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This week is eResearch Australasia, probably the most significant meeting of minds in the country of its sort. I have presented several times in the past at this annual conference, and this time I'll be speaking on the "The Spartan HPC Story: From Small Scale Experimental to Top500 and Beyond" which, as one fellow staff member quipped, is "a love letter to Spartan". There is some truth to this; I have watched Spartan grow over the past nine years from being just a plan on paper, raised in innovative poverty, and becoming one of the most significant systems on the planet with volumes of research output. Supercomputing is important, with a return of forty-four dollars in profits or cost-savings per dollar invested. There is not an area of modern technology or science that has supercomputing has not touched (could you imagine where we would be with COVID-19 without supercomputing?), and it pleases me a great deal to be deeply involved in this industry and academic pursuit.

But this is not the only academic pursuit of recent days. I have already started drafting a presentation on bioinformatics HPC education for EResearchNZ, which will be held in Christchurch early next year. Apropos more New Zealand matters, last week I attended the annual Wellington University Alumuni event (when you've graduated from several universities, you get to go to a few of these), where Professor Nick Long of the Robinson Research Institute spoke of their fascinating developments in superconductors (which NZ is a bit of world leader in) for fMRI, electric aviation and space vehicles, and even fusion power. Further, this week I have also finished two major assignments (two PhD reviews) for the subject International Academic Writing for my doctoral studies at Euclid University, and finally, I have started writing a paper on catatonia with Angela L (she's the subject expert, I'm merely a helpful wordsmith making use of his psychology degree).

Far from being a cloistered figure, this weekend's big trip was out to Bendigo with the Australa-China Friendship Society, where we caught up with members of the Bendigo Chinese Association who have done remarkable work in preserving and promoting that community's strong ties to the region of Dai Gum San (Big Gold Mountain). We visited the Golden Dragon Museum, the Kuan Yin Temple, Guan Yin Miao (temple of The Goddess of Mercy), Yi Yuan ("Garden of Joy"), and the Bendigo Joss Hoss Temple. The visit was so enjoyable and educational, and the local Chinese association was so helpful and friendly that I believe it will become an annual trip for the ACFS.
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The highlight of the weekend was venturing out of germy Melbourne for a day trip in Bendigo. Although a mere two hours by train it is well over twenty years since I have been to said town, and that was for parliamentary work. Like its larger regional sibling, Ballarat, Bendigo was originally a gold mining town and now has a modest manufacturing, finance, and regional service base. It's an attractive place with plentiful Victorian-era buildings and parklands, and surrounded by rather lovely natural forest. The primary purpose of my journey however was to visit [personal profile] lebens_art9, a Scottish medic whose prankster and cheery exterior hides the deep commitment of a traveling healer. Currently in Bendigo for several months to carry out coronavirus vaccinations, lebens_art9 has previously been working in remote communities and refugee health. She basically lives out of a suitcase, like Paul Erdős, with whatever accommodation that the current service provider offers. It is really people like these that are the dedicated backbone of virtuous projects. Anyway, even such people with their quiet achievements have a day off, and in their company I spent the day, visiting the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, collecting their highly-educated friend Anne from the airport, and cooking dinner for the pair in preference to visiting a restaurant. It certainly made for a more convivial conversational environment and there is not much more than one can wish from life than good company and good conversation.

The Stupa and surrounds are well worth commentary. Whilst still in construction it is the home of the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery to be established in Australia and is associated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Of popular note is the four-tonne jade Buddha, apparently the largest of its type. However, like other visits to Buddhist sites (an important exception being Borobudur), I found myself less, rather than more, inclined towards the religion. My naturalistic pantheism led me to feel that the forested surroundings were more my temple than the stupa itself. On reflection, I also find the behaviour of many self-proclaimed Buddhists rather at odds at what the teachings would suggest, rather like many self-proclaimed Christians, I suppose, especially including our Prime Minister. I am perplexed by Buddhists who chow down on the flesh of animals without concern or interpret non-attachment to a harmful indifference to others. In this context that I must mention Thích Nhất Hạnh's "engaged Buddhism" to the most valuable; a detachment from things, matched with a compassionate engagement with sentient beings. I am again especially thankful to [livejournal.com profile] strang_er for introducing me to this body of thought.

The train trip home is also worthy of mention. I was invited by a lass who was celebrating her eighteenth birthday to join her semi-inebriated and slightly boisterous group of friends as they made their way for a big night out. Playing the role of the cool aged punk-rock uncle among such youngsters was easy as they regaled tales of slight legal infractions, their fondness of marijuana, same-sex experimentations, etc. One sassy lass insisted on a couple of photos. There is a certain charm in the vibrancy and optimism of the female of the species at that age that I find is lacking in most males of equivalent age, probably victims of their own hormones and socialization. Still, as they departed in good spirits my mind sadly turned to remember the working-class girls in the great longitudinal sociology "Up" series, so lively and forward-looking as they entered their youth, their enthusiasms quickly dulled as they encountered the twin weights of the class system and patriarchal structures. Whilst I probably will never see them again, I dearly hope that they can overcome these unjust barriers.

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