cash rate lowered by 25 basis points to 2.75 per cent, effective 8 May 2013

2013-05-07T20:21:00.001+10:00

The global economy is likely to record growth a little below trend this year, before picking up next year.

Among the major regions, the United States continues on a path of moderate expansion and China's growth is running at a more sustainable, but still robust, pace.

Japan has announced significant new policy initiatives aimed at strengthening demand and ending deflation.

The euro area remains in recession. Commodity prices have moderated a little in recent months though they remain high by historical standards.

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Melbourne Fuel Price Chart

2013-05-07T10:31:00.000+10:00

This is the place to find out the current fuel price around Melbourne.

The fuel price shown on the here is read every 60 minutes from the public web site of
Motormouth (http://www.motormouth.com.au) by SearchVIC Communications' automated spider.

Bicentennial Park, Scotch Parade, Chelsea

2013-05-06T10:30:00.002+10:00

Bicentennial Park is an old favourite with many locals who know

The new play space with lots of whimsical and fun elements for all ages was completed in December, 2010. There are two big mound slides which are the centre piece of the play space. Pick your slide depending on how much excitement you want. Next to the slides is a Smurf village with a music hut, story hut and play hut complete with a mooing cow in the middle of the village.
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A simple and fun programming language - Scratch

2013-05-06T10:26:00.001+10:00

Scratch is a programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the web.

As young people create and share Scratch projects, they learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.

Scratch is developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab, with financial support from the National Science Foundation, Microsoft, Intel Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Google, Iomega and MIT Media Lab research consortia.

See the Credits page for a list of people who worked together to create Scratch.

National Trust releases 50 outdoor activities every child must experience

2013-05-02T16:26:00.004+10:00

Great list for me to share with my daughter...

ADVENTURER

1. Climb a tree
2. Roll down a really big hill
3. Camp out in the wild
4. Build a den
5. Skim a stone
6. Run around in the rain
7. Fly a kite
8. Catch a fish with a net
9. Eat an apple straight from a tree
10. Play conkers (a game played using the seeds of horse-chestnut trees)

DISCOVERER
11. Go on a really long bike ride
12. Make a trail with sticks
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Toys for 24 to 30 months

2013-04-29T10:34:00.002+10:00

Your child is now two, and has become even more assertive. But his defiance really results from the tug-of-war between his desire for independence and his continuing need for help. What he's doing -- again and again -- is testing his limits.

Along with independence come expanded language skills. He can now speak in short sentences and has become more purposeful, telling you what he needs or wants. He is also beginning to understand abstract concepts. He can ask for more milk, and inquire about whether he can go to bed later. But he still doesn't understand what next month or next year means.

He can form images in his mind, and organise his toys by size, or colour, or shape. His memory is improving and he may be able to tell you at the end of the day what he had for lunch.

Toddlers are energetic little people, so look for toys and activities that give yours a way to channel his energy. Also look for toys that challenge his developing mind.

Ride-on toys: Your child will still love wheeled toys he can push himself along on, such as tricycles (pedalling is still probably more than he can handle). Look for ride-on toys that are well balanced. Luggage compartments that allow your child to pack and unpack for his trips are a nice feature.

Balls: Balls continue to be a favourite, but even more so now that your toddler can target his throws. A few tots this age even make the occasional catch. Set up a waste paper bin as a "goal" and see who can throw the ball in from a short distance. Or make two "goals" in the garden and introduce your child to a simple version of football.

Art supplies: Let your child be creative. Set up an area in your home where it's okay for him to be messy. You can prompt his artistry by asking your toddler to draw certain things: the sky, or grass, or even what the sound of rain looks like. When you're feeling brave -- or maybe the word is energetic -- bring out poster paints and some broad brushes, stand well back and see what he produces.

Percussive instruments: This is the age when music inspires dancing, clapping, spinning, hopping, even shouting -- so why not add to the fun by handing over a tambourine, or drum, or rhythm sticks? Experiment with different genres of music and invite your child to beat out an accompaniment.

Dressing-up clothes: Pretend play starts to take off about now. Designate a drawer or a box for dressing-up clothes and stuff it with an assortment of shirts, skirts, hats, shoes, and whatever might inspire some imaginative romps. If nothing else, it's a great excuse to practise putting stuff on and taking it off -- an exercise two-year-olds seem to love.

Child-sized household equipment: Toys for dramatic play need to be realistic. So buy a set of toy dishes, pots and pans, and plastic food. Set up a small table and chairs where your child can host tea and dinner parties. Acquire a small broom, or even a little vacuum cleaner, to make cleaning up fun, too.

Construction toys: Your child may become interested in construction now. Consider giant Lego blocks or toys with pieces that can be linked or snapped together. Your child may be able to create wonderfully wonky buses, trains, farms, houses and more.

Puzzles: Your child's new dexterity has opened up many new play possibilities. He can more easily organise cups so that one nestles inside another, assemble four- or five-piece puzzles, use a set of plastic keys to open doors in a plastic house, and dress and undress a doll dressed with laces, snaps, and buckles.

Extracted from http://www.babycenter.com.au

Free Real-World Outdoor Treasure Hunt

2013-03-31T22:35:00.000+11:00

Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Players navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.

The free game could spice up our holidays by adding game element into a normal road trip. Check it out.