And So It Begins…

It may only be September, but preparations for this year have already begun. With 20,000 lights, 1,000+ metres of cabling and 56 computer controlled channels, there will need to be a lot of spare time for set up. On top of that this year is when I need to sit my final secondary exams (i.e. year 12) so I’ll need to break for 3 weeks for that most likely.

You may notice a few enhancements around this website also. I revamped the blog colour scheme and updated some information on the computer page. Since the last update, one of the webcams has been fixed into its permanent position outside whilst the other has been disconnected due conflicting issues between the camera and recording software. This camera may be replaced prior to December 1st but there are no promises.

Mid-year Update

Hey there, just thought I’d post a mid-year update.
Firstly, as of today I have finally met my financial obligations regarding payment for the LED Christmas lights order from China. With thanks to an unexpected gift from a relative, the total money raised for this year now stands at $1850.

With regards to the Christmas lights order, they have arrived in Adelaide and will be picked up closer to Christmas. The garden renovation is progressing quite well – one new photo added to the 2007 photo gallery.

At this stage I’m not sure if fog and bubbles will be a part of this year’s display, but either way I’m sure the lights alone will be dazzling enough!

Under Budgeted for Display Improvements

I looks as though the origial budget for this year’s display upgrades is not sufficient enough! It appears that the original budgeted $800 is only half of the amount that will be needed. $750 has already been spent on this year’s display, and another 1800 LED lights need to be purchased (LEDs average at $35 per 100 LED globes). This means that the new ‘target’, although not budgeted, is $1500. $750 is required to be raised by October. $100 should be no problem, and one of my sponsors may be able to provide up to $150. This leaves $500 left to raise…

Website Changes

It was not long ago that a new website design was unveiled… but now there have been a few more changes.

For starters, all the photo galleries in the navigation bar have been moved into a ‘popup’ menu that is activated by hovering over the photo galleries link. The galleries also now have picture thumbnails instead of the drop down combo box check them out!!

Finally a quick facts page has been created with… you guessed it… quick facts!

There will also (hopefully) be a webcam online around November this year – a page is already up for this but without a webcam image!

Vandalism

Last night some of the display was vandalised and destroyed.

As a result 300 of the 6700 lights have been removed either due to being stolen, damaged, or as a safety precaution to prevent future attacks.

Serious thought is being put in modifying the display for 2007 by moving all ground lights to the roof or elsewhere in a location impossible to steal without a ladder and/or special tools.